‘One’ Malayalam movie review: Mammootty’s political drama fails to hit the highs

Movies with political themes evoke a lot curiosity in Kerala even beneath regular circumstances. Now, on the doorstep of an all-important election, the curiosity is certain to be much more, particularly to identify similarities with the happenings in the true world. Although there have been such speculations, Santosh Viswanath’s ‘One’ stays clear of those a lot in order that it might be onerous to attract parallels to real-life figures, aside from a few current developments being included within the script.

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In truth, Bobby-Sanjay’s script is a lot a sanitised model of a political movie that there is no such thing as a point out of any occasion identify or ideology or perhaps a visible with political flags. On account of this, it’s at instances onerous to differentiate between the ruling and opposition MLAs, which additionally occurs to be the message that the movie seeks to convey: of 1 sincere, righteous, do-gooder amidst a cesspool of corrupt, self-serving politicians.

Despite the fact that it’s a star automobile, the protagonist takes fairly a while to make his entry, with the preliminary half hour used to construct up the anticipation. A university pupil (Mathew Thomas) writes a Fb submit in opposition to Chief Minister Kadakkal Chandran (Mammootty), after his safety employees blocks and assaults the youth when getting into a hospital the place his father is admitted, whereas the CM is visiting. The submit kicks up a political storm with the opposition led by Jayanandan (Murali Gopy) targetting the CM. Nevertheless, that is simply a place to begin, with the script skirting aimlessly from one concern to the subsequent, to relaxation on the core theme of Chandran’s quest to cleanse politics by championing a ‘proper to recall’ invoice.

Santosh Viswanath, who debuted with the spoof movie ‘Chirakodinja Kinavukal’, makes an attempt to create a up to date political movie, however the consequence is one thing which is way away from actuality. In truth, a few of the scenes betray a peripheral understanding of politics within the state. As for the politics that it stands for, it presents the type of concepts glorified by the ‘India Towards Corruption’ motion, which in hindsight had many pitfalls. It invests its belief in an all-perfect particular person with none failings, with the remainder seen as unhealthy apples. Everyone knows the place that results in.

The script, which manages to construct the anticipation, by no means fairly hits the highs that one would count on from such a high-voltage mainstream movie. It additionally fails to construct on some fascinating plot factors, like Chandran’s periodic reminiscence lapses. The plot typically returns to the school pupil, and to how the CM involves his rescue again and again. It not solely limits the scope of the CM, however of the movie too. Whereas the plot gave a pleasant contact to the connection between Chandran and the occasion chief (Joju George), the identical can’t be stated of the compulsory household relationship scenes involving the CM.

Ultimately, it’s Mammootty’s towering display presence which holds the movie collectively, even when the script falters. ‘One’ is one more political movie in Malayalam with a considerably apolitical message.

One is at present operating in theatres