‘Aarattu’ movie review: All-round star Pooja… and then some

Counting the number of references to Mohanlal’s previous films in ‘Aarattu’ can be a fascinating activity to sit through during the nearly three-hour-long all-round star worship. The script is replete with people for that matter, some of whom land well and most fall flat. In some scenes, such as when Neyyatinkara Gopan (Mohanlal) visits an old ‘Tharavadu’, the references come so thick and sharp, that they are difficult to maintain.

The worst of it comes in a scene in which Indrans, playing the role of a paralyzed man, sees Gopan breaking into the song ‘Thamarappovvil Vazoom’ from ‘Chandralekha’, a reference that matches the original with his absurd attempt at comedy. spoils the memory. Director B. There is no regret in what Unnikrishnan has decided to do, which is a good thing, because we need professional mass entertainers. Yet that same sentiment doesn’t translate into creating something that is original.

‘Aarattu’ also takes the easy route taken by some recent superstar films to portray the star’s past films and use their nostalgic value to satisfy die-hard fans. Screenwriter Udayakrishna’s trick here is to portray some of these references to Lal’s films as spoofs, even while raining down on us following clichés throughout the film. He seems to be making fun of these superstar clichés, even using the same things to advance an unimaginable plot.

At the center of the plot is Edathala Mathai (Vijayaraghavan), who dominates the village of Muthalakotta, and wants to prevent the government from taking control of his large land for cultivation. Through wheeler-dealers, he comes into contact with Neyyatinkara Gopan, to whom he leases the land, in an attempt to fill it up and stop farming. But Gopan seems to have different intentions.

The thin plot line appears to be an excuse for a celebration of the stars from every possible angle. An extended feud is also woven in with Anjali (Shraddha Srinath), a conscientious RDO, and a gang of four youths who oppose her moves, but neither of these characters has any depth. The screenwriter forgets some of them as well, because in the end, he’s focused on delivering a few ‘twists’ and a dying backstory, which only manages to take the film further down. Even for the most ardent fan of Arrahman’s music, the composer’s cameo appearance and concert performance will be disappointing, given the way it is portrayed.

There are many scenes in ‘Arttu’ where the whole village around Gopan praises him. It seems the screenwriters and directors expect such wide acclaim of the star from the audience, as the film has nothing more to bank on. The obsession with recapturing the spirit of old Mohanlal films is quite evident here too, but such casual mashups are detrimental to the actor, who can still be better used in a commercial mass entertainment format.

Aarattu is currently playing in theaters