After finishing Marakkar- Arabikadalinte Simham, only two things that stayed with me are the works of Pranav Mohanlal and Arjun. Pranav Mohanlal gets the best 45 min sequence in the movie and even a rousing intro and closure – also the only rare instances in the film where the BGM generates some excitement . Pranav may have finally got the knack of acting- in the two scenes where he goes in front of his dead mother or reunites with his elappa, he does emote well.
Arjun gets both the best character in the movie as well as the only good written dialogues when he explains to the rulers in palace about why and how Kunjali is difficult to find. After Lucifer, Vineeth does another fine job in dubbing as he lends voice to Arjun.
This may be one of Mohanlal’s most ineffective performances and one of the rare occasions where the actor doesn’t rise upto the rest of the movie. This is an actor who earlier this year reentered Georgekutty with an ease, precision and confidence that he knows the character than anyone else . This is a superstar who has made several average movies look better than they actually were. Here instead, his dialogues lack the spark. When both the young and old Kunjali asks Achuthan to give it in his hand and he wont accept anything from ground, Mohanlal surprisingly lacks the intensity of Pranav. Mohanlal looks more fit now while giving interviews in last few days than while shooting the movie and his action scenes does get bogged down because of that.
Mohanlal’s performance was so critical for the movie to work because Priyadarshan fails to bring in the thrills in his writing or making that a movie of this big scale and cast demands. Priyadarshan starts well with the young Kunjali portions but then as the movie moves further and further , you are treated with scenes that you feel you have seen a number of times already in many other movies.
Marakkar is not really bad. But with humongous expectations, the wait for 2-3 years and the best film National award behind it( which if it didnt win, it may have helped the movie more), you feel you have had a lackluster experience.
