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Pullikkaran Staraa Movie Review: Manages To Shine At Parts!
Pullikkaran Staraa, starring Mammootty in the lead role has hit the theatres today (Sep 1, 2017). Read Pullikkaran Staraa review here..
Pullikkaran Staraa, featuring Mammootty in the lead role, is one among the three big releases of the day (September 1, 2017). Directed by young film-maker Syam Dhar, this Mammootty starrer has been tagged as a feel good entertainer.
The film has been bankrolled by B Rakesh under the banner Universal Cinemas. Has the film lived up to the expectations? Keep reading Pullikkaran Staraa review to get the answer..
Plot
Pullikkaran Staraa narrates the story of a teacher trainer named Rajakumaran, who is a person hailing from Idukki. Rajakumaran has some interesting characteristics and he is a perfect storyteller, as well. For an assignment, he comes to Kochi where he meets his childhood friend. What happens rest has been told in an interesting manner in Pullikkaran Staraa.
See how the cast & crew members of Pullikkaran Staraa have fared for the movie..
Mammootty As Rajakumaran
Mammootty is the biggest strength of the movie. He essays the role of Raajakumaran with ease and scores heavily be it in humorous or emotional sequences. The sequences involving interaction between Raajakumaran and his students look convincing, just because of Mammootty. But, he has done such kind of roles even in the past and Raajakumaran isn't anything new for the actor in him.
Asha Sarath As Manjari
Asha Sarath plays the role of Manjari Muraleedharan, who is a teacher by profession. The actress looked extremely beautiful in each frame and once again, she has delivered a decent performance.
Deepthi Sati As Manjima
Deepthi Sati is back in Malayalam, playing the role of Manjima, an IT professional who stays in the same flat premises as that of Raajakumaran. While she has given an OK performance the dubbing looked mismatched.
Innocent As Omanakshan Pillai
Innocent is back in a full-length role by doing the role of Omanakshan Pillai. He generates some occasional laughs and his chemistry with Mammootty is good. But no comparisons with their combination in Pranchiyettan & The Saint, which stands much much taller.
Dileesh Pothan As Kuriachen
Dileesh Pothan steps into the shoes of Kuriachen, the childhood friend of Raajakumaran. He is definitely growing as a confident actor, with each passing movie. He has delivered a decent performance.
Rest Of The Cast
Pullikkaran Staraa also features Hareesh Kanaran, maniyanpilla Raju, Sohan Seenulal etc., in important roles. It is Hareesh Kanaran who steals the show once again with his impeccable comic timing. Whenever he appears on screen, he makes it sure to offer some genuine laughs.
Director – Syam Dhar
Syam Dhar's debut directorial venture was a fine thriller. He was able to keep the audiences glued to the seats with a taut thriller. In his second film, he has opted for a feel good movie and it is a rather daring move.
He has succeeded in providing that feel-good factor, up to an extent. He hasn't opted for any gimmicks and narrates the story in a plain way. Especially, the way in which he has handled the flashback story is rather interesting. This kind of a structuring does work at parts but by following the same pattern, the film-maker fails to keep the viewers engaged.
For an example, the first half of the film had some glimpses of brilliance of the director, but as the film moved forward it seemed like he lost the control. In the initial parts he was able to hit the right chords with the comical sequences but the same consistency wasn't seen in the later portions.
Script – Ratheesh Ravi
The story of Pullikkaran Staraa is rather plain and it doesn't have any surprises. So, the biggest challenge of the writer was to draft a screenplay, which has some engaging elements.
The scriptwriter has got it right with the premises but it seems like he was left confused so as to how to move forward. There are certain situations where light humour has been handled well, but they remain scattered. Moreover, towards the second half, the script moves on to a preachy mode.
The writer in him has tried to bring to foray the issues with the present day educational system, which is indeed commendable. Some of the dialogues written for Raajakumaran are commendable and thought provoking.
DOP - Vinod Illampally
Popular cinematographer Vinod Illampally has cranked the camera for the movie. He has done a decent job with the camera especially in the sequences set within the flat premises.
Pullikkaran Staraa has its songs set to tune by M Jayachandran. The songs do affect the flow of the movie, most of the times. But still, they are good to hear and the best among the lot is 'Kavalam Painkili..', which has been shot well. Gopi Sunder has done a good job with the background score.
Verdict
Pullikkaran Staraa manages to shine at parts. There are some good moments in the film, which would bring smile on your faces. But, the film heavily depends too much on such scattered moments and thus testing the patience of the audiences, at times. The film definitely is a watchable one but fails to go an extra mile.
