Rating:
2.5/5
Star
Cast:
Asif
Ali,
Mukesh
Jean
Paul
Lal,
Farhaan
Fazil
Director:
Arun
Kumar
Aravind
Underworld,
the
Asif
Ali
thriller,
marks
the
comeback
of
editor-filmmaker
Arun
Kumar
Aravind
after
a
2-years-long
hiatus.
The
editor
turned
director,
who
is
best
known
for
his
expertise
in
handling
the
multi-layered
narratives,
has
chosen
to
tell
the
story
of
4
men
in
the
backdrop
of
Underworld
this
time.
According
to
Arun
Kumar,
this
movie
has
no
heroes,
but
the
protagonists
are
characters
with
well-defined
grey
shades.
Did
the
Asif
Ali-Arun
Kumar
Aravind
movie
succeed
in
impressing
the
viewers?
Read
Underworld
movie
review
here
to
know...
Plot
Stalin
John
(Asif
Ali),
a
culprit
befriends
ex-minister
Padmanabhan
Nair
(Mukesh),
who
is
sentenced
for
accepting
bribe,
in
the
jail.
Stalin
slowly
emerges
as
Nair's
confidante.
Later,
Nair
realises
that
Solomon
(Jean
Paul
Lal),
who
was
supposed
to
keep
the
bribe
money
safe,
conned
him.
With
the
help
of
Stalin
John
and
another
jail
inmate
named
Gunda
Majeed
(Farhaan
Fazil),
Padmanabhan
Nair
hatches
a
plan
to
retrieve
the
bribe
money,
500
Crore
Dollars.
How
the
trio
succeeds
in
their
plan
forms
the
crux
of
the
story.
Script
&
Direction
Director
Arun
Kumar
Aravind
and
scriptwriter
Shibin
Francis
have
created
a
movie
which
is
primarily
a
crime
drama.
But
Underworld
also
falls
into
various
other
genres
at
certain
points,
which
negatively
affects
the
overall
narrative.
The
ruthlessness
and
lack
of
morality
in
the
big
bad
underworld
is
portrayed
with
conviction,
and
it
works
well.
But
at
the
same
time,
the
narrative
uses
the
biggest
clichés
used
in
cinema
since
ages
to
carry
the
plot
forward,
which
is
a
major
let
down.
Some
of
the
characters
and
situations
looked
totally
forced
and
unnecessary
in
the
plot.
At
certain
points
in
the
first
half,
the
movie
drifts
away
from
the
core
plot,
thus
failing
to
keep
the
audiences
engaged.
The
climax
portion
lacks
the
much-needed
crispiness
and
conviction.
All
these
factors
and
excessive
length
(2
hours
40
minutes)
makes
the
movie
enjoyable
only
at
parts.
Performances
Asif
Ali,
who
plays
Stallin
John,
delivers
an
excellent
performance
and
instantly
connects
with
the
audiences.
Asif's
immense
growth
as
an
actor
is
totally
visible
in
his
matured
performance.
Mukesh,
the
senior
actor
delivers
one
of
the
finest
performances
of
his
career
as
Padmanabhan
Nair.
His
brilliant
portrayal
of
the
corrupt
politician
once
again
reminds
us
that
he
is
the
most
underused
talents
of
Malayalam
cinema.
Jean
Paul
Lal,
the
director
who
makes
his
acting
debut
with
Underworld,
shines
as
the
ruthless
antagonist
Solomon.
Farhaan
Fazil,
who
appears
as
Gunda
Majeed,
has
also
played
his
part
very
well.
Samyuktha
Menon
and
Ketaki
Narayanan,
who
play
Stallin
John
and
Majeed's
romantic
interests
respectively,
have
nothing
much
to
do
in
their
under-written
roles.
The
rest
of
the
star
cast,
including
Srikanth
Murali
and
Muthumani
have
played
their
respective
roles
well.
Technical
Aspects
Alex
J
Pulickal's
decent
cinematography
makes
the
movie
a
visually
appealing
experience.
The
editing
is
not
up
to
the
mark,
as
the
narrative
includes
several
unnecessary
elements
which
needed
a
trim,
and
the
movie
is
excessively
lengthy.
The
songs,
which
are
composed
by
Yakzan
Gary
Pereira-Neha
Nair
duo
and
written
by
Sam
Mathew
are
impressive.
The
background
score
is
decent.
Verdict
Underworld
succeeds
in
impressing
audiences
at
parts,
thus
ending
up
as
an
average
movie
experience.
Give
it
a
try
of
you
are
a
fan
of
Asif
Ali
and
Arun
Kumar
Aravind.