The Hindu : Kerala News : Protector of the proletariat film review

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Aug 27, 2007
ePaper

Kerala

Kerala

Protector of the proletariat film review

Alibhai

Yet another larger-than-life role for Mohanlal in Alibhai directed by Shaji Kailas. But the duo’s magic hardly pays off at the box office.

Alibhai tells the story of the Beramis of Kozhikode who are adept at making ‘urus’ (small sturdy boats). The film is scripted by T.A. Shahid.

Khalid Ahmed Sahib (Innocent) wishes to build an uru and set it afloat on ‘perunnal’ day. But there are rivals who would like to stall his efforts.

His arch-rival Karunakaran Thambi’s son Sundaran (Siddique) hatches a plot, and Ahmed Sahib’s son Anwar is implicated in theft case.

Humiliated at being dubbed a thief by his own father, Anwar leaves home. He crosses the waters and lands up at the Palayam market in Kozhikode. In no time he becomes a gang leader and protector of the working class.

He is now Alibhai, the cynosure of all eyes.

Once in a while, he visits his mother back home secretly. He even gives a gift to his father.

But such happy domestic scenes are not to last long.

With the unexpected arrival of Sundaran and Danny (Aryaman), who want a stake in the much-touted Malabar City Project, the very survival of the poor workers is in danger. Danny is able to influence the authorities and move forward with his pet project.

The rest of the film is on predictable lines with the hero smashing the evil-doers and several innocent lives being lost in the midst.

Mohanlal in his role as Alibhai eclipses all the other characters and they are reduced to insignificance.

The cast includes Gopika, KPAC Lalitha, Subbalakshmi, Navya Nair, Kochin Haneefa, Jagadish, Baburaj, Suraj Venjaramood, Shammi Thilakan, Ganesh Kumar, Balachandran Chullikad, Vijayakumar, Sudheesh and Master Ganapathy.

The lyrics penned by Girish Puthencherry and tuned by Alex Paul is not appealing.

Saravanan cranks the camera. Alibhai is produced by Anthony Perumbavoor for Ashirvad Films.

G. Jayakumar

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Kerala