One Line Review: Malikappuram is a movie that came out of the blue amidst the biggies and scored a mammoth success in Mollywood! ππ
Introduction
Debutant Vishnu Sasi Sankar had done an outstanding job as a filmmaker with his film Malikappuram, delivering a subject with a devotional twist while still making it a huge success.
“Malikappuram β A bit of devotion, A bit of emotion”
~ 123 Telugu
Our rating for Malikappuram is 9/10.
Summary
Kalyani, aka Kallu, is an ardent devotee of Lord Ayyappa, and her dream is to visit Sabarimala, a renowned temple that is believed to be the dwelling place of the god. According to Hindu belief, girls can’t enter Sabarimala once they attain puberty or after the age of 10 years. Kallu’s father, Ajayan wants to fulfill his daughter’s dream of going to Sabarimala and make her see Ayyappan.
Ajayan is submerged in loans and is struggling to repay them. As the money lender assaults Ajayan for the same before his daughter, he commits suicide out of shame. Kallu’s desire to visit Sabarimala also fades. Instead of giving up, Kallu decides to go to Sabarimala anyway. Along with her friend and classmate Piyush, she sets off on a trip to Sabarimala. On their way, a man Mahi notices the kids and plans to kidnap and sell Kallu for money. While they are on the verge of unknown danger, a young and vibrant man accompanies them on their journey to Sabarimala, becoming their savior.
Review
Executing a story such as Malikappuram is not an easy task. A subject with a devotional touch might easily go wrong if handled badly. Vishnu Sasi Sankar had done an excellent job here. The maker had delivered the story as a [perfect blend of emotion and devotion to please the audience, and it worked wonders with families, making the movie a blockbuster.
Two big reasons for Malikappuram’s grand success are the background score and Deva Nanda’s performance as Kallu. Ranjin Raj’s music elevated plenty of scenes to a whole new level and delivered goosebumps at the perfect places. Kallu’s character would have turned out to be cringe-worthy, but Deva handled it in a beautiful way.
Unni Mukundan was an absolute charm to watch on-screen. His entry was at the perfect time, and since then, we can’t help but watch the movie with a smile whenever he comes onscreen. Perhaps his career-best role. One of the fight sequences in the movie which was shot in a forest resembled Puli Murugan and RRR and ended up being a visual treat. The best part of the movie was its climax. When everyone expected a cliched ending, Shiva had something else under his sleeve and it worked big time giving the movie a neat climax.
Conclusion
Malikappuram is a perfect blend of devotion, emotion, comedy, and action. A highly recommended watch!