Movie Review: Shikkar

A group of unidentified Naxals plan on travelling from Andhra Pradesh to a small village near Idukki in Kerala named Chittazha to find someone. Chittazha is a sleepy village wherein migrant workers arrive to cut bamboos during high seasons. These bamboos are transported to nearby places using lorries. Balaraman(Mohanlal) is a lorry driver who has been living in the village for the past couple of years. Because of his courage, everyone in the village reveres him. Balaraman is assisted by Maniappan(Kalabhavan Mani).

Balaraman is a widower, whose wife Lakshmi(Sneha) succumbed to death tragically in the past. They had adopted Ganga as their own child. Ganga is the daughter of Balaraman’s elder brother. After Lakshmi’s death, Balaraman wants Ganga(Ananya) to become a doctor. But after Lakshmi’s death till date, Balaraman and Ananya never stays at a place for a long time. The rest of the movie explains why Balaraman is moving from one place to another, what he is afraid of and who the naxals are.

M Padmakumar directs this movie. The movie captures the fear of Balaraman effectively but fails to engage the audience because of a mediocre script. The story has a variety of characters in the first half which slows the movie down. All these characters are almost forgotten in the second half. The background music is so loud that it becomes an irritant. The climax is stunning. But the path to the climax is agonizingly slow. The cinematography by Manoj Pilla is excellent as it shows the thick forest in it’s grandeur. The night photography technique used is commendable but are not completely flawless.

Mohanlal breezes through as Balaraman. Mohanlal’s Balaraman is courageous but fearful at the same time. He is also restless because of his troubled past. Mohanlal eases in and out of these various shades effortlessly. The action scenes and chases inside the jungle are tricky. Mohanlal brings in so much energy in these scenes that you are in awe of the man and also breathless watching the scene. All other supporting characters are dwarfed in front of his performance.

Wait for the DVD.

Language: Malayalam

Genre: Thriller

Rating: **

Tags: Movies,Mohanlal,Ananya,Kalabhavan Mani,Padmakumar,Thriller