Malaikottai Vaaliban Review: Mohanlal-LJP Duo’s Timeless Visual Spectacle
Lijo Jose Pellissery’s Malaikottai Vaaliban is a timeless visual spectacle in which Akira Kurosawa meets Sergio Leone somewhere in Kerala, where Malayalam blends seamlessly with Tamil. Pellissery, renowned for his unique storytelling style, innovative narrative structures, and meticulous attention to visual details, collaborates with the biggest showman in the Malayalam film industry, Mohanlal, to deliver the magnum opus of his career—a tale encompassing war, love, deceit, and revenge.
Pellissery, arguably the only director in Malayalam industry currently with the ability to push creative boundaries and offer fresh perspectives on storytelling, showcases his mastery in films such as “Angamaly Diaries,” “Ee. Ma. Yau.,” “Jallikattu,” “Amen,” “Double Barrel,” “Churuli,” and “Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam,” serving as examples of his abundant craft. In Malaikottai Vaaliban, he does not disappoint those moviegoers seeking a cinematic treat.
Pellissery”s adept handling of sensitive subjects with depth, authenticity, and aesthetic innovation is evident in this story. The narrative revolves around the expeditions of a man who embodies the roles of a warrior, savior, and lover. By traversing less-trodden paths in filmmaking, in Malaikottai Vaaliban, he reaffirms his position as a storyteller adept at both small and large narratives, demonstrating a daring and unconventional approach to filmmaking.
Mohanlal, in the role of the protagonist Malaikottai Vaaliban, displays a remarkable range, seamlessly transitioning between diverse shades of his character. This showcases once again that his standout strengths lie in his command over expressions and body language, allowing him to convey complex emotions with subtlety. Although most of the story revolves around his heroics in various places, by the end, the actor Mohanlal fully exhibits his range when he grapples with the inner struggles of a world winner. This includes the realization of his true identity and the quest for salvation for a crime he committed without understanding its actual consequences.
As Vaaliban sails through the tumultuous times of his encounters, Mohanlal shows the actor’s ability to delve into the psyche of the characters he portrays with innate understanding of the complexities inherent in the role he is playing.
Spoiler Alert: Malaikottai Vaaliban, alongside his companions Chinnappaiyyan (Manoj Moses) and Ayyanar (Hareesh Peradi), establishes himself as a triumphant hero transcending time and geographical boundaries. However, the entire narrative takes a dramatic turn when he encounters Rangapattinam Rangarani (Sonalee Kulkarni), an enchanting dancer, at a betting parlour in Nooraanathalayur.
This encounter marks a pivotal moment, heralding the arrival of Chamathakan (Danish Sait), a villainous Malayalam-speaking Portuguese character who will cast a shadow over Vaaliban throughout the remainder of his odyssey in the movie. After a duel with Mangottu Mallan (Guinness Harikrishnan S), the group embarks on a journey during which Vaaliban reaches a Portuguese fiefdom in Malaikkottai and liberates the prisoners after a full-fledged war.
However, Vaaliban”s struggles do not end there. He is now poised for the ultimate challenge, where Shakespearian twists and turns await him, with dear ones disappearing and new enemies emerging.
Apart from Mohanlal, another main character in the movie, as in other LJP movies, is the camera. The Madhu Neelakandan camera captures what the writer PS Rafeeque and director Lijo Jose Pellissery intended to convey with large, long, and sometimes beautifully picturesque “screen saver” type static shots. The distribution of color during the crucial moments of the movie dominates the screen with spectacular cinematography. Another element that keeps the movie engaging is the background score. The score is perfectly blended for a period drama that has no specific time frame.
LJP has taken full liberty in presenting Malaikottai Vaaliban as his own craft, curating a perfect story with efficient cinematography and accurate background score. For fans, there are two captains in this movie, LJP and Mohanlal, but the first captain surely is LJP, who keeps innovating with daring methods.
