For a while now, Renjith has been the gold standard (for me) in Malayalam cinema. Yes, he still disappoints occasionally, but his good works more than make up for it. So I had no hesitation in booking tickets at PVR for Pranchiyettan and the Saint. In addition to writing, directing and producing the film, Renjith also lends his voice to Saint Francis’ character, who starts speaking fluent Malayalam at the end of a hilarious sequence in which Mammootty questions whether the Christians of Kerala were being idiots by praying in Malayalam to a saint who couldn’t understand it.
If someone had shared this script with me a few years back and told me to pick a lead actor, I’d say Mohanlal. But not anymore. The two superstars of Malayalam cinema have always been contrastive, on and off screen. Mohanlal earned his chops with portrayals of characters that we could either easily identify with or be in awe of. We laughed with him, cried with him, egged him on. In the mid nineties, he moved on to roles that had more serious shades. Less than a decade later, the actor in him died, leaving fans like me fighting discussion crusades that lacked heart. His last good performance was Thanmathra. When people talk about his supposedly superlative performances in films like Bhramaram, I wonder if they have lowered the bar, as a favour to their favourite actor. I can understand that, most of his other releases make me cringe. I also wished movies like Pakshe and Pavithram hadn’t been made earlier, so that he could’ve done them now. His interviews make me wonder how this serious person with a philosophical perspective on even mundane things could ever have done those amazingly funny characters early in his career. Its a glimpse of the abundance of acting talent he possessed. Now he is just a superstar.
Mammootty, on the other hand, I had never considered a brilliant actor, despite films like Thaniyavarthanam. It was his screen presence and the strength of characters that carried him. Cop, lawyer, CBI sleuth, he brought a special something to the role, which made him a star. But the thought of him doing comedy was funny, despite coming across in interviews as a very witty, fun loving person. Over the years, he has slowly scaled his repertoire. Now he dazzles us with films like Kaiyoppu, Loudspeaker and Paleri Manikyam, each a different genre and style, and even in utterly nonsensical films like Pokkiri Raja (a Tamil film made in Malayalam, go figure) he displays a comic timing that makes you forgive the movie. In an equally masala commercial movie called Daddy Cool, in one scene he references a character he played 13 years back! Instant Classic. At 56, the method actor has arrived.
Mammootty is now extremely comfortable as an actor and is not afraid of even having fun at his own expense. The things the mimicry guys used to feed on – his dancing skills (lack, that is), hand gestures are all part of his own comic repertoire now. On the other hand, Mohanlal is a shadow of his former self. One can actually see the labouring that goes into his acting now, where, once upon a time, his portrayal of characters seemed so natural that we regularly forgot it was an act.
I thought about both of them in the context of talent and passion – last week’s post. Having seen the above two, I have to wonder again whether passion commands more perseverance than talent.
until next time, cut.
Echo ! Agree totally. Mohanlal has stopped experimenting with roles long back. Was in awe watching Mammootty in Kayyoppu, Kuttisranku & Loudspeaker. (yet to watch Paleri and Pranchi)….Its difficult to imagine any other actor doing justice to those roles with ease. Only comparable effort from Mohanlal was seen in Pakalnakshatrangal and Bhramaram.
Yet to catch Kuttisranku. Even in the two Lal movies you mentioned, I felt he was just sleepwalking based on some knowledge from a role long back.
Ditto same thoughts here.. used to be a big Mohanlal fan I just don’t understand what got into him (rather what went out of him)!
PS: I didn’t like him in Thanmatra, the movie was way too predictable and his acting was nothing exceptional. Remember chengol and kireedam?
For me, the predictability of Thanmatra worked. It seemed natural, and that was what Lal used to excel in.
As far as Mohanlal’s performance in ‘Bhramaram’ is concerned, I think it is one of his best ever. I have keenly observed many Jeep drivers in my time – the body-language of Lal’s character has been perfected to match that of drivers’. I wonder how the man got it so right.
As far as Mohanlal’s performance in ‘Bhramaram’ is concerned, I think it is one of his best ever. I have keenly observed many Jeep drivers in my time – the body-language of Lal’s character has been perfected to match that of drivers’. I wonder how the man got it so right.