Saturday, May 5, 2012

Grandmaster - The Master of the Game

Theatre: Innovative Multiplex, Bangalore
Show: 5-May-2012, 10 PM
Status: Houseful

Good film with a great performance. I would sum up Grandmaster with this quote. To be honest, the main apprehension for me regarding Grandmaster was how good the direction would be. B. Unni impressed more as a writer than a director. He managed to blow the apprehensions away. Hats off for the making. Well-crafted and avoids most the investigative thriller cliches that we are used to. GM whilst a calm film, manages to keep your attention on the screen and generates a sense of curiosity towards the proceedings. No unnecessary jump cuts and screen tears. Great improvement and hope he maintains this level throughout.

Script was good. Though linear, I would not club this under typical Malayalam thriller films. Characterization is much more detailed. Dialogues are crisp and smart. No holes in the plot as far as I can see. You can make an argument for logic in the proceedings, then again the film manages justify everything in my opinion. Though inspired from ABC murders by Agatha Christie, I felt that the film has a soul to stand on its own. Writing towards the climax could have been better which would have elevated the movie to another level. Then again, I guess sacrifices have to be made to make the film commercially viable. At its current state, the film appeals to almost all the classes of audience thanks to the way the end game is constructed.

Camera is superb. Good to see another promising cinematographer. Editing was slick apart from a scene or two. BGM was really good and added to flavour. Deepak Dev's music was bit of a let down.

The major aspect that makes Grandmaster a treat is Mohanlal. Superlative performance from the man. My favourite Lal performance in a commercial film since Chotta Mumbai. The ability to flesh out a character that does not challenge him is remarkable. Dialogue delivery, expressions, and body language adds upon a well-characterized role. Priyamani was ok. Siddique was good in a short role. Babu Antony and Riyaz Khan were intelligently used and where good in their respective roles. Anoop Menon was also good. Hard to look beyond the resemblance to Lal when they are on screen together!

TL;DR: Grandmaster is a very good experience. A nice investigative thriller which we haven't seen in a very long time. Highly recommended for all the viewers.

Rating: Very Good