Main Cast: Mammootty,Lakshmi Rai
Music: Alex Paul
Camera: Manoj Pillai
Lyrics: Vayalar Saratchandra Varma
Story/ Screenplay: Benny P. Nayarmbalam
Producer: Naushad and Anto Joseph
Banner: Big Screen Cinema
Review by : Unni / Kerala9.com
So, what would you expect out of a Shafi movie? The director, who has delivered colourful entertainers all along once again gives us an entertainer in ‘Chattambinaadu’, a film that banks heavily on the charisma and acting caliber of Mammootty, who plays the lead role.
‘Chattambinaadu’ takes us to a place named ‘Chembattunaadu’, which has earned for itself the name ‘Chattambinaadu’ due to the presence of the many rowdies there. It’s Kaattapilli Nagendran (Siddique) who has, with the passage of time, established his sway upon the people there. Nagendran is determined to see the end of his rival Mallanchara Chandramohan Unnithan (Manoj.K.Jayan), who is in dire straits now and always drunk. Nagendran leaves no stone unturned to ensure that Chandramohan is not able to get a customer to sell of his bungalow, which he is desirous of selling. It’s in this context that some people bring in Veerendra Malliah (Mammootty) to bring the house. Malliah, who has his own sway in Karnataka, is at first reluctant to buy the house, but when goons sent by Nagendran come seeking him and his aide Murugan (Vinoo Mohan) in Karnataka and when he gets a threatening call from Nagendran, memories flash through his mind and he decides to buy the house. It’s thus that Veerendra Malliah lands up in Chattambinaadu. From day one itself it’s face-to-face confrontation between Malliah and Nagendran. And then the story takes off.
‘Chattambinaadu’ has nothing new to offer. It’s a mix of many films of the same mould that you have seen earlier. It’s Mammootty’s charismatic presence (which would enthrall any die-hard fan) that carries the film forward, the colourful frames and the witty humour spicing it all up. The film is nothing but a fast-paced colorful entertainer likely to appeal to Mammootty fans and also to fans of Shafi films.
Performances
Mammootty gives a high voltage performance (of course not an award-winning kind of performance, but one that suits a commercial entertainer of this genre) as Veerendra Malliah and delivers the kind of dialogues that would excite any Mammootty fan. His presence is simply exhilarating and it’s he who carries the film on his shoulders. ‘Chattambinaadu’ is Mammootty’s film, on all levels. Lakshmi Rai does justice to the role of Gauri while Siddique as Nagendran and Manoj.K.Jayan as Chandramohan Unnithan are quite convincing, though acting in their usual respective styles. Suraaj Venjaramoodu delivers nothing new by way of style and dialogue rendition, but he is in full form and elicits many a laugh. Suraaj does contribute to the box office appeal of the film, in a big way. Vinoo Mohan gets to do something loud, compared to his previous roles, as Murugan while Salim Kumar is his very usual self and good too. The others all fit their roles perfectly well.
Technical aspects
Cinematography by Manoj Pillai, editing by V.Sajan and art-direction by Joseph Nellickal are all very much in sync with the mood and the tempo of their film. Their contribution cannot be overlooked.
Music
The background score, loud on the main, jells with the tempo of the film. The songs, composed, rendered and filmed as befits a Shafi movie, may not seem that melodious or appealing and may not stay in our minds for long, but they don’t in any way hamper the flow of the film.
Script
Benny.P.Nayarambalam has done a good work of the screenplay and the dialogues, though there is nothing new in the story. There are many sequences that would remind you of many other movies, like ‘Raajamanickam’, ‘Thommanum Makkalum’, ‘Annan Thampi’, Madambi’ etc. You have seen it all before, but Benny, in collaboration with Shafi, has succeeded in packaging it all in a colourful manner, so as to appeal to those who are looking for some fun.
Direction
Shafi is in control of things as the director. After ‘Lollypop’, which had gone terribly wrong, Shafi seems to be back in full form and delivers what’s expected out of him, a colourful entertainer.
Overall verdict- Entertainer! Watch it for Mammootty and Shafi.
Rating: 3/5
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