Altaf Saleem and Anarkali Marikar in the promotional poster of ‘Mandakini’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
MandakiniStarring Althaf Saleem and Anarkali Marikar, the film revolves around the events that take place immediately after a wedding. Directed by Unni Leela, the film tells the story of Aromal (Althaf) who is married to Ambili (Anarkali). On the wedding night, Ambili unknowingly drinks a narcotic cocktail that was mistakenly meant for Aromal. A drunken Ambili tells him in detail about her ex-boyfriend Sujith Vasu (Ganapati) and says that she is adamant on meeting him again. Aromal’s mother Rajalakshmi (Saritha Kukku) takes her to meet Sujith and what happens after that forms the story.
The script is so full of drinking that you watch 90 percent of the film with the disclaimer, ‘Smoking and drinking are injurious to health.’ The wedding celebrations include drinking and revelry, and Mandakini Enough of that and more. But watching these scenes gets tiresome after a point; apparently, the title of the film is also the name of a liquor brand!
Althaf, playing the hero for the first time, fits the role of the simple-minded Aromal. His trademark deadpan expressions and dialogue delivery in his previous films have won him a lot of fans. However, Aromal seems to be an extension of those roles and hence, the humour fades in many scenes.
Altaf Saleem and Anarkali Marikar in the promotional poster of ‘Mandakini’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
However, the role of women in the story has also been changed. Anarkali has done justice to Ambilli, while Sarita Kuku has left her mark as Rajalakshmi, a strong-willed single mother who runs a driving school. Though she struggles to portray some emotions, the scene where she stands up to Ambilli and confronts Sujeet is fun to watch.
Mandakini (Malayalam)
Director: Unni Leela
Cast: Altaf Saleem, Anarkali Marikar, Sarita Kukku, Vineet Thattil, Ganapathy, Aswathy Srikanth
Run-time: 127 minutes
Story: Aromal, a simple girl, gets married to Ambily. But that very night an incident happens which turns their life upside down.
Among the actors, Vineeth Thattil, as Aromal’s brother-in-law Unni, provides comic relief with his one-liners in Thrissur dialect and Ganapathy does a great job with his role as Sujith. Apart from Althaf, filmmaker Lal Jose, Jio Baby, Jude Anthony Joseph and Ajay Vasudev have played brief roles in the film, while Bibin Ashok’s songs sound fresh and blend well with the narrative.
Overall, despite having skilful actors and dialogues that create humour in many situations, Mandakini fails to take advantage of them.
Mandakini is currently running in cinemas
