Then we proceed to a song on the seashore showing off
the dancing prowess of Mohanlal and Rahman along with a few dozen group
dancers.
So far so good.
It
is the game in the second half that sounds the death knell for the film.
Despite a typical life and death situation in the game with all necessary
ingredients like cheating, we get a predictable result in the end.
The blatant brand promotion of a financial company
becomes a major irritant.
The second important element in the film is the sea.
It always presents an opportunity to the director to show a microcosmic
society. But this film is densely populated with characters - a church
priest (Jagathy Sreekumar), a legislator (Sai Kumar) and his good-for-nothing
drug addict nephew (Niyas) are the few who stay with us.
Technically, cameraman Shaji takes a few panoramic
shots of the vast sea. Otherwise, it is merely an exotic backdrop to
the story.
And last but not least is Mohanlal. The motivation
for him to do this film was that he got to play the role of a fisherman
for the first time in his long career. But his characterisation offers
him nothing to chew upon.
He is the same old golden-hearted and all-sacrificing
protagonist who would go to any extent for the common good of his people.
He has done it umpteen times and looks out of form when compared to
the high standards he has set for himself.
"Mahasamudram" is a disappointment for Mohanlal
fans.
