Run Baby Run: Slightly Premature Delivery !

This Baby Doesn't even walk !

Let me first state this, Joshiy's "Run Baby Run" with Mohan Lal and Amala Paul is a big hit already and my opinion isn't going to make any difference on the out come of the movie. Not even an ant bite. Yet I have to say, this one promises a lot in the beginning and delivers a slightly premature Baby in the end.

The plot is a give away from the beginning. It is "Grand Master" meets "Spirit" meets "Passenger" meets "Patram" plot where Mohan Lal alters between his characters in "Grand Master" and "Spirit" and the plot is "Passenger" and "Patram" combined together.

There is suspense, there are thrills, there is comedy, there is extremely competent acting by the entire cast and then there is one-upmanship between the villains played by Sai Kumar and Siddique and hero played by Mohan Lal. But there are gaping holes in the plot and that is where we come out with a lot of questions.

So what are my points ? Amala Paul on a comeback trail in Malayalam cinema plays Renuka, a brash, overbearing and almost arrogant senior reporter cum decision maker in a TV channel. She also tells the Hero she knows Kalari, which she never told him during their courtship earlier.

And then through most of second half she just stands and watches the hero bash up villains. Forget running, she doesn't even attempt to walk properly. Joshiy probably forgot his heroine was a firebrand and ends up glorifying the cameraman's role played by Mohan Lal. Amala Paul's character promises a lot and ends up being a side kick in the end. That proves one thing. Amala Paul may be a big star in Tamil but she isn't Manju Warrier.

The title too is misleading because forget the Baby, nobody ever runs in the movie. There are neither chases nor thrills but a lot of scheming and sting operations. To give credit where it is due, these scenes have been picturized pretty well and that is why the movie works in the final analysis.

There are some surprisingly glaring omissions in the movie. Most of the characters remain absolutely unchanged during the 5 years intermission; except Vijaya Raghavan who seems to suffer accelerated ageing. That was perhaps due to the stress of a petty case hoisted by an arrogant cameraman.

Biju Menon as Rishi comes across as confused because he doesn't know if he has to appear serious because of a failing channel or if he has to appear funny because he has a funny friend. But he pulls it off because he is such damn good actor.

Technically the movie is good and the song sung by Mohan Lal manages to please his fans. I doubt if we needed it in the movie. It would have been better if we were to have it shorter by about 10 minutes.

My Opinion: Overall, this Baby is definitely a bit premature but still manages to entertain and is a definite welcome for Malayalam cinema starved of a big hit. So be it !

Ordinary: Better than Ordinary !

A wannabe Minister lands up as a bus conductor in a remote yet beautiful village Gavi, in high ranges of Kerala. He has the company of a big built and bigger talking driver and a motley bunch of villagers including the Gavi Girl.

The driver with a Palakkad accent and uncanny ability to flirt and the politically conscious conductor strike a nice friendship. Soon they get involved in the day to day life of the small hill-town Gavi. How the duo get embroiled in a complicated accident case and how they handle the situation forms the crux of the story.

Scripted and directed by Nishad K Koya and Sugeeth respectively, "Ordinary" is a fun ride through most of first half and then goes grim. Biju Menon as driver Suku and Kunchacko Boban as conductor Iravikuttan Pillai strike a fine balance.

The main hero of the movie definitely is the dialogue writer. Some superb, crisp and everyday life dialogues pop up throughout the first half like those beautiful water falls along the way we travel in the movie. Biju Menon springs in a fantastic performance and does total justice to the role as well as the dialogues. Kunchacko Boban is affable, efficient and good.

New face Sritha Sreenivas as Kalyani, the Gavi Girl looks like a Nepali and it appears as if she has a long way to reach Kerala. Ann Augustine and Jishnu have very little to do. Lalu Alex is as good as he always has been. Baburaj has attained some kind of star-status post Salt & Pepper. He is there in the movie solely to evoke a few laughs and nothing else. But his drunk act is good and doesn't jar. Asif Ali overacts to the level of getting almost obnoxious. There are many small time characters who are quite efficient. Salim Kumar needs to come out of the award hangover. 

The writer / director duo get confused in the second half and load elements of heroism into the conductor's character and then the movie takes a real ordinary route and meanders to a climax that disappoints. How come the Police or the KSRTC or the omnipresent and omnipotent unions aren't brought into the picture in a politically charged Kerala remains a mystery.

Completely unnecessary songs act like 'Tyre punctures' during the journey. The drive gets really rocky when the two protagonists go on investigating the case themselves and bring justice at the end. Sethuramayyar would have been proud of the investigative brilliance shown by Iravi. A murder mystery and investigative thriller, this movie is not. That part could have been handled better. 

There are a lot of things that are ordinary in the movie. But this being a first time effort from the director, the movie has a lot of good things and we must appreciate and encourage such attempts. The place Gavi, the photography, the humor, the dialogues and Biju Menon are definitely extraordinary and make it worth our time and money. 

My opinion: Definitely worth a watch !