Athishayan

Cast: Master Devadas, Kavya Madhavan, Jackie Shroff, Mukesh, Karthika, Jagadeesh, Harisri Ashokan, Devan, Thilakan, Jayasurya, Ramu, Rajan.P.Dev, Indrans, Undapakru, Saadique, Mala Aravindan, Augustine
Language: Malayalam
Banner: Gokulam Films Pvt Ltd
Director: Vinayan
Producer: Gokulam Gopalan
Camera: Rajaratnam
Story: Vinayan
Screenplay: Vinayan, Sunil K. Anand
Dialogue: Vinayan, Sunil K. Anand
Lyrics: Vinayan, Vayalar Sharath Chandra Varma
Music: Alphonse
Distribution: Gokulam Films Pvt Ltd Release
Year: 2007

The Vinayan-directed Athishayan is as an average film, but for kids who'd be looking for something entertaining this summer, Athishayan would be fine. It's a film that you would very likely enjoy if you cast yourself in the mindset of a kid.

Maya, a young television reporter works for New India Television. Radharamanan, the Managing Director of the channel has a fascination for Maya, who was brought up in an orphanage by Father Chanthakkadan. Maya herself takes up the responsibility of bringing up a few orphans, whom she has picked up from the streets. One of these kids is Devan, who is sort of a child prodigy, with a computer-like mind and very good in studies and extra-curricular activities.

R.C. Shekhar, a scientist, lives very near their house. He is working on a project, which could help in making human bodies invisible. On the very day that he successfully experiments his 'magic' potion on a rabbit, he is urgently called to the U.S as his daughter, who is studying there, meets with an accident.

Meanwhile Maya's friend and lover Roy, who too had been a journalist, is in jail after having been framed in a murder case by some influential politicians including the State Revenue Minister Divakaran, another minister Yunus Kunju, the Police Commissioner Shanmughan and the very influential Kuwait Nazar. With the help of the newly-appointed Collector Anita Williams, Maya shoots a video of these baddies accepting crores of rupees as commission from some Arab businessmen, who are here to sign some business deals with the State Government.

Maya immediately goes to Radharamanan and shows him the clip. Radharamanan is thrilled and agrees to telecast it, after discussing it with the Board of Directors. Somehow Nazar, Divakaran and others come to know of this and they go after Maya, in order to get from her the memory card containing the clipping. On the very same day that R.C.Shekhar goes to the U.S, Maya is abducted by Nazar and group. The kids are baffled. Anita Williams, Father Chanthakkadan and Radharamanan know who are behind this, but nothing can be done without sufficient evidence. And then Devan, who had seen R.C. Shekhar conducting the experiment on the rabbit, steals into Shekhar's lab and drinks the potion. He becomes invisible and sets out to save Maya. How he does it forms the rest of the plot.

Devadas, who had recently hogged the limelight with Jayaraj's Anandabhairavi, is good as Devan and would appeal to everyone, though he often behaves and even speaks like an adult. Kavya Madhavan as Maya has done justice to her role. Jackie Shroff, who makes his debut in Malayalam playing R.C. Shekhar, is a good choice. Thilakan as Father Chanthakkadan, Mukesh as Radharamanan, Devan as Kuwait Nazar, Rajan P. Dev as Divakaran, Ramu as Yunus Kunju, Bheeman Rehgu as Shanmughan, Jagadeesh as the news-reader Koshy, Harisri Ashokan as R.C. Shekhar's assistant Damodaran etc have done their respective roles well.

The cinematography, the music, the lyrics, the editing and the art-direction are all in tune with the theme. Athishayan relies heavily on special effects, without which the film is virtually nothing. So, if you really wish to go for Athishayan, expect nothing but kid's stuff gift-wrapped with an abundance of special effects.

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