Chess

Cast: Dileep,Bhavana, Ashish Vidyarthi, Jagathy, Salim Kumar, Sai Kumar, Harisree Ashokan, Bheeman Raghu, Babu Raj, Vijayaraghavan
Language: Malayalam
Banner: Super Star Films
Director: Raj Babu
Producer: Mahi
Story: Uday Krishna, Sibi K Thomas
Screenplay: Uday Krishna, Sibi K Thomas
Dialogue: Uday Krishna, Sibi K Thomas
Lyrics: Gireesh Puthenchery
Music: Berny, Ignatious
Distribution: Manjunath Films Release
Year: 2006

If you thought you had seen Dileep’s entire bag of tricks, you’re wrong. There still a lot of whole new side to Dileep’s acting as he once again tries to go for an image change in debutant Raj Babu’s Chess.

From crass comedy to revenge drama, Dileep has come a long way. Chess is a mind game and is adrenaline pumping and enjoyable while it lasts. The story is old wine in new bottle, but the treatment is racy and entertaining.

Vijay Krishnan (Dileep) is the illegitimate son of Krishna Das former DGP (Sai Kumar), who is now retired and wants to acknowledge his relationship. Vijay Krishnan and his mother comes to the city, but DGP’s cousin Deva (Vijayaraghavan), the city police commissioner wants to inherit his wealth. Deva along with two other police officers, Circle Inspector Saratchandran (Babu Raj) and DYSP Koshy ( Bheeman Raghu)murder Das.

Later with the support of a crooked lawyer they frame up the mother and son to get back the will written by Krishna Das. Vijay Krishnan’s mother is brunt alive in front of him by the villains and he is taken into custody after being brutally beaten-up. Now it is time for Vijay Krishnan to take the gun. He pretends to be blind after the torture in police custody and goes on a revenge spree, which forms the rest of the story.

The basic storyline of the film has been seen in vigilante movies of the 70’s and 80’s especially Charles Bronson’s Death Wish series and Blind Fury. It is all about how an innocent man is framed up by the baddies (here the cops) and he is forced by circumstances to put on his thinking cap and plays a cat-and-mouse game with his adversaries and traps them. The title Chess is appropriate as the hero plays a mind game here to avenge the atrocities perpetuated on him by the villains.

While watching Chess you will have to leave your logic behind as director Raj Babu has tried to make it as believable as possible. His hero is no larger-than life superman, but he murders the bad men using his brains. The film also works due to the comedy track of Salim Kumar and Harisri Asokan. Salim Kumar is the housekeeper in a place where Dileep comes to stay, thinking he is blind he does a lot of buffoonery in front of him which had the audience in splits.

Harisree Asokan is a petty thief who is the fall guy for all the murder that the hero commits which raises a few laughs. But what is Bhavana doing in the film? She has hardly any role as Dr Radhika and does not even have romantic scenes with Dileep, and looks more like a prop. Ashish Vidyarthi does his famous villainous police officer act once again. The villains-Vijayaraghavan, Raghu and Co does their regular act. The film has only one song tuned by Beny Ignatious which fails to impress.

. It is an out and out Dileep film. He is there in almost all frames and makes the film work. He has been successful in shedding his comedy image and tries a serious revenge drama. So if you are game to watch a film that’s different from the usual Dileep entertainers, try out Chess. It is a deep, dark tale of revenge, with a unique ending.

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