Naran

Cast: Mohanlal, Bhavana, Jagathy, Innocent, Siddique, Madhu, Devayani, Bheeman Raghu, Salim Kumar, Maniyanpilla Raju, Mamukoya, Saikumar, Sona Nair, Krishna Prasad, Rekha
Language: Malayalam
Banner: Aashirwad Cinemas
Director: Joshy
Producer: Antony Perumbavoor
Camera: Shaji
Story: Ranjan Pramod
Screenplay: Ranjan Pramod
Dialogue: Ranjan Pramod
Lyrics: Kaithapram
Music: Deepak Dev
Distribution: Central Pictures Release
Year: 2005

If you thought that you have seen all the nuances of a calibrated performance from Mohan Lal, you are wrong. There is still a lot more of Mohanlal Mania to be seen and savoured in Naran, directed by Joshi.

Veteran director and his script writer Ranjan Pramod uses Mohanlal's larger-than-life image and blends it with the milieu, successfully in this action adventure film laced with sentiments. It is old wine in a new tetra pack with hardly any story or twists but the great man simply lights up the screen with his sheer presence.

And Mohanlal creates a brand new assembly of speaking frames, where words become irrelevant the face speaks. The actor uses his eyes and body language to express it all- anger, dismay, rage, anguish, affection, gratitude and love. Mohanlal the actor and superstar makes Naran a gripping story of grief and heroism due to his powerful performance.

Mullankolli is a interior rustic village, near a river. Velayudhan (Mohanlal) is an orphan who came floating on a reef during floods and he was brought up by Valiya Nambiar (Madhu) a do-gooder and a feudal landlord of the area.

Velayudhan grows up into a riff-raff, drunkard and a local rowdy with a good heart. He hates injustice and has set his own rules for the villagers who are scared of him including local moneylender and politician 'member' Kurup (Jagathy). Gopinathan Nambiar (Siddique) son-in-law of Valliya Nambiar who wants to lord over the village in his own way.

When Velayudhan plants a stick like lord Murugan's Vel, it means that it has his stamp of authority. The only man who he listens to is Valiya Nambiar and to a certain extent Kelappan (Innocent) who looked after him as a child. The villagers including Kurup and Gopinathan regularly bring goondas from outside the village to eliminate Velayudhan but they fail. There are three women in his life- a prostitute Kunnil Shanta( Sona Nair) old flame Janaki( Devayani) and Kelappan's daughter Leela (Bhavana). But things turn bleak for Velayudhan due to the machinations of Gopinathan which leads to the climax.

The only aim of producer Antony Perumbavor, director Joshi and writer Ranjan Pramod is to somehow cash in on Mohanlal image during the Onam season and make a hit. The music of Deepak dev is hummable especially the Kavadi number, though there is only two songs. But what makes the film look fresh is the Hogennakal and Polachi locations and the art work of Joseph Nellikal and camera of Shaji is top notch mainly all the river and underwater scenes.

On the downside, post interval the film drags and it is a bit mushy and has really no story to say. The entire film runs on Mohanlal's image and characterization. Still if you are a fan of Mohanlal, go for Naran, he is mesmerizing!

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