Olympian Anthony Adam

Cast: Mohanlal, Meena, Jagathy, Nasser, Seema, Mukesh Rishy
Language: Malayalam
Banner: Pranavam Movies International
Director: Bhadran
Producer: Mohanlal
Camera: Salu George
Story: Bhadran
Screenplay: Bhadran
Dialogue: Bhadran
Lyrics: Gireesh Puthenchery
Music: Ouseppachan
Distribution: Pranamam Movies Release
Year: 1999

What is the Olympic equivalent of a northern Australian boomerang? Discus, says the Olympian of 'Olympian Anthony Adam'. Will physics agree to this? Will a discus come back to the thrower's hand like the boomerang does? Hope the scriptwriter has done his homework. It must be the modern version of Lord Vishnu's Sudarshana Chakra. "Thrown in a particular angle at a particular velocity, the discus will come back to the thrower," says the aerodynamics expert in the 'Olympian'. "And how did you do it?"

"Practice, practice and practice," is the answer from the intelligent, sharp, smart, handsome and overweight Indian Police Service officer Varghese. Mohan Lal, who himself has time and again proved his control over each and every part of his body as an actor, seems to have lost his bearings. He is overweight. Seeing him perform aerobic exercises and acrobatic stunts, one suddenly remembers the overweight Steven Seagal of 'Glimmer Man'. The Malayali's hero worship is proving incredible as the film, which must be rated negative in terms of quality, goes on to make money.

Mohan Lal, that genius of an actor, with limbs that move so harmoniously, could have stayed away from taking this movie, under his own Pranavam Movies banner with Bhadran of Sphatikam fame as director. The film has all the gimmicks needed to win money: Trans-national terrorism, Pakistani intrusion, Mumbai underworld, patriotic dialogues, cellular phones, portable video-conferencing systems, fluid mechanics that kill masses, high-adrenaline man-to-man fights, cherubic faces of public school affluence and all that. But the creative hollowness remains obvious.

As Varghese IPS, police superintendent, khaki-clad Mohan Lal, is the epitome of heroism: All warmth to good people and relentless against evil and inefficiency. Even the Director General of Police is afraid of him. He does not hesitate to kick the Inspector General of Police (Sphatikam George) in the face when it suits him. Son of a mother (Valsala Menon) who is a martial arts expert, Vakkachan (fondly for Verghese) loves almost all things in the world: Bull races, coconut toddy, pistols, kids, dances, hi-technology, jokers and lady teachers. But he hates bad guys. He derives a pleasure in beating them to pulp.

An accident leads to the discovery of a packet of chocolates to "my dear dearest" somebody and a pager that flashes a "bump, bump and bump" message and the arrest of a tough killer who would tell Verghese of his Mumbai boss and a public school, Savoy. Before revealing anything vital, the ruffian forces Verghese's colleague (Ganesh) to shoot him to death. Why the IPS officer proceeds with the case so vehemently is a mystery, the first sign of loose wisdom on the part of the scriptwriter and the director himself, and efficiently overlooked while directing. Olympian begins his CID activity by landing up in Savoy in the assumed name of Olympian Anthony Adam, with a truckload of mysterious packages, to take over as Physical Education director. Susan, the lady principal (an obviously old Seema who tries to rein in age with inch-thick greenroom pastes), easily accommodates him. But the buxom teacher Angel Mary (Meena) is not prepared to do that. Fifth standard student and roller-skater professional Tony, an angry young child, evokes a Eureka feeling in the policeman cum trainer. With French adhesives, patent leather boots, a discus that comes back to thrower, a motorbike with a terrible silencer, original Smirnoff vodka, a lot of aerobic techniques and an untiring larynx, Olympian takes the school by storm. Enticing the cute computer instructor, holding the principal in a spell created by projected wisdom, mocking the other PT teacher Vattoli (Jagathy Sreekumar) always, singing Angel Mary to intelligence and becoming the most favoured Olympian of children, Mohan Lal progresses in his incredible probe. A probe for something he does not know. The chocolates were meant for whom? He writes off Toni as a possible, after coming to know his background. Toni begins to love him. His probable suspicions on Angel Mary vanishes once he understands her rocked-out marriage: A husband who had turned a devil through intermittent drug abuse that had reached a stage where he would inhale LPG out of the cylinder and burn Angel's hair to get a high! A chance encounter with a second standard student, angel-faced Rose Mamman reveals everything. The chocolates, the "bump, bump and bump", intense computer searches, a duplicated SIM card for the principal's mobile phone reveal everything and more.

The child becomes Olympian's pet, naturally. Monitored calls to the principal from Rose's father, for whom the child is the apple of his eye, reveals further disturbing things. Mamman (Nazar) alias Luther the Lucifer is an internationally dreaded terrorist on the Interpol hit list for years. Where is he? What does he want to do? The school does not have any records on Rose. But the principal's diary shows an entry that Mamman had donated Rs one million for the construction of the school swimming pool. But by now the Olympian cover is blown when Luther comes to know of him. A gangster is sent in from Mumbai to kill Olympian, but lands up in the police interrogation room. Now things become a bit easy.

Pakistani terrorists want sweet revenge on India for its debacle in Kargil. Money is no problem. What can the wizkid Luther aka Mamman do? A massacre of unprecedented scales. Style? Shoko Asahara of Japanese subway fame. Not sarin, but phosgene (who knows what!) intermixed with naphtha being carried to a thermal power plant, which after combustion, will escape into the atmosphere killing 786 innocent people by asphyxiation. Just a test dose. Mission successful. Panic spreads. Is phosgene such a killer gas? Does it remain a highly toxic gas after combustion with naphtha?
Again, hope that the scriptwriter had done his homework.

A probe sent by Varghese IPS leads the police to the point of gaseous intrusion into tunnel-transported naphtha and to another bad guy, the second in command of Luther. Now Luther has to be brought back to India from Kuwait City or wherever. The way? A gamble with a pawn - Rose, the dear daughter of the ruthless villain. A mock rabies infection on Rose persuades Mamman to visit India. He falls into Verghese's hands to get beaten up and to die of gunshot. A deranged scientist is killed, further dreadful missions are aborted, India is saved from Pakistani terrorist designs and patriotism thrives. All is well that ends well.

It is Mohan Lal throughout the movie. With over-blown cheeks and chunks of loose muscles, the national award winner has difficulty in performing the tasks assigned to him by Bhadran and the fights and dance directors. Still, he manages, yes, just manages. There are a lot of characters that do not fit in the frame. The Iago-minded Vattoli, almost all the police officers, Angel Mary and a lot others stand too loose in the body of the movie. Meena has succeeded in portraying the impatient teacher. Seema has done a good job in the attire of the principal. Valsala Menon has played the mother convincingly. Vital or not, Jagathy Sreekumar has made Vattoli extremely humorous in his characteristic style. With a tinge of dissatisfaction on faces while leaving the halls, some say that it is time Mohan Lal stopped acting young and agile. He is growing old.

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