m-ramanan

RATED 8/10 Language: malayalam Source: Nil Media Partner: Sony Liv RECOMMENDED

First things first, Mammootty's performance is outstanding and the main reason to watch this movie. He carries the film effortlessly from start to finish.

Although a few moments are predictable, the film's crisp runtime is one of its biggest strengths. The stylish use of the cigarette, retro song, and vintage tones adds flair and enhances the heroic moments.

The way they unfolded the crime layer is very good-some sequences are brilliant, while a few, especially the sketch-artist scene, feel a bit misleading.

This isn't a classic or a masterpiece, but if you keep your expectations in check, you'll definitely enjoy the film.

RATED 8/10 Language: Tamil Source: Netflix RECOMMENDED First, kudos to Pradeep for taking on this role. As he mentioned in interviews, there was a real chance for the hero to come across as a suppressed or sidelined character. Second, credit to the director for ensuring the hero still stands out distinctly in the second half.

Now the issue is "over hyped" performance from Pradeep. While his performance works in many scenes, it does feel excessive and slightly irritating during the emotional moments.

Mamitha and Sarath are a delight to watch-they've done full justice to their roles.

Overall, go in with an open mind, and you won't be disappointed.

RATED 7/10 Language: Tamil Source: nil Media Partner: Netflix

The cast delivers strong performances, and the movie stands out for its technical brilliance. The cinematography features many well-framed shots, and the art department deserves praise for its authentic 90s-style set design and props.

However, the film didn't connect with me emotionally. It fails to convey the protagonist's pain as effectively as Mari's previous works.

The pain, suppression and struggle of hero is shown only in words, the progress of his career is shown in visual. Hero got everything in his way on first time (including getting school team, state team and national team), there is no failure for him. This make the film look like another sports drama with some good dialogs.

While the sports sequences are well-executed, they start to feel repetitive.

Characters like Amir, Lal, and the PT teacher are well-developed, but the rest feel familiar.

Overall, the pacing drags most of the times.