97. Big Brother; movie review

BIG BROTHER
Cert 12A
163 mins
BBFC advice: Contains moderate violence, bloody images, threat

I am very aware of Mohanlal's huge reputation and the reverence among his peers in the Indian movie-making fraternity.
Why then, during the ten years I have been watching Malayalam films has he consistently starred in pictures which are either misguided or plain bad?
Presumably, he has the pick of any script which comes his way?
Big Brother is a classic example of why I have not yet joined the Mohanlal appreciation society. It is poorly conceived and he seems to sleepwalk through it.
Siddique's movie is yet another which simply ignores Mohanlal's age. He is 59 but Sarjano Khalid, who plays his younger brother is just 24.
So, how old is the character Lalletan is portraying? I am reckoning about 40 and I am afraid he simply cannot carry that off.
Anyway, thanks to his younger sibling's efforts, his title character is finally released from jail after serving nearly 25 years.
But very bizarrely, the young fella has never seen him so they don't initially recognise each other and when he finally gets home, he other brother has to introduce himself because of having changed appearance so much since youth.
Do Indian jails not allow visitors?
I digress very slightly.
Mohanlal's character is initially ill-at-ease having been institutionalised and then reveals that he has been forced to help the police on dangerous raids because he can see in the dark.
Hold on, hold on, hold on! How could that possibly be? In common with many tangents, this is a line which is just thrown out there and scarcely pursued.
Similarly, there is a hint of romance between Big Brother and a crime lord's daughter who is the best part of 40 years younger than him.
Confused? Me too.
In fact, my head was spinning through Siddique's mad movie, only stopping twice when I literally laughed out loud at Mohanlal intending to fly threateningly across the room but instead appearing like a lame grandfather trying to do the high jump.
The plot then goes off in all sorts of strange directions, involving killers, kidnappers and drug dealers and Big Brother being betrayed at every corner.
Honestly, I could work out the baddies from the goody.
Tell a lie... despite being a double killer and keeping some very dubious company, Mohanlal is always a goodie in the eyes of his audience.
But why doesn't he chuck away the wig and get into some real character acting, reflecting his age, so recent watchers of his films can finally see where he gained his reputation?

Reasons to watch: One for Mohanlal fans only
Reasons to avoid: Nonsensical plot

Laughs: Two
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 3/10

Did you know? Before he ventured into the world of cinema, Mohanlal was a professional wrestler. He won the Kerala state wrestling championship in 1977-78.

The final word. Siddique: "Mohanlal’s growth as an actor has been phenomenal. On a commercial level too, the stature of his movies has reached new heights from the time we associated with each other. Expectations are huge now. Big Brother will live up to it." The Hindu

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