Mariyam Mukku Movie Review

Mariyam Mukku Movie Review.

'Mariyam Mukku' is feeble and directionless.    

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Movies set in the backdrop of coastal life have always held a special place in the minds of Malayali film buffs. But it is not all  about the milieu, but the power of narration or an engaging plot that spurred many of these movies. But James Albert's directorial debut 'Mariyam Mukku' is a disjointed and shabbily made venture that is just  an assemblage of visuals. The films in which a particular landscape is  in itself a character of significance does hold out promise,but  directorial felicity has to be conspicuous by its presence.    


Mariyam Mukku is all about the life of the residents of a  coastal village. Fishermen and uneducated people doing menial jobs go about their lives in this village where an ancient shrine of Mary is the major landmark. Lives of the village folks revolves around this shrine, though of late it is rather neglected. The protagonist  Felix (Fahad Fazil) is the quintessential son of the soil, having been born and brought up in the lap of the sea. Having lost his parents at a  young age he is brought up by Marian Aasan (Manoj.K.Jayan) a crooked  local henchman with vested interests. He maintains a gang of thugs and enjoys his status as an uncrowned king of the territory. Felix is the  head of the gang,which dances to the tunes of Marian Aasan. Humour is a  major casuality, as the very few scenes that are meant to evoke a  giggle or two, too go awry.        


The pre dominantly christian community comprising of Anglo  Indians and others are faithful to the hilt and the church holds a  sway in their life. But Marian Aasan and his accomplices go against the  tide and look down upon the believers. They let loose anarchy in  Mariyam Mukku with their licentious ways. The head priest of local  church played by Prathap Pothen has little influence as the believers  are a scattered lot.      


The arrival of Salomi (Sana Althaf) the childhood friend of Felix  sows seeds of disquiet in the gang of Marian Aasan. Love bug bites Felix and his softer instincts come to the fore much to the chagrin of Marian Aasan. He has brought up his gang like animals with little  emotions with the sole aim of meeting his selfish ends.The change that  comes about in the mind of Felix results in things taking an unexpected twist. Salomi is the daughter of Sayippu (Joy Mathew) who takes pride in  his lineage. Lloyd (Aju Varghese) a distant relative of Sayippu too  arrives in the mix to complicate things further. Then a series of  incidents happen in the village which are construed as miraculous  feats of the presiding deity at the Mariyam Mukku's ancient shrine.And  an ill conceived finale do little to perk up the movie.      


The half baked love story and a hollow plot let the movie big  time. Peopled with plethora of characters the movie seldom springs to life. The relentless presence of the inspiring sea and the ebbs and  flows of the waves fail to rub off on to a still born script. It is like a straightline that starts off legibly to taper towards non  existence.      


Fahad Fazil struggles to bring to life a character that is badly  etched. There is nothing challenging here,for the talented actor to  exhibit his histrionics. Manoj.K.Jayan goes through the motions with little conviction. Irshad as a goon hams it up with overplay. Prathap  Pothen has precious little to do while Joy Mathew repeats his  antics. Sana Althaf has zero chemistry with Fahad and the predictably shot song and romance sequences spoil it further. There are a whole of  host of characters in the movie but just like the movie they just  float around like lifeless logs in the sea.      


Vidyasagar's songs are passable while the cinematography is one  of the very few saving graces.But the artificiality of frames  especially in the rain scenes are very apparent. Editing leaves a lot  to be desired and the disconnect between scenes and lack of a seamless continuity prove nagging.    


James Albert whose career as a scenarist has been spiralling  downwards after a dream debut, has made an eminently forgettable debut  here as a director. A shallow plot and unimpressive script is further  ruined by inept direction.'Mariyam Mukku' is a case of extreme  paradox, the discerning viewer will feel like being left alone in a  corner high and dry despite all the attempts to somehow conjure up  some magic with every conceivable trick. Giving a slip to a visit to Mariyam Mukku will be a wise decision on all counts.

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