Mamangam review: Mammootty's period drama excels in the first half, derails post-interval

After months of anticipated wait, Mammootty's most anticipated film of the year 'Mamangam' graced the big screens all across the world on December 12, 2019. As expected, the film received a huge opening at the box-office, and initial reports from theatres suggest that this M Padmakumar directorial is receiving mixed reviews from audiences and critics.

Opened with a bang, ended like a dud

'Mamangam' began in a very interesting note, where Mammootty started the proceedings with a mind-blowing action sequence. The mega-star literally excelled in these sequences, and the actor once again proved that he is a master in using 'urumi'.

After this stunt sequence, the movie starts exploring the mindsets of various characters. Later, the film takes a sudden transformation, and it adopted the style of a taut thriller. The introduction of Thala Chekavar (Siddique) also played a crucial role in elevating the thriller mood of the movie.

In the meantime, Mammootty once again surprised his fans with his unexpected female avatar in the first half. The first half of the movie ended with a bang, and it made audiences feel that something big is waiting on the post-interval session.

However, the second half of the movie disappointed everyone, as the post-interval session was loaded with several cliched scenes. The final action scene of the movie too did not rise up to the mark. Even in the midst of these derailing proceedings, the only saving grace was the spectacular chemistry between Unni Mukundan and Achutan.

A period drama that did no justice

Right from the costumes of the lead actors, 'Mamangam' totally failed to do justice, as the movie is being marketed as a period drama. It was sheer nonsense to show female characters in the movie living in the 18th-century wearing colorful blouses.

The technical side of the movie was just average, and in some scenes, the cinematography resembled some historic serials used to get telecasted in Malayalam television channels.

M Padmakumar's direction was just average, and he failed to elevate the movie to the next level, even though he got adequate resources and budget to make a masterpiece.

Mammootty once again proves his class

Mammootty, as we all know, is a legendary actor, and for him, the character in Mamangam was just a cakewalk. Even though he once again showed the courage to do seemingly funny gravity-defying action scenes, the actor literally excelled in emotional sequences. However, it was the child actor and Unni Mukundan who stole the show with their scintillating performance on screen.

Final verdict

Mamangam is a period drama that impresses audiences only in parts. This film could have been much better if the director had paid much more attention to its technical aspects.