Malik Review: Fahadh and Nimish Delivers Steller Performances in This Political Drama

Director – Mahesh Narayanan

Cast – Fahadh Faasil, Dileesh Pothan, Joju George, Nimisha Sajayan, Vinay Forrt

Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime

Ratings: 4/5 (four stars) [yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

Malik, Malayalam cinema has never waited for the release of a film with such eagerness and hope in recent times. Malik is a combination of Mahesh Narayanan and Fahad Fazil between Take Off and See You Soon. After a long wait, Malik has come up with an OTD release to replace the theatrical release.

Malik Review: The Story?

Ramadapalli is a coastal village in the Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala. Sulaiman Ali Ahmad alias Malik alias Ali Iqbal ( Fahad Fazil) leaves for Hajj amidst the commotion of relatives). However, the police arrested the elder at the airport. In addition to a previous murder case, he will be charged with a number of other offenses and imprisoned. Unexpectedly Malik’s mother turns out to be an aquatic approver and proceeds to testify against him. Wife Roslyn, on the other hand, tries to get him out anyway. Within this Malik‌ past moves to the screen. Police for decades .. Why should Malik, who grew up as a movement leader protecting his land and people from the conspiracies of political leaders, be imprisoned as a ‘big don’, a ‘most wanted criminal’? What will Malik do if his own people push him back? It remains to be seen how Malik’s story will unfold amidst political conspiracies.

There are two ports here which are densely populated by Muslims and Christians. Sulaiman, whom they affectionately call Aliika, is a leader who emerges from their helplessness to prevent the government from invading these like-minded people. Sulaiman knows the pulse of the land and its people. The government’s attempts to infiltrate between them create a never-ending wound within these two openers.

The film follows Suleiman, who suffers from age-related disabilities. Age has only affected his body and his liver and eyesight has not been harmed at all. Fahad Fazil has made Sulaiman, who is in his late sixties, unforgettable in body language, looks and speech. Sulaiman Ali will always be a character in his career. From the beginning to the end, the director gives the audience something to hold on to. The director introduces Suleiman to the past and the history of Ramadhapalli to the audience from that unbreakable string.

Despite this, Malik’s politics is likely to come under fire in the coming days. The film is indirectly inspired by one of the biggest controversies in Kerala politics, the Bimapalli shooting. Although the film portrays the so-called riot as the work of the police, there is no doubt that the political context in which the film goes unreported will be questioned.

The Review and Analysis

Let’s start with the positive. The first applause is for the making. Malik excels in making, art and photography from single shot at the beginning and end. Director and editor Mahesh Narayanan has managed to make a film that is two hours and forty – one minutes long without being too gripping. Malik is a film that tells the story of three eras. The art direction of the film has been able to clearly mark these three eras.

There are a handful of moments in the film that provide an unforgettable visual experience. It includes mass, emotions and violence. It can be seen that there has been an attempt on the part of the director to do justice to the various periods of filming. Though the film follows Suleiman, Mahesh Narayanan has been able to capture the many lives of Ramadhapalli and the tragedies they experienced in the film. Malik highlights the government’s neglect of the coast, the evictions and land grabs in the name of the development of scams against them, and so on. Suleiman is the rising hero for that.

Malik Review: The Performances

Fahad does not disappoint in performance. Fahadh beautifully portrays all three stages of the character. However, in older scenes, Fahad sometimes feels that he is losing his grip. Vinay Fort and Dileesh Pothen make their characters unforgettable. The moment and the various stages are neatly presented. Sanal Aman is one of the names to be mentioned as Suleiman’s son – in – law Freddie. Jojo has also performed well in his role.

Moment Sajayan can add Suleiman’s wife Rosalie as one of the strongest characters in his career. In Roslin, you can see a woman who is strong and unwavering. The picture also shows the moment when they are leaving. The strongest presence in the film after Fahad is the character of the moment. It is noteworthy that no one can be left one step behind in performance excellence. The film stars Vinay Fort, Joju George, Dileesh Pothen, Salim Kumar, Jalaja and Indrans. Everyone, including those who come and go in small scenes, have shown excellent natural performance.

Malik Review: Music

Sushin Shyam’s music and background music give life to the film. The music has managed to bring the emotional scenes closer to the audience. Sanu John’s photography has been able to accurately capture the period and keep the landscape and characters together. Above all, the signature of the craftsman Mahesh Narayanan can be clearly seen in the picture.

Malik Review: The Last Words

Malik is a film that tells the politics of the existence of a people. The film shows the government policies and the people’s representatives who are deceiving the people. The only sadness that comes to mind when you see the film released through Amazon Prime as an OT release in the wake of the Kovid expansion is that it was just a lost theater experience. The meticulousness of the presentation, performance and composition makes the audience engaging in a way that does not make them think about the length of time. Even at the end of the film, we still have strong characters with the personality that the film shows.