Pokkiri Raja --- Entertainment, but in parts.

I went for this movie with sky high expectation and to be frank, it didn't raised up to my level of expectation. This movie created a huge amount of buzz and hype as it features Mammooty and upcoming star Prithviraj. Apart from bringing in a casting coup by uniting Megastar Mammootty and youth icon Prithviraj for the first time in full length roles, this movie by debutant director Vysakh has also taken pains to present Super actress Shriya Saran to Mollywood.

Pokkiri raja is the story of two sons of a honest school teacher. Out of the two brothers, Raja runs away from home due to some circumstances which was a common feature of the Malayalam movie's made in the 80's. The movie has Mammootty as Raja and Prithvi as Soorya, both sons of popular Gandhian and idealistic teacher Madhavan Mash. The eldest son Raja was thrown out of the house by Madhavan Mash, as he was reluctant to stick to his father’s Gandhian ways. He ran away from home to Madurai after a scuffle and becomes the leader of a gang of ruffians in Madurai. Madhavan Mash has much hopes on his younger son Soorya, who was reared with care as to become a model for the youth of the town. But circumstances forced Soorya to just follow his elder brother’s path and to take arms and to become another notable name, booked by the police. Shriya plays Aswathy, the daughter of the city police commissioner who falls in love with Soorya. Then finally the two brothers meet face to face and the rest of the movie shows their tale.

The highlight of the movie is the glossy looks and colorfulness with which it is presented. With many song and dance sequences and funny moments, the movie will not give you much time to ponder over logic, atleast when in the cinema halls. Its high time that Mammootty should realize that he is NOT good in dance and he should stick on to what he does best.The song 'Kettille Kettille' and other so called 'Rap' song must have been picturised better. Remember the Rajamanicyam song.. "Pandi melam pattum koothum...". In that song Mammooty sir's screen presence is utilized to the maximum without the inclusion of dance steps. That's what a good director does. Even Manirathnam sir made Mammooty dance in Thalapathy, but he varied the camera movements and was a bit slower which made that song exceptional.But these kind of dance steps reminds me of Love in Singapore and mayabazaar which must have been avoided.

Coming to the technical aspects of the movie. The technical side of the movie is good, with every department doing their best to maintain the quality of a potential hit. Shaji's camera, and Mahesh Narayanans editing are brilliant even though the makers has failed to keep the interest going for the entire length of two hours. Jassie Gift's songs have good beats but won’t stay in our minds for long. The BGM for Mammootty was quite good. Prithviraj was good and completely outperformed Mammooty in fight sequences. Mammootty's screen presence is utilized to the maximum and he was looking awesome. The story of the film is just a combination of films like July 4, Chattambinaadu and some other malayalam films. The director did a mediocre job. Songs and Dance was not impressive for me. Climax was disappointing. This film is a usual masala entertainer which fans of both actors can celebrate and boast about and may turn out to be a hit.

If you are a die hard fan of Mammootty or Prithviraj, you will surely love this movie, as it offers everything for the fans to cherish. And for others its just another mass masala movie which seems like a combination of Tamil and Telugu films and is another chance for reminiscence. Unlike other Siby- Udayan films, this film doesn't end up as a torture as it offers something for the fans atleast.

My Verdict : 5/10