Review- Marakkar Arabikkadalinte Sinham (Malayalam)

Of you have relished the films made by the combo of director Priyadarshan and actor Mohanlal for the past four decades like Kakkakuyil , Oru Marubhoomi Kadha, Boeing Boeing, TP Balagopalan MA, Vellanakalude Nadu, Kilukkam, Midhunam and even the historical drama Kaalapani, which not only entertained us a lot but also stirred deep emotions within all of us, you are bound to applaud the combo for delivering Marakkar: Arabikkadalinte Simham too without any iota of doubt though it has a running time if almost three hours in all.

Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham, is about the life and times of the legendary 16th century sea warrior and admiral of the Zamorin’s fleet Kunjali Marakkar IV who stood up to the Portuguese, and was sent to the gallows by the Portuguese for his treachery towards them. Marakkar is based on a fascinating historical character. Kunjali Marakkar was the 16th century Naval commander of the Samoothiri (the ruler of Kozhikode), who fought and defeated Portuguese imperialists, but was ultimately betrayed by forces in the kingdom who allied with the Europeans.

Cinematographer Thirru does a great job with capturing the sea battle with the proper tension and beauty. Though the epic story looks like it is set in Afghanistan, with the bleak region where Marakkar’s fort is set and the Pathan-style clothes and hairstyles, looking very jarring, it must be remembered that the film won the National Award for Best Costume Design.

Interestingly the film Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham begins with a young Kunjali aka Mohammed Ali (played by Mohanlal’s impressive young actor son Pranav Mohanlal) whose carefree youth with his adoring mother (Suhasini) and his brief love story with his romantic partner (Kalyani Priyadarshan), who happens to be the real life daughter of the director and his wife Liza is cruelly curtailed in a bloody attack by the Portuguese. He spends years on the run as a misunderstood man and a wanted criminal before becoming a trusted lieutenant of the Samoothiri (Nedumudi Venu).

Among the actors, while Mohanlal carries the entire film as Kunjali Marakkar 4 on his not so slender shoulders, Suniel Shetty is a revelation as Chandroth Panikkar. Pranav Mohanlal is good and impressive as the young Mohanlal while Keerthy Suresh scores with her vulnerable looks as Aarcha, the young Pranav’s fiancé. Arjun Sarja is excellent as the loyal Anandan while Prabhu steals the scene in his comical avatar of Thangudu. Manju Warrier has been grossly wasted as Subaida. So has Mukesh been not properly cast.

While Suhasini does proper justice to her role as the mother of the young teenaged Kunjali Marakkar, Innocent has hardly any role worth the salt. The late Nedumudi Venu is quite good as the Zamorin Samoothiri. Siddiqui as Pattu Marakkar is quite impressive. Hareesh Peradi’s portrayal of Mangattachan, the commander in chief of Samoothiri, is quite memorable.

To sum up, Marakkar: Arabikkadalinte Simham is quite engaging and you do not realize that when the film ends, you have already spent three hours.