It was awful .....

Mohanlal phones it in for an utterly ill etched role as the serial do-gooding caretaker Jayaraman. The role is one dimensional. A hint of darkness in the character would have made the film a lot more interesting. But his innocence and relentless search for the truth came across as phony and lackluster. Jayaraman's shift into an ass kicking action hero in the film's second half is the sort of nonsense that you would watch in a Telegu film.

The story itself was quite interesting. But the loud characters, uninteresting sub-plots and awful background music make this thriller very tough to sit through. I even fell asleep during parts of the first half.

If it weren't for the antics of Chemban Vinod Jose and Mamukoya, the film would have ended up as another loud and contrived thriller like 7th Day. I was impressed by Samudraikarani's screen presence but he did have to act in some awful scenes. The screeching and weepy Vimala Raman and her affection for Jayaraman were utterly puke-worthy. Some of the sets during the action scenes were impressive.

The songs especially the one at the wedding is the sort of digression from the main plot that Malayalam cinema ought to have abandoned with the dark 90s and early 2000s.

I cannot believe Oppam is the biggest hit among the Onam releases. It makes me wonder about the quality of Oozham and Welcome to Central Jail. And the standard of Malayali audiences.

(1/10)