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Mambazhakkalam
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'Mambazhakkalam' Love and compassion in Mango Times

By P. Sreekumaran
Film critic, ApunKaChoice.Com

It certainly could have been a better film with a bit of slick editing. All the same Megastar Mohanlal’s Mambazhakkalam (Mango Times) is not without juice, despite the thematic similarity with his earlier hit Balettan.

As in Balettan, Mohanlal plays the elder brother who makes sacrifices to ensure a better life for his family. The only difference is that in Mambazhakkalam, he is a Gulf returnee, who tries to pick up the pieces of his own life, now that the family’s problems have been sorted out.

Credit

should be given to writer T.A Shahid, who has infused new life into what essentially is a clichéd theme. The dialogues, which redeem the film to a great extent, are redolent of the 1980s when family stories were the staple diet of Malayalam cinema.

Veteran director Joshi also acquits himself well, handling a hackneyed theme in a relatively novel manner.

Of course, he is ably supported by the star cast including Mohanlal and Shobhana. The surprise of the package is child artist Sanusha. Her scenes with Indira (Shobana) are tearjerkers that go down well with the female audience.

Non-resident Keralite, Puthenpurackal Chandran (Mohanlal), is back from the Gulf, suffused with the satisfaction that he has done his bit to put the family on a sound footing. The middle-aged hero, who had to slog it out in the Gulf for his family, lives with mother (Kaviyoor Ponnamma), sister (Poornima) and three younger brothers (Baiju, Sudhesh and Vishnu).

As time is running out, mother presses Chandran to get married. Thus begins the search for a bride. The plot thickens with Chandran running into his old flame Indira (Shobhana). Life has been rather harsh on Indira, who is now a divorcee with a 10-year-old daughter (Sanusha).

But the family opposes the idea when Chandran expresses his desire to marry the divorcee with a turbulent past. Bowing to the advice of her father, Indira had tied the nuptial knot with Raghuram (Anil Aditya), their family doctor, hardly realizing what she was letting herself in for. To her utter shock, Indira learns on the wedding night that Raghu already has a wife and a daughter!

Her world turns topsy-turvy. Meanwhile, the drug-addict doctor is jailed for killing his wife. So it is left to Indira to look after his daughter, who has a behavioral problem.

The second half of the film is taken up by Chandran’s efforts to help Indira ride out the emotional storm.

For Mohanlal, it is almost a repeat act of “Balettan”. The mega star essays the emotional scenes with his customary ease and poise. Shobana looks lovely and conveys the trauma effectively. Child artiste Sanusha gives them tough competition. She has all the makings of a good actress. Harishree Ashokan’s comedy act is adequate, too.

The songs of the film, music of which has been composed by M.Jayachandran, have become quite popular. Particular mention must be made of Chitra’s solo “Kandu, Kandu”.

Sanjeev Shankar’s camera work is eloquent and meshes well with the mood of the story.

Verdict: average

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