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Rasikan
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'Rasikan' Hardly an entertainer

By P. Sreekumaran
Film critic, ApunKaChoice.Com

No matter how good you are, you cannot carry a film on the strength of comedy alone. And young actor Dileep, who is very good at essaying comedy, learns this lesson at a heavy cost in his latest film. Rasikan: the entertainer is anything but entertaining.

Director Lal Jose must also share part of the blame for the flop of Rasikan. Jose seems to have lost the surety of touch he displayed in his earlier hit Meesa Madhavan featuring Dileep. As if all this was not enough, Murali Krishnan's story is weak, the script even more so.

Even

Vidyasagar's music is a letdown. All that the immensely popular music director has been able to do is rehash his old hits and present them as fresh tunes! No wonder, the songs leave the audience cold. That was another reason why Rasikan failed to enthuse the Dileep fans.

The story is nothing much to write home about. Sivankutty (Dileep) is a big fan of Mega star Mohanlal. A part-time mechanic, Sivankutty ekes out a living selling tickets of Mohanlal films in the black. It is a happy-go-lucky life, which he shares with a retinue of friends.

It is at this stage that comely Karishma (Haripriya) walks into his life. Karishma is an engineering student who happens to be staying in a hostel near Sivankutty's house. In no time, Sivankutty is bowled over by Karishma's curls and charms. Love blossoms.

But there is a third angle to the romantic saga. Sivankutty's cousin Thanki (Samvrutha) is in silent love with him too. Of course, Sivankutty is blissfully unaware of Thanki's feelings for him.

Then comes the turning point in Sivankutty's life. A local dada, Bhaskaran (Murali Krishnan) kills a policeman and ends up in jail. Beside herself with grief, the policeman's mother goes mad.

Since Bhaskaran was a terror in the village, no one is ready to testify against him. But the pitiable plight of the old woman moves Sivankutty, who musters courage to give evidence against the toughie. A pep talk by the local inspector Kapil Dev (Biju menon) also gives Sivankutty the courage to take on the dada. Needless to say, the daring deed makes him a hero in the village.

The euphoria wears off quickly. Soon Sivankutty learns to his horror that Bhaskaran is out on parole. The 'hero' develops cold feet! What follows is the climax featuring a burly Bhaskaran and scared-out-of-his-wits Sivankutty.

As usual Dileep, a natural comedian, does full justice to his role. His sense of timing is, as always, immaculate. But even Dileep at his comical best fails to save the film mainly because of the weak story. To boot, he gets no support from his co-stars: Haripriya, who fails to impress, and an expressionless Samvrutha.

The failure of the film cannot but cause deep concern for Dileep. The year 2004 was bad for the talented star, who had a fabulous run in 2003. With the solitary exception of ‘Runway’, all his other films flopped in 2004, among them Kathavasheshan directed by TV Chandran. The chubby-faced actor is desperately looking for a hit. Hopefully, things will be better for debonair Dileep in 2005.

Verdict: Avoidable.

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