If Girish Damodar had trimmed his debut feature by 30 minutes it would have made for a more entertaining show. But still in its current form, Uncle is a great description of the current harried times we live in. Mammootty plays KK, a bachelor of sorts in this road movie and who seems like a man of principles. He is known among his friends as a philandering womanizer who roams around for business trips and dips his beak in the water while at it. Such a perception - where he does not have any principles - puts one of his friends in dire straits when he learns that KK is now driving on his way from Tamil Nadu to Kerala along with his daughter. The friend's anxiety is synonymous with what the society thinks will happen between KK and this minor-aged college student. The same feeling is what the audience goes through as the film takes them on a long road trip between the two Indian states, giving enough dose to detect something amiss. And that is where director Damodar hits gold. Despite the overlong narrative that starts to bore after the first hour, Uncle manages to make its point. I am ready to ignore the preachy undertone of the climax, but the film does earn some brownie points because of its depiction of the people at large. How hatred, insensitivity, and police apathy come together to create a world that live by stereotypes is what Uncle aims to send out. Except for Karthika Muraleedharan (who has been well cast, BTW), the entire cast do a great job, most notably Mammootty himself and Muthumani. Joy Mathew is also a treat to watch as he portrays the fears of a responsible dad with absolute finesse. There is a strong message in Uncle, and for that alone, I would recommend it. From a cinematic point of view, it still is a long shot from being called the best. Amateur sequences involving cars, slippery dialogues, and a general roughness in the screenplay are to be blamed. TN.
