Maradona

Vishnu Narayan's Maradona is a movie in which the journey is more interesting than the destination. Maradona (Tovino Thomas), seemingly a charmer, takes refuge in his estranged cousin's flat in Bengaluru after he gets injured in an accident. The cousin and family are about to go on a vacation, though, and Maradona is left to fend for himself for a week in the flat, where he gets accidentally locked in.

I like the way how Vishnu Narayn takes us through the journey of his arrogant small-time gunda (Tovino Thomas) while putting him in a sort of house arrest in an environment where he doesn't belong to show how the human nature is flexible enough and what we as human beings are capable of. The narrative structure is a bit flawed but telling the ordinary story of the rise and fall of a contract hooligan through an objective eye is what makes Maradona a good enough watch if you are looking forward to waste some time next afternoon. Necomer Sharanya Nair is a promising lady and I will be interested in seeing more of her. TN.

Maradona is about Tovino who is a gangster on the run for a quotation that went wrong. He and his partner (Tito Wilson) are forced to part ways while on the run. Tovino ends up in Bangalore where he is staying with a distant relative of his. The story shows his background, what got him here and how he breaks out of this.

Chemban Vinod plays a solid role of Martin who is chasing Tovino. Sharanya Nair plays a chirpy girl who Tovino falls for. She shows lot of promise in her role.

What works for the movie is how it is shot and the colourful frames. The movie is never dull. Tovino has acted well and one scene worth remembering is the one where he is making a small kid cry. He has acted well both as a brutal goonda and as a guy changing. Chemban too stood out for me as a reformer gangster but doing this one last job. His frustrations while trying to follow Tovino is shown beautifully.

Watch the movie if you like dramas of this genre. It's surely not a fresh concept but the making is refreshing.

Revenge is something best served cold. But the director Vishnu Narayan begs to differ. Maradona has a bit of everything in it. A bit of action for those who love fight sequences, a bit of romance for the youth, a bit of thrill for those crime-thriller cravers like me and a bit of drama for the family. The value and essence of Friendship is emphasized in this movie. And an unexpected climax to top it all off. Maradona is a good family combo meal with Tovino shining throughout and doing justice to the role. Supporting actors too do their part really well. BGM and songs stand out to support the emotions. Really worth a watch. My rating - 9/10

Maradona (2018) Language: Malayalam

Positives: 1. Tovino Thomas Character & Acting 2. Cinematography 3. Locations 4. Sound Mixing 5. Sharanya (Heroine) & Tito Wilson Character 6. Story 7. Good & Short Dialogue's 8. BGM

Negatives: 1. Some Scenes in 2nd Half 2. Climax Fight Scene