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Paresh C Palicha reviews China Town. Post YOUR reviews here!
It's festive season again and so, new films are making a beeline at the theatres. This Vishu is no different; the successful writer-director duo of Rafi Mecartin have come out with China Town starring Mohanlal, Dileep, Jayaram and Kavya Madhavan playing central characters.
China Town is a light comedy until the interval and after that it takes a serious turn. It appears as if the story has been incorporated just for the sake of it and comedians Suraj Venjaramoodu just so the story doesn't lose momentum.
The storyline takes us back to 1986 where a group of friends running a casino in Goa are killed by an underworld don Gauda (Pradeep Rawat of Ghajini fame). The children of the murdered members of the group unite after twenty-five years at the behest of Vincent Gomez (Captain Raju), one of the four friends who had survived the massacre and now wishes to do something for the children of his friends and seek revenge.
Meanwhile, Gauda has become a big drug dealer with crucial political connections.
The plot takes a back seat as soon as the three stars make their entry one by one. The first one to appear onscreen is Jayaram as Zacharia. He has lost money after starting an automobile business. The situation is so bad that he cannot even take his sick mother to the hospital for the fear of his creditor.
Benoy (Dileep) on the other hand, is a 'serial lover' if we can use that term. His hobby is to fall in love with every girl he sees and get drunk and attempt suicide when she gets married.
Mathukutty (Mohanlal) has become a dreaded goonda who is pushed into prayer centres with the hope that he will be reformed by Rose (Kavya Madhavan), who is the daughter of his foster parents and has a soft corner for him.
The film virtually piggybacks on the stars to get the momentum as there is no script to speak of. The duo that was known for their comical writing in the nineties has now reached a stage where they borrow dialogues from email forwards. That's the sorry state of the film. It will be futile to dwell on the performance of the actors as there is no solid material to back them. This one's a no-brainer and can be watched if you are not looking for thought-provoking stuff.
Rediff Rating: 