Fancy a trip down memory lane? Then Avan Chandiyude Makan is the film to watch for, as it reprises the old days of Malayalam cinema.
Scripted by Babu Janardhanan and directed by veteran Thulasee Daas, the film had a lot riding on it as far as Prithviraj was concerned, but the delayed release robbed the film of half its charm.
If the question is whether this movie is worth your time and money; the answer will be yes, but only if you are a Prithviraj fan or you like replaying films of the past. Otherwise, you can give it a miss.
Prithviraj has time and again tried to do roles that project him as a superstar, with stock scenes of him aggressively folding his dhoti and cracking his knuckles, all in slow motion, before a fight sequence. The trouble is, it hasn't worked too well for him.
The Chandi referred to in the title (Vijayraghavan) is a headstrong patriarch alienated from his offsprings. He was accused of murdering his wife, but was acquitted by the courts. He is now on the warpath against his in-laws.
The story is about his five alienated children. One is divorced, the second one is in an unhappy marriage, the third married out of caste after getting out of a nunnery and the fourth is unmarried. The only son, Kuriachan (Prithviraj), has distanced himself from his father on a matter of principle.
The situation explodes when the widowed daughter Susanna (Sona Nair) returns and Chandi refuses to accept her. The siblings gang up against their father on behalf of Susanna. But just when we begin to hope that the social questions inherent in the question of a widow might lead to something interesting, it is reduced to a sub-plot and the director opts to go the predictable route.
Vijayraghavan as Chandi draws heavily on the Godfather for inspiration. His character however lacks depth and is one-dimensional, allowing him to sparkle on only rare occasions.
Prithviraj in the title-role does everything he normally gets and receives the obligatory applause. The women are there to shed tears on cue; though the early segments of the film promise them the center stage in the unfolding drama, that promise is deceptive.
Rediff Rating: 
