T.P. Balagopalan M.A. (1986)

I really don't think I am in any way compatible with this director. I saw another movie of his a while back called Varavelpu, and that was supposed to be some sort of marvellous satire, but I mostly just found it boring. I reasoned with myself that it's maybe because I don't know too much about trade unionism in Kerala, but then I realised that that's not the point at all. Call me uncultured but for me, a film should be able to stand up for itself even if you have no prior knowledge on the topic. Ideally, a film should make you want to know more about the issues it's addressing, so that you can come back to it and understand it better. So I would like to begin this "review" by taking back my self-doubt about not being able to appreciate Varavelpu.

Coming to this movie now- now, why do I keep choosing to do this? This was promised as some sort of clever yet poignant take on issues like rampant unemployment, stagnant economy, etc. but it was just a 2 hour long glorification of Mohanlal's character, with a few casteist and anti-union jokes thrown in. Sorry to go back to Varavelpu, but that was at least funny here and there. I detested Mohanlal's character from the very beginning- he was in fact so insufferable that I was lowkey happy when he lost his job because of "labour union issues". That's what you deserve, bootlicker. The only saving grace was of course Shobana darling, and the one thing I liked about the movie was its ending because Shobana doesn't die, and ALSO gets her man. A double and beautiful victory. And I did like the last scene where Mohanlal and Shobana look at each other. That's it, I suppose.

In conclusion, this director has been added to my hate-watch list now. Good times ahead.