Malik review: Fahadh in a league of his own

Malik (Malayalam)

Amazon Prime Video

Cast: Fahadh Faasil, Vinay Forrt, Nimisha Sajayan

Director: Mahesh Narayanan

Rating: 3.5

Sulaiman (Fahadh Faasil) is the toast of his community. Not so long ago, he was considered trash even by his mother.

From a smuggler on the beach to the messiah of an entire coast, Sulaiman's character rides a roller coaster.

The movie begins with an ageing 'Ali ikka', as he is fondly called, preparing to go on a Haj pilgrimage. Before he walks into the sunset, he has to atone for his past. But the law catches up with him at the airport.

Mahesh Narayanan's Malik is a political thriller pulsating with crime, betrayal and communal tension. It is long---two hours and 40 minutes---but every frame is wrapped in fresh surprises. Ali's world, clearly designed for the big screen, comes alive with well-orchestrated twists and turns, some of the best in recent times.

The story has its roots in a riot that Kerala saw a decade ago, when several lives were lost in a police firing. 'Malik' unravels through a series of flashbacks, as it traces the turbulent history of Ramadapally, a fictional fishing village that survived the tsunami, only to be ripped apart by a Muslim-Christian divide.

Fahadh plays the fiery Sulaiman who marries a Christian girl (Nimisha Sajayan), the sister of his best friend (the terrific Vinay Forrt). Sulaiman is progressive enough to let his wife follow her faith but insists that their son be called 'Ameer' and not 'Antony'.

The simmering tension between the two communities soon explodes with ample fuel from the rabble-rousing MLA Abubaker (Dileesh Pothan). It doesn't help either that the police 'hire' criminals to settle scores. In no time, friends of the same coast find themselves on different shores.

'Malik' is a movie for our times. Set against the mighty Arabian Sea, it shows how communal waves wash ashore heaps of hatred. It is a complex tale. But Mahesh Narayanan pulls it off with splendid contributions from all performers, and notably from Fahadh, who is in a league of his own.