A splendid Mammootty in a clever, disturbing thriller

Rorschach

(Malayalam/Theatres)

Director: Nissam Basheer

Cast: Mammootty, Grace Antony, Bindu Panicker, Sharafudheen, and Jagadeesh

Rating: 3/5

A missing person, some mind games and Mammootty make the latest Malayalam film ‘Rorschach’ a gripping watch.

The psychological thriller tells the story of Luke (Mammootty), who comes to an unknown place in search of his missing pregnant wife Sophia. Soon enough, the story unfolds to a plot that discloses Luke's mission, which seems to be bigger than what we expected. Luke is also on the lookout for a (deceased) crook Dileep Balan and his deranged family to avenge a tragic incident that happened when he was in Dubai.

During Luke’s stay, he meets a police officer Ashraf (Jagadeesh), and Dileep’s wife Sujatha (Grace Antony), and that leads to interesting developments. It seems ironic that Luke, who is putting his revenge plan into action, ends up helping Dileep’s mother Seetha (Bindu Panicker) when her younger son Anil (Sanju Sivram) lands up in the hospital.

With many plots and twists, and a tinge of horror, the film has almost everything a Mammootty fan can ask for. The actor at 71 is in great form. Does he play a grey character? Yes. Is there a reason for the character’s vengeance? Yes. Will we hate Mammootty in the film? Neither his character nor his performance. The actor carefully embodies the psyche of a man whose only aim in life is endless vengeance. His witty remarks with a grin will make one laugh and wonder at the same time.

‘Rorschach’ is an inkblot psychological test, which is used by psychology and psychoanalytic experts to understand one’s personality or feelings. Much like the test, Mammootty plays someone who closely analyses the characters around him before playing mind games.

Don’t be fooled by Bindu Panicker’s typical elderly mother look in a Kerala set-mundu. Her avatar is nothing like you have seen before. In one scene, the way she creepily looks at Luke, with her head tilted downwards and her eyes eerily looking on, can make your skin crawl.

Grace Antony as Sujatha, a cashew factory owner, is convincing as a woman undergoing the plight of a recently-widowed lady. The team’s decision to cast often-seen-as-comedians Jagadeesh, Bindu Panicker, and Kottayam Nazeer in serious roles must be appreciated.

The film, much like many other recent interesting attempts from the Malayalam film industry, drags in certain parts. The thriller doesn't end with a bang.

However, the action sequences are splendid. The film rightly avoids conventional songs and makes room for a stirring background score by Midhun Mukundan. Dark yet interesting, ‘Rorschach’ by director Nissam Basheer, deserves a watch.