W H E N K E Y 'S T A K E : C H I N T A M A N I M U R D E R C A S E

A FILM REVIEW

After an average outing with THE TIGER, Shaji Kailas is back with a legal thriller which has Suresh Gopi playing the devil's advocate.The movie which opened to packed houses will continue to attract audience for another two weeks as no other major releases are stated.The director has made a valiant attempt as one can clearly feel the disnctive difference in which the narrative has been told.The first half has Lal Krishna the protagonist (Suresh Gopi) drooling around in black outfits with heavy duty english lingos,interspresed with sanskrit verses.One must admit that he has essayed the role to perfection,as it is a bit unconventional with shades of gray.The advocate in defence of the accused winning the cases for the clients and then weilding the licence to kill is highlighted in the first half of the story.The overview of the murder of Varier girl Chintamani,is presented with gusto before the end of the first half,leaving the viewer wondering as to how the plot is going to unwind.The director and the writer have cashed into this aspect very well in the post interval portion.The characterisation of Lal Krishna is completely justified in the second half.The court scenes are wonderful and the way suresh gopi carries himself is a treat to watch.

There are a few places where the director could have been more careful.Many characters have been introduced at improper places which slackens the movie's pace and takes the viewer out of focus.Kalabhavan Mani and Vani viswanath could have been avoided, as actors of their calibre have little to do.Yester year heroine Rekha features in a cameo which could have been done by any one in the industry.Bhavana seems to have taken a bold step to figure in this kind of role which can take her out of the sterotyped girl next door image. Tilakan has made a come back with a full length character which he has portrayed to perfection.Biju Menon is apt enough and SaiKumar has done justice to the role of an advocate to disguise the viewer very well.The camera angles are excellent and the direction has been an attempt to reflect the likes of Kamal Hassan in Veeru Mandi.

On the whole the flick has an entertaining second half and of course the judge Lal Krishna weilding the licence to kill is worth watching.