Release
date:
|
Kerala: November 16, 2018
Delhi: November
23, 2018
|
Director:
|
M. Padmakumar
|
Cast:
Language:
|
Joju George,
Athmiya, Madhuri Braganza, Dileesh Pothan, Sudhi Koppa, Irshad, Malavika
Menon
Malayalam
|
Those empty eyes –
the elderly man’s heartbreak is evident in their absolute blankness, beyond
which lies a grief that blankets his entire being. They are eyes that once
twinkled, back when he was young.
Both avatars of the
titular hero of Joseph: Man With The Scar
are played by actor Joju George. Joseph is a retired policeman whose Sherlock
Holmes-like genius causes the force to still turn to him for assistance in
difficult cases. We are introduced to him in a long prologue during which he
methodically and quickly solves a double murder. That initial passage is enough
to capture the essence of the man: brilliant, world weary, lonely and
alone.
Through a series of
well-placed flashbacks, expertly slipped into the narrative by editor Kiran
Das, we later learn that Joseph’s empty nest was once home to a happy wife
and daughter. This is a man who has known what it is to have loved and lost,
loved again and lost again. A tragic turn of events in the present day compels
him to summon up every ounce of the powers of observation and deduction he is
known for. (For the record, he is genuinely impressive, unlike the lead cop in
that silly, pretentious Mohanlal-starrer Villain
last year.) This is a thriller revolving around a police investigation, but it
is not a police procedural.
M. Padmakumar’s
film is high on atmospherics. The director is aided in conjuring up an air of
mystery by Manesh Madhavan’s cinematography, which revels as much in tight
close-ups of the lead players as in inventive shots of the magnificent Kerala
landscape. Madhavan is at his best in large open spaces, where he manages to
create the impression that his camera is a living entity not in the frame,
stalking Joseph and his associates, watching them from a distance as they go
about their business.
Occasionally, only
occasionally, the camera dwells too long on the protagonist’s sorrowful, ageing
face, making it seem like Joju George is overdoing his effort to be enigmatic,
and thus reminding us that a great screen performance is not just the result of
a gifted actor’s work but the combined effort of a talented artiste, a decisive
director, a cameraperson who knows exactly when to turn away, and an editor who
knows precisely how many seconds to retain and how many to scissor out, which
shots to include and which to discard. George is particularly poorly served in
that scene in which Joseph is watching his wife dress up, and appears
marginally leery rather than admiring. Had the actor not given any better
takes? These moments, fleeting though they are, end up slightly detracting from
what is otherwise an astonishingly immersive performance, made all the more
striking by the glaring difference between the playful young Joseph and his
older, care-worn version, in addition to the stark change from George’s
filmography so far ruled by supporting and comic parts (most recently, Udaharanam Sujatha, Poomaram and Njan Marykkutty).
Though George
dominates the film, the flawless supporting cast gives it its finesse.
Especially interesting is the chemistry between the leading man and Peter
played by Dileesh Pothan, although theirs is an awkward relationship. One of
the best conceptualised scenes in Joseph features
them at a funeral where Peter is considerate towards Joseph though he need not
have bothered.
Peter gets only a
fraction of the screen time given to Joseph, but that time has been well used
by writer Shahi Kabir. The same justice is not done to the women though.
Athmiya, Madhuri Braganza and Malavika Menon have spark, and the characters
they play – Stella, Anna and Diana – have potential, but they merely provide
the motivations for Joseph’s actions, not one of the three is a fully
expanded character in her own right.
Still, the little
insights that the screenplay provides into life in this Malayali community, the
focus on the psychological impact of brutal crimes on police
investigators, the central character’s investigative skills, Joju George’s
acting and impeccable, transformative ageing makeup, the sweetness of the
understanding between two individuals in love with the same person, and
the unrelenting sense of suspense that lasts till the denouement make Joseph: Man With The Scar thoroughly
worthwhile. It could of course have done without the number of songs packed
into the narrative that slacken the pace for no apparent purpose, the
melodramatically mournful tone of some of the singing, the slow motion and
other shots that linger longer than necessary. For instance, at a funeral, when
a character scans the gathering to find Joseph, did his head have to gradually emerge
from behind a shoulder hiding him? Most crucially, the final big reveal relies
too much on the far-fetched, over-stretched coincidence of one man being
personally affected twice by the same crime, but the lead up to the climax is
captivating enough to make this film a rewarding experience.
Rating (out
of five stars): **3/4
CBFC Rating (India):
|
UA
|
Running time:
|
138 minutes
|
This review has also been published on Firstpost:
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