Pathaaka Malayalam Movie
Pathaka is just what any average Suresh Gopi movie is. The only thing that you get in addition is a song, which does no good to the film. It cannot be said that the film is boring or worthless. The film moves at a brisk pace, there are punchy dialogues, fast action et al, but there is nothing that makes the film stands out as different from other Suresh Gopi-movies of the same genre. And this perhaps is what disappoints audiences.
Pathaka tells the story of George Tharian, known to most as GT, the popular Industries Minister who enjoys the patronage of the Chief Minister as well as of many others in the political circuit. But there are people including ministers Monipally Dineshan and Johnny Xavier, MLA Rajan Nadar and others who dislike him and his popularity. They want to see him out of the ministry and bring allegation after allegation against him, but he survives all such onslaughts.
His mother Elizabeth Mammen, a Padmasree recipient who has her own reputation in politics, always stands by her son and wants to see him emerge as an idealist politician with a vision - something that GT already is to a great extent. However, GT's enemies, with support from the television channel Kerala TV, soon come up with a sex scam against him, involving him and a young girl Meera, who had met him on a research assignment. She is the younger sister of Namitha Chaudhary, the Police Officer investigating the earlier allegations against GT.
GT chooses to resign and then sets out to prove his innocence. In the process he realizes to his utter dismay that his real enemy is someone who had always stood by him. And then begins the war, with GT too starting a television channel named Channel D. With the support of Harinarayanan IPS (an honest police officer who resigns soon after GT steps down), Ashitha (the daughter of Muhammed Master, a guru to GT), Pratheesh Nambiar and cameraman Manikantan (who had resigned from Kerala TV and joined Channel D) and others and the silent support of the Chief Minister, he wages his battle against his enemies.
Suresh Gopi is his usual self as GT while Laloo Alex is well cast as the Chief Minister. Sheela who does the role of Elizabeth Mammen is just passable. Saikumar as the industrialist Farooque Shah has done a good job. Manoj K. Jayan as Harinarayanan is also a good choice. Devan as Rajan Nadar, Navya Nair as Ashitha, Arun as Anwar, Shammi Thilakan as Monipally Dineshan, Kollam Thulasi as Johny Xavier, Janardhanan as Muhammed Master, Sindhu Menon as Namitha Chaudhary, Renuka Menon as Meera, Manuraj as Manikantan, Madhupal as Pratheesh Nambiar do their respective roles convincingly.
Utpal V. Nayanar's cinematography, editing by P.C. Mohanan and art direction by Sreeni are in tune with the theme. The only song Husnul Jamaal... could have been avoided. Robin Thirumala seems to have improved in handling the script. But on the whole the film, which comes from the director of many blockbusters, is just one more forgettable average Suresh Gopi-starrer.
