The movie is a totally refreshing one with splendid performance by Malayalam's greatest actor. Mohanlal as Mullamkolli Velayudhan is a visual treat. The story is nothing new but the experience of Joshi and Mohanlal make it a "Must Watch" for the festival season. Mullankolli is a interior rustic village, near a river. Velayudhan (Mohanlal) is an orphan who came floating on a reef during floods and he was brought up by Valiya Nambiar (Madhu) a do-good and a feudal landlord of the area.
Velayudhan grows up into a riff-Raff, drunkard and a local rowdy with a good heart. He hates injustice and has set his own rules for the villagers who are scared of him including local moneylender and politician 'member' Kurup (Jagathy). Gopinathan Nambiar (Siddique) son-in-law of Valliya Nambiar who wants to lord over the village in his own way.
When Velayudhan plants a stick like lord Murugan's Vel, it means that it has his stamp of authority. The only man who he listens to is Valiya Nambiar and to a certain extent Kelappan (Innocent) who looked after him as a child. The villagers including Kurup and Gopinathan regularly bring goondas from outside the village to eliminate Velayudhan but they fail. There are three women in his life- a prostitute Kunnil Shanta( Sona Nair) old flame Janaki( Devayani) and Kelappan's daughter Leela (Bhavana). But things turn bleak for Velayudhan due to the machinations of Gopinathan which leads to the climax.
The only aim of producer Antony Perumbavor, director Joshi and writer Ranjan Pramod is to somehow cash in on Mohanlal image during the Onam season and make a hit. The music of Deepak Dev is hummable especially the Kavadi number, though there is only two songs. But what makes the film look fresh is the Hogennakal and Polachi locations and the art work of Joseph Nellikal and camera of Shaji is top notch mainly all the river and underwater scenes.
Go and watch it for Mohanlal. He is simply superb!!
