With 'Utopiayile Rajavu',the accomplished combo of director Kamal and Megastar Mammootty who have given numerous notable box office hits in the past like Mazhayethu Munpe and Rappakal have tested their fortune in presenting a sarcastic take on the political scenario of today mixing up elements of humor and fantasy but with partial success,to be precise.
The narration is somewhat similar to Renjith's 'Pranchiyettan And The Saint',where fantasy and realism go hand in hand while presenting the story of protagonist C.P.Swathanthran and his attempt to erect the statue of his father Late Gandhian Parameswaran,a freedom fighter,in the imaginary village of Kokrankara.
The use of light-hearted humor element in the narration throughout the first half was really good and gave good buildup for the second half.A wide range of political occurrences in the recent past were presented hilariously in the first hour and received good response from the crowd.
But somehow the screenplay lost its steam by the onset of the second half and took a turn into serious note exploiting and giving importance to a variety of social issues,at least a fair share being irrelevant as far as the basic premise is concerned.The screenplay by P.S.Rafeeque was shabby with notable loopholes and failed to carry the momentum that it gained in the first half.The narration lacked Kamal touch and the grip that he usually show in handling the screenplay was absent the major reason why the feeling of something missing is felt once the movie gets over.Voice-over by Salim Kumar who is presented as a crow was hilarious.
Mammookka was impressive as C.P.Swathanthran even though it must be noted that the character donned by him could have been given more screen presence to make it a memorable one.Jewel Mary pulled off her debut performance really well.The supporting cast which includes a host of comedy actors including Sreekumar,Sunil Sukahada,Tini Tom etc did their part well.
Music and score by Ouseppachan was good with the song 'Uppinu Pona' being the pick from the album and well utilized in various situations of the storyline.The technical side in general was OK.
Overall,Utopiayile Rajavu is a strictly one time watchable feel good flick that could have been a much better experience had the second half been better and the screenplay been tight.
Verdict::Possibilities left unused along with loose scripting towards the second hour keeps "Utopiayile Rajavu" far from being called a comprehensive winner,but nevertheless,there is ample substance in this feel good movie to call it a passable try for the families this festival season.
