Velipadinte Pusthakam

Even if you ignore the absolutely ridiculous plot of Velipadinte Pusthakam, there is nothing substantial enough to appreciate in which is otherwise a long-winded show at aimlessly and embarrassingly championing the lead actor. Mohanlal plays a demi-god of sorts who takes charge as the vice principal of a college, and then suddenly starts showing abilities of a marriage broker, a priest, and a pro cyclist who can do a stoppie as well as a wheelie almost in tandem. Such is the power of this fictitious character that the entire college, including everybody in the administration, looks up to him. The ridiculousness of the plot starts from the beginning but aggravates when things go south before the intermission. It is highly annoying to see Mohanlal play a character so shoddily written, which totally works against the whole idea of this "ideal man fixes everything" themed film. Salim Kumar's character is a travesty and so is the whodunit that the films turns into towards the end. A dash of suspense in the end reinvigorates the audience because they were sleeping in the 2 hours that precedes the climax. I still cannot agree to the fact that Lal Jose made this turkey, which has all the ingredients to make you feel worse about where Malayalam cinema is going. Velipdainte Pusthakam is one of the worst Malayalam films of 2017, and a lot of things are to be blamed here. Including Mohanlal's lethargic performance. TN.