Movie: Mafia Chapter 1
Direction: Karthick Naren
Cast: Arun Vijay, Prasanna, Priya Bhavani Shankar
Music: Jakes Bejoy
Cinematographer: Gokul Benoy
Editor: Sreejith Sarang
Genre: Action, Thriller
Rating: ∗∗½
What is it about: It’s an action thriller which involves a cat ‘n’ mouse game between a narcotics officer and a drug kingpin. And this is the first chapter of the two to come. The film is directed by Karthick Naren.
Why it’s disappointing: This film was one of the most anticipated films of this year. Firstly, the director Karthick Naren, who gave the indigenous “D-16”. Then it was the casting Arun Vijay and Prasanna pitted against each other. MAFIA scores low at few points, mainly because of the excessive slow motion sequences which tired out the audience. The film had a crisp 1hr 53mins, but this treatment kind of slows it down. I could see the audience growing impatient and annoyed at vital points in the film. It was pretty much like GVM’s ENPT which had excessive voice over. And then it was the convenient writing which was very predictable compared to the director’s previous outing. The characters in the film looked too decked up to be narcotics officers. There was something off about their looks; they were sporting as well-groomed models. This kind of brought down the authenticity of these characters.
What to watch out for: In spite of few minuses, MAFIA still stands strong with its last 20 minutes. That builds a great premise for the “Chapter -2”. I’m pretty sure the second chapter will be more interesting and will make up for the Chapter 1. Arun Vijay did a crisp job, and I’m sure his character is yet to be explored in this franchise. Prasanna who played the nemesis did a commendable job. Priya Bhavani Shankar, had little to do, so can’t complaint. But the guy who played the character “Varun” looks promising. The music by Jakes Bejoy was racy and was apt for the film. Cinematography by Gokul Benoy was good. Sreejith Sarang did a fine job with editing. The film was technically strong, with crunching sound design and mix.
Verdict: Karthick Naren, built a neat premise for an action franchise. He does make it up towards the end of the film. MAFIA was well packaged, but slightly loses its authenticity to commercial clichés. Worth a watch, and I’m quite sure the follow up will be kick-ass.
