I went into this film a bit apprehensive. Not only was it getting disappointing reviews, but it was also three hours long. “Marakkar” brings together veteran filmmaker Priyadarshan with one of my favorite actors on the planet, Mohanlal, so how bad could it really be? Not to mention, it’s also the most expensive film ever made in the Malayalam film industry (reportedly a 100 crores), so if all else fails at least it’ll look great. Who knows, maybe everyone is just loosing their minds and this is in-fact the masterpiece I’ve been waiting for. For better or worse, this was the mindset I had as I sat down to see this film of epic proportions.
Kunjali Marakkar IV was an admiral under King Zamorin of Calicut (modern day Kerala). He is most famous for using naval war tactics to defend the Indian coast against Portuguese invaders around the 16th century. “Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea” is supposed to be about Kunjali; however, by the end of the film we don’t end up knowing much about him or his war tactics. Instead, we are presented with a mismatch of films and ideas that go as far back as to the Iliad to as recent as “Baahubali”.
Essentially the Kunjali that you see in this film isn’t any different from what you have seen before. Some of this may come from the fact that we don’t know much about the actual Kunjali Marakkar IV, and some of this may also come from an aversion to taking risk in an expensive production. Whatever it may be, the end product here is not as special or interesting as the actual Kunjali seemed to be.
So as far as historical biopics go, this misses the mark by miles. However, many of the people seeing this film, including me, will have had no idea who this person is and will probably just want to see a good movie with naval war scenes and a pinch of historical patriotism. So how does the movie do in that respect? Well….
One of the best aspects of the film is its production and set design. The assembly hall where the King and his ministers talk and deliberate, with the trunks of giant elephant heads spanning the height of the room, is absolutely stunning. The costumes of the various characters also feel lived in and authentic.
However, it’s a bit of a shame that the entire film is color-graded with a blueish-grey hue that desaturates the image. I would’ve loved to have seen what the film looks like with a more naturalistic color-grade. Compare a still from this movie with the vibrancy of other historical epics like “Baahubali” or “The Admiral: Roaring Currents” and you’ll know what I mean.
There is also ALOT going on in this movie. We have a revenge plot, a band of thieves that steal from the rich and give to the poor, internal political turmoil that leads to backstabbing, a rags to riches story, star-crossed lovers, a grave misunderstanding leading to a central conflict which could have easily been avoided if everyone just took a second to breathe, a story that spans a lifetime, and much more. While I was never bored watching this movie, none of it ever came together into something above its parts.
Nevertheless, I actually found the first half of this film to be quite enjoyable. Many of the key relationships are established and they work well. Mohanlal, as expected, does an incredible job in this film and many of the supporting cast do admirably as well. The naval war scenes were just ok even though you don’t really see much of Kunjali formulating his tactics or deliberating. I much preferred the naval war scenes and display of tactics in “The Admiral: Roaring Currents” (2014), and would’ve liked to have seen something similar here. The naval battle scene does lead to a rousing resolution and an incredible performance from Mohanlal. In a bit of an odd move, the movie chooses to resolve the major conflict in Kunjali’s life during this half which leads to some of the major issues the film has in the second half.
With the major conflict in Kunjali’s life gone, the film really begins to feel disjointed and all over the place. The dynamics between the characters established in the first half work well enough to give a key scene (similar to the pregnant woman in chains scene from “Baahubali 2”) enough power. After this though it might even suffice to stop watching the film because if it hasn’t gone downhill for you yet, the film takes a nosedive. The Portuguese, and especially Vasco De Gamma, are portrayed as one note invaders and the final battle scenes are also just ok. The movie here also gets way too long.
At the end of the day, “Marakkar” is more of a disappointment than a triumph.
