About the film
Red Chillies, Mohanlal’s first release of 2009, directed by Shaji Kailas, is nothing less than a visual treat with quirky cuts, immaculate close-ups, hard-hitting punch lines and sizzling effects. Produced by M. Ranjith under the banner of Rejaputhra Visual Arts, Red Chillies is essentially a murder mystery, revolving around a gang of nine talented Radio Jockeys, working with FM 919.1 in Kochi
Mohanlal’s character is named Omar, an NRI businessman settled in the Gulf and running this radio station in Kerala. Omar is an impeccable personality with multi-lingual talents; he can speak English, Arabic and Malayalam fluently. All his female staff are madly in love with him and he always communicates through e-mails to his female jockeys. On a New Year eve, he promises that he will reveal his love for one of them. But in a terrible twist in the plot, they are murdered one by one!
About the performance
Mohanlal was excellent in the movie. He is certainly the high point of the flick with another effortless rendering of style and substance. With his stylishly trimmed beard and hairdo, Mohanlal looks absolutely convincing to his character in the film and his way of delivering the punch line ‘Onnum Marakkilla Rama’ is a treat to watch.
Malayalam playback singer Renjini Jose made her first appearance in the silver screen through this film. Her character is named as Isabella, one of the nine radio jockeys. Thilakan as Mani Varghese, Biju Menon as Stalin, and Siddique as Police Commissioner and Vyasan, Ganesh Kumar and Vijay Kumar as the other Police Officers in the group have done justice to their roles. But the Red Chilly Girls did not make it up to the mark. They were not even close enough to Mirchi Girls in Chinthamani Kolacase.
About the direction
There are not many who can match director Shaji Kailas’ technical finesse in Malayalam, when it comes to stylish visuals! The director once again displays that he is an expert in utilizing technical device to deliver the same edge-of-the-seat kind of thrillers. Though the movie keeps us engaged for the first forty minutes, the second half, starting with Omar arriving in Kochi, tends to drag a little.
Red Chillies would have been even better, if the makers had spent more time on the script, especially the climax, which could have been a little more impressive!
Overall rating
2/5
