Parole brought back Mammootty to the category of one of his most loved and successful character list – jailbird. In the past, we have seen the actor mesmerizing us with such characters and fans of the star’s acting, have all placed high hopes on this Sharrath Sandith directorial. Incidentally, ‘Parole’ is also an extension of a slew of movies released in Malayalam with themes aligned with the incumbent govt.
As far as the film’s plot is concerned with, ‘Parole’ follows comrade Alex (Mammootty) and his parole term. Evidently loved by all, Alex is supposed to be an epitome of goodness. The love and affection of others towards Alex is visible, when his parole application gets rejected. Though denied at first, Alex finally gets parole – squarely making a celebration mood out in the jail. The movie further then focuses on the life of Alex and how he ended up in prison. As we mentioned earlier, the movie showcases the way in which Alex ended up having nothing, merely for his love for family and fellowmen. Director Sharrath Sandith has opted out for back and forth kind narration. After showcasing the past of Alex, movie then progresses towards focusing on the events awaiting him. That said, the movie is a journey, which Alex undertakes.
As you can see, the plot is wafer thin and has got nothing much to surprise you. Well, obviously you will get surprised seeing such an array of clichéd pictures pasted here and there. Essentially riding on the character of Alex, Sharrath however has failed to give much an attention towards developing rest of the characters. Despite sticking to one particular ideology, instances were numerous that characters deviate from their expected behavior patterns. This, coupled with some lazy way of narrating the story, ‘Parole’ has failed to give an engaging narration. Leaving all those elements aside, what we have is, the acting performance of the star cast.
Mammootty looked fit enough to this role – which he has performed on umpteenth occasions – many at times he was the sole saving grace of the whole film. Essentially an emotional ride through the character of Alex, ‘Parole’ has tried showcasing the acting prowess of the star. Though undeveloped for most part, the rest of the characters did their job well. The noteworthy ones were the performances of Suraj Venjarammood and Siddique. However, a film cannot find an appeal amongst the movie going public, alone with this department.
As we have already dealt about a rather lazy way of narrating the plot, its better covering the rest of the area. Loganathan Srinivasan’s cinematographic work appeared to be decent. However, you can never ever leave out those frames, where the central elements got out of focused. Music department tried hard to create breezy moments out from nowhere. All in all, ‘Parole’ would be remembered as one of the least engaging jailbird movies of Mammootty.