Barroz movie review: Mohanlal's stretched-out 3D fairytale can easily put children to sleep

2/5

Barroz story: Entrusted to protect the treasure of Da Gama, Barroz spends centuries in a chamber hoping his master or his heir keeps his promise and returns. After almost five centuries, this does happen in the form of Isabella, but along with her comes challenges that would need Barroz to fulfil his duty one last time.

Barroz review: For children, fairytales are what brings the magic to their lives. That's why they love them as bed-time stories, and adults encourage it too as it helps to put children to sleep. Mohanlal’s directorial debut Barroz, in a way, serves the same purpose - sans the magic of storytelling.

The film borrows from a Portuguese folktale of a ghost, forced to protect the treasure for his master, and shackled by his duty and loyalty, continues to do so, even centuries after his masters have passed. This particular story is about Barroz (Mohanlal), who finally has a chance to break free from the promise after the heir of his master Cristiavo Da Gama arrives in Goa. But along with her comes a set of challenges as well as realisations for Barroz, as he is forced to navigate the new world, forge new bonds and face old enemies.

The film’s basic plot has all the elements for a good fantasy story. But you cannot save a poorly-written screenplay, even by labelling it as a product that is just for children. Barroz does exactly that. It is self-indulgent, with every scene being stretched out to the max, making the viewers restless in the process. The makers repeatedly spoonfeed every little detail of the film and break it down to the point of making even a child weary.

You would wish its editor B Ajithkumar, at least told what Barroz’s sidekick Voodoo tells him in the movie — to stop with the drama and cut to the chase. For a children's film, Barroz which has a duration of 154 minutes, is at least 54 minutes too long, and the disappointing bit is that it could have been easily tightened and would have made for a better film than what it currently is. Sample this, in one scene, Barroz tries to hand over his set of keys to Isabella, but this goes on forever, testing the patience of viewers.

Also read: Barroz OTT partner: Mohanlal’s ambitious film to stream here after theatrical run 

Barroz also is devoid of any fun. Certain sequences including the underwater animated song and the one where Barroz helps Isabella sing are the few bright sparks in the film. The underlying theme of false sense of fealty is also a nice touch, but this isn't explored enough just like the bond between the two central characters. Voodoo, the puppet sidekick, doesn’t even come close to Faby from the 1993 Malayalam movie O’Faby. He serves as a narrator and keeps mouthing Mahagaga; more like ‘Mahalaga’, no fun intended.

The work put in by Santosh Raman’s art department shines through in the movie, especially in the treasure chamber where the film is extensively set. Santosh Sivan’s cinematography, save for a few scenes, leaves much to be desired, especially for a 3D film. Mark Killian’s score and Lydian Nadhaswaram’s songs could appeal to the children. One track, where Barroz aids Isabella could have had a better impact had it been rendered by another singer other than Mohanlal.

In terms of performance, Mohanlal doesn’t bring much to the table in terms of elevating the character of Barroz. He keeps it simple, probably to show that the treasure-guarding ghost isn’t the protagonist in the film but the 13-year-old Isabella (Maya Rao West) is. This doesn’t work for the film at all. Even actors like Guru Somasundaram get parts that make you cringe. Again, for a fun children’s film, it would have needed the actors to raise the level of slapstick comedy to draw out some laughs. But Barroz is caught in the middle – and strays too long in that zone.

Also read: After 'tricky film' Barroz, Mohanlal won't direct again: Santosh Sivan 

Has the makers of Barroz put in more effort than My Dear Kuttichaathan? Yes. But is it better than My Dear Kuttichaathan? No, Faby.

Barroz verdict: Is Mohanlal’s directorial going to be a fun outing for the kids in theatres? Maybe not, because the film takes itself too seriously and the lacklustre screenplay doesn’t help either. The makers, however, sincerely tried to make this a different effort and ensured that all their work is shown on screen. If most of it was left on the cutting floor, it could have been better.