PremiumLive review: Mamta Mohandas' film has a relevant, hard-hitting theme but is squandered by lacklustre execution
VK Prakash and the film's scriptwriter S Suresh Babu squander the opportunity due to ineffective storytelling that doesn't have any teeth
Last Updated: 12.07 PM, May 26, 2023
Story: Anna Chirayath, an aspiring doctor, is apprehended by cops, mistaking her to be a part of a drugs and sex racket. Though the cops realise their folly and release her, by then it's already too late with the media extensively covering the arrest, without verifying the information. The media outlet, led by Sam John Vakathanam, further adds fuel to the fire, by further sensationalising the news. How Dr Amala Sreeram and her friends support Anna and decide to take the fight to the media giant, form the plot.
Review: Director V K Prakash's latest film Live handles an issue that has marred the life of both celebs and common man alike - disinformation aka fake news. While the fake news in itself might be a prime time element, a correction is often submerged as a one line item. But, what happens when the media refuses to correct itself? The film is an attempt to explore this turn of events.
At the centre of it are two women - Anna Chirayath, a multi-talented MBBS aspirant who is mistakenly apprehended by cops, thinking she is part of a sex racket, and Dr Amala Sreeram, who is constantly hounded by cyber harassment. After a section of the media tries to churn out more views and generate content by 'twisting' Anna's predicament, Dr Amala and her friends try to aid her fight against the media.
The film deals with a relevant theme, which if presented well, could have laid bare media tactics, made people more aware of the ills of these unethical practices as well as explored ways of tackling the issue. However, VK Prakash and the film's scriptwriter S Suresh Babu squander this opportunity due to ineffective storytelling that doesn't have any teeth. For instance, even as the women prepare to take on the media giant propagating the fake news, we don't see enough constructive effort despite them being social media influencers. All you get is them meeting the police and a chief editor, with no success.
Similarly, Anna's character, who is described as a determined and brilliant student and is also supported by a crew of such women, not managing to find a way to stand up to online bullies is only serving the same old damsel in distress story to the audience. At least in today's cinema, it's important for women to see how they can stand up to gossip spreaders and fight it out, rather than giving up. Mamta's character, though portrayed as a 'strong' woman, is also shown as being clueless as to how to handle harassers. The train sequence in the film, in which she is shown as 'enduring' an unnecessary advance too much, is also a tad cringeworthy. Soubin's character is also reduced to that of a nagging husband with hardly any depth. Shine Tom Chacko's performance came across as an extension of his deliberately loud 'interview persona,' these days. The portions showing his backstory also did not add anything substantial to the core story.
There are also some unnecessary additions in music, like a poorly-written English track.
Verdict: Live might have had good intentions as a story, but poor writing makes it a disappointing watch.