Cast: Mohanlal, Fahad Fazil, Asif Ali.
Director: Salam Bapu.
Salam
Bappu makes his directorial debut with Red Wine after being in the industry for
almost 11 years.
Red
Wine deals with a murder case that makes three people; Anoop, the Local
Committee Secretary of the Communist Party in Wayanad (Fahad Fazil), Ramesan, a
goonda turned sales executive(Asif Ali) and Ratheesh Vasudevan, Assistant
Commissioner of Police(Mohanlal); cross each other’s paths.
The
first thing I would like to tell is that Red Wine is NOT a Mohanlal movie, the
central character here is Fahad and he is brilliant in his role as the young
communist. The director has done a good job in showing Communism in a different
light through Fahad. It would not be surprising if the young guns of the
Communist Party in Kerala start idolising him. But do not go in expecting to
see a fiery communist because as said already this one is different.
You
would not find the plot that interesting or thrilling but the screenplay should
be mentioned in particular for the commendable job. It cuts into the three
lives(timelines rather) very frequently with no confusion whatsoever. Ranjan
Abraham’s experienced editing amplifies the effect. The connecting point from
one scene to the next is very smooth which shows the clarity of the writer and
the director.
Another
appreciable element in the screenplay is the chemistry between Asif Ali and his
wife. Even if both of them have very limited screen space the scenes involving
both of them are adorable. The girl who plays Asif’s wife is simply brilliant!!
This is not to suggest it’s flawless though. It’s a tad lengthy and there is a
barrage of characters , mainly to up the suspense factor, which is a letdown.
Beginner’s
blues is quite evident in the direction department but that may be overlooked
considering the earnest efforts.
Cinematography
is ok but the colouring in several places is very substandard, BGM being no
different. The final song in the film is very good to hear and rich in meaning
as well.
Overall
it’s an almost satisfying watch if you go in without expecting much.
Iam
giving a 2.5/5 for Red Wine. You can watch it once.
Rating
Scale (Out of 5)
Less
than 2
- Unwatchable.
2
to 2.25
-
Below average.
2.5
to 2.75 -
Average.
3 to
3.25 -
Good.
3.5 to
3.75 -
Really Good.
4 to
4.25 -
Great.
4.5 and
above -
Extraordinary.
