For those who saw Suresh Gopi in Lanka it must have been like eating pizza on a plantain leaf. But in Rashtram normal service is resumed. We get to see Suresh Gopi with all the bluster and dialogues, heavy-duty action and panache and poise.
It is what his fans look for. And they have got it in huge delightful dollops.
Cast in a high-profile role character, something that Suresh Gopi has made his own, he uplifts Rashtram to a bankable entertainer. The movie itself is a gritty reflection of the murky politics of Kerala. Right from his dramatic introduction down to the last frame where finishes off the baddies in inimitable style, it is Suresh Gopi as Mallaikkal Thommy who dominates the movie like Tendulkar used to Indian innings. And like Tendulkar of yore, Suresh Gopi blasts and breathes fire. The director Anil C Menon has not bothered about anything else. He has created the situation for Suresh Gopi to dominate and delight.
The story is about Mallaikkal Thommy (Suresh Gopi), a rough and tough man, who doesn’t like mincing words or blows. Guided by his own sense of fair play, Thommy runs rough shod over the malcontents in the society.
Thommy is the son of Malaikkal Ouseppachan (Madhu), a Chief Minister with the heart of gold. He is a Gandhian and is almost a misfit in the coalition politics era. As it happens, when the mantle of Chief Ministership passes on to Thommy under compelling circumstances, the knives are out for him for obvious reasons. But Thommy does not lose a trick in the big bad world of politics. Taking on the communal and conspiring elements, he goes for the jugular. And no prizes for guessing, he brings every force of evil to book.
It doesn’t take too much of intelligence to write such a story for Suresh Gopi. But it takes more than normal intelligence to come up with a good script to keep the audience glued to their seats with such a story. Director Anil C Menon and the screenplay of Sajivan have cobbled together realistic film —they have liberally used situations from contemporary politics.
It is Suresh Gopi who fills the film in its every pore. The rest have just walk-in roles. Laya, Madhu, Thilakan, Venu have performed adequately. Depak Dev’s music is of the okay variety.
All told, Suresh Gopi’s fans will not be disappointed.