Lucifer – Can You Really Enjoy it in an Almost Empty Theatre?

I received the very first piece of “review” of Lucifer on the morning of the film’s release after the fan show. The enthusiasm of the person who sent me the message gave me an inclination that the film might end up being successful. After all, the film seemed to be making the fans happy. In the following days, I witnessed pretty much every person I know line-up to watch the film and then praise the film and filmmaker after. The film reviews that we usually see on online websites and online newspapers also concurred with the general audience reviews. Then came the review from my brother (the mastermind behind Movie Reviews from the Toilet), a person whose opinions I usually agree with, especially when it comes to cinema. If I had not already been looking forward to watching this film, his high praises would definitely have made me open BookMyShow on my phone immediately. But personal commitments and a lack of convenient show times made it impossible for me to watch the film and I had to keep postponing it. This was a time when most of the casual conversations I had, at some point, involved someone asking me “ithrem naalayittu Lucifer kandille?”. Many even offered to accompany me for they wanted to watch it a second time. So today, more than a month after it's release, I walked into a film theatre to finally watch Lucifer.

Now what was I expecting from the film? As already mentioned, listening to my brother talk about the film and his written review of the film had raised the bars in my mind quite a bit. I had also seen multiple interviews of the director, talking about how it took him hours to explain the plot and script to various cast members. So I was expecting a commercial film that utilised Mohanlal’s star power with an entertaining plot full of twists and turns. But I have to say, as a movie enthusiast and as a die-hard Mohanlal fan, I was disappointed. I am in no way qualified to judge a film or a director. So I really have no right to say if a film is good or bad. But I can say if I liked the film or not. And I did not really like Lucifer. I realized this with a sinking heart as I was coming out of the theatre. Now, what will I do when Lucifer comes up in conversations? Do I tell people that I did not like the film? That would definitely lead to the “oh you only like art films” or “oh ningal okke bujikal” argument that I am tired of hearing. This was my first thought after I came out of the theatre.

I am not, in any sense of the word, a buji. I love watching all kinds of films. Be it slow paced Polish cinema where the actors do not talk for long periods of time or fast-paced ones where the hero divides his time between punching gundas and breaking into song and dance sequences, I enjoy watching them all. And most importantly, I have been a die-hard Mohanlal fan since I can remember. So I can in no way blame a (nonexistent) superior intellect for my disappointment. So why didn’t I like the film? What most people would immediately remember when thinking of a film is the story. There wasn’t much happening was there? If someone who has not seen the film were to ask you to explain the story of the film (oh those cinema kadha parayal sessions in school! #nostalgia), what would you say? Just take a few seconds to think about it. Politician dies. His son in law takes control of his party. Mohanlal disapproves and kills him. That’s it. Remove the slow motion scenes and punch dialogues. That really is it!

That is the story of the film. But the plot, on the other hand, has been designed to keep the audience engaged with the right amount of drama and thrills. It is a spectacle that you lose yourself in. Like the film review by Vinayak explained, the film rather than depending on Mohanlal for all the excitement, has managed to make use of its ensemble cast and has given them their own share of good dialogues. But in my opinion, that is also the problem with the film. I saw it today in a large theatre with very few people. And this is a commercial film that has utilized Mohanlal’s image and has been made keeping his fans in mind. No large crowd was present to cheer and clap when Mohanlal made those slow-motion walks or when Tovino delivered those punch dialogues. What I witnessed was an awkward silence after each of those moments. For shots have been added deliberately after each of these moments in order to give a small time gap before the next dialogue. These shots give enough time to the fans to cheer, yet it would lead to no one missing the next dialogue. But this made the film unnecessarily long and painfully slow-paced. Yes, I loved watching Mohanlal’s mundu madakki kuthal and his fighting scenes. Yes, I loved it when he said “cheytha papangalkkalle father kumbasarikkan pattu? Cheyyan pokunna papangalkku pattillallo”. (I am a Malayalee who grew up watching his films after all. The hairs on my arms stand up in such situations, I can't help it). But those adrenaline pumping sequences seemed to be strung together and wasted on an otherwise inconsequential story. I guess I would have enjoyed it more if I had watched it with a larger crowd with the intended cheers and applause. And that stands out as the most important flaw of a plot-driven film that is made to cater to fans. Especially the ones made foreseeing their response in the theatre with no consideration of the film’s life beyond the theatre. I wonder if all the people who loved watching Lucifer in theatres would really be able to sit through the film again when it comes on on the television.