Narasimham

Shaji Kailas's 2000 Malayalam film follows Poovalli Induchoodan on release after six years in prison. He is a judge's son; before settling accounts with the politician who framed him he must close the distance between himself and his father. The film was among the biggest commercial successes in Malayalam cinema and took Mohanlal's heroic image to its peak: long speeches, heavy walks, scenes that silence an opponent in one line. The style was much imitated afterwards. Seen now the heroic construction is overloaded and the women characters are purely functional. It runs close to three hours. Who it's for: viewers who like Mohanlal's films and Malayalam commercial cinema of the 2000s. Who it's not for: anyone wanting measured storytelling, or who dislikes hero-centred construction.