‘Barroz’ movie review: Mohanlal’s passion project ends up as a lost opportunity

As the passion project of one of Malayalam cinema’s biggest stars, Mohanlal’s ‘Barroz’ had a lot going for it, but the drive appears to have been trumped by the practical difficulties of mounting such an ambitious film

Dream projects often come with their share of self-indulgence and doses of obsession. Yet, somewhere one gets to feel things expressed right from the heart of the maker, who has immersed his soul in this idea for so long. What one misses amid all the plasticity of Barroz, Mohanlal’s dream project and his debut directorial, is such an expression which hits us right where it matters. It is no wonder then that one is largely left untouched by the fantasy drama that plays out over 150 minutes.

.Part of the reason for how Barroz turned out in the end could be the abrupt exit of Jijo Punnoose, the brilliant brain behind India’s first 3D film My Dear Kuttichathan, in the early stages of the project. One of his major grouses was the drastic tinkering with his original screenplay. His stand appears to be justified since one of the weakest elements of Barroz is its unimaginative screenplay filled with overdramatic dialogues that spoil every other scene.

The film draws on the age-old children’s story of the ghost guarding the treasure, and connects it to Portuguese rule in India. Barroz (Mohanlal), the loyal ghost, has been for close to four centuries waiting for the return of the rightful heir of Portuguese ruler De Gama, who had to flee the country. In the present day, the palace in Goa is up for a bid, as part of a plan to turn it into a casino, amid public protests. 

Somewhere in the script, there are a few hints of the treachery of the colonial masters that led to Barroz’s plight, but this interesting aspect of the story is handled in an indelicate manner, just like many other things in the film. Unlike the almost comically-handled story of the casino, this one could have given a bit more depth to the Barroz character, but that was not to be. Voodoo, a live action character which acts as Barroz’s sidekick, is one of the best performers among the lot, as it enlivens some of the dead scenes. The rest of the actors, except Mohanlal, ham it up, making scenes look amateurish. 

Billed as a children’s film, Barroz severely lacks in the storytelling department, which is too sluggish to engage any child. What might interest them are some of the decently pulled-off 3D sequences and visual effects which serve as little patches on an otherwise broken piece. Yet, some of the garish VFX stick out as sore thumbs too. All that might have made us gasp in wonder probably a couple of decades ago, when we were still unexposed to the flurry of slickly-made 3D films from the world over. The comparatively lower budget can be an excuse in this case, but none of that would apply for the writing or the casting. 

As the passion project of one of Malayalam cinema’s biggest stars, Barroz had a lot going for it. But, the passion appears to have been trumped by the practical difficulties of mounting such an ambitious project. Barroz ends up as a lost opportunity. 

Barroz is currently running in theatres