The art of Indrajalam is performed by different magicians and the audience will be mesmerized by the art of some of them. Speed, dexterity, beauty, dexterity, etc. in their magic can be attributed to many factors that make the audience watch the magic again and again. Mohanlal is such a Mahendrajala guy. The eyes that easily reflected any expression, the mischievous smile, the more flexible body, the modulation that was brought to the voice according to each situation, the acting excellence that was not loud at all but conveyed the emotions to the audience with all its intensity. Thus, there were many factors that made the actor Mohanlal a favorite not only with the Malayali audience but also with movie lovers. . But the magician’s magic had begun to feel a little off over the past few years. Every time a movie comes out, the old magician’s old magic shows come to mind as a comparison. And the magician fan in me will be disappointed. All the factors that made me like the actor Mohanlal were covered by some heavy ash for almost a decade.
But Lijo’s Malaikote Valiban is an example of Lijo’s Malaikote Valiban showing that the charcoal is not tied and someone who is able to blow the charcoal comes to blow away the ash on top of it. Mallan who can fight any mountain and win. When Mohanlal came as Valiban, we got back that sensuality that we had lost over the years.
Mohanlal has nothing special to prove in acting. All that he proved before his thirties. But in recent times, even in one of his films, even a faint shadow of that old acting legend was not seen brightly. His body, which was acting shaky, was beginning to feel a great stiffness. Expressions disappeared from the astonished eyes. The facial muscles did not go from tight to relaxed. The audience felt doubtful that even his voice, which easily expressed love, mischief, threat to the enemy, concern for the family and the needy, anger, sadness, panic, any expression of a human being, was not yielding.
But Valiban… Ayalitha has come and stood in his full form. In Yoddha, Thacholi Varghese’s Chekavar and Aram Tampuran, we have seen the hero who excels in martial arts. Mohanlal in all those films had brought to the wide frame the meekness and rhythm of the attacks that make you believe that he is a practitioner of martial arts with daily training. From the hero of the wrestling war, Valibali, to a person who is shaking in his posture and mayo, who is capable of knocking down any giant, the screen was full of people. In the film with many long shots, the rhythm of the actor Mohanlal’s body can be felt. You can see the Mohanlal factor in the acting from the moment the chamram is shaken on the ground before flying Kelumallan. We got to see Mohanlal, who amazed us with his eyes like Sadayam, Dhilwaram, Kirya, Padamudra, Vanaprastham, and so on, through Valiban, who was helpless in front of Chamatakan and Ayyanar in front of the fraud. Mohanlal has become the Mallan Valiban, the Mallan of the Mallans, who can defeat any Mallan in straight lines with the same charm in Kamaladalam, Padamudra, Gandharvam, Vanaprastham and so on.
The facial muscles are relaxed.. Love for his girlfriend, longing for it, debt to his adoptive father, slavery, contempt for the world that taught him to be nobody no matter what battles he wins, insecurity, fighting spirit for his opponent, love and compassion for his fellow man, shock given by the death of his co-born, isolation, what he thought was his own became an enemy full of anger and hatred overnight. Realizing that he is up for his doom, Valiban expresses it all through his eyes, his voice, and his body language.
Lijo didn’t fire his boy for nothing. Lijo fully utilized the full potential of Mohanlal, a versatile actor. Wide angle shots are used throughout the film. Powerful but not superhuman, Valiban’s every shot is commentable. Mohanlal is a director’s actor, not a born actor, a spontaneous actor or a complete actor.
Mallanaya Valiban was safe in Mohanlal’s body. Mohanlal has transformed his body to be a giant for a male. It is clear in his standing, walking and sitting. After watching Valiban, we can say for sure that to be the giant of MT, we don’t need anyone else to act out those emotions. As Lijo said, here comes the Mohanlal of Malayalam.
