Malayalam director Jeethu Joseph’s ’12th Man’ was released on the OTT platform Disney-Hotsar on Friday the 20th of May 2022, 12 AM.
The combination of Jeethu and Mohanlal made ‘Drishyam parts 1 & 2′ blockbusters. Keeping that in mind, the people of Kerala and the fans of Jeethu and Malayalam Super Star Mohanlal have their expectations high for the ’12th Man’ movie. And it is all set to go on the OTT screen. Though the film is based on mystery, why the movie skipped big screens and chose OTT is another mystery. Let us see how the movie is, and here is the review.
12th Man Cover Story
Though we cannot directly compare the movie with Drishyam. Yes, 12th Man is an investigation mystery and a thriller movie with twists. The film co-stars a rich team of artists, including Unni Mukundan, Saiju Kurup, Anusree, Priyanka Nair, Sshivada, Anu Sithara, Rahul Madhav, Aditi Ravi, Leona Lishoy, Anu Mohan, and Chandhunadh. Siddique and Nandhu also play their roles well despite their small screen space.
The film’s storyline starts in a resort. A bachelor party is planned by a newly engaged couple with their other friends and family. In total, 11 friends and family are partying at the resort. As per the Manager, the resort is occupied only by this group of people.
Movie Spotlights
12th Man Mohanlal as Chandrashekhar is a person unknown to the group. His intro is good, and he is funny as a drunken person. As usual, the character is played well by Mohanlal.
As everything is going good, the main party during the night is interrupted by the 12th Man. Meanwhile, there is a character assessment game for one hour, which takes the story in a different direction. We hear the secrets of one individual and the group aloud. After a while, one person in the group is found dead on the poolside. An investigation starts to find out whether it is a murder or suicide. If murder, then what’s the cause?
Spoiler Alert: As the Police men start the investigation, it finds Chandrashekhar staying in the same resort. The police men addresses the manager and group that he is a DYSP. The group gets shocked. Watch the movie and find out what’s next.
Movie Play
Every artist has played their role to the best. Especially Mohanlal, as always, is simply awesome. But still, one may doubt whether Jeethu used the full potential of his talent in 12th Man. The climax ends without much emotions and is simple. The way the investigation is carried out is certainly up to the standard. At every point, a twist happens when the group members point their fingers at each other. That’s also when the secrets within oneself and the group are revealed. The 1st half of the movie is good at some points. One may note that Mohanlal’s screen presence is missing. However, Mohanlal is seen more throughout the 2nd half. Though the scenes towards the climax build the mystery and are thrilling, the end of the climax could have been better.
Behind the Screen
The film is produced by Antony Perumbavoor through Aashirvad Cinemas and the script is written by Jeethu’s friend K. R. Krishna Kumar. The screenplay is good, and the BGM by Anil Johnson is outstanding. It is built on the scenes and increases the anticipation. Cinematographer Satheesh Kurup has done an amazing job, taking the flashback and interrogations back and forth.
Overall, Mohanlal and Jeethu’s combination, the 12th Man mystery thriller is not to the level of their blockbuster Drishyam but is still a good watchable movie (if we do not keep expectations at the level ofDrishyam). Is this the reason for the makers to skip the big screen and release it on OTT? Or did they sign up for an OTT release earlier during the Pandemic? Because the film’s shooting was completed on the 4th of October, 2021, and shot in 48 days. The reason has not been officially revealed from the very beginning.
In one line, it could be said…
12th Man is a film Mohanlal has acted in and not a film for the complete actor Mohanlal.
Movie Review Score
12th Man movie review score,
Mohanlal (Lead Role) – 4.9/5
Jeethu Joseph (Director) – 3.5/5
Anil Johnson (BGM) – 4.5/5
K. R. Krishna Kumar (Writer/Screenplay) – 3/5
Satheesh Kurup (Cinematographer) – 4.5/5
Antony Perumbavoor (Production) – 2.5/5
TNV Rating: 3.8/5
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Movie Review: TNV Views