Film: King Liar
Direction: Lal
Starring: Dileep, Madonna Sebastian, Lal, Asha Sarath
Those writing scripts for movies starring Dileep, except the rare “serious film” he does, have it easy. The template is all set – the hero who remains the paragon of virtue even if he is a thief or a charlatan, the lady love who either needs to be taught a lesson or needs the hero’s help in every situation and a mishmash climax, which leads to ‘all is well’ in heaven. In a way, these are all that his fans expect too, and they have failed him whenever he has tried to deviate from them.
When the enormously successful duo of Siddique-Lal reunited after two decades to write and direct a movie, their expectation was to break the mould and bring us something that could match their heydays in the early 1990s. But, in King Liar , we are back in familiar territory, marked by some exaggerated comic antics from the star.
Sathyanarayanan (Dileep), a compulsive liar, makes a living by making fake certificates. To impress and woo Anjali (Madonna Sebastian), an aspiring model, he pretends to be a rich and well-connected businessman, the kind that drinks beer with Ambani and takes selfies with Obama. In a bid to save and take forward the relationship built on his lies, he gets acquainted with fashion tycoon Anand Varma (Lal). That meeting draws him into Anand’s conflict-ridden fashion company.
Now, it is told in no uncertain terms right in the introductory scene, in which he gets a reception at his hometown for scoring first rank in MBA, that our hero here is a fraud. But, considering the image of the star, we are frequently reminded of how good-hearted he is, right from the carefully constructed flashback, in which we see him score two marks less than the principal’s daughter, to save her from beating. You have no choice but to stand with the fraud.
The first half, though a clone of many other Dileep flicks, is watchable, with the antics of Sathyanarayanan and his sidekick Antappan (Balu Varghese). But, post-interval, we plunge into the world of fashion and the internal politics of Anand’s company. The plot drags on despite Dileep trying his best to keep it moving. The climax sequences pile on the agony.
The Siddique-Lal magic of old is nowhere to be seen in what is just another run-of-the-mill Dileep flick.
S.R. Praveen
