Turbo Review: Mammootty’s starpower and charisma drives this film smoothly

Turbo Review: Mammootty’s starpower and charisma drives this film smoothly

It’s needless to say that Mammootty has been in tremendous form post the pandemic, shifting gears smoothly between content oriented films and entertainers. Perhaps, the only missing link was a larger than life mass film, and Turbo fills that void. And who better than Vysakh to do a mass film. After a couple of misfires, the director is in full throttle this time as he dishes out an action packed treat for the fans.

Turbo Jose, hailing from Idukki, is an impulsive do-gooder who gets into fights often. He gets into trouble while trying to help his friend Jerry, who is in a relationship with a woman named Indulekha. Because of this issue, Jose is forced to move to Chennai, where Jerry and Indu are employed in private banks. Parallely, there’s a huge scam happening with Vetrivel Shanmugam as the kingpin. Kannada actor-director Raj B Shetty plays the antagonist with sheer authority and intimidation. How Jose gets involved in this scam and his clash with Vetrivel is what the film is primarily about.

The 72 year old Mammootty shows no signs of age in Turbo as he pulls off the action sequences with absolute domination. Jose earned his monike as his punches have the power of a Turbo engine, so it’s important to make the audience feel that. Vysakh and cinematographer Vishnu Sarma convey it brilliantly by filming the punches in extreme close ups. The fight sequneces which are the major highlight of the film has been properly planned and executed. It is evident in the seamless moment in each set piece, with the last 30 minutes being the best.

Midhun Manuel Thomas has written a formulaic script with no lofty ambitions, but his belief in Mammootty’s charisma and Vysakh’s ability to enhance the action sequences is what works best in the film. While the first half is set aside for establishing Jose, his background and characteristics, in the latter half, we see a more racy narrative with complete focus on action.

Among the supporting cast, Bindu Panicker as Jose’s mother shines the best. Though her character reminds many other similar roles, especially that of Usha Uthup in Pothen Vava, Bindu Panicker brings a certain gravitas to the performance. It is not usual to see female actors getting full length roles in star vehicles, Turbo is a rarity with Anjana Jayaprakash’s character being integral throughout the film. Shabareesh Varma, Dileesh Pothan and Sunil also play their parts well.

Simply put, Turbo is a treat for Malayali action lovers, who welcomed films like Pathaan, Jawan and Jailer with both hands. The sequel only promises to be much bigger and better, with Mammootty back in full throttle.