Locations in Europe: Russia
Storyline
Star(s): Mohanlal, Manju Warrier, Vivek Oberoi, Tovino Thomas
Songs/Dance: Shot in Russia and India.
Indian/ International Crew:Indian and international.
Language: Malayalam, also dubbed in Tamil and Telugu
Line Producer: Vinod Unnithan
Director/Producer Director: Prithviraj Sukumaran Producer: Anthony Perumbavoor (Aashirwad Cinemas)
Film Location Analysis
By Veena Hariharan
St. Petersburg, Russia
The Climax Scene
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYqwdopOmYE
This political thriller, described as a “mélange of genres,” was feted as the comeback vehicle for Malayalam cinema’s waning superstar Mohanlal, who dons many personas in the film: he is by turns Stephen Nedumpally, Esthapan, Lucifer, and Khureshi Ab’ram. He is an enigmatic politician in his hometown of Kerala, where most of the film is set, but he is also a global player with links to notorious international gangs and trained mercenaries, as well as the Illuminati. His war is waged against injustices and drug mafias across the world, for which he uses high-tech weapons, but does not flinch from using brute force with local thugs. He is aided in all his missions by the “warrior” Zayed Masud, played in the film by the director, Prithviraj Sukumaran. As off the screen, on screen too, Zayed/Prithviraj defers to the authority and stardom of Stephen/Mohanlal.
The film opens with a title card that informs the audience that 75% of money in Indian politics can be traced back to dubious sources linked to the underworld, which includes the drug mafia. An Interpol agent in France (the opening sequence in the film is set in a maritime location captioned on screen as the Interpol Headquarters in Lyon) identifies one of the lynchpins as Khureshi Ab’ram. The rest of the film unfolds in the charged political context of Kerala and concludes with the decimation of the national drug mafia, with the help of Russian connections and their local links.
This last and climactic scene was shot in St. Petersburg, while on screen, the location is described in captions as “Northern Russia, Undisclosed Location.” We see three black sedans, headlights flashing, in triangular formation, accompanied by Zayed (Prithviraj Sukumaran) in a black jacket, skull cap, and black sunglasses, flanked on his two sides by two men in security suits, also in black. They are framed in medium long shots shot against the snowy Russian mountains. The scene cuts to an extreme close-up of a hand wiping a gold-rimmed sunglass and then to a close-up of Zayed standing in attendance, as if waiting to hand it over to the owner. He places the glasses on the bonnet of the car, while an extreme close-up shows up the famous Mercedez Benz insignia. In the next shot, we see the rear of the cars and a helicopter flying in over the vast expanse of the snow-covered hangar. As the helicopter lands, one of the security men walks up to the helicopter door and opens it. Quick cuts of Zayed and his guards are followed by an extreme close-up of booted feet, knee down, walking up to the cars in slow motion. Now, Zayed is seen making a call on his cell phone. A slow pan of the signboard reveals that the call is connecting to the office of gold-diamond trafficker Sanghani. The call is handed over midway through the shot. An angry Sanghani asks for the identity of the caller, to which the answer from the other end announces the name: “Khureshi, Ab’ram,” as we see Mohanlal through an over-the-shoulder shot with his back to the audience. The name sends shivers down Sanghani’s spine. We see a close-up of a hand reaching out to the gold-rimmed sunglasses that have been placed on the bonnet in the earlier shot, revealing a ring with the insignia of the Illuminati. He wears the sunglasses and reveals his face as Stephen Nedumpally alias Esthapan alias Lucifer alias Khureshi Ab’ram alias Mohanlal. In slow motion, a loyal and deferential Zayed opens the door of the car, as Stephen alias Ab’ram gets into it. The scene concludes with a close-up of the helicopters flying out and the three cars rolling away from the hangar.
Additional Information & Links
Promos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dBSppTvyk8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUMWAK4ZJ-c
Tourism
