One more of Mohanlal's films. I am a big fan of his in particular, and Malayalam films in general. So I am biased :-).
Monster is a thriller film with a major twist at the end.
Bhamini (Honey Rose) is a driver at a She-Taxi company. A partner in the firm, Lucky Singh, is her pickup for the day. Lucky Singh is a "Malayali Punjabi". He has a flirtatious, over-the-top manner. He is a Malayali who embraced Sikhism after a Sikh holy man changed his fortunes drastically one day in Amritsar near the Golden Temple.
Lucky Singh flirts shamelessly with Bhamini in spite of knowing that she is married. He invites himself to Bhamini's home even though it is a actually her wedding anniversary. Her husband, Anil Chandra (Sudev Nair), has a foot injury from a recent accident. The other people in the house are Anil's daughter Kunjatta (Jess Sweejan) from his previous marriage, and a maid, Durga (Lakshmi Manchu).
Lucky Singh has a bumbling yet cheerful manner. Yet we know that beneath that exterior, there is something hidden. And that comes out in a drastic manner. The film stops at the interval with a dramatic twist.
In the second half, Bhamini's world comes crashing down. Just as she is on the verge of doom, comes another twist. And things move towards the climax, where the biggest twist is revealed.
The second half is a story of wasted potential. The script writing isn't taut enough. The interrogation scenes lack finesse.
And the most major twist lacks a certain sensitivity that a female director might have done better at. Vysakh, the (male) director, excels at action scenes. There is one between Mohanlal and a female character that is especially good.
This is by no means anywhere near Mohanlal's best. However, if like me, you are a Mohanlal fan, then this is still worth a watch. For others, I would guess it's a 50-50 toss-up on whether you would like it or not.
