Barroz movie review: Can’t blame the kids if they feel offended by Mohanlal’s film for children

The narrative then transitions to the present day where 13-year-old Isabella da Gama (Maya Rao West) arrives in Goa with her father, who is gearing up to bid on the Gama palace at an auction, intending to convert it into a casino. Barroz soon discovers that Isabella is the rightful heir to the treasure he has protected for centuries. He begins trying to connect with her, inform her about the inheritance and convince her to believe in its truth. However, their initial encounters are fraught with misunderstanding, complicating things. Meanwhile, a couple of others conspire to steal the treasure and Barroz must ensure their plans are thwarted, which is his duty. The rest of the movie follows Barroz and Isabella’s intertwined journeys as they face their respective challenges.

A poster of Mohanlal’s Barroz. (Image: Mohanlal/Facebook)

From the very beginning, Mohanlal creates the impression that his creativity knows no bounds and there are moments where the visual marvel he aimed for comes through, like the animated underwater song “Bambooziya” and the scenes featuring the voodoo doll. However, it also becomes clear from the outset that he lacks a firm grasp of filmmaking, as Barroz unfolds as a series of disjointed scenes with no consistent rhythm or cohesion. The narrative jumps from one poorly executed moment to the next and even B Ajithkumar’s editing fails to salvage the disjointed storytelling.

While Santhosh Raman’s art direction is exquisite and intricately detailed, often leaving viewers in awe of the visuals, this is, unfortunately, one of the film’s few redeeming qualities. The writing of Barroz is so lacklustre that no moment truly stands out, with much of the content feeling like filler. Despite featuring only a handful of characters, none, including Barroz himself, are developed or their dynamics explored in any meaningful way.

Watch Barroz trailer here:

In the pursuit of fantastical visuals, it seems that Mohanlal and his team overlooked the necessity of a cohesive script to tie everything together. It’s no surprise, then, that Jijo, who initially penned Barroz, distanced himself from the project, while reportedly stating that Mohanlal and TK Rajeev Kumar, credited as the creative head, reshaped the story and screenplay. While the dialogues occasionally rise above mediocrity, they fail to sync with the sluggish scenes, making the two elements feel like they belong to entirely different projects.

Although it’s refreshing to see Mohanlal step out of his comfort zone and showcase his undeniable screen presence, the weak writing leaves little room for him to shine as an actor and his amateurish direction,only worsens the film’s issues, turning what could have been a bold experiment into a missed opportunity.

While Santosh Sivan’s cinematography is impressive at quite a few junctures and the makers have utilised 3D effectively to provide a decent visual experience, the lack of emotional depth in the narrative prevents these elements from being truly enjoyable. Moreover, the subpar performances by most of the cast only add to the frustration, leaving viewers exasperated. The film also ventures into problematic territory by reinforcing harmful stereotypes, associating indigenous people with black magic and portraying them as antagonists, which is both reductive and insensitive. Although the music and its placement are well-done, Mohanlal occasionally overuses it, which can become rather off-putting.

Barroz is undoubtedly a film designed for actual children and the child in each adult. While it might captivate infants who are just beginning to explore the wonders of the world and distinguish shapes and objects, expecting older children to be similarly enthralled by what Barroz has offered is unrealistic — especially in an era where they have instant access to far more imaginative and compelling content from around the globe.

In the 2005 Mohanlal-starrer Udayananu Tharam, “Superstar” Saroj Kumar (Sreenivasan), after facing another major setback at the box office, tells his associate Pachalam Bhasi (Jagathy Sreekumar), “I also know how to make a movie directed, produced and acted by me.” Bhasi quickly responds, “Of all the things you just said, forget direction — that’s something only intelligent people can do.” While this is an exaggeration, direction does require some preparation, determination and dedication — qualities that, unfortunately, Mohanlal hasn’t shown here. If he were to take on another project in the future, let’s hope he abandons his habit of approaching things unprepared, relying solely on gut instincts and intuition, as these aren’t always the best approach.

Barroz movie cast: Mohanlal, Maya Rao West, Ignacio Mateos, Kallirroi Tziafeta, Cesar Lorente Raton
Barroz movie director: Mohanlal
Barroz movie rating: 1 star