Opinion Malayalam film Marco puts violence at centre, story suffers. It follows a pan-Indian trend

But while focusing on the technical perfection of the visceral torture scenes, Marco neglects the drama. The audience is not hooked to the plot till the second half, and the violence merely provides sadistic pleasure rather than connecting with either the rage of the character or the pain of his kin. Except for the manipulative Tony played by Jagadish, none of the characters leave a mark behind, either.

As Marco enjoys a successful theatrical run across the country, receiving huge shout-outs from YouTubers across states, it also calls for a moment of introspection. Is an exalted spectacle all that audiences ask for? Is Malayalam cinema following the Bolly/Tollywood-ish mainstream it was lauded for not choosing? And does the success of the movie say anything about formulaic cinema in general?

The violence in Marco is not a one-off thing. It is the culmination of a line of narratives steeped in violence, reflecting a broader trend of stylised aggression that caters to an audience craving visceral, high-adrenaline spectacles.

The roots of this trend can be traced to films like Lijo Jose Pellissery’s Angamaly Diaries (2017), which revolutionised the portrayal of raw street violence by integrating it seamlessly into its narrative fabric. His Jallikattu (2019) demonstrates how violence, when underpinned by a robust screenplay, can achieve profound artistic significance. Sachy’s Ayyappanum Koshiyum (2020) transcends the boundaries of an action thriller to delve into themes of ego, class conflict, and morality.

However, the growing demand for hyper-stylised portrayals has led to an influx of films where violence, though technically brilliant, feels unmoored from the story. Ajagajantharam (2021), for instance, offers an intense, adrenaline-pumping experience, with its relentless action sequences and raucous energy. Yet, the absence of layered storytelling or emotional stakes dilutes its impact. Similarly, RDX: Robert Dony Xavier (2023), despite its polished choreography and explosive action, struggles to transcend its surface-level narrative, leaving audiences exhilarated but unfulfilled. The Dulquer Salman-starrer King of Kotha was another 2023 addition to this line of movies that used violence to draw in the audience even as the stylistic elements failed to compensate for their narrative shortcomings.

Marco also forces us to think about the use and reuse of formulae to make pan-Indian movies. With a preceding decade of creative stagnation in the early 2000s — marred by a lack of innovation and over-reliance on formulae — Malayalam cinema finding a new obsession for formulaic pan-Indian movies is concerning. Big-budget movies do keep the industry running but a repeat and rinse of what is already done, that too with shallow writing, clearly undermines the identity the industry tries to create outside the state.

Marco follows a post-KGF trend that rewrote the grammar of big-budget entertainers. The attempt to pull off hyperbolic dialogues, a non-linear narrative structure intended to raise tension and intrigue, and the replication of a distinct visual palette dominated by desaturated tones — dusty browns, steely grays, and muted golds — all screamed of falling back on a formula to hide a weak character arc. The use of an M134 Minigun like every “mass” movie after Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Kaithi (2019), also speaks about the ambition to repeat rather than innovate. The movie also draws inspiration from movies like Sandeep Vanga Reddy’s Animal, not only in developing the hero’s character but also in setting the rising and falling acts and a few action sequences.

A screenplay that weaves violence into the fabric of its story with purpose and nuance elevates it from mere spectacle to a tool for storytelling. But Adeni’s Marco focuses too much on the violence and too little on storytelling, putting the audience’s experience somewhere in the midst of a vast nowhere. The movie is reduced to a series of blood-soaked, technically brilliant dark-tinted scenes lacking the emotional resonance that was essential to make it powerful.

akhil.pj@expressindia.com