3.5/5 - Good Watch!
Mohanlal's early 90's whodunit "Mukham' directed by Mohan is one of my favorite movies, so is Mohan's "Pakshe". "Mukham" if I remember correctly was a flop, but nuances of the movie keep growing on you on repeated viewing. Though reception of the movie was lilliputian compared to K.Madhu's "CBI diary kurippu", "Mukham" trumps the Mammootty flick by tactfully meshing the two quintessential parts of a whodunit - the crime, and the mind of the investigating officer. B.Unnikrishnan's "Grand Master" does just that, and is a movie worthy of repeated viewing.
When Mohanlal finds a character that resonates with the actor that he is, he delivers sheer onscreen magic. While "Grand Master" doesn't compare to lets say "Bhramaram" (which I think is Mohanlal's role of the decade), there is a sense of calm and ease with which the actor fits into the character of Chandrashekar. Mohanlal plays his age and his physical form, and is completely at ease as he carries the movie. Anoop Menon, Priyamani, Jagathy, and Narain support well, but this is a Mohanlal movie. It's one of those movies like "Udhayananu Tharam" where after the intro scene you forget you are watching a Mohanlal movie. A well played performance which constantly dodges our attempts at getting into the head of Chandra to figure out how he is going to crack the case.
(Excerpts)
