Mr. Fraud: Spotlight on Mohanlal

Writer-director B. Unnikrishnan tells Deepa Gauri his new film is a thriller that celebrates the showmanship of the renowned actor

Half-way through our conversation, there is a whiff of annoyance in writer-director B. Unnikrishnan’s voice. “You seem to suggest that I am apologetic about the movie,” he says about his newest Mohanlal-thriller, Mr. Fraud.

Billed as the first heist movie in Malayalam, Mr. Fraud opened only two weeks ago in Kerala, and the critical response has been unkind.

Asked, perhaps repeatedly, about how he perceives the negative feedback, Unnikrishnan minces no words as he lashes out: “The critics can go take a walk.”

That might come across as arrogance but talk further, probe deeper, and glimpses of the real Unnikrishnan steps forward. Here is a man who speaks his mind.

A post-graduate in English Literature, he was to have been an academician. Much before he gained fame as a film writer-director, Unnikrishnan was known in literary circles as a learned critic, and has edited a series of books on post-modernism.

To this day, he fervently follows western philosophy - from the works of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel to more contemporary observers of life - and rattles out names of books that he finds time to read.

Perhaps it is a subconscious allegiance to the Hegelian viewpoint on public opinion that ‘he who does not understand how to despise public opinion, as it makes itself heard here and there, will never accomplish anything great,’ Unnikrishnan brushes away unbaked film criticism, which he says often stems from lack of knowledge.

“The critics comment about anything from editing to production techniques, and I can bet that most of them have no clue how films are made,” he says, adding that he is not overtly bothered by such reactions.

Much like Mohanlal, he too believes in leaving the product behind once it is over and walking on to the next – be it cinema, literary criticism or being actively engaged as General Secretary of the Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA). “I can never say what I am going to do next, because I have no pre-planned agenda in life.”

That approach to life again is evocative of Mohanlal. “Indeed, we share a lot of commonalities,” says Unnikrishnan. Both of them are from the same village, Illanthur in Pathanamthitta district, and are related as family too.

Mr. Fraud is the third film of Unnikrishnan with Mohanlal, the earlier two – Madambi and Grand Master – being super-duper hits. “Mr. Fraud is very unlike those movies,” says Unnikrishnan. “This is an out-and-out masala entertainer that celebrates Mohanlal, the star.”

Thoroughly stylised and rich in computer graphics, the film presents Mohanlal in an endearing salt-n-pepper look.

The film had its share of controversies when Kerala’s theatre owners threatened not to screen it, protesting against Mohanlal not attending their association’s office inauguration. Surprisingly, despite being known as ‘outspoken,’ B. Unnikrishnan refused to be drawn into the controversy.

Mr. Fraud, he says, is a painstakingly made film that involved extensive pre- and post-production work. “In my earlier films, Mohanlal was presented in a rather subdued manner. Here, it is Lal in all his flamboyance, and the film leverages his stardom.”

Controversy followed him even after the film’s release. Unnikrishnan’s post on his Facebook page about filing complaints against those who created his fake profiles was misinterpreted. A section of the media reported that he was going to file cases against those who criticised Mr. Fraud.

“How can anyone expect me to walk into a police station and complain against people who criticise my film? On what basis are they going to book charges?” Unnikrishnan asks. “Such misinterpretation of facts is outright ridiculous.”

He, however, feels that social media networks are increasingly being an arena for people to tarnish others. “We talk about cyber-democracy without also being willing to take responsibility,” he says.

Unnikrishnan also rubbishes negative reports about Mr. Fraud’s box-office collection, stating that the film has collected over Rs2.4 crores from theatres alone.

Despite his unapologetic flirtation with commercial cinema, Unnikrishnan had in fact commenced his film career as writer with an indie-spirited, radical political film, Jalamarmaram. “Unfortunately it did not hit the theatre circuit. The film however fetched me the state award for best screenplay, and went on to being screened at 29 international film festivals.”

A turning point in his career was scripting the suspense thriller The Tiger, starring Suresh Gopi. He turned director with Smart City, and has since then also directed Mammootty in Pramani, Prithviraj in The Thriller and Asif Ali in I Love Me. He has now announced his next venture, teaming up again with Mohanlal.

As for Mr. Fraud, Unnikrishnan is unequivocal: “If you are a fan of Mohanlal, if you are looking for a mass masala entertainer, if you are not looking for logic, it is made for you.”

Now playing at theatres in the UAE, the film also stars Siddique, Sai Kumar, Vijay Babu, Mia George, Manjari Phadnis and Pallavi Purohit.