The Truth (1998)

Memorable, crazy movie

Good concept, poorly executed.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

I have seen this movie at least 10 times, and can probably see it another 10 times. These days, watching the sad quagmire mallu movies have become, it's tough to believe there were excellent movies like this. It's even tougher to believe that this was made by Shaji Kailas. These days, the virtual b-grade fare he regularly dishes out, makes one forget that there was a time when this man used to make intelligent, intense thrillers.The movie begins with some insight into a brahmin family, with Thilakan as the patriarch, who is a great astrologer. There is also insight into the politics of the ruling party, of which, Madhavan (Balachandra Menon) is the chief minister of the state. One day at a rally, Madhavan is killed in an explosion. The rest of the movie deals with the investigation into Madhavan's death. Mammooty appears as the CBI officer in charge of the investigation team. He also turns out to be Thilakan's son. Vani Viswanath is a local police officer who is miffed with the handing over of the case to the CBI. Divya Unni plays a member of the investigation team.The performances are all excellent. Mammooty is perfect as the thinking officer who doesn't express much, unless needed. Vani Viswanath plays her role with gusto, and the run ins between the two are fun to watch. Another strong point of the movie is Thilakan. The veteran actor gives a towering performance as the famed astrologer and Mammooty's father. Janardhanan also gives a endearing turn as the local police officer assigned to support the CBI team. But the real hero here is the script and direction. The story and dialogues never get in your face (unlike the trash dished out these days in Kerala), and the suspense is maintained throughout the movie, right until the exhilarating climax , when the pieces seem to fall perfectly in place.Watch this. This is from the age right before the superstar culture took hold in Kerala, and which is devoiding us mostly these days of good movies. It's sad what has come about in the Malayalam industry these days, considering they were at one time the pioneers of good, meaningful, and commercial cinema.