Just a few days back, Mammootty’s horror flick ‘The Priest’ was released on the Amazon Prime Video streaming platform. And from today, we can now watch the political thriller film ‘One’ starring the eminent superstar as the righteous Chief Minister of Kerala on Netflix OTT platform (with English subtitles).
‘One’, which had earlier got a theatrical release, revolves around a scenario about what happens when an upright and honest Chief Minister (played by Mammootty) decides to deal with the rampant corruption issue and consequently what hurdles he encounters from both within and outside his party.
The film has received mixed reviews from audiences and critics alike. However, viewers immensely praised the enchanting performance of the gifted actor Mammootty. But, at the same time, the film was criticized by some for its uneven pacing and a weak second half.
With the film’s exciting premise and Mammootty’s star power, it might be a good idea to revisit another finely made political thriller film. It’s the film that comes somewhat closest to ‘One’ in relation to some parameters, and which seems to be thematically similar to it.
You may have already guessed it by now. We are talking about Anil Kapoor’s 2001 film ‘Nayak: The Real Hero’, which was helmed by acclaimed filmmaker S. Shankar (The man behind ‘Robot’, ‘Sivaji’, and ‘I’).
‘Nayak’ revolved around an ordinary man (played by Anil Kapoor), who, by a twist of fate, is given the golden opportunity to become the Chief Minister of the state of Maharashtra, just for one day.
How Anil Kapoor’s common-man character reluctantly grabs the chance for the betterment of, and a corruption-free state, and how he uses his untapped administrative potential to eventually transform into a dynamic people’s leader, forms the rest of the story.
Despite being inherently different in some areas, both these movies ‘One’ and ‘Nayak’ also have some perceptible similarities.
Both these films have protagonists serving as the Chief Minister of an Indian state. Both CM’s are portrayed as good-hearted, honest persons. And both of them strive to change the system against all odds, to ultimately benefit the citizens.
However, ‘Nayak’ went on to achieve cult status amongst Indian viewers while the long-term success of ‘One’ remains to be tested to ascertain whether it can stand the test of time like its former counterpart.
People loved ‘Nayak’ so much perhaps because of the way the screenplay was written, and of course Anil Kapoor’s charismatic lead act. Secondly, besides starring the accomplished actor in the titular role, it featured a formidable antagonist (adeptly played by Amrish Puri). The electrifying on-screen chemistry between Anil Kapoor and Amrish Puri was one of the film’s major highlights.
Furthermore, not many people are aware that ‘Nayak’ was co-written by acclaimed filmmaker Anurag Kashyap (dialogues) alongside S. Shankar (story and screenplay) himself.
Interestingly, when ‘Nayak’ released back in 2001, it failed to initially ignite the box office at that time. The culprit was said to be the lack of effective marketing. But eventually, the film gained a cult following particularly amongst the small screen viewers.
So, it remains to be seen what’s in store for Santhosh Vishwanath’s directorial film ‘One’ as the film boasts the spellbinding screen presence of Mammootty besides being a film with its heart in the right place. We are keeping our fingers crossed and hope that it gets the acclaim it deserves akin to what Anil Kapoor’s ‘Nayak’ eventually achieved.
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