Movie Review | 'Gold' is no 'Premam', but Alphonse Puthren's magic is intact

Alphonse Puthren does not beat around the bush when it comes to film titles. If 'Premam' was a love story and 'Neram' focused on a man's tryst with time, 'Gold' definitely does justice to the film's theme.

Prithviraj plays Joshy, a mobile shop owner who wakes up to see a pick-up (Bolero) parked outside his house. As he is awaiting the arrival of his new car, a Polo GT, the pick-up loaded with packets of small-sized speakers, becomes an inconvenience.

He goes to the police station to register a complaint. However, things don't go as planned and the police delay the follow-up action. Meanwhile, a quotation gang tries to get hold of the Bolero in the middle of the night. This triggers an interesting chain of events.

In a way, Alphonse has narrated his movie, just like he marketed it. You know something big is on the way, but you can't tell how the final product would take shape. Puthran manages to keep things under wraps. This sums up the first half.

If the first half is a bit stretched, the second half manages to compensate for the lag with its brilliant making and delightful narrative.

Puthren manages to keep the suspense boiling till the end in a novel way and infuses a youthful vibe in unseen fashion. That make you realise the Alphonse Puthren magic is still intact. Given that, the movie definitely won't charm you if you are expecting a replay of the formula that worked in a film like 'Premam'.

There is hardly any romance or the feel-good notion of young love that existed in 'Neram', either. In 'Gold', the characters are more eccentric and flashy, like Alex's character who plays a money-obsessed man with an equally money-minded son.

Prithviraj does not have the boyish charm that made Nivin Pauly's character more appealing in 'Premam', but mind you, the storyline is completely different and hence the different treatment.

Puthren has recast many of the actors who were seen in his previous films. There is Vinay Fort – whose 'Java' dialogue from Premam became a massive hit – playing the role of Jumper Santhosh, among many others. Most of his characters are addressed by monikers, which is quite interesting. Prithviraj does a very good job as Joshy, though initially, he seemed to struggle a bit to fit into the character.

Puthren decided to cast Nayanthara as Suma probably only because of the star value – She has little screen space and hardly delivers what is usually expected of her.

Baburaj and Alex were the show-stealers in the movie. Shammi Thilakan excels as Suma's father. It was nice to see Mallika Sukumaran playing Prithviraj's onscreen mom in the film, but the filmmakers should have provided her more fodder than that of a doting mother.

Music by Ragesh Murugeshan who composed 'Aluva Puzhayude Theerathu' in 'Premam' deserves a huge applause. The background music is spot-on and elevates the movie in several instances.

Though the editing department, run by the director himself, may not be convincing, it is fun to watch the experimental aspects. Gold has effectively portrayed man's inner urge for luxuries and addiction to the yellow metal.