Love in Singapore

Rafi-Mecartin who was once associates to Siddique-Lal, Rejasenan etc. has got the color and taste in their films almost similar to their teachers. If Mammootty is acting in their project with the name of the film being ‘Love in Singapore’, then it is different and that can be the talk of the town. These directors-duo has scripted the megastar before in Mayavi’ and has got success. Their previous script work, ‘Romeo’ directed by Rajasenan for Dileep was a flop. Mammootty also faced some criticism through his recent films like ‘Maya Bazar’ and ‘Parunthu’. So both the team in front of and behind camera needs a hit.

The name of the film, hero’s appearance in the promotion stills etc gave me an idea about the film even before I watched it. I was sure that Mammootty wants to continue the comedy journey through which he got success in last year also (‘Annan Thambi’). Even then, without losing the passion. I decided to watch the film.

The story of the film starts in the city of Singapore. The hero narrates the reason for his arrival there, through his life story. After few minutes, the story takes a U-turn and continues in Kerala in the flashback.

The hero, namely Machu is a rich man. He is doing the business of old and second hand things (“aakhri” in malayalam). This might make you rethink the fact regarding the scarcity of character roles for the heroes in malayalam. This is the second time in a gap of 4-5 months that Mammootty is doing “Aakhri” role, previously being in ‘Mayabazar’.

Machu is being cheated by a big business man (Nedumudu Venu), by asking him to invest his money in share market, which is unknown to the former. He tells the reason of global economy crisis for the loss and he flee from the city to abroad. Hero takes the oath to take revenge and to marry villain’s daughter, he thus reached Singapore. For such a thing he changed his identity and take the role of a servant in a malayalee’s house through which he can reach the fraud. For all this, as expected, he got the company of Suraj Venjarammod. Not going into detail, in the end it is hero who caught the real villain and his gang, mostly wanted by Interpol across the world (?), through a simple boxing action scene.

Only notable thing is that the weakness in the script is dominated by the colorful location of Singapore captured by Sanjeev Shankar’s camera. Navneet Kaur, the imported heroine from north India doesn’t have the bosy chemistry required for a malayalee lady. Salim kumar, Suraj Venjarammood and Bijukkuttan altogether has not created big boom in the comedy side. Suresh Peters has given many songs, but not even a single one remains in our mind once out of the theatre. Mohan Sitara has given complex and soundly background score.


Mixing Engineer’s (Ajith.M.George) name will be spoiled if the “bad custom” of putting spontaneous jokes for non lip-movement shots is practiced again and again. Previously comedians followed it, but now the hero himself is ready to do such a thing. For one or two scenes it is ok, but too many can’t be tolerated. But it can all happened in front of an ordinary audience, nobody can question it, they can defend it by telling that it is creator’s freedom.


‘Love In Singapore’ is heroism projected silently in different style. The song featuring Mammootty and many models in the fashion show, the boxing sequences etc. are such examples. Nedumudi Venu’s character in the villain’s role lacks depth; the scenes between hero and the villain resembles the old movies in the later 70’s.

‘Devasuram’ was a trendsetter film for Mohanlal, like the way ‘Raja Manikyam’ was for Mammootty. Those were good films, but I can’t promote proto-type films, which comes one after other as their successors. This film is yet another example for it.


‘Love In Singapore’ is a non-realistic film with a cinematic theme. If you want to see Mammootty doing such a role casually with a pinch of comedy, songs, dance, fights, fashion shows etc. even at this age, then you can watch it, if there is lot of free time…


Rating : 2 / 5 (revised)