Lollipop -Review
By Cine Critic | Monday, 29 December

When you come out of the theatre after watching the not-so-sweet Lollipop, you wonder -  how could a director like Shafi (who earlier directed sensational sweet super hit Chocolate with Prithviraj, Kunchako Boban and Jayasuriya) direct this mess-up titled Lollipop which has miserably failed to meet audience expectations this festival season! The unexpected twist in the climax has made Lollipop even less than average!

Lollipop tells the story of orphans Jennifer (Roma), a college student, and her brother Franko (Prithviraj), who runs an automobile workshop at Fort Kochi. Having lost their parents at a very young age, they were brought up by Fr. Kuriakose (Salimkumar), a priest who is also a lawyer. They share a special bonding and Franko promises his sister that he will marry only a girl whom Jennifer would approve of.

It's Father Kuriakose, who had brought up Franko and Jennifer, who asks Franko to employ Panji, so that he could get an opportunity to mend his ways. In the meantime, Franko is already in love with Rosebella, who is Jennifer's rival at college. Jennifer and Rose quarrel over many things, but at most times Rose allows herself be defeated and humbled for Franko's sake.

Jennifer doesn't know of Franko's feelings for Rose. Franko and Rose, on the other hand, hope that Jennifer would one day start liking Rose and then approve of their love. Then comes a young doctor, Eby Kuruvila, who develops a liking for Jennifer. Eby is in fact Rose's childhood friend and neighbour. All this leads to the building up of a climax, that's far from impressive.

One interesting thing about Lollipop here is its climax, which was changed just one day after its release! In the original version, Lollipop begins with scenes of a jetty where a novelist (Jagathy Sreekumar) is stranded after missing the previous night's last boat. In a bid to pass time, he strikes up a conversation with Francis (Jayasuriya), the only other person there (who turns out to be a ghost), who starts narrating the story of Lollipop in flashback. In the new version, there is no flashback episode and Jayasuriya is no longer a ghost! The conversation between Jagathy Sreekumar and Jayasuriya has also been deleted. It is learnt that the decision to edit the film after its much-awaited release came after Mulagupadam Films, the distributers, urged the producer to change the climax since the initial collections and audience reaction were discouraging.

In the acting front, Prithviraj as Franco has little to do except to be in the centre of activity; Jayasuriya gives a convincing performance as Panji; Roma as Jennifer tends to overact at times; Bhavana as Rose is just average; Kunchacko Boban is his very usual self as Eby Kuruvila; Salim Kumar is good as Fr. Kuriackose and even shines in a few scenes. The only relief in Lollipop comes from Suraj Venjaramodu and Salimkumar, who offer some comic moments.

The main problems with Lollipop? The story and script by Benny P Nayarambalam are weak and there are imperfections with the treatment as well. Another downer in Lollipop is the music by Alex Paul. The songs are just average, especially when compared with the songs in Shafi's earlier films. The lyrics by Sarath Vayalar are also just pedestrian fare. Overall, Lollipop is just ordinary fare, the only highlight being the good humour at places. Overall, it's a huge disappointment.

Verdict: Average