The greatest thing about Megastar Mammootty apart from his profound acting skills is his elegant and dashing look. When the handsome actor comes in a mass avatar, the theatres turn festival grounds. His latest is, Masterpiece, a commercial entertainer from the writer of Pulimurugan, Uday Krishna. Produced by debutante C H Muhammed, it is Ajai Vasudev's second directorial after the 2014 Mammootty starrer Rajadhi Raja.
Masterpiece has a large star cast including Mukesh, Unni Mukundan, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Lena, Kalabhavan Shajohn, Maqbool Salman, John Kaippallil, Gokul Suresh, Mahima Nambiar, Poonam Bajwa and Captain Raju. Vinod Illampilly has cranked the camera and Deepak Dev has composed music for the film that is set in the backdrop of a college.
Like every typical campus film, Masterpiece has two student gangs pitted against each other. A large portion of the film is about the gangs headed by Mahesh (Maqbool Salman) and Roshan (John Kaippallil) and their rivalry. A murder in the campus is the turning point and the following investigation forms the crux of the film. Edward Livingston (Mammootty) is a newly appointed English professor, who is strict but will yet go out of the way to support his students.
As always Mammootty is great and vibrant as Edward Livingston, the stylish and strong professor. He is what makes Masterpiece a mass entertainer. Maqbool, Gokul Suresh, John and Mukesh deliver justifiable performances in supporting roles. Unni Mukundan, Kalabhavan Shajohn and Varalaxmi play the roles of investigating police officers neatly.
The story has the suspense in its favor; but is just another typical commercial film with an invincible hero. The first half is slow and has nothing new to offer until Mammootty arrives on screen. Ajai Vasudev's direction is good but there are many loopholes in the screenplay that pushes logic and reality away.
Cinematography and stunts play an important role in making it a mass entertainer. The action sequences have been coordinated by six stunt directors - Kanal Kannan, Jolly Bastian, Stun Siva, Stunt Silva, Sirthai Ganesh and Mafia Sasi. If the background score and the music had been mind-blowing and terrific rather than being mediocre and ordinary, it would have made a greater impact.