Turbo - Not Racy Enough

 

Movie: Turbo
Rating: 2.75/5

Cast:  Mammootty, Raj B Shetty, Shabareesh Varma, Anjana Jayapraksh, Bindu Panicker, Dileep Pothan

and others
Director: Vysakh
Produced By: Mammootty

Release Date: 23rd May 2024

Story:

Jose tries to help his friend Jerry, who is in love with Indulekha, but this results in an unexpected turn of small, chaotic events that lead him to seek employment in Chennai. Along the way, Jose encounters the ruthless political influencer Vetrivel Shanmuga Sundaram, as Jerry and Indu get linked to a big corruption scam. The rest of the story is about how Turbo sets off the game with Vetrivel.

Performances:

In recent days, Mammotty has been seen in many different roles, and he played a larger-than-life hero character for a change in Turbo. The Superstar gave his fullest to the character and entertained as much as he could as Turbo Jose. In addition to Mammootty, Shabareesh Varma excels in his role and maximizes his performance. With the limited scope, Anjana Jayaprakash also delivers her parts effectively, as does Raj B Shetty. However, considering the latter's potential, a more innovative script could have undoubtedly created a memorable antagonist.

What Worked For The Film:

Though routinely placed, the beginning portions of the film work well as Jose attempts to assist his friend Jerry in achieving his love but inadvertently exacerbates the situation to the point where Jose himself cannot return home and is compelled to stay in Chennai. The plot takes an intriguing turn when Jerry discovers a financial fraud linked to Vetrivel. The interval portions raise the anticipation, and the initial portions of the second half also maintain the intrigue. The Climax face-off between Turbo Jose and Vetrivel was well handled, though the episode drags a bit. 

What Did Not For The Film:

Several of the action and chase sequences are excessively long, particularly the final showdown where Vetrival releases his henchmen one by one, to the extent that even Jose exclaims, "Is there no end to this?" Fortunately, the filmmakers acknowledge this sense of monotony, which is evident in the dialogues where Vetrivel expresses his disdain for cliches, and they cleverly insert comedy scenes amidst the high-speed chase. However, despite their efforts to address this issue, it does not necessarily make it more enjoyable to watch as time passes.

Vetrivel Shanmuga Sundaram, the antagonist portrayed by Raj B Shetty, lacks significant character development, and the actor cannot do much as his character does not look like a formidable force against Jose. Despite his ruthlessness, the villain never exudes enough power to challenge Jose truly. This portrayal falls into the predictable pattern of instantly killing his workers who make mistakes or the people who come across his path to power. Furthermore, the fact that Jose is not the typical 'mass' hero further diminishes the impact of the antagonist. The film struggles to find a balance between being a sleek action thriller and incorporating action sequences that would be more fitting for a regular mass-action entertainer. As a result, the film's second half becomes somewhat tiresome, with three consecutive action set pieces.

Turbo Review And Verdict:

Turbo is a regular action entertainer that is partly impressive and predictable at the same time. While Mammootty tried to hold the film together, he was only half as successful as in the movie. Raj B Shetty's character and the cat-and-mouse game in the second half between him and Mammootty could have been much better.