Ittymaani: Made In China DVD Released

Story: Ittichan (Mohanlal) is known for this thriftiness and gets in trouble everytime he tries to do some good. Even his magnanimity ends up earning him more bad name.

Review: Ittymani was born in China, yet brought up in Kunnankulam, Thrissur. And, 'Ittymani : Made in China' is his story. Debutante director duo Jibi and Joju have more than two decades of experience in Malayalam cinema to boost of associates and assistant directors. So the expectations from their debut would be high given that they've roped in an impressive star cast, including Mohanlal, KPAC Lalitha, Siddique, Raadhika, Aju Varghese, etc.

Ittychan, aka Ittymani, quite like the eponymous Pranchiyettan, is a wealthy, yet thrifty businessman who wants to create a good name and image for himself among his peers. But everything Ittychan puts himself upto ends up creating more trouble for him. And his Chinese roots (he was born and raised till age 10 in China) earn him the title of 'made in China' which is also used to taunt his credentials as a "duplicate". How he gets in and out of each crisis makes the crux of the film.

Ittychan's love-hate relationship with his mother (KPAC Lalitha) makes for much entertainment, even as they share their love for China and the time they spent there and even converse in Chinese. Ittichan's bachelor status also leads to some humour. But largely the humour that depends on wit-wordplay and sexual innuendos falls flat or, at times,evokes a laugh as a knee-jerk reaction. Aju Varghese and Hareesh Kanaran, the quintessential comedy factories are mere ornaments.

But speaking of ornamental casting, Honey Rose's character is the true decoration on the script. Her character Jessy has the least consequence in the story that even if her portions are dissected, it wouldn't really affect the movie. The distasteful puns mostly irk than amuse. Even the references from iconic Mohanlal movies like 'Thoovanathumbikal' et al are a disservice to the man and his fans from they way they have been conceived. The story is forceful in trying to be feel-good. It plays out like a stretched out comedy sketch done in poor taste. When you try to aim at highlighting the abandonment of an elderly woman by her children, having her refereed to as a "second-hand ambassador" with "good mileage and pick-up" is absolutely repugnant. And in true "masterpiece-style" trying to polish over it by making the protagonist make a sweeping speech about "respecting elders" in the climax doesn't help. By just preaching to respect elders while not walking the talk isn't helping anyone. The forced goodness in the story sticks out like a sore thumb making the lengthy run time of the movie hard to keep up with.

The songs in 'Ittymani: Made in China' are a respite to the otherwise stretched out crass-fest. And Mohanlal, inspite of looking plastic, is the star he is for a reason. Mohanlal is Mohanlal, and nothing and nobody can take that away from him. His combinations with KPAC Lalitha and Siddique are the only things that make the 2 hour 30 plus hour movie worth anything.

'Ittymani :Made in China' is a weak story and a weaker script that even the Mohanlal cannot save. It's a poorly made amalgamation of every stereotype in the book, that neither Mohanlal, nor his fans deserved. So catch it at your own risk.