'Passenger' - a slick, entertaining political drama (IANS Film Review)

Rating: ***

To merely say that top stars have contributed to "Passenger", sacrificing personal images and top billing would be a gross understatement.

Despite having a political backdrop, the slick movie has neither the usually boring preachy baggage nor sleaze.

The films is about social activist Sathyanathan (Srinivasan), who decides to help Anuradha (Mamta), a television reporter, in a bid to expose a shady politician (Jagathy Sreekumar), who is milking the state through mining scams. Sathyanathan had met Anuradha's husband, a lawyer Nandan Menon (Dilip), during a train journey.

The thrill-a-minute progress eventually ends in a surprising denouement.

Veterans Srinivasan and Jagathy carry the film on their able shoulders with terrific support from Dilip, who has surprisingly agreed to play second fiddle to the main protagonist in spite of being a bigger box-office draw.

The background score by Bijibal and cinematography by P. Sukumar surely add to the film's entertainment content.

Mamta, who looks great in the movie, underplays her role to perfection.

IT professional and director Renjith Shankar has used the 3G camera intelligently to take the audience into the trains ambling through the lush greenery of Kerala.

The thought-provoking narration is simple and yet gripping aided by tech props like laptops and mobile phones.

In a nutshell, "Passenger" is a must-watch.