Spirit

Story: Raghunandan is a divorcee and an alcoholic. An unexpected incident in his life reforms him. He then sets out change the lives of others as well.

Movie Review: What Mohanlal can achieve in a matter of a few seconds as an actor is sometimes astounding. In one of the best moments in Renjith’s Spirit, Lal who plays Raghunandan, a rich, chronic alcoholic is shown asleep,

his head buried in his arms. Alexy (Shankar Ramakrishnan), his best friend and husband of his ex-wife, then walks in to tell him something unpleasant. Lal is suddenly awake and both look calm. Alexy shares the
secret, which is shattering. Lal has a burning cigarette in his hands.

He is framed in a hazy ribbon of smoke that slowly whirls around him. Lal keeps his gaze fixed, the cigarette continues to burn, the ribbon floats around, and in the next moment, he sighs and falls back into the sofa.
Renjith crafts the script with many more beautiful moments. All of them belong to Mohanlal, who delivers an amazingly effortless and enduring performance. In one of the scenes, he is listening to a melody with his ex-wife. They are alone in the room and the lines are moving. Their glances meet, once, twice and finally he gets close, puts his arm around her. She gently wheels around and pushes him away.

Lal finds refuge in humour and blasts, “Had I been drunk, I would have raped you”.

Spirit is one of the highly philosophical movies made by Renjith. He has a message against alcohol and he spares any possible trace of drama. He makes his lead character Raghunandan drink and drink till he confronts the most unpleasant day in his life.

Inevitably the narrative slackens in its bid to realize its mission, though for a short moment. Although the film belongs to Mohanlal, Shankar Ramakrishnan and Kaniha perform with a lovable restraint. Spirit is a beautifully conceived film rendered with stunning performance by a well-chosen cast.