The Speed Track was in the filmi news all through the last year for its repeated attempts to get released.
The film which was expected to become a dumb squib is surprising everyone now with an intelligently planned plot, peppy songs, one-liners, a great performance from Dileep and the fine glossy looking package.
The film which looks upon the athletic and sports crazy Malayalee has similar protagonists in the lead who works all around to hurdle over their fates and keep things going.
Debutant director Jayasurya creates a good campus thriller with lot of action, love and comedy in Speed Track.
The Speed Track is a campus story based on a sports college campus. The story as usual is a nominally light affair abuzz with minor incidents, comic faces and melodramatic swells. But there are serious complications too, including a handful of characters facing life-altering decisions.
Dileep takes the lead role as Arjun and Riaz Khan is the anti-hero named Tinu Nalinakshan.
The film opens with Arjun- an athlete with excellent past records, who enrolls as a first year student in the BCM college campus - a sports college which has created champions. He is going through tough times after his father's demise. His aim on joining the sports college is to win the state championship in athletics. Arjun's intentions is to get the Rs 10 Lakhs sponsored price money in the State competition with which he can pay for the medical treatment of his brother Arun, which has to be done in US.
Arjun's carelessness was the root cause of the accident that happened to Arun, once a member of State Basketball team, which has put the later in the wheel chair. The elder brother since then developed a guilt complex which he wants to get rid, by making his brother walk, once again. That puts him under lot of tension and financial pressure.
In the sports college, Arjun, normally a silent student works hard and impresses everybody including Rahul (Madhu Warrier) and his sister Gouri (Gazala). All except Tinu, who was the unchallenged hero till then, welcomed Ajith's performances on the track, which puts the later on the backseat.
The defeats on various levels including that for Gauri's love prompt Tinu to take it on a personal level with Arjun.
Meanwhile Gauri, who already has become a fan of Arjun by then, falls in love with him and helps him even by presenting the new spikes for the races, Rahul who is tipped to win the 400 meter race hands down was then persuaded by Tinu to clash with Arjun.
Gowri is now torn between loyalty to brother and her lover. Tinu is all poised to stop Arjun from winning the championship finals. But Arjun must win the title to make his brother walk. All this leads to the thrilling climax which is picturised like never before, considering the earlier attempts in Malluwood.
Dileep looks composed and surprises everyone with his athlete look. He does Arjun with effortless ease. Gazala as Gouri is a big surprise packet and also looks good. Madhu Warrier, Salimkumar, Prajod and Co are adequate while Riaz Khan does his usual villainish act.
Deepak Dev has given some good melodies, especially the Yesudas song Paatum Paadi. Udit Narayan in Oru Kinnara Gaanam finds it's hard once again to spell Mallu properly. Jayasurya has picturised all the songs in a trendy manner.
The film is neither profound nor deep in its story telling methods but does lightly touch on serious issues revolving around the temporal nature of sports life in campuses. All crises get neatly and happily resolved in the Adrenalin pumping climax and the film approvingly views all its bourgeois glamour.
Anyhow, Jayasurya must be applauded fo
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