Hi I'm Tony tries to experiment, but it’s just another thriller that depends on its actors, blood and gore, says Paresh C Palicha.
Lal has played a psychologically deviant character many a time since he made his acting debut as the Shakespearean villain Iago in Kaliyattam (1997), Jayaraaj’s adaptation of Othello.
He attributes this casting to his rough looks and a voice to go with it. His son, director Lal Jr, has made use of this image by casting his father in his film Hi I'm Tony. Lal plays the title role of a mysterious man in the apartment of a newly married couple.
Shameer (Asif Ali) and Tina (Mia) eloped and got married. A friend (Biju Menon) allows them to stay free of cost in the show apartment of an under construction building. His only condition is that they should not change anything in the flat and they must market the flat when a prospective customer comes to see it.
The couple is ecstatic about their beautiful home. They are getting ready to celebrate a romantic night in their new home with a celebratory drink when the door bell rings.
The Tony of the title had earlier rammed his expensive Audi into the couple’s middle class car, also provided by their generous host. It is he who rings the door bell. He has come to offer his apologies.
After that, every scene and situation feels stretched and repetitive. In the beginning it is all verbal. Just before half time, it begins to become physically violent and gory. The volume of noise and the quantity of the blood splattered keeps on increasing by the minute.
The director, who is also credited as the writer, tries to experiment with the structure of the film, but fails. The inner demons that drive the characters are not revealed and the plot is wafer thin. The film is only about Lal and only his character has been explored; the others are just props.
Hi I'm Tony tries to experiment, but it’s just another thriller that depends on its actors, blood and gore.
Rediff Rating: 
