It is safe to say that 'Drama' is slightly better than Ranjith's recent insipid outings (such as Puthan Panam, Loham, and Leela) but that's about it. We have Mohanlal playing the kind of character we've seen him perform plenty of times before - the mischievous old man with a great sense of humor and sometimes, a great imagination. When you consider that aspect alone, 'Drama' could be termed a marginal return to form for 'Mohanlal the situational comedian'. He cracks counter lines that are chuckle-worthy and is supported well by actors Baiju (who is terrific in every scene that he's in) and Dileesh Pothan (as Dixon Lopez).
The story is also pretty refreshing, although the initial few scenes are as cliched as they can get. An old woman from a well-established Catholic family has a 'final wish' to get buried alongside her husband in Kattappana. When she dies in London while visiting her daughter, her children who reside in different parts of the globe all come together to conduct/attend her funeral. It's an interesting scenario that the protagonist Raju (Mohanlal) steps into. He's the co-partner of a Funeral Services firm.
Courtesy the extremely natural Baiju and his one-liners, there are some brilliant laugh-out-loud moments in the first hour. This includes a scene where he's trying to convince a Tamilian neighbor why having a dead body next door is no big deal. The film is quick to move into 'Pranchiyettan'/'Nandanam' territory, and before you know it, Raju is engaging in a casual conversation with the dead woman. The film takes the extremely familiar route of a living man trying to fulfill a dead woman's last wishes, and the schemes (some of which take the pathetic religious/political route) employed by Raju to get the job done, aren't the most exciting.
The second half suffers from tedium, as expected, and the screenplay struggles to maintain its light, humorous vibe from the first. While there are some signature Ranjith lines in the film, his take on infidelity in marriage is something that's bound to irk female viewers, especially since in this case, the instance is initiated by the male protagonist, and he expects to be forgiven for his folly rather quickly. That he resorts to pointing at a bigger mistake (committed by the husband of the dead woman) to devalue his own, makes the scene look bad. Among the rest of the supporting cast, Johny Antony (as the perpetually hungry Anto) manages to make us giggle a little. Kaniha and Asha Sarath deliver what the script requires of them. Niranj, as the concerned Jomon, puts in an okay effort.
