An almost archaic communication method takes center stage when the characters played by Mammootty and Mohanlal first make contact in Mahesh Narayanan’s Patriot, well into the film’s second half. It would seem apt in a way, hinting at the vintage quality of their association while also fitting well inside the theme of the film on digital mass surveillance. For that matter, the last time the duo came together in a film, almost two decades ago, digital surveillance was just an emerging public concern.
Now, it seems rather ubiquitous, and Mahesh Narayanan appears fully taken in by the urgency to convey these fears to a larger audience. The two superstars are thus tools for this socio-political endeavour rather than the screenplay being in service of their star aura, as often seen in such star-studded movies.
Daniel James (Mammootty), a top-level employee in a Union government ministry, gets a hint of a nefarious surveillance system involving minister J.P.Sundaram (Rajiv Menon), and his corporate honcho son Shakthi (Fahadh Faasil). He is forced to go on the run to protect himself and uncover the truth.