While the movie itself opened to mixed reviews, director Mahesh Narayanan’s Patriot also dealt a significant blow to Fahadh Faasil , as his performance was met with criticism. While drawing parallels to his portrayals as Shammi ( Kumbalangi Nights ), Pastor Joshua Carlton ( Trance ), and even Agent Amar ( Vikram ), many dubbed Fahadh’s performance as Shakthi Sundaram in Patriot as marred by familiar antics and theatrics often found in his grey-shaded and/or eccentric roles. However, to single out Fahadh Faasil and criticise him for a perceived mediocre job, particularly when discussing a movie in which even the two legends headlining it delivered only decent-at-best performances, may be unfair. This is not to say that he is above scrutiny or to senselessly argue that he is better than Mohanlal or Mammootty . But my suggestion is that the purported monotony in his performance may be a result of characterisation and writing that failed to provide novelty, and carried shades or ghosts of the past.…