Actor Prithviraj Sukumaran recently shared a balanced take on director Mahesh Narayanan's film Patriot, starring Mammootty, Mohanlal, Fahadh Faasil, Kunchacko Boban, and Zarin Shihab, among others. In a conversation with Galatta Plus, Prithviraj said that he enjoyed the film despite it not being perfect.

The actor said that he read the screenplay of the film much before its production was completed. "It is a bit of a meme right now, but actually I read the script of Patriot way before it was made," Prithviraj said. He added, "In fact, Mahesh narrated it to me. And from the very first narration, I was really really into it. I thought it was a fantastic piece of writing."

Prithviraj Sukumaran also noted that the film is not perfect. "There are many things about Patriot, now that I have seen the film, I thought, Oh... from the script to the film, maybe it could have been better or it could have been different."

Interestingly, in hindsight, the actor said that "maybe the film would have been better off without the burden of so much stardom." Prithviraj clarified his statement, saying, he was not referring to the reunion of Mohanlal and Mammootty with the film. "There are multiple characters in the film that are being shouldered by big stars," the actor noted. However, he added, "There are scenes and moments in the film that Mahesh Narayanan has handled with such class and that truly elevated it into proper international cinema." While noting that some elements of the film did not work for him, he enjoyed it on the whole.

Prithviraj Sukumaran is also known for directing big-budget action films, such as Lucifer and its sequel L2: Empuraan. When Patriot hit theatres, some criticised Mahesh by saying that he lacks experience with such cinema and compared him unfavourably with director Prithviraj's work in Lucifer.