Finally after a hiatus of more than a month, I am back to writing reviews. It's been a pretty eventful month both personally & in the cine world as well. The biggest news of them all being Kamal's "Celluloid", sweeping the State Awards. Though it's been more than a fortnight since the film has released, I felt this is the right movie to get back into the groove of things.So the first query that I have is whether all these accolades garnered by "Celluloid" really justified???
Dr. J.C Daniel, the father of Malayalam cinema went though a hell of pain before he was rightfully given the honour that he truly deserved. In a way, this was Kamal's tribute to this esteemed personality & the person he chose to breathe life into the protagonist was Prithviraj. It was 1928, more than a decade since Dadasaheb Phalke has introduced our nation to the magical world of cinema which was followed suit by the Tamilians but Kerala still considered it as an art form beyond its capability until J.C Daniel (Prithvi) thought otherwise. Spurred on with the wisdom & valuable tidbits that he received from his brief meeting with Dadasaheb, Daniel embarks on his mission to making the first Malayalam film. His path was bereft with obstacles be it with the casting or the economic issues, but he believed all this was worth the effort to realise his dream. Hmm...little did he realise that things were going to be horribly wrong henceforth for all those involved in that film.
Kamal has to be applauded on a well crafted film with all the factors working in its favour be it Venu's brilliant cinematography, Pattanam Rasheed's make up & Suresh Kollam's authentic art direction. Based on Vinu Abraham's "Nashta Nayika", Kamal has remained faithful to the basic storyline coupled with an impressive screenplay. Though I did come across comments that it gets dragging after a point of time, I tend to differ & absolutely loved the climax which will certainly moisten many eyes as it did mine. Even Jayachandran's music was spot on & it's not a surprise that it has become a chart buster.
Prithviraj was absolutely brilliant & it's not a surprise that he won the State Award. Actually I felt that he is unlucky to have been considered for 2012's awards as it was likely that even otherwise he would have won it for "Ayalum Njaanum Thammil". Mamtha, Srinivas & all the rest have done their roles absolute justice but the pick of the lot for me is debutant Chandni of Indian Voice fame as it seemed that the role was tailor made for her.
Verdict: Without doubt, the film is marching on to become a blockbuster & rightfully deserved all the awards that has come its way. It might sound a bit preposterous, but I have a feeling that Prithvi might be in consideration for the Bharat Award. The film might feel a bit slow & dragging for some but it's a film that each one of us ought to watch.
Rating: 4/5
Regards...Ben
No comments:
Post a Comment