We are almost into the last month of the year with some big banner releases lined up in different languages for Christmas. Just like in the previous months, November also saw a plethora of movies hit the screens; some of which hit the mark while the others were a test of our patience. Since I haven't had the time to pen down my opinion about some of them, I thought to club them up & present it here. So it will be interesting to see how many of these will manage to bag fat pay checks from the OTT platforms???
Garudan: "Execution wasn't as engaging as the core idea!!!"
The first major release of the month was Arun Varma's "Garudan" which had Suresh Gopi & Biju Menon take centre stage. Apart from the presence of seasoned veterans, another major reason as to why I was interested to check this out was that the script was penned by Midhun Manuel which was based on Jinesh's story. The movie unfolds with the brutal rape of a college student, Theresa Philip (Chaitanya Prakash) which left her on life support & the investigation was entrusted to DCP Harish Madhav (Suresh Gopi). Soon enough it gets proved that the perpetrator was the professor, Nishanth Kumar (Biju Menon) & he gets sentenced to jail. However, after having served his sentence, he vows to prove his innocence which in turn raised questions about Harish's integrity.
There is no doubt that the central theme was interesting but the execution of it particularly the courtroom drama sections felt quite hurried & convenient. The emotional toll that takes on Harish in the second half keeps us hooked while the same cant be said about Nishanth. This was particularly important coz the story takes a predictable route and hence such dramas were the ones which was supposed to keep the movie together.
But does it mean it was boring? Certainly not & Arun can be proud of his directorial debut. On the technical side, it was decently done though I cant think of anyone that deserves a special mention. As for performances, both the veterans were fine though I would rate Biju Menon better while the others such as Siddique, Jagadish, Divya Pillai etc have done their parts aptly.
Verdict: A promising crime thriller on paper that was kind of predictable & had an old school treatment to it. But it still manages to keep us engaged for large parts!!!
Rating: 2.5/5
Tholvi F.C: "Not a complete tholvi but still!!!"
Over the past couple of years, if there was one genre that is kind of relegated to the sidelines that it has to be comic capers. The primary reason for that is the lack of quality writers coz if it isn't handled smartly it could very well to be a test of our patience. This month witnessed George Kora attempt one in that genre with "Tholvi F.C" that he himself had penned which is essentially about a disjoint family where every member of it had failed in their respective endeavours.
It reminded me of those goofy Hollywood underdog comedies but the issue over here is that it ended up being a mishmash of numerous sequences but they did not get interlinked seamlessly. Though the technical aspects didnt have much to talk about, the performances were pretty good be it Johny Antony, Sharaf U Dheen & Meenakshi, and that is the reason why it felt like an acceptable time pass.
Verdict: Well nothing much to talk about except that it provides a couple of laughs!!!
Rating: 1.25/5
Bandra: "Apart from the technical aspects, hardly anything else felt worthwhile!!!"
When was the last time did Udaykrishna pen a credible story that kept us genuinely engaged? Hmm...well I dont quite recollect to be frank. So this brings us to the question as to why did I watch Arun Varma's "Bandra" & the answer to that lied in the name of the director as I did enjoy his debut venture "Ramaleela". But what Udaykrishna gave us was an inferior rehash of what we have seen in many movies in the past like "Once upon a time in Mumbai" etc.
Sakshi (Mamta Mohandas) was an aspiring film maker who in search of a possible story for her debut directorial venture decided to research into the life of yesteryear Bollywood superstar Tara Janaki (Tamannaah Bhatia) who had committed suicide at the peak of her career. As Sakshi dug into more details, it brought to life the details of Tara's lover Ala (Dileep) who was a gangster. But the more she dug into the past, it revealed many truths that the world wasn't aware about.
The major issue in Uday's script is the lack of authenticity as we have come across whatever is conveyed in some form or the other in much better movies in the past. At more than 2.5 hours, it was a test of my patience though to Arun's credit the execution of this stale tale did have some impressive moments especially when it came to the art direction team and the stunt choreography. When it came to performances, Dileep was ok in certain sequences while Tamannaah felt like an apt choice for the character though her expressions at times weren't in sync with the emotional dialogues that was dubbed for her. The rest of the cast which was literally an army of artists such as Mamta, Kalabhavan Shajon, Dino Morea, Lenaa etc., were average at best.
Verdict: High time that Udaykrishna reinvented himself & the makers be sensible about what they want to convey to the audience rather than just put the blame on the social media!!!
Rating: 1.5/5
Vela: "Syam definitely knows his vela!!!"
Along with "Bandra", another movie that hit the screens on the same weekend was Syam Sasi's "Vela" which had Shane Nigam & Sunny Wayne in the lead. This was Syam's directorial debut & along with M. Sajas they have crafted a pretty decent crime drama that keeps us hooked for most parts. Ullas Augustin (Shane) had lost his father when the latter was in police service & as a result of which, he gets a job in the control room. Among the numerous calls that he attended, he happened to come across one that had a significant impact on his personal & professional life. Apparently, it was from a father who reported that a couple of guys along with his minor son was using drugs in his premises. Ullas promptly conveyed the news to a patrol unit in the area to check into the matter. Incidentally, SI Mallikarjun (Sunny) was in charge of that patrol & the minor was deemed missing after his raid. Ullas was certain that Mallikarjun was behind it, but his efforts to prove it had him suspended.
Sajas has penned a pretty intriguing story where the focus is on Ullas's efforts to prove the crime that Mallikarjun was believed to be involved in. The latter who wielded significant political support, quashed those efforts with disdain. Both the characters were etched well and touches upon the influence of politics, narcotics, casteism and the manner in which those factors handicapped the law and order personnel. Syam has done an admirable job in executing it quite well and manages to keep the audience engaged with his narration style. If at all there was one aspect that could have been better then I would have to say it would be the climax as that was quite predictable & lacked the impact that was expected.
Kudos to both Sunny & Shane who has done a praise worthy job especially the former who finally had a meaty role after quite a while and made full use of it. The rest of the cast have also done their parts aptly especially Sidharth Bharathan (though I felt Binu Pappan could also have been a good choice for that role). On the technical side, Suresh Rajan captured the frames quite well considering most of the sequences happens at night.
Verdict: An engaging story that was crafted reasonably well & performed admirably by both Sunny & Shane!!!
Rating: 2.75/5
Falimy: "Hey Sulochana, you are both hilarious & emotional!!!"
The list of debutants continued to grow in November as well as Nitish Sahadev made his directorial debut with "Falimy". It was quite a smart choice for the title coz it emphasises the dysfunctionality in the family who are the protagonists of this comedy drama. Along with Sanjo Joseph, Nitish touches upon each of the characters in the family & the struggles that they go through which creates tensions among them. Janardhanan (Meenaraj Palluruthy), the patriarch fed up with the constant squabbles in his family had been wishing to make a visit to Varanasi for quite a while & made attempts to embark on that journey quite a number of times. However, each time it was prevented by someone or the other, until his grandson, Anoop (Basil Joseph) who was frustrated with the numerous failed marriage proposals decides to take him with the rest of the family tagging along. The hilarious and emotional moments that unfold over the course of their journey is what this movie is about.
It is an endearing movie that make us laugh and reflect upon the emotional baggage that each character carries, who might appear insensitive to others. It has shades of "Home" & "Jan-E-Man", and we are pretty sure as to how it would eventually pan out. But it still has a soul of its own and the manner in which humour and emotions are intertwined has an authentic feel to it rather than merely trying to squeeze in sequences to make the audience laugh.
The technical aspects were neatly done be it Bablu Aju's cinematography, Vishnu Vijay's music and Nidhin Raj'e editing. However, it is the impressive performances from each member of the family that made it delightful. In recent times, Jagadish had the opportunity to don characters that showcased his abilities and he has never failed to deliver in such occasions which includes here as well. Manju Pillai is an artist that I have always admired for her calibre & it is heartening to see her showcase it more on the big screen nowadays. Over the past year or so, Basil's credentials as a performer has grown by leaps and bounds which is a testament to the hard work he has put in with regard to expressions and nuances that the character demanded. The rest of the family included Sandeep Pradeep as Abhi & Meenaraj Palluruthy, both of whom have done their parts well.
Verdict: Certainly one of the most endearing movies that had released this year which keeps us in good spirits thanks to its clean humour!!!
Rating: 3.5/5
Phoenix: "Doesn't rise from the ashes that it created!!!"
This month also saw Midhun Manuel collaborating yet again as a writer & this time around it was with Vishnu Bharathan who was making his directorial debut with "Phoenix". Along with Bigil Balakrishnan, he had penned this romantic horror flick for which Midhun had drafted the screenplay. In terms of what they wanted to convey, it did have an intriguing element to it in the first half which set the stage for an engaging second half. But that is where the movie fizzled out as the backstory lacked the punch & consistency.
The movie is set in the 90s & it unfolds with Advocate John (Aju Varghese) & his family, in search of a home. Being a person who preferred privacy, he eventually opted for one by the seaside. Even as they start to get accustomed to their new home, a couple of sinister events start to happen which threatened to put their lives at risk. Left with no option, John sought the help of the church but even they seemed to have no immediate solution in their hands.
As I mentioned earlier, the back story that is narrated in the second half is the weak point of this movie. When they brought in elements of the Cholera epidemic in the 70s, it felt like it would have a significant effect but apart from a visual depiction perspective; it didnt add much. Even the lack of consistency when it came to character arcs was kind of odd be it the gruffy nature of Aju, the silent sufferer in Nilja as Daisy or Chandhunath as Freddy. It felt like they wanted to present it as a romantic tale that lived on beyond life but they failed to provide that impact due to the lack of credible stuff in the script. However, the technical aspects were pretty neat especially Alby's cinematography, the visual effects & Sam CS's BGM. Coming to performances, Aju was good along with Baby Aavni (as Mariya) while Chandhunath, Anoop Menon etc were ok.
Verdict: It certainly had the makings of an engaging horror thriller in the first half which gets watered down as it moved to the backstory!!!
Rating: 2/5
Regards...Ben
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