Ever since the announcement of the Mammookka-Jeo Baby project, I have been eagerly waiting for its release just like many others. When the legend himself decided to bankroll the project, it was evident that he was in the process of creating yet another delight after all his production house has already made a reputable name for itself courtesy of his choice of movies. Most probably, most of you would be aware of the subject that is being discussed in this movie but if you aren't aware, then I would suggest to watch it as soon as possible.
The movie unfolds in Teekoy where Mathew (Mammookka) & Omana (Jyothika) had been married for about two decades, blessed with a daughter, Femi (Anagha Maya Ravi) and lives with his father, Devassy (RS Panikkar). Mathew was a retired bank manager & was also involved in politics whereby he was chosen by the party to represent them in the panchayat election. However, on the eve of submission of his nomination; Omana filed for divorce unexpectedly & the reason for it left everyone stunned.
Jeo Baby has already earned a name for himself with the type of movies that he had crafted & "Kaathal" was no different as it adds yet another golden feather on his hat. However, unlike his previous flicks, the script has been penned by Adarsh Sukumaran & Paulson Skaria, and the duo deserves praise for handling the subject sensibly without adopting a preachy tone. Jeo's expertise came to the fore in the manner it was executed as the audience are made to feel empathetic for each and every character affected by the situation. The choice of location, people involved & how different generations handled the situation gave it an authentic feel to it. Equally impressive were the technical aspects be it Salu K Thomas's frames, Mathews Pulickan's BGM which elevated the impact in many sequences in the second half and Francie Louis's editing which maintained the tempo it required.
What do I even say about Mammookka??? The legend continues to take on roles and movies that gives him the opportunity to perform which absolutely floors us. Incidentally, he doesn't have a lot of dialogues but he was able to express his anxiety, helplessness & indecisiveness brilliantly. As for his voice modulation in which he is obviously a master, was top notch as it will invariably gives us a lump in our throat in a couple of scenes. Jyothika also deserves praise for a fine performance with some touching scenes in the latter half though in some sequences, I felt Jomol who did the dubbing could have done a better job. Another individual that deserves the same amount of applause is Sudhi Kozhikode who gave a touching performance though his part deserved to be explored more. The rest of the cast such as RS Panikkar, Muthumani, Chinnu Chandni, Joji John, Anagha, Alex Alister etc have done complete justice to their roles.
Verdict: Kudos to Mammookka for taking up this role & also for producing it. The legend continues to inspire with his decision to keep pushing the envelope with such varied roles. Both Jeo Baby & the script writers have done a fine job, with Jyothika and the rest backing it with credible performances. It is a slow drama & hence there might be few who might be irked by its pace but trust me, do check it out!!!
Rating: 3.5/5
Regards...Ben
No comments:
Post a Comment