L2: Empuraan: "Visually impressive but lacks narrative depth!!!"

Finally the most awaited Malayalam movie of the year has hit the screens in a manner that was reminiscent of the tsunami. The pre-release ticket sales threw up some astonishing numbers and all that contributed to a historic global box office opening of around 65C. With Eid falling on Monday, the extended weekend should have Aashirvad Cinemas & Sree Gokulam Movies reasonably confident about their returns in investment. But the question is whether the movie has the substance to sustain this excitement beyond the weekend, after the initial hype abates???

The movies unfolds in 2002 where communal riots led to the massacre of many Muslims which included Zayed's family (Karthikeya Dev) as well. The attacks were orchestrated by Balraj (Abhimanyu Singh) & his brother, Munna (Sukant Goel), with Zayed being the only one who managed to escape from the horrific mass slaughter. In the present day, Jatin Ramdas (Tovino Thomas) who had been the CM for close to a term found himself embroiled in numerous scams and financial irregularities. To add to that, a prominent political party with roots predominantly in North India decided to make their presence felt in Kerala. In this bleak situation, Govardhan (Indrajith) tries to locate Stephen (Lalettan) to seek help. 

First & foremost, this is undoubtedly the finest Malayalam movie in terms of the production quality. Hats off to Prithvi for the way he has mounted this flick as it embodied grandeur. It definitely deserves to be watched on the big screens & the main reason for that are the exquisite frames captured by Sujit Vasudev. The action sequences were brilliantly staged especially the one in the jungle though the climactic one felt rather outdated (& in a way, reminded me of "Jilla"). As for Deepak Dev's music, it was quite underwhelming for most parts with the BGM at times failing to enhance the high moments. 

However, irrespective of the canvas, the backbone of any movie is the script & to be honest, I was quite disappointed with what Murali Gopi came up with. The focus of the movie is on two aspects, one being Khureshi Abraam & the other, Stephen Nedumpally. Coming to Khureshi, the character was explored superficially with focus more on aesthetics rather than heft in the conflict that he had with other nexus. As for Stephen, though there was more meat to proceedings, many of the sequences & dialogues felt more like a rehashed version from the prequel. In effect, it failed to evoke as many high moments as expected. In terms of content, Kerala politics,  international nexus, backstory & reason for change of certain integral characters made it feel like there was more adequate stuff to make it a delightful treat. But the truth is Murali has failed to gel it convincingly. 

Coming to performances, Lalettan was impressive & did what was possible within the scope of the character though it didn't give him much opportunity to perform as such. He effortlessly carried the swag & the aura that the character demanded and owned the action sequences. Both Prithvi & his younger avatar, Karthikeya did their parts aptly.  Abhimanyu & Sukant were both impressive in their negative avatar while Jerome Flynn as Boris had a significant role and did justice to it. Manju Warrier had more scope to perform and did her part aptly along with Tovino. There were numerous others also but most of them barely had adequate screen time or character arc to showcase their ability.

Verdict: There is no doubt that the movie deserves a watch & that too in the theatres. However, the weak storyline could certainly hamper the potential that it could otherwise have had. Anyway it will certainly inspire other makers from our industry to dream big & hopefully, Murali will have a banger script in L3!!!

Rating: 2.75/5

Regards...Ben

Bromance, Painkili & Daveed: "Interesting mix though the returns continue to be meagre!!!"

This Valentine's Day saw a trio of releases which as expected was catered towards the youth (I guess most movies are isn't it). The response to all three of them was varied & that was reflected in the box office report that the producers association had published. So how did it turn out for me???

Bromance: "Breezy comedy that thrived coz of performances!!!"

In the span of a couple of movies like "Jo & Jo" & "18+", Arun D Jose has made a name for himself with his flicks that focused on humour & youth. In his latest venture, the focus is on Binto (Mathew Thomas) who was in the lookout for his elder brother, Shinto (Shyam Mohan) who had disappeared without a trace. Apparently, Shinto was the darling in the family & spoke of with high regard by people who knew him. In contrast, Binto was quite the opposite and detested the comparison, though the brothers shared a tight bond. Binto came out about his brother's missing from the latter's friend, Shabeer (Arjun Ashokan) who presumed that it could be because of the breakup with Aishu (Mahima Nambiar). Their search was assisted by Hari (Sangeeth Prathap), a hacker & it also led them to another potential suspect, Courier Babu (Kalabhavon Shajon). So, who was actually responsible???

It is a fun filled flick that does have quite a few genuinely hilarious sequences though the plot as such isn't substantial. In a way it had the feel of a "Hangover" and the major part of the credit for making the movie enjoyable goes to the technical aspects in giving the necessary feel and appearance to the frames. Kudos to Govind Vasantha's music. Akhil George's colourful frames & Chaman Chacko's seamless editing gives the necessary vibe that the movie required. 

Coming to performances, Sangeeth Prathap was top notch with his counter dialogues and expressions. Mahima was quite impressive and is given equal screen space as the rest of the gang which consisted of Mathew, Arjun & Kalabhavan Shajon, all of whom did their parts adequately. 

Verdict: It delivers what it promised in the promos and i.e. a full filled flick.

Rating: 2.5/5

Painkili: "Heart attack is unavoidable for the producers!!!"

When the makers had released the 'heart attack' track on YouTube, I would have to admit that I was genuinely impressed with the way Sreejith Babu in his directorial debut had picturized it. Actually that was the main reason why I decided to check it out & also because it was Jithu Madhavan who had penned the script. Little did I realize that the sole positive was that song.

Well it barely had a proper story & the screenplay worked in certain sequences in the initial parts of the movie. It is essentially about a girl, Sheeba (Anaswara) who was constantly trying to elope in order to avoid the alliance that her parents had found for her. During one such instance, she gets to meet Suku (Sajin Gopu) who was faking insanity to obtain a medical certificate that will be his ticket to freedom from a legal issue. Whether they eventually end up being together is what the story is about.

Apart from what I had mentioned earlier, I dont have anything to add as the movies gets irritating after a point of time. The humour was forced for most parts and the performances from both Anaswara & Sajin were fine in the portions they behaved normally but when it required them to put in eccentricity, then it was quite mediocre. Roshan Shanavas (as Paachan) & Jisma Vimal (as Suma) were good while Abu Salim, Chandu etc. were also ok. 

Verdict: Jithu's script is the sole reason for the failure as it barely had any content for the artists to perform to. In short, check out the song but as for the movie, forget it!!!

Rating: 1.5/5

Daveed: "Decently made though the story as such lacked the punch!!!"

Being a sports buff apart from being a cinephile, I have always loved sports dramas but it's a genre that is not easy to make due to the predictability in its template. In most instances it would be about an underdog who rise up against the odds in the final act. This is pretty much the template that Govind Vishnu has chosen for his directorial debut which he had penned in the company of Deepu Rajeevan. 

Their protagonist is Aashiq Abu (Antony Varghese), a lazy dude who occasionally worked as a bouncer in celebrity functions. The family was taken care of by his wife, Sherin (Lijomol Jose) who was fed up with his irresponsible nature even though for their daughter, he was a hero. Life takes as a turn when he is called in as a bouncer for a function to felicitate the World Boxing Champion, Sainul Akhmadov (Mo Ismail). But it eventually turned into a tussle between the two of them with Sainul challenging him to a match. 

It is your typical standard generic story that failed to produce any unique element that we haven't seen in such movies in the past. The protagonist has that mental trauma/inhibition due to a past incident & how he manages to overcome that to take up the latest challenge with the help of a seasoned coach who prepares his ward with an array of unorthodox methods (sounds familiar, well that's not surprising). Despite the predictability, I enjoyed the manner in which the boxing match was staged and the action choreography associated with it. The technical aspects were fine with Salu Thomas's cinematography in the climax deserving special mention.

Among the cast, Vijayaraghavan was spot on as expected while Antony's performance was decent with the physicality that he provided to the character being quite impressive. Mo Ismail did justice to his part while Lijomol, Saiju Kurup etc did their parts aptly.

Verdict: Predictability was the primary issue with the story, however Govind has still managed to take it reasonably well especially in the latter half!!!

Rating: 2/5

Regards...Ben

 

Ponman, Officer on Duty, Get Set Baby & Machante Maalakha: "A couple manage to impress!!!"

Almost the end of the first quarter of 2025 & despite the insane number of releases, the ones that were worth our time has been far & few. Among the present lot that I have penned my opinion about, there are a couple of them that belonged to the category that I was referring to earlier. So which were those???

Ponman: "Man..this was engrossing in terms of treatment & performances!!!"

This was a movie that I have been waiting to watch for quite a while & finally managed to do so when it came on the OTT platform. Ever since I had seen the trailer, I would have to admit that I was intrigued coz of the subject it was dealing with and the cast that were chosen for it. In addition, though it might across as a rather silly reason for others, the fact that it was shot in our Kollam from where I hail from had me really interested.

Over the past few years, G R Indugopan is a name that many cinephiles would have heard so (in case they haven't read his novels) as quite a few of his novels were adapted into movies such as "Oru Thekkan Thallu Case", "Kaapa" etc. This is the latest to be added to that list as it was adapted from his novel, "Naalanchu Cheruppkar" & he has worked on the screenplay along with Justin Mathew. This also happened to be the directorial debut of noted art director Jotish Shankar & the core subject that it deals with is dowry but from a different perspective.  

The movie unfolds in Kollam where Bruno (Anand Manmadhan), a suspended political worker was desperately trying to arrange cash to purchase gold for his sister, Steffi's wedding (Lijomol) to Mariyano (Sajin Gopu). This is when he was introduced to Ajesh (Basil Joseph), an agent who provided gold in advance on the agreement that the money would be paid up with the gifts that the couples received. However, Steffi's family weren't able to honour the agreement leaving Ajesh in pursuit of what turned out to be a monumental task to retrieve what belonged to him. 

The screenplay was impressive & the character arc that was given to each and every character was top notch. It gets gripping by the minute as the character shades keeps changing and yet we get to understand the standpoint as to why the main characters behave in the manner they did. The events are kept grounded and there is no overdosage of melodrama, and one aspect that many movies struggle with nowadays is the placement of songs, which doesn't happen here with the track and the BGM by Justin Varghese gelling quite well. As for other technical aspects, Sanu John's cinematography deserves praise while Nidhin Raj maintained the pace quite well.

This is undoubtedly, one of Basil's best performances to date as it gave him opportunity to try something quite different from what we are used to & he has excelled at it. Lijomol continues to feature in movies that gives her space to showcase her talent while Sajin did his part equally well. In the few characters that Anand had portrayed till now, more often than not he has managed to grab our attention and after having watched him in 'Love Under Construction' last week, this role was another good addition to his resume. As for the rest of the cast, Sandhya Rajendren, Deepak Parambol etc. provided adequate support.

Verdict: Kudos to Jotish as this is certainly one of the best movie that has released this year courtesy of impressive performances and an engaging screenplay!!!

Rating: 3.75/5

Officer on Duty: "The officer in Shahi continues to churn out much sought after thrillers!!!"

Who do you think among the active professionals pens the best police investigation thrillers in Malayalam movies? If I had to answer that, then it would be Shahi Kabir without a shadow of doubt with movies like "Joseph" & "Nayattu" to his credit. His latest work is directed by Jithu Ashraf who is making his debut behind the camera after having assisted in a handful of worthy movies. For starters, you might recollect as the sadist Brother Samson in "Iratta".

CI Hari (Chackochan) is a tough cop who was hot headed which also contributed to him being demoted. The audience gets a glimpse of his intimidating nature and aggression in the first scene itself with the way he deals with the suspect of a chain robbery case. The sequence of events which forms the crux of the movie begins when he receives the complaint that Chandrababu (Jagadish), a KSRTC conductor had tried to mortgage an imitation gold chain. This investigation led to a series of dark secrets which in due time also found his family getting entangled in it. 

Jithu has executed the story with a fair bit of tempo and that keeps us engaged as events unfold quite quickly. Despite the usual stereotype of drug snorting youngsters from Bangalore, I did like the thought that Shahi had put into each character rather than shade them just as black & white. There are reasons as to why those negative shade characters behaved in that manner while the characters on the opposite side also had ample shades of grey. in effect, the script as such is not upto the quality of his previous work but the fast paced screenplay makes up for it. The action sequences were neatly choreographed by retaining its raw feel but not resorting to goriness. All the technical aspects were neatly executed be it Roby Varghese's cinematography, Chaman Chakko's cuts and the reliable Jakes Bejoy's BGM. 

As always of us are aware, Chackochan choice of movies over the past few years has been impressive and as Hari, he was top notch as the body language was quite unlike from his other roles. Giving him adequate support was the talented Priyamani, who featured in a role that gave her scope to perform. Jagadish impressed as has been the trend for quite a with his character selection while the rest of the cast such as Vishak Nair (as Savio), Ramzan etc did their parts aptly.

Verdict: Yet another winning script from Shahi and well executed by Jithu. It also made waves at the box office as Martin Prakatt continues to grow in stature as a producer who invests in movies that does have content!!!

Rating: 3/5

Get Set Baby: " The script needed to be adequately fertilized!!!"

After the highs of "Marco", Unni Mukundan was back with a light hearted drama which focused on delivering babies rather than taking their lives as in his previous release. The shots were called by Vinay Govind after a hiatus whose last flick was "Kohinoor" about a decade back. As for the story, it was borne out of the creation of YV Rajesh & Anoop Ravindran, and is essentially about the personal and professional life of a gynaecologist.

The movie follows the journey of Arjun (Unni) from his childhood to eventually becoming a celebrated gynaecologist. His empathetic nature & sincerity in his profession made him quickly climb the ladder of success. At the same time, his arrogance & ego grew as well which threatened to affect his relationships & everything that he had worked hard for. 

Though Ajay Pulickal's frames did give that feel good vibe, the story as such failed to do justice what it had set out to do. The primary issue for that is the various genres and topics that it tried to tackle within the two hour run time without focusing on any of them significantly. In effect, the whole thing felt rushed and we do not actually get emotionally invested in the protagonist. Unni's performance in the initial segment was fine but when the emotional aspects kicks in, he certainly struggles in his diction and body language. A the same time, Nikhila Vimal handled those sequences much better. In the supporting cast, both Sudheesh & Surabhi did their parts well along with Ganga Meera, though I felt that character could have been written much better. 

Verdict: It's a feel good flick that does bring a smile in certain segments but failed to stamp its identity unlike a "Mimi", "Vishesham" etc. In short, it had potential for much more!!!

Rating: 2/5

Machante Maalakha: "Felt more like a Malayalam soap opera!!!"

Just like Vinay Govind, it's been quite a while since Boban Samuel had worn the director's hat with the last enjoyable flick from him being "Romans" which was more than a decade back. The script by Ajeesh Thomas based on a story by Jexson Antony is essentially a gender reversed domestic conflict with the protagonists being Sajeevan (Soubin Shahir) & Bijimol (Namitha Pramod). 

The movie unfolds with Sajeevan, a KSRTC conductor & Bijimol getting into a couple of conflicts over a series of misunderstandings. But in due time, they warm up to each other & decide to tie the knot, though her mother, Kunjumol (Shanthi Krishna) laid down the condition that he would need to live in  their home. This was just the beginning, as he was forced to make other compromises to make their relationship work with Bijimol turning out to be quite self centred. 

I presume you would have understood by now as to why I meant it felt like a soap opera as it was that typical outdated storyline that we had come across so often in the past. The unpredictable behavioural changes in Bijimol and the lack of adequate heft in any of the conflicts fails to keep us engaged. Even the casting didnt help the cause as Soubin & Namitha barely had any chemistry between them while Shanthi Krishna's hamming was irritating to say the least. The only saving grace in the performances was Dileesh Pothan & Vineeth Thattil while Dhyan Sreenivasan featured yet again in a flick for no obvious purpose.

Verdict: No point in lamenting that producers are losing money, since stories like these dont even deserve a watch even on TV.

Rating: 1.5/5

Regards...Ben

Pravinkoodu Shappu, Ennu Swantham Punyalan, Narayaneente Moonnaanmakkal & Oru Jaathi Jaathakam: "Most have failed to survive as long as their titles!!!"

The Malayalam film industry is in yet another crisis with the Producers Association slamming many of the actors & technicians for their exorbitant salaries and the lack of support from the State Government. Their views were based on the losses that most of the movies incurred at the box office. Anyway it is a topic for discussion for a later time, but many of them barely had a relevant storyline & most were barely marketed due to which the audience were not even aware that such flicks released. Over the past month or so, I did happen to watch a couple of them & this is what I felt about them.

Pravinkoodu Shappu: "Interesting blend of intrigue & black humour!!!"

Over the past year or so, Basil Joseph has steadily build on his reputation as a reliable actor & there has been quite a few back to back releases in recent times. His latest flick was helmed by the debutant, Sreeraj Sreenivasan & with Anwar Rasheed bankrolling the project, I was keen to check it out. With Sreeraj also opting for an investigative thriller, the question was how was his story going to be any different from the others. 

The movie is set in Thrissur where a suicide was reported inside a toddy shop with the victim being its owner, Komban Babu (Shivajith). SI Santhosh (Basil) who had recently taken charge was entrusted with the investigation & his sleuthing skills convinced him that it was a murder. With Babu having an frictional relationship with many, it did seem like a valid argument but the probability of pulling it off seemed questionable as it happened while they were many in the shop. So who was the culprit & what was the motive behind it?

There is no doubt that the manner in which Sreeraj had constructed the plot, it does arouse our attention & kept us invested in it. The backstory of each of the characters are revealed with the intention that it would create diversions for the audience & to a certain extent it manages to do that. The drawback or rather what prevented it in becoming a wholesome experience for me was the inability to create that surprise element in the end as the plan as such felt a bit too far fetched. The technical aspects were neatly executed such as Shyju Khalid's cinematography & Vishnu Vijay's music.

On the performance front, Basil continued to impress with his choice of roles and over here as Santhosh, we do see him balance humour and seriousness with ease. Giving him adequate support was Soubin Shahir who effectively conveyed the vulnerabilities and inner turmoil of the character. It's been quite a while since Chandini had featured in a movie & as Merinda, the way she portrays the mood variation was praise worthy. Shivajith was an apt casting choice while Chemban didnt have much to do despite the screen space.

Verdict: It's belongs to those list of movies that falls short of what it could have achieved. However, the performances & black humour on offer, makes it a decent watch.

Rating: 2.5/5

Ennu Swantham Punyalan: "Even Punyalan would not have been impressed!!!"

With numerous movies getting released every other week, it is imperative that the makers come up with stories that manage to keep the audience interested. It does no imply that the story has been unique but rather they need to craft it such a manner that it has freshness in its execution. Unfortunately, Manesh Madhu failed to achieve that with Samji Antony's script in his directorial debut. 

The movie is about Fr. Thomas (Balu Varghese) who was forced to take up priesthood by his family. He was recently moved to a new parish as a punishment transfer & that's where he was faced with the situation of having to protect a girl, Meera (Anaswara Rajan) who had sought refuge in his quarters. Soon enough, they were joined by a thief (Arjun Ashokan) who had also hid there to escape from the public. So how does Fr. Thomas manage to get himself out of this mess is what this movie is about.

Just like many other movies that dealt with priests & churches such as "Romans", it also had a familiar feel to it. The only aspect that felt unique was the history of the cross in the parish but that angle was touched upon quite superficially. None of the other elements managed to keep me engaged & it was quite predictable to be honest. From a performance stand point, Balu has done a decent job along with Arjun who seemed to be in that Charlie/Romancham mode in many sequences while Anaswara felt like a miscast. 

Verdict: It neither tested my patience nor did it have any engaging content that we haven't seen in the past!!!

Rating: 1.5/5

Narayaneente Moonnaanmakkal: "Strong performances shoulder this family drama!!!"

When I first heard the title of this movie, it didnt come across as something that tempted me to check it out. But the presence of three fine artists as the protagonists apart from this being Sharan Venugopal's directorial debut who had already made a name for himself by having won the best film for family values at the 67th National Film Awards, was ample invitation to watch it. 

The movie had already garnered quite a bit of critical acclaim with Sharan's story touching upon the relationship dynamics between the three brothers who were meeting each other after a long time. Apparently, the youngest Bhaskar (Suraj Venjaramood) had severed ties with his family after he went against their wishes and married a Muslim. However, with their mother supposedly on her death bed, the brothers bury the hatchet and come together. 

Sharan's has penned the story in such a manner whereby the focus is on the myriad of emotions that each of the characters go through. It is a social commentary of the times that we live in and a mirror of the type of people that we are as a result of incidents that shaped us. The eldest brother, Vishwanathan (Alencier) comes across as an arrogant and regressive individual, while Sethu (Joju George) is put down occasionally by the others as being a failed & mentally deranged individual, though he seemed to be the most sane compared to the others. Similarly, the relationship between the cousins & Bhaskar with his wife all showcase the different aspects of relationships and mindsets. At the same time, to be honest it failed to keep me engaged as it stayed at the same pitch right throughout.

For a movie of this template, the artists have to do the bulk of the lifting and hence the choice of artists is important. All the protagonists have done their part well with Joju obviously being the most likeable among the three with Alencier & Suraj doing justice to their roles. However, I would rate Garggi Ananthan (as Athira) a tad higher as the movie as such is not dialogue driven but rather rely more on expressions and ability to convey their emotions which she did well. Thomas Mathew as Nikhil was fine along with Shelly Kishore though Sajitha Madathil oscillated from being average to mediocre.

Verdict: Though the artists did their parts well, the story as such failed to keep me engaged after a while!!!

Rating: 2/5 

Oru Jaathi Jathakam: "Leaves us in splits in many sequences!!!"

It's been quite a while since we had a genuinely hilarious movie that doesn't have to seek the help of double meaning to leave us in splits. One such movie that I would slot into that category is M Mohanan's latest flick that focuses on a 38 year old guy who is trying to get hitched. With Rakesh Mantodi penning the script, I was certainly hopeful after all I had enjoyed his work in "Thira" & "Godha". 

Mohanan choice for the protagonist, Jayesh was his nephew, Vineeth Sreenivasan which I felt was a good choice as he pulled off that character quite well. Jayesh was a type of person who had his own concept about his life partner which was quite superficial and regressive due to which his exhaustive search through matrimonial websites & brokers drew blanks.  To add to his worries, as per astrology this was supposed to be just the beginning of more testing times.

On the whole, it's a humorous flick that touches upon conventional marriage and the need to take into consideration many other aspects that might not be as taboo as it is made to appear. From a technical perspective, it was done neatly while when it comes to performance, Vineeth shoulders the movie impressively. Giving him adequate support was Mridul Nair as Jitesh, his male chauvinistic friend, PP Kunhikrishnan as Jayesh's father, Indu Thampy & Chippy Devassy.

Verdict: With the number of movies that focus on humour quite limited nowadays, there was a welcome relief & it does manage to keep us in good spirits for most parts.In short, do give a try!!!

Rating: 2.5/5

Regards...Ben

Dominic & the Ladies' Purse: "Average fare that fails to produce the high moments!!!"

The much awaited Gautham Vasudev Menon's directorial debut in Malayalam has finally hit the screens with Mammootty Kampany bankrolling the project. Surprisingly, this had a rather low keel build up to its release though the trailer did evoke expectations. Since most of Mammookka's choice of movies over the past few years has been delightful for the audience, it would be interesting to know as to what the legend had come up with this time around & that too in the company of GVM.

CI Dominic (Mammookka) was a former police officer who presently ran a private detective agency that dealt with trivial low profile cases & was assisted by Vicky (Gokul Suresh). It was around this time that his house owner, Mrs Madhuri (Viji Venkatesh) entrusts him with the task of finding the owner of a purse that she had found in a hospital. As Dominic struggled to make ends meet & had unpaid rental debts, he decided to take up the case as she had agreed to write them off. However, what seemed like a simple case turned out to be much more complicated than what he had expected.

Apparently, the script is by two doctors, Dr. Neeraj Rajan & Dr. Sooraj Rajan with the screenplay being worked upon by GVM as well. The main positive is undoubtedly the thought that has gone into the character of the protagonist as well as the camaraderie between Dominic & Vicky which had a reasonable sprinkling of humour. But when it came to the mystery aspect, I felt that it was quite predictable (though that didnt pose to be a dampener) with the main issue being the inability to produce high moments when significant reveals were made. The action choreography was quite laborious while Vishnu Dev's visuals were fine along with Darbuka Siva's sound track. 

The USP of the movie is undoubtedly Mammookka who rocked yet again as the protagonist who had his own share of flaws & shortcomings but had a keen sense of observation and concentration. The manner in which he played that role made him endearing & that to a certain extent managed to salvage the average script. Gokul did a decent job while Sushmita Bhatt deserves praise for her performance. The rest of the cast were ok but does not warrant special mention.

Verdict: The subtle tip of the hat to Sherlock Holmes & Watson is what the makers have attempted & they have managed to do justice to it to a certain extent. But the execution of the mystery element needed more impact even as Mammookka kept us invested in it with his craft. Do check it out!!!

Rating; 2.5/5

Regards...Ben

Identity & Rekhachithram: "Duo continue their form!!!"

Almost a month into 2025 & we have already got quite a few interesting releases that had the audience eager for more. I did happen to catch up with a few of them, though due to professional commitments I wasn't able to find the time to pen my thoughts about them. This writeup is essentially about two flicks whose protagonists did have a productive run at the theatres last year. Though the box office verdict on both these flicks have already come out, this is what I felt about them.

Identity: "Stylishly executed action flick that does evoke thrills!!!"

This is the first major Malayalam release of the year which had an attractive cast with Tovino Thomas, Trisha Krishnan & Vinay Rai heading the project. It is Anas Khan's second directorial venture & he has also penned the story along with Akhil Paul, who had done the same for the former's directorial debut in "Forensic". As in the previous flick, this one also touches upon medical conditions & has been crafted quite well.

Haran Shankar (Tovino) had an abusive childhood because of his authoritarian father which had an impact on his character & demeanour. However, he had some unique capabilities which translated into him becoming a competent sketch artist. The story unfolds with CI Allen (Vinay) moving to Kochi as part of a murder investigation & accompanied by Ann (Trisha), the witness to the crime. Incidentally, they were provided accommodation in the same apartment complex as Haran & seeing his sketching abilities, Allen decided to seek his assistance in sketching the killer from Ann's description. What subsequently unfolds as a result of that portrait is what this movie is about. 

The story as such is engaging & the production values ensured that it was stylishly executed. The climax sequence inside the aircraft was top notch & something that I have not seen convincingly shot in Indian movies. There were adequate twists & turns, which might seem a tad over the top at times but I personally felt that it was quite reasonable, At the same time, certain character aspects that were spoken about in the initial phase takes a back seat subsequently. The technical aspects were all neatly done be it Akhil George's cinematography or Jakes Bejoy's music.

On the performance front, Tovino has done a fine job along with Vinay, with the latter having more  scope to perform which he aced as well. Though Trisha's role had relevance in the story, in terms of bringing an artist like her didnt make much sense except from a marketing perspective. Shammi Thilakan did his part well while Aju Varghese & Archana Kavi provided adequate support. As for Arjun Radhakrishnan, he ought to choose roles that does justice to his talent & not merely for the sake of being part of the cast.

Verdict: Both engaging & competently executed that does tends to go a tad over the top especially in the latter half!!!

Rating: 3/5

Rekhachithram: "Engaging blend of fact & fiction!!!"

The movie has already created headlines as it emerged as the first Malayalam superhit of the year & the credit for that goes to Jofin T Chacko. It is his second directorial venture after "The Priest" and he has worked on the screenplay as well along with John Manthrickal & Ramu Sunil. The latter is the one who had penned the script which belongs to the mystery thriller genre and takes on the angle of an alternate event that happened on the sets of an actual movie. 

CI Vivek Gopinath (Asif Ali) was suspended for his online gambling activities & was reinstated as the SHO in the sleepy hills of Malakkappara. However, his joining date turned out to be quite eventful as Rajendran (Siddique), a prominent affluent individual had committed suicide in a forest. What made it even more shocking was that he had made a video confession prior to his suicide about a crime that he had committed along with a couple of others close to four decades back. Incidentally, the victim happened to be a young girl named Rekha (Anaswara Rajan), an aspiring actress who had gone missing from the sets of Bharathan's "Kaathodu Kaathoram". So who was Rekha & was there any truth to Rajendran's confessions??? It seemed like too hard a challenge but Vivek was determined to unravel the truth. 

The USP of the movie is undoubtedly the convincing manner in which they weaved a fictional event to a real life incident. Jofin has effectively managed to gel mystery with metacinema and that provided a wholesome viewing experience. The idea to bring in real life characters speaking about a fictional incident was brilliantly crafted that it literally felt authentic. Unlike other flicks where the focus is on 'whodunnit', over here it is about why did they do it & most importantly, who exactly was the female protagonist who appeared from nowhere & made an impression in the minds of people she met & then disappeared without a trace. The 'Mammootty chettan' presence was felt for a significant part of the movie & they made sure that it was relevant rather than mere gimmicks. Kudos to the technical team who did a fine job such as Appu Prabhakar's visuals, the seamless transitions between timelines by Shameer Muhammed, the art and costume department and importantly, the AI effects which was well executed.

Asif Ali has been going from strength to strength with his smart choice of roles and making sure that he did complete justice to it. The same also goes to Anaswara who has done a praise worthy job in a role that showcased her ability to portray different emotions with ease and convincingly despite the risk of bein cringy. However, the artist that aced her part was undoubtedly Zarin Shihab who was fantastic in her brief role. There were also quite a few who  have also done utmost justice to their roles such as Indrans, Siddique & Manoj K Jayan to name a few.

Verdict: Undoubtedly, a well made movie & Jofin certainly deserves all the praise that is being bestowed on him. Both the cast & crew deserves an applause for their work & it deserves to be watched. Do check it out!!!

Rating: 3.5/5

Regards...Ben

Barroz & Extra Decent: "Ente thampurane, decent returns might be a tad tricky !!!"

This Christmas saw the release of four flicks of various genres hitting the screens of which I had penned my opinion about "Rifle Club" & "Marco". Among the remaining two flicks, one of them happened to be among the most awaited movie of the year, "Barroz" for the obvious reason that it was helmed by Lalettan. The other one was from Aamir Pallikal that had Suraj Venjaramoodu donning the role of the producer apart from being the protagonist.

Barroz: "Lacked the expected finesse in story telling & performances!!!"

Finally the much awaited movie that has been in the making for quite a while was released on Christmas, exactly 44 years after his debut in a full fledged role in "Manjil Virinja Pookkal". Based on Jijo Punnoose's novel, Lalettan & T K Rajeev Kumar had initially planned to conceive it as a 3D play but due to the logistical challenges they decided to make it as a 3D flick. However, as there were significant revisions from the original screenplay, Jijo backed out from the movie. If you ask me that proved to be the bane of this project.

The movie unfolds in 1633AD where Barroz (Lalettan) is the loyal servant of Cristovao da Gama (Ignacio Mateos), the Portuguese Viceroy who was entrusted to take care of the treasure. However, as fate might have it, he was cursed to become a ghost & his wait to hand over the treasure had lasted for over four centuries. In the present day, Isabella (Maya Rao West), the descendant of the Viceroy & heir to the treasure comes to Goa with her father, to attend the auction for the da Gama mansion. What subsequently follows is how Barroz meets up with Isa & the evil forces that are set in motion to deny him the liberation that he deserved. 

As mentioned earlier, the biggest flaw with the movie is the screenplay as it comes across as multiple skits that has been stitched together. This aspect becomes extremely prominent for all the interior sequences as it fails to keep us engaged. The basic thread of the story sounded interesting and it did have the potential. However, to be honest, the execution was quite average & at times, even mediocre. Despite the dramatic feel to proceedings in the climax, I did like that section which was undeniably one of the very rare occasions where all aspects worked reasonably well. 

On the technical side, the 3D effects in general was ok but we are so used to seeing such type of flicks nowadays that it fails to provide that wow factor. Despite the best efforts of the fantastic Santhosh Sivan, it gave the claustrophobic feel of being performed in a very restricted space. At the same time, Lydian Nadhaswaram's music was impressive for most parts (though it's placement was questionable at times). Another major factor that contributed to the movie's decline were the performances right across the board. Almost all of them were mediocre or average at best without exception. Even Lalettan did struggle to provide authenticity to the character in many segments, however he showed his caliber in the second half especially the climax. A special mention for Bhasi Vaikkom who dubbed for the Voodoo as that did evoke laughs and sounded sensible in many mundane sequences.

Verdict: Despite the goodwill & the fantastic actor that the legend is, the same cannot be said about his directorial skills. He might have had the vision & the resources to make it, but when it came to execution it was quite amateurish!!!

Rating: 2/5

Extra decent: "Dark humour that keeps us engaged!!!"

This is Aamir Pallikal's second directorial venture after "Ayisha" & once again, he has collaborated with Ashif Kakkodi. This time around the duo have chosen to opt for dark humour and the protagonist that they had chosen for this quirky flick was Suraj Venjaramoodu who had also invested in the project along with Listin Stephen. 

The camera zooms into an apartment complex where Binu (Suraj) had just returned from work & gets struck down by the security. As a result, his memory was lost though the signs that he showed had given hope to the doctors that he would recover completely in due time. However, his family seemed far from pleased about that news & on the contrary were anxious about what lay in front of them. So why were they worried???

In terms of the mood, it pretty much fits into the "Mukundan Unni Associates" space & the manner in which Ashif has penned the characters ensured that we do not end up taking sides as all have shades of grey and are selfish about their comfort. Aamir has crafted the scenes well such that there is a proper blend of humour irrespective of the tone of the sequence. At the same time, I was a bit perplexed that the main crux point that made Binu to change did not come across as dire to make certain characters so tensed up. The technical aspects were executed well be it Sharon Sreenivas's cinematography or Ankit Menon's music.

This is undoubtedly one of Suraj's best performance in recent times as it was not an easy role to pull off. His nuanced portrayal effectively captured the various facets of the character. Grace Antony was fine as always while Vinayaprasad & Sudheer Karamana did their parts well. The rest of the cast have also done their roles aptly.

Verdict: An interesting story complimented by an impressive Suraj makes it a worthy watch. 

Rating: 2.75/5

Regards...Ben