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

Round up of 2024

With the growing prominence of the OTT platforms especially after the pandemic, the interest for Malayalam movies have increased manifold. However unlike before, the OTT honchos are pretty peculiar as to which movies they want to invest on & beam on their platforms. This essentially meant that out of the 204 movies that were released (199) & re-released (5), only 26 of them managed to recover their costs. 

Among those that managed to bring a smile to their investors, “Manjummel Boys” became the first Malayalam flick to breach the 200C mark with “Aadujeevitham”, “Aavesham”, “Premalu” & “ARM” bringing in ample footfalls which yielded more than 100C each. The cumulative profits was to the tune of 300C but with the total investment being about 1000C, it meant that the industry saw a humongous loss of about 700C which raises serious queries as to long it will be able to sustain itself. At the same time, it's encouraging that all type of genres are working which emphasizes the point that if the movie has quality, then we will accept it with open arms.

Anyway among the ones that I had watched (around 70), the ten movies that I rated higher than the rest are mentioned below. Since I have already penned my opinion about what I liked about these flicks, please feel free to check out my blog if interested

·         Bramayugam  

·         Aattam

·         Aadujeevitham

·         Ullozhukku

·         Kishkindha Kaandam

·         Sookshamadarshini

·         Manjummel Boys

·         Anweshippin Kandethum

·         ARM

·         Gaganachari

Coming to performances, there were quite a few standout ones that I absolutely enjoyed. With most flicks barely having meaty roles for female artists, it would be fair to say that didn’t have much opportunity to showcase their caliber unlike their male counterparts.

Mammookka: In a career that has spanned close to half a century, the legend has never ceased to amaze & as Kodumon Potty, he has taken it to a whole new level. 'Brilliant' will be an understatement as I believe this is undoubtedly one of his finest.

Urvashi: I personally consider her as the finest actress to have ever graced Malayalam movies & as Leelamma in ‘Ullozhukku’, the legend gave a power packed performance which kept us completely invested in the story. Even in ‘Her’, the main redeeming factor for it was her role as Santha & the chemistry that she shared with Prathap Pothen which gave that segment an authentic feel.

Prithvi: Produced his career best performance in a role where the physical and emotional transformation that he brought to the character was sensational which was reflected in his gait, eyes and even in his dialogue delivery

Kani Kusruthi: Though ‘All We Imagine As Light’ did not quite strike a chord with me, the manner in which she had played the role of Prabha was impressive. Her subtle performance that showcased the inner turmoil, helplessness & anxiety which made the character reluctant to seek for liberalisation was praise worthy.

There were a host of other impressive performances as well such as Vijayaraghavan in ‘Kishkindha Kaandham’, Fahadh in ‘Aavesham’, Lalettan in "Malaikottai Vaaliban", Asif Ali in all the three movies he featured which was quite unique to each other, Parwathy in ‘Ullozhokku’ & Tovino as Maniyan in ‘ARM’.

Anyway looking forward to 2025 & from the list of projects that has been announced so far, it certainly looks like exciting times for the industry & for movie lovers!!!

Regards...Ben

 

Marco & Rifle Club: "Guns & knives have struck a chord at the box office!!!"

It's that time of the year where we have a plethora of movies hoping to cash in on the last set of holidays before the dawn of 2025. This review is essentially about two such movies that appears as action thrillers on the surface but adopts diverse tracks to narrate their stories. Interestingly, both of them have struck a chord with the audience as the box office returns have brought smiles to their makers. So what kind of an experience did these flicks provide me???

Marco: "Technically impressive that stays true to its tagline to the point of being disturbing!!!"

Even prior to watching this movie, I was sure that it was difficult to write my opinion about it coz I have never been a fan of hyper masculine narratives especially when it involved excessive gore like maiming humans. Hence when the makers announced that this was the most violent Malayalam movie, I was pretty sure what I was getting into but I still decided to give it a try coz of Haneef Adeni, since he knows how to present his heroes in a stylised manner & also because of Unni Mukundan, who I consider as one of the finest when it comes to action. 

As in the case of most of his movies, Haneef has penned the script as well & he has taken the characters of Adattu George (Siddique) and his foster brother, Marco (Unni) from his own "Mikhael", and placed them here, with no other obvious connection with that flick. Apart from Marco, George had a brother named Victor (Ishaan Shoukath), who was blind & things take a turn when the latter gets killed by one of the member in the gold smuggling syndicate, in which George held a prominent position. As expected, Marco vows to unleash hell on whoever were behind his brother's murder.

The first thing that I would like to touch upon are the technical aspects & the production quality, both of which were top notch. Chandru Selvaraj's cinematography was brilliant with Shameer Mohammed's seamless cuts enhancing the impact. To add to that, Ravi Basrur's BGM elevated many such sequences just like how he did in "KGF" & "Salaar". In terms of the story as such, obviously it is a generic revenge story & I dont think it is a negative as long as it is packaged well & the action that unfolds serves purpose to what the story wants to convey. The first half worked reasonably well as the story unfolds with Marco hot on the trails of his brother's murderers. But the latter half failed to make any sense for the level of violence that was unleashed, with the pre-climax sequence in Marco's home being repulsive to say the least. Even from the protagonist's stand point, all those dialogues barely had any significance considering what he eventually ends up with.

Despite the weak writing, there is no doubt that Unni has done an excellent job as he had the swag, style & physicality that the character demanded. I dont think there is any other actor in Malayalam who could have pulled off this character with such impact. One of the few plus points in "Mikhael" was the imposing presence of Siddique as George & over here as well, he was impressive. The choice of Jagadish as the suave schemer was interesting, though it kind of felt like a miscast for me. What do I say about Kabir Duhan Singh? Damn...he literally killed it with his spine chilling performance. Another artist that deserves mention is Abhimanyu Shammi Thilakan who did justice to his role though the dialogue delivery as such right across the board was quite average except for Siddique & Jagadish. 

Verdict: Seemed like the makers were keen on remaining true to their statement that it is the most violent movie in Malayalam & it would be fair to say, that I think it could possibly be 'in India' itself. However, I am shocked at the way, violence is being normalised nowadays in movies (it is a topic for discussion at another instance), with the second half of "Marco" being repulsive for me as it felt like they just had those sequences for the sake of it rather than serve any purpose. In short, taking cue from Tony Issac's dialogue, I appreciate Haneef's stylised execution & Unni's dedicated performance but feel sorry for our brains!!!

Rating: 1.5/5

Rifle Club: "Ambada Puluso...Aashiq Abu back with a bang!!!"

Aashiq Abu is a name that has always been in the news for one reason or the other, though it wasn't related to the work that he had done. The last time that kind of a discussion happened was in 2019 when he came out with an ensemble cast for a well crafted "Virus", which is still one of my favourite movie over the past decade. Anyway the wait for yet another impressive work doesn't have to extend any further as he has come out with "Rifle Club", a wholesome entertainer for this Christmas. 

Set in 1991, Mammoookka's "Mrugaya" has been the talk of the town which made the romantic hero, Shajahan (Vineeth Kumar) rethink about his choice of movies. At the insistence of his manager, he decides to spent some time at the 'Rifle Club' in Wayanad to get accustomed to the ways of hunting which was the subject of his next movie. The club was established by Kuzhiveli Lonappan (Vijayaraghavan) along with two of his friends & was presently handled by Avaran (Dileesh Pothan). Around the same time, the son of Dayanand (Anurag Kashyap), an arms dealer based in Mangalore was found dead in a dumpster which leads him to the rifle club as well. What subsequently unfolds in the club as a result of all these events is what this movie is about. 

Even as the focus obviously shifts towards the action sequences in the second half, it is important to create a strong case in the lead up to it with attention being paid to the geography & the dynamics between the extended family members in the club. This was penned sensibly by Syam Pushkaran, Dileesh Karunakaran & Suhas with a smart sprinkling of humour right throughout. It was executed well by Aashiq, who also handled the cinematography giving us a wholesome entertainer in less than 2 h. At the same time, the final act lacked the punch & was quite hurried, failing to cash in on the high that it had created until then. Another major positive was Rex Vijayan whose tracks & BGM was in sync with the mood.

The movie has an ensemble cast & pretty much most of them have done justice to their parts. Though quite a few of them had very limited screen time, almost all of them gets to mouth or showcase some quirks. The standout is undoubtedly Dileesh Pothan who was top notch with Anurag Kashyap also having his moments. Vijayaraghavan rocked as usual while Vishnu Agasthya continues to prove his caliber as an artist. Sooraj aka Hanumankind was an intelligent casting choice & he was damn impressive with the swag. The rest of the cast such as Vani Vishwanath, Suresh Krishna, Unnimaya etc were all fine in their parts. 

Verdict: Certainly Aashiq's best since "Virus" as he provides us with a flick that is also about guns but still keeps the mood quite light & enjoyable till the very end. In short, it is a Wild Wild West set in the Western Ghats. Do check it out!!!

Rating: 3/5

Regards...Ben

Sookshamadarshini, Hello Mummy, Anand Sreebala, I am Kathalan: "Interesting array of movies in November!!!"

Less than a month left for the year to get over & with some big banner releases lined up for release in December, it was curious to see whether there was any interesting projects prior to it. I happened to watch quite a few flicks over the past weeks & some of them were quite worthwhile. Though there is still indecision regarding the venue for the Champions Trophy, there was no confusion among the audience about the fate of these movies.

Sookshamadarshini: "Smart deception by the makers about what is in store eventually!!!"

There was quite a buzz in the lead up to this latest release from Jithin M.C primarily because it marked the return of Nazriya onto the screen after a hiatus which also had Basil Joseph, who is on a purple patch. The promotions gave the impression that it was a fun flick & that I have to admit was a smart ploy as it kept the audience guessing pretty much for most parts. 

The movie unfolds in a close knot neighbourhood where Manuel (Basil) & his mother, Grace (Manohari Joy) had recently moved into their property after many years. The decision to come back was primarily because Manuel wanted to take care of his mother who had health issues. One of their neighbour was Priya (Nazriya) who had a keen eye for detail, & something about Manuel's demeanour didn't seem quite right to her. Though her husband, Antony (Deepak Parambol) tried to dissuade her from putting too much of thought into it, her investigative instincts got the better of her & she decided to dig into it further after roping in the support of her friends. So was Manuel actually up to something???

This is Jithin's second directorial venture after "Nonsense" & he has penned the script with Athul Ramachandran and Libin T.B working on the screenplay. The strength of the movie is undoubtedly the screenplay as it kept us engaged by indicating that there is certainly something mysterious and along with Priya, we also go about trying to piece the puzzle together. At the same time, with humour also sprinkled liberally, we are distracted from working through the reason for the mystery until it reaches the very end & we are left a tad surprised by what is revealed (I certainly was). Christo Xavier's BGM was impressive as it provided heft to the suspense while Chaman Chakko deserves praise for the seamless edits.

Basil continues to shine in whichever role he appears & it is no different here as well as it involved balancing the seriousness with the humour which he has done well. Nazriya has done a fine job as well especially in the latter half with Akhila Bhargavan & Pooja Mohanraj giving her able support (the duo's sequence in Manuel's house was top notch), while Merin Philip was also ok, though her role didn't have much note worthy moments despite the screen time. As for the rest of the cast, Manohari Joy's role was quite unconventional, the decision to cast Siddharth Bharathan was damn smart while Deepak Parambol, Kottayam Ravi etc did their parts aptly. 

Verdict: Undoubtedly, one of the best movies of the year & kudos to Jithin for his deception and execution. Do check it out!!!

Rating: 3.5/5

Hello Mummy: "Interesting premise that failed to punch its weight the whole way through!!!"

If we look into this year's major Bollywood box office successes, one thing that stands out is the fact that the audience had warmed to the horror comedy genre with flicks like "Stree 2" & "Bhool Bhulaiya 3" laughing their way to the bank. It may or may not have been a cue for Vaishakh Elans, who made his directorial debut in this genre with the script penned by Sanjo Joseph. 

Boney (Sharafudeen) hailed from an affluent family who was not keen on a marital relation as he felt that it would be an inconvenience to the freedom that he enjoyed as a bachelor. However, when his brother-in-law brings the alliance of Stephy (Aishwarya Lekshmi), who was academically inclined unlike him, he has a change of heart. In due time, they warm up to each other but there was one major issue & that was the spirit of Stephy's mother being with her even though she had passed away more than a couple of decades back. But Boney assured her that he would still like to tie the knot with her (as he did not believe what she said). Little did he realise that it was indeed true. 

It was certainly an interesting thread & Vaishakh made sure that the humour angle was fleshed out especially in the post marital segment. But the last act goes down a predictable route of black magic & the drama which was not quite to the mark though I felt that the choice of antagonist was good. Vaishakh could have amped up the horror aspect over there to make it impactful but unfortunately it was quite watered down. Chaman's edits in his second release of the week was decent while the VFX and Praveen Kumar's visuals were impressive right throughout and in sync with the mood.

There is no doubt that the movie worked for a large extent due to the choice of Sharafudeen as the antagonist who was top notch in the manner that he handled humour. The veterans in the form of Jagadish & Johny Antony gave credible support while Aishwarya was average at best. Sunny Hinduja did justice in his role and was an excellent choice, though his role wasn't adequately explored. As for the rest of the cast, Bindu Panicker, Aju Varghese etc did their parts aptly though their roles required better writing. 

Verdict: It certainly provides the laughs and did have an interesting thread to narrate, though it takes a familiar track towards the end. Despite the predictability, it doesn't test our patience unlike many of the other horror comedies that we usually come across!!!

Rating: 2.25/5

Anand Sreebala: "Vishnu shows promise in his debut directorial venture!!!"

Just like "Hello Mummy", this is another movie in which the mother plays a prominent role in the form of a spirit or rather the figment of imagination of the protagonist. The movie is the directorial debut of Vishnu Vinay, the son of the veteran director Vinayan & he had joined hands with Abhilash Pillai who had written the story which was undoubtedly inspired from the 2017 Mishel Shaji case. 

Yet another person was reported missing & this time around it was Merin Joy (Malavika Manoj) whose whereabouts couldn't be traced by her frantic parents. They sought the help of the police & it eventually led to locating her dead which was concluded as a suicide, that the parents refused to believe. A few months later, Sreebala (Aparna Das), a TV journalist decided to take up this case as part of her crime file show and sought the help of her boyfriend, Anand (Arjun Ashokan) who was an aspiring police officer. Soon enough, he finds loopholes in the investigation & raised queries about it. So what had made him to believe that it was a murder???

The idea of having the mother as a presence around Anand was interesting & how it helped him put together some of the clues was intriguing. But it isn't explored much apart from the initial flourish and what we get to see is that character pop in and out for no particular reason. The investigation showcased was pretty decent & Vishnu's direction did indicate that he is not a green horn at it. On the whole, I felt the story was ok but it doesn't provide anything in terms of unique twists or turns. The technical aspects were handled well be it Vishnu Narayanan's cinematography, Kiran Das's editing & Ranjin Raj's music.

Even though the writing could have been better for the characters, the artists who performed those roles had done their parts quite well. It starts off with Arjun Ashokan who deserves praise for his work as the talented investigator that had emotional issues. Saiju Kurup did his part well along with Malavika Manoj while the rest of the cast such as Aparna Das, Siddique etc did their parts aptly.

Verdict: A pretty decent effort from a debutant director as well as from the cast who are led down to a large extent by the screenplay which lacked the drama to elevate the viewing experience. 

Rating: 2/5

I am Kathalan: "An engaging flick on hacking!!!"

As part of the promotions, Girish A D had mentioned that this flick was completed more than a couple of years back but couldn't be released due to some financial issues. So much so, it was supposed to be the first movie to have Naslen as the lead but ended up releasing much later, by which time he has made himself an bankable star at the box office. 

Vishnu (Naslen) is introduced as one who is least bothered about his career with quite a few supple papers though he was worried that he risked losing his girlfriend, Shilpa (Anishma Anilkumar) if he didn't get a job. On the other hand, Shilpa decided to move ahead with her career by joining as the IT lead in her father's finance company. She was far from impressed with his irresponsible attitude & suggests that it is better off for both of them to put an end to their relationship. It was a decision that Vishnu was not willing to accept & when her father insults him when they cross paths, he vows to wreck havoc with his hacking skills. 

More often than not, most Indian movies fail when they deal with such kind of techno thrillers as they either make it over the top with a lot of unnecessary jargons of which they neither have much idea nor able to convey properly. This is where Sajin Cherukayil has played his cards well as the story is grounded and the technical stuff that Vishnu deals with is explained in an understandable manner. Another interesting aspect is the casting of Lijomol Jose as an ethical hacker, though I felt her portions required more detailing. The reaction of the protagonist to the humiliation that he faced & the things that he did as a response of that was effectively handled by Girish. Among the technical crew, Akash Joseph's editing was fine while the others also put in their effort.

Coming to performances, Naslen has done a fine job along with Anishma and Lijomol. Dileesh Pothen was effective while the usual troupe of artists in Girish's movies such as Vineeth Vasudevan, Sajin & Vineeth Viswam did their parts aptly.

Verdict: A sensible flick on hacking that is grounded and relatable. 

Rating: 2.5/5