Jana Nayagan: "Thalapathy did his part but the audience deserved much better!!!"

Finally after a prolonged wait, H Vinoth's "Jana Nayagan" has managed to obtain clearance from the censor board & hit the screens across the globe last week. Initially scheduled for release in January, Thalapathy had announced that this flick would mark the end of his career in movies as he decided to plunge into politics full time. Anyway the box office has gone gaga, but is the flick worth the hype???

As most of you will be aware, it is the remake of Anil Ravipudi's "Bhagavanth Kesari" or rather, the first half sticks to it before the latter half turns out to the political manifesto of Vijay's TVK. Interestingly, Vijay's character is named as 'Thalapathy Vetri Kondan' which is unabashedly shown as being tattooed as TVK in his forearm. It started off as a foster father-daughter relationship (Mamitha as Viji) before it took liberal diversions and ended up with Vijay the saviour for the masses.

On paper, Vinoth's screenplay might have sounded interesting as it touched upon various aspects such as girl empowerment, democracy, corruption etc. However, when he tried to execute it on screen, it seemed like a montage of various issues and that in turn took out the organic feel to it. It seemed like Vinoth referred to the TVK manifesto and put each point in it as a separate scene and made Vijay mouth dialogues that was either to boost his political image or to trounce the other parties. Another major flaw was the production quality which was pathetic to say the least as most of the sequences were shot in studios which was blatantly evident while the VFX was laughable at best. On the technical side, except for Anirudh's BGM, none of the other departments deserve a mention. 

So was it a complete washout? I wouldnt say so, as Vijay did his part quite well and was adequately supported by Mamitha, who despite being side lined in the latter half was impressive in the action sequences. Pooja Hegde also had a legitimate role & did a decent job unlike the usual trend where actresses just walk in for a song and dance. Bobby Deol's character arc hardly made sense & his performance was quite rigid as well. There were a plethora of other artists as well who were average at best. 

Verdict: If you ask me what was the best part of this movie, then it is undoubtedly Vijay who rocked & to add to the hype, the title card and end credits was both exciting and nostalgic. However, as a movie as such, it left a lot to be desired!!!

Rating: 1.5/5

Regards...Ben

Mollywood Times, Athiradi, Dridam, Madhuvidhu: "Diverse as Messi & CR7's performance in the first round of the WC!!!"

The last couple of months had me quite busy even on weekends, so much so I couldn't find the time to set aside to write in my blog after having watched the movies. Luckily, there is a change to that this weekend and I didn't have to think twice as to what I would like to do with the available time. However, unlike my other posts, this opinion piece about some of the flicks that I watched over the past month or so, will be less elaborate as most of them have already hit the OTT platform. So which are these flicks???

Mollywood Times: "Abhinav continues to impress!!!"

The second instalment of the 'Success trilogy' from Abhinav Sunder Nayak had hit the screens a couple of weeks back & it was yet another interesting dark comedy. However, it wasn't as unapologetic as his debut venture and focuses on the journey of Vineeth Madhavan (Naslen) who had dreamt to become the greatest horror movie director in Malayalam. 

Kudos to Ramu Sunil who had penned the script for the manner he had blended optimism with cynicism even as Vineeth faced hurdles at each step of the way. His unwavering self belief and stubborn nature to stick to his ideals and beliefs, saw him earn enemies in various forms be it as creative conflicts or industry politics. The thought given to the manner in which each & every character was etched deserves praise as it gave us a glimpse as to how quickly inter-personal dynamic changed as each one tried to climb up the ladder of success by hook or by crook. 

On the technical side, Jakes Bejoy's music was quite interesting and in sync with the ups & downs of the protagonist's life. The animation & voice over, which was an integral part of Abhinav's debut venture was used over here as well with equal impact. Coming to performances, this is undoubtedly one of the best performance from Naslen who handled the character shift quite well when things become tough for him. Though Sharafudeen performed aptly, I kind of felt that he was under utilised; in the sense, the character didnt quite have the heft that needed him (kind of felt the same about Vineeth Sreenivasan as well). The rest of the artists such as Sangeeth Prathap, Roshan Shanavas, Rajesh Madhavan, Gopika Ramesh etc., did justice to their parts.

Verdict: Abhinav deserves praise for the unique manner his protagonist or situations that the character is in plays out & in that way, he has created a USP for himself in just two movies. It was certainly entertaining, but felt it would have better off if it was more crisp. In short, do give it a try!!!

Rating: 3/5

Athiradi: "Entertaining action comedy!!!"

Do all of you enjoy meta references? Well I do, especially when it is done right & Arun Anirudhan has ensured that he has done that in his directorial debut which was bankrolled by Basil Joseph. Incidentally, Basil plays the lead role as Sam who had joined the college with the aim to recommence the college fest that had been cancelled for a few years which had affected his family as well. However, it was easier said than done as he unknowingly got into a conflict with a retired gangster, Sreekuttan (Tovino Thomas).

Arun had already tried his hand in penning a script with "Minnal Murali" & "Padayottam", and he decided to continue the same here also in the company of Paulson Skaria who had worked on "Kaathal". It has a typical template but the reason as to why it worked for me was the way the screenplay was written. The colours and vibe of a college atmosphere along with the characters and dialogues that gelled perfectly well, made it entertaining. The technical aspects were neatly done be it Vishnu Vijay's music, Samuel Henry's cinematography & the action choreography. 

Basil continues to shine in whichever role he appears & he has done that here also. The conflict between Sam & Sreekuttan, though necessary for the story; I felt the content as such for that character couldnt do justice to a person of Tovino's star value. At the same time, Tovino performed impressively as he handled the subtle humour and carried the aura of a feared gangster with ease. Vishnu Agasthya might had a small role but he was excellent & I really hope that he gets meatier roles in future as he is an artist with immense calibre. Jeo Baby & Shaan Rahman were hilarious, with Shelvin, Vineeth Sreenivasan & Zarin Shihab providing adequate along with Riya Shibu who was ok. The rest of the artists have all done their parts aptly, while the hype around Hashir's cameo didn't make much sense to me. 

Verdict: Certainly, one of the most entertaining Malayalam move that I had watched this year. It doesn't have any complex story to convey but whatever it had, it managed to keep me in good spirits!!!

Rating: 3.25/5

Dridam: "Slow burning procedural drama that fizzles out!!!"

Prior to the release of "Drishyam 3", Jeethu Joseph presented this flick which happened to be his assistant, Martin Joseph's directorial debut. Just like his mentor, Martin also opted for the thriller genre with the focus being on the challenges that Vijay (Shane Nigam), a newly appointed SI faces. The script penned by Jomon John & Linto Devasia introduces us to a peaceful locality before murders & robbery heightens the pressure on the protagonist who struggled to get conclusive leads.

Since the audience is treated to regular dose of crime thrillers, it is imperative that the makers come up with fresh ideas to keep them engaged. Though the manner in which this procedural thriller is staged is reasonably fine, it doesn't offer anything unique as such until the very end. So in effect, it was an average fare at best from a story telling perspective as well as on the technical side. Shane Nigam has done a fine job as he captured the body language of the protagonist extremely well. There was a plethora of other supporting artists such as Shobi Thilakan, Dinesh Prabhakar etc and they were ok.

Verdict: Except for the climax twist, it doesn't offer anything new. However, Shane has done a fine job with some credible efforts from the supporting cast.

Rating: 2/5

Madhuvidhu: "Humorous family drama that falters in the emotional segment!!!"

Over the years, Sharafudeen has emerged as a versatile artist but there is no denying that he is an absolute pro when it comes to handling humour & imparting warmth to romance, as in "Hello Mummy", "Ntikkakkakkoru Premondarnn" etc.  Hence I was more than keen to check out this flick which was the directorial debut of Vishnu Aravind.

Based on the script that Bibin Mohan & Jai Vishnu had drafted, it gives us a feel of vintage humorous family dramas ("Kalayanaraman", "Meleparambil Aanveedu") and keeps us in good spirits for most parts. The protagonist, Ammu (Sharafudeen) has been in search for a suitable alliance for quite a while but nothing quite worked out especially since there was a belief that their family was cursed. However, a change in events happens when Sneha (Kalyani Panicker) came into his life though there was still challenge in inter-family dynamics. 

Even as the humour track kept us engaged, the movie struggled when it deviated to the emotional aspect. On the technical side, it was decent with Hesham Wahab's tracks being the standout & deserved praise. As I mentioned earlier, these type of characters are in the comfort zone of Sharafudeen & he did utmost justice to it. Despite this being Kalyani's debut, she handled the romantic & light moments with ease with the chemistry with Sharafudeen being quite good. However, she struggled with the emotional scenes. As for the rest of the cast, Jagadish & Azees Nedumangad was impressive with Sai Kumar, Sreejaya Nair etc. providing adequate support.

Verdict: The humour & the chemistry of the lead pair made it an engaging watch for most parts, except for the emotional angle which unsettled the tempo!!!

Rating: 2.5/5

Regards...Ben

Drishyam 3: "Lalettan soars while the franchise stutters!!!"

The summer holidays has come to an end & the monsoon has started to slash across the length and breadth of the state. However, that didn't dampen expectations as one of the most awaited move of the year, "Drishyam 3" hit the screens last Thursday. In the lead up to the release, Antony Perumbavoor as always has proved as to why he is considered as an authority in marketing as the social media was flooded with promotional events. Well did Jeethu Joseph managed to do justice to what he claimed would be an emotional journey of Georgekutty rather than an investigative thriller.

About 5 years has passed since the events in "Drishyam 2" had unfolded & in that period, Georgekutty  had adapted the novel into a movie which made a splash at the box office. Even as he enjoyed the success, Yami (Veena Nandakumar), a journalist, relentlessly pursued the case to prove him guilty. At the same time, Georgekutty was constantly in search for a suitable marital alliance for his daughter, Anju (Ansiba). However, there were forces at play that prevented any of the prospective proposals to proceed to the next stage. So who was Georgekutty up against this time around & did he still have what it takes to stay a step ahead???

At the promotions, Jeethu made a consistent & conscious effort to tame the expectations which was obviously futile considering how popular the franchise had become. The point that he emphasised was that more than surprising the audience with twists & turns, this was more about the emotional & psychological toll that had taken on Georgekutty over the years. There is no doubt that Jeethu has crafted that aspect quite well as the audience is given insights about the missteps that the protagonist had started to make. This includes the impact that his actions had on the life of others & the price that he had to pay for it. Towards the climax, he tries to up the ante & though the core idea might have looked fine on paper, it certainly didnt translate well onto the screen. It lacked the punch or the organic feel that was felt in the earlier flicks and some of the characters just disappears without much purpose. 

With the fourth part also on the cards, it will be interesting to see how Jeethu plans to take it forward. Well the novel in the earlier part gave him the loop hole to escape. I wonder whether the climax of the movie that he made was any indication of an elaborate plan which unfolds in the next part? Anyway in  terms of the execution, it was quite average to be honest & failed to add any sort of impact to the scenes. This wasn't an issue in the earlier movies as the screenplay was quite solid, but as the latter faltered, it propped up evidently. Satheesh Kurup's cinematography was trite while Anil Johnson's music was decent. The dialogues were mediocre while the make up department marginally improves.

On the performance front, Lalettan was damn impressive & convincingly portrayed the turmoil that the character goes through. His body language, expressions & absent minded gestures were spot on, and yet again proves as to why is one of the finest ever. Meena & Murali Gopi were both fine along with Ansiba and Esther who were decent in their efforts. As for the the rest of the artists, their performances varied from average to pathetic and this includes Siddique, Shajon, Veena etc.

Verdict: If it wasnt for Lalettan's masterful performance, I seriously doubt whether this movie would have made as much of an impact at the box office which has already 200C as per the reports. Anyway do check it out for Lalettan's performance!!!

Rating: 2.75/5

Regards...Ben

Mohiniyattam, Oru Durooha Saahacharyathil, Pallichattambi: "Audience dance to the tunes of Saiju Kurup's dark comedy!!!"

Well Mahesh Narayanan's "Patriot", has hit the screens across the globe & has garnered mixed reactions, though I did quite like it. Anyway, in the lead up to that, there has been quite a few releases in the month of April hoping to cash in on the holiday season. So which among those managed to keep our spirits high???

Mohiniyattam: "A befitting sequel that sets the bar higher!!!"

When "Bharathanatyam" had released a couple of years back, it barely made an impact at the box office primarily because of poor promotions & pre-conceived notion. However, it became the talk of town when it was released on the OTT platform & garnered appreciation from various quarters. Hence when the sequel was announced, I was more than eager to check it out at the earliest. 

As in the prequel, Krishnadas Murali had juggled with both direction & penned the script; with Vishnu R Pradeep also involved in the latter. The story picks up from where it has left off with the setting moved to Sreekandapuram where Sasi (Saiju Kurup) & his family, help Rukmini Amma (Sreeja Ravi) have a home of her own. Even as they were getting settled down, Bharathan Nair's (Sai Kumar) friend, Govindraja (Suraj Venjaramoodu) decide to pay her a visit to invite them to the former's memorial event. However, he had a ulterior motive which included yet another revelation about Bharathan Nair. 

Well there is no doubt that the thought that had gone into the story is far superior than the prequel. Over here as well, the central theme is yet another chapter of Bharathan Nair which opens a can of worms. This is revealed within the first 15 mins itself & the rest of the movie is how the family deals with the issue which in turn gets them into a much stickier situation. The humour is impressive and maintained right throughout with all the characters given adequate screen space & relevance. Even as Krishnadas is deservedly applauded for his efforts, his technical team should also be appreciated for their efforts be it Bablu Aju's cinematography or Electronic Kili's music. 

As mentioned earlier, all the characters are adequately considered & each one of them have done utmost justice to their parts. Kalaranjini rocked as Saraswati with adequate support from Saiju Kurup, Sreeja Ravi, Abhiram Radhakrishnan, Swathidas Prabhu, Divya Nair, Sruthy Suresh & the twins. Suraj had the role of the antagonist but the manner in which he handled it effortlessly with humour deserves mention along with Baby Jean. Vinay Fort also appears in a brief role towards the end & he was an absolute scream as well. 

Verdict: Certainly, the most entertaining movie that I have watched this movie. Apart from an hilarious plot, it was equally well executed and performed.

Rating: 3.5/5

Oru Durooha Saahacharyathil: "Interesting beginning that fizzles out later on!!!"

Just like Mammookka, another artist that had consciously made efforts to consistently explore various type of characters has been Chackochan. The latest flick to be added to that list is from the stable of Ratheesh Poduval who has always made interesting movies ever since he came into the industry with "Android Kunjappan Version 5.25". Just as in his other movies, he had penned the script for this as well & adopts a pattern that has a significant dose of quirkiness. 

The story is set in Wayanad, where Sethu (Chackochan), a Govt health worker who has a timid demeanour & has been on the lookout for an marital alliance for quite a while. However, one of the main reason for the rejection was because Sethu had to take care of his elder brother, Madhu (Dileesh Pothan). Incidentally, he was bed ridden as he was paralysed below the waist & also suffered from hallucinations. Around this time, an armed yet injured individual takes refuge in their home & it seemed like the police led by Armiyas, Sethu's cousin (Chidambaram) were on the lookout for him for alleged Maoist connections. So how did Sethu manage this sticky situation???

The manner in which the film commenced was interesting with the USP being the quirkiness of the characters. The first half was really engaging with humour and emotional moments seamlessly blended & there were quite a few hilarious sequences as it takes shots at the social system. But the effect wore off in the second half as it pivots to a rather solemn tone & fails to sustain the interest. On the technical side, it was ok but nothing that deserves special mention.

Even as the writing struggled towards the end, the performances were quite solid especially Chackochan & Potha, both of whom were impressive. Sajin Gopu did his part well though at times, it reminded me of his performance in "Painkili". Chidambaram was a pleasant surprise as he was pretty decent though I felt that a more accomplished artist was required for that role.

Verdict: Ratheesh's brand of movies at times tend to push the envelope a bit too hard & make it incomprehensible to the audience. But even then I felt it was a good effort with both Chackochan & Dileesh deserving praise for their fine performances. 

Rating: 2.25/5

Pallichattambi: "Tovino's earnest effort carries the movie!!!"

The first time that heard about this movie was in the news when it was alleged that one of the investors were cheated. Subsequently, there was a delay in censorship due to the election code of conduct possibly because it spoke about the 'Liberation Struggle' as most of you would be aware was about anti-communist protests. Anyway, I was curious to know as to how that panned out. 

It is an action period drama that Suresh Babu has set in the latter half of the 1950s as the 'Vimochana Samaram' (Liberation Struggle) was gathering steam against the Communist Party that had formed the first government in the state. Even the church was apprehensive about the Communists & decided to form an army of its own to counter them, with the person in charge referred to as 'Christopher'. The search for such an individual for the Kanniyar church led them to Krishna Pillai (Tovino Thomas), who took up the name of 'Pothan Christopher' at their request and decided to help them out. Soon enough, his efforts started to bear fruit, though it soon became evident that there was someone else who pulled the strings while the blame fell on the Communists.

Dijo has mounted the movie on an elaborate scale & the thought that has gone into the script was engaging as such. However, the screenplay falters as it tries takes on many subjects but none of them are quite fleshed out. The main example for that is the much celebrated cameo role of Prithviraj as the antagonist which barely packed a punch except for the wow factor that he generated because of his physical appearance. Even the execution of certain scenes especially the climax portions etc didn't have the authentic feel & came across as being staged in sets. The political balancing was also evident with the mention of a 'Puthupally leader' in a pro-Left flick. On the technical side it was neatly done be it Tijo Tomy's cinematography or Jakes Bejoy's music, though the art department could have done a better job.

Tovino has done utmost justice to the character be it in terms of his physical appearance & the genuinity he brought to the emotional sequences. Kayudu Lohar had very scenes & she has done a fine job with the chemistry with Tovino being palpable. Rairu Ramana as Shatru was intimidating though the dubbing ought to have been better, while the rest of the host of artists did their parts decently. Prithvi didnt have much to do & suffered from a poorly etched character. 

Verdict: Screenplay fails to provide the fuel that would have boosted the movie. In short, you can check it out for Tovino if interested!!!

Rating: 2/5  

Regards...Ben

Patriot: "Technically impressive with an underwhelming latter half!!!"

Finally, the eagerly awaited "Patriot" has hit the screens around the globe with the audience hoping to feast their eyes on the collaboration of our legends as soon as possible. As a Malayali, Mammookka & Lalettan has been the pride of our land & nation, with sensational performances & they continue to rule the roost even after four decades across generations. Hence seeing them share screen space after 18 years is indeed an occasion & I was curious to see as to whether Mahesh Narayanan handled them sensibly or felt obliged to do fan service???

From the first scene itself, Mahesh puts us bang into the middle of the central plot where it is revealed that 'Patriot', a surveillance software that the government had meant for national security was instead being used against its own citizens. The men behind this unscrupulous act was the political heavyweight, J P Sundaram (Rajiv Menon) & his son, Shakti (Fahadh Faasil), with the former having licensed it to the private company that was headed by the latter. Minister Nalini Ramakrishnan (Revathi) gets wind of this & summons, Dr Daniel James (Mammookka), scientific advisor at DRW who was instrumental in the creation of the 'Patriot', to take toll of the situation. However, even before Daniel could make significant inroads into the issue, he gets branded a traitor & is forced to flee. Subsequently, it is about the tug of war between both sides with each one hoping to inflict a thumping blow on the other. 

It is one of those movies where the trailer pretty much gives us an idea as to what is the main plot & we are able to make an assumption as to how the dots might be connected. This leaves the director in a tough situation since he needs to make sure that his creation is still able to keep the audience engaged. Well to be honest, Mahesh has managed to do that for large parts. Anyway, coming to the theme, the software in question has an uncanny resemblance to the Israel developed Pegasus spyware & most of us would have already seen movies from Hollywood or other industries, like "Irumbu Thirai" that dealt with surveillance & data breach. 

As Mammookka & Mahesh had repeatedly mentioned in the promotions, it is a content driven grounded flick & not a mass masala that celebrates star worship. It is essentially a slow burner which could be classified as a cross between socio-political drama and espionage thriller. The first half sets the stage impressively but the latter half fails to sustain that momentum & that is where it comes across as quite underwhelming. It meanders at a sluggish pace at times as the screenplay fails to keep us emotionally invested & even if the intention was to not make both the legends super-human, there were still ample opportunities to create that high, which he failed to capitalise. 

On the technical side, it was exquisitely executed as the production quality was of international standards. The frames were top notch & Manush Nandan deserves applause for his efforts. It's been a while since we heard from Sushin Shyam & he made up for his absence with excellent BGM. At the same time, I felt there were certain instances where silence rather than adding gravitas to the scene pulled it down. Kudos to the action choreographers as all of them were neatly done with Mahesh & Rahul Radhakrishnan doing a fine editing job though the way some of the sequences concluded felt rather abrupt. 

Coming to performances, Mammookka was fantastic as the protagonist as he pulled it off with utmost ease. Similarly, Lalettan provided the gravitas to the extended cameo role & the real life camaraderie and affection that both the legends have for each other shone through in the brief moments that they shared (such as the hospital & car scene). Rajiv Menon was impressive with Chackochan providing adequate support along with Indrans & Shaheen Siddique who did their parts aptly. At the same time, Fahadh was ok as his role certainly suffered from lack of better characterization as it was quite one dimensional after a point of time. As for the ladies, Revathi was top notch in her brief role, Zarina Shihab deserves praise though she barely had anything to do after the airport sequence, Darshana warrants applause while Nayanthara & Grace Antony was wasted.

Verdict: Kudos to Anto Joseph & his team for the production quality & hopefully it does well at the box office, as significant returns for this will encourage others to invest in similar huge projects. In terms of the content & technical aspects, Mahesh has done a praise worthy job as he made sure that the legends were there as fleshed out characters rather than mass masala props. At the same time, the screenplay in the latter half required much better work as the lack of flow between certain sequences & inability/reluctance to dial up the high moments proving to be the bane, with the climax turning out to quite tame. There is no doubt that it is still a quality movie that deserves to be watched & & that too with the awareness that it is not a fanboy movie!!!

Rating: 3.25/5

Regards...Ben

Aadu 3 & Sambhavam Adhyayam Onnu: "Contrasting fortunes at the box office!!!"

Among the flicks that had released in March, Midhun Manuel Thomas's "Aadu 3" was the one that had gone to become a blockbuster. There were a couple of others that I had watched as well & though they were average, I still would have to admit that I was surprised at the manner in which the former had such an impressive run at the box office. So how did these films turn out to be for me???

Aadu 3: "Certainly the weakest in the franchise!!!"

Almost a decade has passed since the first installment of the "Aadu" series has released & the one aspect that I loved about the franchise were the iconic tunes that were given for each of the main characters. There is no doubt that Friday Film House needs to be applauded for their belief in the potential of a sequel even after the failure of the first part. Anyway, it has now reached the third part & has gone on to become of the biggest Malayalam hit ever. 

Unlike the previous parts, Midhun has set the story in three different timelines with a run time that runs close to 3 hours. It is 2370 and Earth is ruled by a totalitarian regime called 'The Organization' who are in search of 'Stardust', a celestial substance which would give them limitless power to continue their reign. At the same time, there was a resistance movement led by Baba (Indrans) who sets plans in motion to make sure that the former don't get their hands on the substance. That essentially meant interfering with the timeline of the past i.e. the 18th century as the Stardust was in the possession of Maharaja Padmanabhan Thampuran (Jayasurya). Incidentally, the news of the material had reached the ears of Sultan Azam Khan (Vinayakan), Tipu Sultan's general & Cassandra (Alleya Bourne), a British treasure hunter and both of them wanted it. Whether Padmanabhan manage to keep it safe & how it has an impact on the other timelines is what the movie is about. 

The USP of this franchise were the character quirks & their intro music, which was a perfect compliment to the goofiness shown by the characters. Among the three, the second part was the one that I enjoyed the most as it ticked all the boxes that was expected from an action comedy. Coming to this part, the initial segment felt like a spoof of "Lingaa" & most of the humour just didn't work for me. The overall idea seemed reasonable but the execution left a lot to be desired. None of the technical aspects deserves special mention. As for the performances, Jayasurya has done justice to his part along with Vinayakan both of whom were spot on with the characters. Saiju Kurup was fine along with Indrans & Vijay while the rest of the cast were ok with Dharmajan being quite irritating at times (as in the prequel).

Verdict: It has already gone on to become a profitable venture for the makers which is indeed heartening. However, personally, it was the weakest flick in the franchise which tested my patience at various junctures!!!

Rating: 1.5/5

Sambhavam Adhyayam Onnu: "Interesting thought & execution that could have benefitted more with better performances!!!"

This is a movie that I watched much after it released due to positive word of mouth that I came across in social media. Hence I decided to check out this flick which happened to be the directorial debut of Jithu Satheeshan Mangalathu, who had also penned the script. Just a couple of minutes into the movie & it reminded me of Lijo Jose's "Churuli" for some reason. Soon enough, it became evident that Jithu had come up with an interesting premise.

The opening sequence is set in a dense forest & from a bygone era where a lady along with her aides were disposing of two bodies. An eerie environment is created & the audience is introduced to Anand (Askar Ali), a CPO who was transferred to the Kerala-TN border as a punishment. Soon enough, mysterious events start to unfold & he struggles to make sense of it raising questions as to whether he will be able to see his family again. 

Though I am pretty sure that most of you would be aware of the concept that Jithu has tackled over here, I am not going to play spoilsport & reveal it for the benefit of those who havent watched it yet. Apparently, it is an extended version of his short film "Sambhavam", which I havent watched. Anyway Jithu definitely deserve applause for his thought (though we have seen similar themes in the West) & the way he has executed it. The intrigue & thrill are maintained for most parts especially in the first half, though it had a sluggish feel towards the end with quite a few repetitive scenes. The technical team composed of Naveen Najose who handled the cinematography & the sound department deserves praise for creating the apt mood that the movie demanded.

Even as the subject & the technical aspects has impressed, Jithu ought to have been more judicious when it came to his casting choices. Askar was average at best as he failed to convey the gravitas of the situation when the issue is revealed, Vineeth was fine as the temperamental police office but the emotional sequences didnt quite work out while Assim Jamal's performance lacked consistency. Among the ones that I felt were fine was the Tamil actor who played the role of Stephen, Senthil Krishna & Siddharth Bharathan. As for the rest of the cast, it was quite uneven.

Verdict: Jithu has shown his caliber in penning an interesting ploy & executing it convincingly, within the constrains of the budget. Anyway wish the performances could have done justice to the script, but still do give it a try!!!

Rating: 2.75/5

Regards...Ben

Prathichaya & Vaazha 2: "Easter releases brings in the audience!!!"

It's been a rather hectic couple of months both personally & professionally due to which I haven't been able to put in as much time as I would have liked on my blog. However, that doesn't mean that I have missed out much on the movies that released during that time. Even though I have some pending stuff to pen, I thought to utilise this post to mention about what I felt about two of the Easter releases. 

Prathichaya: "Visuals & BGM provides the illusion in an otherwise shallow storyline!!!"

After a couple of weeks of hectic campaigning where political parties were seen to cross all lines of decency & decorum, the elections in our state finally took place last week. Hoping to cash in on the election fever, B Unnikrishnan released his political drama that did see certain real events being taken as reference for his fictionalised creation. 

Varghese (Balachandra Menon) was a seasoned grey shaded politician who had been the CM of the state for quite a while despite corruption allegations. His ability to emerge unscathed from all sticky situations was well known among the political circles while he was empathetic to the needy as well. However, things takes a turn when allegations of a sex scandal was made against him. It mentally broke him & that is when his son, John (Nivin Pauly), a technocrat steps in determined to clear the taint in his father's image. 

Apart from calling the shots, Unnikrishnan has also penned the script & to be honest, it felt way too shallow. The manner in which it was build up seemed to imply that there was substance in what he wanted to convey. However, it seemed like he thought that a couple of fancy gimmicks & the antagonist strutting around in stylish clothes, would make the audience believe that something worthwhile was being shown. In effect, the core thought to the plot i.e. the influence of corporate and media on politics and how public perception could be twisted according to the specific needs of such organization had heft to it. But the execution left a lot to be desired with the second half being quite lame after a decent first half. On the technical side, Justin Varghese & Chandru Selvaraj did justice to their crafts as both the BGM and visuals does manage to elevate some scenes that would have struggled if not. 

It's been a while since we have seen Balachandra Menon in a prominent role & he has done an impressive job as expected from a person of his calibre. Nivin Pauly was average at best with no zero chemistry with his pair, Neethu Krishna who by the way was fine along with Sabitha Anand. Sharafudeen was wasted in a one dimensional role that could be best classified as a cameo while the rest of the cast such as Harisree Ashokan (really struggled to portray the villiany), Saikumar, Nishant Sagar etc were ok. 

Verdict: It was a case of all show and technical gimmicks with hardly any substantial content to justify the 2.5 h run time!!!

Rating: 2/5

Vaazha 2: "Works better than the prequel from an emotional angle!!!"

A plethora of sequels has released over the past few years & that includes this year as well. The latest to be added to that list is "Vaazha 2" which has been helmed by Savin SA in his directorial debut. As in the prequel, the script has been penned by Vipin Das where the focus is yet again on a group of friends, their bond and the struggles that they go through as they face the realities of life. 

This time around the focus is on Hashir, Alan, Ajin & Vinayak, with a similar template being followed. From a humour perspective, I would say I enjoyed the prequel more as this one had a couple of portions that overdoes it, to the point that it became irritating like the theatre sequence. At the same time, the emotional segment, the issues youngsters face, their urge for greener pastures abroad and the manner in which relevant questions are raised against the ones who blame the youngsters for anything going amiss, were executed really well. The technical department has done a decent job with the music team deserving special mention as it blended well with the story. 

Each of the youngsters have done a decent job with all of them shining through in some portion or the other. Biju Kuttan & Alphonse Puthren stood out with their performances while Aju Varghese, Vijay Babu etc. were also fine.

Verdict: Glad to see that it has attracted a huge number of footfalls. I wouldn't say that it wowed me, but it was certainly entertaining & worth a try!!!

Rating: 2.75/5

Regards...Ben