Shor in the City review: "Surprisingly simple yet humorous & thrilling!!!"

The past few years has seen a huge rise in the so called parallel or off beat cinemas in Bollywood. As one would expect, initially it was looked upon as boring or something meant for the intellectuals to grace the film festivals. Thankfully, that trend has changed with movies like "Bheja Fry", "Omkara", "A Wednesday" etc etc owing to the impressive scripts & mushrooming of multiplexes giving these cinemas a much required wider audience. This week saw the release of "Shor in the City", which has been creating quite a bit of shor in the film festivals. Will it able to replicate the same in the box-office remains to be seen???

"Shor in the City" deals with three different sets of people who is trying to make a living amongst the filth & corruption of Mumbai. The film unfolds over a period of 11 days leading upto Ganeshotsav. Tilak (Tusshar Kapoor), Ramesh (Nikhil Diwedi) & Mandook (Pitobash Tripathy) are three friends who are always on the look out for some easy money. Tilak runs a pirated book printing press & the opening scene were these friends kidnaps a prominent author in exchange for his unpublished manuscript sets the tone for the movie. In the meantime, Sendhil Ramamurthy (Abhay) is an American Indian who had come back with the intention of setting up a small business. But little did he release that things arent so easy with many looking for a share in the pie. At another part of the city is Sawan (Sudeep Kishan), an aspiring cricketer making futile efforts trying to break into the Mumbai Under 22 squad realizing the bitter truth that talent isnt everything. So how will these characters hold their own in this tainted yet desireful city ???

Without doubt, the strongest point of the movie is its script which though might look nothing out of the ordinary but every inch interesting, thrilling & coupled with situational comedy. When one is equipped with such a well worded script, its just a matter of executing it properly & thankfully that has been taken care of very impressively. The credit for both these departments goes to the same duo of Raj Nidimoru & Krishna D K. The music doesnt have much of a say with "Saibo" rendered by Shreya Ghoshal & Tochi Raina being melodious.

Tusshar Kapoor had always been side lined to do the same old stereotypical comical stuff, but this one will surely break him free off the "Golmaal" mold. The subtle romance with his wife Sapna (Radhika Apte) is something to look out for; who herself has come up with a decent act. Nikhil Diwedi was apt while Abhay was a complete natural as the US returnee exhibiting his frustration & helpless against the shady elements. Sudeep too has done a credible job, but the show stopper is undoubtedly Pitobash Tripathy as the eccentric goon who sets out doing everything just for the momentary thrill without even using an ounce of his gray matter

Verdict: "Shor in the City" is yet another winner from the stable of Balaji Pictures who has always been keen on doing unique stuff be it "LSD" or "Once upon a time in Mumbai" & kudos to Ekta Kapoor for her efforts. With an impressive script & an equally appreciable execution, the movie should be able to fill its coffers without fail. In short, it has all the elements in adequate dosage rather than flirting with our intelligence; which compels me to say that you guys have got to watch this one!!!

Regards...Ben

City of God review: "Encouraging signs for the future!!!"

Its a well known fact that the movies being churned out nowadays are so abysmal that we actually tend to wonder as to what has become to those days when everyone used to look to our films for impressive scripts. Thankfully, this year began with one such venture "Traffic", which was both critically acclaimed & commercially viable. To add to this list, comes the latest offering "City of God", directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery whose debut effort in "Nayakan" was highly commendable. With an impressive star cast & catchy promos, the movie has been the talk of the town for some time. So will it actually live upto its promise???

Just as in the case of Mani Ratnam's "Yuva", Rajesh Pillai's "Traffic" or Hollywood movies like "Crash"; the film tracks the life of the various protagonists who are linked together by an accident happening in the beginning. Jyothilal (Prithvi) is a close friend of Sony (Rajeev Pillai), a wealthy businessman for whom he is willing to risk his life. Swarnavel (Indrajith) is a Tamil labourer  in love with Marathakam (Parwathy) who fled from a failed marriage. Viji Ponnoose (Shweta Menon) is a wealthy divorcee while Sooryaprabha (Rima Kallingal) is a rising starlet who had to suffer the brutalities of her husband. So were these characters linked together just by destiny or is all this part of a master plan???

Just as in "Nayakan", the execution here also is top notch & full credit to Lijo Jose for framing the sequences so brilliantly. At times, the audience is left in awe as to how he is able to shoot the same scene from various points of view. There are many such sequences in the movie such that after a point of time, you are at a loss of words. Now, for creating such sequences requires an impressive script & Babu Janardhanan deserves a pat on the back for that. However, there is no denying the fact that certain sequences lacked the punch & tempo to match the events due to which it feels dragging at times. Also, the handy cam sort of picturisation though imparting a realistic feel; causes headache as its too shaky. The music by Prashanth Pillai wasnt exactly chart busting type but it did have a different feel, while the editing by Manoj was top notch.

Almost all the performers have done total justice to their characters starting from Prithvi who was at complete ease as Jyothilal. Though not as celebrated as Prithvi, Indrajith is one damn good actor & you have to give it to him for his excellent depiction as the Tamilian. Parvathy was outstanding in her part, Shweta as always dazzled the screen as the confident female while Rima Kallingal seems more promising with time.However, the person who blew me away with her performance was Rohini. She was just superlative in all facets be it diction, expressions or body language. 

Verdict: Certainly one of the best movies in recent times which promises to raise hopes that there is still talents budding in our industry. Though it does have drawbacks as specified earlier, that doesnt add to much if we weigh the positives. However, I doubt if it would be able to command the box office owing to its off beat nature which might not be palatable to many. In short, I would suggest that you guys definitely try this out as its something different & interesting!!!

Regards...Ben

Dum Maaro Dum review: "Script had the dum but execution didnt!!!"

Goa is one of the most sought after destination of the world for its beaches, famous parties etc. However, it is an open secret that its slowly turning into the hub of the drug world. Drugs, sleaze, prostitution; you name it & its there, in other words "the land of seven deadly sins". It is this very topic that Rohan Sippy attempts to portray in this latest venture " Dum Maaro Dum". Just has it been in his previous two ventures "Bluffmaster" & "Kuch Na Kaho", this also stars his childhood friend, Abhishek Bachchan. With all his movies falling like nine pins, Jr.AB would definitely be keeping his fingers crossed. So will it provide him with the elusive hit???

The film unfolds with Lorry (Pratheik Babbar) being denied US scholarship thereby virtually shattering his dreams of going abroad with his girl friend. Just when life doesnt seem meaningful, his friend Ricky offers him an opportunity to provide him with the necessary amount  in exchange for being a drug carrier. With no other means of getting scholarship, he reluctantly agrees to the task. In the meantime, ACP Vishnu Kamath (Jr.AB) who is rejoining the force on the back of a personal tragedy is assigned with the mission of cleaning up the drug mafia thriving in Goa. Kamath was aware of the fact that Lorsa Biscuita (Aditya Pancholi), a prominent industrialist was the major drug lord & has been hot on his trails. On one of such trails, he nabs Lorry & on further investigation stumbles on the name of Michael Carbossa. So who was this person without a face & how will this lead to Lorsa??? All this & more, takes us through a little more than two hours.

Shridhar Radhavan, credited with the script has definitely performed a commendable job; but its pretty unfortunate that the execution wasnt able to do full justice to it. The first half keeps us engrossed with its rapid & interesting story telling however in the second half, the film inevitably drags. Though it is just over 2 hours, you cant help feeling that it should have been a bit more crisper. Rohan Sippy cant be totally faulted, as I feel the screenplay is what let the movie down. Coming to other aspects, the editing by Aarif Shaikh was slick while the background score by Midival Punditz was awesome. Pritam does produce a couple of catchy numbers which personally speaking I didnt find so impressive.

In the performance department, Jr.AB has done total justice to his character & his wry sense of humour infused into it did impart an added flavour to it. Rana Daggubatti as Joki was a complete natural while Aditya Pancholi lacked the menanceness of a villain. As for the remaining crew, Pratheik Babbar was fine along with Govind Namdeo & Bipasha.

Verdict: There is no doubt that the movie would have a decent initial but its a multiplex type of film thereby shunting the rewards that it could reap from the masses. Inspite of having a good story to tell, the execution falters in the second half which in turn is going to be its Achilles heel. In short, its not a must watch movie & even if you do, it wont hurt!!!

Regards...Ben

Ko review: "Entertaining & engrossing!!!"

The last couple of weeks featured a dull mood in the box office with not much movies on offer. Its in such a scenario that the much awaited Jiva starrer "KO" has released. The movie has been in the news for quite some time with its impressive promos &  music topping the charts. Another factor surrounding the hype was due to the fact that its helmed by K.V Anand credited with blockbusters such as "Ayan" & Kana Kandein". So will he weave his magic yet again???

The film unfolds with a bank robbery & culprits managing to stage a getaway without much of a fuss. However Ashwin (Jeevan), a promising photographer in a leading newspaper; manages to take snaps of them which turns out to be a vital clue for the police in nabbing them. With the Assembly elections just round the corner, the main contestants in the fray namely Yogeswaran (Prakash Raj) & Alavandan (Kota Srinivasa) is found to play every dirty trick to emerge victorious. Much to their dismay, Ashwin's camera causes their image to take a beating. In the meantime, Vasanth (Ajmal), a young aspiring politician attains the good will of the public with his deeds & character. But will this actually translate into votes in his favour or is there yet another trick up the sleeves of the veterans???

K.V Anand has also taken upon himself of writing the script & kudos to him for coming up with an engrossing piece. Though it is definitely inspired from the Russel Crowe-Ben Affleck starrer "State of Play", Anand has adopted his own style rather than a virtual rip-off. As far as I concerned, there is no harm in being inspired if you can come up with something which is relevant to our society & Anand has succeeded in that. Peter Hein entrusted with the action sequences was awesome along with an equally commendable effort by Richard Nathan for the visuals. As one  would expect with Harris Jayaraj's music, it has been ruling the charts for quite some time now though the placements of some of the songs were questionable as it seemed unnecessary. Another aspect which attracted me was that inspite of being a mass movie there is no over the top daredevilry which we usually associate with Tamil movies.

Coming to performances, Jiva was top notch as the daring photographer with his looks & body language complimenting the character. Pia as Saro was an apt choice as the tomboy while Renuka as Karthika was decent. However, the winner for me is undoubtedly Ajmal as Vasanth who has improved by leaps & bounds be it diction or expression.

Verdict: With an unprecedented release of more than 300 prints, the biggest ever for a Jiva movie there will be a clamour for cashing in on the hype. Having already created a positive vibe well before its release, its gonna get a killer opening which in short means, a sure shot hit. As far as my opinion, it has got an impressive script packed in an entertaining manner. In short, do watch it!!!

Regards...Ben

Chinatown review : "Comedy ranging from hilarious to outrageous!!!"

After a mediocre track record in the past 2 years. Mohanlal seems to have given some serious thought as to how to get the box-office singing. As part of that he has signed a host of movies with all the bigwigs this year & looking by the scheme of things, its encouraging signs early on as his previous venture "Christian Brothers" though low on content but high on entertainment was a hit. To cash in on the Vishu season, Mohanlal becomes part of yet another multi-star cast involving Jayaram & Dileep in "Chinatown" & helmed by the entertainment mavericks Rafi Mecartin. Hmm...so will it hit the jackpot yet again????

Goa is always associated with gambling,drugs & parties..& incidentally the premise that Rafi Mecartin has chosen is gambling in the form of a casino called 4 Star. The movie unfolds in 1986 where four partners are successfully running the casino much to the displeasure of the gangster, Gawda (Pradeep Rawat). As expected he finishes off the partners with one of them somehow escaping his clutches. Its 2011 now & the partner who had escaped death, Gomez (Captain Raju) is back in Goa. Soon enough he sets up a new casino & searches for his slayed partners' sons so as to to hand them over the administration as a good will gesture. It turns out that the sons of the partners were Mathewkutty (Mohanlal), a rowdy presently on the path of redemption; Zachariah (Jayaram), a broken automotive sales manager & Binoy (Dileep), a road Romeo. Soon enough they land up in Goa & contemplate on selling the casino before ill luck strikes in the form of Gawda, who had become the Don of the area along with the backing of political power. So will the sons meet with the same fate as their fathers or will the tables be turned this time around???

Its interesting to observe that Rafi Mecartin has pretty much handled everything from story,screenplay, dialogues & direction in this venture. In the script department, they have definitely been influenced by the Hollywood hit, "The Hangover" style of depiction in the second half. We normally dont associate a high content story in Rafi Mecartin's movies, but they are always high in entertainment with good comic sequences. The biggest flaw in "Chinatown" is  however its comedy itself; there are genuinely hilarious moments in the first half but in the latter half the comedy is so appalling & outrageous that it more or less wrecks the movie. We cant help wonder as to why the directors are trying too hard to make people laugh, as the comedy seemed so laboured. As for the music by Jassie Gift, except for "Arikil Ninnalum" rendered by M.G Sreekumar & Chitra,the others were average. All other aspects doesnt require much of a mention.

Looking for the elusive hit, Mohanlal is going all out ; though in this venture he hasnt done anything special, he seemed fine for his role. A special mention goes for his dancing skills to the song "Innu Peninnu", its after a long time that I  have seen him dance so well. Jayaram was fine as well while Dileep was simply unbearable at times especially in the second half. Pradeep Rawat has done his role apt enough for a typical villain which involves looking fearful initially & finally getting bashed up by the good guys. Suraj continues with his usual trademark antics while the female leads just had to look good.

Verdict: It will certainly have a fantastic opening owing to the star cast & Rafi Mecartin's track record in addition to the fact that "Doubles" is a washout. With not much competition brewing in the near future, it should recover its costs without much trouble along with an extended run for "Urumi". As far as my opinion goes, the first half does have its hilarious moments but the second half is pathetic especially the climax. In short, if you dont mind watching some insane comedy, you can give it a try!!!

Regards...Ben

Doubles review: "Outdated & disjointed with miscasted characters!!!"

Finally yet another Vishu with all sections of people looking forward to a peaceful & prosperous year. As part of tradition, Vishukaineetam is taken up seriously by the Malayalam film industry every year with the release of big banner movies so as to tap into the holiday season. The trend has been maintained, as this year witnesses the clash between the movies of mega stars Mammootty & Mohanlal. 2011 started on a not so encouraging note for Mammooty with his "August 15", failing to create any interest in the box office. So he will be banking heavily on "Doubles", which is incidentally the directorial debut of Sohan Seenulal. Mammootty has been giving chances to many new directors in the last couple of years & had reaped benefits also, so will this also trace the same path???? Hmm..lets see

For a change, the subject focuses on fraternal twins in the form of Giri (Mammootty) & Gowri (Nadia Moidu) & unfortunately the change ends there. They lost their parents in a car accident following which they had taken upon themselves to be a rescue team for the unfortunate accident victims. Its in such a rescue mission that Giri comes across an accident which he strongly believes to be a murder attempt. The driver had died on the spot while a Muslim gal, Saira Banu (Taapsee Pannu) who was the passenger had survived. Considering her predicament,she is made to stay on with Giri & Gowri. However,with time she reveals certain secrets & also turns out to be the subject of conflict between the twins. What were these issues & how are they going to overcome it, forms the story outline.

Sachi-Sethu duo is credited with the script & I have no qualms in admitting, that they have dished out an outdated & totally uninspiring work. With such a below average script, one cant expect the debutant Sohan to create wonders & inevitably he falters in his execution as well. To top it all, they selected a host of characters who were an absolute miscast starting from Mammooty. In order to justify Nadiya Moidu & the rest wearing hip clothes apt enough for a youngster, they have set the movie in the Anglo Indian life style of Pondichery.

The makers must have been huge fans of  "Shyama" which had the same leads & thought of recreating the same magic failing to realise the fact that 25 years had passed & age does catches on with everyone. Another huge surprise for me was how a promising music director like James Vasanthan credited with "Subramanyapuram" could come up with such mediocre scores.

As I had mentioned earlier, with such a weak script there is nothing that even a megastar of Mammootty's stature can deliver. The same goes with Nadiya Moidu though it can be confidently said that she could still give the young starlets a run for their money. Taapsee Pannu, previously seen in Dhanush's "Aadukulam" has  innocent & beautiful features but when it comes to acting she looks more like a zombie with hardly any expressions. With the main leads itself taking a hammering, its better that I dont divulge into the details of the supporting cast.

Verdict: After having had a dream run, Lady luck finally seems to be moving away from Mammooty as this turns out to be his worst  movie in the past 2 years. This one is likely to sink without a trace as I dont expect it to survive beyond this weekend. In short, dont even bother watching even if it comes on TV!!!

Regards...Ben

Thank You review: " Audience unlikely to thank the makers!!!"

This past week has been one of the most eventful  in recent times. First, there was the euphoria of the Men in Blue lifting the World Cup followed by noted social activist Anna Hazare leading a successful movement for the drafting of Anti-Corruption Bill. Needless to say, both these incidents galvanized the population of our country like never before & I utilize this opportunity to express our heart-felt gratitude to them. It seems Anees Bazmee is also in a mood to do the same with his latest venture appropriately named "Thank You". So will he & Akki complete a hat-trick of hits after the stupendous successes of "Welcome" & "Singh is Kinng".

The subject of philandering husbands & extra-marital affairs is one of the most sort after topics in Bollywood. So it comes as no surprise that Anees Bazmee is dealing with a similar topic. Incidentally, the premise of the movie is very similar to one of his previous hits "No Entry". Raj (Bobby Deol), Yogi (Suneil Shetty) & Vikram (Irffan Khan) who is their boss are close friends with all of them sharing the concept of "gharwali & baharwali". As one would expect Raj's wife, Sanjana (Sonam Kapoor) doubts her husband & sorts her friends' help Radha & Maya (Celina Jaitley & Rimi Sen), wives of Yogi & Vikram respectively. This marks the entry of Kishan (Akki), who is a private detective with the mission of getting wavering husbands back on track. Without much delay, Kishan gets into the scheme of things & how he plots on exposing the husbands forms the crux of the movie.

Anees Bazmee has also scripted the story which I consider more of a disgrace than a credit . Just like his previous movies, the script here too is an absolute zilch with no place for logic. However, the saving grace in those movies was that it had a high quotient of entertainment;no matter how stupid it was; but this is unfortunately totally lacking here. The first half does have it hilarious moments but the second half was dragging to the extent that we cant help looking at our watches. Pritam's music doesnt have much to write home about as it was more of noise than music. The colourfulness & lavishness that we associate with Anees's movies are still very much intact & kudos to Ravi Yadav for that.

Time & again, Akki has been doing similar roles to the extent that I doubt whether he even have to read the script nowadays. His comic timing is spot on as always but he doesnt bring anything new to the table. It is common knowledge that Irffan Khan is a fantastic actor & here he goes on to emphasise that comedy is not alien to him. Rimi Sen also deserves a word of praise for her decent performance with an apt sense for comedy. As for the remaining cast, except for Suneil who does manage to infuse some laughs..the others were pathetic.

Verdict: Gone are the days when Akki's movies used to command a thunderous initial. With not much to look forward to in this as well, in all probability its going to be another flop in Akki's account. As far as my opinion goes, I am obliged to say "CERTAINLY, NO THANK YOU"!!!

Regards...Ben

Game review: "As uninspiring as Kenya's cricket team!!!"

After a pretty long lull in the box-office, Bollywood has finally woken up from its self imposed slumber owing to the World Cup. With the Men in Blue having raised the title after a long gap of 28 years, its time that Bollywood come up with some of its on own magic to rack in the moolah. Interestingly, the first big movie to hit the screens in quite a while is the Abhishek Bachchan starrer which seems to be aptly named "Game" keeping in mind the flavour of the season. Whether or not, it will hit the jackpot remains to be seen; however here's an account as to how I felt about the movie.

The movie unfolds in Samoa,Greece where Kabir Malhotra (Anupam Kher), a multi-billionaire invites a group of four strangers to his private island. These four include Neil Menon (Abhishek Bachchan), a casino owner & drug dealer in Turkey; O.P Ramsey (Boman Irani), Prime Ministerial candidate of Thailand with a shady background; Vikram Kapoor (Jimmy Shergill), leading Bollywood star & Tisha Khanna (Udita Goswami), crime journalist. None of them knows each other but very soon we are being made aware of the fact that they are indeed linked to each other. So what was this linkage & what was the motive of Kabir Malhotra. The answer to these queries forms the crux of the movie.

Being helmed by Abhinay Deo, "Game" is his released directorial debut in the sense that his initial venture "Delhi Belly", is still on the floors. There is no doubt that the movie is stylishly shot in exotic locations like Turkey, Samoa, London & Bangkok & kudos for that goes to Karthik Vijay especially for the chase sequence in Istanbul. However, there is a limit to how much visuals can contribute to the movie & the lack of a credible story is definitely the biggest flaw. Althea Delmas is lacking clarity in his script & after a pretty impressive first half, doesnt have anything to offer at all in the second half. Another huge let down is the music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, which fails to add to the suspense of the move that it tries to create.

Its a well known fact, that if the script fails there is very little that the performers could do. This fact is very much true in the case of "Game". Abhishek Bachchan hasnt done any harm to his not so impressive career graph however the second half of the movie severely hampers whatever scope was available. Kangana Ranaut has definitely improved in her diction while debutant Sarah Jane has done a decent job. As for the remaining star cast, Boman Irani was a bit over the top while Udita Goswami & Anupam Kher were wasted.

Verdict: The promos promised a lot but the final product disappointed royally. The blame falls squarely on the script for the unimaginative, boring & predictable second half. All in all, I dont think it will trouble the cash counters much & likely to invite losses. In short, you may as well miss this & wait for IPL to start!!!

Regards...Ben

Urumi review: "Impressive depiction of an unknown yet vital piece of history!!!"

Finally the dust have settled in Mohali after the classic "Mother of all clashes", with India eventually prevailing over the extremely dangerous & unpredictable Pakistan. Now all eyes are trained on Wankhede with the Men in Blue locking horns with the Lankan lions for the summit clash on Saturday . With emotions & expectations running high as to whether Sachin will realise his dream & that of a billion Indians, what better time to release the magnum opus "Urumi",where a boy dreamt of extracting revenge on Vasco da Gama. Being helmed by the best cameraman of our country, Santhosh Sivan & an impressive star cast lined up..will "Urumi" deliver at the box office like the Men in Blue at the World Cup???

"Urumi" is a period drama based on an assassination attempt by the mercurial hero Chirakkal Kelu Nayanar on the famed Portuguese sailor Vasco da Gama on his 3rd visit to Kerala. The film unfolds with Krishna Das (Prithvi) being offered an obscene amount of money for his ancestral property of which he wasnt even aware of. With the intention of finalising the deal, he lands in that area only to be whisked off the natives to make him meet their leader. Through him, Krishna gets to know that his ancestor Chirakkal Kothuwal (Arya) was a valiant warrior who was aware that Vasco da Gama was more of an invader than a trader & when he sets fire on a ship bound for Mecca, he retaliates only to be brutally killed by Vasco da Gama (Robin Pratt). Since that time, Kothuwal's son, Chirakkal Kelu Nayanar (Prithvi) harbours a raging fire inside him to avenge his father's death & he is aided in his mission by his friend Vavvali (Prabhu Deva). So will he be successful in his mission or will the famed fickle minded provincial kings who were the main reason why we became slaves in the first place plot his downfall???? All these & more are addressed in this epic saga over a span of close to three hours.

It is no secret that making a period drama is no mean task & the dearth of good scripts has contributed to this genre not being tackled at all. Hariharan's "Pazhasshi Raja" was the last one of this genre to hit the screens a couple of years back which was scripted by the legendary M.T Vasudevan Nair. "Urumi" is scripted by Shankar Ramakrishnan & full marks to him for having coming up with a very impressive storyline based on a part of history of which majority of us are not aware. As far as the story goes, there is not even a dull moment as its genuinely sincere with no over the top dare-devilry.
 

Santhosh Sivan is one name we always associate with jaw-dropping visuals, but he has also displayed his craft in direction as well, with an array of movies such as "Tahaan", "Before the Rains", "Asoka" etc to name a few. Being equipped with an impressive script, he delivers a decent product with "Urumi". However the movie does have its share of flaws, with the most prominent being with many of the scenes especially in the second half being dragged. The music by Deepak Dev was impressive , but I cant help saying the fact that some of the songs like "Aaro Aaro"  & "Chimmi Chimmi" though visually stunning  was not called for as it hampered the flow of the movie. Another drawback was the lack of background score at many places in the first half  which made it appear as too hollow since a period film inevitably thrives on that.

Prabhu Deva & Prithvi with Santhosh Sivan

Coming to music, Deepak Dev has come up with all aces with almost all the songs being equally good. However, "Aarane Aarane" rendered by Job Kurian & Rita & "Aaro Aaro" by Yesudas & Shweta are my personal favourites. "Chalanam Chalanam" rendered by Reshmi Satish deserves a word of praise as her voice clearly imparted the mood of that scene which focussed on the Oracle. As for other technical aspects, the editing by Sreekar Prasad was slick while the cinematography by Sivan was stunning as always though I felt he wasnt upto his usual lofty standards that he maintains.

In the performance department, Prithvi as Chirakkal Kelu has imparted a sincere performance & deserves kudos for his commanding presence. Prabhu Deva as Vavvali, manages to infuse laughs with his comic timing & romance with Nitya Menon as Bala, who attracts eye balls in this otherwise serious movie. Genelia as Arackal Aisha was outstanding with her stunts & skilfully handles a role which was diametrically opposite to what she has ever done before. Jagathy as Chenichery Kurup was brilliant as the evil conspirator & so was Amol Gupte as Chirakkal Thampuran along with Alexx O Neill as Estavio da Gama. As for the remaining cast, Arya in a cameo as Chirakkal Kothuwal was awesome & so was Vidya as the Oracle.

Verdict: "Urumi" is produced by August Cinemas in which Prithvi & Santhosh Sivan are partners. Being touted as the second most costliest movie ever made in Malayalam, its definitely an up-hill  task trying to recover the costs. There is no doubt that it will have a bumper opening but it will definitely require a sustained run to break even, as its released in only 70 centres. Its likely to garner mixed reactions but from my point of view, it will have word of mouth going in its favour. All in all, its definitely worth a watch as its got a great script & stunning visuals. So in short, do go for it!!!

Regards...Ben