Neram review: "Not a judicious use of time as it entertains only in patches!!!"

Nowadays, one of the most popular means of generating interest in a movie is to post a catchy song on youtube & expect it to go viral. This is exactly what Alphone Putharen did with his debut venture "Neram", as the song "Pistah" inspired by Jagathy's nonsensical lyrics from "Kinnaram" took over the social network by storm. What remains to be seen is whether there is more to the film other than the song???

Mathew (Nivin Pauly) is an IT professional who has been running from pillar to pillar in search of a job, only to be turned back citing lack of experience. In order to escape the brunt of the financial crisis, he is forced to take up loan from the cut throat money lender Vatti Raja (Simhaa). But with time, he struggles to repay the loan putting him at the mercy of the goon. To add to his misery, his affair with Jeena (Nazriya Nazim) irks her father Johnny Kutty (Lalu Alex) who goes to the extent of filing a complaint against him at the police station. Now he has to escape from the clutches of Vatti Raja & pacify Johnny Kutty as well. Will the good times ever return???

Alphonse Puthren is well known for his music video "Nenjodu Cherthu" which featured the same lead pair of Nivin & Nazriya. For his debut venture,he has chosen the genre of black comedy which however wasnt able to pack a punch as he would have liked. The major flaw of the film is that there is hardly anything of substance or thrilling in the first half but there is no denying that the latter half did make amends to a credible degree. In addition to the latter half, the film had a few other bright spots such as the chemistry between the lead pairs, "Pistah", the catchy pencil sketched finish posters & the sly dialogues muttered time & again. As far as the performances goes, the lead pairs & the supporting cast especially Shammi Thilakan has done a decent job.

Verdict: Thanks to "Pistah", the film should attract a decent crowd. However, black comedy which is kinda experimental in our industry & to add to that, the lack of vibe in the first half will be the major drawback for the film. In short, check it out on TV & that too the latter half!!!

Rating: 2.25/5

Regards...Ben

Mumbai Police review: "Hats off to the entire team for a bold treatment & brilliant execution!!!"

It's been quite some time since I have written reviews which is partially due to my busy schedule & also due to a dearth of good movies. But ever since the trailers of "Mumbai Police" has been beaming on the screens, I was eager to watch it as the promos looked promising. With Prithvi going from strength to strength with back to back hits & Bobby-Sanjay making a strong come back with "Ayalum Njaanum Thammil" after a forgetful "Casanova", the expectations are nigh high. But has Roshan Andrews overcome the disastrous effects of "Casanova"???

Antony Moses (Prithviraj), the daring ACP of Ernakulam has met with an accident which has rendered him amnesic. The gravity of the situation dawns upon him when he is informed by his superior & confidante, Commissioner Farhan Aman (Rahman), that he was on the verge of nabbing the culprit behind the murder of their close buddy, ACP Aryan John Jacob (Jayasurya). Despite pressure from the higher authorities, Farhan entrusts Antony to solve the case after all he believed that if Antony could have solved it once then he would be able to do it again. Now it's upto Antony to start piecing the puzzle that he had solved previously. But the more he delved into the case, the more intriguing it became.

Bobby-Sanjay has come up with an absolute beauty of a script which has all the elements of suspense which has been kept taut throughout the entire length of the film. Though the climax might come as a rude smack on the face & a touch uncomfortable for quite a few, I totally applaud their efforts. Roshan Andrews has shaken off the "Casanova" blues & has done absolute justice to the script by coming up with an impressive execution. Equally notable were Diwakar's visuals, Gopi's BGM & Mahesh Narayan's editing. 

If at all, there was someone who could have done this role so convincingly in Malayalam...I dont think I can think beyond Prithviraj. First & foremost, he has to be applauded for his guts to choose this role & secondly, for his brilliant portrayal of Antony Moses both pre & post amnesia making it appear as chalk and cheese. The rest of the cast also deserves praises be it Rahman for his subtlety, Riaz Khan  (who I actually liked for the first time & wished he had a bigger role) & Jayasurya.

Verdict: Thanks to the catchy promos along with the credible cast & crew, the film should have an impressive opening. Though the climax might not be to the liking of the families, I still believe positive word of mouth should boost the collections. As far my opinion goes, it's an effort that needs to be applauded by one & all, so make sure you watch it without fail!!!

Rating: 4.75/5

Regards...Ben