Kodathi Samaksham Balan Vakeel review: "This lawyer wins his case at the box office!!!"

A couple of years has passed since Dileep has been embroiled in the assault case & even yday, we saw the case postponed on the request of his lawyer citing various reasons. Anywaz for the sake of everyone involved, let's hope that justice prevails at the earliest. Well this is not a write up about that heinous crime but rather about Dileep's latest release "Kodathi Samaksham Balan Vakeel" in which he incidentally plays the part of a lawyer. The trailer was surely entertaining & attracted attention, making it a sure-shot for a sizable initial. But does it deserve to have a sustained run???

Adv Balakrishnan (Dileep) has a stutter & was considered a failure by his family & peers. The reason being his lack of confidence which arose from his condition that had happened in response to an incident that made him drown with guilt. However, he was an intelligent & sharp advocate whihc was evident from the manner he prepared case files for his senior. Things move along uneventfully, until he encounters Anuradha (Priya Anand) who seeks his legal advise & requests him to sent a notice of compensation for defamation to a powerful individual who tried to outrage her modesty. But it turned out that the accused was the DGP & the actual Anuradha happened to be someone else (Mamta Mohandas). So why was all three of them being framed by this mysterious female???

B Unnikrishnan is a prominent name in the Malayalam film industry as he holds quite a few important positions such as General Secretary of FEFKA & All India Film Employees Confederation. Well all these administrative responsibilities apart from his own personal investments has made him make movies sparingly over the past few years. Unlike his usual style, this time around he has tried his hand in comedy & to a certain extent it does work. Unnikrishnan showcases the intelligence of the protagonist with his ability to study people & situations, but the case as such didnt seem to be complex at all as the audience isnt the least surprised by what unfolds. The climax location etc reminded me of his own previous release "Villain". Both Akhil George & Shameer Muhammed impresses with their visuals & editing respectively while Gopi Sundar's music works only in parts.

Ever since Dileep has been an accused in the assault case, I believe there has been a conscious effort on his part to be part of entertaining & suspense filled flicks. Whether it be "Ramaleela", "Kammara Sambhavam" or this one, it shows him being made a scapegoat & his downfall being celebrated in the media with his character having ample shades of grey (except for Vakeel). Whatever might be the reason, his performance has improved significantly in all these movies. Mamta's performance was mediocre as it didn't feel natural at all or in sync with the situation her character was immersed in. Aju Varghese finally landed with a full length role & though he does test our patience at times like Suraj, it was still ok overall. Siddique was an absolute scream while the rest of the cast were fine. 

Verdict: The basic thread of the story had substance in it which Unnikrishnan kinda messes up by opting for heroism rather realism. There are many sequences & dialogues in the movie which is an intentional hint on the Dileep's real life scenario. Viacom is apparently happy with the public response as they have already approached SRK & Akshay for the Hindi remake. In short, not as intelligent as it is made to appear but still keeps us entertained.

Rating: 2.75/5

Regards...Ben

June review: "Rajisha comes up with yet another award winning performance!!!"

Though 2019 is just two months old, we already had quite a few impressive movies & "June"is certainly one of them. Ever since Rajisha Vijayan burst into the silver screen with a thumping performance in "Anuraga Karikkin Vellam", I have been a fan of her exuberance & spirit. Though her subsequent two movies didnt have much to talk about, Ahammed Khabeer's debut venture ensured that it offered her opportunity to shine in a movie which is undoubtedly in sync with the present times. So what exactly made me like this movie apart from Rajisha???

This the journey of a girl from her teenage years to adulthood & how she deals with various factors in her life be it romance, heartbreaks, friendships etc. How all these experiences molds her as a person & the change in dynamics that she hared with her friends and family forms the crux of the movie. June (Rajisha) has a crush on Noel (Sarjano Khalid) who had recently joined her Plus 2 class. With time, love blossoms between them but it didnt last for long as her mother makes her promise not to continue the relation. But life had a strange way of churning up twists & they meet up again many years later when she lands with a job in Mumbai.

Friday Film House has always encouraged new talent right through its inception & the latest beneficiaries are Ahammed Khabeer & the music director, Ifthi. The latter has given us a couple of soothing tracks with 'Minni Minni' rendered by Amrutha Suresh being my personal favorite. Apart from direction which Khabeer has given it  had also penned the script in the company of Libin Varghese & Jeevan Baby Mathew. They have done a wonderful job & chronicled the journey in an enjoyable manner without resorting to cliches, while Khabeer ensured that he gave a fresh feel to it . I loved the portrayal of June's relation with her father, which might seem a bit over the top for some but still felt endearing. 

Rajisha was fantastic as the protagonist & proved that she isnt just a flash in the pan. Joju George has been on a roll for quite a while ( how can one forget "Joseph") & he rocks here as well with Aswathi Menon . Sarjano Khalid did look under baked for the mature part while Arjun Ashokan has done a decent job. The rest of the cast have all done justic to their roles & though they did kinda odd when they enacted the adulthood part, but still they made the sequences enjoyable.

Verdict: The movie could be termed as a cross between "Om Shanti Oshana" & "Happy Days" with a soul of its own. I certainly believe that Rajisha has booked herself a spot in the nominees for the State Awards with this performance. It's a fun filled movie with various segments & characters that many of us can relate to. In short, dont miss it!!!

Rating: 3.25/5

Regards...Ben

Mr & Mrs Rowdy review: "Mr & Mrs. Jeethu disappoints with an average comic flick !!!"

A couple of years back Kangana Ranaut had accused Karan Johar in his chat show that he was the 'flag bearer of nepotism' in Bollywood. Well it was indeed true as he has always launched star kids through his production house. Even our Malayalam industry has seen a huge influx of star kids into movies in recent times such as Kalidas, Gokul, Pranav etc. Jeethu Joseph had directed the debut venture of Pranav & this time around, he has cast Kalidas (his second Malayalam release) as the lead man in his latest movie "Mr & Mrs Rowdy". So will Linda's script prove to be rewarding for her husband & the audience???

Appu (Kalidas) & his gang of friends (Ganapathy, Shebin Benson, Vishnu Govindhan & Sarath Sabha) were the local quotation gang in their village. Their search for easy money meant that they took up jobs like bashing up people, hold strikes or help people to elope. Since they had been sent to the juvenile home in the past, they felt that they couldn't aspire for anything better in life & hence stuck on with these odd jobs. During one such assignment, Appu happened to ram his vehicle accidentally into Purnima's (Aparna Balamurali) & though they managed to escape from the moral policing group, it made a drastic change in Purnima's life. What was this change & how she tides over it forms the crux of the movie.

Jeethu Joseph's credentials as a director needs no introduction as his body of work has been impressive for large parts of his career. It's been a while since he tackled comedy with the only previous movie from that genre being "My Boss". Unlike his usual trend (except in "Life of Josutty"), this time around the script is the creation of his own wife, Linda Jeethu. This is her first plunge as a script writer, though she has been actively involved in many of his previous projects as a costume designer. It's definitely not the typical slap stick stuff but it does evoke laughs in quite a few sequences. It also deserves brownie points for the character arch given to Aparna & the moral policing sequence which is not taken over the top. ArunVijay's music was fine with the 'Puthiya Vazhiyiline...' track being the pick mong the lot.

When it comes to performances, Aparna is the one who takes the crown as she was impressive as Purnima as she was convincingly able to convey the vulnerabilities of the character as well as being bold at the same time. It would be too harsh to criticize Kalidas as he has just begun his career, but he definitely struggled in his dialogue delivery as well as being realistic. The others were ok with Ganapathy & Vishnu making their presence felt.

Verdict: Jeethu's name might attract a section of the audience but the failure to come up with a no holds barred comic entertainer will make it struggle at the box office. With a plethora of other movies doing resonsbly well, I wouldnt be surprised if it's taken completely off the screens in a fortnight. In short, disappointing!!!

Rating: 2.5/5

Regards...Ben

Kumbalangi Nights: "Brilliant performances across the board!!!"

Over the decades, our industry has been blessed with some of the most extraordinary script writers such as MT Sir, Padmarajan, Lohithadas, Srinivasan etc. This explains the reason why craftsmen from other regions always wanted to work here or wanted to recreate these movies in their languages. As the times changed, the sensibilities & tastes of the audience has also evolved which has led to the emergence of a new wave of writers. Among the present lot, Syam Pushkaran & Bobby-Sanjay duo (except for their abysmal "Casanova") are my favourites as they are in sync with the pulse of the audience. Hence when I knew that the former has penned "Kumbalangi Nights", I was more than eager to check it out with the icing on the cake being a talented star cast. So was this night as memorable as I expected???

Located along the banks of the river in the fishing hamlet of Kumbalangi is a half completed/dilapidated house or as one of the characters states "the worst house in the panchayat". It was home to four brothers who were at logger heads to each other especially between the eldest Saji (Soubin Shahir) & Bobby (Shane Nigam). Both of them viled away their time living off others, Bonny (Sreenath Bhasi) was part of a dance troupe while the youngest Frankie (Mathew Thomas) was a promising footballer who did his studies courtesy of a scholarship. Things take a turn when romance is kindled between Baby Mol (Anna Ben) & Bobby. The latter worked as a tourist guide & also arranged accommodation for tourists at her residence. Her sister, Simi (Grace Antony) had recently got married to Shammi (Fahadh Fazil), who despite his constant smile & polite demeanor had a way of imposing himself on everyone & as expected, intrudes into her romance as well. So will the brothers make peace with each other & rally behind Bobby???

This is the debut venture of Madhu C Narayanan who had worked as an assistant to Aashiq Abu. It also happens to be the debut movie from the production company 'Working Class Hero' which belongs to Syam Pushkaran & Dileesh Pothan. They have co-produced it with Fahadh & Nazriya's 'Fahadh Fasil & Friends'. As usual, Syam has given us a cracking script which focuses on the dynamics of a dysfunctional family He has also touched upon several topics like patriarchy, romance, religion etc & how the present generation deals with it. Madhu has done utmost justice to the script & has created it on celluloid with the flair of an experienced hand. Whenever Shyju Khalid is involved in the project as DOP, then we can rest assured that he will give us a rewarding experience. Sushin Syam has been steadily etching out a name for himself with movies like "Sapthamashree..", "Ezra", "Varathan" etc., & he impresses yet again.

To be frank, it's one of those select movies where it is extremely difficult to chose the best performer among the lot as each one was better than the other. Fahadh was nothing short of brilliant as he gets his hands on a meaty role which gives him ample opportunity to try something different. You can rest assured that his act will sent a chill down your spine. Shane Nigam has never failed to impress whenever he has performed & the same holds true here as well. It's been a while since we have seen Soubin in a full length role which he rocks convincingly while Sreenath Bhasi makes his presence felt despite not uttering a single word. Both Anna & Grace was fantastic along with Mathew & the rest of the cast have done their parts aptly as well.

Verdict: Without a shadow of doubt, this is the best movie that I have watched in a while. Apart from an engaging script, each & every artist involved in this project has done complete justice to their roles. The public response to the movie is also testament to that & it should finish up as a profitable venture for the makers. In short, dont miss it!!!

Rating: 3.75/5

Regards...Ben

Nine review: "Classy thriller which could have been more impactful!!!"

It's been a hectic month in which I was virtually drowned with various commitments on a personal & professional level. However, that didnt quite deter me in checking out movies, though I have to admit that I barely found time to pen down my thoughts about them. Ever since I reached home a fortnight back, I would have watched a handful of movies after all it's been ages since I got to watch Malayalam in the theatres in my hometown. Quite a few of them really impressed me, so was Prithvi's "Nine" one among them???

The film unfolds with the news that a comet is on collision course with our planet. Though it wont be catastrophic, the effects of the event will disrupt life on earth for nine days as electricity wont be accessible to mankind. As expected, this creates widespread fear across the globe as people rush to stock supplies on the assumption of worser repercussions. Dr. Albert Lewis (Prithviraj) was an astrophysicist who along with his research team had been keeping a close eye on the cosmic event from their research facility. It was at this juncture that Albert's mentor Dr. Inayat Khan (Prakash Raj) asks him to work along with him to document the event from a perfect vantage point nestled in the Himalayas. Albert accepts the offer & takes his son Adam (Alok ) as well along with him. Though Albert adored him, he was bothered about the fact that Adam was looked upon others as a problem child & an evil omen. Their relationship is put to the test when an unwanted guest & a series of chilling incidents unfold during the nine days that the planet is plunged into darkness. So was this celestial event just as harmless as it seemed???

This project has been in the news for a while as it was the debut venture of Prithviraj Productions and the first regional Indian film production & distribution of Sony Pictures. This is Jenuse Mohammed's second venture after "100 Days of Love" & he has penned the script as well  which is a concoction of various genres like sci-fi, horror and psycho thriller. There is no doubt that the movie has come out brilliantly as all the technical aspects were top notch be it Abhinandan Ramanujam breath taking visuals, Sekhar Menon's BGM (while Shaan Rehman's music wasn't catchy & felt misplaced) or the brilliant VFX of the comet etc (which usually looks amateurish in Malayalam movies). If at all it falters then it's in the manner in which Jenuse decided to conclude the movie as it was hurried & the revelation in the end lacked the knockout punch. 

On the performance side, Alok & Wamiqa Gabbi was fantastic & did utmost justice to their roles. The former's expressions conveyed his emotions so effectively while the latter spell bounds us with her beauty as well as spookiness. Prithvi's performance didnt have much to talk about early on & felt like restrained. However, towards the end we get to understand the complexities in his character & that's when we really appreciate him. As for the rest, Prakash Raj was apt though it barely challenged him while Mamtha was  ok though I felt she wasnt quite the right choice for the role.

Verdict: There is no doubting the effort that Jenuse & Prithvi has invested in making a movie that is on par with global cinema. However, the script especially the climax portion will not be able to satiate the audience. In short, it punches way below its weight but definitely worth a worth!!!

Rating : 3/5

Regards...Ben