83 review: "Evoked goosebumps, smiles & even moistened the eyes!!!"

India won Independence in 1947 but it took a few decades more before it commanded respect & one of the main events that made it possible was our triumph at the 1983 World Cup. As I was born in the 1980s, I had missed out on that unique experience but it was undoubtedly much more impactful than when we were crowned Champions in 2011 especially since no one expected it including our own cricket board. Being a sports buff & a hard core cricket lover, I was thrilled that this historical event was recreated in  Kabir Khan's "83" & looked forward to its release which hit the screens on Xmas eve. So was it able to rekindle the excitement???

Kabir Khan is no stranger to movies mounted on a lavish canvas after all he has helmed projects like "Ek Tha Tiger" & "Bajrangi Bhaijaan" which has been blockbusters. But calling the shots for a project that talks about one of the greatest sporting achievement of our nation is no mean task & he has done a fantastic job without a shadow of doubt. Along with Sanjay Singh & Vasan Bala, he has recreated the whole event in an engaging & thrilling manner despite the fact that we are aware of pretty much all the details. The humiliation, scepticism, self belief, motivation, happiness & proudness that the team went through at various stages of the tournament was captured in an authentic manner. 

One inevitable aspect of such flicks are an overdosage of patriotic dialogues, chest thumping & the opposition shown as heartless individuals who just have disdain for the rest. Thankfully, Kabir & Sumit Arora does not overstep the line and the Invincible Windies are shown as brilliant players with a mention that even they didnt get anything on a platter. Aseem Mishra's visuals were impressive and the idea to intersperse with the real videos / pics did have a positive effect.  Even with a running time of 161 minutes, it doesn't test our patience & the credit for that goes to Nitin Baid for seamlessly blending the drama on & off the field with finesse. Pritam's music was fine while Julius Packiam's was excellent as it elevated the mood in many sequences. 

On the performance front, Ranveer Singh did not quite look like Kapil even with the makeup but the way he imbibed the body language & expressions was brilliant. This will certainly rate as one of his finest work to date. There were other praise worth performances such as Jiiva (as Srikanth), Pankaj Tripathi (as PR Man Singh), Saqib Saleem (as Mohinder Amarnath), Jatin Sarna (as Yashpal Sharma), Tahir Raj (as Gavaskar), Nishant Dahiya (as Roger Binny) etc. 

Verdict: It's a difficult task to give importance to each & ever member, but Kabir managed to do it barring a few. Personally, I would have loved to see a bit more focus on Sunil Valson's character as he is the only one in that squad who didn't get to play a game, so it would have been great to see how he motivated himself (ofcourse being able to represent the nation needs no extra motivation, but still) & how the team helped him. On the whole, it was a rewarding experience as it makes us feel all the emotions that we associate with a thrilling movie where the protagonists start off as underdogs. In short, dont miss it!!!

Rating: 3.75/5

Regards...Ben

Minnal Murali review: "Basil delivers what he promised!!!"

Christmas is here & it feels great to be back home with family. So on this auspicious occasion, I would like to wish one & all, a peaceful & blessed Christmas. The eagerly awaited Basil Joseph's "Minnal Murali" released yday on Netflix & since then the internet has been flooded with discussions about our own 'naadan' superhero. The responses has mostly been positive & irrespective of what some might say about the template being similar to Marvel / DC characters, Basil & his team deserves praise for their efforts. As far as I feel, they have certainly hit the bull's eye in terms of what they aspired to achieve with this celluloid creation. So did it manage to carve a niche of its own???

In Basil's Cinematic Universe, this tale is set in Kurukkanmoola (quite close to Kunjiraman's Desam) where Jaison (Tovino Thomas), the most stylish dude in this quaint village & a tailor by profession was in love with Bincy (Sneha Babu). However, that relation didn't quite work out in the manner that he had hoped. This strengthened his resolve to move to US in search of better financial opportunities but before that could culminate, he was struck by lightening. Surprisingly, he escaped unscathed though the unique event bestowed him with some superpowers. But he wasn't the only one to have a similar twist of fate.

When a movie is released with a great deal of hype & anticipation, the margin of error that it can afford is rather slim & more often than not, it is inevitably destined to be slammed by the audience. In that sense, Basil has done a fine job with the resources that he had & created a movie that follows the origin trajectory of most superheroes but still had it rooted in the cultural milieu that we are accustomed to. Assisting him in the process of Arun Anirdhan & Justin Mathew, who penned the script & deserves praise for the manner in which they constructed the character arc of both the protagonists. Even as Tovino's character was treated with a humorous touch, Guru Somasundaram's character goes through a myriad of emotions and is given a empathetic feel, due to which we actually dont desire for his downfall at some level. But I did feel the screenplay ought to have been a bit more engaging as the pace gets sluggish (not tiresome) in the beginning of the latter half & I personally felt that the identity of Murali could have been kept as a secret (hmm..."Far from Home"...:))

On the technical side, Sameer Thahir's visuals & Sushin Shyam's BGM were impressive while the decision to blend Shaan Rahman & Sushin's music along with the narrative deserves praise. The VFX work was neat & Vlad Rimburg's action choreography was pretty cool. There is no doubt that Tovino has done a fine job & he surely fitted the bill of the superhero. But the man of the hour was undoubtedly, Guru Somasudaram who was just spectacular (the last time he blew my mind was in "5 Sundarikal" as the child molester). He made utmost use of the meaty role that was given to him & made the audience feel for him. Another word of praise also goes to the kid who shared good chemistry with Tovino and made the scenes lively. The rest of the cast such as Aju, Baiju, Femina George (as Bruce Lee Biji) etc have done their parts aptly.

Verdict: Despite the hype, Basil delivered what he had promised & that is an engaging desi superhero flick with humour as the primary ingredient. In short, do check it out!!!

Rating: 3.25/5

Regards...Ben

Madhuram review: "Sweetness that lingers even after the movie ends!!!"

It's Christmas eve & time to gorge into the goodies that is plated up back home. Just like it is fun time for the foodies, it's merry time for movie buffs with many interesting movies lined up back to back for release over the next one week. Among the few few to hit the screens, Ahammed Khabeer's "Madhuram" released on SonyLIV y'day & I was pretty keen to check it out as I had liked his debut venture "June".  So did the movie stay true to its name???

Set against the backdrop of the Kochi General hospital, it is about the bond that is created among a bunch of bystanders as they eagerly wait for their loved ones to return to life hale & hearty. Sabu (Joju George) who was taking care of his wife, Chitra (Shruti Ramachandran) was a beacon of positivity which made him a much loved and popular person among the staff and other similar bystanders such as Raviyettan (Indrans), Kevin (Arjun Ashokan) etc. Even among the pain & unpredictability of life, they found solace in each one's company and how their lives pan out forms the crux of the movie. 

Just as in "June", Khabeer has crafted a movie that endears to the audience which speaks about positivity and the beauty of relationship that has the power to withstand all challenges that life throws at us. The script has been penned by Khabeer along with Fahim Safar, Ashiq Hamar and Vihar Padala and they have captured the emotional moments extremely well. The tale as such wont surprise with twists as it is kind of predictable but the manner in which Khabeer has created the scenes ensures that it has a feel good effect even when it could have easily veered away to melodramatic. I do understand that the focus is on the Sabu-Chitra track, but I felt they could have invested more on the Kevin-Cherry angle as well especially when it was given significant screen space early on. Another main factor that complemented the movie was Hesham Abdul Wahab's music while Jithin Stansilaus's visuals were impressive also.

Ever since "Joseph" released, Joju has been going from strength to strength with better roles coming in search of him to which he has done utmost justice. Over here, he was just brilliant (though some scenes reminded me of Lalettan) & giving him perfect company was Shruti who was equally good with both of them sharing a fantastic chemistry which is the main reason why it felt appealing. Indrans as usual was impressive while the rest of the cast such as Arjun, Idukki Jaffar & Nikhila did their parts aptly. 

Verdict: It's a movie which brings a smile on our lips & also moistens the eyes without being too melodramatic. A feel good emotional drama that has the right level of sweetness without being saccharine. In short, do check it out!!!

Rating: 3.25/5

Regards...Ben

Janeman review: "Hilarious & engaging with an apt mix of various emotions!!!"

Less than 48 hours from now the much awaited Basil Joseph's "Minnal Murali" will be beamed on Netflix. Even though 2021 was a torrid time for many in the industry, Basil wouldn't have much to complain about especially since he has been busy as an actor as well with "Joji" & "Janeman" having garnered wide spread appreciation. Incidentally, Chidambaram's "Janeman" was released much later in Bangalore & hence I got to check it out only last week. Well just like majority of the audience, even I  enjoyed the celluloid experience that Chidambaram had offered.

Joymon (Basil) worked as a nurse in an isolated part of Canada with the only voices that kept him company being Alexa & that of the television. With the winter in full fury, the days became even more depressing & just when it felt like he couldn't bear the loneliness any more, he decided to fly back home to celebrate his 30th birthday. The task of making arrangements for the party was entrusted on his buddy, Dr. Faizal (Ganapathi) who in turn coaxed their mutual friend, Sambath (Arjun Ashokan) to have it arranged at his home. Incidentally, on the same day; Sambath's neighbour passed away & with Joymon reluctant to curb his celebrations, it ruffled quite a few feathers in both houses. 

This is Chidambaram's directorial debut & he has certainly done a fine job with an interesting script that he had penned along with his brother Ganapathi & Sapnesh Varachal. The main reason as to why I felt that it was interesting is the constant shift in mood of the sequences. If it is hilarious at one moment, then within a couple of seconds it becomes emotional such as when a boisterous Joymon (Basil) barge into a brooding Monichan (Balu Varghese) and opens up about his loneliness. Another aspect is the attention given to most characters who comes on screen & evokes laughs such as Sarath Sabha (as Kannan), Abhiram (as Akshay Kumar) etc. On the technical side, both Bijibal's music & Vishnu Thandassery's visuals were fine.

It would be fair to say pretty much all of them have done utmost justice to their roles  but the manner in which Basil handled humour & depression so expertly deserves special praise. As for the rest, both youngsters such as Balu Varghese, Ganapathi, Arjun, Siddharth Menon & veterans like Lal handled their parts well.

Verdict: Well it wasn't surprising to understand as to why many liked the movie as it had a proper blend of humour and emotions. It will have you in splits but also makes us realize the need to reach out to people to maintain our sanity in a world where we seem to have all the top end gadgets but still feel so distant with each other. In short, do check it out!!!

Rating: 3.25/5

Regards...Ben

Spider-Man: No Way Home review: "Satisfying experience that captures the thrills of the whole franchise!!!"

It's been a while since I watched a Hollywood flick on the big screen primarily coz of the fact that there were hardly any releases that tempted me to watch with the exception of "No Time to Die" & "Shang- Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings". But when Jon Watts's "Spider-Man: No Way Home" hit the screens last week, I didn't have to think twice as I belong to the clan of hard core MCU fans. This was the sequel to Jon's Spider-Man series & from the looks of the trailer it promised to be lip-smacking with the arrival of supervillains from alternate universes. 

Even though Spider-Man (Tom Holland) saved the day yet again from the drone attacks orchestrated by Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) in "Spider-Man: Far from Home", the latter had the last laugh, Prior to his death, Mysterio doctored a video which was broadcasted by Jonah Jameson's Daily Bugle; where the former put the blame of the attacks & his own death on Spider-Man. To make matters worse he even revealed Spider-Man's secret identity making Peter Parker & his dear ones earn the ire of the public. With the situation remaining grim, Peter sought the help of Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to cast a spell that would make everyone forget his identity. But the spell misfires & brings in people from alternate universes who ever knew that Peter was Spider-Man. Incidentally, that brings in trouble in the form of Sinister Five. So how was he going to deal with this crisis???

Without a shadow of doubt, Jon Watt has hit the jackpot once again & the primary reason for that was the interesting yet simplistic screenplay of Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers. (Spoiler alert) With the timeline being fiddled, it opened a whole world of opportunities which presented in the form of supervillains. Soon enough, it brought in other Spider-Men (Tobey Maguire & Andrew Garfield) and it was interesting to see the attention given to the variation in their characters due to the challenges and tragedies that they faced in their dimension. Both Tobey & Andrew was brilliant in their brief appearances & the latter certainly had a charming presence here unlike in his movies (I would certainly would like to see his version have a solo movie or two). Subsequently, the manner in which the trio join forces and help each other was the highlight not to forget that this was the first time that Tom Holland's version of Spider-Man was given the opportunity to showcase his emotional turmoil (Alert ends). Technically, the movie was top notch be it Mauro Fiore's visuals, Michael Giacchino's music, VFX & CGI.

Personally I always felt that though Tom Holland fitted the bill of the neighbourhood Spider-Man, he certainly didn't have the acting chops of Tobey or Garfield. But he certainly performed really well in this flick & deserves praise for a job well done. He was ably supported by Zendaya (as MJ) & Jacob Batalon (as Ned), both of whom did their parts aptly along with Willem Dafoe (as Green Goblin) and  Marisa Tomei (as Aunt May). As for the rest of the cast, all of them did justice to their roles be it Benedict, Alfred Molina, Jamie Foxx etc.

Verdict: Surely the best in the present Spider-Man trilogy & one of the most entertaining MCU movies. Apart from the numerous characters from the previous Spider-Man movies & a couple of interesting cameos which certainly captured eyeballs, it still had an engaging screenplay & opens the doors to more interesting storylines. In short, dont miss it!!!

Rating: 3.5/5

Regards...Ben

Sumesh & Ramesh review: "Not even half as interesting as its name!!!"

What was the first thing that crossed your mind when you heard about Sanoop Thykoodam's "Sumesh & Ramesh"? Well for me, it was obviously the hilarious Cadburys 5 Star Ad which in turn gave me an impression as what kind of genre Sanoop might have slotted his venture into. Since I haven't watched the trailer earlier, I didnt have much expectations apart from the fact that it had an interesting title which certainly brought a smile on my face. But did I have this smile even after watching it???

Sumesh (Sreenath Bhasi) & Ramesh (Balu Varghese) are siblings born into a lower middle class family whose primary bread earner happened to be their mother Usha (Praveena). She bore the burden of the family even as the brothers & their father, Indukaladharan (Salim Kumar) seemed oblivious to her hardships. The film primarily focuses on both the brothers, their tiffs, flings & how they evolve with time. 

Apart from calling the shots, Sanoop has also penned the script along with Joseph Vijeesh with whom he has collaborated in the past for "Vikrithi" & "Chunkzz". There was hardly anything worthwhile in the movie that caught my attention. Of course we do make statements that a certain director was able to capture a slice of life on celluloid that is rooted to reality. But such creations would make sense only if it has anything significant to narrate & that's exactly is the problem with this flick. The first half focused on the younger brother & the rest on the elder one, and though there were certainly moments especially in the latter half that endears, it was as plain as vanilla on the whole. Actually I certainly felt that Sanoop missed a trick by not exploring the character of 'Usha' which was well performed by Praveena as that could have certainly added some flavour to the proceedings. On the technical side, there was nothing that deserved special mention as it was average at best.

Though the screen space was allotted primarily to Sreenath & Balu, the person who actually stood out with her performance was Praveena who did complete justice to her role. Both Sreenath & Balu did their roles aptly along with Devika Krishnan as Sreekutty. As for the rest of the cast, Salim Kumar was ok though at times his comedy fell flat. 

Verdict: If it wasn't for the performances, it would have been a flick that hardly anyone would have noticed. In short, if you plan to check it out do it without much expectations!!!

Rating: 2/5

Regards...Ben

Bheemante vazhi review: "Decent take on a relevant issue!!!"

The last couple of weeks have been pretty busy due to which I havent been able to pen my thoughts about quite a few of the flicks that I had watched. One of them happened to be Ashraf Hamza's "Bheemante vazhi", a movie that I was eagerly looking forward to as it was his second venture after an impressive directorial debut in "Thamaasha". Well from whatever I have heard and read, it had positive word of mouth going in its favour. So what did I think about it???

One of the oft discussed issue in our state is the lack of proper roads  as it either will be full of potholes whenever a monsoon season comes over or be way too narrow to facilitate proper transportation. Sanju aka Bheeman (Chackochan) lived in such a locality where there was barely space for a bike to pass through. However, none of them had an issue with it as they have been used to this lifestyle for years. But when Bheeman faced difficulty in taking his mother to the hospital after an injury, he decided to take the lead in a public campaign to obtain land for widening the lanes in his colony. It was never expected to be easy but it turned out to be much tougher than they had envisioned.

Apart from the fact that it was directed by Ashraf, the script was penned by Chemban Vinod who had earlier proved his prowess in it with "Angamaly Diaries". The subject that has been taken up for discussion is relevant & something that many of us would have come across. In that sense, it attracted attention but the major highlight for me was the various characters that were created be it Chackochan as a womanizer, Jinu Joseph as the sly & lecherous Kostheppu, Suraj as the manyan, the three female artists, Naseer as the pet lover, the kid in the superhero costume etc. which according to me was the primary reason why the movie endeared. On the technical side, both Vishnu Vijay's music & Girish Gangadharan's visuals were fine.

As I mentioned earlier, the characters that were created more or less interesting and almost all of them were performed reasonably well be it Chackochan, Vincy, Suraj, Chinnu Chadni, Megha Thomas, Naseer Sankranthi, Chemban etc. But the pick among the lot was undoubtedly Jinu Joseph who got to perform in a role that we are not used to seeing him & he has done utmost justice to it.

Verdict:  It is a decent time pass that touches upon a relevant issue that most of us are accustomed to. It could have been way more appealing as I personally felt that the makers should have invested more attention to the latter half of the story. However, the various characters that were placed in the movie made it an engaging watch. In short, check it out!!!

Rating: 2.5/5

Regards...Ben

Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui review: "A light hearted take on a relevant topic!!!"

Ayushmann Khurrana has been in the industry for close to a decade & more often than not, whenever his movie comes out; the audience can rest assured that it would be on distinct and unique topics / characters. His latest flick is Abhishek Kapoor's "Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui" & it belongs to the rom com genre. Well we did have a few movies (some of which were excellent) that dealt with a similar topic, though in a much more toned and serious manner. So it was interesting to see as to how Abhishek who has a decent track record had picturized his version.

Manu Munjal (Ayushmann) is a bodybuilder and a struggling gym owner who aspired to become the strongest man in the city. To add onto the pressure, his family especially his sisters were constantly on his case to have him settled down. However, his life took a turn for the better when Maanvi Brar (Vaani Kapoor), a zumba instructor decides to collaborate with his facility for conducting her classes, The revenue boosted the health of the gym & with time, both of them hits off. But just when it seemed like  Manu cant be in a better frame of mind, their relationship hit a trough when Mannvi revealed her past  which he wasn't quite able to digest. 

Apart from calling the shots, Abhishek was also involved in the scripting process along with Supratik Sen & Tushar Paranjpe. [Spoiler alert] The topic of trans gender has been explored in an impressive manner in movies like "Tamanna", "Njan Marykutty", "Shabnam Mausi", Super Deluxe" etc. Over here, Abhishek does not opt for a full fledged focus on Maanvi but rather provides a fleeting glimpse of the turmoil that she goes through and the strain that it puts on the relationship between the lead pair. At less than 2 h, it is a feel good movie with decent humour & some peppy tracks by Sachin Jigar thrown in that maintains the light mood right through out. 

Though not a challenging role, kudos to Vaani Kapoor for taking up the role & doing justice to it. As mentioned earlier, it does not go into the past of the character which invariably meant that she had to convince the audience about the difficulties she faced for embracing her identity & she was successful at it. Ayushman as usual was fine while the rest of the cast also did their parts aptly. 

Verdict: It delivers what it promised & that is a breezy rom com that does touch upon a relevant topic without belittling it. In short, it is a decent time pass flick with quite a few sequences that would bring a smile on our face!!!

Rating: 2.5/5

Regards...Ben 

Kaaval review: "Rehashed formula & a tired screenplay gives a laboured feel to the audience!!!"

About a week prior to the release of Priyan's "Marakkar", Nitin Renji Panicker released his "Kaaval" which was publicized as the return of the Superstar Suresh Gopi. Since I was kind of held up with professional commitments, I didn't quite find the time to pen my opinion about it at that point of time. However, y'day when I saw that the movie was still being beamed after three weeks of its release; I was wondering as to what would have been the reason why many would have warmed to it. Anyway glad to see a movie do well & hope other producers also get back their investments. 

Antony (Renji Panicker) & Thampan (Suresh Gopi) were business partners who also looked out for the people in the region whenever the latter were denied justice. This in turn meant that there were no dearth in enemies for the dynamic duo. However, times have changed & Antony was a pale shadow of his former self not to mention that certain incidents in the past forced the friends to part way. This gave the enemies & their subsequent generation, the confidence to pick on him and his children. As matters started to get worse, he decided to reach out to his friend to help him out from the crisis. 

When "Kaaval" was announced as the second directorial venture of Nithin, I would have to admit that it didn't quite excite me as I felt that his debut project "Kasaba" was mediocre. There is no doubt that he has improved as a director in his latest outing but the script was far from engaging. It was just a rehash of the typical movies of this genre with no effort taken to at least provide it with an air of freshness as it was a predictable sequence of events pretty much right through. Even the sequences which was supposed to evoke memories of yester year action movies of Suresh Gopi wasnt as impactful. On the technical side, Ranjin Raj's music was fine while the other aspects were ok.

Even after being away from the movies for quite a while, Suresh Gopi has still given a decent performance with the role that was offered to him. If more attention was paid to the screenplay, then he would have rocked for sure. Renji Panicker felt more impressive when he essayed the part of the present day while the younger version was average. As for the rest of the cast, Rachel David & Padmaraj Ratheesh did their parts aptly.

Verdict: Didnt quite have the impact as expected which is primarily coz of a lazy screenplay. If you ask me "Varane Avashyamunde" was indeed the comeback of Suresh Gopi rather than this one. In short, give it a try without much expectations!!!

Rating: 2.25/5

Regards...Ben

Marakkar Arabikadalinte Simham review: "Lazy screenplay muffles the roar!!!"

The much anticipated & eagerly awaited Priyadarshan's magnum opus "Marakkar Arabikadalinte Simham" opened to an unprecedented number of theatres across the globe on Thursday. However, the reviews that I have heard until now has been rather mixed. To be frank that didn't dampen my spirits, after all I rarely watched movies with preconceived expectations though I was curious to know the reason why there were a lot of brickbats despite being adjudged the best movie at the 67th National Film Awards. So as Ajaz Patel created history with the perfect ten, will "Marakkar" make waves at the box office???

Kunjali (Pranav)  belonged to the lineage of the Marakkar family who traditionally led the naval force of the Zamorin. However, in one of the successful campaigns against the Portuguese; Kunjali lost his father, Pokkar Ali and his grandfather, Kutti Ali (Fazil) decided to relinquish the commandership position and took up trade for a living in a different land. But when Kutti Ali decided to stand up for the traders against the injustice meted out to them by the Portuguese, the latter decided to wipe out the lineage. They almost managed to do it except that Kunjali & his uncle, Pattu (Siddique) were lucky enough to escape from their grasps. As destiny would have it, they landed up on the shores of the Zamorins & Kunjali (Lalettan) became a Robin Hood like figure for the poor and oppressed when he realized that even the regional rulers were no better than the Portuguese. Soon enough he became the most wanted fugitive in the Zamorin kingdom & Portuguese saw it as an opportunity to wriggle their way into the royal court on the pretext of support.

After much hungama that resembled a soap opera, "Marakkar" released in theatres much to the relief of most of us after all it was a project mounted on a lavish scale that deserved to be watched on the big screen. On the positive side, the first half was impressive be it Thiru's picturization of "Kannil Ente' track rendered by Shweta Menon & Vineeth Srinivasan, the CGI & VFX effects in the naval warfare, Sabu Cyril's art direction etc. and even the pacing of the story was fine. However, the negatives kept piling up in the second half and the primary reason for that is the weak screenplay penned by Priyan & Ani Sasi. The dialogues were mediocre with some of the slangs being hilarious including Lalettan's  whose role also didn't have the impact that was expected. As a matter of fact, despite the presence of some talented artists most of them didn't have well etched roles 

Marakkar was known for their wizardry in naval warfare, but we hardly got a feel of his tactical brilliance except for a solitary sequence of the floating coconuts. Another aspect that could have be avoided or atleast treated in a different manner was the undeniable similarities of certain sequences to "Troy", Homer's Illiad, "Braveheart", "Bahubali" "Deewar" etc. Coming to performances, Hareesh Peradi as Mangattachan, Arjun Sarja (damn good) & Keerthy Suresh, stood out for their screen presence. Lalettan was fine but it was hardly a challenging role for a person of his caliber and he certainly struggled in the war scenes coz of his lack of agility while Pranav impressed. Nedumudi Venu & Siddique were reliable as always, Suniel Shetty gave an earnest performance but didn't understand why he was required and the same also goes for Manju Warrier.  As for the rest of the cast, Prabhu, Ashok Selvan as Achuthan & Jay Jakkrit as Chinali were ok while the others were average.

Verdict: If only Priyadarshan had paid more attention to the script & screenplay rather than just focus on making the frames rich & exquisite. With a talented cast & crew at the director's disposal, he could have made this a truly fantastic movie in all aspects, unfortunately he didnt. Despite the shortcomings, it still had its moments especially in the first half and some good performances from Arjun etc which would result in some sizable numbers at the box office & maybe even challenge "Lucifer". In short, give it a try!!!

Rating: 2.5/5

Regards...Ben

Maanaadu review: "Masala infused theme that is both hilarious & entertaining!!!"

How often have we seen the hero die in Tamil movies? Hmm...well very rarely & if at all it did, it would have created a ruckus among the fans. As the urban legend goes, Rajini's character's death in "Thalapathi" was unacceptable to the masses & Mani Ratnam had to change the climax in which the Superstar survives. But in a recent interview, the legendary director brushed aside those claims & stated that the climax was never changed at all. So in that case, how will it be if another bonafide star is shown in a similar manner in Venkat Prabhu's "Maanaadu". Perplexed by what I said, I wouldn't be surprised if you were as this was a movie that married an interesting theme with our mainstream cinema. 

Abdul Khaaliq (STR) was flying down from Dubai to help his buddy, Eeswara (Premgi) elope with his lover who was tying the knot against her wishes. On the flight he gets acquainted with Seethalekshmi (Kalyani Priyadarshan) & offers her to join him as they were both going to the same event. However, Abdul & his friends couldn't work out their plan as expected as they were forced into a chase which eventually led to an unexpected accident. Soon enough, the police turned up & took them into custody, but offered to give them a clean chit if Abdul cooperated with the task that they had for him. 

I have always been a huge fan of Venkat Prabhu since his debut venture "Chennai 600028", as I found it more often than not thoroughly entertaining. In his latest venture, Venkat decided to take up the topic of time loop that is fresh in many of our minds thanks to LJP. Even as LJP has moved on to his next project "Nanpakal Nerethu Mayakkam" with Mammookka, the audience is still stuck in the maze of "Churuli" with each one of us having our own theories as to what did he actually try to convey. Well Venkat has taken a concept similar to what we have observed in "Edge of Tomorrow" etc. (STR's character utters the long list in the movie itself). Im not going to harp about logic here as it didn't make much sense with regard to how STR & Suryah got involved in it but the manner in which Venkat has taken it deserves praise as it was both entertaining & hilarious. 

Kudos to Praveen K L whose editing is the soul of this movie as it ensured that the pace is apt & the transition from scene to scene was smooth considering how rapidly it kept changing. This is where Venkat's screenplay played a big part as it made sure that though essentially some of the sequences looked similar, it still offered something different. Richard nathan's visuals were fine while Yuvan Shankar Raja's BGM was top notch.

It might have been packaged as a STR movie, but S J Suryah was an absolute scream as he showcased the eccentricity of the character impressively without going overboard. The manner in which his character get changed as the flick progresses was spot on. STR is a capable artist for sure but more than not he indulges in projects that barely tap his capabilities. Hence it was a good experience watching him in a role that at times shows him play second fiddle to Suryah with elan. As for the rest of the cast, Y G Mahendran & Kalyani was fine while others barely had much screen space. 

Verdict: It's not a movie that we would make sense to our logic but it offers a whole entertaining experience which is typical of a Venkat Prabhu project. In short, check it out!!!

Rating: 3/5

Regards...Ben

Satyameva Jayate 2 review : "Truth is even mediocrity might seem like an inadequate word!!!"

The first thought that would have skittered across many of you, would be as to why I bothered to pen my opinion about this movie. For starters, this is not a sequel though there was a similar titled one from the same cast & crew, which I felt was worser than a migraine. Even though I havent watched the trailer, I still had a fair bit of idea as to what I was in for; but I presumed it might be marginally better. However, I was in for a rude shock as it felt like I was still stuck in "Churuli's" time loop & this was just a deja vu moment.

Satya Balram Azad (John Abraham) is the Home Minister in UP who is loved by the masses for his constant effort to curb corruption. However, his attempt to introduce an anti-corruption bill in the assembly was slammed even by his own party. Apparently, this spurred Satya to don the cape of a vigilante and take on the corrupt system. Even though his actions were applauded by the public, CM  Chandra Prakash (Harsh Chhaya) wasn't keen on having an outlaw on the loose & entrusts the task of bringing the culprit to Satya's twin brother, DCP Jay.

From whatever I have described in the above paragraph itself would have reminded you of movies of the 80s. In fact if you thought so, you are spot on as it the tried & tested formula of twin brothers, fight against the system, nationalism that cries itself out hoarse, religious symbolism, revenge drama etc & oh yes, a mother in coma who gets up in the end to reveal some secrets. In all probability, Milap Zaveri must have been in a similar state or else why would he come up with a script that doesnt have an ounce of freshness or sensibility in it. None of the technical aspects nor performances are worth mentioning & that includes John Abraham in a triple role. 

Verdict: Nothing much to say, except that it is damn pathetic!!!

Rating: 0.5/5 

Regards...Ben

Ellam Sheriyakum review: "Screenplay was far from alright!!!"

Whenever we talk about light hearted political satire, one of the movies that comes to mind is Jibu Jacob's "Vellimoonga" & hence when the trailer of "Ellam Sheriyakum" hit the screens, there was a palpable sense of expectation. However, this time around he decided to indulge in an emotional drama that dealt with politics and the impact it had on family relations. The title reminds us of the tagline coined by Maitri Advertising Works for the LDF's successful campaign in 2016. So will it be equally successful for Jibu & his team???

K V Chacko (Siddique) is the party president & most powerful leader in the ruling UPF party. Even as the public & party members respected and feared him, all was far from well at his home. A few years back, his daughter, Ancy (Rajisha Vijayan) had eloped with Vineeth (Asif Ali), an active youth wing activist of the opposition & since then Chacko had cut all ties with them. However, things take a turn when he was hospitalized as it paved the path for a possible reconciliation between the father & daughter. So what kind of an impact will it have on the political climate???

With his latest venture, he takes up the topic of politics yet again but the treatment of the subject was quite unlike "Vellimoonga". The script was penned by Sharis Mohammed & the primary issue with it was the urge to include every political issue that has happened in the recent past. Even after touching upon them, none of them were developed & invariably all of them had a hasty conclusion including the one that had Balu Varghese which was supposed to be a major incident. Seemed like they had no clue as to what kind of an image they wanted to give Asif's character with at one time he is that boisterous party worker & at other times, a rather meek one.

Incidentally this was Ousepechan's 200th movie as a music director & some of the tracks were fine, though the one that stood out was his performance as an actor which was ok.. Time & again, Siddique has proved that he is one the finest artists that we have in the industry & over here as well, it was no different. Both Asif & Rajisha were average at best while Indrans (didnt have a single dialogue) Balu & Johny Antony did their parts aptly.

Verdict: There is no doubt that the movie didnt match expectations considering it was Jibu's movie & also the return of Asif & Rajish as a pair that worked like a charm in "Anuraga Karikkin Vellam". In short, more attention was required on the screenplay as it tried to stuff with as much as incidents as possible. In the process, it lacked focus & the core topic wasnt treated in a much more impactful manner!!!

Rating: 2.25/5

Regards...Ben 

Dhamaka review: "Reduces to a whimper after a point of time!!!"

A couple of months back, Netflix Tudum announced ten new projects in 'India Spotlight'' & among the trailers that were showcased, Ram Madhvani's "Dhamaka" caught my eye apart from our Basil Joseph's "Minnal Murali". Apparently, the shooting of the whole movie was wrapped up in just 10 days & it is the official remake of the Kim Woo's Korean movie "The Terror Live". The trailer promised it to be a suspense thriller & certainly had the vibe that it would keep the audience on the edge of their seats. So does it manage to stay true to its name???

Arjun Pathak (Kartik Aaryan), one of the most prominent news anchor in the media world was at a low point in my life both personally & professionally. His marriage was on the rocks & he was asked to take up the role of a radio jockey after he was pulled out from his primetime TV slot due to an unpleasant issue. Life moved on uneventfully for the demotivated & jaded Arjun, until he received a random call at his radio station that threatened to blow up the Bandra Worli Sea Link. He dismissed it as a prank call but to his dismay, the caller proved to be true to his word. However, rather than informing the police, he saw it as an opportunity to resurrect his career. So does he manage to save the day for the city & his career???

Ram Madhvani rose to fame with "Neerja" which was awarded the Best Feature Film in Hindi at the 64th National Fil awards. He followed it up with the web series "Aarya" that was nominated for the International Emmy Awards in the Best Drama series category. In his latest venture, he collaborated with Puneet Sharma to remake the Korean thriller, which seemed like a sensible decision after all it had a story that was relatable to the Indian media madhouse. The cut throat competition, the greed for TRPs at any cost & the utter disregard for media ethics has been captured well. But after the initial thrill, it fails to sustain it as the proceedings turned out to be rather amateurish be it in the manner in which ATS handles the situation, the storm that builds up in the newsroom & the eventual grand reveal of the 'caller'. Manu Anand captures the tension of the situation neatly & even the VFX team has done a praise worthy job. 

Coming to performances, Karthik has done justice to his part especially in the portion where he is wasted & irresponsible. However, as the story moves along with his character required to show as emotionally torn; it didnt come across as convincing. Mrunal as his estranged wife, Soumya did her part aptly along with Amruta Subhash who as the hard headed boss, Ankita was spot on. As for the rest of the cast, the 'caller' turned out to be pretty mediocre while the others were average at best.

Verdict: After starting off in an engaging manner, it eventually fizzles out with hardly a whimper. It was a premise which could have been well crafted after all it isn't alien to us. In short, could have been far better!!!

Rating: 2.25/5

Regards...Ben

Lalbagh review: "Fails to sustain the attention of the audience!!!"

Bangalore (I still prefer calling it that), a city in which I have spent close to 8 years of my life has played a significant role in my personal & professional life. Hence, whenever a Malayalam movie is picturized in the Garden City; it kind of gives me an additional motivation to check it out. One such movie released last week & it happened to be Prashanth Murali's "Lalbagh". From the looks of it, it seemed like a stylishly shot murder mystery flick. But apart from the visuals, does it manage to engage the audience???

Tom (Sijoy Varghese) & Sarah (Mamta Mohandas) along with their daughter led a happily married & affluent life in the cosmopolitan city. But Sarah was in for a rude shock, when Tom was found dead on the couch the morning after his daughter's birthday bash. Police Officer Ganesh Hegde (Rahul Dev Shetty) was in charge of proceedings & prima facie, it seemed like a suicide. However, his instincts told him that there was more to the case than what met the eye. His prime suspects included Sarah, Tom's friends & co-workers who had stayed on for much longer after the rest of the guests had left. His hunch was certainly on the right track as it became evident that a few of them had motivation, though it was hard to pinpoint.

This was Prasanth's second directorial venture after "Paisa Paisa" & over here, he has blended family drama along with the investigation procedure which certainly was a smart move. The manner in which those portions were kept us engaged & for authenticity, this segment primarily had conversations in Kannada or English. Since I do understand a fair bit of the language it was ok, but I believe that could have hampered the viewing experience for many unfamiliar with the language due to the lack of subtitles. On the technical side, Antony Jo's visuals were impressive in capturing the urban milieu as well as the indoor shots. Another aspect that stood out was Rahul Raj's music that was in sync with the mood. But the actual case fails to engage as it felt rather shallow & the twists didn't come across as unexpected. Coming to performances, Mamta Mohandas was an apt choice to play this character but she wasnt as convincing in the emotional sequences. Even Sijoy was pretty average but both Rahul Dev & Rahul Madhav did justice to their parts. As for the rest of the cast, they were average at best.

Verdict: Felt like a movie that could have been far better but the narrative didnt quite have the impact that would have engaged the audience. Despite the fact that it had a run time of just about 100 mins, it felt much longer than that & whenever that happens, it isn't a great sign. In short, a failed opportunity!!!

Rating: 2/5

Regards...Ben

Aaha review: "Had much more scope to make the audience scream aaha louder & longer!!!"

As Malayalis, there will hardly be anyone who isn't aware about the 'vadam vali malsaram' or tug-of-war. It is an integral part of many of our festivities with Onam obviously topping the list. But not many of us would know that there are more than a thousand registered teams & roughly 600 tournaments are held in a year in our state. This clearly shows the lack of media coverage that this sport richly deserves. Incidentally, this is the premise for Bibin Paul Samuel's "Aaha" which is inspired from Aha Neloor, one of the most decorated teams to ever grace the sport. Since sports drama is one of my favourite genre, I didn't have to think twice to check it out. 

Aha Neloor was at the end of their annual campaign & needed to win just one more tournament to claim the enviable record of being unbeaten. Geevichan Aashan (Manoj K Jayan) & his team headlined by the star player Kochu (Indrajith) breezed through the league phase as expected. But destiny had other plans as the hot favourites crashed out in the finals on the back of Kochu's mistake. This was the beginning of the end of Aha & it took more than two decades for it to be revived when Ani (Amith Chakalakkal) and his friends decided to take it up. But will it be able to match the lofty standards that Aha had set in the past???

This is Bibin Paul's directorial debut & he deserves praise along with Tobit Chirayath for choosing a subject that hasn't been explored much. The biggest bane of this genre is the predictability since more often than not the underdogs will end up as Champions. In such a scenario it's imperative that the character arc of the main artists are well established, so that the audience will connect with them emotionally & eventually root for them towards the end. To Tobit's credit, he has certainly tried that by showcasing the problems that quite a few of them faced but to be frank, apart from Kochu's & the Bengali's, the others didn't quite have the depth. However, the vadam vali sequences were thrilling & the BGM certainly did its part in such portions. 

I personally believe that Indrajith is one of the most versatile artists among the 'relatively' younger generation, though he hasnt got consistent opportunities to showcase it. As Kochu, he was fantastic as the older avatar where he was able to make us feel the pain that his character was going through. Ashwin as Chenkan was impressive & so was Manoj K Jayan, but both of them had very limited screen time. As for the rest of the cast, Amith, the Bengali guy & Santhy Balachandran (as Mary) were fine while the others did their parts aptly.

Verdict: There is no doubt that the movie had moments which was thrilling but it was a thread that had the scope to be explored more. Some of the characters such as Chenkan, Geevichan Aashan could have been further developed and the trauma that some of the present members are going through should have been fleshed out properly. In short, a decent one time though it could have been much better!!!

Rating: 2.25/5

Regards...Ben

Churuli review: "Bizarre, intriguing & confusing in equal measure!!!"

A week since "Kurup" released & it has undeniably given the Malayalam film industry a much needed lease of life with the thunderous response that it received from the audience. Even as more producers lined up to showcase their wares on the big screen, Lijo Jose Pellissery opted to stick on with OTT & released his latest venture "Churuli" on Sony LIV. Interestingly, the movie was released yday which also happened to be International Men's Day & from the trailer it seemed like masculinity might take center stage yet again. The movie was appreciated at the International Film Festival of Kerala in March of this year where it won the best film award in the audience poll & LJP also won special mention for best director in the international film competition. Well the title & trailer gave ample indications that we were in for a different cinematic experience, but I (& presumably, most) certainly didn't expect what it eventually offered. 

The movie unfolds with Kalpatta Narayanan's poem on the Lord of Time which is considered as the plight of the mouse in the grip of the cat. This is followed by a fable in which a Thirumeni goes in search of the Perumadan (phantom) who was leading everyone astray. The camera zooms in to two undercover cops, Antony (Chemban Vinod) & his subordinate, Shajivan (Vinay Fort) who was off to a remote village in the hills presumably located in the border area of Kerala & Karnataka., to nab the fugitive Mayiladuparambil Joy. The last leg of their journey was on a dilapidated jeep along with a group of affable passengers through treacherous terrain which eventually leads them to a derelict bridge. But the moment they crossed it, their demeanor changes as they become brash, aggressive & hurl cuss words at the drop of the hat. Naturally this shocks Antony, Shajiyan & even the viewers alike. So why were all the inhabitants in that seemingly idyllic place behaving so differently???

LJP is one of the most sought after directors as his brand of movies have always been unique & captured the fancy of the movie buffs. But at the same time, it might not be to the liking of a significant number of people as his movie sensibility is quite unlike what we are usually used to. His latest celluloid creation "Churuli" is based on Vinoy Thomas's short story 'Kaligeminnarile Kuttavalikal' which was subsequently developed into a full fledged screenplay by S Hareesh. So to which genre does it belong to? Actually kind of hard to put a finger on it as LJP has crafted it in such a manner that it could be interpreted in different ways. I felt it as a mix of fantasy and sci-fi where the crux being that whoever enters into that zone is sucked into a time loop i.e. the events gets repeated which might be the reason why Shajivan looks familiar to others (or maybe he is possessed by the Perumadan). 

On the technical side, it was top notch be it Madhu Neelakandan's visuals that captures the calmness and mystery of the place, Sreerag Saji's haunting music & Renganaath Ravee's sound design. Vinay Fort was impressive in a meaty role that was presented to him, Geethi Sangeethan was fine (especially her initial voice over)  & the rest of the cast such as Chemban, Idukki Jaffer, Soubin etc did their parts aptly. 

Verdict: Essentially it is a wacky movie which is surely not everyone's cup of tea as some will love it while others will slam it. So where do I stand? I certainly loved the attention given to technical aspects & the mystery that LJP builds up, especially the fact it gives everyone to come up with their own interpretation (the question is what exactly did LJP think of?. However, I felt they went a bit overboard with the use of expletives (Im certainly not averse to it) & that hampered my viewing experience to a certain extent. In short, if you plan to watch it, don't forget your headphones!!!

Rating: 3/5

Regards...Ben

Kanakam Kaamini Kalaham review: "It isn't catchy, doesn't grip or have a graph. In effect, it is very weak!!!'

Even as "Kurup" hit the big screens on Friday, Nivin Pauly decided to stick on with the OTT platform & released his latest movie on Disney + Hotstar through his production house, Pauly Jr Pictures. Will the  two flicks be able to throw up a contest as evenly matched as the T20WC final between the Trans-Tasman rivals which gets underway in a couple of hours. Titled "Kanakam Kaamini Kalaham", the project is helmed by Ratheesh Balakrishnan & had captured the attention of the audience prior to its release courtesy of its entertaining trailer. The colour tone, attire & the overall feel in that preview reminded me of "The Grand Budapest Hotel" with a reference to "The Shining" as well. So will the surreal humour & satire comedy that it promised to deliver have the audience in splits???

Pavithran (Nivin Pauly) is a junior artist who doubles up as an acting guru at other times, though his credentials were such that he just had two students. His marital life was on rocky waters as his wife  Haripriya (Grace Antony), a former television artist was at her wit's end with his irresponsible nature. Hoping to bring calm into this turmoil, he gifts her with a pair of ear rings & decides to take her on a holiday to Munnar. But little did he realize that the so called yester year 'up scale' hotel that they checked into will multiply his troubles manifold. 

This is the second directorial venture of Ratheesh, after his impressive "Android Kunjappan v5.25" that was appreciated by one & all. Apart from calling the shots, he has penned the script that ought to have been packed with humour that should have had us holding our sides. The manner in which the credits were shown & the subsequent opening sequences also gave the impression of something interesting. Well that didnt quite happen at least for me as the only sequences that drew a chuckle from me was the one in which the bell boy, Manaf Khan recites the lines from a novel & for which Idukki Jaffer's character riles the novelist played by Joy Mathew. The stereotypical jokes about a minority community, a sexual assault (made to appear as humorous), the usual vomit situations etc., kind of made me wonder as to how the makers expected it to be funny. None of the technical aspects stood out & it felt like a drama rather than a full fledged movie. 

Among the numerous artists that lined up, Grace Antony was the best among the lot as she impresses with whatever best was offered to her character. As for the rest of the cast, Vinay Fort, Vincy & Rajesh Madhavan does manage to shine while the others including Nivin were pretty ordinary & at times, cringe worthy.

Verdict: To be frank, this came across as an unpleasant experience as I did have high expectations about it. Despite the presence of a talented cast, the lack lustered screenplay failed to do justice to their abilities. In short, it was weak...very weak!!!

Rating: 1.5/5

Regards...Ben

Kurup review: "Engaging narrative pattern supported by an impressive crew & cast!!!"

Just like the lull before the storm which incidentally lasted much longer than any of us would have liked, the Malayalam film industry finally had its first major release since the theatres reopened to 50% capacity. The production house that decided to take the plunge was DQ's Wayfarer films as Srinath Rajendran's "Kurup" hit the screens y'day & the reception that it received in the leap up to its release was bombastic to say the least. I guess that would have also partly influenced Antony Perumbavoor to release "Marakkar" in theatres on Dec 2nd. Based on the infamous fugitive, Sukumara Kurup, "Kurup" has been in the news ever since this project began; for obvious reasons.  After all, it would be preposterous if that cold blooded murderer was shown in a glorified manner. So what kind of an approach did the makers adopt??? 

After an illustrious professional career, DSP Krishnadas (Indrajith Sukumaran) was getting retired & as his office was being cleaned up, his subordinate happens to find a journal titled 'Kurup'. Apparently, it was about the elusive criminal, Sudhakar Kurup who made a mockery of the law & judicial system for more than two decades. As the pages gets turned, we are introduced to the world of Gopi Krishna (Dulquer Salmaan), who didn't bat an eyelid before deceiving anyone to achieve his intentions. So how did he attain the name Kurup & manage to outsmart the police even after his accomplices were caught???

This is Srinath's third directorial venture which might come across as a surprise at least for a few since we usually remember him only for "Second Show" though he had also crafted "Koothara" subsequently in 2014. As part of this project, he collaborated with Jithin K Jose, K S Aravind & Daniel Sayooj Nair who has penned a script that is understandably a concoction of fact & fiction. Compared to "NH 47" & 'Pinneyum" also loosely based on Kurup, I felt the trio has done a better job. They take a significant amount of time in building the back story of the protagonist but at no instance do they try to justify his flawed character. However, due to DQ playing the lead role, subconsciously many might root for his character coz of his charm & pretty high likable quotient especially the portions where he repeatedly stays a step or two ahead of the police. 

The biggest positive of the movie is the non linear narrative employed by Srinath that keeps us engaged & guessing at numerous instances, whereby we might feel certain sequences to be incomplete but it is revisited later on from a different person's perspective. At the same time, I felt the screenplay was pretty average when it dealt with the investigative angle which had ample scope & ought to have been covered in much more detail as DySP Haridas & the force had invested years of effort into it. Unfortunately, I felt that that aspect was handled rather lazily & the subsequent fictional portion felt way too outlandish.

Technically, this was fantastic & the first name that needs to be praised is Vinesh Banglan & Manoj Arakkal for their production & art designs which captured the various periods authentically. Equally impressive was Sushin Shyam's BGM while Nimish Ravi's visuals and colour tone does justice to the overall mood. On the performance front, DQ has done a fine job as he was able to convey effectively the art of deception with his charm. But the one who absolutely rocked was Shine Tom as his body language, mannerisms & piercing looks does sent a chill down our spine. To his credit, we absolutely hate his character as he commits the crime with absolutely no remorse. Indrajith was fine though he deserved a much more better written role while the rest of the cast be it Shobita, Vijaykumar (as Ponnachan), Sunny Wayn, Bharath, Tovino etc did their parts aptly.

Verdict: In all probability, this will become the biggest blockbuster in DQ's career & a much needed relief that our box office desperately needed. On the whole, it was a well crafted movie with contributions from a talented cast & crew. Did they glorify the murderer? well certainly not for the horrific crime that he committed but when they go overboard towards the end; I felt they kinda did. Personally, I felt the investigation portion ought to have been covered much better as that was the portion that most of us were more interested in. Anywaz despite that, it is still an engaging watch & well worth a watch!!!

Rating: 3/5

Regards...Ben 

Sooryavanshi review: "Just what the box office wanted, a money spinning masala entertainer!!!"

Even as the COVID numbers have gradually decreased over the last couple of weeks, there was still apprehension as to whether the theatres should be reopened & if so, to what capacity. Anyway almost all the states decided to go ahead but then the big question arose as to whether the public would flock back to the the cinema halls. Hence it was imperative that a multi starrer hugely hyped movie hit the screens to tempt the audience & the ideal choice that Bollywood had at their disposal was Rohit Shetty's "Sooryavanshi" which has been waiting for a theatrical release since March 2020. Despite the indefinite wait, the makers decided not to sell their celluloid creation to any OTT platforms & it turned out to be the right decision as it raked in the moolah. 

1993 Bombay blasts, a date that is etched in the memory of every Indian when the nation was rocked by a series of blasts across the financial capital. Kabir Shroff (Javed Jaffrey), the ATS Chief who had unraveled the case knew that Lashkar supremo Omar Shareef (Jackie Shroff) had carried out these attacks through his trusted lieutenant Bilal Ahmed (Kumud Mishra). However, even more worrisome was the fact that Omar had a sleeper cell of 40 terrorists across the nation & less than half the consignment of RDX was used for the 1993 attack . The ATS in the meantime under the venturesome DCP Veer Sooryavanshi (Akshay Kumar) kept a close watch on the operations of Lashkar. So will Sooryavanshi & Co. save the day for the nation & if so, at what cost???

Whenever we talk about bindaas masala entertainers, one of the first name that comes to mind is Rohit Shetty. His brand of action choreography is catered for the mass & he does know how to weave comedy into such situations. However, if you are looking for logic then you have definitely come to the wrong place & hence I am not going to harp on it as this is not packaged for that purpose. It's a no holds barred action extravaganza but I felt Rohit could have crafted the climax in a much more engaging goose bumps evoking manner since presently it felt like a damp squid after the early thrills. On the technical side, the DoP happened to be our Jomon T John & as always, he has done an impressive job while the other aspects were fine as well especially the "tip tip" track which was picturized and choreographed well.

It's been a while since we saw Akshay in his 'khiladi' avatar & he proved once again that age hasn't affected his agility as he was just scintillating in the action sequences. Even his comic timing was intact  & does manage to tickle the bone in a couple of sequences. With regard to the star cameos Ranveer Singh was utilized well while Ajay Devgn was comparatively wasted. As for the rest of the cast, Jackie, Kumud Javed & Katrina was ok while the rest were just for getting battered. 

Verdict: This is undoubtedly a paisa vasool entertainer & should march its way to be a blockbuster. So does it entertain? Well it's fun for sure & one is expected not to apply logic, but I felt it had scope for much more especially since it was a packaged as a mass entertainer & the climax definitely could have been far better,. In short, check it out!!!

Rating: 2.25/5

Regards...Ben

Dybbuk review: "Standard horror techniques in repeat mode but with a budget cut!!!"

A couple of weeks back, Prithvi featured in Ravi K Chandran's "Bhramam"; the remake of "Andhadhun". Apparently, last week Amazon Prime had another movie that had connections with Prithvi as Jay K decided to remake his own "Ezra" in Hindi as  "Dybbuk". Well for the uninitiated, dybbuk refers to an evil spirit that possesses an individual in pursuit of accomplishing its plans. So I presume this is more than ample proof to anyone interested that this belongs to the horror genre. The trailer was pretty average & didnt evoke any genuine interest, but I was curious to know as to whether Jay had reworked on the plot  since I found the basic thread interesting. 

The film unfolds with Sam Isaac (Emraan Hashmi), a top ranked executive in a nuclear waste disposal company planning to shift to Mauritius as part of his job. Though reluctantly, his wife Mahi (Nikita Dutta) also agrees to his decision despite having to leave behind her friends and family. Soon enough, both of them warms up to the life in the island until Mahi gets hold of a dybbuk box that she had procured from an antique shop. Was there a specific reason as to why the evil spirit chose to torment their lives especially since they had no connection to this alien island.

Jay K has faithfully decided to stick on with the original template that he had drafted & hence for an audience point of view there isnt anything that captivates us. This genre thrives on some arresting cinematography & unfortunately Satya Ponmar fails to match the caliber of Sujith Vaassudev. Even the visual effects wasn't as effective. There was scope for credible sub plots which should have been elaborated further & in turn would have resulted in a much more engaging horror flick rather than watching standard gimmicks. However, this was a crisper version and that was a sensible move though the plot as such fails to do justice to our curiosity. 

On the performance front, Hashmi has done such kind of movies far too many times in his career & therefore he ends up sleep walking through it. Nikita was average despite the fact that she had to just keep a blank stare. As for the rest of the cast, Manav Kaul was wasted, Denzil Smith & Yuri Suri were apt choices for their roles while Imaad Shah and Darshana Banik was ok. 

Verdict: If one has watched "Ezra", then there is hardly anything in its remake that would interest us. Has he messed up the original (which I felt was decent)? I dont think so, but if Jay K had no plans of working on the pitfalls that he faced earlier, then it made no sense as to why he even made this. In short, an average venture!!!

Rating: 1.75/5

Regards...Ben

Annaatthe review: "Siva's archaic story telling will earn no paasam from fans but only pachatheri, inevitably!!!

Whenever a festival season comes across, all of us eagerly look forward to some big banner releases & it was even more evident this year as we have been eagerly waiting for the theatres to open up. It has finally did & what better way to celebrate Diwali than Siva's "Annaatthe" that features our one & only Superstar, 'Thalaiva' Rajinikanth. A couple of hours from now, the Men in Blue will take on the Scots & hope to win it with a sizable margin to keep their WC dream alive. So will "Annaatthe" rake in similar humongous numbers at the box office for Kalanithi Maran? Hmm...it remains to be seen as the trailer was pretty mediocre & the sequences looked like a mishmash of "Petta", "KGF2", "Padayappa" etc. 

Annatthe (Rajini) is the village president who is an epitome of goodness & virtue for whom his sister's happiness (Keerthy Suresh as Thanga Meenakshi) meant the world to him. The siblings seemed inseparable but destiny had other plans as it took them to an alien land & left them to the mercy of some dreaded gangsters. 

Well there isn't much to write about the storyline penned by Siva (along with Savari Muthu, Antony Bhagyaraj, & Chandran Pachaimuthu) & that is exactly the biggest flaw with this movie. After a series of flicks (all beginning with 'V') with Thala, Siva decided to collaborate with Thalaiva & created a venture that would undoubtedly rate as one of the latter's most mediocre ones. It has taken on the subject of brother-sister relationship that has been explored innumerable number of times but where he falters miserably is the inability to provide a fresh perspective to it & picturize it in an engaging manner. The whole movie felt so outdated be it the tale it conveyed or many of the sequences  performed in artificial sets (as in "Darbar") giving it a 80s & 90s feel.  None of the technical aspects particularly caught my attention except for D Imman's music though the BGM was a pain to the ears.

Despite handicapped with a pathetic script, Thalaiva does his best to carry the movie on his shoulders with his unmatched charm, agility and screen presence. None of the other artists had a credible role to play including Keerthy Suresh who was supposed to have an equal footing as Rajini as per the thread. Nayanthara was fine even though she was merely in it as a translator, Soori was bearable while the others like Khushbu, Meena, Prakash Raj etc. were wasted. 

Verdict: Surely a massive disappointment especially since it was a flick that most of us were eagerly looking forward to. What is expected in a Thalaiva movie is a celebration of his style and understandably most of us dont look for logic. However, it should have an entertainment value like "Petta" to cash in on the Superstar's charisma. But Siva failed miserably & barely manages to eject an ounce of unbridled entertainment. In short, a huge letdown!!!

Rating: 1.5/5

Regards...Ben

Jai Bhim review: "Hard hitting drama that lingers on even after the movie concludes!!!

On the eve of Diwali, the Men in Blue finally gave us something to smile about this WC as they marched their way to a commanding win over the Afghans. However, the hope for a semi final spot is still a realistically improbable dream though it was heartening to see our boys break the shackles after the misery Pakistan & Kiwis piled on them. Incidentally, 'shackles' reminds me of T J Jnanavel's latest venture "Jai Bhim" which tells us about the lives of low caste communities whose existence is shackled and dependent on the whims & fancies of the people higher up in the social strata. It was the primary aspect that Dr. B R Ambedkar tried to ensure would not happen in Independent India & fought for it relentlessly. That fight is still going on & for that the path shown by that great patriot is the only way forward, but surprisingly his name hardly features in the forefront in discussions. The trailer was pretty intense & hopefully Suriya's production house '2D Entertainment' has hit the jackpot unlike their previous venture "Udanpirappe" which I found rather dull.

Set in 1993, Rajakannu (K Manikandan) & Sengeni (Lijomol Jose) belonged to the Irular tribal community that had consistently faced atrocities from the authorities. Despite the hardships, the couple led a contented life with the meager salary that they earned from the odd jobs that they did. But life took a harsh turn when Rajakannu was framed & arrested for a theft. Subsequently what folded was a tale of extreme police brutality from which there seemed to be no return for him and his relatives. The situation turned murkier when the police reported that the trio had absconded. It was at this juncture that Sengeni with the help of a social activist, Maithreya (Rajisha Vijayan) was advised to reach out to the advocate Chandru (Suriya) who fought for the rights of the poor and the down trodden.

This is Jnanavel's second directorial venture which he had scripted as well, after "Kootathil Oruvan" (which I haven't watched). Based on a real life incident that took place in Vriddhachalam, it is about the battle that Justice K Chandru fought when he was a lawyer. Retired from the Madras High Court, he is  is a doyen in the legal circle having pronounced a whooping 96k cases over the course of his tenure. Jnanavel has given us a hard hitting drama which I felt is the most raw and brutal movie since Vettrimaaran's "Visaranai". It stays true to the subject without resorting to star worship & focuses on the harrowing experience of Sengeni & Rajakannu, with Chandru doing the utmost from his end to provide justice through his acumen & observation rather than brawn. In order to cater to a wider audience, cinematic liberties are inevitable but Jnanavel made sure that it is kept on check. Though I felt that should have been applied in the form of a formidable opponent lawyer since the court room scenes didnt have as much impact as was expected due to that very reason. 

Kudos to the technical team be it the colour tones & lighting that S R Kathir had used, Sean Roldan's BGM that wasnt intrusive or overpowering & Philomin Raj's seamless editing that was spot on as it ensured that though the movie was close to 2 h 45 mins, it kept us engaged. Hats off to the makeup team as well for the work they had done on the bruised Manikandan & Lijomol. In the performance dept, it was pleasant surprise to see Lijomol given such a meaty role & she blew us away with a fantastic performance. Suriya deserves praise for his impactful portrayal of Chandru & even more importantly, for his smart choice of scripts. Equally impressive was Manikandan who might not have had as many dialogues to mouth but manages to convince us effectively the torture & pain that his character goes for. Both Rajisha & Prakash Raj were fine though they didn't have a challenging role as such while the rest of the cast including the three accused policemen (especially the one as SI Gurumurthy) have all down justice to their parts. 

Verdict: Both the cast & crew have done a fantastic movie which deserves to be watched. It's a tale that is still relevant to our times as evident from various news articles that we come across about the hardships that the poor & oppressed face in their pursuit for justice. Even though it reminds us of "Visaranai" in some sequences, this still has a soul of its own & hence definitely check it out!!!

Rating: 4/5

Regards...Ben

Star review: 'Shoddy screenplay messes up & sidelines the relevant core subject!!!"

After more than six months, the Malayalam film industry heaved a sigh of relief as the State Government allowed the theatres to function at 50 % capacity apart from other stringent guidelines. This essentially raised questions as to whether big budget movies like "Marakkar" would even be able to break even & from the look of things, it seems headed for Amazon Prime. However, we had Domin D'Silva's "Star" hitting the screens which had a relevant topic as its core theme. So will movies like these encourage people to flock back to the theatres???

A celestial event was about to unfold that captured the attention of the astronomy community as the star 'Betelgeuse' was on the verge of explosion. In Hindu astrology, it was associated with the Ardra / thiruvathira nakshatra which was the zodiac star of Ardra (Sheelu Abraham), a college professor. Coincidentally, her life started to take a turn for the worse at around the same time which strained the relation with her husband, Roy (Joju George). As the family started to notice an evident change in her behaviour, they decided to take a trip to her ancestral home in the hope that would calm her nerves. 

This was Domin's second venture after "Pyppin Chuvatille Pranayam" & without mincing words, I would have to say that he has failed to impress. It would however be unfair to put the blame solely on him as the primary reason for this dull venture was Suvin S Somasekharan's mediocre screenplay. It lacked any sense of clarity & even their 'so called' strategy to out-think the audience with the concoction of myths, superstitions & spirits failed to arouse any kind of interest. On the contrary, it tests our patience & by the time, Suvin reveals his core theme (in the last 5 minutes); we are flummoxed. It made absolute no sense as to why such a relevant and sensitive topic which was rarely touched upon & had a credible scope to be explored was handled in such a careless manner. On the technical side, William Francis's BGM was note worthy while the other aspects were ok.

In a woman centric movie like this one, it needed an artist who could carry the movie on her shoulders on the back of her performance. It didn't make sense as to why Sheelu was chosen for this role as she never showcased any such caliber in her previous ventures. As expected, she was no where near the mark as she had a single stone faced expression right throughout the length of the movie. Joju & Gayathri did justice to their roles along with Prithviraj in a cameo role. As for the rest of the cast, they were average at best.

Verdict: To be frank, the manner in which the story was scripted didn't make any sense at all. Even a short film would have been far better. They had a credible thread which could have been well explored & given the audience something to think about out. Unfortunately they didnt & hence, I would suggest to not even bother!!!

Rating: 1.75/5

Regards...Ben