One review: "Despite a compelling theme, the script lacks conviction to give it right to No.1!!!"

Among the numerous movies that are lined up release, there are quite a few that I had eagerly waited for & Santhosh Vishwanath's "One" happens to be one such flick. The Covid situation meant that the release was delayed for close to a year. However, with the elections just round the corner; the makers couldn't have chosen a better time to make it available to the audience. The trailer was compelling  & the plethora of artists that were part of this project, skyrocketed the expectations. So will it satiate the audience & give the producers the right to big bucks???

Kadakkal Chandran (Mammookka) was the much feared CM of our state who made his own party members sweat bullets, if he found them indulged in corruption or scandals. However, his impeccable image took a hit when a college student, Sanal (Mathew Thomas) posted against him on FB out of frustration coz of a physical assault from the police that he wasn't to be blamed for. As expected, the post goes viral & the opposition grabs onto the issue to fan violence in the state. The CM manages to defuse the situation with his tactful decisions, but this was just the beginning of the problem. With the voices of discontent growing within his own party, will he able to remain incorruptible or will he mellow down his ideals to ensure that his party remained in power???

This is Santhosh's second directorial venture after the spoof flick "Chirakodinja Kinavukal" with the script being penned by the Bobby-Sanjay duo. There is no doubt that Santhosh has done an admirable job in creating a palpable excitement in the first half with the towering presence of Mammookka. The script sensibly doesnt opt for a superhuman persona to the CM & humanizes him by giving us a fleeting glimpse of his health & family. Another huge positive was the attention paid to make sure that there was no distinction between the parties & all that matters is whether they are concerned about the welfare of the public.

However, none of the events that gets touched upon over the course of 2 h manages to elevate the movie to the next level that it was very much capable of. The over indulgence of sequences between the CM and Sanal was a flaw & the political scenes ought to have been more impactful rather than mere verbal discourses. On the technical side, it was fine with Gopi Sundar's BGM & Vaidy Somasundaram's visuals deserving special praise, though Nishad Yusuf's editing wasnt quite upto the mark.

Mammookka was brilliant as the protagonist & shoulders the movie with his screen presence even when the script falters. With a huge star cast, it is hard to pin point and mention about each one of them, though it would be fair to see that all of them have done utmost justice to their roles. Interestingly, Mathew has the most screen time after the legend & was fine along with Murali Gopi, who has definitely turned a corner in his acting career as he churns out yet another praise worthy act. Equally impressive despite the limited screen space was Joju as the party secretary, Babychan.

Verdict: It's surely an engaging movie especially in the first half which kinda fizzles out later on. There is no doubt that it had an interesting core theme, but it was more like a utopian concept & hence the latter half doesnt quite have the impact. Despite the pitfalls, do check it out for Mammookka!!!

Rating: 2.75/5

Regards...Ben

Saina review: "Vanilla flavoured biopic!!!"

In a nation where sports is not a reliable career profession (except for maybe cricket to a certain extent), we have been blessed with numerous sporting icons. These include Dhyan Chand, Sachin, Paes, Anand, Mary Kom etc to name a few. Their brilliance & mastery over the game has inspired thousands which includes the film industry as well. In the last decade we have seen many biopics being made & the latest to be added to that list is Amole Gupte's "Saina". The exploits of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna awardee Saina Nehwal is well documented thanks to the hyper active media. So were the makers able to do justice to the biopic of the only Indian female badminton player to have attained the World no.1 ranking??? Ironically, they were rather careless as there is a scene where a newspaper clip is shown as 'Sania winning U13 title' & even the first look poster seemed like a tennis serve rather than hitting a shuttle.

Saina (Naishaa Kaur / Parineeti Chopra) was introduced to the world of badminton by her mother, Usha Rani (Meghna Malik) who was an impressive player herself in her younger days. She wanted to make sure that Saina attained the heights of the game that she dreamt about & motivated as well as pushed her daughter to the hilt. If mother was the fire, then her father Harvir Singh (Subhrajyoti Barat) was the gentle breeze who supported her in the best way possible that his humble means could afford. Soon enough, Saina started to make headlines in the junior level & joins the academy of Sarvadhamaan Rajan (Manav Kaul) to graduate to the next level. It was never going to be easy for an Indian to break into the world stage that was ruled by the Chinese & Rajan seemed to be the answer for that. But will Saina be able to adhere the strict regimen of her coach???

Amole Gupte credentials as a director was established in his debut project itself "Stanley ka Dabba" which was an enjoyable experience. In "Saina", he was taking on a subject that had inspired many & hence the audience are keen to know about the ups & downs that the protagonist went through. Unfortunately, Amole fails to do that & what we get is an extremely superficial story that most of us already know if you are a sports lover. It was also surprising as to why they chose a false name for the coach when it is evident that it is Gopichand. By the way, it was distracting to see the size of the mole vary from frame to frame. On the technical side, Piyush Shah's visuals were fine & the manner in which the games were choreographed deserves praise. 

The first choice for the role of the protagonist was Shraddha Kapoor & it seemed like a very good choice. But due to health related issues, she had to back out & it was eventually taken up by Parineeti Chopra. The latter has done justice to the role especially in the game sequences. Manav Kaul was spot on, Meghna Malik impressed in the first half while she got sidelined subsequently, Eshan Naqvi as Kashyap was reduced to nothing more than a pretty face while the rest were ok as well.

Verdict: As a biopic, I dont think Amole has been able to provide a comprehensive picture about Saina. It was just a compilation of a few tournaments that she won & doesnt give us any glimpse as to how she dealt with setbacks like injury, issues with Gopichand etc. In short, you can give it a try without expecting that you will come to know something new about the Champ!!!

Rating: 2.5/5

Regards...Ben

Mohan Kumar Fans review: "Jis Joy's typical feel good movie!!!"

Are you a fan of feel good movies??? Well I certainly belong to that category & who wouldn't be after all there is a lot of negativity around us at times. However, everything should be in moderation or else it will turn out to be too sweet for comfort. Jis Joy's movies invariably belongs to this genre & the latest to join that list is "Mohan Kumar Fans". The trailer did seem interesting as it is the story of a yesteryear actor who was trying to make a comeback into tinsel town. So did both the reel life actor & the real life producer find the success that they yearned for???

The brilliance, caliber & good fortune of Mammookka & Lalettan, invariably meant many artists were sidelined and one such actor was Mohan Kumar (Siddique). However, things took a turn when he got an opportunity to portray a strong character on screen after three decades. His performance was well appreciated by the critics but the release of some big banner movies meant that his movie had a curtailed run at the box office. In order to ensure that he received the deserved appreciation, his friends & family decides to submit the movie for the national film awards. But will ill fortune yet again deny Mohan the recognition that he richly deserved???

As mentioned earlier, Jis Joy is a director who is well known for his positive, feel good brand of movies be it "Vijay Superum...", "Sunday Holiday" etc. Interestingly, the story is by the Bobby-Sanjay duo while it was scripted by Jis Joy. There was hardly any twists or unpredictability in the tale but it didnt test our patience as well. Unlike his earlier flicks, the emotional quotient was much higher here & if it wasnt for a fantastic performer like Siddique then there was a highly likelihood that it would have fell flat. If at all there was a negative for me, then the reality music show track for Chackochan wasn't required. With regard to the technical aspects, all of them have done a fine job.

Even though it is packaged as a Chackochan movie, the heart & soul of it is Siddique who was impressive as always. As for the rest of the cast, Chackochan, Mukesh, Anarkali etc., all of them have performed their roles aptly while Vinay Fort as the arrogant superstar went overboard as the character required and tickles the funny bone at many instances.

Verdict: This isn't the type of flick, where thrills and suspense takes centre stage. However, if you are in the mood to watch a feel good movie, then this would be the right choice for a weekend watch. In short, give it a try!!!

Rating: 2.5/5

Regards...Ben

The Priest review: "Crafted as a sleek horror thriller but the script lacked the impact!!!"

Over the last couple of years, there has been an steady influx of fresh talent that has graced the movies both in front and behind the camera. The latest to join the bandwagon is Jofin T Chacko who made his foray into direction with "The Priest" with the legend, Mammookka in the lead. With Manju Warrier sharing screen space with the stalwart for the first time, there was quite a bit of hype as expected when the movie was announced. This eventually translated into footfalls despite the restriction in the theatres. Seems liked the prayers of the producers were answered, so was it as engaging???

Father Carmen Benedict (Mammookka) is a priest by profession though he doubled up as an investigator whenever the need arose. The latest case that caught his attention was the slew of mysterious suicides that happened in an affluent family. During the course of the case, he interacted with Ameya (Monica) whose demeanor and attitude seemed to prove that there was more to her than what met the eye. So Fr. Benedict decides to pursue Ameya in the belief that she would unravel the truth behind the tragical deaths. Was she indeed 

Yet another debutant director has made his entry into the industry & has been in the case in many other similar hopefuls, this movie also featured the Mega Star. Apart from captaining the ship, Jofin has also scripted it while the screenplay was handled by Shyam Menon & Deepu Pradeep. There is no doubt that Jofin manages to build up a credible mysterious element in the first half but as it settles into the actual genre to which it belongs, then it meanders in a rather monotonous manner. On the technical side, the movie, Rahul Raj's tracks were soothing to the ears, Akhil George's visuals were praise worthy & the overall making of the movie was fine. 

It was refreshing to see Mammookka in a different role & he carried it off with ease. Nikhila Vimal has done a fine job while Venkitesh could have been better in his dialogue delivery. But the pick among the lot was undoubtedly Monica, who performed admirably in a challenging role. Though the movie was advertised as the first one in which Manju Warrier would share screen space with the legend, there was hardly much sequences between the duo. It was more like an extended guest role and she has given a decent performance. 

It's been quite a while since Mammookka made his presence felt at the box office & from the looks of it, the movie has garnered decent to positive responses from majority of the critics & the public alike. As far as my opinion goes, I certainly felt it began with an exciting manner as it had an eerie & mysterious feel to the proceedings. However, the latter half didnt quite have the impact that it seemed capable of. In short, give it a try!!!

Rating: 2.5/5

Regards...Ben

Black Coffee review: "Hard to avoid yawning even with multiple black coffee!!!"

A fortnight back, "Drishyam 2" released & Jeethu Joseph set the bar as to how sequels should be made, which to be frank is unlikely to be matched by most film makers. In the hope of conjuring something similar, Baburaj has attempted to recreate the magic of "Salt N' Pepper" with the sequel "Black Coffee''. More often than not, sequels have failed as they are made with the sole purpose of cashing in on the success of its predecessor. Well the trailer of Baburaj's venture was pretty average, but I  decided to check it out coz of its enjoyable prequel.

After having spent numerous years as the trusted confidante/cook of Kalidasan (Lal), Babu (Baburaj) decided to move on, on the back of a trivial ego clash. His journey lands him in a household with four independent females each with problems of their own . The movie is essentially about how he helps them out from their adversities. Incidentally, the story was written (or was there even a script) by Orma Bose who also plays the role of Rachana's sister and was undoubtedly the most pathetic among the cast. 

One of the major strengths of the prequel was the manner in which Syam Pushkaran had created the character 'Babu', which in turn had boosted Baburaj's career. However, when Baburaj himself called the shots, not only did he fail to improve upon it; on the contrary it came across as mediocre. The storyline was whimsical and didnt have anything worthwhile. None of the technical aspects is worth mentioning & it looked like a serial in many sequences. 

As mentioned earlier, some of the traits in the character played by Baburaj gets exaggerated which makes it odd rather endearing. I fail to understand as to why would Lena choose such a role while Rachana was average. Oviya was ok, Orma was torturous while Sunny Wayne, Lal, Shweta Menon were in the movie for reasons oblivious to even them.

Verdict: There is nothing to sugar coat about this movie as it was pretty pathetic & squashes the good will that the prequel had garnered. Why does people even attempt to make sequels, if they dont have a proper script to back it up? Well it might be solely to make some quick bucks rather than a genuine creative interest. In short, dont bother!!!

Rating: 1.5/5

Regards...Ben

Love review: "Interesting thought but doubtful whether many will warm up to it!!!

Even as the COVID crisis forced the theatres to remain shut in Kerala for the major part of 2020,  Khalid Rahman's "Love" was released in UAE last October. However, with the restrictions in place; it didn't create a buzz at the box office. It eventually released in our movie halls & on Netflix a couple of weeks back. Apparently, it was a movie that seemed to garner mixed responses with the critics mostly praising the effort while many of the people that I interacted with wasn't necessarily impressed by what they saw. Hmm...so what was my take on it???

The marriage of Deepti (Rajisha Vijayan) & Anoop (Shine Tom) was on the rocks as they lost the love from their lives which had bound them together in the first place. The only semblance of their once happy relationship was the numerous photos that adorned their apartment. Their relation had become so toxic that the news that she was pregnant barely brought a smile on their faces. As always they got into a fight but it was a day that panned out in a manner that neither the protagonists nor the audience expected.

Among the new wave of directors, Khalid Rahman is one of my personal favourites as his movies are both endearing and has a distinct style of its own be it "Anuraga Karikkin Vellam" or "Unda". In his latest venture, he has come up with an interesting script but the execution didn't feel as crisp and that is likely to create a sense of lagging. The dark humour that is sprinkled liberally works at times & while the location is restricted to within the apartment, it was effective in conveying the claustrophobic feel of the characters. As in other Khalid flicks, the technical aspects were impressive such as Jimshi Khalid's visuals & Noufal Abdullah's editing. 

There are only a handful of characters in the movie & all of them have done their parts aptly. The pick among them was undoubtedly Gokulan, who rocks with his fickle minded state and unpredictable nature. Another person who was equally awesome was Johny Antony, who has a limited screen space but makes us sit up & take notice. As for the rest, Rajisha & Sudhi Koppa were fine while Shine Tom could have been better.

Verdict: Despite a run time of just 91 minutes, it didnt feel like a breeze & could turn out to be a dampener atleast for a few. I really liked the core subject & felt like it had scope for a much more impactful conclusion. In short, give it a try though it might feel a tad slow!!!

Rating; 2.5/5

Regards...Ben