Keedam: "Reasonably engaging take on surveillance!!!"

'Hacking', a word that has steadily gained prominence over the years has been a cause of concern even for Governments, with privacy & security getting compromised. In our nation, it is a punishable offence as per Section 66 of the IT Act; but the fact remains that most culprits get away scot-free. Apparently, there was a hilarious sequence in "Jo & Jo" where Naslen boasts about being hacker & gains access into Nikhila's WhatsApp. But on a serious note, hacking can be an excruciating experience for the victim & hence I was intrigued to check out Rahul Riji Nair's "Keedam" which is about how technology is used to torment the protagonist's stalkers. 

Radhika (Rejisha Vijayan) is an independent & confident cybersecurity professional who ran a start-up along with her partner. Her father, Balan (Sreenivasan) is a retired advocate who hoped to see his daughter married & settled down. Things moved along fine until Radhika started to get anonymous calls from a lascivious jerk. Though he was nabbed by the police in due time, it turned out to be the beginning of a harrowing experience for the father & daughter. However, Radhika was not willing to go down without a fight & she decided to teach the stalkers a lesson through the use of her expertise in technology. 

Ever since Rahul Riji made his directorial debut with "Ottamuri Velicham", he has constantly come up with projects that was critically acclaimed. His latest project like the others is rooted in reality despite the topic being cybersecurity which in the hands of most others would have been overblown and treated in a tacky and amateurish manner with outlandish graphics. The protagonist is shown as a normal female who uses her skills & expertise to tackle a tough situation and at the same time it drives home the point that though surveillance is not legal, if it is done with the right intentions then it can be justified. But there is still a lot of grey area when it comes to surveillance etc & Rahul has smartly decided to stay clear of it. On the technical side, it does not deserve special mention as it was average at best.

Both Rajisha & Sreenivasan did justice to their parts with the latter being spot on as the frail & anxious father. Manikandan continued to impress whenever he got an opportunity (kinda surprised as to why he isn't offered more roles) while Renjith Shankar was fine as the gangster & seemingly gave us a glimpse of his caliber with various shades of character in the projects that he has been involved in till now. As for the rest of the cast, Vijay Babu, Rahul etc did their parts aptly.

Verdict: It touched upon a topic which hasn't been discussed much in our industry & that too in a female oriented project. It does keep the engaged & Rahul made sure he made it crisp with a run time of just 2 h. In short, give it a try!!!

Rating: 2.5/5

Regards...Ben

Jo & Jo: "Relatable comedy that does have its moments!!!"

Who among us wouldn't have fought with our siblings? I guess the answer to that will be nil. Irrespective of how fierce the fights would have been (usually for the most trivial of matters), most of us remember it fondly as the years pass by. Hence when Arun D Jose's "Jo & Jo" hit the screens, it certainly brought back those memories as it focussed on fights between siblings which was portrayed reasonably well by Nikhila Vimal & Mathew Thomas. So did it evoke similar reactions in you???

With the lockdown in effect, Jomon (Mathew) was left with no option but to attend classes online while the rest of the time he frittered away with his buddies, Manoj (Naslen) & Eby (Melvin). On the other hand, his elder sister Jomol (Nikhila) spent her time earnestly on studies & also earned herself some pocket money by virtue of taking tuitions for kids in the neighbourhood. However, it was a typical family where the son certainly had some privileges over his sister. The former was not asked to perform household chores while the latter in Jomol's words was constantly tutored as to how to become the perfect bride ever since she turned 16. As expected, the siblings constantly had fights over this discrimination & to add to that, an anonymous love letter added further spice to their tiffs. 

After having worked for more than a decade in different capacities in the movie industry, Arun finally had the opportunity to call the shots for a script that he had penned along with Raveesh Nath. It portrays the fights between the siblings & gives emphasis on the female perspective to the preference given to her brother. The segment on the love letter which occupies a significant portion of the movie produced moments of laughter & showcased the double standards of the brother pretty well. However, it came across as a wafer thin plot with hardly anything much happening. I do agree that it's not necessary that every movie should have a solid plot if it ticks the entertainment box. It certainly had quite a few hilarious moments but not as effective as I had expected. The technical aspects of the movie was handled in a decent manner. 

On the performance front, Nikhila has given one of her best performance to date in a role that was quite distinct from what she had done in the past. Mathew did his part aptly though at times his reactions felt kinda repetitive. Naslen was in his elements as he continued to evolve with each passing flick while Melvin was ok. As for the rest, Johny Antony, Smino Sijo & Leena Antony did their parts aptly.

Verdict: Among the plethora of movies that had released in recent times, most of them had a rather grim or intense theme. Hence this came across as a breath of fresh air & does provide audience with moments of laughter. Personally I would have preferred a bit more content but it was still a decent time pass flick. In short, do check it out!!!

Rating: 2.5/5

Regards...Ben 

12th Man: "Underwhelming & stretched plot waters down an adapted yet engaging format!!!"

On the eve of Lalettan's birthday, Aashirvad Cinemas decided to give his fans a treat in the form of Jeethu Joseph's "12th Man". It goes without saying that the expectations were pretty high after all it featured the hit combo & inevitably created hopes that their latest venture was also crafted in the mold of "Drishyam". Well it certainly belonged to the mystery thriller genre that was executed in a format that is rather unique to our industry. Anyway it was released on the Disney+ Hotstar platform & it turned out to be a decent thriller.

 

A group of 11 friends including their partners decide to celebrate the bachelor party of their last unmarried buddy at a hillside resort. Despite the interruptions from an inebriated guest in the resort, the gang seemingly had a jolly time until they decide to play a game to test the transparency in their relationships. This led to the opening of a can of worms which culminated with the death of one of their friends. At this juncture, DySP Chandrashekhar (Lalettan) who happened to be the irritating guest early on; steps in to unravel the mystery at the behest of the gang. So was it a suicide or murder & what led to it???

In one of the promotional chat shows, Jeethu mentioned that as opposed to majority of his directorial ventures; the plot is based on a story by Sunir Ketarpal & the screenplay is penned by K. R Krishna Kumar. The former was the producer of Jeethu's "The Body" apart from other movies. (SPOILER ALERT)Well the story as such isn't unique as it is adapted from Paolo Genovese's "Perfect Strangers" blended with Agatha Christie's Poirot series like "Murder on the Orient Express" etc. (ALERT ENDS). To be frank, I certainly liked the manner in which Jeethu had executed the plot as it was certainly engaging for significant parts with the finger of suspicion being pointed at different characters with each passing segment. But where it faltered was when it came to tying it up in a crisper manner as it stretched it to 163 minutes rather than keep it to 1.5 h or so. In the process, by the time the final reveal is made, it failed to evoke any kind of thrill & felt rather underwhelming.

At the same time, kudos to the technical team as they were pretty impressive especially Vinayak's editing skills where the transition between the past & present were made seamlessly. Satheesh Kurup deserves praise for his cinematography while Anil Johnson's music played in the credits gelled well with the mood of the story. On the performance front, the role barely challenged Lalettan & he was fine in the latter half though as the drunkard it kinda felt odd. Coming to the rest of the cast, Chandunath, Saiju Kurup & Sshivada were the best among the lot while the others were ok. 

Verdict: It's a type of movie that is likely to garner mixed reactions as it does have its highs & lows. As far as I am concerned, it certainly keeps the audience engaged but the inability to keep the plot crisp does hamper the thrill & to add to that, the final reveal was way too underwhelming to justify the length. However, it is still worth a one time watch!!!

Rating: 2.75/5

Regards...Ben

Meri Awas Suno: "Jayasurya shoulders this emotional drama!!!"

Whenever Prajesh Sen & Jayasurya had collaborated in a project, they have come with a movie that did have oodles of emotional drama which was enacted to perfection by the latter. So when Prajesh announced his latest venture "Meri Awas Suno", yet again with Jayasurya; I was more than eager to check it out. There was also the added attraction of seeing Manju Warrier working together with Jayasurya in a movie for the first time. So did the movie live up to expectations???

RJ Shankar (Jaaysurya) was one of the most sought after radio jockeys in the state with his voice striking a chord with whomever he spoke with over the show. His popularity & acceptance among the audience earns him accolades and happiness. But fate had other plans as he was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer and lost his voice in the process. Even as his wife, Meryl (Sshivada) stood by him like a pillar of support; he wasn't able to come to terms with his condition. It was at this juncture that Dr. Reshmi Padath (Manju), a speech therapist & motivational speaker stepped in to help him. How Shankar & his family deals with the ordeal and whether there was indeed hope at the end of all this forms the crux of the movie. 

This is the remake of the Shiboprosad & Nandita Roy's Bengali movie "Konttho" which was both critically acclaimed and commercially successful. There is no doubt that Prajesh has done a decent job with the remake as the emotional turmoil and conflicts are portrayed reasonably well. However, it is pretty predictable & that kind of drains the interest after a point of time though Jayasurya & Sshivada's performance keeps it engaging. There are also sequences which reminds one of "Captain", "Su Su Sudhi Vathmeekam", but on the whole it seemed fine with M Jayachandran's music in sync with the mood created. 

As I mentioned it in the past, Jayasurya continues to evolve as an artist with an excellent portrayal of the protagonist who struggles emotionally and physically without his voice. There is no denying the fact that it did have shades of some characters that he essayed in the past, but that does not affect the viewing experience of the audience. Sshivada has done utmost justice to her role, Johny Antony was fine while Manju was surprisingly the weakest among the lot. It certainly had to do with the manner her character was etched which was loud and over the top; though I felt she could have toned it down by quite a bit. 

Verdict: Jayasurya shoulders this emotional drama that might not quite warm up to many of the audience due to its predictable & slow pace. In short, you may give it a try!!!

Rating: 2.25/5

Regards...Ben

Pathaam Valavu: "Predictable & cliched emotional drama!!!"

A few days back, as part of the promotions of M Padmakumar's "Pathaam Valavu"; Suraj Venjaramoodu in his own trademark style  borrowed Yash's iconic dialogue & rehashed it to 'Serious, serious, serious. I don't like it. I avoid, but serious likes me". Well it made sense after all he had constantly featured only in such roles for quite a while now. From the looks of the trailer, it seemed to be along similar lines though with Padmakumar calling the shots, there were hopes that this would have some of the quality that was showcased in "Joseph". 

SI Sethunath (Indrajith) had applied for leave as he was anxious to be by the side of his wife for her delivery due to complications in the past. However, prior to that he was given the assignment to bring back the convict, Solomon (Suraj) who had not returned even after his parole ended. With much effort, Sethu & his team managed to nab Solomon but a landslide on the way back meant that they would take time to return. From the interaction with the villagers, it seems like everyone had a good opinion about Solomon. So what had made the latter to become a killer???

The script has been penned by Abhilash Pillai who was also credited for "Night Drive" which belonged to the survival thriller genre. Interestingly, this is tagged as a thriller as well though there was hardly anything in it that justified it. The cliched sequences & situations failed to evoke any kind of surprise and even the worst bettor would have easily predicted the manner in which the movie would unfold. So does it mean that it was mediocre? Well not exactly, since the execution & performances despite the predictability keeps the audience engaged. The emotional scenes in the latter half is likely to give a lump in the throat for quite a few. On the technical side, it was fine be it Ratheesh Ram's visuals while Ranjin Raj's music still had the hangover of "Joseph". 

Almost all the artists have done their parts aptly be it Suraj who was impressive as usual in the emotional sequences or Indrajith who continues to get offered roles that barely tests his potential. However, Aditi impressed with her effort while Ajmal Ameer, Sudheer Karamana etc were ok.

Verdict: The movie as such doesn't offer anything new that we have not seen in the past. It's the same old emotional drama with predictability taking centre stage. At the same time, the execution is fine and keeps the audience engaged coz of the performances & a reasonably short run time. In short, the choice is yours!!!

Rating: 2.5/5

Regards...Ben

Puzhu: "Mammookka sets the bar in this commendable slow burner!!!"

A couple of months back, there were reports about Ratheena's debut venture "Puzhu" will feature Mammookka in a character that had ample shades of grey. It had undoubtedly piqued the attention of most movie aficionados including me, after all whenever the legend has essayed such a role he had left us amazed like Raghavan in "Munnariyippu", Patelar in "Vidheyan" or Ahmed Haaji in "Palerimanikyam". Well this flick also marked his debut in the OTT platform with DQ's Wayfarer Films having decided to release it on SonyLIV last night. 

Kuttan (Mammookka) was a retired police officer who was presently involved in real estate deals & soon enough the audience is made aware of the fact that he had no dearth of enemies. He was a bigot in all sense of the word who believed that the low caste deserve to be oppressed & didn't think twice to enforce his supremacy over others. His hatred for the marginalised was also due to the fact that his sister, Bharati (Parvathy) had gone against the wishes of the family to tie the knot with Kuttappan (Appunni Sasi), a prominent drama artist though belonging to a lower caste. His attitude & demeanour was detested by many & one of them happened to be his son, Kichu (Vasudev Sajeesh). Having lost his mother early on, Kichu looked up to his father for emotional support but what was invariably dished out to him was a parenting style that bordered on being toxic. However, when Bharati moved in the same apartment complex; they hoped maybe that will help to bury the hatchet with her brother in due time. But did it???

Kudos to Ratheena's for an impressive debut & a generous amount of that compliment also goes to Harshad, Sharfu & Suhas for a compelling script, with the former having shown his credentials with "Unda" in the past. They have touched upon  topics such as toxic parenting & caste oppression, both of which has been shown in an unapologetic manner & from the side of the oppressor. There is no attempt to empathize with the protagonist or make him moult into a perfect human being by the time the end credits roll. Ratheena does not try to preach & on the contrary, leaves it to the audience's discretion as to which side they are on. There is no doubt that the slow pace might not be everyone's cup of tea but it was certainly engaging for me. However, the climax felt rather hurried & the additional topic that they hastily tried to convey was not required is what I felt. On the technical side, Jakes Bejoy continued to impress with the minimal BGM & Theni Eshwar's visuals were fine.

Mammookka has been on an absolute roll with impressive performances in diverse roles in the three movies that he featured in this year. As Kuttan, he was just brilliant & showcased the various facets of his incredible caliber over the course of this flick. Vasudev was spot on as the tensed Kichu, Appuni Sasi finally got a role that showcased his talent as a theatre artist & he just got into it with glee while Parvathy was good as always despite the limited screen space.

Verdict: There is no doubt that until one gets engaged in the movie, it would come across as testing the patience at times as some of the sequences seemed repetitive. Even the drama sequence might not make much sense for ones who is not aware about the backstory of it. Despite these failings, it is still a worthwhile watch not just because of the topic it touches upon but also coz of the performances of Mammookka & Co. Do check it out!!!

Rating: 3/5

Regards...Ben

CBI 5: The Brain: "Depends on nostalgia as the makers fails to update themselves!!!"

The much awaited sequel of the CBI franchise hit the screens last weekend & being a fan of the series, I didn't have to think twice before checking it out. Well there has been a plethora of reviews online over the past week regarding whether K Madhu was able to create a worthy sequel. Obviously, it didn't blow our socks off but at the same time, it would be harsh to state that it was a complete washout. To be frank, I felt as if SN Swami was oblivious to the fact that the taste of the audience had changed with the times.

The movies focuses on one of the most difficult case that CBI & Sethurama Iyer (Mammookka) had faced about a decade back. It was referred to as the 'basket killings' which began with the murder of a minister followed by many others. With the police drawing a blank, Iyer & his team was brought in to solve the mystery as it became murkier with each passing day.

For reasons best know to SN Swami, he came up with a script that was way too outdated & fails to engage the audience for most parts. We are living in a time, where the audience is exposed to all types of visual content across the globe, with our industry itself being at the forefront of some of the most exciting projects. So it was imperative that Madhu & Swami had a credible tale to convey & execute rather than merely milk the nostalgic aspect. The first half does try to build the suspense but the latter segment turned out to be rather bland & fails to wow the audience. At the same time, the manner in which they brought in Jagathi at a pivotal part of the plot deserves applause. None of the technical aspects deserves special mention except for Jakes Bejoy's BGM which was fine (though more was expected of him).

Irrespective of the quality of the script, Mammookka continued to impress as the protagonist with his towering screen presence. It was a joy to the eyes to see Jagathi perform & he did an admirable job despite his health limitations. Saikumar did his part aptly while Soubin seemed like a miscast. As for the rest of the cast, Anoop Menon, Mukesh, Ranji Panikkar, Ramesh Pisharody were ok.

Verdict: Just like the term "Brain" is inexplicable in the title, the script also seemed to be devoid of it for most parts. I will still rate it above "Nerariyan CBI" & hope that if the makers plan to attempt a sixth installment to the series, then they definitely need to be in touch with the pulse of the audience rather than mess up a worthy series in the hope that nostalgia will help them through. In short, give it a try!!!

Rating: 2.25/5

Regards...Ben

Jana Gana Mana: "Pertinent queries raised about public perception!!!"

With the  holy Ramadan month coming to an end, we had a major release in the form of the much awaited Dijo Jose Antony's "Jana Gana Mana". The trailer itself was rather unique as the makers had piqued the curiosity of the audience by revealing that the sequences that were shown were actually from its sequel. I fact, the blast sequence was just brilliant as it was impactful & pretty realistic. To add to the thrill, it saw Prithvi & Suraj rub share screen space yet again after the successful "Driving License". Well it certainly lived upto expectations as both the script & performances managed to keep the audience engaged.

Prof Saba Mariam (Mamta Mohandas) of a reputed university in Karnataka, a socially responsible individual & philosopher who was adored by her students was raped & murdered. As expected, students retaliate and demand justice which was dealt with an iron fist by the law & order system. This led to the rise of a nation wide student protest & that's when the authorities decide to entrust the case on ACP Sajjan Kumar (Suraj Venjaramoodu). His sincerity & empathetic attitude calms the situation and soon enough he manages to nab the culprits who were behind this heinous crime. But that was just half the job done after all quite a few of them had political affiliations. 

This is Dijo's second venture after "Queen" which also becomes a court room drama in the latter half & in that sense, his present movie also takes the same path. However, Sharis Mohammed who has collaborated yet again with Dijo penned the script in a manner that raises numerous relevant queries regarding the manner perceptions could be created & modified to satiate the whims and fancies of the concerned individuals. Actually it does seem inspired from the murder of a professor in Hyderabad a couple of years back & events that panned out subsequently. The makers hit the ground running with no time wasted in building the story as the first half is an investigative flick which subsequently becomes a courtroom drama that takes the thrill up by a few notches courtesy of some hard hitting dialogues. Even at a run time close to 3 h it doesnt quite test our patient but there was certainly scope for Sreejith Sarang to trim it as the back story related to Prithvi could have been avoided after all it was already evident that they would be showing it in the sequel.

Kudos to Jakes Bejoy's fantastic BGM as he managed to elevate the mood of many sequences & the same praise also goes to Sudeep Elamon's visuals. On the performance front, Vincy Aloshious absolutely nailed her part & is steadily making a niche for herself in the industry with each performance. Both Prithvi & Suraj did their parts impressively, with this being one of the former's best performances to date. The rest of the cast have also done their parts aptly such as Ilavarasu (Constable), GM Sundar (as Home Minister), Shammi Thilakan, Mamta etc.  

Verdict: It belongs to those set of movies that linger in her mind even after leave the theatres not just coz of the performances but also coz of the relevant questions that the makers poses at us. In short, do check it out!!!

Rating: 3.5/5

Regards...Ben