Alone: "Monster is not alone anymore!!!"

Was it indeed Lalettan or just a figment of my imagination? Do I actually have schizophrenic symptoms as I still cant believe that Lalettan was the protagonist in Shaji Kailas's "Alone". Whenever a Mammookka or Lalettan flick releases, there is understandably a great deal of expectations. However, the latter's recent track record left many including me quite skeptical as to what was in store in a movie where he was going to be the only actor on screen. Well to be absolutely blunt, it was shockingly mediocre. 

After being in the woods for quite a while, Shaji Kailas was back at the helm on the back of the success of "Kaduva". However, one of the primary reasons for his exile was the repeated failure of his movies such as "Ginger", "Madirasi" etc. which was penned by Rajesh Jayaraman. Incidentally, the same person was called onto pen for this flick & that itself raised concerns as to whether it had it in him to provide a compelling script. The simple answer to that is no as the one liner that seemed interesting didn't have any credible content to make it engaging. The story unfolds during the Covid time with Kalidasan (Lalettan) moving into a new apartment in an upscale apartment complex in Kochi. Soon enough he starts hearing voices in his flat & tries to reason whether it was the effect of alcohol or if supernatural forces were at play.

I seriously doubt whether Rajesh had put in serious effort to justify his name as a script writer in this movie as there is hardly anything that manages to keep us hooked apart from the early interest. The dialogues were pathetic & more often than not felt like illogical rants rather than sensible statements. The  settings itself wasn't unique as Ranjith Shankar had already attempted it in "Sunny" except that it was more of a character study of the protagonist performed reasonably well by Jayasurya rather than unravelling the mystery as shown here. None of the technical aspects are worth mentioning as they were average with unnecessary camera gimmicks at times while the VFX in one of the scenes felt like it was done by an amateur.

This is not the first time that Lalettan had featured in mediocre movies but in majority of such flicks he would have done his part aptly. Unfortunately, over here he is downright pathetic as he literally struggles to emote while his dialogue delivery left a lot to be desired. Apart from him, there were a few others who made their vocal presence such as Manju, Nandhu, Renji Panicker, Siddique etc among which Prithviraj has done a fine job.

Verdict: It was a movie that was meant for the OTT but even in that platform it will struggle to come across viewers who would watch it without fast forwarding it. In short, forget it!!!

Rating: 1/5

Regards...Ben

Pathaan: "SRK & Co. brings back smiles at the Bollywood box office!!!"

After a hiatus of about four years, SRK is back with a bang & Bollywood couldn't have been any happier as the box office counters have been quite barren for quite a while. The stage was set by Siddharth Anand's "Pathaan" which is part of the YRF's spy universe that has been building on since "Tiger". As per the box office reports, the movie has grossed more than 300C in just 3 days & by the looks of it, it is headed to become one of the biggest blockbusters ever. However, it has also been in the news for alleged disrespect showcased in the song 'Besharam rang', which seemed be nothing short of absurd & cheap tactics by those outfits to garner publicity. So how did it manage to click despite all these #ban dramas that happens at the release of all major big banner releases???

With regard to Siddharth, I presume there is no need to introduce him as he has been around for quite a while having helmed movies like "Bang Bang", "War" etc. in recent times. He had also penned the script while Sridhar Raghavan handled the screenplay with dialogues by Abbas Tyrewala. The thought on paper sounded like the regular run of the mill popcorn munching action thriller. Well that's exactly what it is but the racy screenplay manages to keep us engaged despite the occasional slip ups. Even as destruction was unleashed by different terrorist organizations across the globe, it seemed like most of them were outsourced to a group of mercenaries which was headed by Jim (John Abraham). Their latest assignment was from ISI to wreck havoc in India in retaliation for the revoke of Article 370. The Indian intelligence was of the belief that the first step in Jim's plan was to target the President & hence they decide to sent their best man, Pathaan (SRK) & his team to foil their mission. However, it was a tall ask even by Pathaan's standards after all Jim was a former RAW agent & one of the finest ever. 

Despite the predictability, the biggest positive was the thought that had gone into the character arcs of the main players involved rather than merely rely on set pieces & visual gimmicks. It is common sense that for the hero to be celebrated, then the villain had to be even more menacing and that's what Siddharth has done here. The credible backstory for Jim, the fallible nature of Pathaan & the decision to make Rubina kick ass (even a sequence that was inspired from "KGF2", "Vikram" etc) rather than merely serve as eye candy is what made this movie so engaging. To add to that, Salman's cameo as 'Tiger' elevates the thrills manifold.  

Whenever we watch a movie like this, none of us ought to expect logic in it after all the primary aim is to be awed by the visual spectacle that is on show. Kudos for that goes to Satchith Paulose for the fantastic visuals & the vibrant colour tone used though Aarif Sheikh could have been better on the editing board. In an action flick, the major highlight is undoubtedly the elaborately choreographed sequences  which was damn impressive especially when it involved hand to hand combat such as the train sequence which was absolutely delightful. The aerial sequences was rather average primarily because the VFX unexpectedly had some major shortcomings due to which it came across as very ordinary at times.

After more than three decades in the industry, SRK has decided to don an action avatar & he has done utmost justice to it. He was always top notch when it came to charm & humour which is featured here as well. It was heartening to see John in a role that seemed tailormade for him & he was spot on be it in terms of physicality, attitude etc. Deepika amps up the glam quotient but yet seemed at ease in the action sequences also. As for the rest of the cast, both Dimple Kapadia & Ashutosh Rana did their parts aptly. 

Verdict: It certainly has its flaws in terms of predictability & VFX effects, however it is still a paisa vasool entertainer. It is not so often in recent times  that we come across a cameo that was as enthralling as Salman's (except for Rolex) & the bromance between the two was a treat to the eyes. Interestingly even Aamir was a part of this movie indirectly as his elder sister Nikhat Khan essayed the role of Pathaan's Afghani foster mother. In short, do check it out!!!

Rating: 2.75/5

Regards...Ben

Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam: "Master craftsman & legendary actor does their magic which is as relaxing & refreshing as a mayakkam!!!"

LJP...literally lost for words to describe his craftsmanship!!! Ever since "Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam" premiered at IIFK in December, it has captured the fancy of the audience. Finally on the basis of the overwhelming response from the audience Mammootty Kampany in collaboration with Amen Movie Monastery decided to release it in theatres last Thursday. As expected, the audience responses has largely been positive & being a Mammookka-LJP flick, I was more than eager to experience the magic they had weaved. However, it would be curious to see whether Ranjith's statement regarding the footfalls in the theatres would prove to be true in the long run as the box office returns hasn't been as healthy as expected.

Based on the story by LJP, the screenplay is prepared yet again by S Hareesh as the duo joined forces for the third movie on the trot after "Jallikattu" & "Churuli". The movie unfolds in Velankanni where James (Mammookka) along with his extended family are on their way back from the pilgrimage. After a sumptuous lunch, everyone dozes off in the bus until James wakes up in between & makes his way to a house located in a nearby village. So how did James know the area & whose house was it especially since it apparently seemed like he was in this part of the region for the first time. 

For the benefit of those who haven't seen the movie, there are bound to be some spoilers in this particular paragraph. With regard to the basic plot, as in "Churuli"; LJP has left the climax open ended so that it could be perceived in any manner that the audience had inferred it. The transition of James to Sundaram could either be the result of the former's dream or might be supernatural & maybe even other view points also. LJP gives us a hint of what he has in store for us with the Thirukural verse that is mentioned by the lodge owner to James & the latter's response to it. Well I'm not going into the details of that aspect as I feel it is better that you don't be swayed by what I think. In effect, it is a slow paced flick but still keeps us engrossed in it with its emotion sequences and quite a few really hilarious situational humour. 

On the technical side, it is top notch be it in the sound department or cinematography. In one of the interviews, Mammookka had mentioned that the maximum amount of money was invested in getting the audio rights of the numerous Tamil songs or movies that are played in the background. This is the first time that I had witnessed anything like that where the dialogues or songs in the background either from the TV, tape recorder or theatre is in complete sync with the happenings on the screen. Kudos to Deepu Joseph in ensuring that all of this gelled well & maintained the apt pace with his editing skills. Another major positive is the cinematography that was handled by Theni Eshwar who has done a fantastic job with the wide angle static frames which in most instances could have turned out to be boring if it wasn't for LJP's ability to engage the audience.

Last year, Mammookka was a revelation with the choice of scripts that he had chosen which gave him the scope to perform. The new year has started off in a similar manner as the legend yet again proved as to why  he is still considered as one of the pillars of our industry even after four decades. The ease with which he does the transition between the two characters was fantastic & as always he rocked in the emotional scenes. Though the rest of the cast might not have had much screen space, they also did utmost justice to their roles such as Ashokan, Rajesh Sharma ( as driver), Vipin Atley, Ramya Pandyan (as Poovally) etc.  

Verdict: Well the King of Chaos has helmed a movie that is quite the opposite of it with a flick that is quite the other end of the spectrum. So be mindful of the fact that it is a slow paced flick which might not work for some. Apart from that, dont miss it!!!

Rating: 3.75/5

Regards...Ben

Ennalum Ente Aliya, Djinn & Theru : "Quite an interesting start to the year despite their similar fate at the box office!!!"

Even as LJP's "Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam" has been garnering rave reviews, the first week of the year saw a plethora of movies released in the form of Bash Mohammed's "Ennalum Ente Aliya",  Sidharth Bharathan's "Djinn" & S J Sinu's "Theru". All the three movies belonged to various genres & were of varying qualities, though none of them had significant takers at the box office. So was it a justifiable response from the audience???

Ennalum Ente Aliya

About a month back or so, when I did come across the stills of Bash Mohammed's "Ennalum Ente Aliya", I was genuinely eager to check it out as it seemed like a fun flick with some talented artists that were lined up as the cast. To add to that his previous venture "Lukka Chuppi" was decently made & hence there was a certain degree of expectation. However, it turned out to be a damp squib as the story & screenplay that he had co-written along with Sreekumaran Araykkal literally had any credible content. There are quite a few situational comedy sequences that hits its mark thanks to Siddique & to a certain extent Lena, but as the movie progresses it takes a toll on our patience especially the latter's performance. None of the technical aspects deserves mention as pretty much the whole story happens within a flat while Suraj & Gayathri Arun did whatever was possible within the scope of the characters given to them. Summing up, it was pretty much a forgettable effort from the makers!!!

Rating 1.5/5

Djinn

After being off the radar for almost five years, Sidharth Bharathan was back in the limelight with two directorial ventures within the span of a couple of months. His latest flick, "Djinn" has been penned by Rajesh Gopinadhan & is about diverse background of a pair of doppelgangers one of whom suffers from psychological problems while the other is a violent gold smuggler. At one point, it felt like an inspired version of "Don" but then it fails to elevate the effect as the focus was rather scattered with most of the segments not quite standing out. The character as such on paper seemed interesting but I felt it was not properly explored and what we eventually get is a rather lazy screenplay. On the performance front, almost all of them have done their parts well. Soubin enacted both the characters impressively, while Santhy Balachandran, Nishanth Sagar (was delightful), Shine Tom etc have done their roles aptly. In short, it felt more like a missed opportunity.

Rating: 2/5

Theru

Among the three movies that I mentioned here, it would be fair to admit that this was the one that I had the least expectations about. As I had missed out on Sinu's directorial debut in "Djibouti", I didnt quite know what to expect but it eventually turned out to be the best among the lot. The script by Dinil is about a tragedy that befalls in Hari's life (Amith Chakalakkal) for which the SI (Baburaj) was deemed responsible. Hari certainly wanted revenge for it but the whole situation turned on its head in a manner where the hunter becomes the hunted. With regard to the pace at which the movie proceeds, there isn't much to talk about in terms of uniqueness in the first half but it makes up for it with an engaging latter segment. If you look at it, people on both sides suffers tragic losses & it is essentially left to the rest to seek vengeance even if is morally flawed. The way Sinu has staged it is such that there are quite a few characters who take centre stage & almost all of them have done their parts well. Despite both Kalabhavan Shajon & Baburaj donning the role of cops for the nth time, both of them did their parts extremely well while the rest of the cats such as Amith, Alexander Prasanth, Sreejith Ravi, Azeez Nedumangad etc have done justice to their roles. It is certainly a flick that is worth a watch & as a length of less than 2 hours.

Rating: 2.75/5

Regards...Ben

Malikappuram: Emotional drama that will endear to the family audience!!!

Even as movies from our neighbouring states have taken over our theatres with their Pongal releases, there was one Malayalam movie that managed to hold its own amidst all this mayhem. This was Vishnu Sasi Shankar's "Malikappuram" which was released in the last week of December. The title & the stills that appeared online gave the impression that it was a propaganda movie and hence  I was a tad sceptical prior to checking it out. But I decided to give it a try & would have to admit that it was an endearing flick rather than the type that is trying to enforce what they have portrayed in it. 

The protagonist of Abhilash Pillai's story is Kalyani (Devi Nandha) who had an unflinching desire to go to Sabarimala. This was borne out of her affection for Swami Ayyappan whose stories she had learned from her grandmother. After having repeatedly coaxed her father over the last couple of years, he eventually agrees to take her but destiny had other plans. The emotional content is the primary factor that makes this venture work with the emphasis being on the devotion of the child to Ayyappan. It takes quite a while to set the stage which could have been made crispier while the sub plot could have been more impactful. The action sequence in the jungle was neatly choreographed & certainly had glimpses of "Pulimurugan" & "RRR". Vishnu Narayanan has done a decent job with the visuals while Ranjin Raj's music was fine. 

On the performance front, Devi Nandha was fantastic & was absolutely endearing, to the extent that I believe she will be in contention for the best child artist. Along with her, Sreepath was also impressive & provided comic relief. Coming to Unni Mukundan, I dont think there could have been a better or more apt choice than him for the role. He literally ticked all the boxes that was expected of the character be it the calm & cheerful demeanour, body language, chemistry with the kids etc. The rest of the cast such as Alphy Panjikaran, Saiju Kurup, T G Ravi etc have done their parts aptly while Ramesh Pisharody came across as rather artificial in the emotional scenes. 

Verdict: As per box office reports, the movie has grossed close to 40C worldwide & seemed poised to add more as the Pongal releases have made way for it. It is a feel good movie with the focus being on the devotion of the kid rather than any religious propaganda. In short, give it a try!!!

Rating: 2.75/5

Regards...Ben

Thunivu: "Interesting theme that doesnt quite cash in on Thala's swag coz of a sketchy screenplay!!!"

Unlike Vijay in "Varisu", Thala opted for a heist flick that provided some sense of uniqueness in "Thunivu". This was a genre that Vinoth had attempted in his directorial debut "Sathuranga Vettai" with reasonable success. It was interesting to see how he manages to set the stage when he has a superstar like Ajith at his disposal. This was the third movie that they had collaborated & the stakes could not have been any higher after all it was released on Pongal. As per reports, it has crossed the 100C mark but still needs to go much further before it manages to break even. So does it have the content to take it as far???

As with most of his previous ventures, Vinoth has penned the script whereby the gangster Radha (Veera) & his men orchestrate a heist at a reputed bank in Chennai which was said to have unaccounted money to the tune of 500 C. However, their plan gets hijacked by the Dark Devil (Ajith Kumar) with the help of his accomplice, Kanmani (Manju Warrier). So who was actually the Devil & was money alone his sole motivation? 

There is no doubt that the movie starts off at an energetic pace & it manages to keep the audience engaged. The twists in the plot & mysteriousness of the Devil, not to forget Ajith's swag & charisma seemed like that Vinoth had a winner in his bag. However, the second half oscillated from average to mediocre & kind of kills the momentum that was built. The Mankatha vibe tapers off as the flashback sequence doesnt quite have the impact & the climax (despite the relevant topic touched upon) didn't quite have the knockout effect with a rather bitter after taste thanks to the woefully choreographed stunt in the sea. Of course, I'm not looking for logic in such mass movies but still it could have been picturized in a much more reasonable manner. 

On the technical side, just like "Varisu"; I was surprised with the lack of finesse in the manner the art department went about their task & the way CGI was handled. With a production budget of more than 200 C, we would have naturally expected the props to look authentic & the special effects to be classy. But it wasn't the case to be frank in quite a few sequences. None of the other aspects deserves mention except for Ghibran's BGM which was fine.

Well it goes without saying that when we have a star like Thala leading the show then others doesnt have much scope to perform & that is exactly the case here. Ajith was spot on as the Devil coz of his ability to don characters with shades of grey with ease. Manju had very limited screen space but has handled her portions really well which was predominantly action oriented, a genre that she never had the opportunity to feature in earlier. As for the rest of the cast, Samuthirakani, G M Sundar (as Manager) & Bala Saravanan (as reporter) has done their parts aptly while the others were average.  

Verdict: It had all the ingredients that you would expect from a mass entertainer but the lazy screenplay does not allow it to realize its full potential. Thala was on song with his charisma & swag, & that is what keeps the movie afloat for most parts. In short, you may give it a try!!!

Rating: 2/5

Regards...Ben

Varisu: "Thalapathy revels in this predictable family drama template stuck in the 90s"

2023 is here & we already have some mouth watering big banner releases lined up for the first month of the year. The excitement kicked off on Wednesday on the occasion of Pongal with Vamshi Paidipally's "Varisu" up against H Vinoth's "Thunivu" or rather the clash of the box office titans, Thalapathy & Thala. The last time these two icons faced off at the box office was in 2014 when Lalettan joined hands with Vijay for "Jilla" to take on Ajith's "Veeram", with both films more or less sharing the spoils. So who will take the honour this Pongal???

When the trailer of "Varisu" was released, the first thing that struck me was the lavish manner in which it was staged, reminiscent of a pucca Mahesh Babu type of flick. Coming to the plot, I don't think there is any need to even mention it coz it is just an extension of what we saw in the trailer i.e. a family drama that seems to be stuck in the 90s. The only difference being that in those days if the characters boasted about a few crores in wealth, over here it is in 1000s of crores. Essentially, it is about the business tycoon Rajendran (Sarath Kumar) with Vijay being the youngest & the least favoured because of his distinct character among his three sons. As you would have naturally expected, how this son becomes the saviour is what this movie is about. 

Even though the credits mention Vamshi along with Hari & Ashishor Solomon as having penned the script, I fail to understand whether they even did anything. It had nothing unique about it with obvious references to "K3G" in some sequences & literally relies on the star power of Vijay to take the movie forward. However, Vamshi's plan to tap into the  emotional equations in Rajendran's household might find favour among the family audience. Hence there is a mix of emotions, humour ('Vaathi coming' though felt cringy), romance, action & music to cater to their needs. Surprisingly, the technical aspects were not quite upto the mark. Thaman's music was good, especially 'Jimikki Ponnu' & 'Soul of Varisu' rendered by Chithra while the cinematography was rather vibrant & rich. But the CGI & the art direction was very average to mediocre at times, the stunt choreography was repetitive & unimaginative and Praveen K L's editing could have been far more judicious. 

Over the past few years, the roles that Vijay had portrayed denied him the opportunity to put his hair down. In that sense, this character was different & he has done a fine job. Sarath Kumar & Jaya Sudha did their parts aptly while Srikant (as Jai) was ok though Shaam (as Ajay) was pathetic. As for the rest of the cast, Rashmika barely had much to do except show her pretty face, Prakash Raj & Prabhu was wasted while the humour between Vijay & Yogi works in parts.

Verdict: As one would expect it would have a fantastic initial but whether it would be able to sustain it remains to be seen. As a movie, it didn't satisfy me as it was predictable to the extent that we would mouth the lines even before the characters utter it on screen though I felt Thalapathy did a good job. In short, you may give it a try if you are a fan or else, the choice is yours!!!

Rating: 1.75/5

Regards...Ben