Many a time, the lack of novelty in many of the movies across genres have made us crib about the time lost in watching such lackadaisical celluloid creations. However, time & again we do come across stories that will keep us engaged though the trailer might not have necessarily given that impression. Incidentally, two such movies from the romantic genre had hit the screens recently; namely Nikhil Muraly's "Pranaya Vilasam" & Adhil Malmoonath's "Nttikkakkakkoru Premandaarnnu". Both of them dealt with the topic of lost over & handled it in their own distinct manner.
Pranaya Vilasam: "Strikes a good balance between light & emotional moments!!!"
In most instances, debutants does infuse a fresh perspective to their projects & that is what we have observed when Nikhil in his directorial debut joined hands with Sunu AV & Jothish M. The latter two have worked on a script on lost love and how different people deal with it. Suraj (Arjun Ashokan) & his father, Rajeevan (Manoj KU) were at loggerheads as the former was denied the opportunity to pursue his career as a musician. The peacemaker between them was Indhu (Abhina) for whom neither the son or husband had time or understood the value her presence added to their lives. However, fate had other plans as both Suraj & Rajeevan embarked on an journey that proved to be an eye-opener in more ways than one.
The movie does take time to find its feet as the first half pretty much focuses on Suraj's campus life & Rajeevan's interactions with his first love. Though it doesn't test our patience, it didnt quite have anything that could be considered as really engaging. However, the second half is about Indhu's past & what kind of a personality that she was, which happened to be a revelation for both the son & father. Their road trip, the manner their relationship evolves & finally an emotional climax endears to the audience. At the same time, Nikhil ensured that there was a constant underlying thread of humour which ensured that things didn't get too emotional beyond a certain point, though I felt Indhu's past could have been a bit more hard hitting as it would have elevated the effect significantly. Shaan Rehman's music was fine along with ....'s visuals as it was in sync with the mood.
On the performance front, Arjun & Manoj have been on a roll as the duo has been part of many movies in recent times and have done their parts aptly. Hakkim Shah on the whole was good as he managed to convey the character's pain along with Anaswara Rajan while Mamitha Baiju didn't have much scope to perform. Miya deserves praise for a job well done though I felt her character demanded more age that could have made the chemistry with Manoj more palpable.
Verdict: As the cast reminded one of "Super Sharanya", it certainly had a certain degree of expectations leading up to its release. However, the similarity ended there as this had an identity of its own & endeared to the audience. In short, give it a try!!!
Rating: 2.75/5
Nttikkakkakkoru Premandaarnnu: "Mature love story that doesn't go overboard!!!"
Another movie that dwelled on the topic of lost love also had a directorial debutant in Adhil Malmoonath who had penned the script. The protagonist is Jimmy (Sharaf-U-Dheen), whose family has been trying to get him hitched for quite a while especially since his younger brother was also tying the knot. At the same function, his relatives coax him to get acquainted with Fida (Anarkali Nazar), a prospective bride & they get along pretty well much to the former's delight. However, things take a turn when Jimmy ended up having a chance meeting with Nitya (Bhavana), who was once his childhood love but had to drift apart due to familial pressure.
Apart from Adhil, Vivek Bharathan, Sabaridas Thottingal and Jai Vishnu were also credited with the screenplay & dialogues which was executed pretty well. It is essentially about giving your lost love a second chance though it also touches upon various other issues such as parents enforcing their dream on their children, abusive martial relationship, second marriage, inter-religion etc. Adhil has handled all of these subtly without falling into the trap of going overboard with melodrama & lengthy sermons which many others have done. At the same time, in certain sequences it felt rather under baked such as the behaviour of the abusive husband, the lead pair's body language at the inauguration etc. On the technical side, Arun Rushdie's cinematography & the costume department made it pleasing to the eyes while Bijibal's BGM and music by the trio of Nishant Ramtake, Joker Blues & Paul Mathews was ok.
It's been more than five years since Bhavana has been away from the Malayalam film industry & hence it was heartening to see her back in a project which gave her the scope to perform. She has done a fine job portraying the emotions that Nitya went thru with ease. Equally impressive was Sharaf-U-Dheen who continues to evolve as a reliable artist in a role that seemed like easy but still had to be performed convincingly. The rest of the cast have done their parts aptly such as Ashokan, Anarkali etc.
Verdict: A rather mature love story that touches upon relevant realistic issues but still maintains sanity in its execution. In short, a feel good movie that would give you a smile on your face!!!
Rating: 3.25/5
Regards...Ben
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