Ponniyin Selvan 2: "Mani Ratnam stamps his class yet again in this period drama!!!"

The much awaited sequel of Mani Ratnam's magnum opus, "Ponniyin Selvan 2" hit the screens on Friday amid much fanfare & sky high expectations. There is no doubt that it was going to be a herculean task for Mani  especially since he was trying to condense five books into two movies. Along with Elango Kumaravel & B. Jeyamohan, the legendary director worked on the script to make sure that it made sense to the audience especially since majority of the people wouldn't have read Kalki's historical fiction which is a concoction of twists and sub-plots. So will the veteran legend be able to satisfy all sections of audience???

The first part ended on a cliffhanger with Arunmozhi (Jayam Ravi) saved from being drowned by a mysterious old lady who resembled Nandini (Aishwarya Rai). In the sequel, Mani takes us back in time when Nandini & Aditha Karikalan were teenagers & how romance blossomed between them. But destiny had other plans as Nandini was banished from the kingdom while Karikalan (Vikram) was away for conquests. The movie shifts to the present where Arunmozhi despite being saved was far from danger due to physical ailments & enemies on the pursuit. Apart from Vandiyadevan (Karthi), Nambi (Jayaram) & Poonguzhali (Aishwarya Lekshmi), no one else knew the truth & it was upto them to protect the prince as well as make sure that Nandini's (Aishwarya Rai) plans were thwarted in order to avert the civil unrest headed by Madhurantakan (Rahman) and Pandyas assassination plot.

Kudos to Mani Ratnam for a well crafted movie that essentially felt like a Shakespearean tragic drama where the audience is made to feel the depth of love & hatred that Nandini & Karikalan had for each other. Rather than stage largely than life sets, grandiosity & mind boggling war scenes, the legend creates emotional sequences through tightly shot close up angles that literally gets us completely engrossed. This includes the confrontation between Nandini & Karikalan, the romantic rendezvous between Kundavai & Vandiyadevan, reunion of the siblings, emotional confession of Sundara Chola etc. The reason why these sequences were so impactful is because of Mani Ratnam's mastery over his craft, his vision & technical brilliance in pretty much most of the facets. Obviously he has taken cinematic liberties (as it is not practically possible to cover everything unless it is a web series) & gives closure to most of the questions without making us feel a sense of incompleteness. At the same time, I felt the screenplay could have been a bit more elaborate with regard to the climax as well as to provide more clarity on Mandakini (& even Poonguzhali & Amuthan). 

Among the technical crew, the first name I will to take is Ravi Varman whose cinematography was absolutely brilliant with the apt choice of colour grade & lighting. What do one say about AR Rahman? The maestro always produced magic with Mani & this time too, it was no different. I wouldn't even hesitate to say that this is his best work in recent times (not to infer, that others were inferior by normal standards). The same amount of praise also goes to the sound department which was top notch. In a movie like this, it is crucial to ensure that the adequate content is retained & that it gels with the rest of the sequences without making the audience confused and bored, which Sreekar Prasad has done impressively. 

Though the title refers to Jayam Ravi, this movie is essentially about Vikram & Aishwarya and both of them were absolutely brilliant. Vikram's portrayal of the heartbroken & hatred fuelled Karikalan was fantastic while Ash was a perfect blend of beauty, vulnerability & scheming mentality (literally reminded me of a snake at times with the way she looks & moves). Trisha impressed in the limited frames she appeared, Karthi rocked just like the first part while Jayam Ravi was bang on as the righteous prince in the way he carried himself. Jayaram was impressive while the rest of the cast such as Vikram Prabhu, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Shobhita etc did their parts aptly despite the reduced screen time. 

Verdict: Mani Ratnam delivered what he promised as it is a classic periodic drama that keeps us engaged for the content rather than gimmicks. It's not like a situation where Zack Snyder's vision was decimated by the Warner Bros in the theatrical version. It is a slow burner with the emphasis on emotionally charged interaction sequences. Unlike the prequel, the Tamil in this was comprehensible & provides a wholesome theatrical experience. At the same time, if you are expecting a fast paced large scale visual treat like "Baahubali", then this might not work for you. In short, don't miss it!!!

Rating: 3.75/5

Regards...Ben

Neelavelicham, KKA, Ayalvaashi & Sulaikha Manzil: "A mixed bag from the Malayalam film industry for this Eid!!!"

First & foremost, 'Eid Mubarak' to all my friends & well wishers and may this auspicious day bring joy, prosperity & blessings to your life. For movie aficionados like me, a plethora of movies has graced the screens this past fortnight to cash in on the festive mood of Vishu & Eid. The lineup definitely inspires expectations but will it deliver the goods remains to be seen. Even as many of the movies has tanked at the box office, the number of releases has refused to cease & hence let's hope that at least some of them manages to entertain us for the benefit of the investors. 

Neelavelicham: "Befitting tribute but too faithful for its own good!!!"

When Aashiq Abu announced the remake of Vincent's "Bhargavi Nilayam", there was an undeniable sense of expectation & apprehension after all the sensibilities of the audience has vastly changed since 1964. As most of you will be aware, the movie is based on the short story by the same name by the legend Vaikom Muhammad Basheer who had prepared the original screenplay. For the benefit of those who hasn't seen the original or read the story, a noted novelist (Tovino Thomas) moves into a haunted desolate mansion called 'Bhargavi Nilayam'. The experiences that the novelist goes through over the course of his stay which throws more light on Bhargavi's life (Rima Kallingal) is what this movie is about. 

On the positive side, Aashiq has crafted a technically well made movie that does justice to the original in pretty much most of the aspects. His vision was executed impressively with the assistance of his able crew & quite a few of them deserves to be specially mentioned. This includes Girish Gangadharan whose cinematography was fantastic with some well created visual effects. The art team led by Jotish Shankar has done a fine job along with Anandakrishnan's sound unit.  At the same time, the actual enactment of the scenes turned out to be rather disappointing. The primary reason for that is Aashiq's decision to stay true to the original which might sound perplexing but the fact is that the tastes & the way the people communicate has undergone a sea of change. Hence when we actually listen to the dialogues it feels so outdated and cheesy.

Coming to performances, Tovino has done a fine job especially since in most of the sequences he had to do all the heavy lifting as he is the only character on screen. His affection for Bhargavi was evident in the dialogues though his expression at times felt rather contradictory. Rima has done a decent job, Roshan was ok though I felt he was wasted & Shine Tom continues to remain in his eccentric persona which gelled with the on screen character only at times. 

Verdict: Kudos to Aashiq & his team for a well crafted reboot of the first horror movie in Malayalam. For a fun trivia, I guess this movie gives us answer as to why apparitions are made to wear white. In short, it is worth giving a try though I would have to admit that many would feel it rather boring coz of the dialogues & out dated feel!!!

Rating: 2.5/5

Kadina Kadoramee Andakadaham: "Quite unlike what the title makes us assume!!!"

If I am not wrong, just like me the first impression that most would have got on hearing the title and the cast that was assembled would be that of a comedy entertainer. Well it was quite unlike that, as Muhashin's directorial venture was an emotional drama that many unfortunate people had to go through during the pandemic. I certainly had high hopes on the project & that was primarily because the script was penned by Harshad who had given us some exciting movies like "Unda" & "Puzhu".

The movie unfolds in the pandemic period in Kallai in Kozhikode where Bachu (Basil Joseph) was finding it hard to keep his catering business afloat. Despite his best efforts, most of his ventures were failures but his father's toils in the Gulf made sure that their family was able to address the financial challenges. It was at this juncture that Bachu stumbles upon the idea of surgical masks which seemed like a viable venture at first. Little did he realize that destiny had other plans for him.

As the movie changes track in the second half from that of a struggling entrepreneur, it takes us through an emotional journey. Being a health professional, I completely understand the difficulties that they had to go through to ensure that the citizens remained as safe as possible. However, the trauma that many people had to go through because of essential stringent protocols is bound to make many of us feel conflicted. Muhashin & Harshad has managed to do just that without resorting to any convenient shortcuts in the storyline. On the technical side, Govind Vasantha's music elevated the impact of many sequences while the rest of the stuff were fine.

This is undoubtedly one of Basil's best performance to date as he captured the emotional nuances of the character extremely well. This was quite different from what he usually does & it proves that he certainly has it in him to pull off demanding roles as well. It would be fair to say that everyone has done their parts really well be it Sreeja Ravi (as his mom), Swati Das Prabhu (as his friend), Indrans, Jaffer Idukki etc.

Verdict: At first, I couldn't quite understand as to why this movie had such a title after all the rare occasions that I came across it was in a humorous context. Interestingly, this could have been taken from the legend Basheer's books as he tended to imply that this is a bitter world. In that context, it is indeed a right choice. Anyway irrespective of what the title & poster conveyed to you, it is definitely worth a watch!!!

Rating: 3/5

Ayalvaashi: "A potential engaging plot messed up on execution!!!"

Another directorial debutant that featured in the lineup was Irshad Parari who decided to put faith in his own scripting skills. Anyway just like Muhashin, he also had an interesting title & it did have a connection to what he wanted to convey. Thaju (Soubin Shahir) & Benny (Binu Pappan) were neighbours but their friendship made it feel like that they were more like family. On the eve of Thaju's sis-in law's engagement, someone had used Benny's bike which was already sold & made scratches on it. The issue was in the fact that it was kept a secret until it was brought to light by the buyer who created a ruckus. The blame fell on Thaju & he vowed to prove his innocence.

The screenplay was rather weak as it tried to create many sequences which failed to provide the desired impact either from an emotional standpoint or humour element. The narration by Gokulan was rather irritating and the sequences that involved him & Soubin was a test of our patience as it was way too long and didn't provide any credible content. However, I did enjoy the climax and really felt that if Irshad had put in more effort on the screenplay, it would have been a whole different movie.

It's been a while since we have seen Soubin perform in a sensible manner & this was surely one of them. He has done a fine job as the person who carried emotional baggage while Binu Pappan was average at best. Lijomol was fine along with Nikhila Vimal while Naslen was relegated to the sidelines. As for the rest, Jagadish, Jaya Kurup etc did their parts ok.

Verdict: The lack of an engaging screenplay was evident especially since the basic plot sounded promising. In short, unlikely to have much takers!!!

Rating: 1.5/5

Sulaikha Manzil: "Nowhere in the league of Ashraf's previous ventures!!!"

This is Ashraf Hamza's third directorial venture after "Thamasha" & "Bheemante Vazhi", and that itself was motivation enough to check it out. In this, Ashraf explores the pre-marital pressures that the couple faces especially when they barely had a chance to get to know each other. The couple in question are Haala (Anarkali Marikar) & Ameen (Lukman) and the question as to whether they are indeed compatible or was it a step too soon forms the crux of the movie.

Frankly speaking, it was a movie that literally tested my patience as I just couldnt figure out what exactly was happening rather than a random sequence of events. The first 20 minutes must have been created as a spoof but it failed to provide that comical feel to it and came across as cringe. Apart from Vishnu Vijay's music to a certain extent, none of the other aspects deserves special mention. Coming to performances, Chemban Vinod did his part aptly while Lukman & Anarkali were ok. The rest of the cast have more or less did what they were expected to do though it hardly gave anyone much scope to perform.

Verdict: Well there is nothing much to sugarcoat here except that it was pretty damn mediocre!!!

Rating: 1/5

Regards...Ben

Madanolsavam & Adi: "Should bring in the initial for this Vishu!!!"

This Vishu saw a plethora of movies hit the screens among which there were a couple that caught the eye coz of the cast & crew that were associated with those projects. The movies in question are Sudheesh Gopinath's "Madanolsavam" & Prasobh Vijayan's "Adi". Both of them belonged to different genres & certainly has elements that should work with the audience. But the question is whether it managed to live upto the expectations that was generated by the trailer???

Madanolsavam

Based on E Santhosh Kumar's short story, Ratheesh Balakrishnan Poduval has drafted the script as a contemporary political satire. However, unlike his previous ventures, the director's hat is donned by the debutant Sudheesh Gopinath. The terrain continues to be Kasargod except that this time around we get to see the luscious green region of that district unlike the dry arid landscape that we are used to. Coming to the plot, the protagonist is Madanan Mallakara (Suraj Venjaramood) who made a living selling dyed chicks. By an unexpected twist of fate, Alice (Bhama Arun),a widow & her daughter comes into Madanan's life. But even before he could set step into a married life, he gets embroiled in a political tug of war coz of his name. This was just the beginning of his troubles as it seemed like he was stuck in a quagmire from which escape seemed improbable.

The highlight is undoubtedly the clean situational humour which doesn't stoop down to vulgarity as is the case in many of the movies. There are some genuine hilarious sequences especially the track that involved the Namboothiri kidnappers. Ratheesh hints at the traits of the two major parties and the choice of some names was pretty funny like BDF (presumably, beef dry fry), Porali etc. The movie certainly keeps us engaged in the first half but after that there seemed to be an undeniable lack of content in the second half & that does affect the entertainment level. On the technical aside, Christo Xavier's music was average while Shehnad Jalal's cinematography was good. 

The USP of the movie is definitely the performances as pretty much all of them have done their roles really well. It's been quite a while since Suraj has featured in a role that handled humour, as he showcased his skills in the portrayal of vulnerability, naivety & helplessness convincingly (kind of like a different version of the character he portrayed in 'Varnyathil Aashanka'). Rajesh Madhav & Ranji Kankol were an absolute scream & the primary reason why the second half didnt turn out to be a tad too amateurish. P P Kunhikrishnan (as Chindaleppan), Chandrika Madikkayi (as the aunt) did their parts well along with Bhama, who gave glimpses of his abilities along with the kid who was really natural. Babu Antony has performed his part reasonably well after all it isn't quite a role that we usually associate with him though I felt he had very limited screen space though the promotions seemed to indicate otherwise. . As for the rest, Sumesh Chandran impressed in a brief appearance, the porali character & even Ratheesh as a politician all did justice to their roles. 

Verdict: One of the clean humorous entertainers that has released in a while & it has the elements to work with the audience. In short, give it a try!!!

Rating: 3/5

Adi

Helmed by Prasobh Vijayan & scripted by Ratheesh Ravi, the core subject that they talk about is the fragile male ego. The movie unfolds with the wedding arrangements for Sajeev (Shine Tom) & Geethika (Ahaana Krishna) in full swing. Finally the day arrives & on their way to the temple, they meet with an accident as a bike barges into their car. An argument breaks out between Sajeev & the biker, Joby (Dhruvan) which eventually leads to the public humiliation of the former. With his self esteem bruised, the rest of the movie is about Sajeev looking for a chance to have his revenge.

This topic has been explored in movies like "Maheshinte Prathikaram", "Ishq" etc. with reasonable success. Incidentally, Ratheesh had scripted "Ishq" as well but unlike that this one fails to engage the audience since there is an evident lack of content to take the movie forward after the initial engaging 20 minutes. Hardly anything worthwhile happens in terms of the plot & no effort to build on the tension/ thrills that could have interested the audience. Eventually the climax turns out to be extremely lame to the extent that it turned out to be comical & showcased the utter lack of thought in conceiving that section. As a matter of fact, it kind of felt like an inferior version of a movie that was made from the combination of "Ishq" & "Kali". 

At the same time, Govind Vasantha's music & BGM deserves praise while Faiz Siddik's visuals were also fine. Ahaana has done reasonably well (except in the climax where her dialogue delivery lacked the punch) while Shine was fine in the portions where he showcased his insecurities. However, the moment the situation demands a high decibel; he falters while the inverse was true for Dhruvan. 

Verdict: There is no doubt that there was an evident lack of thought gone into the script due to which it fails to engage the audience after the initial segment. To make matters worse, in the hope of making the climax different it turned out to be comical & pretty unrealistic. In short, DQ's Wayfarer movies might  have to depend on the OTT platforms to recover the costs!!!

Rating: 2/5 

Regards...Ben

Pookkaalam & B 32 Muthal 44 Vare: "Definitely worth the time spent!!!"

Apart from "Enthada Saji", the other major theatrical releases for this Easter were Ganesh Raj's "Pookkaalam" & Shruthi Sharanyam's "B32 Muthal 44 Vare". Both of them belongs to different genres but in most probability should click with most of the audience as they had credible content. This was Ganesh Raj's second directorial venture after "Aanandam" while Shruti's debut venture was one among the two projects that are funded annually by KSFDC. Well both the movies had some impressive performances which made it quite engaging. 

Pookkaalam

If his debut venture was about college romance & the bond between friends, over here he tries to explore the other end of the age spectrum. The protagonists in his script includes Ittoop (Vijayaraghavan) & his wife, Kochuthresia (K.P.A.C Leela) who have been together for almost close to eight decades. The movie unfolds with the engagement of their grand daughter, Elsy (Annu Antony) & that's when Ittoop stumbles upon a letter addressed to his wife that was written half a century back. What was that letter about & the impact that it has on the family is what is explored over the course of 2 h. 

There was a time when our movies was about extended families & the fun that happens in such situations. But as the times changed (to keep in sync with reality), such flicks has been far & few, but whenever such movies have released there were always demand for them; if executed reasonably well. It would be fair to admit that Ganesh has managed to achieve that, as he explores a relatively unchartered theme about the crisis that threatens to shred their marital relation that stood strong for decades. At the same time, efforts are made to make sure that it doesn't get too melodramatic with a liberal sprinkling of light hearted humour (which works in most instances). Kudos to Sachin Warrier for the BGM which was in sync with the mood, the make up team who worked on Ittoop's look & Anend Chandran for the visuals.

The USP of the movie is undoubtedly the performance of the protagonists & even some of the supporting cast. Vijayaraghavan was brilliant in every way possible be it his expressions, body language (such as his gait, tremors etc) & voice modulation. This is his best performance to date & it will be surprising if his name doesn't feature when the award season sets in. KPAC Leela was also impressive especially in the emotional sequences towards the climax. Almost all of the resr, have done their parts aptly with Annu Antony & Ganga Meera (as her mom) deserving special mention. Vineeth, Basil & Johny Antony provides the laughs with their eccentricities which mostly works (though at times, it was over the top).

Verdict: It should in all likelihood bring in the family audience & bring smiles to the makers. In short, do watch it!!!

Rating: 3.5/5

B32 Muthal 44 Vare

As some of you might have guessed or doubted, the title is indeed about the bust size of various women & the impact that it has on their physiological and psychological state due to societal pressure. Shruti narrates the story by taking us through the lives of six women from different walks of life. 

Malini (Remya Nambeesan) was a professional who was undergoing chemotherapy sessions apart from mastectomy & apparently, it took a toll on the relationship with her husband, Vivek (Harish Uthaman). Her maid, Jaya (Aswathy B) was struggling to make ends meet as her husband was recovering from an accident. Ziya (Anarkali Marikar) was a fashion photographer & having am identity crisis while her room-mate, Iman (Zarin Shihab) was denied promotion as she lacked the physical features for it. The last two females were Rachel (Krisha Kurup), an aspiring actress & Nidhi (Raina Radhakrishnan), a teenage mother.

It is a kind of movie that usually adopts a preachy mode or gets made into a docu-fiction. However, Shruti steers clears of that & narrates the story as organically as possible by focusing on what these women were going through presently in their lives without feeling the need to tell the back story as in Nidhi's case. Though she starts off as separate chapters initially, once the characters are established the stories of these women gets interlinked. Another aspect that really stood out was the attention she had given to the male characters by giving them shades to their character rather than merely being black or white. Even as the protagonists deal with their crisis by the climax the way Shruti has concluded the movie was impressive emphasizing the end to educate children about gender politics rather than just biologically.

Each & every artist have done justice to their roles, so it would be hard to rank them on the basis of their performance. However, Zarin Shihab deserves a special mention as she portrayed the variations in her character convincingly as it required her to be insecure yet bold. The technical aspects were also handled well. 

Verdict: It certainly talks about relevant issues that the women faces but it is not the type of movie that will have much takers in the theatre. At the same time, it is a movie that deserves to be watched!!!

Rating: 3/5

Regards...Ben

Enthada Saji, Khali Purse of Billionaires & Poovan: "Not quite as entertaining as their titles!!!"

Easter is here & a plethora of movies has hit the screens with Godfy Babu's "Enthada Saji" being one of them. At the same time, Maxwell Jose's "Khali Purse of Billionaires" was released on the Sun NXT OTT platform after an abysmal show at the box office. Well after checking them out, it isn't surprising as to why the latter didn't work while Godfy might also have to rely on the OTT platform sooner rather than later. Apart from these two, I have also added my opinion about Vineeth Vasudevan's "Poovan" which I had watched earlier but had forgotten to post.  

Enthada Saji

With stars like Chackochan & Jayasurya on board & Listin Stephen bankrolling the project, there was an undeniable sense of expectation about Godfy's debut directorial venture. However, his script was way too amateurish & literally had nothing worthwhile that would keep us engaged.  The protagonist is Sajimol (Nivetha Thomas) who was able to see & interact with Saint Rocky (Chackochan) and how he guides her whenever the need arose is what this movie is about. 

Initially it starts off as the Saint helping her to express her feelings for Roy (Jayasurya) and if that track was persisted with some twists then it would have made a decent feel good movie. But for reasons best known to Godfy, that is left half baked & it changes into a search for a statue. Since Ranjith had already explored a similar track in "Prachiyettan & the Saint", this came across as an inferior version with the only difference being Saji & the Saint yapping stuff of no relevance for long periods. To add to the disadvantage, the art team made the interior of the chapel similar to Boban Samuel's "Romans" and with Nivetha & Chackochan appearing here as well, there is an inevitable sense of comparison. 

The technical aspects were average at best while on the performance front, Chackochan has done justice to his role which felt more like an extended cameo. Nivetha was extremely average & at times cringe as well as it felt like her effort to appear bubbly was way too artificial. Jayasurya did his part aptly in his cameo role though I felt they could have opted for someone younger like Roshan Mathew. 

Verdict: Despite the cast & investment at his disposal, Godfy fails to come up with an engaging storyline.

Rating: 1.25/5

Khali Purse of Billionaires

Was this movie even made with the intention of recovering the investment? I certainly doubt so since Maxwell Jose's has come up with a story that is barely existent & still runs for close to 2 h. It is about a new gen Vijay (Dhyan Sreenivasan) & Dasan (Aju Varghese) who are partners in a startup which was struggling to stay afloat coz of lack of funds. After failing to attract any investors & Vijay's company also struggling to pay him his salary, he decides to get married in the hope that he would be able to get some financial backing from his in laws. 

From whatever I have mentioned above, it is evident that it is not a tale that is novel or unique & hence it was essential that the screenplay had some credible content to pull it off. On the contrary, I feel many of the skits that we watch on TV are drafted better. None of the technical aspects are worth mentioning while on the performance front, Dhyan & Aju were average, Tanvi & Arjun Ashokan were better while the rest were ok (though Major Ravi was pathetic). 

Verdict: Unlikely to have much takers even on the OTT platform.

Rating: 0.5/5

Poovan

About a fortnight back, Vineeth Vasudevan's "Poovan" was released on Zee5 after a not so encouraging run at the box-office. For the benefit of those who don't quite know him, he played the role of Ajith Menon in "Super Sharanya". As for the script it was penned by Varun Dhara who has also acted with Vineeth in the same flick. Hari (Antony Varghese) is the protagonist who took medications to handle his insomnia but the arrival of a rooster in his neighbourhood made the situation worse. To add to that, his sister Veena (Akhila Bhargavan) was in an affair with his rival, Kannan (Vineeth). How Hari tackles each of these problems is what this movie is about. 

On the positive side, there were quite a few humorous moments in relation to the romantic sub plots that happens especially the one that involves Benny (Sajin Cherukayil) & Sini (Anishma Anilkumar). If Varun had focused on those aspects that it would have been a far more enjoyable experience for the audience. But his interest was primarily on the angle that involved Hari & the rooster and that didn't work at any level at all despite trying to bring in some divine / supernatural elements to it. Sajith Purushan has done a decent job with the cinematography while Midhun Mukundan's music was ok.

There was refreshing to see Antony in a role that is quite unlike to what he has predominantly performed & he was fairly ok. Both Saji & Anishma has performed well while Vineeth & Akhila have also done their parts aptly.

Verdict: A movie that could have worked if they had made the sub-plots take centre stage!!!

Rating: 1.5/5

Regards...Ben

Corona Papers: "Priyadarshan's attempt at redemption at the box office should fairly pay off!!!"

Most of us are fans of Priyadarshan's comic capers as it provided unbridled fun. Though many of them were blatant rip offs without much of an acknowledgement (it doesn't imply that he hasn't made originals), there is no denying the fact that he is a master craftsman. Hence I was pleasantly surprised to see him nod his hat to Akira Kurasowa's "Stray Dogs" for being the inspiration for his latest flick "Corona Papers". Incidentally, the former had already been the inspiration for Sri Ganesh's "8 Thottakal" who in turn has collaborated with Priyan to pen for this project. So will the box office returns bring smiles to the legend???

The movie opens with a police team led by Officer Gracy (Sandhya Shetty) orchestrating an encounter on a murder suspect despite the evidence not being conclusive. Inspector Shankaraman (Siddique) was against her actions and retaliated, though her clout in the force got him suspended. The next sequence happens a few years later where Rahul (Shane Nigam) gets recruited into the force as a SI & is given the assignment to track a suspect. But his induction was far from smooth as he was suspended shortly after since his service revolver was stolen & traced to be used for a bank robbery. This brought in Officer Gracy & her team, with Rahul also allowed to be part of it. What unfolds as part of this investigation forms the basic content. 

Except for the idea of the stolen gun, the rest of the premise is more or less like an upgraded version of "8 Thottakal". The main difference that I felt between the two flicks is that this was crafted as an investigation thriller while Sri Ganesh opted to explore an emotional angle in his Tamil version. But that hasn't hampered the viewing experience as Priyan as he has brought in some dramatic elements most of which has worked here though the climax twist wasn't quite required. Kudos to the technical team as they have done a fine job be it Divakar Mani's visuals, Aiyappan Nair's editing & the sound department.

I happened to see a promotional press meet of the team on YouTube & was of the impression that Shane & Shine were the lead artists. But apparently, it turned out that Siddique was indeed the main protagonist along with Shane. The veteran as always was fantastic as the suspended officer as he effectively conveys the various emotions that the character goes through. But for some reason, some of his reactions reminded me of Abraham from "August 15". Shane has done a fine job along with Lal Jr & Hannah Reji Koshy. At the same time, Shine was average, Sandhya Shetty felt like a miscast & Gayathrie Shankar barely had much to do.

Verdict: With the type of movies that are lined up for this Easter being quite different & this being a reasonably engaging movie, I believe it should garner decent footfalls. In short, give it a try!!!

Rating: 2.5/5

Regards...Ben

Viduthalai Part 1: "Vetrimaaran continues to impress!!!"

Who is your favourite Tamil director? Obviously, the industry has numerous legends like Balu Mahendra, K Balachander, Mani Ratnam etc. & hence it would be a difficult question to answer. But if I have to answer as to who had me in awe with almost every project that they came out with over the past two decades, then it would be the one & only Vetrimaaran. His latest project with Soori & Vijay Sethupathi in the lead is "Viduthalai Part I" which as the name suggests has a sequel, is no different. The movie lives upto the lofty expectations & the maestro has crafted it in such a manner that it creates even further hype as to what he might have in store for us in future.

Based on B Jeyamohan's short story "Thunaivan", it is about the clash between the police & the separatist group, 'Makkal Padai' led by Perumal Vaathiyar (Sethupathi) in the forest region along the TN-Karnataka border. The story is narrated from the point of view of Constable Kumaresan who had recently joined the police force & inducted into the mission called 'Operation Ghost hunt' with the aim to capture Vaathiyar. Kumaresan was a man of principles but he soon realizes that everything wasn't black & white as he had expected. He clutches onto his ideals & endures the hardships that the superiors impose on him as he tries to walk the tight rope whereby he would get recognized for his services & also took care of the girl, Tamilarasi (Bhavani Sre) that he loved who belonged to the village that was under constant surveillance of the force. Whether he manages to remain true to himself & his job forms the basis of the movie.

As always Vetrimaaran has captured everything in his typical raw style & it packs a punch. The focus is primarily on the hardships that Kumaresan goes through who is torn between the ill treatment meted out to him by his superiors and the injustice that the villagers face from the police force on the pretext of protecting them from the revolutionaries. The usual question is was it as impactful as "Visaranai"? Well there are torture sequences etc. but it doesn't quite shake us as much as the former. The technical aspects were topnotch such as Velraj's cinematography especially the one shot opening train accident sequence which was just brilliant. Illayiraja's music was soothing to the ears but I wasn't quite convinced whether it actually gelled here as well as it usually does. 

Soori was an absolute revelation as Kumaresan as I never thought he could pull off such a character. Frankly speaking, I usually found his comedy as cringe but he proved that there was more to him than just humour. Kudos to Vetrimaaran for his excellent choice as Soori has done utmost justice to the role. Sethupathi in a cameo was fantastic & had the aura that the character demanded. Gautham Menon & Bhavani were impressive along with a couple of other police characters such as Soori's superior who hated him (not sure of his name). 

Verdict: Essentially, the theme as always is about the system & the oppressed and Vetrimaaran has rocked yet again. He certainly raised the tempo towards the climax setting up for what promises to be a more politically charged sequel. In short, don't miss it!!!

Rating: 3.75/5

Regards...Ben

Higuita & Jawaanum Mullapoovum: "Subject seemed interesting but execution falters for the debutants!!!"

As has been the trend for quite a while, we had two individuals making their directorial debut over the past weekend. These included Hemanth G Nair with "Higuita" & Raghumenon with "Jawanum Mullapoovum". At the outset, it would be fair to say that both of them did promise something worthwhile courtesy of the former's trailer & the latter's core subject. However, the lack of an imaginative script proved to be the downfall of both of them. So why exactly didn't it work???

Higuita: "Except for the title, it is just cliché Kannur politics!!!"

The first football WC that I had witnessed was the 1990 edition where Rene Higuita, the Colombian goalie caught the fancy of most of us with his scorpion kicks. But he had to pay a prize for his antics when Cameroon's Roger Milla made him look like a fool & sent them packing back home. Anyway when Hemanth chose this title, I was intrigued to know as to how it made sense in a movie that spoke about Communism. Well there was no logical connection except for a passing statement about the protagonist being a footballer in his hey days. 

Apart from calling the shots, Hemanth had taken on the mantle of handling all the major responsibilities which included penning a script. The movie is about Communism & set in Kannur (surprise!!!) which as always is portrayed as the bedrock of violence where political murders, assassination plan and attempts is an everyday affair. The political supremo of the region was Panniyannur Mukundan (Suraj Venjaramoodu) whose popularity among the masses earned him enemies both within and outside his party. As a result, the State Government decided to provide him protection by appointing a gun-man, Ayyappa Das (Dhyan Sreenivasan). Incidentally, this was the latter's first assignment who had reluctantly taken up this job as he lacked the courage to be an officer. The events that unfold as a result of his assignment forms the basis of the movie.

Over the years, we have had some excellent movies based on politics of the Left such as "Lal Salaam", "Left Right Left" etc. However, there were many who tried to replicate their success but to no avail & the latest to join the bandwagon is "Higuita" as it failed to provide anything that was fresh in thought or execution. The protagonist is portrayed with shades of grey & a great deal of build up is created by virtue of the stories that Ayyappa Das comes across. None of it is actually shown on screen & the twist created in the end didn't quite manage to create the desired impact as the screenplay was rather uninspiring. It felt as if Hemanth was sceptical to go hard & showcase the dirty politics. None of the technical aspects deserves special mention as it was average at best.

Coming to performances, Suraj has done justice to the role with Vineeth Kumar being impressive as well. As for the rest, Dhyan was average to mediocre while Manoj K Jayan & Indrans didn't have much to do. 

Verdict: No amount of BGM can elevate a movie if it doesn't have an engaging screenplay & that is the problem that plagues Hemanth's celluloid creation. In short, a shallow cliched political movie on the Left!!!

Rating: 2/5

Jawanum Mullappoovum: "Relevant topic with a non-existent script!!!"

About half an hour into the movie & I still couldn't understand as to what was Raghumenon was trying to convey through his debut venture. Well rather than put the blame solely on him, the bulk of the criticism should be directed at Suresh Krishnan who is credited with the story & screenplay. Frankly I fail to understand on what basis he is being acknowledged coz it was nothing more than many sequences put together to resemble a movie.

At the same time, a relevant topic like cyber crime was chosen but unfortunately Suresh barely scratched the surface of it. Sumesh Chandran played the role of a jawan who had retired from the army & returned back to his family. His wife, Jayashree (Shivada Nair) was a sincere & proactive teacher and despite the occasional tiffs coz of his suspicious nature, life moves on steadily. But things take a turn when Jayashree gets caught up in a cyber issue. 

Except for Shivada's earnest performance, neither the cast nor the crew managed to make their presence felt in a positive sense. Until the core issue gets mentioned, nothing much worthwhile happens & even after that also, it seemed the makers had no clue as to how to wrap it up in a conclusive manner. 

Verdict: Despite the low expectations, it still failed to create an impression though a sensible script would have made a significant impact!!!

Rating: 1.25/5

Regards...Ben