Anuragam & Neymar: "Feel good flicks that is unlikely to create much stir at the box office!!!"

Even as "2018" deservedly took all the accolades, there were a couple of other flicks which had also made its way to the screens in this past week. These included Shahad Nilambur's "Anuragam" & Sudhi Maddison's "Neymar". Both of them did not boast of having something novel to tell the audience but the manner in which it was crafted made it an endearing watch at various segments. But the question was who managed to convey their story convincingly without an overload of clichés.

Anuragam: "Rom-com  that starts off promisingly but looses track soon after!!!"

This is Shahad's second directorial venture after "Prakashan Parakatte" & he has chosen the script penned by Aswin Jose (you will recollect him from his performance in "Queen" among others) to call the shots. Aswin (his original name itself) was in love with his best friend, Janani (Gouri G Kishan); though it was more along the lines of being one-sided. Janani was reluctant to get into a relationship especially after what had happened to her parents who were on the verge of separation. In the hope to impress Janani, Aswin decides to step in and broker peace between her parents. Whether it turns out to be positive & the impact that it has on their lives is what this movie is about.

In terms of the storyline, it is way too predictable & cliched. Despite that, I still found the first half largely entertaining as the comedy, colourful frames & music gave it the vibe of that typical Tamil rom com flicks that we have seen in the past. However, the story fizzled out even before the second half commenced & the conflicts that brewed between the characters essayed by Gautham & Lena are dealt with at a superficial level while Durga Krishna's role lacked any bite. Among the three relationships that were showcased, the only one which had a credible emotional connect was the track that involved Johny Antony & Devayani, which was primarily due to the former's performance. 

On the technical side, Joel Jones music was fine & Suresh Gopi's visuals were good. Coming to performances, Johny Antony & Gouri did their parts well while Lena & Devayani were ok. As for the rest, Ashwin, Sheela & Durga were average, Gautham looked at sea, while Sudhish was wasted. 

Verdict: It's not a flick that is going to test our patience (maybe it will in the second half)  but at the same time it doesnt offer anything that could be termed as fresh in terms of the storyline or treatment. In short, you may give it a try!!!

Rating: 2.25/5

Neymar: "A blend of humour & emotions!!"

I wouldn't be surprised if atleast some of you would have expected this to be a movie about football coz of its title. Well the only connection that it has with the world's most popular game is that the canine protagonist shared its name with the Brazilian star striker while Mathew & Naslen's characters were members of Brazil's local fan club. In his debut directorial venture, Sudhi had joined hands with Paulson Scaria and Adarsh Sukumar who had worked on the dialogues and screenplay. 

Kunjava (Mathew) & Shinto (Naslen) were the best of buddies who stuck through thick and thin. The latest incident in Kunjava's life was that he was in love with a girl in his class & Shinto comes up with the idea to get a puppy to impress her. This brings in Neymar who wrecks havoc in their lives coz of his mischievousness. However, soon enough an emotional bond is formed between them but Kunjava's father Sahadevan (Shammi Thilakan) had enough of Neymar's troubles and had him abandoned. However, Kunjava with the help of Shinto decides to track down Neymar who was said to be abandoned in Pondicherry.

It is a feel good flick with liberal sprinkling of humour in the first half which keeps us engaged. The latter half takes place in Pondicherry & the competition that unfolds there which Neymar is forced to participate. The movie does not spring any surprises yet it does not weary us as it manages to create an emotional connect with the audience without going overboard with it. Both Shaan Rehman & Gopi Sundar has done a commendable job with the music and BGM while Alby's cinematography was impressive especially with the way that he captured Neymar's reactions. At the same time, Noufal Abdullah could have trimmed it further while the VFX should have been done more neatly. 

Though Neymar is a trained canine, it still deserves praise along with its trainer for a job well done. Both Mathew & Naslen did their parts aptly with the latter walking away with most of the hilarious lines. The veterans, Vijayaraghavan, Shammi Thilakan & Johny Antony were good with the mass scene being whistle worthy. Yog Jaypee was impressive as well while many of the supporting cast did justice to their roles.

Verdict: It doesn't take the highly emotional route of "Charlie 777" but keeps us engaged with an adequate mix of humour & emotions.

Rating: 2.75/5

Regards...Ben

2018: "The Real Kerala Story where everyone in front & behind the camera are heroes!!!"

One of the most awaited Malayalam movie of the year, Jude Anthany Joseph's "2018" has finally hit the screens. As the name suggests, it is about the 2018 floods that wrecked havoc across the length & breadth of the state. It was a catastrophic event that is still fresh in our minds as all of us were affected by it in one way or the other. It was a time when most of us joined hands to help each other in whichever way possible either by being part of the rescue & rehab missions in person or through the effective use of social media to pass legitimate info to the needy and the concerned authorities. To recreate that calamity onto celluloid in the most authentic manner is no mean feat & Jude deserves all the accolades on a job well done. 

Since it is a relatively recent event, there is ample availability of print & video information and hence the basic template is quite familiar to all of us. So it was upto Jude & Akhil P Dharmajan, to create a screenplay with relatable characters from different walks of life who went through the struggles. For the ease of depiction & to create more of an emotional connect between the characters, they have focused the tragedy that unfolded in a specific area such as Aruvikulam. 

In the first half, the various characters are introduced while the fury of the floods and the rescue mission takes center stage in the much bigger second half. The characters are so relatable to us & the manner in which Jude has etched most of them deserves praise. At the same time. I did feel that he could have given more prominence to the female characters as well to showcase that irrespective of caste, creed, religion & gender, every individual stood shoulder to shoulder in that hour of crisis. Though the rescue mission was primarily carried out with the help of our fishermen community (which Jude has rightfully given importance) & for which any amount of gratitude is insufficient, I felt the efforts of the Govt could have also been touched upon. 

However, on the technical side; this was hands down one of the finest movies to have been crafted in Malayalam. This was a project that initially had Jomon T John on board as the cinematographer, but later on Akhil George stepped in & boy!!! he has done a fantastic job. The sound department handled by Vishnu Govind was brilliant while Nobin Paul's debut musical work in Malayalam was excellent and gelled seamlessly with the mood. Hats off the art department & Jude's vision as it captured the flood and the fear it created so authentically. Last but not the least, Chamman Chacko maintained the tempo of the sequences so well that it kept us engaged and emotional right throughout the latter half. 

During the 2018 floods, one artist from the film fraternity who featured prominently in the frontline of the rescue and rehab efforts was Tovino. Unfortunately, he faced a lot of flak for it from insensitive elements in the society & hence it might be divine intervention that Jude gave his character more prominence as opposed to others. As Anoop, Tovino portrayed him as an endearing individual that is likely to remain with the audience even after they leave the theatre. Lal & Narain as the fishermen were good while Asif Ali, Chackochan, Aju, Vineeth & Kalaiyarasan did their parts aptly. As for the rest, Indrans rocked, Sudheesh impressed while Aparna (not sure why she disappeared completely in the latter half), Tanvi, Sshivada, Gautami Nair etc. did justice to their limited screen space.

Verdict: There are obviously certain aspects from a storyline point of view that could have been better but from a technical perspective, it has been picturized impressively. Jude has weaved the emotional fabric so well into the narration that it will endear to all type of audiences. In short, a must watch in theatre especially for the second half!!!

Rating: 3.75/5

Regards...Ben

Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan, Agent & Nalla Samayam: "Mediocrity has a new standard!!!"

Over the past month or so, I happened to come across a handful of movies that literally tested my patience. Ironically, a couple of them were from big banners & featured huge stars, however an iota of thought or effort had not gone into the script as it was hare-brained to say the least. These included Farhad Samji's "Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan", Surender Reddy's "Agent" & Omar Lulu's "Nalla Samayam". At times, the box office returns of such flicks belies our sense of judgement. But then it is imperative to understand that each one of us have our own tastes which may or may not cater to others. However, in the case of these three flicks; I doubt whether anyone will have difference in opinion. 

Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan: "Rather cringe which masquerades as being entertaining!!!"

I still remember the first stills from this flick which featured Salman in long locks which instantly reminded me of "Sooryavanshi" & "Saawan", pathetic movies by any stretch of imagination. But since this was the remake of Siva's "Veeram", I presumed it would be a full on entertainer. Being a Salman movie, obviously I expected it to be loud and over the top, however it turned out to be cringe rather than the popcorn muncher that was expected.

Well there isn't much to explain in terms of the story (as always!!!), as it is about Bhaijaan (Salman Khan), a doting brother to his three siblings who had remained a bachelor in the presumption it might create disharmony among them. However, his brothers had girl friends & wanted their Bhaijaan also to get settled. This is when Bhagya (Pooja Hegde) moves into their locality & how that brings about a change in their lives is what this movie is about. 

There is hardly anything in the movie that is worth mentioning as none of the aspects quite stood out except for maybe Manikandan's frames which were bright & colourful. As for the rest, Ravi Basrur's music was ordinary, the art direction was pathetic & the editing could have chopped more (but I guess, if Mayuresh Sawant was true to his profession; then nothing will be left worth watching). On the performance front, it is a Salman show right throughout but the screenplay fails to create anything worthwhile due to which after a point of time it becomes exhausting to watch. As for the rest of cast, well there isn't much scope for anyone to perform which includes a veteran like Venkatesh.

Verdict: Rather than mount a movie with a production cost of 150C, they could have as well invested more time on a proper screenplay & then taken the dive. It might break even but certainly not going to bring in the moolah like his other blockbusters. In short, forget it!!!

Rating: 0.5/5

Agent: "Unpredictably amateurish!!!"

As a Malayali, when "Agent" was announced, I was thrilled coz of the presence of Mammookka in it. More often than not, the legend has been part of some fine movies whenever he had featured in other regional languages. In addition, Surender Reddy had a pretty impressive resume as well with hits like "Race Gurram", "Kick" etc. However, it turned out to be rather pathetic to say the least. 

Terrorism has been on the rise & it was predominantly orchestrated by the organization known as 'The Syndicate' which was headed by a rogue former RAW agent, Dharma alias 'The God' (Dino Morea). Despite their best efforts, RAW under the leadership of Colonel Mahadev alias 'The Devil' (Mammookka) had failed to curb their activities. This is when he decided to hinge his bets on Ricky (Akhil Akkineni), a RAW aspirant & an ethical hacker whose childhood dream was to be part of this elite team. Whether this strategy pays off & at what cost is what is explored in this action thriller. 

For some reason, I felt Vakkantham Vamsi might have taken inspiration from the basic theme of "Skyfall" & added his version to it, making it into an absolute mess which was predictable, incoherent and lack lustred. Being an action thriller, there was an expectation that the stunt sequences would be staged in a classy manner. Well it was pretty damn trite & lacked imagination, the VFX was laughable at most instances & the song placements was devoid of any sense. None of the technical aspects deserves mention & it takes a toll on our patience as it runs close to 3 h. Coming to performances, Mammookka did a decent job though his dubbing was rather odd in certain sequences, Dino was ok at times while Akhil certainly needs to take some acting classes. 

Verdict: In a fortnight from now, it will premiere on Sony LIV which is ample proof that it has failed to impress even the Telugu audience. In short, the Malayalis' fear for any movie that has agent in it continues & as for this, don't bother even when it comes on OTT!!!

Rating: 0.5/5

Nalla Samayam: "Audience certainly didnt have a nalla samayam!!!"

The first question that is going to arise is as to why I had bothered to even waste time watching this flick. Well it so happened that both Omar Lulu & Angeline Mariya has featured in this season of Bigg Boss & hence I decided to give it a try. The writing credits are shared between Omar & Chitra (I wonder what they had worked on it) & is about a group of youngsters partying with a middle aged wealthy businessman (Irshad). 

I fail to understand as to why a talented artist like Irshad would agree to be part of such a mediocre movie that has a non existent screenplay. Thankfully, I didnt have to think twice before fast forwarding many sequences as it seemed like the sole purpose of this flick was to showcase the use of drugs among youngsters. 

Verdict: Undoubtedly, one of the worst that I had seen in recent times & hence I don't think it is even worth giving a rating!!!

Regards...Ben

Paachuvum Albhuthavilakum: "Akhil continues his father's legacy!!!"

Apart from"PS2", there were two other major releases that hit the screens last Friday among which this review is about Akhil Sathyan's "Paachuvum Albhuthavilakkum". I presume the surname would have raised a couple of eyebrows, well just as you might have suspected this is indeed Sathyan Anthikad's son. Just like his twin brother, Akhil has also put his hat in the ring to prove his worth as a director after having assisted his father & brother in a couple of projects. So will he able to helm a project that would make his family proud & the movie lovers happy???

In his directorial debut, Akhil has chosen to juggle with a couple of responsibilities which includes editing & penning the story that he wanted to convey. As opposed to his father's usual backdrop of luscious green scenic villages, Akhil chose to stage his tale in Goa, Mumbai & Kerala. Prasanth aka Paachu (Fahadh Faasil) had been running the Kottaikkal Arya Vaidyashala franchisee in Mumbai for quite a while & his efforts had started to bear fruit. In order to continue the association, he headed back home for a short visit & renewed the contract. On the way back, the owner of the complex, Riyas (Vineeth) where he had his shop requested him for a favour whereby he had to accompany Riyas's mother Laila (Viji Venkatesh) back to Mumbai. Paachu agrees to it oblivious of the fact that it was a trip that would change his life. 

Atleast some of you would have wondered as to whether it sounded familiar to the template of Sathyan Anthikad's movies. Well if you did, then even I would agree to it coz it reminded me of "Njan Prakashan" & "Oru Indian Pranayakatha" among others in some context. However, that does not imply that it hampered the viewing experience since it offers the audience a laid back feel with numerous light moments that will give us a smile especially in the first half. The underlying theme is about an important Government campaign & Akhil has crafted the story with the right balance without being preachy or melodramatic. Kudos to the work that Akhil had put into fleshing out most characters & also for the thought that went into the casting. Similarly, Justin Prabhakaran deserves praise for the music & Sharan Velayudhan Nair for the apt frames that gelled with the mood. 

The main highlight of the movie are the performances & literally all of them have done their jobs pretty well. Does one even have to talk about Fahadh? He was excellent as always & handled the situational humour with finesse. Anjana Jayaprakash was a delight to the eyes as she seemed completely at ease as Hamsadhwani. Vineeth was impressive as the arrogant selfish yet passionate son, which is proof that he is an artist who is under utilized in our industry. Among the other main characters, Dhwani (as Nidhi) & Viji Venkatesh (as Ummachi) did their parts aptly. As for the rest, Indrans, Mukesh, Althaf etc were also fine while the presence of Innocent on screen does make us emotional. 

Verdict: The template & the general feel of the movie undoubtedly gives the vibe of his father's movies. However, Akhil does give us characters & sequences that is light and enjoyable. It could have been a bit more crisper but on the whole it does not test our patience. In short, give it a try!!!

Rating: 3/5

Regards...Ben