The last couple of weeks has been rather cold at the box office as most of the movies have struggled to draw in the audience to the theatres. The only exception among the lot seems to be Raafi's "Voice of Sathyanathan" which has managed to break even within the first weekend itself. Whether it would be able to sustain it remains to be seen. So was it as good as the numbers showed & why had the others struggled???
Padmini: "Not quite up to the level of Hegde's previous ventures!!!"
The 53rd Kerala State Awards were announced a few days back which saw Chackochan earn a Special Jury mention & Vincy Aloshious, the best actress award. Add to that, the presence of Senna Hegde, Aparna Balamurali & Deepu Pradeep, and it's evident that there is a talented group of people working both in front & behind the camera in this project. Just like many others, even I had high expectations about this movie after all Hegde's previous ventures were both entertaining & quirky in equal measure.
This time around, the story happens in Palakkad & it opens with the chatter of guests that had gathered for Rameshan's (Chackochan) marriage to Smrithi (Vincy). But even before the night had passed, Smrithi eloped with her lover & Rameshan became the laughing stock of people. As a result of which, he was reluctant to think of a marriage again until he met Padmini (Madonna Sebastian). But that's when they realised that his first marriage was yet to be legally dissolved & to aid him in the task, he sought the help of Adv Sreedevi (Aparna).
For the uninitiated, Deepu Pradeep was the one who penned the script for "Kunjiramayanam" & when he joined hands with Hegde; it felt like we were in for another rib tickler. Though it began promisingly, it kind of lagged off after a while as the quirky humour which was expected from the duo was largely restricted to Sreedevi's fiance Jayan & his 'raareeram' mattresses. That does not imply that the flick was boring as the humour does work at many parts but the tale as such was largely predictable. As for other aspects, Jakes Bejoy's music & Sreeraj Raveendren's visuals were fine.
Coming to performances, Chackochan was ok while Aparna finally got a role where she had more scope to perform & she did reasonably well with her expression of helplessness. Madonna did her part aptly while Vincy & Sajin Cherukayil (as Jayan) were the ones who brought in the laughs as those were the ones who fitted the category of quirkiness that we had come to expect from Hegde. As for the rest, Anand Manmadhan, Ganapathi Poduval etc were ok.
Verdict: A story that certainly had the elements for a quirky hilarious flick but falls well short of that. However, it is still worth a try!!!
Rating: 2.25/5
Valatty: "Commendable effort but cliched story proves to be its bane!!!"
Among the various production houses that we have in the Malayalam film industry, I do consider Friday Film House as one of the best for their constant effort to do something different & interesting. At times it might not click ; but their efforts are usually commendable. The latest production from their stable is Devan Jayakumar's "Valatty" which is on anthropomorphic animals, something which is not attempted much in our movies.
Though Devan's effort to try something different needs to be applauded, the same cant be said about his script which was the typical cliched storyline that we have seen in innumerable movies. The protagonists are Tomy (Roshan Mathews), a golden retriever & Amalu (Raveena Ravi), a cocker spaniel who are neighbours & in love with each other. However, their owners, disapproved of it & they decide to leave their homes. What subsequently happens is the crux of the movie & I am sure you would have easily guessed the rest by now.
The adorable nature of the dogs makes it an endearing and engaging flick for the kids. However, apart from the fact that the dogs replaced the humans (I am not belittling the effort, as it is by no means easy); there is hardly anything in the story that manages to surprise us. Another aspect that required more attention to be paid was the cinematography & I felt Vishnu Panicker's efforts were average at best. At the same time, pretty much everyone who lend their voices here did a fine job be it Roshan, Raveena, Soubin, Sunny Wayne, Indrans etc.
Verdict: Both Devan & Vijay Babu deserves praise for doing something quite unique. However, if Devan had invested more thought into the script then it would have been a far more fruitful experience!!!
Rating: 2/5
Voice of Sathyanathan: "Much louder voice of Rafi's humour than in recent times!!!"
When was the last time that a Rafi movie genuinely had you entertained? In my case, the answer to that will be Lalettan's "Hallo" which was released in 2007. Since then none of Rafi's movies have quite matched up to the standards of his vintage comedies. His latest flick to hit the screens last weekend was "Voice of Sathyanathan" & he would be hoping that he could recreate the magic of his yester years.
The film unfolds with a tiff between Sathyanathan (Dileep) & his neighbour, Varkeychayan (Siddique), over the former's message at Varkey's birthday party. Satyanathan's efforts to resolve the matter gets him into bigger troubles largely because of his carelessness to articulate his train of thoughts properly. Eventually, he comes under the scanner of the law enforcement agencies for his apparent unintentional threat on the President & the situations that he gets himself into coz of that, is what this movie is about.
There is no doubt that the humour that Rafi created in the beginning of the movie largely works, though it is not quite upto the level that we had seen from him in the 90s & early 2000s. The emotional segment is shouldered by Joju & that is where the movie starts to get into a credible shape. But the segments featured in Mumbai lacked the thrills that Rafi was trying to create before it culminates in a predictable manner. None of the technical aspects deserves special mention. On the performance front, Dileep was fine and scores in the humour sequences while Joju was spot on in the emotional segments. Veena was ok while Siddique manages to tickle the funny bone. As for the rest, Jagapathi Babu, Makarand Deshpande, Jaffer Sadiq etc did what their roles demanded while Ramesh Pisharody felt like a misfit.
Verdict: As an audience, it certainly had its moments but I wouldn't say that I was thoroughly entertained. However, for the industry's welfare it is heartening to see that the movie has worked at the box office.
Rating: 2/5
Kurukkan: "Not even half as wily as the kurukkan!!!"
It's been quite a while since we have seen Sreenivasan feature in a movie coz of his ill-health. Hence there was a lot of good will and expectations in the lead up to Jayalal Divakaran's "Kurukkan", in which the veteran actor was expected to return. The promos & stills indicated that it was a crime investigation flick that was packaged with humour.
This is Jayalal's directorial debut & he had joined hands with Manoj Ramsingh, who had worked on the script. The movie unfolds with the murder of the social media influencer, Neenu (Mareena Michael) & Inspector Dinesh (Vineeth Sreenivasan) is entrusted with the investigation. After a failed drug bust, the latter was keen on solving this case in the hope of improving his tarnished image. In the absence of a solid lead, he decides to frame the case on Hari (Shine Tom), an IT professional with the help of Krishnan (Sreenivasan), a habitual false witness who gave fake testimonies in favour of the police. Who comes up trumps at the end of it is what this movie is about.
The basic flaw with the screenplay is the inability to do justice to either of the genres that they are trying to portray. As Vineeth had said in the promotions, the character of Dinesh is made in the same mold as Shikhari Shambhu but the issue here is that except for sparse comical situations, there is hardly much to laugh about. Similarly, in the urge to make it comical; not much thought went into the investigation track as well due to which it barely had anything to make it engaging. At the same time, I felt the climax was ok with the facts laid out & also for Vineeth's performance.
The manner in which Vineeth's character is etched out is such that it showcases shades of caricature, stupidity and a streak of villainy. He has done a fine job within the scope that was offered to him. Sreenivasan was fine in the initial segments though in the latter half, his character barely had much to do & it didnt come across as convincing. Shine Tom was comparatively better with regard to his recent performances while Malavika Mohan also did her part well. As for the rest, Srikant Murali, Aswath Lal, Sruthy Jayan etc were ok.
Verdict: It neither managed to do complete justice to the humour part nor to the investigation part.
Rating: 1.5/5
Appatha: "If it wasnt for Urvashi, it would have been a debacle!!!"
Our industry has been graced by numerous brilliant female artists over the years, but if one has to choose who is the finest among the lot, then just like me many would say Urvashi. This talent powerhouse has steadily transitioned to mature roles & consistently given praise worthy performance in different languages. Her latest movie is helmed by Priyadarshan & marks a landmark, as it is her 700th movie.
The movie is about Appatha (Urvashi) who was a much respected lady in her village for her wisdom, empathy & pickle business which was a source of livelihood for many. However, her son who lived in the city didn't think highly of her abilities & shared a strained relationship. Things take a turn when her son invites her over to the city; only for her to realise later that the main purpose was to take care of their dog, Zeus while he went on a family tour. Despite being terrified of dogs, Appatha agrees & how she gels with Zeus and the rest of the people in the apartment complex forms the rest of the story.
Along with Deepthi Govindarajan, Priyadarshan has penned the screenplay which initially starts off an emotional drama but then incorporates humour into the proceedings. On the whole, it is a feel good movie & as a OTT release, worthy enough to be a relaxing watch; though if you are looking for originality and uniqueness, you are likely to be disappointed. Madhu Ambat's frames were impressive as always while the other technical aspects were ok.
The movie is essentially about Urvashi & the veteran legend has given a fine performance as always. Though her brand of comedy in recent times feels artificial occasionally, it was still decently done. As for the rest of the cast, all of them did their parts aptly.
Verdict: A feel good movie that is sensibly released on OTT
Rating: 2.5/5
Kolla: "Quite underwhelming compared to the potential of the thread!!!"
Being an admirer of Bobby-Sanjay's work, I was more than eager to check out Suraj Varma's "Kolla" as the brothers had penned the story. Apparently, the modus operandi employed in the movie has similarities with the 2007 Chelembra bank robbery (which incidentally was inspired from "Dhoom"). Anywaz the protagonists over here were Annie (Rajisha Vijayan) & Shilpa (Priya Varrier) who had come over to a small town with the plan of opening a beauty parlour. With the help of the localities, they earn good will & proceed with the renovation work in the space that they had acquired. However, on the eve of inauguration of their parlour, the Co-Operative bank above their shop was robbed with the route of entry chosen by the burglars being through their roof. This essentially meant their business plans were stalled until the police had solved the case.
Frankly speaking, I certainly liked the idea behind the heist as it had a credible cat and mouse feel to the proceedings. The USP was obviously the masterminds behind the robbery & the apt casting choices, which implied Suraj had a winner in his hands. However, I felt Jasim Jalal & Nelson Joseph ought to have put more thought into the screenplay as they left way too many unanswered questions or was it a case of unjudicial editing. In the end, it did have its moments but one cant help feel underwhelmed considering the potential the thread had. The technical aspects were neatly done though as I mentioned earlier, it remains to be seen if Arju Benn needs to be held responsible for the editing.
Both Rajisha & Priya did their parts well and they were properly complimented by Alencier & Vinay Forrt. It was sad to see Kollam Sudhi for one last time, Alexander Prasanth didnt have much scope while Shebin Benson & Shaan Rahman were ok.
Verdict: It had the scope to be much more impactful & engaging, if it wasn't for the lack-lustered screenplay!!!
Rating: 2.25/5
Regards...Ben
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