Garudan, Tholvi FC, Bandra, Vela, Falimy & Phoenix: "Interesting titles but most had content that werent half as interesting!!!"

We are almost into the last month of the year with some big banner releases lined up in different languages for Christmas. Just like in the previous months, November also saw a plethora of movies hit the screens; some of which hit the mark while the others were a test of our patience. Since I haven't had the time to pen down my opinion about some of them, I thought to club them up & present it here. So it will be interesting to see how many of these will manage to bag fat pay checks from the OTT platforms???

Garudan: "Execution wasn't as engaging as the core idea!!!"

The first major release of the month was Arun Varma's "Garudan" which had Suresh Gopi & Biju Menon take centre stage. Apart from the presence of seasoned veterans, another major reason as to why I was interested to check this out was that the script was penned by Midhun Manuel which was based on Jinesh's story. The movie unfolds with the brutal rape of a college student, Theresa Philip (Chaitanya Prakash) which left her on life support & the investigation was entrusted to DCP Harish Madhav (Suresh Gopi). Soon enough it gets proved that the perpetrator was the professor, Nishanth Kumar (Biju Menon) & he gets sentenced to jail. However, after having served his sentence, he vows to prove his innocence which in turn raised questions about Harish's integrity.

There is no doubt that the central theme was interesting but the execution of it particularly the courtroom drama sections felt quite hurried & convenient. The emotional toll that takes on Harish in the second half keeps us hooked while the same cant be said about Nishanth. This was particularly important coz the story takes a predictable route and hence such dramas were the ones which was supposed to keep the movie together. 

But does it mean it was boring? Certainly not & Arun can be proud of his directorial debut. On the technical side, it was decently done though I cant think of anyone that deserves a special mention. As for performances, both the veterans were fine though I would rate Biju Menon better while the others such as Siddique, Jagadish, Divya Pillai etc have done their parts aptly.

Verdict: A promising crime thriller on paper that was kind of predictable & had an old school treatment to it. But it still manages to keep us engaged for large parts!!!

Rating: 2.5/5

Tholvi F.C: "Not a complete tholvi but still!!!"

Over the past couple of years, if there was one genre that is kind of relegated to the sidelines that it has to be comic capers. The primary reason for that is the lack of quality writers coz if it isn't handled smartly it could very well to be a test of our patience. This month witnessed George Kora attempt one in that genre with "Tholvi F.C" that he himself had penned which is essentially about a disjoint family where every member of it had failed in their respective endeavours. 

It reminded me of those goofy Hollywood underdog comedies but the issue over here is that it ended up being a mishmash of numerous sequences but they did not get interlinked seamlessly. Though the technical aspects didnt have much to talk about, the performances were pretty good be it Johny Antony, Sharaf U Dheen & Meenakshi, and that is the reason why it felt like an acceptable time pass. 

Verdict: Well nothing much to talk about except that it provides a couple of laughs!!!

Rating: 1.25/5

Bandra: "Apart from the technical aspects, hardly anything else felt worthwhile!!!"

When was the last time did Udaykrishna pen a credible story that kept us genuinely engaged? Hmm...well I dont quite recollect to be frank. So this brings us to the question as to why did I watch Arun Varma's "Bandra" & the answer to that lied in the name of the director as I did enjoy his debut venture "Ramaleela". But what Udaykrishna gave us was an inferior rehash of what we have seen in many movies in the past like "Once upon a time in Mumbai" etc.

Sakshi (Mamta Mohandas) was an aspiring film maker who in search of a possible story for her debut directorial venture decided to research into the life of yesteryear Bollywood superstar Tara Janaki (Tamannaah Bhatia) who had committed suicide at the peak of her career. As Sakshi dug into more details, it brought to life the details of Tara's lover Ala (Dileep) who was a gangster. But the more she dug into the past, it revealed many truths that the world wasn't aware about. 

The major issue in Uday's script is the lack of authenticity as we have come across whatever is conveyed in some form or the other in much better movies in the past. At more than 2.5 hours, it was a test of my patience though to Arun's credit the execution of this stale tale did have some impressive moments especially when it came to the art direction team and the stunt choreography. When it came to performances, Dileep was ok in certain sequences while Tamannaah felt like an apt choice for the character though her expressions at times weren't in sync with the emotional dialogues that was dubbed for her. The rest of the cast which was literally an army of artists such as Mamta, Kalabhavan Shajon, Dino Morea, Lenaa etc., were average at best.

Verdict: High time that Udaykrishna reinvented himself & the makers be sensible about what they want to convey to the audience rather than just put the blame on the social media!!!

Rating: 1.5/5

Vela: "Syam definitely knows his vela!!!"

Along with "Bandra", another movie that hit the screens on the same weekend was Syam Sasi's "Vela" which had Shane Nigam & Sunny Wayne in the lead. This was Syam's directorial debut & along with M. Sajas they have crafted a pretty decent crime drama that keeps us hooked for most parts. Ullas Augustin (Shane) had lost his father when the latter was in police service & as a result of which, he gets a job in the control room. Among the numerous calls that he attended, he happened to come across one that had a significant impact on his personal & professional life. Apparently, it was from a father who reported that a couple of guys along with his minor son was using drugs in his premises. Ullas promptly conveyed the news to a patrol unit in the area to check into the matter. Incidentally, SI Mallikarjun (Sunny) was in charge of that patrol & the minor was deemed missing after his raid. Ullas was certain that Mallikarjun was behind it, but his efforts to prove it had him suspended. 

Sajas has penned a pretty intriguing story where the focus is on Ullas's efforts to prove the crime that Mallikarjun was believed to be involved in. The latter who wielded significant political support, quashed those efforts with disdain. Both the characters were etched well and touches upon the influence of politics, narcotics, casteism and the manner in which those factors handicapped the law and order personnel. Syam has done an admirable job in executing it quite well and manages to keep the audience engaged with his narration style. If at all there was one aspect that could have been better then I would have to say it would be the climax as that was quite predictable & lacked the impact that was expected.

Kudos to both Sunny & Shane who has done a praise worthy job especially the former who finally had a meaty role after quite a while and made full use of it. The rest of the cast have also done their parts aptly especially Sidharth Bharathan (though I felt Binu Pappan could also have been a good choice for that role). On the technical side, Suresh Rajan captured the frames quite well considering most of the sequences happens at night. 

Verdict: An engaging story that was crafted reasonably well & performed admirably by both Sunny & Shane!!!

Rating: 2.75/5

Falimy: "Hey Sulochana, you are both hilarious & emotional!!!"

The list of debutants continued to grow in November as well as Nitish Sahadev made his directorial debut with "Falimy". It was quite a smart choice for the title coz it emphasises the dysfunctionality in the family who are the protagonists of this comedy drama. Along with Sanjo Joseph, Nitish touches upon each of the characters in the family & the struggles that they go through which creates tensions among them. Janardhanan (Meenaraj Palluruthy), the patriarch fed up with the constant squabbles in his family had been wishing to make a visit to Varanasi for quite a while & made attempts to embark on that journey quite a number of times. However, each time it was prevented by someone or the other, until his grandson, Anoop (Basil Joseph) who was frustrated with the numerous failed marriage proposals decides to take him with the rest of the family tagging along. The hilarious and emotional moments that unfold over the course of their journey is what this movie is about. 

It is an endearing movie that make us laugh and reflect upon the emotional baggage that each character carries, who might appear insensitive to others. It has shades of "Home" & "Jan-E-Man", and we are pretty sure as to how it would eventually pan out. But it still has a soul of its own and the manner in which humour and emotions are intertwined has an authentic feel to it rather than merely trying to squeeze in sequences to make the audience laugh. 

The technical aspects were neatly done be it Bablu Aju's cinematography, Vishnu Vijay's music and Nidhin Raj'e editing. However, it is the impressive performances from each member of the family that made it delightful. In recent times, Jagadish had the opportunity to don characters that showcased his abilities and he has never failed to deliver in such occasions which includes here as well. Manju Pillai is an artist that I have always admired for her calibre & it is heartening to see her showcase it more on the big screen nowadays. Over the past year or so, Basil's credentials as a performer has grown by leaps and bounds which is a testament to the hard work he has put in with regard to expressions and nuances that the character demanded. The rest of the family included Sandeep Pradeep as Abhi & Meenaraj Palluruthy, both of whom have done their parts well.

Verdict: Certainly one of the most endearing movies that had released this year which keeps us in good spirits thanks to its clean humour!!!

Rating: 3.5/5

Phoenix: "Doesn't rise from the ashes that it created!!!"

This month also saw Midhun Manuel collaborating yet again as a writer & this time around it was with Vishnu Bharathan who was making his directorial debut with "Phoenix". Along with Bigil Balakrishnan, he had penned this romantic horror flick for which Midhun had drafted the screenplay. In terms of what they wanted to convey, it did have an intriguing element to it in the first half which set the stage for an engaging second half. But that is where the movie fizzled out as the backstory lacked the punch & consistency. 

The movie is set in the 90s & it unfolds with Advocate John (Aju Varghese) & his family, in search of a home. Being a person who preferred privacy, he eventually opted for one by the seaside. Even as they start to get accustomed to their new home, a couple of sinister events start to happen which threatened to put their lives at risk. Left with no option, John sought the help of the church but even they seemed to have no immediate solution in their hands. 

As I mentioned earlier, the back story that is narrated in the second half is the weak point of this movie. When they brought in elements of the Cholera epidemic in the 70s, it felt like it would have a significant effect but apart from a visual depiction perspective; it didnt add much. Even the lack of consistency when it came to character arcs was kind of odd be it the gruffy nature of Aju, the silent sufferer in Nilja as Daisy or Chandhunath as Freddy. It felt like they wanted to present it as a romantic tale that lived on beyond life but they failed to provide that impact due to the lack of credible stuff in the script. However, the technical aspects were pretty neat especially Alby's cinematography, the visual effects & Sam CS's BGM. Coming to performances, Aju was good along with Baby Aavni (as Mariya) while Chandhunath, Anoop Menon etc were ok.

Verdict: It certainly had the makings of an engaging horror thriller in the first half which gets watered down as it moved to the backstory!!!

Rating: 2/5

Regards...Ben

Kaathal: "Relevant subject treated sensibly & executed excellently by the cast & crew!!!

Ever since the announcement of the Mammookka-Jeo Baby project, I have been eagerly waiting for its release just like many others. When the legend himself decided to bankroll the project, it was evident that he was in the process of creating yet another delight after all his production house has already made a reputable name for itself courtesy of his choice of movies. Most probably, most of you would be aware of the subject that is being discussed in this movie but if you aren't aware, then I would suggest to watch it as soon as possible.

The movie unfolds in Teekoy where Mathew (Mammookka) & Omana (Jyothika) had been married for about two decades, blessed with a daughter, Femi (Anagha Maya Ravi) and lives with his father, Devassy (RS Panikkar). Mathew was a retired bank manager & was also involved in politics whereby he was chosen by the party to represent them in the panchayat election. However, on the eve of submission of his nomination; Omana filed for divorce unexpectedly & the reason for it left everyone stunned. 

Jeo Baby has already earned a name for himself with the type of movies that he had crafted & "Kaathal" was no different as it adds yet another golden feather on his hat. However, unlike his previous flicks, the script has been penned by Adarsh Sukumaran & Paulson Skaria, and the duo deserves praise for handling the subject sensibly without adopting a preachy tone. Jeo's expertise came to the fore in the manner it was executed as the audience are made to feel empathetic for each and every character affected by the situation. The choice of location, people involved & how different generations handled the situation gave it an authentic feel to it. Equally impressive were the technical aspects be it Salu K Thomas's frames, Mathews Pulickan's BGM which elevated the impact in many sequences in the second half and Francie Louis's editing which maintained the tempo it required. 

What do I even say about Mammookka??? The legend continues to take on roles and movies that gives him the opportunity to perform which absolutely floors us. Incidentally, he doesn't have a lot of dialogues but he was able to express his anxiety, helplessness & indecisiveness brilliantly. As for his voice modulation in which he is obviously a master, was top notch as it will invariably gives us a lump in our throat in a couple of scenes. Jyothika also deserves praise for a fine performance with some touching scenes in the latter half though in some sequences, I felt Jomol who did the dubbing could have done a better job. Another individual that deserves the same amount of applause is Sudhi Kozhikode who gave a touching performance though his part deserved to be explored more. The rest of the cast such as RS Panikkar, Muthumani, Chinnu Chandni, Joji John, Anagha, Alex Alister etc have done complete justice to their roles. 

Verdict: Kudos to Mammookka for taking up this role & also for producing it. The legend continues to inspire with his decision to keep pushing the envelope with such varied roles. Both Jeo Baby & the script writers have done a fine job, with Jyothika and the rest backing it with credible performances. It is a slow drama & hence there might be few who might be irked by its pace but trust me, do check it out!!!

Rating: 3.5/5

Regards...Ben

Kasargold, Theepporri Benny, Vaathil, Chaaver, Pulimada & Otta: "Even England's abysmal WC campaign felt better!!!"

As has been the trend for quite a while,  plethora of movies releases every week with most of them disappearing even before we come to know about them. Since Onam, there were quite a few movies that I had watched but none of them seemed quite worthwhile. More often than not, I am left wondering as to whether the investors have no clue as to whether the product is worth the time of the audience. There is no point in lamenting later on when the movie tanks & putting the blame on external factors rather than the inferior quality of their movie.

Kasargold: "As a bedtime story it would have worked but not as a movie!!!"

This is Mridul Nair's second directorial venture after "B.Tech" & along with Sajimon Prabhakar, he has chosen to focus his attention on gold smuggling. It is a relevant topic considering the regularity with which such news appear on our channels. At the same time, it was important for the makers to understand that it is a subject that has been explored in quite a few movies like "Loham", "Thankam" etc. So in order to make the audience interested, they had to provide something that was distinct & intriguing. Well to be frank, they haven't been to achieve that as they also resort for the tried and tested route of showing the nexus between the politicians and the kingpins, and the fate that befalls on those who tries to double cross them. 

In terms of the content, it just didnt have the flesh to pull off as a full fledged flick & would have better off if it was shot as a short film. There is no denying that there were some elements in the movie which felt like it might come across as something unique or at least in terms of the treatment. But it wasnt to be as all the sequences are very predictable & even the technical aspects didn't have anything unique to praise about. On the performance front, Asif Ali did his part neatly, Sunny Wayne didn't come across as natural in many portions while Vinayakan's swag and attitude was fine. As for the rest of the cast, it was reasonably ok though Ratheesh Poduval was impressive.

Verdict: Reminds one of other movies that followed a similar template & fails to quite pull off what it aspired to achieve, though it did have the thread for it!!!

Rating: 1.5/5

Theepporri Benny: "Hardly felt any theepporri in the story!!!"

When I started watching this flick, the first thing that caught my eye was the house where the protagonist was staying & it seemed like Biju Menon's home in "Vellimoonga". Later on, when I saw the credits; it became evident that what I felt as indeed true as Joji Thomas who is one of the directors had written the script for the former. This time around he has donned the hat of a director in the company of Rajeesh Mohan apart from penning the script along with him. To be frank, I dont think they even attempted to write a script since it felt more like one of the versions that they would have written for Jibu Jacob's venture.

Well the movie is about Benny (Arjun Ashokan) who detested his Communist father's (Chettayi: Jagadeesh) selfless helping mentality even as he struggled to make a livelihood that he aspired for. Though Chettayi tried to mend his relationship with son, the latter didn't quite warm up to it. Unlike his father, Benny decided to use politics for his own benefits & how that decision pans out is what is explored in the movie.

There are certainly some hilarious moments, but more often than not it doesn't provide anything that we haven't seen in the past & to make matters worse, it gives us a lingering feeling of it being a rehashed inferior version of "Vellimoonga". It does tries to create an identity of its own in the latter half as the general tone in the movie changes to a more melodramatic mode but it lacked the punch that would have made us buy the emotions that the directors wanted us to have. On the technical side, it was neatly done such as Ajay Francis's cinematography. Even in the performance department, Jagadeesh did his part well while Arjun Ashokan was fine and Femina George was ok. As for the rest of the cast such as Nisha Sarang, Muhammed Rafi (as Binu Mon), T.G Ravi, Shaju Sreedar (as Manthan Baby) etc did their roles aptly.

Verdict: The biggest flaw is undoubtedly the lack of an identity of its own & ends up as one of those movies that we watch, laugh a bit & forget as soon as it ends.

Rating: 1.75/5

Vaathil: "An engaging latter half, just about manage to make us not to close the vaathil on it!!!"

Unhappy martial relationships is a topic that has been explored by many film makers over the years with varying degrees of success. The latest to add to that list is Ramakanth Sarju's "Vaathil" who returns to call the shots more than a decade after his forgetful directorial debut in "Utharaswayamvaram". He has sought the help of Shamnad Shabeer is his latest venture whose has penned the script on the discord in marital harmony.

The movie begins with the focus on the strained relationship of Tani (Anu Sithara) & Denny (Vinay Forrt) who had drifted apart for quite a while. The first half movie pretty much focuses on that aspect as to what had led them to the present crisis in their lives. However, an unexpected event that involved Denny threatened to change their lives forever & whether he manages to overcome that forms the crux of the movie.

It would be fair to say that the first half failed to create much of an impact while the latter half does manage to engage coz of the tension that it palpably manages to create. At the same time, the incidents that unfold lacked the believability factor as it seemed way too convenient and easy which is literally impossible to happen. The technical aspects were handled decently and the performances by both Anu & Vinay was fine. The rest of the cast such as Krishna Shankar, Sruthy Jayan, Merin Philip were ok as well.

Verdict: Despite the lack of believability in the events of the latter half, it still manages to keep us engaged. However, as a whole; the film had significant shortcomings.

Rating: 1.75/5

Chaaver: "Technical quality can't mask the lack of a fleshed out script!!!"

The pre-release hype and anticipation that awaited Tinu Pappachan's "Chaaver" created hope that the box office will be in for some good times. Well it was kind of expected after all his previous two ventures certainly provided the belief that he would have an ace up his sleeve. However, the response from various quarters were quite mixed; to which he reacted stating that his movie was being intentionally degraded. 

Since the script was penned by Joy Mathew, I looked forward to it & the manner in which the events unfolded early on held promise. Apparently, a quotation team that included Ashokan (Chackochan), Musthafa (K.U Manoj), Asif (Sajin Gopu) & Thomas (Anuroop) were on the run after having committed a murder. Since Ashokan had sustained an injury, Musthafa sought the help of Arun (Arjun Ashokan), a medical student to help them out. However, on the instructions of the leader who had assigned them the quotation, Arun was forced to remain with them & it seemed like it was for a journey with no return.

Despite Kannur politics and the associated murders becoming the topic of discussion for the nth time in our movies, I still believed that in the hands of Joy Mathew & Tinu, we would be in for an engaging ride. It turned out to be so far away from the truth, since what Joy gives us is just an extremely generic scenario with none of the characters quite having the depth to arrest our attention. It was evident that the heavy lifting had to be done by Tinu & to be fair to him, he has done that as I felt the technical aspects were pretty notch especially Jinto George's cinematography, Nishadh Yusuf's editing & Justin George's music. 

Coming to performances, Chackochan had the looks that his character demanded; but in quite a few sequences his dialogue delivery came across as quite artificial & the same applies to Arjun Ashokan, when it came to showcasing his naivety. The rest of the gang actually did a fine job be it Manoj KU, Sajin & Anuroop while Sangita & Antony Varghese were rather wasted in roles that intended to be significant but didnt came across as such on screen. 

Verdict: There is no denying the effort that Tinu & his technical team has done; but without a credible story or fleshed out characters; there is precious little that it could accomplish.

Rating: 2/5

Pulimada: "Joju's performance makes it engaging to a certain extent!!!"

Whenever Joju George is involved in a project nowadays, it raises hope that it might have something that would make it a worthwhile watch. His latest release is A K Sajan's "Pulimada" & the manner in which the events panned out after 15 minutes into the movie, evoked similar belief. But it wasn't to be and I wouldn't put the blame for that on Joju coz he did a fine job to be frank. 

The movie unfolds in a house situated in a rocky terrain which was decked up for Vincent Scaria's (Joju) wedding. He had been a loner for quite a while after the demise of his mother since none of his earlier proposals had progressed for various reasons though one main factor could possibly be the fact that he was a patriarchal person. However, his hope for a life partner doesn't quite materialise yet again as the bride had eloped with her relative. It was a shock that he wasn't ready to accept and he goes on a rampage leading him to situations that he least expected. 

Apart from calling the shots, Sajan had penned the script as well and I would have to admit that the settings and the tone that he had set for large parts of the movie gave an intriguing feel to it. The introduction of a character like Mahishmati (Aishwarya Rajesh) raises more questions in the audience but rather than build on it; it fizzles out in the end with a rather tame climax. The technical aspects were average, however Joju deserves praise on a fine performance. The way he portrays the myriad of emotions that he goes through over the course of the night makes it engaging. Aishwarya has also given a good performance in a type of role that we havent seen her much while the rest of the cast such as Chemban Vinod, Jaffer Idukki, Johny Antony, Lijomol Jose etc., were also ok. 

Verdict: Despite quite an underwhelming conclusion, it is still worth a watch coz of Joju's performance!!!

Rating: 2.25/5

Otta: "Relevant theme that lacked depth in its script & execution!!!"

Resul Pookutty, a name that needs no introduction has finally decided to try his hand in direction & came out with a movie that focused on the relevant theme of toxic parenting. His directorial debut known as "Otta" was based on S Hariharan's "Runaway Children" with Kiron Prabhakar adapting it into a cinematic version. The protagonists were Hari (Asif Ali) & Ben (Arjun Ashokan) who were kept on a tight leash by their respective father (Sathyaraj) & mother (Bhavana Ramanna). The similarity in their situations drew them together & an incident that unfolds in Ben's life makes them decide to leave their homes. 

The primary issue with this movie is that it feels like it has a lot of stuff to convey but fails to do so effectively. It drags on from situation to situation in a predictable manner that does not provide with anything that we haven't observed in the past. One of the main reason why I wanted to watch this was Indrajith's presence but he was provided with a role that barely had anything worthwhile. None of the technical aspects deserves special mention & as for performances, Indrajith was fine while Asif Ali did his part neatly. Arjun Ashokan wasn't effective & the rest of the cast were just about ok at the max, though the reason to bring in artists like Satyaraj & Bhavana and make them utter Malayalam felt rather unnecessary. 

Verdict: As the title says, the number of people in the theatres would have been otta after a couple of shows!!!

Rating: 1.25/5

Regards...Ben