Dominic & the Ladies' Purse: "Average fare that fails to produce the high moments!!!"

The much awaited Gautham Vasudev Menon's directorial debut in Malayalam has finally hit the screens with Mammootty Kampany bankrolling the project. Surprisingly, this had a rather low keel build up to its release though the trailer did evoke expectations. Since most of Mammookka's choice of movies over the past few years has been delightful for the audience, it would be interesting to know as to what the legend had come up with this time around & that too in the company of GVM.

CI Dominic (Mammookka) was a former police officer who presently ran a private detective agency that dealt with trivial low profile cases & was assisted by Vicky (Gokul Suresh). It was around this time that his house owner, Mrs Madhuri (Viji Venkatesh) entrusts him with the task of finding the owner of a purse that she had found in a hospital. As Dominic struggled to make ends meet & had unpaid rental debts, he decided to take up the case as she had agreed to write them off. However, what seemed like a simple case turned out to be much more complicated than what he had expected.

Apparently, the script is by two doctors, Dr. Neeraj Rajan & Dr. Sooraj Rajan with the screenplay being worked upon by GVM as well. The main positive is undoubtedly the thought that has gone into the character of the protagonist as well as the camaraderie between Dominic & Vicky which had a reasonable sprinkling of humour. But when it came to the mystery aspect, I felt that it was quite predictable (though that didnt pose to be a dampener) with the main issue being the inability to produce high moments when significant reveals were made. The action choreography was quite laborious while Vishnu Dev's visuals were fine along with Darbuka Siva's sound track. 

The USP of the movie is undoubtedly Mammookka who rocked yet again as the protagonist who had his own share of flaws & shortcomings but had a keen sense of observation and concentration. The manner in which he played that role made him endearing & that to a certain extent managed to salvage the average script. Gokul did a decent job while Sushmita Bhatt deserves praise for her performance. The rest of the cast were ok but does not warrant special mention.

Verdict: The subtle tip of the hat to Sherlock Holmes & Watson is what the makers have attempted & they have managed to do justice to it to a certain extent. But the execution of the mystery element needed more impact even as Mammookka kept us invested in it with his craft. Do check it out!!!

Rating; 2.5/5

Regards...Ben

Identity & Rekhachithram: "Duo continue their form!!!"

Almost a month into 2025 & we have already got quite a few interesting releases that had the audience eager for more. I did happen to catch up with a few of them, though due to professional commitments I wasn't able to find the time to pen my thoughts about them. This writeup is essentially about two flicks whose protagonists did have a productive run at the theatres last year. Though the box office verdict on both these flicks have already come out, this is what I felt about them.

Identity: "Stylishly executed action flick that does evoke thrills!!!"

This is the first major Malayalam release of the year which had an attractive cast with Tovino Thomas, Trisha Krishnan & Vinay Rai heading the project. It is Anas Khan's second directorial venture & he has also penned the story along with Akhil Paul, who had done the same for the former's directorial debut in "Forensic". As in the previous flick, this one also touches upon medical conditions & has been crafted quite well.

Haran Shankar (Tovino) had an abusive childhood because of his authoritarian father which had an impact on his character & demeanour. However, he had some unique capabilities which translated into him becoming a competent sketch artist. The story unfolds with CI Allen (Vinay) moving to Kochi as part of a murder investigation & accompanied by Ann (Trisha), the witness to the crime. Incidentally, they were provided accommodation in the same apartment complex as Haran & seeing his sketching abilities, Allen decided to seek his assistance in sketching the killer from Ann's description. What subsequently unfolds as a result of that portrait is what this movie is about. 

The story as such is engaging & the production values ensured that it was stylishly executed. The climax sequence inside the aircraft was top notch & something that I have not seen convincingly shot in Indian movies. There were adequate twists & turns, which might seem a tad over the top at times but I personally felt that it was quite reasonable, At the same time, certain character aspects that were spoken about in the initial phase takes a back seat subsequently. The technical aspects were all neatly done be it Akhil George's cinematography or Jakes Bejoy's music.

On the performance front, Tovino has done a fine job along with Vinay, with the latter having more  scope to perform which he aced as well. Though Trisha's role had relevance in the story, in terms of bringing an artist like her didnt make much sense except from a marketing perspective. Shammi Thilakan did his part well while Aju Varghese & Archana Kavi provided adequate support. As for Arjun Radhakrishnan, he ought to choose roles that does justice to his talent & not merely for the sake of being part of the cast.

Verdict: Both engaging & competently executed that does tends to go a tad over the top especially in the latter half!!!

Rating: 3/5

Rekhachithram: "Engaging blend of fact & fiction!!!"

The movie has already created headlines as it emerged as the first Malayalam superhit of the year & the credit for that goes to Jofin T Chacko. It is his second directorial venture after "The Priest" and he has worked on the screenplay as well along with John Manthrickal & Ramu Sunil. The latter is the one who had penned the script which belongs to the mystery thriller genre and takes on the angle of an alternate event that happened on the sets of an actual movie. 

CI Vivek Gopinath (Asif Ali) was suspended for his online gambling activities & was reinstated as the SHO in the sleepy hills of Malakkappara. However, his joining date turned out to be quite eventful as Rajendran (Siddique), a prominent affluent individual had committed suicide in a forest. What made it even more shocking was that he had made a video confession prior to his suicide about a crime that he had committed along with a couple of others close to four decades back. Incidentally, the victim happened to be a young girl named Rekha (Anaswara Rajan), an aspiring actress who had gone missing from the sets of Bharathan's "Kaathodu Kaathoram". So who was Rekha & was there any truth to Rajendran's confessions??? It seemed like too hard a challenge but Vivek was determined to unravel the truth. 

The USP of the movie is undoubtedly the convincing manner in which they weaved a fictional event to a real life incident. Jofin has effectively managed to gel mystery with metacinema and that provided a wholesome viewing experience. The idea to bring in real life characters speaking about a fictional incident was brilliantly crafted that it literally felt authentic. Unlike other flicks where the focus is on 'whodunnit', over here it is about why did they do it & most importantly, who exactly was the female protagonist who appeared from nowhere & made an impression in the minds of people she met & then disappeared without a trace. The 'Mammootty chettan' presence was felt for a significant part of the movie & they made sure that it was relevant rather than mere gimmicks. Kudos to the technical team who did a fine job such as Appu Prabhakar's visuals, the seamless transitions between timelines by Shameer Muhammed, the art and costume department and importantly, the AI effects which was well executed.

Asif Ali has been going from strength to strength with his smart choice of roles and making sure that he did complete justice to it. The same also goes to Anaswara who has done a praise worthy job in a role that showcased her ability to portray different emotions with ease and convincingly despite the risk of bein cringy. However, the artist that aced her part was undoubtedly Zarin Shihab who was fantastic in her brief role. There were also quite a few who  have also done utmost justice to their roles such as Indrans, Siddique & Manoj K Jayan to name a few.

Verdict: Undoubtedly, a well made movie & Jofin certainly deserves all the praise that is being bestowed on him. Both the cast & crew deserves an applause for their work & it deserves to be watched. Do check it out!!!

Rating: 3.5/5

Regards...Ben

Barroz & Extra Decent: "Ente thampurane, decent returns might be a tad tricky !!!"

This Christmas saw the release of four flicks of various genres hitting the screens of which I had penned my opinion about "Rifle Club" & "Marco". Among the remaining two flicks, one of them happened to be among the most awaited movie of the year, "Barroz" for the obvious reason that it was helmed by Lalettan. The other one was from Aamir Pallikal that had Suraj Venjaramoodu donning the role of the producer apart from being the protagonist.

Barroz: "Lacked the expected finesse in story telling & performances!!!"

Finally the much awaited movie that has been in the making for quite a while was released on Christmas, exactly 44 years after his debut in a full fledged role in "Manjil Virinja Pookkal". Based on Jijo Punnoose's novel, Lalettan & T K Rajeev Kumar had initially planned to conceive it as a 3D play but due to the logistical challenges they decided to make it as a 3D flick. However, as there were significant revisions from the original screenplay, Jijo backed out from the movie. If you ask me that proved to be the bane of this project.

The movie unfolds in 1633AD where Barroz (Lalettan) is the loyal servant of Cristovao da Gama (Ignacio Mateos), the Portuguese Viceroy who was entrusted to take care of the treasure. However, as fate might have it, he was cursed to become a ghost & his wait to hand over the treasure had lasted for over four centuries. In the present day, Isabella (Maya Rao West), the descendant of the Viceroy & heir to the treasure comes to Goa with her father, to attend the auction for the da Gama mansion. What subsequently follows is how Barroz meets up with Isa & the evil forces that are set in motion to deny him the liberation that he deserved. 

As mentioned earlier, the biggest flaw with the movie is the screenplay as it comes across as multiple skits that has been stitched together. This aspect becomes extremely prominent for all the interior sequences as it fails to keep us engaged. The basic thread of the story sounded interesting and it did have the potential. However, to be honest, the execution was quite average & at times, even mediocre. Despite the dramatic feel to proceedings in the climax, I did like that section which was undeniably one of the very rare occasions where all aspects worked reasonably well. 

On the technical side, the 3D effects in general was ok but we are so used to seeing such type of flicks nowadays that it fails to provide that wow factor. Despite the best efforts of the fantastic Santhosh Sivan, it gave the claustrophobic feel of being performed in a very restricted space. At the same time, Lydian Nadhaswaram's music was impressive for most parts (though it's placement was questionable at times). Another major factor that contributed to the movie's decline were the performances right across the board. Almost all of them were mediocre or average at best without exception. Even Lalettan did struggle to provide authenticity to the character in many segments, however he showed his caliber in the second half especially the climax. A special mention for Bhasi Vaikkom who dubbed for the Voodoo as that did evoke laughs and sounded sensible in many mundane sequences.

Verdict: Despite the goodwill & the fantastic actor that the legend is, the same cannot be said about his directorial skills. He might have had the vision & the resources to make it, but when it came to execution it was quite amateurish!!!

Rating: 2/5

Extra decent: "Dark humour that keeps us engaged!!!"

This is Aamir Pallikal's second directorial venture after "Ayisha" & once again, he has collaborated with Ashif Kakkodi. This time around the duo have chosen to opt for dark humour and the protagonist that they had chosen for this quirky flick was Suraj Venjaramoodu who had also invested in the project along with Listin Stephen. 

The camera zooms into an apartment complex where Binu (Suraj) had just returned from work & gets struck down by the security. As a result, his memory was lost though the signs that he showed had given hope to the doctors that he would recover completely in due time. However, his family seemed far from pleased about that news & on the contrary were anxious about what lay in front of them. So why were they worried???

In terms of the mood, it pretty much fits into the "Mukundan Unni Associates" space & the manner in which Ashif has penned the characters ensured that we do not end up taking sides as all have shades of grey and are selfish about their comfort. Aamir has crafted the scenes well such that there is a proper blend of humour irrespective of the tone of the sequence. At the same time, I was a bit perplexed that the main crux point that made Binu to change did not come across as dire to make certain characters so tensed up. The technical aspects were executed well be it Sharon Sreenivas's cinematography or Ankit Menon's music.

This is undoubtedly one of Suraj's best performance in recent times as it was not an easy role to pull off. His nuanced portrayal effectively captured the various facets of the character. Grace Antony was fine as always while Vinayaprasad & Sudheer Karamana did their parts well. The rest of the cast have also done their roles aptly.

Verdict: An interesting story complimented by an impressive Suraj makes it a worthy watch. 

Rating: 2.75/5

Regards...Ben