Even as "Thudarum" continued its triumphant march at the box office, none of the other releases that had hit the screens this holiday season managed to replicate a similar response from the audience. With a couple of weeks left before the next academic year commences, it remains to be seen whether any of the upcoming flicks are able to evoke satisfaction to the audience & makers alike. Anyway this opinion piece is about the Vishu/Easter releases that did make us sit up and take notice coz of the cast & crew that had lined up. So did these movies manage to entertain me???
Bazooka: "Felt more like a toy gun as an interesting idea gets lost in translation!!!"
Over the years, Mammookka has encouraged talent that led to the introduction of numerous technicians into the industry. The latest to be added to that list is Deeno Dennis whose directorial debut has been in the news for quite a while now. However, it's release was rather low keel due to its multiple postponements & the legend's health related issues.
A significant part of the initial portions unfolds in a bus where Caesar (Mammookka), a forensic expert is narrating the tale of a series of heists that had happened in Kochi over the past few months. Despite the best efforts of ACP Benjamin Joshua (Gautham Menon) & his team, they haven't been able to track down the culprits or crack the clues that the latter had given them prior to each heist. It is at this juncture that Caesar is called in for help in the hope that he would be able to outsmart them.
The USP was that it was advertised as the first game thriller in Malayalam. Well it did sound like an interesting idea but unfortunately, it didn't proceed beyond that. None of the elements in Deeno's story were fleshed out adequately as the investigation angle was amateurish while the so called 'games' barely managed to pack a punch as it was childish at best. If at all there was one aspect that stood out, then it would be the climax section which I felt was rather decent (though it bordered on being outlandish at times). On the technical side, Nimish Ravi & Roby Varghese has picturised it in a slick manner but when the screenplay failed to deliver, the style quotient failed to keep us invested in it after a point of time.
It's a type of role that barely challenged a performer like Mammookka as it mostly required him to showcase only his style and swagger. Towards the end, I personally liked the variation brought to his character but in certain instances, it went over the top and came across as comical. Gautham Menon was average, Hakkim was wasted while the rest barely had anything much to do.
Verdict: At times, we use the statement 'style over substance' & that can be applied here except that the substance part was barely significant. In short, a disappointing effort!!!
Rating: 1.5/5
Alappuzha Gymkhana: "Unconventional sports drama!!!"
Khalid Rahman is a name that has been in the news over the past few weeks following his arrest for possession of hybrid cannabis. Anyway as a film maker whenever his movies had come along, it did manage to keep us engaged with its realistic treatment and an underlying shade of humour. His latest flick is a sports drama that he had penned in the company of Sreeni Saseendran & it was quite unlike the usual template that we are used to which was certainly a positive.
Coming to the story, Jojo (Naslen) & his band of friends had completed their +2 exams and except for one, the rest had flunked at it. This raised concern as to how they would get admission into college & that's when Jojo came up with the idea of pursuing the sports quota route. Hence they decide to enroll into the boxing academy, Alappuzha Gymkhana under coach Salim (Kottayam Nazeer). In due time, they make it to the District Championship & subsequently, to the State Championships and this journey is what is covered over here.
As mentioned earlier, it does not have the typical template of the triumphant underdog, which was sensible as it would have made it quite predictable. At the same time, I found the story to be quite wafer thin with hardly anything worthwhile especially in the second half. There are a bunch of fights and it comes across as quite repetitive barring some humorous sequences which I do admit did hit the mark.
Regarding the technical aspects, the boxing choreography was quite impressive & kudos to the team for that. Jimshi Khalid had handled the visuals & it was neatly done, while the rest of the aspects were average at best. All the artists have done their parts well such as Naslen, Ganapathi. Lukman, Franco (as 'Cheruthu'), Sandeep (as 'Valuthu') etc.
Verdict: The humour, performances and sensible deviation from the standard sports template does make it a decent watch despite the lack of an engaging story.
Rating: 2.25/5
Maranamass: "Interesting blend of quirkiness & humour!!!"
Another individual that made his directorial debut on that weekend was Sivaprasad for "Maranamass" which was bank rolled by Tovino Thomas Productions. Even Siju Sunny took up the mantle of a script writer for the first time in this venture & worked on the screenplay as well along with the director.
The focus of the story is primarily on the antagonist, Sreekumar "SK" (Rajesh Madhavan) who was a serial killer on the prowl which had terrorized the state & put the police on high alert. Around the same time, Luke (Basil Joseph), an influencer who was a nuisance to his villagers decide to get rid of him by packing him off to Europe on a trip. However, their plan didn't quite materialise as circumstantial evidence seemed to indicate that Luke could be the elusive serial killer. How Luke manages to get himself off from this mess & earn the love and trust of his girlfriend, Jessy (Anishma Anilkumar) is what this story is about.
The main positive is undoubtedly the thought that had gone into the peculiar characters, the spoofy nature to the proceedings and pop culture references. All of these was blended in well along with situational humour giving the audience ample opportunities for some genuine laughs. The second half however could have been better especially since the bus sequence onwards, it does falter at times. The technical aspects were fine though it doesn't deserve special mention. But all the the artists did a fine job & was able to make sure that the impact of what was written on paper was delivered. Basil has been on song for quite a while & as Luke he was spot on while Rajesh's performance evoked laughs for the transition in his character. Anishma was impressive while Suresh Krishna & Babu Antony tickles the funny bone with Siju providing support.
Verdict: The writing is quite unlike a typical script bu still manages to keep us entertained with its quirky characters & the humour that they generate. In short, do give it a try!!!
Rating: 3/5
Regards...Ben
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