It's been quite a while since I have penned my opinion about the movies that I watched. However, that doesnt imply that I didnt watch any in that period. On the contrary, I had watched a handful in Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi & English, & except for ones like "F1", most of them were average or failed to impress. This opinion piece talks about some of them & hopefully some of the exciting projects that is linked up for release in the next month or so, will make up for it.
Narivetta: "Decent portrayal of a real life protest!!!"
The 2003 Muthanga incident is a dark chapter in the history of our state & for the unversed, it was the protest of the tribals against the state machinery for not having honoured their promise of alloting them a dedicated land for their livelihood. Despite being interested in history, I have to admit that I didn't have much knowledge about this incident except for the basic premise. But the fact remains that the hardships of the tribal community continues to this day.
Based on this incident, Kendra Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar recipient Abin Joseph crafted a fictionalised version of it with Anuraj Manohar calling the shots. The movie unfolds in Kuttanadu where Paul Varghese (Tovino Thomas) is shown as a carefree yet educated & politically ignorant individual who was in a relationship with Nancy (Priyamvada Krishnan). Despite having got the job as a police constable, he was reluctant to join initially as he aspired for a superior position. However, circumstances required him to take up the job & as part of that he was part of the battalion that was entrusted to control the tribal protests in Cheeyambam in Wayanad. What subsequently unfolds as part of that protests is what this movie is about.
These kind of subjects are handled expertly by Tamil directors such as Vetrimaran, Pa Ranjith etc. & in that sense, Anuraj can be proud of what he had pulled off. This is his sophomore project after "Ishq" & there is no doubt that he has done a fine job when it came to capturing the core incident. He deserves appreciation for the manner it was staged and executed along with the cinematographer, Vijay; as both of them were able to build the pressure on screen. Giving them competent support was Jakes Bejoy, who I personally rate as the finest in his line of work at present. His BGM was impressive & the 'Minnalvala' track rendered by Sid Sriram & Sithara is undoubtedly the song of the year.
At the same time, Abin's script could have been more impactful, though I guess the sensitivity of the issue might have made him tone down the intensity. The lack of adequate awareness about the incident among the public might have been the reason why he chose to portray Paul as rather naive and insensitive to the demands of the tribals. On paper that looked fine but Tovino's portrayal of the character was quite watered down while Suraj was top notch as Basheer, the seasoned head constable. Arya Salim (as CK Janu obviously) was impressive while Cheran, Pranav Teophine (as Thammi) & Priyamvada did their parts aptly.
Verdict: There is no doubt that Anuraj & his technical team has done a fine job in executing the plot. However, Abin's script could have been much more impactful which also contributed to Tovino's performance not being quite upto the mark.
Rating: 3/5
Moonwalk: "Cultural nostalgia is the main USP!!!"
When I reminiscence about my school days, one of the things that instantly pops to mind is the youth festival where the three houses slug it out over two days for the ultimate honour. The iconic event was undoubtedly the dance events, especially Western dance where 'Break dance' ruled the roost with Champions at it literally treated as demi gods. I was so inspired by one of my seniors, that I used to memorise his moves and practise it back at home. In future, I have been lucky enough to use it in competitions to good effect. Hence when LJP share the first look poster of "Moonwalk", which he had bank rolled, I was keen to check it out.
This is Vinod AK's debut directorial venture & he had penned the script as well which lacked the conventional template though it can be termed as the journey of an underdog. The movie is set in the late 80s when Michael Jackson was setting the world ablaze with his electrifying music and dance moves. It had landed on our shores as well & the movie is about a group of friends from various strata of society who was bound by their passion for break dance. Along with Mathew Varghese & Sunil Gopalakrishnan, Vinod has crafted the screenplay in such a manner where we get a glimpse of the political outlook, societal pressure, family dynamics and most importantly, camaraderie among this band of friends.
Did it manage to keep me invested in it for the entirety of its run time? It didn't but at the same time it didn't test my patience as well. Rather than the dance as such, the earnest performance of the artists & the emotional connect between them on the face of challenges is what had me interested. Majority of them were newcomers & hence I dont know most of their names. However, among them; Anunath (as Jake) & Sibi Kuttappan (as Sura) had more screen time and both of them did their parts well, with the rest of the gang supporting them aptly. On the technical side, Sabu Mohan's art direction & Ansar Shah's choreography deserves special mention as it did justice to the period that it was staged. Prashant Pillai's music was in sync with the mood while Sreejith Dazzlers choreography was decent.
Verdict: It would certainly give you a sense of nostalgia especially if you were born in that period. From a story point of view, it could come across as rather underwhelming for quite a few due to lack of a core plot!!!
Rating: 2.25/5
Aabhyanthara Kuttavaali: "Relevant theme let down by its writing!!!"
Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code is something that most of us are aware about, having read or heard about it in print and media respectively. The harassment that women face as a result of dowry related arguments is a menace that refuses to die down despite much talk about it. At the same time, there has been instances where women have taken advantage of it & put the men on the docks. The directorial debut of Sethunath Padmakumar is based on this theme which he has penned as well.
The person in question is Sahadevan (Asif Ali) who had recently tied the knot with Nayana (Thulasi). The couple has been together for just about 10 days, when Nayana decided to head back to her home uninformed. However, soon enough Sahadevan was called up by the police on accusation of domestic abuse and mental harassment by his wife. It was now upto him to seek justice & prove his innocence.
Sethunath has certainly chosen a relevant theme but where he has faltered was when it came to giving a balanced outlook to it. It was way too skewed and one sided, so much so that almost all the characters that was shown in the movie were victims of it. So much so, the point raised by the opposite party in the end failed to evoke any sense of empathy which led to the climax being average at best. If it wasn't for Asif's performance, the movie would have fallen flat coz he is a pro when it comes to showcasing the helplessness of characters. Both the female artists, Shreya Rukmini (as Adv Anila) & Thulasi was average and their performance was also hampered by poorly written parts. The rest of the cast included Jagadish who was wasted after being shown as an imposing character while Azees Neumangad and Anand Manmadhan were ok.
Verdict: It had the potential to become a worthy watch if more attention was paid to its writing. In short, the makers has much to thank Asif, if people tend to watch it till the end!!!
Rating: 2/5
Regards...Ben
