Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra: "This superhero will take the win on screen & at the box office!!!"

Yet another Onam has come & left, and I presume just like me most of you would have enjoyed your time with family & friends feasting on the sadya & the goodies. Another main aspect of this festive season is the eagerly awaited movie releases which usually leaves us spoiled for choice more often than not. This year was no different & the first one that I had watched among them was Dominic Arun's super hero flick. I had found the trailer quite intriguing & hence the expectations were nigh high.

Dominic has penned the script which is based on the rich folklore of Kerala. Incidentally, in one of his interviews he had mentioned that he was inspired by Richard Schenkman's "The Man From Earth" (one of my personal favourites, please do watch it if you haven't). The main plot is staged in Bangalore as Chandra (Kalyani Priyadarshan) is summoned to the city at the behest of 'Moothon' and asked to maintain a low profile. Opposite to the building where she stayed, Sunny (Naslen) shared a bachelors pad with his buddies, Venu (Chandu Salimkumar) & Naijil (Arun Kurian). The trio led a carefree life goofing around & that was when Sunny was smitten by Chandra. However, there was something mysterious about her as she barely had a social life & ventured out only when the night fell. Sunny was keen to unravel the mystery & what he found out was something that he had least expected. 

It is no mean task when we try to mount a superhero genre in our Indian film industry & even more challenging when it comes from a small industry like Malayalam. However, time & again they have managed to keep us invested in it due to the quality of their story & screenplay with well etched characters, rather than with visual gimmicks with crores spent on stuff that neither has logic or finesse. Kudos to Dominic for a fantastic script with Santhy Balachandran assisting him on the screenplay. Incidentally, she had featured in his debut venture "Tharangam", & I did enjoy the wackiness in that. The manner in which he brought in elements like Kalliyankattu Neeli, Chathan, Kathanar etc & tied those tales with the present time was impressive. The first half runs at a slow pace but once the backstory etc is revealed, it starts to pick up pace which is elevated by the antagonist and the cameos. 

Unlike majority of the other movies in this genre, where the film maker gets lost in the technical gimmicks & CGI, Dominic was sensible enough to ensure that the technical elements complimented his script. It is hard to pinpoint & say as to which person took centre stage, since each & every person has done a praise worthy job. However, I will start off with Jakes Bejoy, he has been on fire for quite a while & I personally rate him the best among the present generation for his versatility. The BGM elevated many of the sequences & the choice of retro classics like 'Kiliye Kiliye' etc was top notch. Nimish Ravi was excellent with the visuals with the colour palettes on display with the neon lighting gave that rich feel to the scenes. At the same time, Chaman Chacko enhanced its effect with judicious editing cuts and the visual effects were also neatly done for the budget. Kudos to Yannick Ben & his team for the exceptional action choreography especially the ones that was staged in the forest & at the cafe.

Coming to performances, hats off to Kalyani for a fine performance which was superbly supported by Sayanora who dubbed for her. Actually when the first look poster came out, it reminded me of Anna Ben in "Kalki" (who actually did a small role as well) & who I felt would have been an apt choice for this role. However, Kalyani's action sequences were impressive & since the character demanded an inherent charm & a stoic face for most parts, it worked to her favour as she is not so adept when it comes to expressing emotions. Similarly, Durga Vinod who played her childhood also deserves praise. Whenever I think of Lokesh's "Leo", one of the main thing that I liked in that movie was the spine chilling performance of Sandy & he has aced it over here as well with an excellent portrayal of Inspector Nachiyappa. Naslen has done justice to his part with commendable support from Chandu and Arun while Tovino rocked in his cameo with his charm & histrionics. 

Verdict: It is an excellent effort from Dominic & his team and kudos to them for that. Another person who deserves equal appreciation is Dulquer for bankrolling this creative vision. Since DQ & Dominic has already set a benchmark with this flick, it is not going to be an easy task to live up to it. But hopefully they will continue to believe that story is king & not the budget. Anyway look forward to Dominic & others like Arun Chandu ("Gaganachari") to take this genre forward. In short, do check it out!!!

Rating: 3.75/5

Regards...Ben

War 2: "Creativity was definitely not first or even part of the agenda!!!"

Apart from "Coolie", the audience had another choice to feast their eyes in this extended weekend. It happened to be "War 2", the sixth installment of the YRF Spy Universe. However, unlike its prequel, the project was helmed by Ayan Mukherji instead of Siddharth Anand. This time around, Jr NTR rubbed shoulders with Hrithik Roshan in the hope that it will sweep the South Indian box office as well. Well the trailer was far from impressive & I hoped that the movie would be much better. So was my hope ill placed???

After having gone rogue, Kabir (Hrithik) presently plied his trade as a freelance mercenary who was much sought after by different groups. This put him in the radar of the Kali cartel, a crime syndicate that comprised of powerful individual members from India and neighbouring nations. Their mission was to eliminate governments & put it under their control, with India being their latest target. Kabir agreed to take up the assignment, though unknown to the cartel, he was entrusted by Colonel Luthra (Ashutosh Rana), a couple of years back to infiltrate the organization. But he had to take a tough decision since the first task that was given to him by the cartel to prove his loyalty was to eliminate Colonel Luthra. 

Apparently, the story was penned by Aditya Chopra with the screenplay and dialogues worked upon by Sridhar Raghavan & Abbas Tyrewala. Seriously, did he actually write anything? It was nothing more than a hare brained predictable plot without an iota of creativity. To make matters worse, the VFX was shoddy as it looked damn artificial while the action sequences which was expected to be the USP failed to wow and struggled for authenticity. None of the technical aspects deserves special mention except for Benjamin Japser's cinematography which was good. Even more surprising was that the dance choreography for the Janaab-e-Aali track that featured two fantastic dancers like Hrithik & Jr. NTR, failed to evoke awe. 

It would be hard to fault the actors for such a poorly written script. However, Hrithik did justice to his part while Jr NTR was just about ok, since he did struggle in the emotional sequences. Kiara didnt have much scope to perform (as expected) in this testosterone flick while Anil Kapoor was fine, with Ashutosh providing adequate support in a brief role. 

Verdict: Apart from the fact that the story was a huge letdown, the making of it left a lot to be desired especially when it came to VFX and action set pieces. They need to do turn the tide effectively & emphatically in the next installment which for their benefit would have to hopefully happen in "Alpha" (as shown in the post credits) or else, I doubt whether this spy universe will survive!!!

Rating: 1.5/5

Regards...Ben

Coolie: "Lacked the expected power to bring the house down!!!"

Finally, one of the most awaited movie of the year has hit the screens across the globe on the eve of our nation's 79th Independence Day. Interestingly, it also marked half a century since the Superstar made his debut in "Apoorva Raagangal". With a stellar star cast from most of the prominent film industries, the question that everyone had was whether Lokesh Kanagaraj could do justice to the lofty expectations. He certainly has the caliber proved by his track record but it is a gargantuan task indeed.

As in his previous flicks, Lokesh has penned the script for this as well & made it clear prior to the release that this was not part of the LCU series. The audience is introduced to Dayal (Soubin Shahir) who is the trusted lieutenant of the much feared smuggler, Simon (Nagarjuna) and coordinated the operations at Vishakhapatnam harbour. He kept a tight leash on the workers with the traitors being mercilessly slaughtered. At the same time in Chennai, Deva (Rajni) who ran a boarding house was informed of his friend's death, Rajasekhar (Satyaraj) which brings him to Vishakhapatnam. Though his death was put down to cardiac arrest, he felt that there was more to it than what met the eye. 

So this brings to the question as to whether Lokesh was able to keep us invested in the story? On paper, it certainly did and the manner in which he builds the story did have the intrigue. The issue props us with its inability to keep us engrossed in it as it slacks in between and that is primarily because we are not emotionally hooked onto the characters like in "Vikram". At the same time, there were a couple of sequences and sub-plot in the second half which was good. Anirudh's music did manage to elevate some of the scenes though it was uneven despite the 'Powerhouse' & 'Monica' tracks. Girish Gangadharan's cinematography was fine for most parts while the retro feel didn't gel well. Anbariv's action choreography was reasonably well done while the de-aging VFX though good lacked the finesse. 

Comiing to performances, Thalaivar was impressive as his aura shouldered the story and did what was possible within the framework of the character. However, when it was came to the best written character arc, it undoubtedly belonged to Soubin's Dayal and he was brilliant as the slimy villainous gangster. As for Nagarjuna, though the casting choice was ideal & he delivered what was expected, but the screenplay was such that except for a couple of brief sequences it fell well short of tapping the potential which that character possessed. 

When I saw that Shruti Hasan was playing the lead female role, I didnt expect much to be honest. But she definitely impressed with her emotional act while Rachita Ram was exceptional with Kanaa Ravi giving adequate support. Satyaraj was fine in a brief role while Upendra was wasted ans his aura (except in the flashback sequence) was barely used. The much spoken about cameo by Aamir Khan was also a damp squid as the character made no sense though the initial appearance did have a wow factor (however, felt they should have kept it under wraps like 'Rolex').

Verdict: It would be easy to say that the weight of expectations would have let down the movie. I dont quite agree to that statement since there is no denying the fact that the screenplay was quite average. Did the movie bore me? Ofcourse not, as it did have a pretty decent story & performed well by the artists. In effect, Lokesh failed to pack as much power & comes across as a missed opportunity. But from Sun Pictures point of view, I believe they should be happy as I would expect it to finish among the top 3 highest Tamil grossers!!!

Rating: 2.5/5

Regards...Ben

Ronth, Detective Ujjwalan, Azadi and Mr & Mrs Bachelor

With the OTT platform being an integral segment to reach out to the audience, there has been numerous occasions when I came to know about a particular movie only when it was streamed there. There were quite a few among the ones that I will be talking about in this opinion piece that belongs to that category. So did it surprise me as to why they failed at the box office? The answer to that will have to be no, in most situations.

Ronth: "Engaging for most parts with a solid Dileesh Pothan!!!"

Over the past decade, if I had to choose the most gripping police dramas that had released in Malayalam; then it will undoubtedly feature "Joseph" & "Nayattu". Incidentally, both of them belong to Shahi Kabir & hence that was more than ample reason to be eager about his latest release which is also set against his previous profession.

SI Yohannan (Dileesh Pothan) was a seasoned police officer who had dealt with all kinds of scum as part of his job. As the name suggests, the story is essentially about the events that unfold in the life of Yohannan & his assistant, CPO Dinnath (Roshan Mathew) during their night patrol. They come across various type of cases that night which takes a toll on both of them on a moral and emotional level.

Yet again, Shahi has come with an engaging police dramas that works for most parts. It reminded me of Abrid Shine's "Action Hero Biju" which is about the various cases that a police office has to tackle on a daily basis. This was pretty much the same except that this happens in the night & maintains a grim  tone which increases towards the climax giving the vibe of "Nayattu". To be honest, the climax felt rather forced & hence it didn't quite have the impact that Shahi would have wanted to create. If we go through Shahi's previous flicks, it gives a lot of emphasis on the character & life of the protagonists such as their personal traumas, ideologies and we get to see that in Yohannan and Dinnath. 

Kudos to Manesh Madhavan's visuals for the realistic feel to it while the rest of the aspects were neatly done. The caliber of Dileesh & Roshan is something that all of us are well aware about and they continued the good work here as well. However, if I was to compare between the two, then Dileesh was fantastic hands down while Roshan was fine especially in the emotional breakdown portions towards the end. 

Verdict: Though not quite upto the mark in comparison to his previous directorial efforts primarily because of a forced climax, it still comes across a gripping police drama pulled off by a praise worthy performance by Dileesh!!!

Rating: 3.25/5

Detective Ujjwalan: "Investigative aspect could have been more thrilling!!!"

The regularity with which Dhyan Sreenivasan's movie releases is a mystery that continues to baffles many especially since most of them had sunk without a trace at the box office. This was least surprising as majority of them were quite mediocre. However, when Sophia Paul's Weekend Blockbusters announced their latest project, I was more than eager to check it out due to their decent track record. 

The movie unfolds in the quaint village of Plaachikaavu where Ujjwalan (Dhyan) had a library which predominantly had detective novels. His interest in it also saw him solve minor theft cases which was the most that the villagers had been witness to until the murder of the school principal, Ashokan (Kalabhavan Navas). This was soon followed by another murder & a special investigation team led by SI Shambu (Siju Wilson) was entrusted to unravel the case. Though at loggerheads initially, Ujjwalan joins forces with Shambu as they try to nab the psychopath murderer. 

This is Indraneel Gopalakrishnan & Rahul G's directorial debut & they have done a decent job in showcasing their craft. However, the same cant be said about their scripting abilities as it was not quite upto the mark. It had the feel of a 'Minnal Murali' & 'Kunjiramayanam' in terms of the colour tone & retro aesthetics for which Premkrishna Akkattu and S.Harichandran deserves praise. The humour elements take centre stage early on and that had worked out well. But when they came to the core subject, it definitely lacked the punch with the antagonist and the related back story not having the heft that piques our attention. 

In terms of performance, it was a character that gelled well with Dhyan's easy going demeanour and hence made it quite likeable. Siju did his part aptly as the macho aspect of the character was portrayed well. Rony David provided the comic relief with support from Ameen and Nihal while Kottayam Naseer was quite solid as the supporting cast. 

Verdict: From a thriller perspective, one is bound to feel let down by the manner that angle was not explored adequately. However, it keeps us entertained coz of the humour and the performances.

Rating: 3/5

Azadi: "Interesting jail break that could have been better!!!"

When it comes to jail break movies, I dont think our industry have been able to tackle that genre as well compared to others. Jo George decided to make his directorial debut on this subject with Sagar Hari pitching it with the story & screenplay, and it would be fair to say that it was indeed a decent effort. The bulk of the portions are staged within the premises of the Kottayam Medical College where Ganga (Raveena Ravi), a pregnant prisoner was brought in for her delivery. She was accused of murdering the scion of a prominent politician & her husband, Raghu (Sreenath Bhasi) along with her father, Shiva (Lal) were working on an escape plan for which they had recruited the services of a couple of people. However, it was easier said than done as they had to outwit the police & the politician's contract killers.

There is no doubt that the core thought was promising and it does keep us engaged for most parts. But Jo's direction certainly lacked the freshness and the zing that the movie demanded. On the whole it had an outdated feel to it with Saneesh Stanly's cinematography being average. Even Sagar also needs to take the blame for an average screenplay and at times, mediocre dialogues especially the ones rendered by Vani Viswanath. The thought behind some of the characters also made no sense be it the behaviour of Lal's character or the relevance of Saiju Kurup. On the performance front, Sreenath has done justice to his part along with TG Ravi. As for the rest of the cast, Lal & Co. were ok while Vani Vishwanath hams it big time and Shobhi Thilakan was average. 

Verdict: If more thought had gone into the screenplay, it could have been much better. 

Rating: 2/5

Mr & Mrs Bachelor: "Miscast & lazily written!!!"

Deepu Karunakaran is not a name that inspires hope for movie lovers after all his previous ventures hasn't quite been off the top drawer. His last directorial flick was about 8 years back & this project was in the news prior to its release due to the tiff between him & Anaswara coz of the latter's lack of co-operation in the movie promotions. Anyway it came & went without much of a whimper and it was not surprising to say the least.

The script penned by Arjun T S unfolds on the eve of Stephy's wedding (Anaswara Rajan) with the news that her groom, Sijin (Rahul Madhav) had backed out and gone missing. However, rather than blame her fate, she decided to locate him & find out the actual reason. This is how she ends up in Trivandrum where she gets acquainted with Siddharth (Indrajith Sukumaran), an affluent businessman and a bachelor & seeks his help. 

Apart from the fact that it was a gross miscast with zero chemistry between the lead pair, there was nothing in the story that was worth talking about. It was lazily written and except for a couple of chuckles there is hardly anything that was worth mentioning. By the time, the climax came along we are least bothered as to how the makers ended it. None of the technical aspects deserves mention and when it comes to performances, I fail to understand why a talented artist like Indrajith finds himself in such worthless projects. He genuinely struggled to find his form while Anaswara was better and did what was possible with that character. 

Verdict: Don't bother!!!

Rating: 1/5

Narivetta, Moonwalk & Aabhyanthara Kuttavaali: "Better writing could have guaranteed better returns!!!"

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

Prince & Family, Sarkeet & Padakkalam: "Appeals to the family audience!!!"

With "Thudarum" having a sensational run at the box office, it was always going to be a tall ask for the subsequent releases to stay afloat. Hence quite a few of them had moved their release dates, though a couple of makers decided to stick on with their original plan & take their celluloid creations to the audience. So how did the audience warm up to them???

Prince & Family: "Dileep manages to pull in the family audience!!!"

It's been quite a while since Dileep had a flick that showed any semblance of being a box office success which he had aplenty in the past. His latest release in with Binto Stephen who is making his directorial debut, with Sharis Mohammed working on the script. So will these duo manage to orchestrate a change in box office fortunes???

Prince (Dileep) was a designer by profession and the eldest of three sons, though unlike his siblings he was still a bachelor as none of the martial alliances quite worked out. With his age being on the higher side, he wondered whether he would ever be able to tie the knot. It was at this juncture that he met up a girl that he believed was an apt choice. But was it indeed??? Sharis has penned it in such a manner whereby the first half has that typical comedy that we usually associate with such bachelor. It doesn't imply that it doesn't work as quite a few sequences genuinely managed to evoke laughs, but it lacked freshness. The tone shifts in the second half which I am not explicitly mentioning here, might have come across as an abrupt change. But knowing Sharis's track record of touching upon a socially relevant topic as in "Queen", "Jana Gana Mana" etc., it shouldn't come as a surprise. However, Binto has done a decent job in its execution while the technical aspects were satisfactory but it doesn't deserve special mention. 

On the performance front, Dileep has done a decent job along with Raniya Raanaa in her debut venture though she does go over the top at times. However, Vincy Aloshious who had dubbed for her was impressive and captured the character variations well. Manju Pillai impressed in her part while Johny Antony felt like a miscast for that role. As for the rest of the cast, Siddique & Bindu Panicker did their parts aptly, Dhyan Sreenivasan appeared in an insignificant role (I guess he was included to handle the online marketing) & Urvashi, in a cameo stood out as expected with her dialogue delivery. 

Verdict: Based on the box office reports, the movie seemed to have made a profit for the makers. However, in terms of whether it managed to engage me, it was average at best!!!

Rating: 2/5

Sarkeet: "This sarkeet could have been way more impactful!!!"

Over the past year or so, Asif Ali has been on a roll with his choice of movies that he backed up with endearing performances. The latest to be added to that list is Thamar's "Sarkeet" which is essentially about the bond between two strangers from different walks of life. As a film maker, Thamar had already proved his potential with "1001 Nunakal" & hence I was quite eager to check this out especially with Asif in the lead.

As Thamar is based in the Middle East, he is quite well versed with the terrain & the various characters that set foot on that land in the hope of a better future. This is what he had showcased in both his flicks with the focus here being on two sets of characters. On the one side, there is Ameer (Asif Ali) who had come with the hope of finding a job, but all his efforts had drawn blanks. The other side had a stressed out middle class couple, Balu (Deepak Parambol) & Steffi (Divya Prabha), parents to Jefron (Orhan Hyder) who was diagnosed with ADHD. As fate might have it, Ameer crosses path with Jefron and the events that happens subsequently is what this movie is about.

In the hands of lesser directors, there would have been an overload of melodrama in dealing with a subject like this. However, Thamar has shown both the parties in a realistic manner which makes it an engaging first half. But he failed to create the same effect in the latter segment as it was quite watered down or rather cinematic despite the earnest performance of the artists. At the same time, the technical team has done a fine job especially Govind Vasantha's music and BGM which was completely in sync with what the movie demanded. 

Asif Ali has steadily improved upon his craft over the years & one particular aspect that stands out is his effortless portrayal of emotional scenes. Over here, he impresses with an understated performance that is endearing and the bond with Orhan is convincingly exhibited. Orhan has also done his part well as he was certainly irritating at times as the character demanded. As for the rest, Deepak & Prasanth was ok while Divya was average.

Verdict: An endearing movie for most parts that focused on the emotional bond between two characters which was endearingly performed by Asif & Orhan. However, it felt like more suited for the OTT platform!!!

Rating: 2.5/5

Padakkalam: "Decent fun fantasy comedy!!!"

It's been quite a while since we had a genuinely hilarious comedy flick that doesn't depend on sexual innuendos & Manu Swaraj decided to do just that in his directorial debut. Along with another debutant, Nithin Babu, the duo penned the script which essentially falls into the fantasy comedy genre. The movie unfolds with a narration speaking about a tablet that held mysterious powers and made its way across generations. In the present day, the story is set in a college where Jithin (Sandeep Pradeep) is on the verge of breakup with his girlfriend. Around the same time, two of his professors, Shaji (Suraj Venjaramoodu) & Renjith (Sharafudeen) were battling it out for the position of HOD. Eventually, the position went to Renjith as the former had manhandled the Principal. But there was more to it than what met the eye.

There is no doubt that it had some genuinely hilarious sequences with opportunities provided for the three main characters to perform. It did have the feel of Binu Sadanandan's "Ithihasa" but it still did have an identity of its own coz of the dynamics between the friends and the pop culture banter makes it an enjoyable watch. Friday Film House is always known for spotting talents & supporting this, & it was no different here as Manu has done a fine job in executing the project by staying true to what the content promised.

The technical aspects were handled neatly but the USP is undoubtedly the performances. Sharafudeen was impressive as he handled both villainy & humour with ease. It's been a while since Suraj has featured in a role that dabbled with humour and he has done a fine job as expected. The surprise was undoubtedly Sandeep who did utmost justice to the part given to him as it could have gone horribly wrong. The rest of the cast such as Saaf, Arun Pradeep, Arun Ajikumar etc., did their parts aptly.

Verdict: As per the makers, the movie has already broke even & that was not surprising considering it is a flick that will appeal to the family audiences. So do give it a try!!!

Rating: 2.5/5

Regards...Ben

Bazooka, Alappuzha Gymkhana & Maranamass : "Middling returns from the box office!!!"

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

Thudarum: "Lalettan & Tharun's mastery over their craft and box office continues!!!"

Last Friday, "L2: Empuraan" hit the OTT platform after a thumping run at the box office which saw the makers earn in the range of about 360C inclusive of all deals. In the meantime, there has been quite a few releases over the past fortnight during the Easter/Vishu weekend. However, this opinion piece is not about those movies (which I will pen over the next week or so) but rather about Tharun Moorthy's "Thudarum". To be honest, I have been eagerly waiting for its release as I was impressed with his previous releases & hence I was curious to know as to how effectively he would be able to utilise the caliber of a legend like Lalettan. 

The movie unfolds in Ranni where Shanmugham aka Benz (Lalettan), led a peaceful life with his wife, Lalitha (Shobhana) & their two children. He was a former stunt man who presently plied his trade as a driver albeit without proper permits in his beloved vintage Ambassador car. Things took a turn when he went to attend the funeral of his former boss as his car was seized by the police as part of an investigation. What subsequently follows are his efforts to retrieve the car. 

K R Sunil is a name that most of us may not know unless one is into photography as he is quite accomplished at it & with his debut effort as a script writer, he has proved that his skill with the pen was in no way inferior to his frames. On paper, it comes across as a standard revenge drama but the screenplay that he had penned in the company of Tharun made sure that it had all the elements that interested the audience & excited the fans. The first half had the self deprecating humour and quite a few light moments that kept us in good spirits. But subsequently, there was a marked shift in tone with emotional and action sequences taking centre stage. 

The characters were well etched be it Lalettan, Prakash Varma or Binu Pappan, with the major positive being the emphasis given to the latter two characters i.e. the antagonists. More often than not, the makers tend to forget that the antagonist has to be portrayed equally strong to ensure that the impact of the protagonist is celebrated even more. Over here, Tharun & Sunil didn't make that mistake & also included some interesting events such as the landslide etc., as relevant to the plot. On the whole, certain scenes and its treatment reminds us of flicks like "Bhramaram", "Drishyam" , "Oppam" etc., but it still has an identity of its own. Another major positive was Jakes Bejoy's music which elevated many of the sequences and the choice of specific instruments for the main characters was impressive. As for the visuals by Shaji Kumar and editing by the late Nishadh Yusuf & Shafeeque V B, both aspects were neatly done. 

It's been a while since we came across a movie that celebrated the actor in Lalettan & this one ticks most of the boxes in that respect. He is given the opportunity to showcase a myriad of emotions which kept us invested in the story.  Prakash Varma is a doyen in the ad world & he was absolutely brilliant as CI George Sir with his mild yet intimidating manner of dialogue delivery. Binu Pappan was impressive as well while Shobhana manages to score in the latter half especially when it came to certain expressions. But on the whole, she didnt come across as endearing as I had expected. The rest of the cast such as Thomas Mathew, Farhaan Faasil etc were fine in their parts.

Verdict: Undoubtedly, the most wholesome Lalettan movie that we have seen in quite a while. It just goes to show that in the hands of a talented film maker and a credible storyline, the legend will continue to shine. In short, do check it out!!!

Rating: 3.75/5

Regards...Ben

L2: Empuraan: "Visually impressive but lacks narrative depth!!!"

Finally the most awaited Malayalam movie of the year has hit the screens in a manner that was reminiscent of the tsunami. The pre-release ticket sales threw up some astonishing numbers and all that contributed to a historic global box office opening of around 65C. With Eid falling on Monday, the extended weekend should have Aashirvad Cinemas & Sree Gokulam Movies reasonably confident about their returns in investment. But the question is whether the movie has the substance to sustain this excitement beyond the weekend, after the initial hype abates???

The movies unfolds in 2002 where communal riots led to the massacre of many Muslims which included Zayed's family (Karthikeya Dev) as well. The attacks were orchestrated by Balraj (Abhimanyu Singh) & his brother, Munna (Sukant Goel), with Zayed being the only one who managed to escape from the horrific mass slaughter. In the present day, Jatin Ramdas (Tovino Thomas) who had been the CM for close to a term found himself embroiled in numerous scams and financial irregularities. To add to that, a prominent political party with roots predominantly in North India decided to make their presence felt in Kerala. In this bleak situation, Govardhan (Indrajith) tries to locate Stephen (Lalettan) to seek help. 

First & foremost, this is undoubtedly the finest Malayalam movie in terms of the production quality. Hats off to Prithvi for the way he has mounted this flick as it embodied grandeur. It definitely deserves to be watched on the big screens & the main reason for that are the exquisite frames captured by Sujit Vasudev. The action sequences were brilliantly staged especially the one in the jungle though the climactic one felt rather outdated (& in a way, reminded me of "Jilla"). As for Deepak Dev's music, it was quite underwhelming for most parts with the BGM at times failing to enhance the high moments. 

However, irrespective of the canvas, the backbone of any movie is the script & to be honest, I was quite disappointed with what Murali Gopi came up with. The focus of the movie is on two aspects, one being Khureshi Abraam & the other, Stephen Nedumpally. Coming to Khureshi, the character was explored superficially with focus more on aesthetics rather than heft in the conflict that he had with other nexus. As for Stephen, though there was more meat to proceedings, many of the sequences & dialogues felt more like a rehashed version from the prequel. In effect, it failed to evoke as many high moments as expected. In terms of content, Kerala politics,  international nexus, backstory & reason for change of certain integral characters made it feel like there was more adequate stuff to make it a delightful treat. But the truth is Murali has failed to gel it convincingly. 

Coming to performances, Lalettan was impressive & did what was possible within the scope of the character though it didn't give him much opportunity to perform as such. He effortlessly carried the swag & the aura that the character demanded and owned the action sequences. Both Prithvi & his younger avatar, Karthikeya did their parts aptly.  Abhimanyu & Sukant were both impressive in their negative avatar while Jerome Flynn as Boris had a significant role and did justice to it. Manju Warrier had more scope to perform and did her part aptly along with Tovino. There were numerous others also but most of them barely had adequate screen time or character arc to showcase their ability.

Verdict: There is no doubt that the movie deserves a watch & that too in the theatres. However, the weak storyline could certainly hamper the potential that it could otherwise have had. Anyway it will certainly inspire other makers from our industry to dream big & hopefully, Murali will have a banger script in L3!!!

Rating: 2.75/5

Regards...Ben

Bromance, Painkili & Daveed: "Interesting mix though the returns continue to be meagre!!!"

This Valentine's Day saw a trio of releases which as expected was catered towards the youth (I guess most movies are isn't it). The response to all three of them was varied & that was reflected in the box office report that the producers association had published. So how did it turn out for me???

Bromance: "Breezy comedy that thrived coz of performances!!!"

In the span of a couple of movies like "Jo & Jo" & "18+", Arun D Jose has made a name for himself with his flicks that focused on humour & youth. In his latest venture, the focus is on Binto (Mathew Thomas) who was in the lookout for his elder brother, Shinto (Shyam Mohan) who had disappeared without a trace. Apparently, Shinto was the darling in the family & spoke of with high regard by people who knew him. In contrast, Binto was quite the opposite and detested the comparison, though the brothers shared a tight bond. Binto came out about his brother's missing from the latter's friend, Shabeer (Arjun Ashokan) who presumed that it could be because of the breakup with Aishu (Mahima Nambiar). Their search was assisted by Hari (Sangeeth Prathap), a hacker & it also led them to another potential suspect, Courier Babu (Kalabhavon Shajon). So, who was actually responsible???

It is a fun filled flick that does have quite a few genuinely hilarious sequences though the plot as such isn't substantial. In a way it had the feel of a "Hangover" and the major part of the credit for making the movie enjoyable goes to the technical aspects in giving the necessary feel and appearance to the frames. Kudos to Govind Vasantha's music. Akhil George's colourful frames & Chaman Chacko's seamless editing gives the necessary vibe that the movie required. 

Coming to performances, Sangeeth Prathap was top notch with his counter dialogues and expressions. Mahima was quite impressive and is given equal screen space as the rest of the gang which consisted of Mathew, Arjun & Kalabhavan Shajon, all of whom did their parts adequately. 

Verdict: It delivers what it promised in the promos and i.e. a full filled flick.

Rating: 2.5/5

Painkili: "Heart attack is unavoidable for the producers!!!"

When the makers had released the 'heart attack' track on YouTube, I would have to admit that I was genuinely impressed with the way Sreejith Babu in his directorial debut had picturized it. Actually that was the main reason why I decided to check it out & also because it was Jithu Madhavan who had penned the script. Little did I realize that the sole positive was that song.

Well it barely had a proper story & the screenplay worked in certain sequences in the initial parts of the movie. It is essentially about a girl, Sheeba (Anaswara) who was constantly trying to elope in order to avoid the alliance that her parents had found for her. During one such instance, she gets to meet Suku (Sajin Gopu) who was faking insanity to obtain a medical certificate that will be his ticket to freedom from a legal issue. Whether they eventually end up being together is what the story is about.

Apart from what I had mentioned earlier, I dont have anything to add as the movies gets irritating after a point of time. The humour was forced for most parts and the performances from both Anaswara & Sajin were fine in the portions they behaved normally but when it required them to put in eccentricity, then it was quite mediocre. Roshan Shanavas (as Paachan) & Jisma Vimal (as Suma) were good while Abu Salim, Chandu etc. were also ok. 

Verdict: Jithu's script is the sole reason for the failure as it barely had any content for the artists to perform to. In short, check out the song but as for the movie, forget it!!!

Rating: 1.5/5

Daveed: "Decently made though the story as such lacked the punch!!!"

Being a sports buff apart from being a cinephile, I have always loved sports dramas but it's a genre that is not easy to make due to the predictability in its template. In most instances it would be about an underdog who rise up against the odds in the final act. This is pretty much the template that Govind Vishnu has chosen for his directorial debut which he had penned in the company of Deepu Rajeevan. 

Their protagonist is Aashiq Abu (Antony Varghese), a lazy dude who occasionally worked as a bouncer in celebrity functions. The family was taken care of by his wife, Sherin (Lijomol Jose) who was fed up with his irresponsible nature even though for their daughter, he was a hero. Life takes as a turn when he is called in as a bouncer for a function to felicitate the World Boxing Champion, Sainul Akhmadov (Mo Ismail). But it eventually turned into a tussle between the two of them with Sainul challenging him to a match. 

It is your typical standard generic story that failed to produce any unique element that we haven't seen in such movies in the past. The protagonist has that mental trauma/inhibition due to a past incident & how he manages to overcome that to take up the latest challenge with the help of a seasoned coach who prepares his ward with an array of unorthodox methods (sounds familiar, well that's not surprising). Despite the predictability, I enjoyed the manner in which the boxing match was staged and the action choreography associated with it. The technical aspects were fine with Salu Thomas's cinematography in the climax deserving special mention.

Among the cast, Vijayaraghavan was spot on as expected while Antony's performance was decent with the physicality that he provided to the character being quite impressive. Mo Ismail did justice to his part while Lijomol, Saiju Kurup etc did their parts aptly.

Verdict: Predictability was the primary issue with the story, however Govind has still managed to take it reasonably well especially in the latter half!!!

Rating: 2/5

Regards...Ben

 

Ponman, Officer on Duty, Get Set Baby & Machante Maalakha: "A couple manage to impress!!!"

Almost the end of the first quarter of 2025 & despite the insane number of releases, the ones that were worth our time has been far & few. Among the present lot that I have penned my opinion about, there are a couple of them that belonged to the category that I was referring to earlier. So which were those???

Ponman: "Man..this was engrossing in terms of treatment & performances!!!"

This was a movie that I have been waiting to watch for quite a while & finally managed to do so when it came on the OTT platform. Ever since I had seen the trailer, I would have to admit that I was intrigued coz of the subject it was dealing with and the cast that were chosen for it. In addition, though it might across as a rather silly reason for others, the fact that it was shot in our Kollam from where I hail from had me really interested.

Over the past few years, G R Indugopan is a name that many cinephiles would have heard so (in case they haven't read his novels) as quite a few of his novels were adapted into movies such as "Oru Thekkan Thallu Case", "Kaapa" etc. This is the latest to be added to that list as it was adapted from his novel, "Naalanchu Cheruppkar" & he has worked on the screenplay along with Justin Mathew. This also happened to be the directorial debut of noted art director Jotish Shankar & the core subject that it deals with is dowry but from a different perspective.  

The movie unfolds in Kollam where Bruno (Anand Manmadhan), a suspended political worker was desperately trying to arrange cash to purchase gold for his sister, Steffi's wedding (Lijomol) to Mariyano (Sajin Gopu). This is when he was introduced to Ajesh (Basil Joseph), an agent who provided gold in advance on the agreement that the money would be paid up with the gifts that the couples received. However, Steffi's family weren't able to honour the agreement leaving Ajesh in pursuit of what turned out to be a monumental task to retrieve what belonged to him. 

The screenplay was impressive & the character arc that was given to each and every character was top notch. It gets gripping by the minute as the character shades keeps changing and yet we get to understand the standpoint as to why the main characters behave in the manner they did. The events are kept grounded and there is no overdosage of melodrama, and one aspect that many movies struggle with nowadays is the placement of songs, which doesn't happen here with the track and the BGM by Justin Varghese gelling quite well. As for other technical aspects, Sanu John's cinematography deserves praise while Nidhin Raj maintained the pace quite well.

This is undoubtedly, one of Basil's best performances to date as it gave him opportunity to try something quite different from what we are used to & he has excelled at it. Lijomol continues to feature in movies that gives her space to showcase her talent while Sajin did his part equally well. In the few characters that Anand had portrayed till now, more often than not he has managed to grab our attention and after having watched him in 'Love Under Construction' last week, this role was another good addition to his resume. As for the rest of the cast, Sandhya Rajendren, Deepak Parambol etc. provided adequate support.

Verdict: Kudos to Jotish as this is certainly one of the best movie that has released this year courtesy of impressive performances and an engaging screenplay!!!

Rating: 3.75/5

Officer on Duty: "The officer in Shahi continues to churn out much sought after thrillers!!!"

Who do you think among the active professionals pens the best police investigation thrillers in Malayalam movies? If I had to answer that, then it would be Shahi Kabir without a shadow of doubt with movies like "Joseph" & "Nayattu" to his credit. His latest work is directed by Jithu Ashraf who is making his debut behind the camera after having assisted in a handful of worthy movies. For starters, you might recollect as the sadist Brother Samson in "Iratta".

CI Hari (Chackochan) is a tough cop who was hot headed which also contributed to him being demoted. The audience gets a glimpse of his intimidating nature and aggression in the first scene itself with the way he deals with the suspect of a chain robbery case. The sequence of events which forms the crux of the movie begins when he receives the complaint that Chandrababu (Jagadish), a KSRTC conductor had tried to mortgage an imitation gold chain. This investigation led to a series of dark secrets which in due time also found his family getting entangled in it. 

Jithu has executed the story with a fair bit of tempo and that keeps us engaged as events unfold quite quickly. Despite the usual stereotype of drug snorting youngsters from Bangalore, I did like the thought that Shahi had put into each character rather than shade them just as black & white. There are reasons as to why those negative shade characters behaved in that manner while the characters on the opposite side also had ample shades of grey. in effect, the script as such is not upto the quality of his previous work but the fast paced screenplay makes up for it. The action sequences were neatly choreographed by retaining its raw feel but not resorting to goriness. All the technical aspects were neatly executed be it Roby Varghese's cinematography, Chaman Chakko's cuts and the reliable Jakes Bejoy's BGM. 

As always of us are aware, Chackochan choice of movies over the past few years has been impressive and as Hari, he was top notch as the body language was quite unlike from his other roles. Giving him adequate support was the talented Priyamani, who featured in a role that gave her scope to perform. Jagadish impressed as has been the trend for quite a with his character selection while the rest of the cast such as Vishak Nair (as Savio), Ramzan etc did their parts aptly.

Verdict: Yet another winning script from Shahi and well executed by Jithu. It also made waves at the box office as Martin Prakatt continues to grow in stature as a producer who invests in movies that does have content!!!

Rating: 3/5

Get Set Baby: " The script needed to be adequately fertilized!!!"

After the highs of "Marco", Unni Mukundan was back with a light hearted drama which focused on delivering babies rather than taking their lives as in his previous release. The shots were called by Vinay Govind after a hiatus whose last flick was "Kohinoor" about a decade back. As for the story, it was borne out of the creation of YV Rajesh & Anoop Ravindran, and is essentially about the personal and professional life of a gynaecologist.

The movie follows the journey of Arjun (Unni) from his childhood to eventually becoming a celebrated gynaecologist. His empathetic nature & sincerity in his profession made him quickly climb the ladder of success. At the same time, his arrogance & ego grew as well which threatened to affect his relationships & everything that he had worked hard for. 

Though Ajay Pulickal's frames did give that feel good vibe, the story as such failed to do justice what it had set out to do. The primary issue for that is the various genres and topics that it tried to tackle within the two hour run time without focusing on any of them significantly. In effect, the whole thing felt rushed and we do not actually get emotionally invested in the protagonist. Unni's performance in the initial segment was fine but when the emotional aspects kicks in, he certainly struggles in his diction and body language. A the same time, Nikhila Vimal handled those sequences much better. In the supporting cast, both Sudheesh & Surabhi did their parts well along with Ganga Meera, though I felt that character could have been written much better. 

Verdict: It's a feel good flick that does bring a smile in certain segments but failed to stamp its identity unlike a "Mimi", "Vishesham" etc. In short, it had potential for much more!!!

Rating: 2/5

Machante Maalakha: "Felt more like a Malayalam soap opera!!!"

Just like Vinay Govind, it's been quite a while since Boban Samuel had worn the director's hat with the last enjoyable flick from him being "Romans" which was more than a decade back. The script by Ajeesh Thomas based on a story by Jexson Antony is essentially a gender reversed domestic conflict with the protagonists being Sajeevan (Soubin Shahir) & Bijimol (Namitha Pramod). 

The movie unfolds with Sajeevan, a KSRTC conductor & Bijimol getting into a couple of conflicts over a series of misunderstandings. But in due time, they warm up to each other & decide to tie the knot, though her mother, Kunjumol (Shanthi Krishna) laid down the condition that he would need to live in  their home. This was just the beginning, as he was forced to make other compromises to make their relationship work with Bijimol turning out to be quite self centred. 

I presume you would have understood by now as to why I meant it felt like a soap opera as it was that typical outdated storyline that we had come across so often in the past. The unpredictable behavioural changes in Bijimol and the lack of adequate heft in any of the conflicts fails to keep us engaged. Even the casting didnt help the cause as Soubin & Namitha barely had any chemistry between them while Shanthi Krishna's hamming was irritating to say the least. The only saving grace in the performances was Dileesh Pothan & Vineeth Thattil while Dhyan Sreenivasan featured yet again in a flick for no obvious purpose.

Verdict: No point in lamenting that producers are losing money, since stories like these dont even deserve a watch even on TV.

Rating: 1.5/5

Regards...Ben

Pravinkoodu Shappu, Ennu Swantham Punyalan, Narayaneente Moonnaanmakkal & Oru Jaathi Jaathakam: "Most have failed to survive as long as their titles!!!"

The Malayalam film industry is in yet another crisis with the Producers Association slamming many of the actors & technicians for their exorbitant salaries and the lack of support from the State Government. Their views were based on the losses that most of the movies incurred at the box office. Anyway it is a topic for discussion for a later time, but many of them barely had a relevant storyline & most were barely marketed due to which the audience were not even aware that such flicks released. Over the past month or so, I did happen to watch a couple of them & this is what I felt about them.

Pravinkoodu Shappu: "Interesting blend of intrigue & black humour!!!"

Over the past year or so, Basil Joseph has steadily build on his reputation as a reliable actor & there has been quite a few back to back releases in recent times. His latest flick was helmed by the debutant, Sreeraj Sreenivasan & with Anwar Rasheed bankrolling the project, I was keen to check it out. With Sreeraj also opting for an investigative thriller, the question was how was his story going to be any different from the others. 

The movie is set in Thrissur where a suicide was reported inside a toddy shop with the victim being its owner, Komban Babu (Shivajith). SI Santhosh (Basil) who had recently taken charge was entrusted with the investigation & his sleuthing skills convinced him that it was a murder. With Babu having an frictional relationship with many, it did seem like a valid argument but the probability of pulling it off seemed questionable as it happened while they were many in the shop. So who was the culprit & what was the motive behind it?

There is no doubt that the manner in which Sreeraj had constructed the plot, it does arouse our attention & kept us invested in it. The backstory of each of the characters are revealed with the intention that it would create diversions for the audience & to a certain extent it manages to do that. The drawback or rather what prevented it in becoming a wholesome experience for me was the inability to create that surprise element in the end as the plan as such felt a bit too far fetched. The technical aspects were neatly executed such as Shyju Khalid's cinematography & Vishnu Vijay's music.

On the performance front, Basil continued to impress with his choice of roles and over here as Santhosh, we do see him balance humour and seriousness with ease. Giving him adequate support was Soubin Shahir who effectively conveyed the vulnerabilities and inner turmoil of the character. It's been quite a while since Chandini had featured in a movie & as Merinda, the way she portrays the mood variation was praise worthy. Shivajith was an apt casting choice while Chemban didnt have much to do despite the screen space.

Verdict: It's belongs to those list of movies that falls short of what it could have achieved. However, the performances & black humour on offer, makes it a decent watch.

Rating: 2.5/5

Ennu Swantham Punyalan: "Even Punyalan would not have been impressed!!!"

With numerous movies getting released every other week, it is imperative that the makers come up with stories that manage to keep the audience interested. It does no imply that the story has been unique but rather they need to craft it such a manner that it has freshness in its execution. Unfortunately, Manesh Madhu failed to achieve that with Samji Antony's script in his directorial debut. 

The movie is about Fr. Thomas (Balu Varghese) who was forced to take up priesthood by his family. He was recently moved to a new parish as a punishment transfer & that's where he was faced with the situation of having to protect a girl, Meera (Anaswara Rajan) who had sought refuge in his quarters. Soon enough, they were joined by a thief (Arjun Ashokan) who had also hid there to escape from the public. So how does Fr. Thomas manage to get himself out of this mess is what this movie is about.

Just like many other movies that dealt with priests & churches such as "Romans", it also had a familiar feel to it. The only aspect that felt unique was the history of the cross in the parish but that angle was touched upon quite superficially. None of the other elements managed to keep me engaged & it was quite predictable to be honest. From a performance stand point, Balu has done a decent job along with Arjun who seemed to be in that Charlie/Romancham mode in many sequences while Anaswara felt like a miscast. 

Verdict: It neither tested my patience nor did it have any engaging content that we haven't seen in the past!!!

Rating: 1.5/5

Narayaneente Moonnaanmakkal: "Strong performances shoulder this family drama!!!"

When I first heard the title of this movie, it didnt come across as something that tempted me to check it out. But the presence of three fine artists as the protagonists apart from this being Sharan Venugopal's directorial debut who had already made a name for himself by having won the best film for family values at the 67th National Film Awards, was ample invitation to watch it. 

The movie had already garnered quite a bit of critical acclaim with Sharan's story touching upon the relationship dynamics between the three brothers who were meeting each other after a long time. Apparently, the youngest Bhaskar (Suraj Venjaramood) had severed ties with his family after he went against their wishes and married a Muslim. However, with their mother supposedly on her death bed, the brothers bury the hatchet and come together. 

Sharan's has penned the story in such a manner whereby the focus is on the myriad of emotions that each of the characters go through. It is a social commentary of the times that we live in and a mirror of the type of people that we are as a result of incidents that shaped us. The eldest brother, Vishwanathan (Alencier) comes across as an arrogant and regressive individual, while Sethu (Joju George) is put down occasionally by the others as being a failed & mentally deranged individual, though he seemed to be the most sane compared to the others. Similarly, the relationship between the cousins & Bhaskar with his wife all showcase the different aspects of relationships and mindsets. At the same time, to be honest it failed to keep me engaged as it stayed at the same pitch right throughout.

For a movie of this template, the artists have to do the bulk of the lifting and hence the choice of artists is important. All the protagonists have done their part well with Joju obviously being the most likeable among the three with Alencier & Suraj doing justice to their roles. However, I would rate Garggi Ananthan (as Athira) a tad higher as the movie as such is not dialogue driven but rather rely more on expressions and ability to convey their emotions which she did well. Thomas Mathew as Nikhil was fine along with Shelly Kishore though Sajitha Madathil oscillated from being average to mediocre.

Verdict: Though the artists did their parts well, the story as such failed to keep me engaged after a while!!!

Rating: 2/5 

Oru Jaathi Jathakam: "Leaves us in splits in many sequences!!!"

It's been quite a while since we had a genuinely hilarious movie that doesn't have to seek the help of double meaning to leave us in splits. One such movie that I would slot into that category is M Mohanan's latest flick that focuses on a 38 year old guy who is trying to get hitched. With Rakesh Mantodi penning the script, I was certainly hopeful after all I had enjoyed his work in "Thira" & "Godha". 

Mohanan choice for the protagonist, Jayesh was his nephew, Vineeth Sreenivasan which I felt was a good choice as he pulled off that character quite well. Jayesh was a type of person who had his own concept about his life partner which was quite superficial and regressive due to which his exhaustive search through matrimonial websites & brokers drew blanks.  To add to his worries, as per astrology this was supposed to be just the beginning of more testing times.

On the whole, it's a humorous flick that touches upon conventional marriage and the need to take into consideration many other aspects that might not be as taboo as it is made to appear. From a technical perspective, it was done neatly while when it comes to performance, Vineeth shoulders the movie impressively. Giving him adequate support was Mridul Nair as Jitesh, his male chauvinistic friend, PP Kunhikrishnan as Jayesh's father, Indu Thampy & Chippy Devassy.

Verdict: With the number of movies that focus on humour quite limited nowadays, there was a welcome relief & it does manage to keep us in good spirits for most parts.In short, do give a try!!!

Rating: 2.5/5

Regards...Ben

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