Well Mahesh Narayanan's "Patriot", has hit the screens across the globe & has garnered mixed reactions, though I did quite like it. Anyway, in the lead up to that, there has been quite a few releases in the month of April hoping to cash in on the holiday season. So which among those managed to keep our spirits high???
Mohiniyattam: "A befitting sequel that sets the bar higher!!!"
When "Bharathanatyam" had released a couple of years back, it barely made an impact at the box office primarily because of poor promotions & pre-conceived notion. However, it became the talk of town when it was released on the OTT platform & garnered appreciation from various quarters. Hence when the sequel was announced, I was more than eager to check it out at the earliest.
As in the prequel, Krishnadas Murali had juggled with both direction & penned the script; with Vishnu R Pradeep also involved in the latter. The story picks up from where it has left off with the setting moved to Sreekandapuram where Sasi (Saiju Kurup) & his family, help Rukmini Amma (Sreeja Ravi) have a home of her own. Even as they were getting settled down, Bharathan Nair's (Sai Kumar) friend, Govindraja (Suraj Venjaramoodu) decide to pay her a visit to invite them to the former's memorial event. However, he had a ulterior motive which included yet another revelation about Bharathan Nair.
Well there is no doubt that the thought that had gone into the story is far superior than the prequel. Over here as well, the central theme is yet another chapter of Bharathan Nair which opens a can of worms. This is revealed within the first 15 mins itself & the rest of the movie is how the family deals with the issue which in turn gets them into a much stickier situation. The humour is impressive and maintained right throughout with all the characters given adequate screen space & relevance. Even as Krishnadas is deservedly applauded for his efforts, his technical team should also be appreciated for their efforts be it Bablu Aju's cinematography or Electronic Kili's music.
As mentioned earlier, all the characters are adequately considered & each one of them have done utmost justice to their parts. Kalaranjini rocked as Saraswati with adequate support from Saiju Kurup, Sreeja Ravi, Abhiram Radhakrishnan, Swathidas Prabhu, Divya Nair, Sruthy Suresh & the twins. Suraj had the role of the antagonist but the manner in which he handled it effortlessly with humour deserves mention along with Baby Jean. Vinay Fort also appears in a brief role towards the end & he was an absolute scream as well.
Verdict: Certainly, the most entertaining movie that I have watched this movie. Apart from an hilarious plot, it was equally well executed and performed.
Rating: 3.5/5
Oru Durooha Saahacharyathil: "Interesting beginning that fizzles out later on!!!"
Just like Mammookka, another artist that had consciously made efforts to consistently explore various type of characters has been Chackochan. The latest flick to be added to that list is from the stable of Ratheesh Poduval who has always made interesting movies ever since he came into the industry with "Android Kunjappan Version 5.25". Just as in his other movies, he had penned the script for this as well & adopts a pattern that has a significant dose of quirkiness.
The story is set in Wayanad, where Sethu (Chackochan), a Govt health worker who has a timid demeanour & has been on the lookout for an marital alliance for quite a while. However, one of the main reason for the rejection was because Sethu had to take care of his elder brother, Madhu (Dileesh Pothan). Incidentally, he was bed ridden as he was paralysed below the waist & also suffered from hallucinations. Around this time, an armed yet injured individual takes refuge in their home & it seemed like the police led by Armiyas, Sethu's cousin (Chidambaram) were on the lookout for him for alleged Maoist connections. So how did Sethu manage this sticky situation???
The manner in which the film commenced was interesting with the USP being the quirkiness of the characters. The first half was really engaging with humour and emotional moments seamlessly blended & there were quite a few hilarious sequences as it takes shots at the social system. But the effect wore off in the second half as it pivots to a rather solemn tone & fails to sustain the interest. On the technical side, it was ok but nothing that deserves special mention.
Even as the writing struggled towards the end, the performances were quite solid especially Chackochan & Potha, both of whom were impressive. Sajin Gopu did his part well though at times, it reminded me of his performance in "Painkili". Chidambaram was a pleasant surprise as he was pretty decent though I felt that a more accomplished artist was required for that role.
Verdict: Ratheesh's brand of movies at times tend to push the envelope a bit too hard & make it incomprehensible to the audience. But even then I felt it was a good effort with both Chackochan & Dileesh deserving praise for their fine performances.
Rating: 2.25/5
Pallichattambi: "Tovino's earnest effort carries the movie!!!"
The first time that heard about this movie was in the news when it was alleged that one of the investors were cheated. Subsequently, there was a delay in censorship due to the election code of conduct possibly because it spoke about the 'Liberation Struggle' as most of you would be aware was about anti-communist protests. Anyway, I was curious to know as to how that panned out.
It is an action period drama that Suresh Babu has set in the latter half of the 1950s as the 'Vimochana Samaram' (Liberation Struggle) was gathering steam against the Communist Party that had formed the first government in the state. Even the church was apprehensive about the Communists & decided to form an army of its own to counter them, with the person in charge referred to as 'Christopher'. The search for such an individual for the Kanniyar church led them to Krishna Pillai (Tovino Thomas), who took up the name of 'Pothan Christopher' at their request and decided to help them out. Soon enough, his efforts started to bear fruit, though it soon became evident that there was someone else who pulled the strings while the blame fell on the Communists.
Dijo has mounted the movie on an elaborate scale & the thought that has gone into the script was engaging as such. However, the screenplay falters as it tries takes on many subjects but none of them are quite fleshed out. The main example for that is the much celebrated cameo role of Prithviraj as the antagonist which barely packed a punch except for the wow factor that he generated because of his physical appearance. Even the execution of certain scenes especially the climax portions etc didn't have the authentic feel & came across as being staged in sets. The political balancing was also evident with the mention of a 'Puthupally leader' in a pro-Left flick. On the technical side it was neatly done be it Tijo Tomy's cinematography or Jakes Bejoy's music, though the art department could have done a better job.
Tovino has done utmost justice to the character be it in terms of his physical appearance & the genuinity he brought to the emotional sequences. Kayudu Lohar had very scenes & she has done a fine job with the chemistry with Tovino being palpable. Rairu Ramana as Shatru was intimidating though the dubbing ought to have been better, while the rest of the host of artists did their parts decently. Prithvi didnt have much to do & suffered from a poorly etched character.
Verdict: Screenplay fails to provide the fuel that would have boosted the movie. In short, you can check it out for Tovino if interested!!!
Rating: 2/5
Regards...Ben
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