The last couple of months had me quite busy even on weekends, so much so I couldn't find the time to set aside to write in my blog after having watched the movies. Luckily, there is a change to that this weekend and I didn't have to think twice as to what I would like to do with the available time. However, unlike my other posts, this opinion piece about some of the flicks that I watched over the past month or so, will be less elaborate as most of them have already hit the OTT platform. So which are these flicks???
Mollywood Times: "Abhinav continues to impress!!!"
The second instalment of the 'Success trilogy' from Abhinav Sunder Nayak had hit the screens a couple of weeks back & it was yet another interesting dark comedy. However, it wasn't as unapologetic as his debut venture and focuses on the journey of Vineeth Madhavan (Naslen) who had dreamt to become the greatest horror movie director in Malayalam.
Kudos to Ramu Sunil who had penned the script for the manner he had blended optimism with cynicism even as Vineeth faced hurdles at each step of the way. His unwavering self belief and stubborn nature to stick to his ideals and beliefs, saw him earn enemies in various forms be it as creative conflicts or industry politics. The thought given to the manner in which each & every character was etched deserves praise as it gave us a glimpse as to how quickly inter-personal dynamic changed as each one tried to climb up the ladder of success by hook or by crook.
On the technical side, Jakes Bejoy's music was quite interesting and in sync with the ups & downs of the protagonist's life. The animation & voice over, which was an integral part of Abhinav's debut venture was used over here as well with equal impact. Coming to performances, this is undoubtedly one of the best performance from Naslen who handled the character shift quite well when things become tough for him. Though Sharafudeen performed aptly, I kind of felt that he was under utilised; in the sense, the character didnt quite have the heft that needed him (kind of felt the same about Vineeth Sreenivasan as well). The rest of the artists such as Sangeeth Prathap, Roshan Shanavas, Rajesh Madhavan, Gopika Ramesh etc., did justice to their parts.
Verdict: Abhinav deserves praise for the unique manner his protagonist or situations that the character is in plays out & in that way, he has created a USP for himself in just two movies. It was certainly entertaining, but felt it would have better off if it was more crisp. In short, do give it a try!!!
Rating: 3/5
Athiradi: "Entertaining action comedy!!!"
Do all of you enjoy meta references? Well I do, especially when it is done right & Arun Anirudhan has ensured that he has done that in his directorial debut which was bankrolled by Basil Joseph. Incidentally, Basil plays the lead role as Sam who had joined the college with the aim to recommence the college fest that had been cancelled for a few years which had affected his family as well. However, it was easier said than done as he unknowingly got into a conflict with a retired gangster, Sreekuttan (Tovino Thomas).
Arun had already tried his hand in penning a script with "Minnal Murali" & "Padayottam", and he decided to continue the same here also in the company of Paulson Skaria who had worked on "Kaathal". It has a typical template but the reason as to why it worked for me was the way the screenplay was written. The colours and vibe of a college atmosphere along with the characters and dialogues that gelled perfectly well, made it entertaining. The technical aspects were neatly done be it Vishnu Vijay's music, Samuel Henry's cinematography & the action choreography.
Basil continues to shine in whichever role he appears & he has done that here also. The conflict between Sam & Sreekuttan, though necessary for the story; I felt the content as such for that character couldnt do justice to a person of Tovino's star value. At the same time, Tovino performed impressively as he handled the subtle humour and carried the aura of a feared gangster with ease. Vishnu Agasthya might had a small role but he was excellent & I really hope that he gets meatier roles in future as he is an artist with immense calibre. Jeo Baby & Shaan Rahman were hilarious, with Shelvin, Vineeth Sreenivasan & Zarin Shihab providing adequate along with Riya Shibu who was ok. The rest of the artists have all done their parts aptly, while the hype around Hashir's cameo didn't make much sense to me.
Verdict: Certainly, one of the most entertaining Malayalam move that I had watched this year. It doesn't have any complex story to convey but whatever it had, it managed to keep me in good spirits!!!
Rating: 3.25/5
Dridam: "Slow burning procedural drama that fizzles out!!!"
Prior to the release of "Drishyam 3", Jeethu Joseph presented this flick which happened to be his assistant, Martin Joseph's directorial debut. Just like his mentor, Martin also opted for the thriller genre with the focus being on the challenges that Vijay (Shane Nigam), a newly appointed SI faces. The script penned by Jomon John & Linto Devasia introduces us to a peaceful locality before murders & robbery heightens the pressure on the protagonist who struggled to get conclusive leads.
Since the audience is treated to regular dose of crime thrillers, it is imperative that the makers come up with fresh ideas to keep them engaged. Though the manner in which this procedural thriller is staged is reasonably fine, it doesn't offer anything unique as such until the very end. So in effect, it was an average fare at best from a story telling perspective as well as on the technical side. Shane Nigam has done a fine job as he captured the body language of the protagonist extremely well. There was a plethora of other supporting artists such as Shobi Thilakan, Dinesh Prabhakar etc and they were ok.
Verdict: Except for the climax twist, it doesn't offer anything new. However, Shane has done a fine job with some credible efforts from the supporting cast.
Rating: 2/5
Madhuvidhu: "Humorous family drama that falters in the emotional segment!!!"
Over the years, Sharafudeen has emerged as a versatile artist but there is no denying that he is an absolute pro when it comes to handling humour & imparting warmth to romance, as in "Hello Mummy", "Ntikkakkakkoru Premondarnn" etc. Hence I was more than keen to check out this flick which was the directorial debut of Vishnu Aravind.
Based on the script that Bibin Mohan & Jai Vishnu had drafted, it gives us a feel of vintage humorous family dramas ("Kalayanaraman", "Meleparambil Aanveedu") and keeps us in good spirits for most parts. The protagonist, Ammu (Sharafudeen) has been in search for a suitable alliance for quite a while but nothing quite worked out especially since there was a belief that their family was cursed. However, a change in events happens when Sneha (Kalyani Panicker) came into his life though there was still challenge in inter-family dynamics.
Even as the humour track kept us engaged, the movie struggled when it deviated to the emotional aspect. On the technical side, it was decent with Hesham Wahab's tracks being the standout & deserved praise. As I mentioned earlier, these type of characters are in the comfort zone of Sharafudeen & he did utmost justice to it. Despite this being Kalyani's debut, she handled the romantic & light moments with ease with the chemistry with Sharafudeen being quite good. However, she struggled with the emotional scenes. As for the rest of the cast, Jagadish & Azees Nedumangad was impressive with Sai Kumar, Sreejaya Nair etc. providing adequate support.
Verdict: The humour & the chemistry of the lead pair made it an engaging watch for most parts, except for the emotional angle which unsettled the tempo!!!
Rating: 2.5/5
Regards...Ben
