Pavi Caretaker, Malayalee from India & Nadikar: "Looked promising but fizzled out!!!"

Into the third week of May & there has been quite a few big banner releases. As I have been quite busy over the past couple of weeks, I didn't quite find the time to pen my opinion about them. Though a couple of them did inspire expectations coz of the cast & crew in them, the final celluloid product failed to do justice to the talent of the people involved. Anyway the following are some of the movies that I had watched & what I felt about them.

Pavi Caretaker: "Dileep needs to take care of his career more sensibly!!!"

It's been quite a while since we had seen Dileep in a movie & a significantly much longer time, before one of them genuinely managed to impress us. His latest effort to win over the audience is in Vineeth Kumar's "Pavi Caretaker" where he plays the role of a Gulf returnee who presently worked as a caretaker/security personnel in a post apartment complex in Cochin. He was a bachelor & more of a loner with his pet dog, Bro being the only company that he had. Things moved along uneventfully until his house owner, Mariyamma (Radhika Sarathkumar), a retired police officer informed him that he would have to share his quarters with another tenant, who happened to be a woman. Though reluctant initially, Pavi warmed up to his house-mate through letter interactions as they never got to meet in person since she stayed over in the house only at night when he was off for work. Anyway in due time, Pavi started to develop feelings for her & the movie is about how their relationship panned out. 

This is Vineeth's third directorial venture & he has collaborated with the experienced Rajesh Raghavan who has penned for movies like "Aravindante Athithikal". It is a feel good comedy drama which kind of reminded me of the themes from "Bodyguard", "The Lunchbox" & the slapstick sequence from "Ee Parakkam Thalika". In effect, it didn't provide a fresh feel though I wouldn't say that it tested my patience primarily because of the manner that it was packaged with the emotional sequences being reasonably fine. As for the technical aspects, it was ok with mention for Sanu Thahir's visuals & Midhun Mukundan's music.

There is no doubt that Dileep is a talented artist but his choice of scripts in recent times has been far from good. As Pavi, I felt that the humour which was his USP in the past felt forced while in the emotional scenes, he was quite good. There were quite a few new faces among the female leads & most of them were fine such as Swathi (as Leena), Sreya Rukmini (as Janaki), Rosmi (as Jeena) etc. Johny Antony & Radhika did their parts aptly in the limited opportunity provided.

Verdict: It isn't a bad movie but nowadays when quality movies are coming out quite regularly, it is unlikely to have much of a run at the box office. It's high time that Dileep really thought about his choice of movies rather than merely release flicks for the heck of it. In short, nothing new!!!

Rating: 2.25/5

Malayalee from India: "Screenplay lacked the punch to drive this political satire!!!"

It would be fair to see that all movies require a certain degree of pre-release hype to cash in on the initial which is absolutely essential in this present age due to the limited number of days each one manages to run in theatres. In the case of Diju Antony's latest release, he had to acknowledge Vineeth Sreenivasan's "Varshangalkku Shesham" to a certain degree for the hype & expectations due to the impact Nivin Pauly's character had created in it, not to forget Dijo's previous release was a commercial hit. So how did all these factors eventually pan out???

The movie unfolds in an alien terrain where Gopi (Nivin) was in search of an address & the story is narrated in flash back whereby it tells us how he landed up there. Gopi & his buddy, Malgosh (Dhyan Sreenivasan) were right wing supporters who loitered around without being useful either for their family or society. Gopi's life changes on the night the Indian cricket team loses to Pakistan & that coincided with a couple of Muslim kids bursting crackers. The bigoted mindset of Malgosh makes him to hurl a petrol bomb in retaliation which creates unset in the area & Gopi is forced to flee to the Middle East to his uncle until the tension reduced. However, what was in store for him over there was something that he had least expected. 

This is the third time that Dijo Antony & Sharis Mohammed had collaborated & unlike their previous ventures, they have opted for a satire which looked into the effect of politics and religion. There are some hilarious sequences for sure in the initial segment but in the latter half it felt as if it was left in shaky ground in terms of what tone it wanted to adopt. It looked like a spoof of "Aadujeevitham" with a sprinkling of "Bajrangi Bhaijaan" & Malala and culminates in a predictable manner. At the same time, I felt quite a few of the sequences & dialogues were pretty good. As for other aspects, Sudeep Elamon's visuals were fine though Jakes Bejoy's music didn't quite rise to expectations. 

Coming to performances, Nivin has done a decent job as the protagonist & it would be unfair to put the blame on him for a shoddy screenplay. Dhyan was quite irritating while Anaswara was wasted in a poorly etched role. As for the rest of the cast, both Manju Pillai & Deepak Jethi did their parts well.

Verdict: It was in the news for all the wrong reasons after its release with Nishad Koya making plagiarism claims. Anyway whatever might be the truth behind that, there is no denying that the screenplay was quite mediocre which failed to maximise on the potential of the satire.

Rating: 2/5

Nadikar: "A rather shallow take of events in the latter half!!!"

The cine world has always be so tempting that every one wants to be part of it in the belief that there is nothing more that a person could possibly wish. However, the truth is in order to remain relevant it is a combination of talent, discipline & talent which is a tightrope that many find it hard to balance. Over the years, we have had numerous movies that looked into that world & Lal Jr's latest directorial effort is also along similar lines. 

David Padikkal (Tovino Thomas) was the emerging superstar of the industry with a track record that boasted of an industry hit as well. However, with fame & money; arrogance crept in & his focus turned towards worldly pleasures which caused his movies to suffer at the box office. With repeated failures, his demand was on the wane & on the advise of his manager, Paily (Suresh Krishna); he decided to clean up his act by collaborating with the acclaimed director, Koshy (Ranjith). However, his inadequacies as a performer got exposed by Koshy & he walked out from the project in retaliation. It was at this juncture that Paily suggested that it was indeed time for David to accept the criticism & address the issue. The solution that Paily had was to take up the services of a seasoned yet unconventional acting coach, Bala (Soubin Shahir). So will David be able to swallow his arrogance before it is too late???

Based on the script by Suvin Somasekharan, Lal Jr has crafted the first half pretty well whereby we get to see how arrogance had plotted the downfall of the protagonist. The tantrums of the star, his emotional struggles & demeanour in general to people around him was quite well captured in the first half. But both the writer & director lacked the ability to hook in the audience to the efforts made by the protagonist for redemption. It failed to provide any kind of emotional connect & despite scenes put in to convey that, we don't feel the impact of the efforts put in and the change that is happening as a result of it (especially the one related to his childhood trauma). On the technical side, Alby's visuals were in sync with the mood while Prashanth Madhav's production design was praise worthy. The same also applies to the costume department while Yakzan Gray & Neha Nair's music was just average.  

Despite evident shortcomings, Tovino has done an impressive job as David and effectively conveyed the arrogance & emotions of the character. Soubin Shahir was average while Bhavana was wasted in an inconsequential role. As for the rest, Suresh Krishna, Balu Varghese & a host of cameos did their parts aptly. 

Verdict: Though the idea was in place for the second half, the lack of a well thought story regarding how to incorporate the gravitas to those sequences proved to be the bane of the movie. In effect, Tovino's performance proved to be the saving grace!!!

Rating: 1.75/5

Regards...Ben

Guruvayoor Ambalanadayil: "Bromance & humour works for large parts!!!"

When I first saw the trailer of Vipin Das's latest directorial effort, I was rather sceptical about Prithvi's performance as it lacked authenticity & looked rather odd. However, after having watched it last night; it would be fair to say that all my concerns were put to rest as Vipin had a perfect understanding regarding the cadence at which his characters needed to behave. Seems like happy days are bound to continue at the box office as it does have what it takes to keep the audience engaged.

Interestingly, the USP of the movie is the bromance between two prospective brother-in-laws, Anand (Prithvi) & Vipin (Basil). The latter worked in the Middle East & was engaged to Anand's sister, Anjali (Anaswara Rajan). However, it seemed like he was more attached to Anand for being the brother, friend & mentor who constantly motivated & helped him to recover from the heart break that he had a few years back. So much so, he spoke to Anand more than he did to Anjali. But just a week prior to the wedding, Vipin decided to back out. So what had made him to take that stand & the impact that it had on the onward proceedings is what this movie is about. 

After the success of "Jaya Jaya Jaya Jay Hey", Vipin Das is one of the most sought after director for obvious reasons. To add onto the expectation, Vipin collaborated with Deepu Pradeep who had movies & web series like "Kunjiramayanam" & "Periloor Premier League" to his credit. The script that Deepu had penned is essentially a comedy drama and the first half works big time coz of this bromance. Even the conflict that emerges was hilarious but when the bromance understandably takes a back seat, it affects the second half. The third act which unfolds in the temple was along the lines of "Godfather" & the typical Priyadarshan style pandemonium. However, that doesn't quite touch the highs that the makers would have expected & came across as quite average. On the whole, kudos to Vipin & Deepu for a reasonably fun ride which benefitted significantly coz of the casting decisions especially Prithvi with Basil. The art team deserves praise for the Guruvayoor set while Ankit Menon's choice of music was quite good. 

We don't usually associate Prithvi to handle humour with finesse, but he has certainly done a decent job here. The over-the top expressions & gestures felt apt for the situation that Vipin had created. Basil has his own innate flair for humour & he was impressive over here. The chemistry that the duo shared was top notch & is undoubtedly the main reason why this movie works. Nikhila doesn't have much dialogues but is integral to the story & does her part efficiently with her expressions in the limited screen space. The same also applies to Anaswara, who was fine along with Jagadish, Baiju, Rekha etc. In addition, the comic sidekicks such as Joemon Jyothir, Siju Sunny, Ashwin Vijayan etc also did their parts well. Another major name in the star cast was Yogi Babu, though I felt there wasn't much substance for his role which required him to be casted. 

Verdict: A hilarious first half courtesy of the chemistry between Prithvi & Basil keeps the audience engaged. Though the screenplay falters in the second half, it still manages to stay afloat & should be able to keep the audience satisfied. In short, do check it out!!!

Rating: 2.75/5

Regards...Ben

Varshangalkku Shesham, Aavesham, Jai Ganesh: "Eda mone...jai vilikalude kaahalam muzhagatte!!!"

It's celebration time courtesy of Eid & Vishu, & to cash in on the festive mood the Malayalam film industry came with three big banner releases. However, PVR threw a spanner in the works when they temporarily banned the screening of Malayalam movies for a day or so, over the visual print fee. Anyway, they have reversed the decision & people have continued to flock to the theatres. So how did the three releases pan out for me???

Varshangalkku Shesham: "Humour & earnest performances saves it!!!"

To be frank, this was the movie that I was most excited about among the three & that was primarily coz of Vineeth Sreenivasan and his ensemble cast. With the exception of "Thira", Vineeth has always penned the script whenever he had donned the director's hat & it was no different this time around as well. As was evident in the trailer, it is essentially about the bond of two friends, Venu (Dhyan) & Murali (Pranav) who decided to go to Kodambakkam to make their respective dreams in the celluloid world a reality. So what did destiny have in store for them???

It would be fair to say that this is Vineeth's weakest script to date especially when it came to the emotional aspect which was supposed to be its USP.  At the same time, I felt this one had his best writing when it came to humour as his casting was spot on & his judgement as to how far to push the envelope for meta humour was precise, since a tad further would have made it tasteless. The camaraderie between the protagonists was palpable but the conflicts that happen between them at different junctures didn't feel organic or felt rather silly (especially the first one). But thanks to the humour in the second half, it manages to pull the movie from the abyss it almost found itself in. 

On the technical side, Amrit Ramnath's music was fine with 'Nyabagam' rendered by himself being the standout track. At the same time, I felt that though the songs sounded fine as an album; it doesn't blend in as well in the movie (or rather it doesnt stay with us) & that is primarily coz of the failure of Vineeth to create that emotional depth which he was so excellent at in "Hridayam". Viswajith deserves praise for capturing visuals in the different eras well while Ranjan Abraham aptly paced the scenes and didn't make it feel as long as it actually is. All the other aspects were also handled neatly be it the art direction, make up of Dhyan etc.

On the performance front, this is literally a resurrection of sorts for Dhyan & Nivin as both of them have done their roles really well. The latter had an extended guest appearance & he was an absolute scream on the screen as the narcissistic superstar who was going through a slump in his career. Dhyan has improved significantly over the years & as the elderly Venu, he was impressive. Pranav has done his part well in the younger avatar & reminded me of Lalettan in quite a few sequences (as in "Kamaladalam"). However, his portrayal of the older avatar was rather average. As for the rest of the cast, Shaan Rahman rocked, Basil Joseph & Aju Varghese was good while the others were ok including Kalyani though I felt that segment didn't quite add much to the movie. 

Verdict: Despite the emotional drama lacking the desired effect, the humour in the second half makes it an enjoyable feel good flick!!!

Rating: 3/5

Aavesham: "Fafa & Co. keeps us engaged for large parts!!!"

After the success of "Romancham", Jithu Madhavan is back with his second directorial venture which has Fahadh Faasil in the lead role. Whenever Fahadh is involved in a project, it is bound to attract attention & when there was mention of him being rebranded as a bindaas don in this gangster comedy, the expectations were nigh high.

As in his debut, Jithu has yet again based his story in Bangalore where three Malayali students, Aju (Hipster/Pravin Raj), Bibi (Mithun Jai Shankar) & Shanthan (Roshan Shanavas) had recently enrolled into an engineering college. It was however not easy going for the trio due to ragging from the seniors & they decided to reach out to a gangster in the locality to help them out. Their search eventually led them to Ranga (Fahadh) & what happens as a result of their acquaintance with him and his gang is what this movie is about.

The manner in which the story unfolds and the lead up to Ranga's introduction and the eccentricities that he & his henchman, Ambaan exhibits regularly tickles our funny bone. In short, this segment breezes through keeping the audience in high spirits as the back story of Ranga is revealed by Ambaan in various sequences. But the manner in which that story is revealed keeps both the characters & the audience confused as to whether it was indeed true & if yes, how much of it was believable. That was a smart ploy by Jithu & keeps us hooked with an impactful interval. But the second half was a whole different cup of tea for me as it seemed that Jithu had no clue how to take the story forward. It still manages to keep us engaged thanks to Fafa's excellent performance. On the technical side, it was neatly done be it Samir Thahir's cinematography whose choice of colour & frames, gave it a mass feel, Sushin Shyam's music which was in sync with the mood (though I felt it wasn't quite upto the level of his other recent work) & the action choreography which was damn impressive. 

I think I have spoken about Fafa's performance a couple of times already but the fact is he was excellent as Ranga in all aspects & showcases the variation in the character so convincingly. Sajin Gopu was an absolute hoot & at times, outshone Fafa as well. All the three guys, Hipster/Pravin Raj, Mithun & Roshan did their parts well while the stunts showcased by the Northies & the old dude was top notch. 

Verdict: It is undoubtedly a movie that is made for the gallery & the first half certainly provides that. However, the latter half does not quite cash in but Fafa made sure that he kept the audience engaged. In short, do check it out for him!!!

Rating: 2.75/5

Jai Ganesh: "Unni does his part though the script doesn't make us go jai!!!"

The third movie to hit the screens last weekend was from Ranjith Sankar who had collaborated with Unni Mukundan for the first time and the duo had produced the movie as well. As always, Ranjith had penned the script where the focus is on Ganesh (Unni), who is a graphic designer for a TV channel & an ethical hacker. In addition, he harboured passion for comics & created quite a few of them titled 'Jai Ganesh'. However, an accident had left him semi-paralysed and confined to a wheelchair. But he tried to make sure that his disability didn't prevent him from helping people & one such incident whereby his friend gets kidnapped is what the focus is on here. 

The primary flaw with the flick is that there are way too many things happening & yet none of them managed to provide the impact. The inability to make the audience empathise with the protagonist for most parts proved to be the bane as there is minimal emotional connect. If they had invested on the hacking sequence more, it would have been more engaging. The title is based on the comics angle which I felt was the weakest among whatever they had touched upon. The technical aspects were decent with Chandru Selvaraj's cinematography & Sangeeth Prathap's editing being neatly done. 

There is no doubt that Unni has given a fine performance & does manage to strike a chord with the audience, though his emotional outbursts came across as rather amateurish at times. Mahima Nambiar barely had much to do due to a poorly etched character. Ashokan impressed despite the limited screen space along with Ravindra Vijay, whose character & performance had potential for much more. 

Verdict: Certainly the weakest among the three releases & if their box office returns also reflects the same, then they have only themselves to blame. 

Rating: 2/5

Regards...Ben

Secret Home, Anchakkallakokkan, Thankamani, Thundu, Iyer in Arabia & Vivekanandan Viralanu: "Even on OTT, most will struggle to keep audience from skipping it!!!"

Over the past one month, our industry has been witness to some great news with Chidambaram's "Manjummel Boys" having become the highest grossed Malayalam movie ever. To add onto that,  "Premalu", "Aadujeevitham", "Bramayugam", "Ozler" etc., have also reaped rewards at the box office. At the same time, there has been no dearth of mediocre movies that has continued to flood the theatres to no avail. I happened to watch quite a few of them & thought to club them together as I feel they might struggle to find takers even on the OTT platform.

Secret Home: "Despite the twists, the movie will remain a secret even on OTT!!!"

A couple of weeks back, I came across a FB post where Abhayakumar had stated that prizes will be given to those who are able to identify a significant resemblance in his directorial debut "Secret Home" in another flick. To be frank, I found that rather odd as I felt it indirectly implied that it was an inspired version. Anyway it turned out Anil Kurian's script was based on a real life incident that unfolded in Kottayam about a decade back.

Sarika (Sshivada) & Saran (Chandunath) had been married for a decade, but their relationship were presently on the rocks. The problems continue to escalate between them which eventually lead to a murder in their family with Sarika being the prime suspect. So was she indeed the culprit??? There is no doubt that it had an intriguing story and the characters has been presented with varying shades of grey. But at the same time, it lacked clarity in some of the crucial aspects & finesse in the execution of certain sequences, due to which the twists in the end didn't quite have the impact that it was expected to deliver. 

On the technical side, it was fine while on the performance front, Sshivada has given a credible act while the others were average and that was primarily because their roles were not properly etched.

Verdict: With a runtime of under 2 h, it conveys the content in quick time. However, the execution of it left a lot to be desired.

Rating: 2/5

Anchakkallakokkan: "Cliched revenge drama with a unique take!!!"

The primary reason as to why I felt like watching Ullas Chemban's directorial debut was because it had that feel of a cross between a Western which is married with our folk art form of 'Porattunadakam'. Based on the script by Vikil Venu, the story is set in 1986 along the Kerala-Karnataka border where a prominent landlord, Chaapra (Sreejith Ravi) was murdered. The incident had garnered attention as the 'Thankamani' incident had happened a few months prior to that which was expected to have a significant impact on the upcoming Assembly elections. It is around this time, Vasudevan (Lukman) came to take charge as constable in the local station. Being rather naive & inexperienced, he was bullied by his colleagues though his senior officer, Peter (Chemban Vinod) helped him to ease into the role. However, it was not going to be as easy especially since the region was going to be witness some unprecedented turmoil.

There is no doubt that Vikil had an interesting thought which keep us interested in the story & Ullas has executed it quite decently. It reminded me of Senna Hegde & Karthik Subbaraj's style of film making which had streaks of rawness yet wacky. I certainly liked the way in which the art form was incorporated into the screenplay & some of the characters such as Chaapra's sons were interesting with their fight sequence in the toddy shop reminding of a similar sequence in Tinu Pappachan's "Ajagajantharam". Despite this, it failed to keep me engaged due to the predictability of it & the inability to pack a punch. On the technical side, it was neatly done with Armo's visual being the standout as it was quite impressive.

On the performance front, Chemban Vinod gave a convincing performance while both Merin Jose & Praveen TJ (as Gillappies) were good. As for the rest of the cast, Manikandan & Megha Thomas did their parts aptly while Lukman was average at best.

Verdict: There is no doubt that Ullas has the potential as he has done a fine job despite the screenplay failing to keep us engaged.

Rating: 2.25/5

Thankamani: "Nothing more than a generic revenge drama!!!"

It's been quite a while since we have seen a worthwhile flick from Dileep & hence I was certainly interested to know what he had in store in his latest release. Incidentally, it was with Ratheesh Reghunandan who made a decent debut with "Udal" which was engaging despite the violence. Apart from Ratheesh, another factor that caught my attention was that it was based on the infamous police violence that was unleashed in Thankamani in 1986. So much so, it contributed to the fall of Karunkaran's Govt at that point of time. 

Apparently, Ratheesh had invested a significant amount of time to research on the Thankamani issue & as expected, he gelled fictional aspects to it whereby we have a serial killer (obviously, Dileep) on the prowl. The movie begins with a prominent Communist leader being brutally murdered with Commissioner Arpita (Pranitha Subhash) put in charge of the investigation. Soon enough, it becomes evident that all of this was linked to the Thankamani issue & the efforts of Arpita and her team to put the killer behind bars is what this movie is about. 

Unlike his debut, Ratheesh's efforts were pretty mediocre to say the least as neither the story nor the execution of it manages to engage the audience. Obviously, the real life event was horrendous but the intensity of it is not effectively conveyed to the audience (barring a few scenes) & it gets relegated to the background. The focus is on the serial killer and what we get to see is the tried & tested formula whereby he has a personal vendetta and goes to any lengths to ensure that his plan is executed. The dialogues and the technical aspects has an outdated feel to it and it felt like a mediocre serial at times with poor production quality (damn..can't they even get better wigs???)

Most of the performances didn't have much to talk about with Dileep who was reasonably decent in the older version was rather awkward and miscast in the younger avatar. Both Manoj K Jayan & Neeta Pillai were wasted with poorly etched characters while Siddique & Azees Nedumangad were ok. As for the rest of the cast like Pranitha, Ameer, Sudev etc., they were rather mediocre.

Verdict: Nothing much to say except that it failed to do any justice to such a horrific incident & ended up being a predictable run of the mill revenge drama!!!

Verdict: 1/5

Thundu: "An unusually bland movie from Biju Menon!!!"

A couple of days back Riyas Shereef's "Thundu" was streamed on Netflix & the fact that it came online within three weeks of its release was more than ample proof that the audience did not warm up to it in the theatres. The reason as to why I checked it out was solely because of Biju Menon & I was surprised as to how he he decided to be part of such a woeful flick. 

As the title suggests, the movie is essentially about cheating in examinations (& not 'porn') & begins with Mathew (Ajaz Navaz), a pro in malpractice getting caught in the act at school. Incidentally, his father, Constable Baby (Biju Menon) who advised him not to indulge in such practices failed to walk the talk as he does the same for a promotion. To make matters worse, a series of misfortunes descends upon Baby & his efforts to emerge from this seemingly hopeless situation is what this movie is about.

There is hardly anything worthwhile neither in the manner the script was penned nor the execution of it.  I cant barely remember whether any of the humour actually worked & even the performances which is also primarily due to poor etched characters, had nothing much to write about. 

Verdict: A surprisingly mediocre movie from Biju Menon with the only thing that kind of caught my attention was the cheating innovations.

Rating: 1/5

Iyer in Arabia: "Relevant satire that fails to engage!!!"

Even as we speak about the 21st century, there are a significant number of people who are quite narrow minded & rigid when it comes to matters of religion. This is essentially what MA Nishadh wanted to convey through his latest release & to be frank, his mediocre writing is the primary reason why it failed despite the presence of veteran stellar performers such as Urvashi & Mukesh.

Iyer (Mukesh) was an orthodox father who was extremely conservative in matters of religion while his wife, Thansi Rani (Urvashi) was quite liberal in her views. As one would expect, Iyer wanted his son, Rahul (Dhyan Sreenivasan) to stick onto his ideals which kind of proved to be a hindrance to the latter's ambitions. However, Rahul manages to convince his father, to take up an offer in Dubai. But soon enough, Iyer starts to get wary about Rahul's lifestyle & friends and decides to move to UAE with his wife. How all of this takes a toll on the equation between the father & son is what is explored subsequently.

Apart from a couple of sequences and the earnest performance of the veterans, the movie literally struggles to keep us engaged. There are a couple of characters through which Nishadh tries to convey his view regarding the double standards & narrow minded of religious fanatics. But none of these are characters or sequences that we havent come across in skits or movies in the past. None of the technical aspects deserves special mention as it was average at best. However, both Urvashi & Mukesh have done their parts reasonably well within the scope given to them by their characters. The rest of the cast which includes Dhyan, Alencier, Durga etc were ok. 

Verdict: Reminded of skits at various instances as the script was mediocre to say the least despite the subject having the scope of a relevant satire.

Rating: 1/5

Vivekanandan Viralanu: "Kamal struggles in both writing & execution!!!"

The first question that most people would ask me after reading this review is, why did I bother to watch this flick? Well the answer to that is the presence of Kamal, one of the most respected directors that we have & Grace Antony, who I personally rate the most versatile actress in the present generation with her ability to juggle with humour & drama with equal finesse. But little did I realize that this movie would turn out to be such a pain for the senses. 

Kamal has chosen the 'Shining Star' (wonder what was the basis for such a title), Shine Tom (as Vivekanandan) as the protagonist who seemed to have a happy married life despite his peculiar mannerisms & habits. However, the truth was far from that as he was a sexual sadist with his wife, Sithara (Swasika) and partner, Dayana (Grace Antony), made to go through this ordeal regularly. After  a point, both the ladies to do something about that.

There is no doubt that Kamal has chosen a topic that has found voice over the past decade but there is nothing in the story that gives us a sense of freshness be it in the sequences, dialogues or performances. It had an outdated feel to it & to make matters worse, Shine Tom continued with his trademark irritating persona. The so called progressive statements made in the movie did not have the authenticity to it & gave the impression that in it present form, maybe he should have made it more than a decade back. It was disappointing to see Grace choose to be part of such a mediocre project which barely utilized her talent while Swasika & Mareena did whatever was possible within the scope of their poorly etched characters. 

Verdict: Nothing much to say, except that there was nothing shining in this movie!!!

Rating: Forget it

Aadujeevitham: "An absolute masterpiece from one of the GOAT!!!"

The much awaited magnum opus "Aadujeevitham" from Blessy sir has finally hit the screens after almost 16 years from the time he decided to join hands with Benyamin and immortalize the latter's acclaimed work into celluloid. With a run time that was a shade below 3 h, the veteran film maker transports us to Najeeb's world where we are hooked onto the emotional drama that unfolds in the desert of Saudi Arabia. It was undoubtedly an immersive cinematic experience that transcends boundaries and tugs at our heart cords with its authenticity in its narration & performances. 

As majority of us would have read Benyamin's iconic novel, I guess there isn't need to mention about what this movie is about. However, in the interest of those who haven't read it; it is essentially about Najeeb (Prithvi) who migrates to Saudi in the hope of giving his family a better life. He was accompanied by Hakeem (Gokul) who also came with similar dreams. Unfortunately, fate had other plans & Najeeb ends up being forcefully made to slave at a masara in the middle of nowhere. The hell like experience that he had to go through & how he eventually made it back to his family is what this movie is about. 

The biggest challenge in making a novel into a movie is the micro-detailing that the author pours into his creation due to which the reader literally feels like watching a film. Hence to break that mold that the reader would have created & offer something different for the viewer, is a herculean task for any film-maker especially when it is something as iconic as Benyamin's 'Aadujeevitham'. This is where the brilliance of Blessy came to the fore as he captured the essence of the story in its entirety & crafted it in such a unique manner that made it appear novel yet stayed true to Najeeb's struggles. The veteran director is a pro when it comes to emotional dramas as he knows how to expertly dial it up without overblowing it & that's exactly what he has done here. He has marshalled his resources brilliantly & that is pretty much evident in all the scenes with the technical team putting in top notch performances for which kudos to each & every crew member.

To start off, Sunil K S deserves all the accolades that is going to come his way for the breathtaking visuals that he has captured be it the desert landscape or the lush green geography. This includes many iconic shots such as the camel eye, the oasis, Najeeb quenching his thirst amidst the goats, transition from desert to village from water that overflowed etc. His efforts were complimented by Sreekar Prasad's editing which kept us engaged despite its length. Another major positive is AR Rahman's music, who I don't think has attended so many promotional events for any movie & it would be fair to say that it is undoubtedly his best album in recent times. The sound design by Resul Pookutty was excellent & be sure, to watch this movie in a very good theatre to appreciate his effort. Kudos to Ranjith Ambady & Stephy Xavier for their impressive efforts in the make up & costume department. 

What do I even say about Prithvi? He was just brilliant as he produced his career best performance in a role that I actually thought was beyond his caliber based on his past performances. When I initially heard about this movie, the first actor who I thought would be perfect as Najeeb was Vikram. But boy!!! the physical (could possibly speak of him for this aspect in the same breath as Christian Bale & Vikram) and emotional transformation that Prithvi brought to the character was sensational which was reflected in his gait, eyes and even in his dialogue delivery especially in the latter sequences where we literally hear him speak in a tone reminiscent of a goat. Equally impressive was Gokul who rocked in the climax sequence along with Jimmy Jean Louis. Despite limited screen space, Amala Paul gave a fine performance and their chemistry was palpable. The rest of the cast such as Talib Balushi (as Khafeel), Rik Aby (as Jasser) etc were also good.

Verdict: It is undoubtedly going to sweep all the awards that are on offer & hopefully, will be able to garner good numbers at the box office as it certainly deserves to be watched though I wouldn't be surprised if there are people who might not quite warm up to it. The limited screens in the Middle East is a concern and could affect the numbers, but hope it still manages to touch the 100C mark. If at all there is one aspect that I would have liked to have seen more, then that is with regard to Najeeb's interaction with the herd. But then it is quite understandable as to why Blessy had opted not to explore of it. Anyway in short, dont miss it & do watch it in theatres itself!!!

Rating: 4.25/5

Anweshippin Kandethum, Premalu & Manjummel Boys: "Happy days at the box office!!!"

Even as "Bramayugam" has garnered both critical acclaim & commercial success, there were a couple of others that had released the week priot to that which had kept the box office bells ringing. Though I had watched them last week itself, I didn't quite have the time to pen my opinion about them which incidentally had satisfied the audience in me. The movies in question include Darwin Kuriakose's "Anweshippin Kandethum" & Girish AD's "Premalu". In addition, Chidambaram's "Manjummel Boys" also joined the bandwagon to make it one of the most profitable February of the industry in recent times.

Anweshippin Kandethum: "A well crafted flick that should have searched for a better release date!!!"

As the name & trailer made it evidently clear, Darwin's debut venture that Jinu Abraham had scripted is essentially an investigative drama that is set in the early 1990s. The movie unfolds with the suspended SI Anand (Tovino Thomas) coming to meet his superior who had entrusted on him a case in the hope of easing him back into the force coz of his impressive performance in his maiden investigation. So what had led to his suspension & will the second case bring any difference to his fate after all it had baffled even the finest in CBI ???

There has been a deluge of investigation thrillers and dramas over the past few years which would invariably involve the use of telecom services, CCTVs & innovative tech. However, the time period set meant it was old fashioned crime drama with none of these being in play & still Jinu managed to keep it engaging. Darwin has crafted it well to the point that we are completely involved in the proceedings which is no mean feat. The character arc given to the protagonist was praise worthy as they showed him being belittled by his seniors & rather than retaliate for the sake of heroism, kept it realistic & showed his sustained fightback. Personally, I was literally hooked to the film until the very end & the manner in which the points are joined to reach the culprit was impressive. Kudos to the crew especially Mohandas for the production design that felt very authentic, Girish Gangadharan for the visuals & Saiju Sreedharan's smooth editing that maintained the flow.

As Anand, Tovino has done a fine job as he perfectly captured the body language of the cop who had to exercise restraint to keep his emotions on check. The rest of his team included Vineeth Thattil, Rahul Rajagopal & Pramod Velliyanad who did their parts well, though I felt the substance given to their roles was not in sync with the amount of screen time they had. Apart from them, each & every artist have done utmost to their roles be it Indrans, Shammi Thilakan, Baburaj, Indrans, Kottayam Nazeer, Sadiq etc.

Verdict: A well crafted movie backed by a good script & impressive performances. It has certainly collected decent numbers, though I felt a more sensible release date might have improved its box office numbers!!!

Rating: 3.25/5 

Premalu: "Feel good rom-com that clicked with the audience...no kidding!!!"

Just two weeks into its release & Girish's third directorial venture has zoomed past the 50C mark with ease. As mentioned in the title, it is a rom-com & pretty much follows the same track as his previous ventures but in a different track. However, unlike the others; this does take a fair bit of time to hit the ground running. Girish has set the stage predominantly in Hyderabad where we have the protagonists moving into the city for different reasons before their paths eventually cross each other. 

Sachin (Naslen), had recently completed his Engineering from Salem & was hoping to move to UK to make a living. However, due to financial constraints; that plan didn't quite materialize & that's when he decided to accompany his buddy, Amal (Sangeeth Prathap) to Hyderabad for GATE coaching. Around the same time, Reenu (Mamitha Baiju) got an offer from an IT MNC & moved to the city to sprout wings for her career aspirations. Incidentally, both of them get to meet at a friend's wedding which leads to their friendship, even as Sachin nursed feelings for her. But his efforts to impress her was bound to be a challenge after all she was quite sure as to what kind of a partner she wanted. 

One of the main highlights is undoubtedly the situational humour especially the dynamics between Sachin & Amal. Girish also made sure that the romance aspect doesn't take centre stage & that I felt was a smart move. At the same time, I felt the humour could have dialed in a bit more evenly, as it wasn't a laugh riot for me, unlike what I heard from many others. Obviously, love is blind & there are cinematic liberties, but the climax didn't quite work for me; though I do agree with the manner Girish chose to end it. On the technical side, it was neatly done with Vishnu Vijay's music deserving special mention.

The USP is undoubtedly the performances with almost all of them having done a praise worthy job as it elevated many of the sequences solely because of them. I would rate Mamitha's performance a tad higher than Naslen & it is also because of the manner that Girish and Kiran Josey had etched it. Naslen continues to impress with the roles offered & hope he continues to get good roles. Shyam Mohan as Aadhi was spot on who camouflages his possessive creep nature with goofiness. Sangeeth has some of the best lines while Akhila Bhargavan was fine though Meenakshi bordered on being irritating. 

Verdict: A feel good rom-com that worked primarily on the basis of its fine cast who has elevated many scenes which would have failed to work in the hands of less talented artists. 

Rating: 2.75/5

Manjummel Boys: "Tight adichadaaa in the latter segment from a technical perspective makes it thoroughly engaging!!!"

In case you had seen the promotional events of this latest flick from Chidambaram, you would realized that this survival thriller is adapted from a real life event that happened to a group of friends during their trip to the Guna Caves in Kodaikanal. After a successful directorial debut with "Jan.E.Man", Chidambaram has chosen to pen his script on this incident as a tribute to their friendship, perseverance & hope. 

Based in 2006, a group of friends known as the 'Manjummel Boys' decide to make a trip to Kodaikanal. After having a blast, they decide to head back until when one of them suggests that one of the highlights in that region were the Guna Caves which ought not to be missed. However, on reaching the spot, they find that some of the iconic section of the caves were cordoned off by the authorities. But the reckless nature of the team saw them explore those parts with scant regard for the dangers that lurked there. Little did they realize what lay in store for them as one of their friends fell into a seemingly depthless hole. What subsequently unfolds are their efforts to save their friend even as history stated that no one had ever managed to escape alive from that area also known as the 'Devil's kitchen'.

To be frank, until the time the movie reaches the cave section; there is hardly anything in it that could be reasoned as being engaging & humorous. On the contrary, it turned out to be rather monotonous. But from the time, the friends stepped foot in the forbidden area; Chidambaram & his technical team elevated the sequences with their skill. Chidambaram's exquisite vision for that section, be it the horror of Subash (Sreenath Bhasi) falling into the pit, the manner in which that was shot, the body language of the fear struck friends, people who are called for help & the rescue operation was pretty top notch. Sushin Shyam's BGM was impressive as always as it captured the mood of the sequences perfectly & the unique choice of using the sound track from "Guna" which though seemed odd initially was indeed an excellent choice. Hats off to Ajayan Chalissery for the production design & Shyju Khalid's cinematography, not to forget the contribution of the sound department.

Each & every artist has done justice to their roles and kudos to Ganapathi who also donned the role of the casting director pretty well. Bhasi & Soubin Shahir had the more heavy lifting roles, & both of them aced their part. The rest of the cast have also done their parts extremely well be it Balu, Lal Jr (his act really surprised me), Ganapathi, Deepak Parambol etc. to name a few.

Verdict:  A movie that instantly comes to mind is Bharathan's "Malootty" & Chidambaram's effort will surely be appreciated for its technical quality. It belongs to that group of movies that could be better appreciated if viewed in theatres. So do check it out!!!

Rating: 3.25/5

Regards...Ben

Bramayugam: "Exquisite viewing experience backed by brilliant performances!!!"

Which movie in recent times had the most interesting publicity designs in the lead up to its release? I guess most people would have different opinions but if I am to answer that, it is undoubtedly the work done by Aesthetic Kunjamma for Rahul Sadasivan's "Bramayugam". For one of the most awaited movie of the year, the hype & expectations were already sky high & the design team took it up a couple of notches. So how was the experience inside the theatre? Oh boy...it was just exquisite. 

Based on the script by Rahul Sadasivan & dialogues by the esteemed TD Ramakrishnan, the movie is set in Southern Malabar in the 17th century. Thevan (Arjun Ashokan) who belonged to the Paanan community was on the run from the slave market but before he could reach the safety of familiar territory, he found himself lost in the forest. His urge for survival brought him to a dilapidated 'mana' where the patriarch, Kodumon Potti (Mammukka) impressed with the Paanan's singing abilities gave him refuge, even as his cook (Siddharth Bharathan) didn't approve it. For Thevan, it was a pleasant surprise to be given respect but little did he realize that it was the beginning of something that would change his life forever. 

First & foremost, hats off to Rahul for his wise decision to shoot this movie in monochrome as it has massively benefitted in creating the desired mood and effect that the genre demanded. Even as it is crafted as a horror/survival thriller, the topic that it essentially conveys has strong political tones. The oppression on the basis of caste, the intoxicating effect of power & how it breeds greed is all portrayed through a trio of complex characters in an eerie setup. Equally impressive were TD's dialogues that made the interactions authentic to the era without being too dramatic. At the same time, I did feel that the story could have been more impactful towards the end as it felt a tad hurried. 

Kudos to the technical team as all of them deserves to be praised for a fine job done which includes Shehnad Jalal's cinematography as the black & white format enhanced the horror aspect. Jotish Shankar's team was impressive in the art department be it the 'mana' & the attention to detail with regard to the artefacts while Christo Xavier's BGM and music was in sync with the mood of the movie. There is no denying that it would appear slow paced in the earlier segments which might be a dampener for some, but once you get immersed in its mood, Rahul's craft does manage to get us transported to that era. 

By now, pretty much all of you would have heard numerous comments singing praises about Mammukka's performances & to be absolutely frank, it is completely justified. In a career that has spanned close to half a century, the legend has never ceased to amaze & as Kodumon Potty, he has taken it to a whole new level. 'Brilliant' will be an understatement as I believe this is undoubtedly one of his finest & I would consider it surprising if he is overlooked for his fourth National award. Both Siddharth & Arjun have given their career best performance be it in their facial expressions & body language that mirrored the struggles that their characters suffered. Apart from the trio, Amalda Liz & Manikandan appears for a couple of sequences and they were fine as well.

Verdict: It is a great time for movie lovers with some back to back creditable flicks but from a business perspective, I feel the industry needs to be more smart as to when they plan their releases rather than eat up on each other's revenue. As for "Bramayugam", it is an experimental flick & might not cater to the family audience, which could affect its box office collections in the long run (hope I am proved wrong). But trust me, the performances are brilliant & definitely experience Rahul's craft in a well equipped theatre as it is totally worth it!!!

Rating: 4/5

Regards...Ben