Star review: 'Shoddy screenplay messes up & sidelines the relevant core subject!!!"

After more than six months, the Malayalam film industry heaved a sigh of relief as the State Government allowed the theatres to function at 50 % capacity apart from other stringent guidelines. This essentially raised questions as to whether big budget movies like "Marakkar" would even be able to break even & from the look of things, it seems headed for Amazon Prime. However, we had Domin D'Silva's "Star" hitting the screens which had a relevant topic as its core theme. So will movies like these encourage people to flock back to the theatres???

A celestial event was about to unfold that captured the attention of the astronomy community as the star 'Betelgeuse' was on the verge of explosion. In Hindu astrology, it was associated with the Ardra / thiruvathira nakshatra which was the zodiac star of Ardra (Sheelu Abraham), a college professor. Coincidentally, her life started to take a turn for the worse at around the same time which strained the relation with her husband, Roy (Joju George). As the family started to notice an evident change in her behaviour, they decided to take a trip to her ancestral home in the hope that would calm her nerves. 

This was Domin's second venture after "Pyppin Chuvatille Pranayam" & without mincing words, I would have to say that he has failed to impress. It would however be unfair to put the blame solely on him as the primary reason for this dull venture was Suvin S Somasekharan's mediocre screenplay. It lacked any sense of clarity & even their 'so called' strategy to out-think the audience with the concoction of myths, superstitions & spirits failed to arouse any kind of interest. On the contrary, it tests our patience & by the time, Suvin reveals his core theme (in the last 5 minutes); we are flummoxed. It made absolute no sense as to why such a relevant and sensitive topic which was rarely touched upon & had a credible scope to be explored was handled in such a careless manner. On the technical side, William Francis's BGM was note worthy while the other aspects were ok.

In a woman centric movie like this one, it needed an artist who could carry the movie on her shoulders on the back of her performance. It didn't make sense as to why Sheelu was chosen for this role as she never showcased any such caliber in her previous ventures. As expected, she was no where near the mark as she had a single stone faced expression right throughout the length of the movie. Joju & Gayathri did justice to their roles along with Prithviraj in a cameo role. As for the rest of the cast, they were average at best.

Verdict: To be frank, the manner in which the story was scripted didn't make any sense at all. Even a short film would have been far better. They had a credible thread which could have been well explored & given the audience something to think about out. Unfortunately they didnt & hence, I would suggest to not even bother!!!

Rating: 1.75/5

Regards...Ben

Thinkalazhcha Nishchayam review: "Fresh & humorous perspective to a familiar premise!!!"

The 51st Kerala State Film Awards saw a couple of movies take centre stage like Senna Hegde's "Thinkalazhcha Nishchayam" which was chosen as the 'Second Best Film'. In addition, Senna took home the trophy for the 'Best Story', which naturally piqued the curiosity of movie buffs like me. In a sensible move, even before the excitement had died down Pushkar Films decided to release the movie y'day on Sony Liv. The trailer had already created interest for the accent used in the movie as it was based in North Kerala & also for the humour that was infused in the incidents that unfolded. 

The movie unfolds in Kanhangad where Vijayan (Manoj K U) was planning to have his younger daughter, Suja (Anagha Narayanan) married off to a NRI. Despite the reluctance of Suja, he saw it as an event that would enable him in his own conscience to regain his stature as the authoritarian head of the family in front of his relatives. This was primarily because he felt that his self esteem took a beating when his elder daughter, Surabhi (Unnimaya Nalppadam) went against his wishes to marry her off to her affluent cousin & instead followed her heart to tie the knot with Santosh (Sunil Surya). So will things pan out in the manner that Vijayan expected or will Suja also have the courage as her sister???

This is the third directorial venture of Senna Hegde, but since I haven't seen his earlier directorial efforts; I was curious to know as to what made this movie click with the jury members. As mentioned earlier, he has penned the script & it captures the cultural and social milieu with authenticity. The screenplay by Senna & Sreeraj Raveendran was spot on as the inter personal dynamics was showcased in a convincing yet hilarious manner. The last 20-25 minutes where all the characters go all out in a slug fest reminded me of "Paapam Cheyyathavar Kalariyette", though this was realistic and engaging. On the technical side, all the aspects were done fine.

Most of the artists who lined up were either relatively unknown faces or debutants, but pretty much everyone has done utmost justice to their roles. Manoj & Surabhi gave stand out performances while Anagha, Sunil Surya, Ajisha Prabhakaran & the younger brother's friend (dont quite know his name) were equally impressive in the screen space allotted to them.

Verdict: Undoubtedly, an engaging movie that look so familiar but yet manages to gives us a fresh perspective as to how mundane events that happens in a family event ca be so hilarious. Kudos to Senna & his cast and crew as they truly deserve the applause that has come their way. In short, do check it out!!!

Rating: 3.25/5

Regards...Ben

Rashmi Rocket review: "Taapsee impresses in this sports drama on gender based challenges!!!"

Even as Tokyo Olympics gave us much to cheer about, there were still a couple of incidents that created headlines. One of the prominent news was IAAF's decision to deny the 800m double Olympic Champion Castor Semenya of South Africa the opportunity to defend her crown . The reason being her refusal to suppress her naturally elevated testosterone levels based on a 2019 ruling by the IAAF which was a prerequisite for intersex athletes to compete in track events ranging from the quarter mile to the mile. A similar incident happened back home, when Dutee Chand the reigning 100m national champion was left out from the 2014 CW & Asian Games over IAAF regulations on hyperandrogenism. Interestingly, this was the premise for Akarsh Khurana's "Rashmi Rocket"& since it was a genre which is one of my fav, I didnt have to think twice to check it out.

The film unfolds with the police barging into a girls hostel at night & dragging out a female based on the complaint that she was indeed a guy. The person in question was Rashmi (Taapsee Pannu), a spirited tomboy who hailed from Bhuj & taken the nation by storm with her breath taking sprints that yielded medals at the national & international level. Even as accolades kept pouring in, some of her team mates envious of her mercurial rise accused her of taking undue advantage due to a higher testosterone level. With the IAAF regulations on such conditions rather rigid, does it mean that she had indeed cheated & would be banned for life???

Akarsh Khurana is a name that most of us wouldn't be familiar with, but Irrfan-Dulquer starrer "Karwaan" was directed by this dude. In his latest venture, he has joined hands with Nandha Periyasamy who has written the story & later fleshed out into a proper script by Kanika Dhillon, Aniruddha Guha, Lisha Bajaj & himself. It is an interesting story that starts out as a sports drama before culminating into a legal battle. Though the topic that Akarsh discusses is serious, he manages to keep the mood moderate and engaging while at the same time ensuring that it wasn't trivialized. Despite the earnest and appreciable effort to be unique, it still throws up a couple of queries which would be spoilers if discussed at this juncture. On the technical side, all the aspects were executed decently.

For a movie like this, it was imperative that Akarsh had to choose a female lead that would fit the bill of an athlete. It would be fair to admit that Taapsee was indeed the right choice & she has done a fine job, though in certain sequences she didn't seem entirely convincing. It was heartening to see Surpriya Pathak given a meaningful role & she aced it as expected. Abhishek Banerjee who was top notch in "Paatal Lok" was an interesting choice as Adv Eeshit and proved that we are likely to see more of him in the coming years. Similarly, Priyanshu Payuli did justice role to his role as the army officer & the pillar of support for Rashmi. As for the rest of the cast, most of them have done their parts aptly.

Verdict: Undoubtedly, an interesting topic was taken up as the subject & Akarsh deserves praise for a job that was reasonably well executed. There is no doubt that it could have been better & certain aspects could have been addressed much more sensibly. However, it still provides an engaging viewing experience that doesnt test our patience. In short, give it a try!!!

 Rating: 2.5/5

 Regards...Ben 

Bhramam review: "Decent recreation though expectations of being better is delusional!!!"

The State Government has finally lifted the restrictions on theatres & given the industry the permission to display their celluloid recreations from October 25th. However, as per the latest reports; there is no confirmation yet as to which all big banner releases would hit the screens in the near future. Well the public would not necessarily complain as many of the movies that released on the OTT platform were impressive & the next that hoped to join that list is Ravi K Chandran's "Bhramam". With a talented cast & crew on board, the only question that remained to be answered was whether it was a worthy remake of "Andhadhun". 

Since most of you would have watched the original, I'm not going into much specific details of the plot. Set in Fort Kochi, Ray Mathews (Prithviraj Sukumaran) was a blind pianist who made a living performing gigs at various places. One such performance was witnessed by Uday Kumar (Shankar), a yesteryear superstar who hires his services for a private act as an anniversary present for the latter's wife, Simi (Mamta Mohandas). But it turned out to be much different from anything that anyone would have envisioned. 

Ravi Chandran's credentials as a cinematographer is well documented but in this venture he has donned the cape of a director in addition to that. Based on Sriram Raghavan's "Andhadhun", it stays faithful to the original except for a change in milieu & a couple of subtle changes. Well to capture the attention of those who have already watched the original, it would mean that the remake has to be crafted in its own unique manner. In that sense, I felt that this was much more humorous & the protagonist was a shade more wicked with the first half being more interesting. On the technical side, the visuals were impressive as expected while Jakes Bejoy's BGM was average and his music though hummable did not quite gel with the mood of the movie.

Prithvi was convincing as the 'pretentious' blind musician and the subsequent characterization. He has tried to infuse a different flavour to the character rather than merely be a carbon copy of Ayushmann which succeeds also. The bigger challenge was however for Mamta, who had a much bigger pair of shoes to fill & though she has done a decent job, it doesnt quite match to Tabu's brilliance. Shankar was a good casting choice but the pairing with Mamta stood out like a sore thumb. Unni Mukundan was fine along with Ananya who just had a few scenes but leaves her mark. The rest of the cast have done their parts aptly. 

Verdict: There is no doubt that making remakes is no mean task especially since the risk is much greater or else it will be slammed by the audience. To be frank, "Bhramam" was ok, however the need to make it did not make sense without having its own unique signature especially when Malayalam industry is going through a phase where interesting content is being churned out on a regular basis. Summing up, you can give it a try!!!

Rating: 2.5/5

Regards...Ben

Sunny review: "Not necessarily a sunny experience for all!!!"

Being relevant for a period of time in any field of profession is no mean task & hence when Ranjith Shankar's "Sunny" was announced as Jayasurya's 100th movie, there was a palpable sense of expectation & anticipation. Whenever the duo have collaborated, it has garnered appreciation from the audience & the trailer of their latest venture seemed to headed in that direction especially it seemed to be quite unlike what they had done in the past. So will this experimental treatment have people warming up to it???

Covid has wrecked havoc across the globe & the life of many NRIs was thrown into uncertainty by the pandemic of which Sunny (Jayasurya) was one among them. He had flown back from the Gulf & booked himself a suite for his mandatory week long quarantine at an upscale hotel. Slowly the story evolves & the audience is introduced to the fact that he was under immense personal & professional turmoil. This resulted in depression & Sunny chose to drown his sorrows in alcohol. With not even a soul to talk to in person, whether he manages to emerges from this crisis or not is the crux of the movie. 

Ranjith's credentials as a director needs no introduction & over here as well, he needs to be applauded for conceiving a project that is not quite easy to pull off. In terms of the script which was Ranjith's creation as well, it does not parade itself as some pretentious intellectual mumbo jumbo. It showcases the life of a man who has been pushed on the edge for various reasons, some of which weren't borne out of his folly. So does the story manage to engage us? Well it surely captures our attention early on as we are introduced to his problems but after a certain point of time, it does not quite offer anything different that would keep us invested & culminates in a predictable manner. The movie surely scores brownie points on the technical side as Madhu Neelakandan's cinematography was impressive considering the challenge of shooting within a suite. Similarly, kudos to Shankar Sharma for his music which had a significant role to play.

Close to two decades have passed since Jayasurya made his debut in the industry & over this period of time, he has constantly improved himself to the point that he could be considered as one of the most reliable artists. The efforts that he takes to do justice to his roles is evident & comes across as one who doesn't mind experimentation. As Sunny, he deserves praise & the same also applies to the rest of the cast such as Innocent, Aju, Siddique, Shivada, Shritha, Mamta etc who through their voices conveyed their characters convincingly.

Verdict:  Both Jayasurya & Ranjith deserves credit for striving to do something distinct & off beat. Even though, Sunny & the various characters were defined & did their parts aptly; I felt that the script didnt quite have the substance to maximize on their efforts. Anywaz at just over 90 mins, you can give it a try!!!

Rating: 2.25/5

Regards...Ben

Kaanekkaane review: "Myriad of emotions that keeps us engaged!!!"

Ever since uncertainty has set in over the opening of the theatres due to the COVID crisis, the film industry were left with no choices but to resort to the OTT platform to display their product to the world. Though it does not resolve many of the problems, it still ensured that the industry stayed afloat & more importantly, it reached more eyeballs. The latest release to climb aboard the OTT bandwagon is Manu Asokan's "Kaanekkaane" which was premiered on SonyLIV, the first Malayalam flick to do so. With an impressive movie like "Uyare" as his debut venture, the expectations on Manu were understandably high. So does he manage to live up to that??? 

More than a year had passed since Paul Mathai (Suraj Venjaramood), Deputy Tahsildar in Pala had lost his daughter, Sherin (Shruti Ramachandran) to an accident. However, life had stood still for him since then even as his son in law, Allen (Tovino Thomas) moved on & got married to Sneha (Aishwarya Lekshmi), who accepted Sherin's son Kuttu (Master Alok Krishna) as her own. Both of them maintained a warm yet strained relationship with Paul, who still pursued the case that led to the death of her daughter. Will Paul ever be able to come to terms with his loss???

When "Uyare" released in 2019, it heralded the entry of a new talent in the industry in the form of Manu & with his latest venture he has proved that he was not just a flash in the pan. Once again he has joined hands with the talented Bobby-Sanjay duo & the trio has yet again crafted a praise worthy celluloid creation. The movie delves into the plethora of emotions of the human mind that makes one to take decisions at the spur of the moment which could changes lives forever. The characterization of each of the three main artists are well defined be it that of the relentless pursuit of justice of the grieving father who is mellow yet steely, he inner demons the son in law constantly faces to the extent (that the audience empathizes yet acknowledges) that it was virtually wrecking his existence before his eyes & the second wife who isnt always about being brushed with a grey shade is both vulnerable and human & sincerely makes all efforts to make her relationship work. If at all there was one aspect that might not work with quite a few will be the overwhelming emotional baggage in the latter half which kinda makes the movie feel a bit jarring & lengthier

On the technical side, Ranjin Raj's BGM was top notch while Alby Antony's visuals that focused on mellow colours complimented the mood. Whenever Suraj takes on a character role that has depth to it, then we can rest assured that he will ace it & as Paul he has proved it yet again. It was a brilliant performance that is likely to garner accolades & he was complimented in his efforts by both Tovino & Aishwarya. The former has steadily improved upon his acting skills over the past two years & he has done a fine job as Allen, since it was a role that we would like to hate yet empathize at the same time. As for the latter, she has also done utmost justice to her role. The rest of the cast such as Alok, Sruthi, Prem Prakash, Rony David did their parts aptly.

Verdict: It is not an entertainer or a feel good movie in the actual sense, but it gives us a glimpse into the various shades of human emotions that determines one's existence.  In terms of the genre, it can be termed as an emotional drama thriller that keeps us engaged with the investigative track in the first half & the emotional tension subsequently. In short, do check it out!!!

Rating: 3.25/5

Regards...Ben

Thalaivi review: "Kangana's impactful performance makes it an engaging biopic!!!"

History was created in the wee hours today when Emma Raducanu became the first qualifier ever to win a Grand Slam title & if the stars align for Djokovic, we will be in for another historical event tomorrow. The history so created makes us either spell bound in awe of the accomplishments or frown in dismay and if one has to choose an individual whose life have gone through such extreme fluctuations, then one of the popular answers would be former TN CM Jayalalithaa. This weekend saw the release of her biographical drama "Thalaivi" helmed by A L Vijay & the question was whether Kangana Ranaut was indeed the right choice as the protagonist???

The year is 1989 & Jayalalithaa (Kangana), the Leader of Opposition in the TN Legislative Assembly was humiliated & virtually disrobed by the ruling party on the back of a heated argument on the floor of the House. As the whole state (& nation) bowed their heads in shame on that Black day of Democracy, Jaya vowed that she will be back & at that time, it will be as the CM of the State. Hence begins an engaging biopic that covers her film career, relation with MGR (Arvind Swami, though the makers named the character as MJR) and her metamorphosis into the Iron Lady of Indian Politics.

AL Vijay is a name that doesn't need an introduction with movies like "Madrasapattinam" & "Deiva Thirumagal" to his credit. However, when a biopic is made on a prominent political personality like Jaya; then the makers would have to tread a very thin line lest the whole project itself could be shelved for obvious reasons. Keeping that in mind, Vijayendra Prasad was brought on board in the hope that he would create a wholesome engaging drama after all he had penned the script for the "Baahubali" series, "Bajrangi Bhaijaan" etc. As expected, the screenplay was engrossing & keeps the audience interested for most parts in the manner that Jaya was constantly beaten down by her adversaries & let down by her own people, but she always arose like a Phoenix. However, the length of the movie & an extended focus on the MJR-Jaya angle might be a turn off for some. On the technical side, pretty much everything deserves praise be it GV Prakash's BGM, Vishal Vittal's visuals and the production design. 

When Kangana was announced as the protagonist, I certainly had my reservations about it as I felt Remya Krishnan would have been the apt choice (incidentally, a couple of months later Remya portrayed the role of Jaya in Gautam Menon's web series "Queen" & she completed aced it). But after Kangana's performance, I have to admit that she was just fantastic as she oozed vulnerability & authority in equal measure. She doesnt try to imitate Jaya but captures the nuance of the character perfectly & that essentially proved to be the winner. Just like wine, Arvind Swami has just got better with age as he was simply mind blowing as MGR  (never thought I would say that after Lalettan's mesmerizing performance in "Iruvar") while Samuthirakani did his part justice. Most of the rest of the cast did their parts aptly. 

Verdict: Irrespective of whatever controversial statements Kangana makes which rubs off people on the wrong side, there is no denying the fact that she is a fantastic actress. As Jaya, she pulled off yet another wonderful act which will rank as one of her finest to date. Though the biopic does not touch upon her political life which saw a lot of highs, turmoil & controversies, it still keeps us engaged. In short, do check it out!!!

Rating: 3/5

Regards...Ben