19(1)(a): "Incoherent screenplay makes it a tiresome experience!!!"

The weekend is here & obviously the main aim is to check out Joshiy's "Paappan", but since Indhu V.S's "19(1)(a)" had released on Disney+Hotstar platform, I decided to give it a try. With Vijay Sethupathi & Nitya Menen headlining the project & the title named after Article 19(1)(a) of our Constitution which gives us the right to freedom of speech & expression, I presume most of the people would have had expectations about it like me. Well to be frank, it failed to do justice to both the subject that it wanted to tackle & the solid cast they had assembled.

Nitya Menen, who is incidentally unnamed in the movie leads a mundane life whereby she takes care of her father & earns her livelihood from the photoshop that they had in the junction. Both the father & daughter shared a rather cold relationship, as the former spent his time literally doing nothing worthwhile. Nitya's life takes a turn when human activist, Gauri Shankar (Vijay Sethupathi) sought her services to photocopy the draft of the book that he had penned. However, he never turned up to collect the copies as he was gunned down by some unknown assailants. This leaves her in a state of unrest & confusion and what she does subsequently forms the rest of the plot.

This is Indhu's directorial debut & the subject that she wanted to convey was indeed a topic of immense relevance nowadays. She takes her sweet time to introduce us to the protagonist's life and despite quite a few subplots, none of them were adequately explored. It manages to build up the hype with the murder & Nitya's decision as to what to do with the book, but hardly anything happens and we are left underwhelmed. The technical aspects were ok with Govind Vasantha's music especially the one at the wedding being impressive. 

It's been quite a while since we have Nitya takes centre stage in a Malayalam movie & she has done a fine job. Despite the lack lustered screenplay, she conveys the anguish & helplessness of the character's condition effectively. Sethupathi deserves praise for a commendable performance, Bhagath Manuel, Atulya Ashadem (as Fathima) & Srikant Murali (as Nitya's dad) were ok while Indrajith, Indrans & Deepak Parambol were wasted.

Verdict: There is no doubt that the movie would have tanked at the box office if they had released it in theatres. Indhu's brave attempt to talk about a relevant topic deserves praise but the execution left a lot to be desired for. In short, it was disappointing!!!

Rating: 1.5/5

Regards...Ben

Malayankunju: "Survival drama weaved in as a shot at redemption!!!"

Ever since Sajimon Prabhakar's "Malayankunju" was announced, the cast & crew that had assembled for this project expectedly raised expectations among the audience. The biggest news was obviously, the return of the 'Mozart of Madras' to Malayalam after a hiatus of three decades. Another equally interesting development was the decision of Fazil to bankroll the movie which was headlined by his son. Over the past few years, the veteran filmmaker had featured primarily in front of the camera & hence the decision to collaborate with Fahadh as a producer could be maybe a shot at redemption after the disastrous "Kaiyethum Doorathu". Incidentally, Saji also is trying to attempt the same objective through his character in what is presented as a survival drama.

The story takes place in the high range region where Anikuttan (Fahadh) stayed with his mother & earned his livelihood as an electronics repairer. He was a bigoted with an attitude that bordered on being apathetic & at times anti-social who looked down upon people who belonged to the lower caste. A bitter past had contributed to the irritating person that he became to the extent that the cry of a new born in his neighborhood irked him. But little did he realize that cry will turn out to be his sound of hope when everything crumbles around him. 

This is Sajimon's directorial debut venture & he has done a fine job with the script that was penned by Mahesh Narayanan. Though it is marketed as a survival drama (which obviously it is), I felt the first half of the movie that explores the character of the protagonist is what makes it engaging. He has his justifications for being apathetic & bigoted and how a natural calamity makes a change in his whole character is what forms the crux of this movie. However, the change that is brought about felt too hurried & didn't feel convincing which I believe is the shortcoming in the script rather than the performance or execution, both of which were impressive. On the technical side, ARR's BGM did impart the desired effect in many sequences (reminded me of his "127 hours"), but at times it felt like it dominated the scenes & even silence as such ought to have been used more. Kudos to the art department & Mahesh's visuals which brilliantly captured the struggles of the protagonist under the rubbles. 

Fahadh was brilliant as always & he just proved once again that he is indeed one of the finest performers in the country. Jayan Kurup (as Ani's mother), Deepu Navaikulam (as Suni) & Nilja Baby (as Shiny) deserves praise for their performance while the rest of the cast such as Indrans, Rajisha etc did their parts aptly.

Verdict: Until a few weeks back, this was marketed as a flick that would be released on the OTT platform. Anyway absolutely glad that they decided to release it in theatres as the sound design & visuals of the second half definitely needs to be experienced on the big screen. In short, do check it out!!!

Rating: 2.75/5

Regards...Ben

Mahaveeryar: "Appreciate the veeryam of the makers though the execution could have been more comprehensible!!!"

The backlog of movies due to the pandemic resulted in quite a few engaging courtroom dramas being released in recent months. The latest to join the bandwagon is Abrid Shine's "Mahaveeryar", though the manner in which it was packaged seemed to suggest otherwise, pretty much like the strategy that was employed for "Action Hero Biju". Just like many others, even I had loved the promos & was eagerly looking forward to watch this on the big screen. It was definitely quite unlike what most would have expected as it turned out to be a political satire on the social justice system & how it bends insensitively (even subconsciously) to appease the autocrats in the belief that it is for the benefit of the larger good. 

The movie unfolds in the land of Manomaya ruled by Mahaveera Ugrasena (Lal), who suffered from chronic hiccups which hampered his ability to carry out his royal responsibilities (though his libido seemed unaffected). Despite the efforts of the best physicians, the condition remained resolved & that's when he ordered his trusted lieutenant Veerabhadran (Asif Ali) to get him the most beautiful female in the kingdom in the belief that it would be the solution to his problem. In another sequence that is reminiscent of our present day, Swami Apoornananthan (Nivin Pauly) is brought to court after he was accused to have stolen the statue of the deity from the temple where he was found to be immersed in meditation. At this juncture, the two tracks merge in an inexplicable and mystical manner which confounds the people both on screen & off screen. 

This is Abrid Shine's third collaboration with Nivin Pauly & they have come up with a movie that is unique just like the others. Based on M Mukundan's short story, it is a blend of magical realism and surrealism that would require us to flow with it rather than look for logical explanations that pans out on screen. Well this is where I felt Abrid Shine's efforts might not reach out to many as it would come across as absurd & wacky. At the same time, the subject he tried to convey was praise worthy as it talks about how the centre of power is considered supreme to the extent that even the judiciary gets confused that the rights of the subject is secondary to that of the State. The irony remains in the fact that even though the monarchy has ceased to exist, the mindset of the people in power hasn't changed much which is pampered by the servility of the various institutions. This aspect is reflected in the attitude of the people who has 'Veeryar' mentioned in their names. 

On the technical side, kudos to Chandru Selvaraj's visuals which captured the mystical feel pretty well, Ishaan Chhabra's BGM and the art and costume department. Coming to performances, almost all of them did justice to their roles though the pick among them was Siddique, Lalu Alex & Lal. All three  veterans were spot on with their eccentricities while Asif Ali & Nivin Pauly were convincing in their roles. The rest of the cast were also fine be it Shanvi Srivastava, Mallika Sukumaran, Vijay Menon, Sudheer Karamana etc.

Verdict: There is no doubt that this experimental flick does have a stamp of class to it with regard to what they wanted to convey. But the execution felt rather shallow and the screenplay in the latter half was not properly thought through. It reminded me of Rajiv Anchal's "Guru" & likely to be a much sought out after flick on OTT once people warm up to the concept. In short, do check it out!!!

Rating: 2.5/5

Regards...Ben

Kaduva: "Tried & tested formulaic mass entertainer that felt tedious at times!!!"

When was the last time did Malayalam movie had an out & out mass action entertainer? Hmm...well it's been quite a while or we can rather say that the taste of the audience has changed with the times & hence the template of the 90s would obviously come across as rather out dated unless executed sensibly. Well Shaji Kailas's "Kaduva" brought back memories of his hit flicks of that era & to be frank, it did seem like a decent effort on screen. It would be fair to admit that many of us do have double standards when we watch mass entertainers from Tamil or Telugu as we intend to celebrate it, while the ones from our industry are usually slammed (though more often than not, that is coz of inferior execution). So did "Kaduva" meet the same fate???

Kaduvakunnel Kuriyachen (Prithiviraj) was an affluent businessman based in Pala who was well known in the region for his no nonsense attitude. It was also home to IG Joseph Chandy (Vivek Oberoi) who was politically well connected and the movie is basically about the ego clash between these two individuals. Interestingly, it began over the donation of a piano by Joseph's mother to the parish which in due time snowballed to more serious matters & literally takes down the State machinery. 

It's been close to a decade since Shaji Kailas had donned the director's cap with his last Malayalam venture being the forgetful "Ginger". This time around he has joined hands with Jinu V Abraham who has penned the script which is inspired obviously from the life of Jose Kuruvinakunnel. Apparently, his grandson had stated that the makers had refused to acknowledge it in the screenplay. Well for starters it comes across as "Ayyappanum Koshiyum" at first glance but failed to deliver the same impact. The slow motion & fight sequences does pump the adrenaline early on, though as the story goes on & on it felt like all of these sequences were on loop and doesn't provide any sense of novelty. Even the mannerisms that Prithvi was asked to portray reminds one of Lalettan from "Aarattu" & his other such flicks. So does it mean it was completely boring? Certainly not as I found the first half pretty engaging & though the tale in the latter half did hold promise, it failed to deliver the punches. 

On the technical side, Abhinandhan Ramanujam's frames were fine while Jakes Bejoy's BGM was pretty impressive though the music was average. Despite the similarity in mannerisms to Lalettan, Prithvi has done a fine job as Kuriyachen with his swag and attitude. Both Vivek & Samyuktha were rather average while the others did their parts aptly be it Shajon, Alencier, Baiju etc.

Verdict: It might not be an absolute mass entertainer like the yesteryears but it would still keep the audience interested. As Prithvi mentioned in one of his press conferences, we certainly more of such movies from this genre, though it needs to be executed much more impressively. In short, you may give it a try!!!

Rating: 2/5

Regards...Ben

Heaven: "Decently made investigative thriller!!!"

Ever since the lockdown ended, there has been a gush of investigative thrillers & murder mysteries; so much so that atleast a couple of them are released every month. Well is it because that the makers made an assumption that since the OTT platform had ample series belonging to that genre, hence the public might have a tendency to favour it? Hmm...I dont think so, anyway the latest flick to join the bandwagon is Unni Govindraj's "Heaven". However, unlike quite a few others; it did possess a tale that kept the audience engaged for most parts.

The movie unfolds with a charred body being found in the middle of a forest reserve. Soon enough, the police team under the command of Bijoy Kuruvilla (Sudev Nair) with the helps of the forensic dept nabs the culprit who turned out to be CI Peter Kurishingal (Suraj Venjaramoodu). The film cuts into flash back where Peter is shown as an upright police officer who was a single father as well. However, the relationship with his son is shown as rather strained though with the help of his mother, life moved on peacefully. But when he was entrusted with the task of unravelling the mystery behind a family being murdered, little did he realize that it would push him into further misery. 

This is the debut venture of Govindraj & he has certainly done a decent job with a script that he has penned along with P.S Subramanian. There is the right amount of suspense and intrigue which keeps us engaged for most parts. At the same time, there are certain elements and sequences with regard to the antagonist that kind of felt rather underwhelming. Another aspect that I felt odd was some of the side tracks which hardly any significance in the movie (might be a strategy to fox the audience, but it didnt quite work out). On the technical side, kudos to Vinod Illampally's visuals though Gopi Sundar's music was average.

As usual, Suraj has done a fine job as the sober police officer under intense emotional turmoil. The vulnerability that he brought to the character was impressive though there will obviously be voices of dissent from some quarters that he is constantly doing such characters nowadays. However, the best among the lot for me was Jaffer Idukki who was spot on while the rest of the cast such as Alencier, Sudheesh, Shyam Mohan did their parts aptly while Abhija as the Commissioner was rather mediocre.

Verdict: Certainly one of the better crafted investigative thrillers in recent times. It does have its flaws in certain parts but it does manage to keep us engaged. In short, do check it out!!!

Rating: 2.75/5

Regards...Ben

Prakashan Parakkatte: "Feel good family drama!!!"

Over the last couple of weeks, Dhyan Sreenivasan has been trending in YouTube because of the plethora of interviews that had given as part of the promotions for "Udal". His sense of humour & thug replies have obviously generated significant revenues for these channels. But will all this generate a positive vibe for Shahad Nilambur's "Prakashan Parakkatte", as he has penned the script for this family drama??? The trailer certainly had a fun feel to it & with an interesting array of artists, it certainly created some degree of expectations.

Dasan (Mathew Thomas) was a happy go lucky dude who had no interest in his studies & loved to vile away his time hanging out with his buddy. As expected his mother, Latha (Nisha Sarang) constantly admonished him but to no avail. On the other hand, despite the struggle to make ends meets, his father, Prakashan (Dileesh Pothan) was his confidante and never assumed the role of an authoritarian parent. The movie is basically about the coming of age of Dasan & the events that possibly trigger a change in the way he looked at life.

This is Shahad's directorial debut & on the whole, I did feel that he has crafted a movie that gives you a smile on our face with its humour, emotion & romance. Well Dhyan had mentioned in one of his interviews that he was keen to do a movie that was both clean and rooted in reality and this led to the genesis of this story. But I dont think he has completed succeeded in it since the screenplay as such was rather frail for most parts. However, it does keep us engaged in the manner the situations are depicted and performed by the artists. The trivialization of the acts performed by Dhyan's character to create laughs was downright appalling & even the humour track handled by Saiju's character failed to evoke laughs at times. Another confusing part was obviously the title coz I didnt quite understand the logic behind it until a voice over speaks about it in the climax. On the technical side, it was average at best be it Shaan's music or Guruprasad's cinematography.

One of the primary positives of the movie were the performances as pretty all of them have done justice to the role that was given to them. Though the role played by Mathew did have similarities with characters that he had played in the past, it was still fine. Dileesh was an apt choice as the father & shared good chemistry with Mathew while Nisha, Rithunjay (as Akhil), Malavika (as Neethu) & Govind were fine. 

Verdict: As such it doesn't have a compelling tale to narrate but it provides a feel good family drama that does not test our patience. The screenplay as such ought to have been given much more thought as some incidents could have been easily avoided. In short, you can give it a try!!!

Rating: 2.5/5

Regards...Ben 

Vaashi: "Decent emotional drama though the legal conflict felt lukewarm!!!"

In recent times, we have been witness to the high profile courtroom drama of Johnny Depp-Amber Heard case which saw the former heave a sigh of relief after the allegations made by his ex-wife were found to be predominantly baseless. Well rather than consider the possibility of either of the individuals could be at fault, more often than not the general perception is that the male is the culprit in matters of sexual assault, harassment & domestic violence. At the same time in an Indian society, where majority are still largely judgmental most of the cases dont get reported. Hence there is no denying that it is a herculean task for the female to come forward and seek the legal route. This happens to be the premise of Vishnu Raghav's "Vaashi" which deals with a subject that is both pertinent & sensitive. 

Ebin (Tovino Thomas) & Madhavi (Keerthy Suresh) were advocates and close buddies who shared an office and were in the nascent stage of their career. With the influence of Ebin's brother in law, the former gets to don the gown of the public prosecutor & the first big case that landed on his table dealt with rape on the pretext of marriage. Incidentally, at the same time the accused had approached Madhavi to defend his case. To make matters even awkward, both Ebin & Madhavi despite feelings for each other had to tie the knot much earlier than they anticipated. So will professional competitiveness wreck their personal lives???

This is Vishnu's directorial debut though some of us would recollect seeing him as an artist in "Theevram", "Pakida" etc. Apart from calling the shots, he has penned the script based on the story by Janiz Chacko. He has certainly done a fine job as it keeps us engaged with the emotional equations,  light moments and chemistry that play out between the protagonists. With regard to the court room drama, he tries to keep it low profile rather than take cinematic liberties and make the artists blurt out bombastic dialogues. The case as such is thought provoking as it deals with consent which at times can be rather murky & has similarities with Ajay Bahl's "Section 375". However, the manner in which the conflicts inside and outside the court gets resolved felt way too simplistic and lacked the impact that the story demanded. On the technical side, all the aspects were ok and does not deserve special mention.

Coming to performances, both Tovino & Keerthy has done a fine job and giving them good support was Baiju as their friend. Anagha Narayanan did justice to her part while Anu Mohan was also fine along with Rony David and Kottayam Ramesh.

Verdict: It is a reasonably well crafted flick that works without taking a toll on our patience. It does come across as underwhelming with regard to the case, however it is still a decent one time watch. in short, give it a try!!!

Rating: 2.5/5

Regards...Ben