Visudhan
Mangipen
Kadhaveedu
Thira
Director – Vineeth Srinivasas
Aakashathinte Niram
Director – Dr.BijuProducer – K.Anil Kumar
Story And Script – Dr.Biju
Director – Santhosh Raman ,
Lyrics – ONV Kurup , V.N.Anil
Music Director – Rabindra Jain
The opening sequence of ‘Akashathinte Niram’ has an old man (Nedumudi Venu) asking a young boy (Govardhan) what the color of the sky is. Blue, replies the small chap. The man suggests that the sky sports hues and shades that the mind would love to see. Quite an anticipatory bail for a film that is to follow for a couple of hours, that prompts the viewer to draw up assumptions and arrive at conclusions of their own.
Dr. Biju’s new film follows a pickpocket (Indrajith) who lands up on an island inhabited by three individuals – an old man, a young boy and a deaf and dumb girl (Amala Paul). Not being able to sail back to the main land, the small time thief gives vent to his frustration by breaking things until eventually he learns a few lessons in life.
And by few that arrive at the fag end of the film. But by then, anyone who has been eying the proceedings attentively could have guessed where it’s all headed. But for the first one and a half hours, the film resembles a ship that is lost in the blue sea that you get to see in abundance, sailing this way and that until the shore comes into view.
There have been similar attempts perhaps in world cinema, but what would set apart ‘Akashathinte Niram’ from a classic like ‘Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter’ is that the emotional density that makes the latter film a delightful watch is missing in the former. While every movement and every moment of silence holds tremendous implication in the Kim Ki Duk film, the extended periods of stillness in ‘Akashathinte Niram’ add up to the tedium.
The hush and the calm that pervades three fourth of the film give way to some verbal clamor at the climax. Its as if there is a point to be made, and there is no way in which they want the message to go unnoticed. Statements on service and humanity are made, but these are things that we have heard aplenty before. The only difference is that they have been set on an island this time around.
The emptiness that spreads out into the sea that lies all around starts eating its way into the characters that inhabit the island in no time. You realize that that there is something mysterious about them, but the hollowness that make up their very being cannot be missed.
Solid performances from the lead actors (which include a surprise cameo by Prithviraj) do try to drop in the anchor to this ship that has gone adrift in the ocean. M J Radhakrishnan’s beautiful frames and a resplendent background score by Isaac Thomas Kottukapally serve as life savers as well.
‘Akashathinte Niram’ thus ends up a visually spectacular film that lacks something very vital – life! And there are too many voids lying all around it that thwart its attempts to come across as a believable experience.
Cinema Company
Language : Malayalam
Actors : Lalu Alex, Saikumar, Krishna
Director : Mamas Chandran
Music Director : Alphons Joseph
Producer : Fareed Khan
How many times have we seen a group of dreamy eyed youngsters coming together to make a film? If you have a liking for such stories, here is a rather meek film to add to the list, titled Cinema Company, presented by Mamas.
The film has quite a few fresh faces in the main cast. Panicker (Sanjeev), Paulachan (Basil), Fazal (Badri) and Paru (Sruthi) have been really close friends for a while now. They spend their time doing nothing much in life but a casual comment from a friend makes them decide to make a film.
Fazal writes the script, Panicker is the director, Paru scores the music and Paulachan gets ready to play the hero. But things are not happening the way they would have liked and they go separate ways.
Okay, Cinema Company has a decent story to tell but the problem is that there is nothing new to offer here. The situations are mostly predictable and things become increasingly boring especially in the second half.
The film has good visuals by Jibu Jacob and though Alphons come up with an okay background score, the “Thick Rap” that is being played while the end titles start rolling is plain irritating.
Also, the potshots aimed at a young hero in Malayalam are particularly offensive and silly. Why should the viewers waste their time to watch sequences like these, which have evidently been included to settle the personal issues of someone associated with this film?
Mamas, who started off his career as a director with a lowbrow comedy called Pappi Appacha that became a hit, disappoints this time. The script lacks imagination and the scenes look jaded and clichéd.
Among the newcomers, only Basil shows some promise but his diction is not really up to the mark. Let’s say, they are good when the situations are good. The rest of the cast including Lalu Alex, Krishna and T P Madhavan has nothing much to do and sleepwalks through their roles. Baburaj is there for just two scenes or so and repeats his usual tricks in a fine way.
All said and done, Cinema Company can be an okay fare at best, if you don’t expect much.
Ivan Megharoopan
Actors : Prakash, Padmapriya, Jagathy Sreekumar
Director : P Balachandran
Music Director : Sharath
Producer : Thampi Antony, Prakash Bare
Ivan Megharoopan Director P Balachandran’s Ivan Megharoopan has been partly inspired from the life of eminent poet P Kunhiraman Nair. The intriguing journey of a genius who preferred to shun responsibilities in life and was keen to move like a free bird without caring much for other’s feelings thereby hurting them badly, is what the film mainly all about.
P K Madhavan Nair (Prakash Bare) hailed from an aristocratic family and his poetic skills were evident right from his early days. But his wandering ways made him fall for women from various backgrounds. Even then, he didn’t value any commitments or emotional bonds.
After leaving behind his childhood sweetheart Janaki, he lives in with Saraswathy, who was a poetess on her own right. But Madhavan Nair was jealous about her talents. He moves to new acquaintances and relationships, without any feeling of repentance.
More than a look at his abilities as a poet, the film is mainly focused on the ‘emotional’ or even sensual escapades of the man. But that doesn’t take away the beauty of this well made film and it has rightly been honoured with four awards at the recently announced Kerala State film awards.
With a well-written script and a rather conventional presentation, Balachandran makes an impressive debut as a director. Rajeev Ravi’s brilliant visuals and Sharreth’s superb music add to the film’s beauty.
The other strengths of the film include good performance from the film’s cast. Prakash Bare shows real maturity playing the role of the poet, who lived his life on his own terms. Padmapriya, Swetha Menon, Remya Nambeesan and Anu have also made their roles look convincing.
Ivan Megharoopan succeeds in taking the viewer along with the narrative and the intriguing life of the poet has been presented in an attractive style. The film may not be looking at all the aspects of the life of a genius but then, it leaves you with the kind of feeling of delight that very few films provided the viewer during recent times. This one is worth your time for sure!
Ustad Hotel
Ustad Hotel
Director Anwar Rasheed
Music Gopi Sundar
Cast Dulquer Salmaan, Thilakan, Nithya Menen
There are certain films, which can be attractive by its inherent sincerity and excellent narration. Director Anwar Rasheed’s Ustad Hotel is such a cute little film.
Based on Manjadikkuru director Anjali Menon’s fine script, the strength of the film include Anwar’s slick making, Lokanathan’s visuals, Gopi Sundar’s enchanting music and some fine performances.
Faizi (Dulquer Salmaan) has been living with his rich dad (Siddique) and four sisters in the Gulf. He goes to Switzerland to study hotel management and before settling down in London, he comes to their native place in Kozhikode. His father wants him to marry another rich man’s daughter Sahina (Nithya Menen) and they meet. It is one of the best scenes in the film
It turns out to be quite an eventful trip for the young man, as he becomes really close to his grandfather, Kareemikka (Thilakan), who runs a modest hotel called ‘Ustad Hotel’.
His stay in Kozhikode continues for a bit longer than what he had anticipated and during his stay with his grandfather, Faizi learns some new facts about life and the world around him. He realizes that money is not just what matter in this world.
The film begins in an excellent way and things get a bit slow especially in the second half. Perhaps the preachy tone towards the climax and the shift in focus at times, like the sequences involving the band for instance, could include the film’s weak links.
Dulquer Salmaan, who made an impressive acting debut with Second Show early this year, continues with his fine form. The inimitable Thilakan is brilliant as usual. Nithya Menen, who plays Faizi’s love interest Shahana is a scream. Tamil actor Jayaprakash makes an impressive debut as the benefactor of the poor and homeless.
The highlight of the film is Dulquer’s cool dude act, Anjali Menon’s script where she has shown modern Kozhikode Muslim milieu in a realistic manner, Anwar Rasheed’s packaging and Gopi Sundar’s background score and haunting songs.
Ustad Hotel may not shock you with some thrilling plots or dramatic twists, but it is an entertaining watch that can bring smiles on your faces or at certain other instances can make your eyes moist. It could definitely have been less lengthy and more gripping, but it is worth a watch even in this form
Thattathin Marayathu
Language : MalayalamActors : Nivin Pauly, Isha Talwar, Sreenivasan
Director : Vineeth Sreenivasan
Music Director : Shaan Rahman
Producer : Mukesh and Sreenivasan
After Fazil’s Aniyathipravu, Of course malayalam films have come across many love stories, but not the romance of youngsters. Thattathin Marayathu is a true college love story.
“It is a simple, romantic story and sincerely hope that this romantic story is going to attract all. It is based in Thalassery .
Feel good factor is back with the love blossoms around you while you watching this Vineeth Sreenivasan directed malayalam movie “Thattathin Marayathu”. Each frames cascaded with the happening of feel thats what we call love, that takes you to the innocence, pain and goodness that expressed the beauty of this romantic tale. Definitely see this one to feel “Thattathin Marayathu”…
Umachikuttiye Premicha Nairude Katha….., Story is all set in Thalassery where Vinod portrayed by Nivin Pauly and comes from the hindu family, while not so a poor student. Vinod’s love for Ayisha enacted by Isha Talwar, get to an obsession and even things are like that he can’t move without thinking about Ayisha, who hails
from a Muslim family. Apart from that Ayisha’s family came from the rich and powerful society. Vinod and Ayisha’s first interaction put Vinod in an romantic feel that later on describe the beauty of Ayisha throughout.
Oe of the incidents led them to the police station, where the story began to sail, Sub Inspector Prem Kumar performed by Manoj K.Jayan, put on every effort to help Vinod in his saga of love story, that led up to the rest of this tale. Nivin Pauly and Aju Varghese who performed the character of Abdu, sinks well to put on the good show. Isha Talwar beautifully made her debut in malayalam films, While Manoj K.Jayan, Sreenivasan, Manikuttan, Sunny Wayne, Aparna Nair and others made up to the taste.
Vineeth Sreenivasan showed up his talent with some good narration and theme is perfect, good script that bound viewers pretty well. Another one to mention without it couldn’t be complete Jomon T.John, this is the man behind whole brilliant romantic frames, while Ranjan Abraham’s cuts add up to the success of “Thattathin Marayathu”. Music wasn’t go wrong particularly with Vineeth Sreenivasan, songs rocking the chart needn’t any claims, with the hands of Shaan Rahman and lyrics by Engendiyoor Chandrashekharan, Anu Elizabeth and the director himself. Lumiere Film Company Banner, Mukesh and Sreenivasan produced this malayalam movie “Thattathin Marayathu” is distributed across the screens by L.J.Films
After Fazil’s Aniyathipravu, Of course malayalam films have come across many love stories, but not the romance of youngsters. Thattathin Marayathu is a true college love story.
“It is a simple, romantic story and sincerely hope that this romantic story is going to attract all. It is based in Thalassery .
Feel good factor is back with the love blossoms around you while you watching this Vineeth Sreenivasan directed malayalam movie “Thattathin Marayathu”. Each frames cascaded with the happening of feel thats what we call love, that takes you to the innocence, pain and goodness that expressed the beauty of this romantic tale. Definitely see this one to feel “Thattathin Marayathu”…
Umachikuttiye Premicha Nairude Katha….., Story is all set in Thalassery where Vinod portrayed by Nivin Pauly and comes from the hindu family, while not so a poor student. Vinod’s love for Ayisha enacted by Isha Talwar, get to an obsession and even things are like that he can’t move without thinking about Ayisha, who hails
from a Muslim family. Apart from that Ayisha’s family came from the rich and powerful society. Vinod and Ayisha’s first interaction put Vinod in an romantic feel that later on describe the beauty of Ayisha throughout.
Oe of the incidents led them to the police station, where the story began to sail, Sub Inspector Prem Kumar performed by Manoj K.Jayan, put on every effort to help Vinod in his saga of love story, that led up to the rest of this tale. Nivin Pauly and Aju Varghese who performed the character of Abdu, sinks well to put on the good show. Isha Talwar beautifully made her debut in malayalam films, While Manoj K.Jayan, Sreenivasan, Manikuttan, Sunny Wayne, Aparna Nair and others made up to the taste.
Vineeth Sreenivasan showed up his talent with some good narration and theme is perfect, good script that bound viewers pretty well. Another one to mention without it couldn’t be complete Jomon T.John, this is the man behind whole brilliant romantic frames, while Ranjan Abraham’s cuts add up to the success of “Thattathin Marayathu”. Music wasn’t go wrong particularly with Vineeth Sreenivasan, songs rocking the chart needn’t any claims, with the hands of Shaan Rahman and lyrics by Engendiyoor Chandrashekharan, Anu Elizabeth and the director himself. Lumiere Film Company Banner, Mukesh and Sreenivasan produced this malayalam movie “Thattathin Marayathu” is distributed across the screens by L.J.Films
Diamond Necklace
Dr. Arun (Fahad Fazil) is one of those many youngsters based in Dubai, who has been for long, living beyond his means, awestruck by the sights and scenes that the magical city has on offer. The squanderer however has a way with women, and before long has the fresh nursing assistant Lekshmi (Gauthami Nair) dancing to his tunes.In ‘Diamond Necklace’, there is an open-ended exploration of everything that could possibly go wrong in a youngster’s life as well as the lives of those with whom he connects at different planes. It’s ironic that Dr. Arun is repeatedly commented for the positivism that his demeanor generates and yet the tragedy in his life seems a bit too contagious, stealthily spreading across to those vying for his affection.
The three women in his life - Lekshmi, Maya (Samvrutha Sunil) and Rajasree (Anusree) - aren’t women who suffer from an identity crisis. Nor are they perplexed individuals who aren’t sure as to what they want from their lives. On the contrary all three of them share a commonality in that their personal journals would carry a story about love and the trauma of simply being in love.
I’m sure we might differ quite a bit here, but Maya does emerge the toughest one among the lot, living the moment and simply refusing to bow down before the plans that have already been laid out before her. Lekshmi is impressive for not having turned out into a vengeful demon at being spurned; she’s poised in the face a calamity, and moves elegantly ahead picking up whatever is left in her life. And Rajasree retains the quintessential essence of being a woman, and turns out to be the most endearing among the three of them!
Lal Jose’s take on relationships in the film is charming and occasionally insightful. It’s on his individual characters that he banks on, to craft this delightful romantic tale of a man who has walked quite a long way along the path of self-destruction. In doing so, the director leaves in tact the labyrinthine emotions that come to play.
It’s interesting to see a structural resilience emerging gradually out of the narrative that starts off quite modestly. Some very familiar ideas converge together to a cohesive whole, and the transformation makes you feel good. Its refreshing to see the film sidestepping stereotypes, and focusing instead on the deeply humanistic story that it intends to tell.
Perhaps for a brief while, the film does tend to get a bit didactic when there is an attempt to draw in a second layer of a moral fable beneath the main story, where Venu (Sreenivasan), a family friend of Arun’s takes the lead. There are suggestions that love abounds when you are poor, and the multimillionaire patient in the cancer ward further emphasizes that it all comes down to a sick bed eventually.
This is a film that could easily brag of inspiring performances from its relatively fresh and young cast. Fahad is imposing as the oncologist who realizes a bit too late, that the malignancy within his mind has spread far and wide. Samvrutha delivers a career best perhaps, and as a bonus looks gorgeous! The surprise packets of the film however are Gauthami Nair and Anusree; the former having come up with a delightful performance that is at once controlled and striking, and the latter for her spontaneity that is downright astounding!
The thread of the story – the connection of a diamond necklace in the life 4 persons – Fahad, Samwritha, Gautami and Anusree is not a great one to make a film, and it is a pretty ordinary take. With the branding of Joy Alukkas seen all over the film, the film at times loses the direction but somehow with the presence of Fahad, the film comes back to track.
Diamond Necklace is not without imperfections, but all together, Diamond Necklace can be marked as a watchable film, with some good songs too in it. If you are a Fahad Fasil fan, don’t miss it.
Grand Master
Chadrasekhar (Mohanlal) is an officer who has assumed charge of the Metro Crime Stopper Cell, and who finds it extremely difficult to keep things in focus. The reason? He’s a divorcee who gets to see his teenage daughter twice a week, and has had enough of living life alone. A reconciliation with wife Deepthi (Priyamani) seems out of question.It’s essentially a serial murder mystery that the film attempts to unfurl. But there are very few occasions when the script rises above the routine to delve into something drastically different. Yes, there is a psychopath on the lose, who challenges Chandrasekhar to figure out how he is gonna bump off one target after the other.
The Grand Master in ‘Knight Moves’ Chandrasekhar doesn’t get accused of the murders himself. Instead he shakes off the lethargy and gets off from his table where he had playing chess for a long while now. For a change, he decides to take on a real adversary. There are plenty of cliches lying along the way as he goes ahead with the investigation.
It’s all a matter of chance that Chandrasekhar chooses the one decisive letter from the heap; one that has been signed ‘Z’. And when people start getting hacked according to the first letter of their names, you shudder for a moment thinking if it could be quite a long wait till one reaches the dreaded last letter.
It’s quite difficult to script a whodunit these days, with the intelligence of the audience working overtime to figure out who the killer might be. No prizes for guessing the perpetrator of the crimes hence, and the only thing that’s left for you to is to wait patiently for the motive to roll out.
Of course the worst part of it is the climax when they grab the least susceptible one from the crowd and build a story around to make it all seem logical. It’s quite a long winding story and it just about stays fixed there, sticking out like an appendage.
The star does tower over the script at times, and ‘Grand Master’ is one such occasion. It has been a long, long time since we got to see Mohanlal play a role as effortlessly as he does in GM. Not forgetting to mention that he looks absolutely dashing with that streak of grey in his hair.
22 Female Kottayam
22 Female Kottayam, the new Aashiq Abu movie, is a revenge tale without any gunshots. It narrates the transformation of Tessa Abraham (Rima Kallingal) from an innocent nurse to a strong blood thirsty woman.Tessa, a Malayalee nurse in Bangalore, meets a guy named Cyril and become friends. Cyril runs an agency which recruits nurses from India in various hospitals overseas. Cyril promises to help Tessa to reach Canada. After various meetings, they fall in love and decide to live together.
Later on, in a night club, a fight ensues between Cyril(Fahad Fazil) and an unknown guy. It is later revealed that the unknown guy was the son of a prominent politician. Cyril’s mentor Hegde(Prathap Pothen) intervenes and asks him to hide himself somewhere until the problem is solved.
In the absence of Cyril, Hegde brutally rapes Tessa. She gets hospitalized with serious wounds. Cyril comes back and helps her recover from the shock. But Hegde visits Tessa again and rapes her one more time.
Hegde realizes that Tessa would retaliate and he cooks up a drug case and sends her to prison. But, the harsh atmosphere within the jail gives strength to her and she decides to seek revenge.
The movie will be remembered for its Strong performance by its lead actors Fahad Fazil and Rima Kallingal. Fahad’s act is something which will redefine the image of a Hero in Malayalam film industry. Witty dialogues by Syam Pushkaran make this movie more entertaining.
22 female Kottayam should be considered a taboo breaker. The female protagonist telling her boy friend she is not a virgin in a casual tone and the lover accepting it without any frustration will be an unprecedented event in the history of Malayalam cinema.
T.G Ravi, Sathar and Prathap Pothen deserves special mention for their performances.
Director: Aashiq Abu
Producer: OG Sunil
Screenwriter: Abhilash Kumar, Syam Pushkaran
Studio: Film Brewery, Ogee
Starring: Fahad Fazil, Prathap Pothen, Rima Kallingal, Sathar, TG Ravi
Karmayogi
Karmayogi is a re interpretation of the classic tragedy Hamlet written by William Shakespeare. The background is northern Kerala. The characters belong to the yogi community. The yogis perform a ritual known as Kelipatram. Kelipatram is a symbolic form of begging to evoke the myth of lord Siva. According to the myth, Siva had spent twelve years on earth as a beggar.
The movie opens when a marriage ceremony is about to take place between Bhairavan (Thalaivasal Vijay) and Mankamma (Padmini Kolhapure). The occasion is intense because Mankamma’s husband, who is also Bhairavan’s elder brother, has died only a few days ago. While everyone accepts the unlikely situation, Mankamma’s son Rudran (Indrajith) appears frustrated. Clad in a dark dress Rudran imparts a sort of gloom to the occasion. His attitude upsets others.
But, somebody was there who took a hidden pleasure in Rudran’s change of attitude. He was Kidathan (M.R Gopakumar), a close associate of Bhairavan. Foreseeing a battle, Kidathan sends his son Kanthan (Saiju Kuruppu) to learn ‘Kalari’. Kanthan learns his art from a female trainer (played by Kani).
Kidathan’s daughter Moonnu Mani (Nitya Menon) is in love with Rudran, but her brother and father are against this affair.
One night Rudran had a nightmare in which his father appears and reveals that he was killed by Bhairavan. Rudran collects evidence for this and plans a plot to murder Bhairavan. But due to his ‘to be or not to be attitude’ he spoils every chance to kill Bhairavan.
Meanwhile, Bhairvan exploits the situation by killing Kidathan and spreading rumour that it was done by Rudran. Believing the rumour s, Kanthan seeks revenge on Rudran. Bhairavan arranges a demo-duel between Kanthan and Rudran. But, Rudran thwarts Bhairavan’s ploy and kills him.
Director : VK Prakash
Producer : Sajitha Prakash, Vachan Shetty
Screenwriter : Belram
Starring : Indrajith, Kani, M.R Gopakumar, Manikuttan, Nitya Menon, Padmini Kolhapore, Saiju Kuruppu, Thalai Vasal Vijay, Vinay Fort Cochin
Thalsamayam Oru Penkutty
Thalsamayam Oru Penkutty is a social satire which mocks at the reality shows being aired on various channels. People flock before the TV screen on prime time to enjoy the staged realities. This movie, directed by TK Rajeev Kumar, is targeting such realty show addicts to make them aware of what is really happening behind the screen.
Real TV is planning a new channel completely dedicated for airing reality shows. Producer Zerena (Swetha Menon) comes up with a fresh idea which grabs everyone’s applause except a jelous Thomas (Baburaj). Zerena’s new program is conceived as a reality show which will capture the real life of a chosen girl and will be telecasted live. She will be followed by cameras everywhere and even her room will be under surveillance.
Seeing the advertisement, girls make a beeline to send the application for the program. Manjula Ayyappan Pilla( Nithya Menon), a typical village girl, gets selected as the first contestant of the program. Though initially shy, Manju succeeds in getting a huge fan following. She leads her camera crew to unexpected places and gives surprising results, making the show eventful.
On one occasion she meets the leader of opposition of the state and casually chats with him. But throughthis talk he understands her village is having problems with electricity and the officials are ignoring their grievances. Camera captures this incident and the authorities are forced to solve the problems of her village.
The show reveals many funny events as well as grave crimes she has witnessed. She even solves the murder of a young entrepreneur Shibu Lal (Suraj Venjaramoodu). The show takes a romantic twist when a choreographer Sooryan (Unni Mukundan) becomes part of the show. They fall in love.
But it is later revealed that many of the events in the show are scripted by the channel itself, and the claim for reality is bogus. The entry of Sooryan was a planned by Thomas and the CEO of the channel (Siddique) to enhance the rating of the show.
Feeling cheated, Zerena and Manju plans an elaborate script to reveal the true color of the channel, through the same show itself.
Plus Points: This sort of an idea is untouched in Malayalam. The charming actress Nitya Menon drives the movie with her screen presence. Swetha Menon excels in her role. Some of the songs tuned by Sharreth is impressive.
Minus Points: The movie’s biggest minus is its climax. The climax proves the writers lack imagination.
Director: TK Rajeev Kumar
Producer: Reel 2 Reel
Screenwriter: Manuel George, Sunny Joseph
Studio: Reel 2 Reel
Starring: Maniyan Pilla Raju, Nitya Menon, Siddique, Suraj, Swetha Menon, Unni Mukundan
Nidra
Nidra is a rare tribute made by a son to his late father, who happened to be a master film maker in Malayalam. Sidharth Bharathan’s directorial debut comes in the form of a remake of a rare classic by his father Bharathan.
Nidra was a psycho-drama directed by Bharathan decades ago, with Vijay Menon and Shanthi Krishna playing the lead roles. The remade version has Sidharth Bharathan and Rima Kallingal replacing them.
Nidra tells the story of an unusual love between a young girl named Aswathy( Rima Kallingal) and a mentally challenged Raju (Sidharth Bharathan). Raju and Aswathy were childhood friends. During college days they fell in love but Raju went to Germany as part of his studies and research. He had severe nervous breakdown when his mother died. This prompts his father (played by Thalaivasal Vijay) to arrange a marriage for Raju.
Though Aswathy’s mother Bhargavi Amma (KPAC Lalitha) was initially reluctant to give green signal to this proposal, Aswathy finally succeeds in getting her consent for the marriage. But on the very first night itself Raju shows the signs of going psychic. He tries to physically abuse Aswathy.
Aswathy realizes from Dr.Peter’s (Vijay Menon) words that Raju’s disease is a sort of paranoia. He fears that everyone in his family, especially his elder brother Viswam(Jishnu), is conspiring against him. Raju even had nightmares in which Viswam tries to murder him.
But, gradually Aswathy witnesses the other aspects of his personality. She finds him as a creative genius, striving to make new scientific discoveries. He is a sheer lover of nature also. Raju takes her to his dream house, which is a shack inside a forest-like land. His friends are an eagle, a serpent and some caged birds, which he affectionately calls ‘his girls’. Aswathy is highly impressed by the nature lover in Raju.
Raju is brought back to normal state with the love and care shown by Aswathy. But, the happiness was temporary. Raju’s brother Viswam tries to sell the land, which contains his dreamhouse, to build a villa for his business interests. Raju’s reaction was violent and scuffle ensues. Raju tries to kill Viswam but his co-brother gets seriously wounded. After the incident Raju becomes completely insane, with no hope for recovery.
The movie ends when Aswathy and Raju drown in a river kissing each other.
Plus Points: Sidhart Bharathan’ directorial debut is impressive to some extent with the kind of shots he has made to portray the psychic mood of the movie. The visuals are beautiful with a surreal feel. Music by Jassie Gift is melodious, especially ‘Shalabhamazhayay…’ sung by Shreya Ghoshal.
Rima Kallingal and Jishnu seem impressive in their respective roles. Nidra is better comeback for the forgotten actor Jishnu. He looks convincing as a selfish, money oriented man who often cause fluctuations in his brother’s mental stability.
Minus Points: The new version definitely lacks the’ Bharathan Touch’which is inimitable. Sidharth Bharathan as an actor has his own limitations which is evident here and there in Nidra. Dialogues, written by the well-known story writer Santhosh Echikkanam, are not so powerful.
Director: Sidharth Bharathan
Producer: Lucsam Creations
Screenwriter: Santhosh Aechikkanam, Sidharth Bharathan
Studio: Lucsam Creations
Starring: Jishnu, KPAC Lalitha, Rima Kallingal, Sidharth Bharathan, Thalai Vasal Vijay, Vijay Menon
Fathers Day
Fathers Day, directed by the well known scenarist Kalavoor Ravikumar, delve deeply into the trauma of rape victims.
The central character Seethalakshmi, played by Revathy, is a college lecturer who lives with his niece (Played by Indu Thampy). Seethalakshmy’s brother Gopan (Vineeth) is upset about his sister’s unwillingness to marry someone. With his consent, her old friend Mathan (Lal) proposes to her, but Seetha turns it down.
One day, at a supermarket, Seetha discovers a stranger eyeing her. She soon realizes that he has been following her for days. Seetha catches him one day and asks about his intention. He says his name is Joseph K Joseph (Shehin); he followed her closely as part of his criminology thesis which is based on the trauma of rape victims. Seetha gets shocked when Joseph said she is the subject of his thesis.
Seetha goes back to her horrible memories of being raped by four men 20 years ago on a rainy night. She evinces the symptoms of insanity and depression which she had succeeded in overcoming with intense therapy.
Gopan traces Joseph and threatens him not to meet Seetha again. Yet, despite the warning, Joseph meets Seetha and confesses that he is not just a research student, but a friend to Seetha’s son, whom she abandoned 20 years ago. Seetha says she can’t accept her son back since he reminds her of the four men who raped her.
Later it is revealed that Joseph is Seetha’s son and he came back to avenge the four men who had raped his mother. He identifies the four men and blackmails them to seek revenge.
Oscar winner Resul Pookutty makes a special appearance in Father’s Day.
Verdict: Father’s day is a good movie ruined by old style making and amateur acting.
Director: Kalavoor Ravikumar
Producer: Bharath Samuel
Screenwriter: Kalavoor Ravikumar
Starring: Indu thampy, Jagathy Sreekumar, Lal, Revathy, Shehin, Vineeth
Fathers Day, directed by the well known scenarist Kalavoor Ravikumar, delve deeply into the trauma of rape victims.Unnam
Unnam seems to be the remake of Johny Gaddhar which gave actor Neil Nitin Mukesh a much required break in Bollywood.A retired smuggler Sunny (Lal), one day, receives a call from one of his old acquaintances named Balakrishna (Sreenivasan), a policeman in Bangalore. The call was about an illegal deal which may fetch a huge amount of money for both of them. Sunny was initially reluctant to accept the offer since the deal was to sell heroin. He later agrees because the profit would be useful for his struggling friends to make e better life.
Sunny makes a team of five which includes the bar singer Aloshi (Asif Ali), Tommy Eapen, the bar owner (Prashant Narayanan), Murukannan the gambler (Nedumudi Venu) and Basheer. According to Sunny’s plan, each team member should contribute a sum of 50 lakhs to purchase the stuff from Balakrishna and he will sell it afterwards. Every one nods to the plan, but the rift in the team surfaces very soon when Tommy expresses his dislike for Murukannan for being such a loser in life and he says Murukan is unfit for the job. He openly predicts Murukan would not be able to hand out his share on time.
Meanwhile, Aloshi was having a secret affair with Tommy’s wife Jenny (Rima Kallingal). Jenny steals money from her husband and gives it to Aloshi. Jenny wanted to elope with Aloshi because she needed to escape from her husband who was pimping girls to increase his fortunes.
Sunny’s plan goes awry when Bashir gets killed and the money vanishes. Sunny traces the traitor among them but ends up being murdered. Balakrishna arrives from Bangalore to find out the murderer of both Sunny and Bashir and recover the stolen money. He reaches out to the traitor but succumbs to his gunshots.
As everyone aware of the plan gets murdered Murukan suspects that Tommy is the real rat. He plans an encounter with Tommy but it does not work out as the ‘rat’ kills Murukan. The movie ends when Murukan’s wife Sereena (Swetha Menon) shoots the traitor from behind, to avenge her husband’s murder.
The cast includes Asif Ali, Lal, Nedumudi Venu, Sreenivasan, Prashanth Narayan, Swetha Menon and Rima Kallingal.
Unnam has been produced under the banner of Kuniyil Films. Ajayan Vincent is the cinematographer and John P Varkey is the music director.
Njanum Ente Familiyum
Dr. Dinan (Jayaram) is a renowned cardiac surgeon, who ahs been busy running a hospital and a sweet family that comprises of his doctor wife Priya (Mamta Mohandas) and two kids. A chance encounter with Sophy (Mythili) whom he was once in love with rekindles smothered emotions with in Dinan, and along with her goes on a journey from which there is no return.
The human mind does make up interesting material for a writer to dwell upon, and this is exactly what Kalpakavady has in mind when he sets out to take a closer look at the heart of a cardiac surgeon. Where he loses out on, is that not much light is shed on none of the relationships in the film, precisely since the characters appear half-baked.
I do agree that the change in scenario past the interval comes as a surprise, but somehow this is the kind of a surprise that takes down a film with it. Its here that the film starts losing ground, and in no time you start wondering where it’s all headed.
The other woman as always, is doomed for disaster, and ‘Njanum Ente Familyum’ takes it a step further with a shocker twist that makes her disappear from the film as if in a magical act. Come to think of it, perhaps the scenarist felt that this was the best way in which things could finally come to an amicable settlement.
Of the three characters in the film that make up the triangle, Sophy is the only one that has got some flesh and blood, while the other two remain perfect stereotypes. And what’s more, Priya suffers most from the onslaught of the writer’s pen. Stripped of an identity, she comes across as a baffled individual who doesn’t have a clue as to what she should do, when she realizes that her husband has been cheating on her.
The screenplay does remind you of similar films that you had seen in the past; better written ones that had left a mark. How could we forget the IV Sasi - Suresh Gopi film ‘Aksharathettu’ or even Ranjith’s own ‘Paavakoothu’ that ironically had Jayaram himself playing a man caught between two women.
The acting is uniformly good, and I should say that Jayaram does a remarkable job of playing a man who makes his life miserable with a wrong choice that he makes. Of the women, its Mythili who scores this time around, and the young actress excels in at least a couple of scenes, assuring us that more solid performances are on the way. Mamta does a decent job, as always, of what she has been offered, and establishes further that she is an actress par excellence.
This one is a film that could have turned out to be a compelling drama, had the script been tauter. As of now it merely remains a cluster of clichés that keep bumping into each other in a vacuum.
Second Show Review
A host of youngsters also mark their debut in this film. Dulquer Salmaan is the protagonist in “Second Show” and Gauthami Nair plays his heroine. Director Srinath Rajendran also makes his debut with this movie.Others making their entry in to Malayalam filmdom include Bollywood TV and cinema actor Sudesh Berry, and Vini Vishnulal who authors the script and screen play. Pappu, assistant cinematographer of Rajeev Ravi is the cinematographer. Kaithapram Namboodiri is the music director and Avial Band has also chipped in with a musical number. The movie is made under the manner of AOPL International Pvt. Ltd.
The movie depicts the happenings in the underworld of a city. They are unflustered and unruffled in any crisis, they have no qualms when annihilating their prey, they are contract teams known as Quotation Gangs, and “Second Show” is a movie about them, but unlike the usual movies about these goons, this is a story with a difference.
Young Lalu and his friends have a clash with the infamous gang leader of the city, Vishnubudhan. Lalu alias Hari starts making moves against Vishnubudhan, and at the same time, the gang leader plans ways and means to destroy Lalu. The story of “Second Show” develops along these lines.
The storyline is rather thin and consequently the script is fragmented with real settings,situational comedy scenes and catching dialogues. The theme of friendship and loyalty is strikingly familiar and at times the film rambles along aimlessly, especially during the second half. The situations sometimes seem contrived and made as an after thought. It is obvious that the director has made an earnest attempt and there are instances where the movie rises to a different level.
Srinath Rajendran has made sure that the best technical resources are made use of in the film. And he has shown glimpses of brilliance in the handling of the movie which promises better things to come. Photography in general is good with some stunning takes from Pappu. Editing, by Praveen K.L. and Sreekanth N.B. is efficient but there is scope for further cuts at places where the movie limps along.Vini Vishwalal’s script is refreshing. Music by Avial and Nikhil is average but background music is better.
Special mention must be made about the youngsters have performed creditably. Dulquar Salman, who acts as Lalu, the gang leader, has handled his part well as a rookie, but he will improve with time and sharpen his skills to reach greater heights. Gauthami Nair is pretty and performs well. Sunny, who is the jester in the group, has his charming moments. Sunny’s ‘Kurudi’ turns to show-stealer. Baburaj provides the required humourous touch and does it well. Sudesh Berry with his macho looks fits the part of villain admirably. The rest of the crew such as Noora, Aneesh, Anil, Bibin, Murali Krishna and Rohini are competent in their roles.
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