Movie: Chattambi Nadu
Language: Malayalam
Date: 24th, Dec

Review
---------

Originality and New Theme are the last things that you expect in a commercial festival movie like 'Chattambi Nadu' and that is exactly what it renders. Shafi who has made some better commercial movies like 'Kalyanaraman', 'Chocolate' and 'Mayavi' this time ends up with a rehash of some previous Malayalam movies. At strict 2 hours of length, 'Chattambi Nadu' won't bore you to death but neither will impress you much.

Theme
----------

The theme is oft repeated. The hero returning to village with which he has a past. Two warring groups and families in the village and the hero stealing the show. 'Rajamanikyam' is still fresh in all our memories hence the similarity is so obvious. Even 'Aaram Thampuran' and so many other movies have had this kind of a story in which a hero with a past returns to his village and so on. Even though expected, theme wise, 'Chattambi Nadu' is a major disappointment. Shafi is capable of bringing out some interesting themes within the commercial format like say in 'Chocolate'. Nothing of that sort happens here.

Mammotty and the Rest
--------------------------------
The saving grace of the whole affair is Mammotty who is once again superb in using diction and dialect to perfection. Even though the 'RajaManikyam' hangover is obvious, Mammotty lifts an ordinary role to a notable one with his use of the diction and flexibility in presentation. The rest of the cast is ho-hum except for Suraj and Salim Kumar. Suraj's antics are worth a few chuckles and Salim Kumar though looks jaded, manages to hold on with some one liners.

Direction is below par except for the handling of Mammootty's character. Lekshmi Rai and Maithili are wasted while Vinu Mohan tries hard to replace Rehman in the
RajaManikyam format. Music doesn't have much to write about either.

Verdict - 2.5/5 and 'Strictly Average'

Chattambi Nadu - The Usual Routine

Movie: Paa
Language: Hindi
Date: 5-12-09


Review
-----------

When the main protagonist is suffering from a rare illness in the movie, what you expect is the movie to capitalize on the sympathy generated around that. So, when you see such a movie and the above factor is never exploited but the character is built as smart, witty and lovable, then it comes across as a surprise. That’s exactly what the Balki's movie 'Paa' succeeds in. 'Paa's main protagonist 'Auro' (played superbly by Amitabh) is developed as a lovable, smart and witty 13 year old, that you will really fall in love with, even though he looks unconventional and almost close to being imagined as may be an 'alien'.

Entertaining Movie
-----------------------

'Paa' in way is a sober, serious movie. It’s actually funny for the most parts of it. And that is because of the way the movie has been written. Up until the interval, the movie is a complete joy ride through the life of Auro. As the second half starts off, many a scenes are lengthy and may look a bit tedious but the honesty and sincerity is evident. Also, by the second half you are in love with Auro and you are really interested in hearing his crackling one liners, which he has ample in stock for each situation. The script smoothly connects incidents up until the last 30 minutes when the emotional part sets in. Also, the length of 2.5 hours looks much appropriate rather than a 3 hour movie.

Performances
-----------------

There are some beautiful performances by an ensemble cast in 'Paa'. Vidya Balan as Auro's mother is one of her best performances since ‘Parineeta’. She is confidant and looks convincing as the mother of a 13 year old and also an abandoned mother. Abhishek Bachan not only essays the role of a father but also that of an honest young politician who is ambitious about his goals for the country. His character doesn't look like a father role alone. It has a definite dimension and sketch.
Arundhati Nag as 'Bum' - Auro's grand mother is so delightfully natural in her acting.
She is superb. And then there is Auro's friend - Ganesh (not sure of the child actor's name). He is a treat to watch on screen.
Finally, the movie belongs to the original superstar of Bollywood. Vintage, Classic and like no one else can do it, Amitabh puts in the most superlative performance after 'Black' as 'Auro' in 'Paa'. Auro doesn't go along 'Paa' by dying, he just lives through it and resurrects the movie along with him. Try acting with a mask on your face and then you would appreciate what Amitabh has done. Words are less to mark this superbly studied performance.


Music and Direction
------------------------

Illayaraja is a maestro but may be the whole of India still doesn't know him. 'Paa' may change that a bit more because its his best tunes for a long time in Bollywood. The tunes may not look that great individually but try seeing the movie and then you will realize its impact. Well mixed and used as background score, 'Paa' has uplifting tunes including 'Mudi Ittefaq Se', 'Gum Sum' and 'Paa'. Balki is an intelligent director and he has proved that with 'Cheeni Kum'. He just reinforces that with 'Paa'. Smart writing, dialogues, screen play and direction make 'Paa' the movie it is. Balki is special and 'Paa' just is a statement to that.

Negatives
------------

The only negatives I felt is Auro's height which looks a bit unconvincing. His dialogues may not be that audible for everyone all the time. Some scenes like Media Retaliation episode by Abhishek which look a bit extended.

Verdict: - 3.75/5 as a Rating. 'Very Good' as an Opinion.

Paa - Smart, Cute and Moving.

Movie : Neelathamara
Language : Malayalam
Date: Nov, 27, 2009

Review
------ ---

Do you remember the bed time stories during childhood, which your grandma used to tell you? Simple, down to earth stories. These did not have any complexities and had the flavor of human beliefs. It did not need too much imagination nor knowledge but only a clean mind which can be like a clean sheet of canvas ready to be painted by the various colors of such stories. Lal Jose's latest movie 'Neelathamara' is one such story. Simple to the core, 'Neelathamara' will appeal to you provided you have a mind for the same.

Delicious Simplicity
--------------------------

'Neelathamara' has the story of a servant girl who believes in the folklore that God will answer ones questions with an unusual Blue Lotus that would blossom in the temple pond. The usual love story between the son of the house and the servant girl, the miseries of the girl and so on, 'Neelathamara' has much that you have seen before but it has the simplicity and truth to its characters which are rarely seen in the movies nowadays. The audience almost expects something that challenges their mind each time they see a movie nowadays but 'Neelathamara' is nothing challenging. It’s not intended to be. It’s all about the simplicity of a story told at its own lovable pace.

True to Life Characters
-------------------------------

'Neelathamara' has characters that really pulled out of real life. Hence, if the love story between Kunjimalu and Das never seems touching, that’s because it’s exactly meant to be that, as its always the love story of Kunjimalu only and not the other way around. Hence, Kunjimalu is never melodramatic. Through crisis she is always subtle. And hence, Das is always the guy who wants to take advantage of a girl. So he invites Kunjimalu to his room the first time he talks to her. Its clear that he was never the good hearted hero. And hence, Ratnam always knows that Das as the life gifted to him by her father. So she is bold enough to thrash him on hearing his stint with Kunjimalu. Though Ratnam is angry with Kunjimalu as any wife would be but she hence understands her plight being a woman.

We can go on and on but its without a doubt that most characters of 'Neelathamara' are real, honest and not fake. Kudos to MT Vasudevan Nair for yet another collection of beautifully written characters.

Performances
-------------------

Archana as 'Kunjimalu' is the show stealer in the movie. She is simple and slowly by the end of the movie, she would have stolen your hearts. Samvratha Sunil as 'Ratnam' packs impact in a smaller yet bold role. Kailash as 'Das' never much looks the good boy which he was never meant to be. He is above average with a good voice. Reema is somewhat irritating and wasted in the usual walks from the pond to back home.


Technical Crew
--------------------
Lal Jose has done justice to the script written perhaps a bit too much as well. His handling of the sequences is true with the pace of the story. He has been able to extract creditable performances from the cast especially new comers. Cinematography is superb and one of the best reasons to watch the movie. Lighting is superbly done in night sequences. It looks poetic. Music is lilting with 'Anuraga' being one of the best melodies of the year. The Ghazal during the sad sequences is aesthetically shot. There is no injection of unwanted comedy, drama to increase the length. Its sharp as much as the script demands. 1 hour and 45 odd minutes.

Negatives
-------------
Lal Jose looks too much in awe of MT, so much so that he spoils the end. In whatever way you want to see, the end looks abrupt and not well done. Its this aspect that possibly makes a bravely (due to its simplicity) 'Good' movie to stay at an 'above average' level because the end of the movie is always one of the key points in the whole scheme of things. Lal Jose leaves it as if straight out of a novel or a literary ending. Forget a cinematic conclusion; 'Neelathamara' never gets a satisfying end which is a dampener. The director doesn't rise above the story or the script to end it and may have lost the holistic picture by doing that.

All in all, imagine a movie completely shot only in a traditional Kerala home with probably the room in the first floor, the wooden stairs leading to it, being major location spots. The temple pond, the Blue lotus being major factors in the story. Probably its too difficult to even imagine something as simple as that in the modern world. That is simply the beauty of 'Neelathamara'.

Verdict - Rating - 3.25/5, Opinion - Above Average

'Neelathamara'- Simple Poetry.

Movie : Kurbaan
Language : Hindi
Date : 21,Nov. 2009

Review
----------

Some movies try to be so serious on the theme that it leaves you wanting for some entertainment by the end of it. Renzil Di Silva's directorial debut 'Kurbaan' is one such movie. It addresses the issue of terrorism, revenge, punishing the innocents in the name of 'Jihad' and about the American Invasion of the Muslim world. All these issues are addressed without shying away but the way it has been shown leaves you wanting for some fresh air and entertainment.

Sparkling Moments - Few and far in-between
-------------------------------------------------------

'Kurbaan' has some sparking moments on screen. Though you expect it to happen, the chilling sequence when Khalid aka Ehsaan (Saif Ali Khan) reveals his identity to Avantika (Kareena) after she sees their crime, is a wonderfully handled sequence. Also, the classroom session by Ehsaan in to which Riyaz (Vivek) walks in for a debate. The explosions involving flight and subways etc have been convincingly shown.

Kareena - Saif - Vivek
------------------------------

Kareena puts in a strong performance as Avantika. From a girl who tries to explore the world of criminals to a lover haplessly admitting her being cheated, Kareena excels in the best role of the movie. Though her character goes in to a dip at certain portions of the movie, hers is easily the performance of the movie.
Saif puts in a performance with lots of restrain but looks aged in the initial portions. Saif's performance at best can be termed as above average. Vivek also is good in some sequences and average in others. Especially his forced accent sounds plastic.

Negatives
-------------
Renzil has been able to produce a fairly engaging fare up until the intermission but after that its a down hill graph with some interesting moments here and there. Perhaps better direction could have saved the movie.
From the moment Vivek tries to explore the terrorists by joining their gang, the movie goes in to unwanted territory. And with such a serious theme at hand, such escapades make viewers loose interest. As every character in the movie starts turning out to be a terrorist, one is looking else where for some fresh air and entertainment. By the end of it, who cares what happens to the mission or these characters.
Music is not importantly handled. 'Shukran' is the only track that leaves an impression. Even the seductive song by Kareena seems forced upon.

In short, 'Kurbaan' is an average fare becasue of being too serious about its subject. Its not boring to death but one doesn't feel interested beyond a point.

Verdict - 2.5/5 as Rating
Average as Opinion.

Kurbaan - Some movies are written so seriously, one just desires for some fresh air.

Movie: Kerala Cafe
Language: Malayalam
Theatre: Savitha
Date: Oct 30, 2009. 9:30 pm

Review
----------

As a different occasion demands a different look, the most different Malayalam Cinema of recent times also demands a different format for review.Stories have always enthralled us, be it the bed time stories from childhood, to books , novels and cinema. Director, Producer Ranjith's new movie 'Keala Cafe', is an analogy of 10 Short stories.

The 10 stories have been rated below purely on the basis of how much the reviewer has liked each.

The Best Ones
1. ‘Bridge’ by Anwar Rasheed - The most heart warming of all the stories is 'Bridge', the journey of discovering company at the point of being abandoned. It’s not because its unpredictable but because of its sheer presentation that this story wins hands down. With awesome camera and performances (Shantadevi, Salimkumar,Kalpana to the little boy) 'Bridge' reigns down in your hearts as the first rain after the summer.

2. ‘Island Express’ by Shankar Ramakrishnan - Personally, I liked the way this story unfurled. There is this tinge of surprise element and as the missing pieces
fall in place, the journey of common suffering after a disaster is a touching tale. Prithviraj's voice is apt during the scenes and Jayasurya's modulation notable.
Raju, Sukumari, Rehman throw in passing but competent glimpses.

The Good Ones
The first 3 in this lot were too close to call, but here it goes...
3. ‘Nostalgia’ by Padmakumar - The most sarcastic of all the stories, 'Nostalgia' is about all the Malayalees who live in nostalgia when they are abroad but shun the same when they reach their motherland. Brilliantly cheesy and sarcastic, 'Nostalgia' throws our falsifications out in the open. Dileep puts is a good one.

4. ‘Puram Kazhchakal’ by Lal Jose - Simple, unassuming yet with a chilling climax is Lal Jose's contribution, about the passengers in a journey who never know what the other is going through. Srinivasan is competent and Mammotty fits the role to perfection. The closing shot is one of the best story climaxes you will see in the movie. Lal Jose is moneys worth, most of the time.

5. ‘Happy Journey’ by Anjali Menon - Journey that takes twists to unchartered territories; 'Happy Journey' is a wonderful take on a short trip. Nithya Menon shines as the star of the show. Jagathy is classic as usual. Anjali Menon sure knows what she is doing with this two way conversational trip.

6. ‘Makal’ by Revathy – ‘Makal’ is nothing surprising but has a well known social message portrayed in a convincing manner. The actress playing the mother excels in her performance and her desperation and helplessness moves you. ‘Makal’ is for social enlightening.

The Ones That Went Sore
7. ‘Aviramam’ by B.Unni - A normal story of a struggling man in the midst of a financial crisis, 'Aviramam' is pretty much ordinary stuff apart from the warmth between the leading characters. An expected effort by the director.
8. ‘Season’ by Shyamaprasad - A story that tries to be hep, funny, humanitarian but reaches no where and ends up as passing fare. Shyamaprasad fails to leave an impact in the minds of the audience.
9. ‘Lalitham Hiranmayam’ by Shaji Kailas - The bizarre close up shots and the incessant rains proclaim the arrival of Shaji Kailas with a story which has unconvincing sequences and dialogues. Nothing better was expected from this anyways.
10. ‘Mrityunjayam’ by Uday - The story which disappoints as a horror, mythical tale looks like one out for the 'Darna Mana Hai' lot. With CBI and investigators thrown in, it’s easy to be shunned away.

Directors
-------------

Of the directors, the most impressive are Anwar Rasheed, Anjali Menon, Padmakumar and Lal Jose. Most of the cast has put in superb glimpes of their talent. Camera in some stories like ‘Bridge’ and ‘Puram Kazhchakal’ is superb. Renjith needs kudos for bringing this together.

The Link. Does it work?
-------------------------------

The main challenge of any analogy of short stories on screen is whether the link between them works. Here the link is the cafe which they take their breaks during the journeys.The 'Cafe' element seems forced in most of the stories as they progress but as the climax unfurls, it has been more or less convincingly depicted. This should impress the link well in the minds of the audience.

Verdict - 3.5/5 as a Rating
'Good Experiment for a Different Movie' as an Opinion.

Kerala Cafe - Bold and Beautiful

Movie: Pazhassi Raja
Language: Malayalam
Date: Oct 20, 2009

Review
-----------

At the end of a film, when the lights come on and the curtains fall, what ultimately matters is how much the movie has affected you at heart. Especially, if the movie is a piece of history, then the characters live in your memories decades later (The same director's OVVG is a perfect example), if the movie manages to pull your heart strings. Hariharan's latest epic 'Pazhassiraja' is grand piece of history, but how much the movie manages to affect you at heart is the most vital question, as the end credits roll. The Grandeur, effort and the intention is unquestionably there but what is questionable is the soul.

Grand Piece of History
------------------------------

The movie is a depiction of history in the era of 1790s and undoubtedly the portrayal is grand and on a massive scale. Hundreds of cast in the battle scenes, pieces of tribal villages’ recreated, full strength English Army, guerilla kind of warfare in the forest, 'Pazhassiraja' leaves no stone unturned in setting the backdrop for the epic piece to unfurl. Though the publicized budget seems completely imaginary, still this would go down as one of the costliest productions ever made in this Industry.

Technical Wizardry
--------------------------

‘Pazhassiraja’ is also a landmark in terms of the techniques used in Malayalam films. The cinematography enhances many a scenes. The radiant forests when Kerala Varma's stallion takes a dip in the stream, looks a beautiful shot. Battle scenes, fort sequences all have been shot well. Another huge positive is the color tone chosen. It becomes every evident in the outdoor scene. The Color tone gives the historic feel to the movie.

The lighting is perfect in many scenes especially one of the starting scenes when English Army invades Kerala Varma's palace. ‘Pazhassiraja’ is also enhanced with use of sound. Academy award Winner Resul Pookkotty shows how sound effects can raise a movie to a better level. Such use of sound in Malayalam is a unique first.

Hariharan as a director gets many things right but that’s about just it. Even though the movie is 3 hours and 20 minutes, it never gets hopelessly boring which should definitely be given as a credit to the director. His vision is strong and the execution succeeds to a point, in terms of scale. Where Hariharan falters is to build characters and to put heart and soul in to them. Script by the legendary MT Vasudevan Nair holds on, but not anywhere close to his previous master pieces.

Ensemble Cast
--------------------

‘PazhassiRaja’ has a competent performance by an ensemble cast. Sarath Kumar impresses most just because his is the only character which has been developed with proper character traits. A loyal friend, a faithful lieutenant, a fearsome fighter, a noble heart, ‘Edachena Kunkan’ is a treat to watch on screen. When he bravely ends his life rather than being hanged, your heart goes out to his loyalty.
Padmapriya as ‘Neeli’ is somewhat equally impressive as the ferocious fighter tribal lady. She is completely upright and lives the part to good extent. Manoj K jayan as the ‘Thalakkal Chandu’ acts out one of the most moving scenes in the movie when he is hanged to death.
Mammotty as ‘Keralavarma Pazhassi’ is a walk in the park of the legendary actor. He seems completely laid back and taking it easy until the last one hour. He comes in to his own in the climax. In the last one hour he raises his performance a few notches to add fire to the character. If ‘Pazassiraja’ as a character will be remembered a few years down the line, it would only be because this legendary actor.

Negatives
--------------

Firstly, the movie and its characters do not pull at your heart strings, for most part of it. The moment which the movie really touches you for the first time, arrives well over 2 hours in to the movie when ‘Thalakkal Chandu’ is publicly hanged in the rain. From there on the movie takes a different graph, emotionally speaking. Till then it’s all business as usual. Characters are never built properly. The only ones that touch you somewhat are ‘Edachena Kunkan’ and ‘Kerala Varma’. Character traits are never exposed or it seems no one has time for it though that excuse seems lame as the movie is 3 hrs 20 mins long. OVVG had 3 beautifully developed characters in Chandu, Archa and Aromal.

Secondly, lots of things seems forced upon during the movie. The treaty is signed and then broken without properly establishing events which led to the same. Kanika is shown undergoing a traumatic tragedy and minutes later she is all happy and in romantic scenes with the hero. 'KeralaVarma' abruptly decides that its been long since he has had a duel and does a casual duel with 'Edachena Kunkan'. Plastic. The English lady, ‘Dora’ meets ‘Keralavarma’ in the forest and she is so impressed (aka Lagaan) that she keeps fighting for him with her husband. It’s so plastic and unreal. A hanging scene is created for her to enter in a Pallakku wail and then leave. And when she leaves to England the last word she screams out is to give regards to the King. Completely forced upon and unreal. Even the length of 3 hours and 20 minutes seems forced upon. The interval sequence arrives out of no where.

Thirdly, important characters just disappear. Thilakan who is shown fighting with ‘Keralavarma’ for the throne, is presented as a major challenger to him. But after 2 scenes, he just completely disappears from the picture. Neeli who is the single most impressive female character in the whole movie, is shown putting up a brave fight against the English Army as the King escapes. After that what happens to her is never shown. Probably it needs to be assumed that she went down fighting with the army.

Fourthly, there is some terrible English cast chosen in the movie. Most of them act terribly or over act. The character ‘Dora’ and her husband (who plays the collector) are ultimate symbols of the casting goof ups done in terms of the English actors. They never much evoke any hatred. All they evoke is sympathy for poor acting.

Music is nothing impressive. Kanika is completely wasted in a souless role. The wired jump sequences look unreal and tacky which is a downer.

In conclusion, 'Pazhassiraja' is a piece of history presented on a grand scale and just that. The characters never become heart warming because they are left under developed. What is shown is their bravery and virility only. In terms of being heartless the movie has a striking resemblance to Aamir Khan's 'Mangal Pandey' but is definitely notches above that.
It’s a sure one time watch for the scale, grandeur, sound and techniques used in presenting it.

Verdict - 3.25/ 5 as a Rating.
'Fine One Time Watch' as an opinion.

‘Pazhassi Raja’ - Its Grand but how we wish it had more heart and soul in it.

Movie: Wake Up Sid
Language: Hindi
Date: 07-Oct-2009


Review
During an actor’s life span some times he/she may come across roles which really do not require much imagination in terms of acting skills. These roles would require them to behave or react as what they are, both in terms of their real personality and physique. Ayan Mukerji’s directorial debut ‘Wake Up Sid’ sees B-Town’s newest star prodigee Ranbir Kapoor in one such role as the lazy kid-man ‘Siddharth’ aka Sid.

2 actors who live their roles
One of the wholesome positives of ‘Wake Up Sid’ is that its 2 lead actors suit their roles to the T, so much so that they seem like living it and not really acting.
Ranbir Kapoor is so much at élan and natural as the rich, careless, aimless, ambitionless youth, who feels it as a natural thing to say that what he wants to do in future, is to keep spending his father’s wealth.3 films old Ranbir, delivers his best performance to date in the movie. Ranbir as ‘Sid’ is young, charming and has wonderful screen presence. Ranbir doesn’t have to put much imagination in to the acting, which is evident from the last scene where he is sitting at the window and it starts raining. For the first time in the movie, he falters to bring in the right emotions when some imagination is called for. It almost shows that he was living through the rest of the entire movie.

Konkana as ‘Ayisha’, the ambitious yet cautious, uncompromising ‘new girl in the city’ of Mumbai, seems like a perfect cast. She is the mature calming presence who loves freedom and independence. Its through her eyes that Sid tries to at least get the first glimpse of what independence means and how it needs to be valued. Konkana may not have the spunk which other B-Town leading ladies have, but she delivers a fairly strong performance. On the flip side, ‘Wake Up Sid’ comes soon after ‘Luck By Chance’.The roles and the ambience are pretty similar which may be a spoiler for the fortunate few who have seen previous performance.


Music that Wakes You Up
Shanker-Ehsan and Loy have delivered at least 3 good tracks in this movie. The cool and soothing ‘IkTara’, the full of life ‘Life is Crazy’ and the title track ‘Wake Up Sid’. The music lifts the movie at some parts for sure.

Negatives
‘Wake Up Sid’ is slow by any standards. Its 2 hours and 15 minutes in length but feels like a full 3 hour movie. Ayan spends a lot of time building moments and the twists in the story fail to create impact, as the whole narration is in a breezy manner. This could easily have been a 1 hour 30 minutes movie.
And then, the script is weak. There are some sparkling moments thrown here and there but surely the script needs more mettle to hold viewer interest.
Director is so much involved with the breezy pace of the movie that viewers would soon loose interest. The only thing that would keep you hooked are Ranbir and Konkana as Sid and ‘Ayisha’.

Unlike as ‘Geet’ and ‘Aditya’ who traveled across the terrific landscape of the script of ‘Jab We Met’ and hence created a movie that was a treat to watch, ‘Sid’ and ‘Ayisha’ remain good performances alone, because the script that tells their story is not rich enough and the pace is slackening.

In short, ‘Wake Up Sid’ is a harmless one time watch for a little patient ones.


Verdict2.75 /5 as a Rating
Just Above Average
as an Opinion

‘Sid just about manages to Wake Up’ – Thanks to Ranbir!

Movie : Robinnhood
Language : Malayalam
Theater : Padma
Date : 24th Sep, 2009 - Thursday


Review
Youthful energy has always been captivating and energizing and when it happens in Malluwood, where it has been always lacking in the recent years, it can be refreshing as well.
Joshiy's new movie 'Robinnhood' (thats how it spells in the title) tries to ride the wave of youth on the back of an interesting ATM Robbery scam. 'Robinnhood' tries to be what you call in quintessential terms a 'youthful time pass flick' and mix high tech robbery to it. The percentage to which the movie has succeeded, lies in the territory of being debatable.

Youth Trio Gone Sour
During the first 15-20 minutes of 'Robinnhood', you feel that its almost like the 3 pronged clash that you famously loved in Joshiy's last 20-20. And it makes you feel happy because Joshiy is quite good at that and these youthful stars were missing anyways from the previous version. But sadly it doesn't last for long. Jayasurya is sidelined in a role which is a police officer who comes and goes once in a while. Its not a worthwhile role for him. The movie is a two way story between Prithviraj and Naren for most parts. We can safely say that 'Jayasurya is wasted' in this role.
The movie cannot boast of one decisive superlative lead actor performance. Prithviraj is good and has amazing screen presence. He is the hero of the movie but he doesn't run away with it as in 'Puthiya Mugham'.Naren is having almost an equal footing as Prithviraj puts in a unexpectedly competent performance but he neither is the clincher performance as well. They both relish amidst each other and as longs as they are chasing each other, the movie interests you.

A Good First Half
'Robinnhood' promises a lot in the first half. Its a logically well explained ATM Robbery story with technology part of it shown beautifully. Joshiy needs pat on the back for the depiction of the technical robbery. Until the interval, Prithviraj and Naren are hunting for each other and the movie keeps you glued to your seats. The interval point though not a high point is also fine.

Average Second Half
As the movie unfurls after the interval, things start to go downhill. The script takes the predictable route to justify the robbery done by the protagonist, with a much clichéd 'PAST' episode. And soon, twists become predictable. Movie completely moves in to its lowest points when Naren no longer hunts Prithviraj but starts saving him for the 'friendship'. So, it turns in to the usual one villain bashing end but the climax episode is cleverly planned and shown on screen, to say the least.

The Saviour
There is only one Saviour for 'Robinnhood' and thats undoubtedly Joshiy. He keeps you hooked for at least 70% of the movie and needs applause for the same. The way he has portrayed the technical portions of the robbery needs praise. The two character play and behind the back hunt between Prithviraj and Naren also needs applause. To be a veteran and yet to be up to date with a techno savvy movie, deserves kudos.

Music - The Downer
But how you would wish that Joshiy had some better music sense. From the moment you see 'M.Jayachandran' for the music credits in the opening, you smell foul. In such a hep youthful theme that is the last thing you would want to do. And that is what exactly happens. None of the 3 tracks are even average. The Caribbean Salsa party song (Sa Mosa) is the worst you would have heard of that kind.
Deepak Dev showed you how good music can lift an average movie with 'Puthiya Mugham'. Watch 'Robinnhood' to understand the reverse. There is not even a decent signature tune for the 'Prince of Thieves'. Youthful hep techno movie with no good music, now thats what you call a 'downer'!

Of the rest of the cast, Bhavana is for eye candy. Samvratha does the second heroine as usual. Biju Menon is his usual self. Jayasurya would have been fine not doing this one.

To Sum it all up, 'Robinnhood' has an impressive first half and an average second half. As long as the hunt lasts, its interesting but soon the 'justification from the past' arrives in the most clichéd set up.Climax is well arranged.

Verdict - 3.25 / 5 as a RATING
'ABOVE AVERAGE ENTERTAINER' as an opinion

Robinnhood - 'The Prince of Thieves who couldn't steal the hearts'.

Movie: Loud Speaker
Language : Malayalam
Date : 22-Sep-09, Tuesday


Review

Nostalgia, Camaraderie, Innocence, Simplicity and Humility are good emotions of the human heart. Director Jayaraj plays wonderfully with these good emotions of the human heart to portray an endearing tale of friendship between an organ donor, Mike (played by Mammotty) and his patient recipient, Menon (played by Sasikumar). Jayaraj tries to strike a poignant balance between the ease at which he wants his story to unfurl and the commercial aspects of entertainment. The director succeeds to a great extent in striking this balance. 'Loud Speaker' and its characters leave the mark of an intelligent director who wants to try a middle path of story telling, within the realms of art house and mainstream cinema.


'Mike' is Marvelous

This year we already have seen a fascinating manifestation of innocence by Mohanlal as Shivankutty in Blessy's 'Bharamaram'. This time its Mammotty's turn to deliver a stellar of a performance as the simpleton, 'Mike Philippose'. 'Mike' is what they call 'The Son of the Soil'. He is natural, simple and mostly naive in the world of modern fast paced city life. But in each one of us, living in today's times, there lies traces of 'Mike', wherein lies the success of the character. We know at the bottom of our hearts that the inexplicable display of emotions which he shows for the people around, is the right way to live but we shudder at the thought that if we do the same, we would also be regarded as a misfits in today's society, just as 'Mike' in this movie is.

From being the odd man out in the city life to being caring and selfless to others, from being 'senseless' in being loud to the self shattering love for his friend, Mammotty makes each moment of Mike a pleasure to watch.
When you watch him as 'Mike' you would not feel it as an extraordinary performance. The reason is that he does it with so much ease that it looks so simple. Its easily Mammotty's best role and performance for some time now.

Jayaraj - Just Worth It !

The story of 'Loud Speaker' is so simple that there is nothing much to go ga-ga about but the script and screenplay has saved the day for Jayaraj. The way he has created characters like 'Mike' and 'Menon' and other characters in the flat where they stay, is the clincher for this movie. Also, his play with nostalgia and human goodness surely deserves a pat on the back. Music also has been well used. The sequences seem carefully planned, songs well picturised especially the 'Alliyambal' one. Cinematography has been used to enhance the mood many a times.


Other Positives

Songs are befitting the situations. Mammotty singing in 2 of the songs may look a bit amateurish voice but when you consider it as 'Mike' singing it, it looks realistic. 'Alliyambal' is superb and memorably rendered by Vijay Yesudas. Its hard not have a lump in your throat while watching this song on screen. Looks and sounds beautiful. Bijibal's background score is good in parts.Cinematography is really good. Supporting cast and characters have been put in a notable show. Janardhanan, Jagathy, Salim Kumar, Suraj all do competent jobs. Gracy Singh has the same set of expressions as 'Munnabhai MBBS' and is over expressive at times.

Negatives

Now to the negatives. 'Loud Speaker' is not a boring film by any stretch of the imagination. Comedy scenes involving Mike in the first half and in the second are good but at a few instances the comedy looks like forced upon. It goes over the top. Jagathy getting bashed by kids in the Play School, Jagathy's dog bite sequence, Jagathy - Suraj counselling etc are examples where the comedy goes over the top and seems like forced upon. But it never reaches the point of unbearable and most of the gags involving Mike are funny.

Secondly, 'Menon' has an almost equally important screen space as 'Mike'. Considering this, Sasikumar puts in an average performance. Its not a revetting performance as Mammotty's. If it was a top notchperformance by the actor who played 'Menon', then the movie would have rose few notches high. When his past unfurls(which has been unduly delayed as well) one does not empathize with him. Its always with 'Mike's' character that the audience is. Hence the love story of 'Menon' and his return to home look a bit disconnected for the audience. The saving grace is that Mammotty has many a times covered it with his performance.

Thirdly, even at 2 hours and 15 minutes, 'Loud Speaker' feels its length especially towards the later part of second half. A bit intelligent audience may ask questions like 'What is the logic behind the donor being made to stay in a flat for so long without the operation happening?'. Even the date of the operation is shown as getting fixed only in the second half. Once the past of 'Menon' unfurls, the move goes in to a lethargic pace. The portions where he visits his home and then the post operation portions take its own time to unfurl. One would need some patience to sit through these portions. A good 10 minutes can be edited out of the movie.

Fourthly, the sync sound has not come forth effectively. Many dialogues in the first half go inaudible. Audience also needs some time to adjust themselves to this Sync Sound. Lack of clarity has affected many sequences.

Finally, to sum it all up, 'Mike' and 'Loud Speaker' talk of goodness of the human heart which are rare these days. It pulls at your heart strings and if you can have some patience, can be endearing as well.

Its one of the better Malaylalam movies of recent times but the vital question is in this age of ultra fast life, how many would have the patience to value this goodness?


Verdict - 3.5/5 as a RATING
GOOD
in terms of Opinion


'Loud Speaker' - All about the good things!

Movie : Kaanakanmani
Language : Malayalam
Theatre : Savitha
Date : Sep 06, 2009. Saturday

Review

When you expect a vegeterian meal for a marriage sadhya, you would be surprised to be served with Chinese instead. This is exactly what the family and general audiences watching Akku Akbar's latest movie 'Kaanakanmani' also are bound to feel. You may be expecting a family drama but about 40 minutes in to the movie, you would be surprised to be watching a horror movie instead.

Surprise! Surprise
The above genre shift is surprise which can be taken as a positive. Once you have come to terms with the fact that you are in for a horror movie, the next best thing is to judge 'Kaanakanmani' for what it is. A family based horror movie. You can be a best critique by judging the movie only based on its content and entertainment value, instead of the above genre shift.

A Novel Theme
The theme of abortion and the pain,suffering of the unborn child is a new theme in Malayalam. The way it has been presented in certain portions of the movie is noteworthy. Especially in the second half, after the initial song,the next 10-15 minutes which shows how the couple arrive at the decision of abortion and how the doctor explains the inhumanity involved is very much relatable and handled well.

Direction, or lack of it?
'Kaanakanmani' is a very good example of how a novel theme can be presented in an irritating manner. Director seems to have the above theme about which he is very passionate, alright, but the antics shown to drive home the point, make you squirm in your seats. The girl child (played notably by Niveditha) keeps switching between herself and the ghost of the unborn, without any provocative situation. This looks tacky. May be the director should see movies like 'Manichitrathazhu' more carefully, where a complex theme is presented so beautifully.

After 30 mins in the second half, all hell breaks looks and the movie becomes a directionless horror flick. There are some genuine scares but then again most of it seems cliche and oft repeated.By the end you do not care what the theme is of what happens to the family. Its difficult to sit through.

Performances
Niveditha as 'Anagha' is good but she is not outstanding. Her efforts to understand the character needs to lauded at such young age. Jayaram is nothing special as is Padmapriya who needs to seriously look at her colour sense in costumes. Biju Menon is wasted. Vijayaraghavan and Suraj are good releif.
Music has nothing to cheer. Camera is competant. Special effects not up to the mark.
The whole idea of horror being planned and created at an isolated home sans to impress and is very recent in the movie 'Winter' with the same hero. The same theme could have been presented in a much better way in a natural setting like say 'Bhooth'.
Apart from the novel theme and some moments here and there 'Kaanamanmani' is a painful watch.


Verdict - 2/5 as rating and 'BELOW AVERAGE' as opinion

'Kaanakanmani' - Mishandled novelty!

Movie : Daddy Cool
Language : Malayalam
Date : Aug 30th, Sunday
Show : 11:30 am

Review
Sometimes good on screen chemistry is what brings a smile on to your face. And this is somewhat the saving grace of Mammotty's new movie 'Daddy Cool'. The actor who has had the history of sharing legendary on screen chemistry with child actors like Baby Shalini, this time around comes back with another version of Daddy - Child Chemistry, with 'Aadhi' notably potrayed by the new child artiste Dhananjay.

Fairly Entertaining
'Daddy Cool' is not a great movie by any means but is a somewhat fair entertainer. It won't hurt you or make you go mad for seeing it. The story is nothing new.But the looks and styling of the movie are contemporary and chick. With production values which are quite alien to the usual Malluwood movies, 'Daddy Cool' presents some freshness in terms of meare viewing splendour.

Music
Music is a decent effort. 'Kadhayoru' shot in Hong Kong looks and sounds cool. The end credits disco song 'Daddy Cool' is also fine and shot well in a much bollywood style. But for the best song was 'Daddy My Daddy'. Dhananjay was awesome in that song and Mammotty looked superb. His 007 take was also really cool.

-Ves
The casting mismatch is the first goofup. Richa Pallod as Mammotty's wife is untolerable in many portions. She could have been easily replaced by someone else.Biju Menon also could have been replaced by a younger face to compliment Radhika.
Second issue is with the script and direction in the second half. The focus on action scenes and the over exaggeration in presentation of these scenes should have been avoided. Each movie and theme has a colour and may be a feel good family movie was turning in to a full blown action movie. This looked a mismatch.
And at the end of it, 'Daddy Cool' has only freshness in terms of looks and an on screen chemistry to offer. Nothing new in what it has to say.

Performances
Mammotty delivers a stylish mint cool performance. He is at ease and looks good. Its one of his better movies in the last 2 years (the rest of them have been that pathetic).He rocks the screen in 007 avatar. He is convincing as the super cool daddy and the lazy cop who keeps boasting about his 'adventures'.Dhananjay as 'Aadhi' is very good and he is one of the sole reasons you may not dislike the movie. He shares some better on screen moments with Mammotty.
Direction is good in parts and average otherwise. Cinematography is breezy and gives a stylish feel to the movie. The opening credits were innovative.


All in all, 'Daddy Cool' has nothing new to say but its visually fresh and showcases good on screen chemistry between the lead cast (Mammotty and Dhananjay).
Verdict - 2.75/5 in terms of Rating

'Fairly Entertaining' as an Opinion
'Daddy Cool' - Good Chemistry works any day!

Movie: Ritu
Language: Malayalam
Date: 21- Aug -2009 Show: 9:00 pm


Review
A story teller who tries to touch upon too many ideas, themes and issues and looses the focus on the central theme. This for me is a one line gist of what the new Shyama Prasad movie 'Ritu' is.
'Ritu' is the story of Friendship and how it changes according to the times. In terms of the kind of youth oriented themes made in Malayalam, "Ritu' is definitely the kind of change one is looking for.It could easily have been the second 'Passenger' of the year but falls short terribly.


Life Changing Friendships
Many of us may have friendships that changed our lives for ever. That for once is a hugely relatable theme. 3 friends who have a 'hideout'. In this case it’s a stunning lake side with a dilapidated hanger near by. They share their best moments there. Their dreams, ambitions, love, hatred and despair. Even though the initial portions of the movie are affected by some below par acting by the new comers and issues related to dubbing, still we can over look these being their debut. Hence, as the friendship tale is shown, the first 45 minutes of the movie are quite enjoyable.

Lost Focus
Where the script and the director loose it is towards the end of the first half. The narrative meanders in to subjects like failed communists (Sharat's father and brother), people affected by land acquisition for IT parks and so on. Some of the scenes are so unimaginatively written that you would end up laughing. The sudden collapse of Sharat's father in the hospital and the message conveyed by the nurse, the rescue act by the doctors, everything is so shabby that it evokes laughter instead of the desired shock.

The interval point is somewhat fine and after that the movie again keeps moving in to unwanted territories. An over ambitious lady CEO who compromised on family life to get success. Her suffering husband and so on. Communist brother of Sharat and his friends boozing the night away. All this while the friendship theme takes a back seat.

The Single Friend
Ritu's friendship involves 3 people. Sharat, Varsha and Sunny but where 'Ritu' falls short is that it’s only the story of Sharat. Mostly Varsha and Sunny are shown only from the angle of what Sharat sees. Varsha and Sunny's characters are left underdeveloped. This for me is the major miss for Ritu’s script. Hence, when the friendship suffers, we empathize for Sharat and not for the other characters because they were never developed in our minds.

Music - Under utilized
‘Ritu’ has at least 3 superb tracks but Shyama Prasad commits the crime of wasting most of these. 'Venal Kattil' is lost in between sequences (though these are funny ones). 'Chanjalam' is again shown only partly as a passing affair. And finally when tracks are shown in focus, 'Pularumo' and ' Ku Ku Ku' come back to back within a gap of 2-3 minutes. The director doesn't know how to use a good soundtrack and commits hara-kiri with it. For me, who am an avid music fan, this is a major disappointment. Rahul Raj, though deserves kudos for the good tracks.

+Ves
The IT industry is shown in much better reality than in the movies like ‘Minnaminnikkottam’. And for once a youth oriented movie looks somewhat real. Performances are not breath taking but somewhat competent.
Nishan, as Sharat, the central character of the movie, delivers in places and falters in others. Rima as Varsha is a talent to look out for if she works on her dubbing. Asif as Sunny is also pretty much convincing.

Conclusion
'Ritu' will impress you in parts and will make you loose your interest for major parts. How we wish that Shyama Prasad has developed Varsha's and Sunny's characters and had kept focusing on friendship instead of other things. For once, there is a meaningful climax and for those who have had life changing friendships, the last scene may moist your eyes.

‘Ritu’ could have been a turning point for Malluwood and had everything going for it but what it remains is a hugely lost opportunity.

Verdict - Rating - 2/5
Opinion - Very Average.


‘Ritu’ - Of what could have been a wonder!!

Movie: Kaminey
Language : Hindi
Date : 15th Aug, 2009

Review
How far can a director compromise on the theme, presentation, script and screenplay of a movie to accommodate more span of the viewer population? Watching the movie 'Kaminey', you understand that Vishal has a somewhat clear answer to the above question. 'Kaminey' is a dark tale about the life, aspirations and misadventures of two distinctly unique characters who happen to be twins as well. The theme on the outset looks like a tried and tested formula in bollywood but Vishal makes a compelling depiction out of an oft repeated theme.

A Dark Thriller
'Kaminey' takes you on a ride along the thrilling lives of a gangster named 'Charlie' and an aspiring NGO activist named 'Guddu' whose follies make them encounter bigger goons, gangsters, dons and politicians. Their paths entwine in an interesting journey of mistaken identity, deceit, brotherhood and their past, along with the host of baddies breathing down their necks. What lacks in this ride, is that at many portions it takes its own sweet pace, which may irk you.

Performances
Shahid is stupendous as ‘Charlie’ and ‘Guddu’. His lisping and stammering takes on the twins, leave you in awe of this actor at a relatively young phase in his career. The mean, emotionless, dark and ambitious 'Charile' who pronounces every ‘S’ as ‘F’ is in stark contrast to the methodically aspiring, reserved, cute and romantic ‘Guddu’ who stammers. Shahid gets lot of help from the script which boasts of possibly the best conceived twins in recent times on screen. The characters have been sketched so distinctly that by the end, when the 2 characters come face to face, we almost feel that 2 actors are doing these roles. Shahid successfully negotiates the high adrenaline rush of Charile and the romantic scenes of Guddu.

Priyanka Chopra as ‘Sweety’ is loud and adds a lot of spunk, when she is on screen but frankly she has not much to do relatively.
The supporting cast has put in a good show with Amol Gupte being the pick of the lot.

Music Camera and Action
The cinematography is apt for a brooding gangster movie. Music goes well with the movie. The 'Dhan ta nan' song and the tune has been used well. The slow 'Pehli baar Mohabbat' is also nice but most of the tracks are ok for one time hear during the movie, as they flow well with the mood of it. Action scenes are shot well with a hollywoodisque touch.

Negatives
The major negative of 'Kaminey' is that it many times falters in pace. The proceedings till the interval look much better than what happens after it. The interval is a high point, though expected, but its a downward slope after that. Kaminey needs fair amount of patience to sit through. For majority of the commercial movie lovers, 'Kaminey' would not go down well with them. But from Vishal's point of view, he is just trying to tell the story in his own sweet time. But the question is does the majority of the audience think alike. Perhaps for a thriller, at many points a faster take was required.
Finally, 'Kaminey' is a good watch if you can keep aside your masala movie instincts and show some patience to take the ride along with the director, who wouldn't budge for many compromises.


Verdict : On a scale of 5, I would rate 'Kaminey' at 3.

My Opinion is "Good for the ones with Patience'.

Kaminey - A gut'f'y take!

Movie - Puthiya Mugham
Language - Malayalam
Date - 06th August, 2009, Thursday

Review
Out of shape heroes walking around even heavier villains and delivering lengthy dialogues about their prowess and animosity. Villains being defeated by the hero one by one, based on seniority. The senior most one being defeated at the climax. For many years now, Malayalam commercial action movies have been just these.

Debutant Director Diphan's 'Puthiya Mugham' just brings some difference to this oft repeated saga in recent action flicks in Malluwood. What remains as a disappointment is that, 'Puthiya Mugham' doesn't end up being a superlative action movie which would go down as a defining one in the history of Malluwood. Its a change but not a defining one.

The Plot
The plot has nothing new. It’s the oft repeated turn around, vengeance and revenge. Of the good guy been beaten up by the baddies and then decides to hit back with fire after being down and out.It has been one of the better kinds of plot for commercial action movies especially for young heroes to launch themselves as stars. Diphan has adopted the same and his version is slick to a point.

Prithvi Raj
Prithivi Raj is the soul of whatever 'Puthiya Mugham' is. Finally, it’s good to see a hero with the appropriate physique doing action scenes in Malayalam. In real life, he is battling against a star system in Malluwood and in this version of his reel life; he is seen fighting lots of baddies. Whatever is the reason, Prithvi sure has a lot of vengeance in his eyes and that comes across. But his performance is not a breath taking one.

Prithvi commits many errors. The scenes where he plays Mridangam looks artificial especially the mock act on the desk his first day at college. Also, the scene when he is badly being beaten up the seniors looks below par. Many a times he looks like 'acting' and not natural in that scene.

But his action is cool. Audiences react to him with applause and cheer at the interval scene. Perhaps, there is no other actor at present times in Malayalam who could have made this movie whatever it finally is, apart from him. And there is that little sense of pride when you seem him do those action scenes on screen.
Finally, after having seen Ajith,Vijay, Surya and Vikram for ages, we finally have someone our own (even though nowhere near them) to have an appropriate age, physique, looks to do a action role with some conviction.

Of the other performances, Bala is good though he could have worked better on looks. Priya Mani fits the role and is a fair choice. Meera Nandan looks out of place. Sai Kumar, Shammi Thilakan and Nedumudi are as usual.

Technical Departments
Direction sure has some promise but falls short. The action scenes look good and many a times you need to keep saying to yourself that you are watching a Malayalam film.
Diphan believes in having less lengthy dialogues of bravado and more of action unlike his guru Shaji Kailas who almost specializes in that. This for once is a relief in Malluwood. Many a times, the action is in the face and decisive. For once, Villains are not defeated one by one based on seniority. 2-3 of the senior guys are demolished in single blows which come as shocking at that moment on screen.Many a times, I got reminded of the superbly entertaining 'RUN'. But it never rose anywhere close to that.

Screen play is average to good and action scenes well choreographed. Music is good and has some cool tracks. 'Surya Mugham' during the title credits and its use in BGM is a defining one. Prthivi looks like a passionate singer as well. 'Rahasyamaayi' is a foot tapping number rendered by KK and Shilpa Rao. 'Picha Vecha Naal' is also good.

Negatives
Script has many holes. Initially Krishna Kumar (Prithivi) is shown as reluctant to go to college and not interested to learn and then suddenly after being beaten up and being down and out, why is he so motivated and driven to learn? The completely ill, down and out Prithvi returns to college and rises to complete anger in just one moment. Its not a gradual retaliation hence looks a bit unconvincing though one is sure to get carried away by that moments at the interval.
Audience never gets to really like the character of Krishna Kumar though girls are shown falling for him left, right and center. Hence his plight doesn't generate the same kind of empathy when is down. But anyways, the retaliation is presented with so much force that audience is ready to lap it up from there on.

Final Thoughts
‘Puthiya Mugham’ as a movie, even after being considered as a pure commercial masala action flick, deserves only average rating. But for once, it has something which has not happened on Malayalam screen for a long long time. A young hero with an unapologetic physique and fire in his eyes. Some in your face kind of action scenes which are well choreographed. Just for this unique selling points not seen in an aged Malluwood, I am going with a few notches above Average.

Verdict - In terms of Rating 2.5/5.

In terms of opinion ' JUST A TAD ABOVE THE AVERAGE'.

Puthiya Mugham -
Its of course a bit new but could have been far more convincing.

Movie : Love Aaj Kal
Language : Hindi
Show : 31st July, 2009


Review:
For many years, I have compulsively hated this scene from the super hit romantic movie 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' where a reluctant lover, SRK, lands at Kajol's house just before her wedding to Salman. He weeps and cringes 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai Anjali Tum Nahin Samjogi'. It was the most contrived and hypocritical scene in Bollywood romance for me.
Director Imtiaz Ali's new movie 'Love Aaj Kal' has the very same situation when Saif lands at Deepika's house at her marriage to someone else. But the difference here is that this scene is so well and realistically handled, that all the distaste that I held for years, about the above 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' scene, vanished in no time. A new and sincere take indeed.

A model love story acting as an inspiration to a more casual and contemporary one. While Aditya Chopra struggled to make sense with this theme in 'Mohabatein', Imtiaz revels and excels with the same in 'Love Aaj Kal'. Move over Aditya Chopra and Karan Johar. The New King of Romance in Bollywood has arrived. And no this time, you do not have see romantic movies in the most contrived, soap opera type situations. Imtiaz makes them realistic, contemporary and mature.

Realistic, Contemporary and Mature
'Love Aaj Kal' is a movie which will make you have a smile on your face for most parts of it. Its one of the most mature takes on contemporary relationships in recent times. The 2 protagonists Jai and Meera are mature enough to let them go at various points of the story to gauge their love pangs. Its almost a journey through love. There are no clichéd situations may be except at the climax. I felt that it is may be a tad too mature take as well. The beginning of the movie sets tone for the proceedings to come.

Casting and Performances
Deepika appears really natural as Meera and the casting is perfect in that respect. She completely justifies her selection for the role. Saif is around 50-60% convincing. During the first half it was hard to see him doing this role. He looks aged and the pairing opposite Deepika looks a bit far stretched. But once the second half beings, he really puts in a good performance and covers up. His performance and looks as young Rishi is really good.
The actress who debutes as love interest of young Rishi is very innocent and good looking. She puts in a cute performance. Rishi is competent and Rahul Khanna is ho-hum.

Music
Needless to say that the music by Pritam is top notch. My favorite track was the all encompassing 'Ye Dooriyan'. I really loved its placing in the movie (at the very start) and also the way it shows the entire glimpse of things to come. Cool! 'Main Kya Hoon' is also a nice track. 'Chori Bazari' is fun on the run. 'Twist' was a tad disappointing due to lack of dance sequences. 'Ahun Ahun' was ok as well.

Directors' Delight
The way Imtiaz handles the screenplay is a treat to watch. As the narrative switches between the 2 love stories, old and contemporary the interest is never lost. And at the end, they culminate as one. Its difficult to handle such switching of canvas with such panache. May be in a serious theme like 'Rang De Basanti' its more easier to hold viewer interest, as you switch but Imtiaz does it masterly in a romantic theme. He keeps it simple, realistic and lovable.

Negatives
I feel that the 2 characters are a tad too mature for themselves and even for this age. So the audience may feel a bit disconnected. As the love story is not established in the beginning, the breakup don't empathize you but later the relationship keeps growing on you. Saif's dancing skills need some tuning and he is not fully convincing. The by now clichéd disco number at the end (same as Jab we Met) should have been avoided.

Verdict :
3.5/5 in terms of rating. 'GOOD' in terms of opinion.
Grab a bag of popcorn and hit the movies - You wouldn't wanna miss this one.

Movie : Winter
Language : Malayalam
Date : 21 July, 2009.


Review
Horror is one of the classic genres that movies have been made in, since time immemorial. Dipu's directorial debut 'Winter' is a horror flick as well. Having been in the cans for over 3-4 years now, 'Winter' looks a bit back in time but the genuine problems of the movie are not to do with being delayed but with the story telling methods.

Cliche Backdrop
When 'Winter' was in the cans, a superbly impressive movie named 'Yavarum Nalam' came to the screens. It was so impressive because it tried to create horror out of a TV Serial which was so relatable to each and every one of us, yet different. 'Bhooth' also was very impressive because as Ramu said, he deliberately wanted to bring horror to the city and in a flat which is how people live nowadays.What 'Winter' does is try to go back and create a cliché horror backdrop by taking the unconvincing reason of a child's psychopathic problems to shift a family to a horror generating isolated bungalow. What follows is a cooked up setting where each motion of any object is just conspired to create horror.

Gimmicks Galore
From the loud door bell to the scary faced house keeper. You name the horror movie gimmick and its all there in 'Winter'. Gimmicks to create horror are fine to the point that if the audience feels that the director is getting along with the real story as the time passes. But the problem with 'Winter' is that the horror gimmicks do not finish and the story telling reaches no where. Interval point brings in some respite and is a good one as well. Dipu has tried his best at creating horror via sound effects (mainly) and also some weird camera angles. He succeeds to some extent in keeping the audience at tender hooks.

Performances
Jayaram is competent with a natural performance of a family man. Bhavana is irritating sometimes but by and large she is ok. The 2 kids could really have been better in terms or performances. TG Ravi does his horrifying house keeper act to the best.Manoj K Jayan is passé.

Technical Aspects
BGM has tried real hard to create the horror and many a times goes over the top. Cinematography could have been better for a horror flick.There is only 1 song which looks a bit out of place. Better editing could have been done to make the movie crisper. Direction considering that its a debut is notable but it needs thinking to understand how the same person made 'Crazy Gopalan' after this one.


Conclusion
‘Winter’ is no great cinema and could have been way better but it neither is unbearable as well. Dipu has some talent for sure and needs right direction from here on.The biggest plus for ‘Winter’ is that the audience go in with zero expectations and find themselves just about ok at the end.

VERDICT - 2.5/ 5 and an AVERAGE rating for ‘Winter’.

‘Winter’ - A somewhat better debut for Dipu than being ‘Crazy’.!!!

Movie : Ee Pattanathil Bhootham.
Language : Malayalam
Date: 09/07/09

Review
It is really difficult to write a review when you are mentally drained and exhausted. You do not know what to put in and what to write because it’s not particularly good news that you have to share. That’s exactly what the feeling I am going through now after yesterday's late night show of Mammotty's come back vehicle 'Ee Pattanathil Bhootham'.
What could have been an interesting genre and plot has been really spoiled by the graphics overkill and gimmicks which make you squirm in your seats as you pray for the movie to get over fast.

Confused Genre
Let’s not try to escape saying that EPB belongs to a kid’s movie genre and so adults would not like it. We have enjoyed so many kids’ movies, haven't we?
Be it My Dear Kuttichathan, Mr.India (when we were kids actually) or even the recent movies like Bhoothnath, adults have enjoyed such movies, if they are honest and enjoyable. The plain fact about EPB is that it tries to be a kid’s movie with cheap antics like an Elephant cricket and a hippo in the climax. Grow up; Johny, we live in the age of kids who grow up on Xbox, Playstation and iphones. These are age old gimmicks to attract kids. You should have tried new ones.
It tries to be a kids movie and also play up to the Mammotty fans throwing in a murder in between and sadly reaches no where.

Graphics Over Kill
EPB is a movie which has used as much graphics as may be all Malayalam Movies put together till now because may be our movies do not use graphics too much.
To the movie's credit 75% of these graphics look fine. The emergence of ‘bhootham’ and the way he disappears. The ‘bhootham’ in the bottle and the sea sequence (except for the shark which looks pasted) are fine. But EPB looses it in over doing the graphics and make it look gross and distasteful.
Mammotty's head looks pasted on to someone else's body in so many sequences. In the double role sequences look so distasteful that Johny should take a look at 'Jeans' which may be came almost 10 years back. EPB hasn't even been able to match that in the double role sequences. The scenes when Mammotty rides the horse up side down and all are as gross as special effects can get.

Mammotty - Our heart goes out for you
One of the finest actors this country has and will ever have, is seen 'self torturing' himself in the role of an insipid 'bhootham'. The 'bhootham' is so unimaginative and stupid that he has 2-3 pony tails in his already messed up hair do. A DCH like ‘Goti’ and designer party suits to wear. And if that is not all he speaks in a kiddish voice. The Kid like voice of Mammotty is unbearable. It makes you wish to run to the nearest exit each moment you hear it. And I could not even decipher 20% of the dialogues the 'bhootham was saying. The dubbing was really poor and trashy. The only saving grace are his graphic horns that come up once in while. That looks cute!

Watch the scenes where he acts as 'bhootham'. Many a times, he tries hard. To be comic, to be funny but everything looks like a
self-torture. 'Rajamanikyam' , 'Oru Maravathoor Kanavu' were thoroughly enjoyable comic roles of Mammotty but in those he was at so much ease and the characters were raw, uneducated. It looked funny. Here he seems to be trying hard to generate comedy but he could have spared more mercy on himself and the audience.

The Technical Portions
EPB once again proves that 20-20 was a master effort by Joshy becasue Sibi Udyan's script falls flat and this time Jonhy Antony is incapable to save it. As usual, a muder has been thrown in which is he order of the things in most commercial movies in Malayalam now. First half is somewhat bearable but second half is a pain. When Jimmy comes in, he spares you from the torture of bearing the Bhootham. But he is soon back in action and add to that the graphics and gimmicks over kill, you seriously would wish the movie to get over faster.

+Ves
Personally speaking the only positive that I liked from the entire movie was the song 'Maamarangale....". But want to add here that Suraj and Salim Kumar have some good one liners and a bit of a comic relief but haven't we seen umpteen Salim Kumar Buffon police roles and Suraj side kick roles?
And as said, graphics is good in many portions as well.


Whoever, conceptualized the 'bhootham' character seriously needs to think whether he knows what he is doing because Amitabh's Bhooth get up was far far bearable than this.

To cut the long story short, EPB is a pain to watch. For the kids, for the adults but for everyone with a sensible head. The only thing that it is bound to save you, is your kid's request for the visit to the Zoo because this one has an elephant and a Hippo.

Verdict :
- 1.5/5 and 'A tad above Pathetic' for 'Ee Pattanathil Bhootham'.

Save it for the CD or TV. At least you and your children will be happier seeing this at home.

Movie: Bhramaram
Language : Malayalam
Show : 01/07/09


Review
Some people are punished for their entire life. It’s difficult to relate to for many, but that’s the truth. By fate, by society and by the people, some are punished for the entirety of their lives. Blessy's latest movie, 'Bhramaram' shows the journey of one such person. Brilliantly portrayed by Mohanlal, 'Shivankutty' is one character on which the movie solely depends for everything.Taking the oft repeated revenge sagas as a backdrop, Blessy uses a never before seen approach, canvas, screenplay and technique to present one of the complex characters Lal has ever portrayed.

Mohanlal - Brutally Magnificent
From catharsis to revenge, from suspense to tender display of affection, from action to being eccentric, from the brooding silence to the maverick bordering lunacy, 'Shivankutty' is one character which Mohanlal can sure be proud of. It is a much complex character than may be 'Rameshan Nayar' in Tanmatra (though it was more relatable for the majority) and Mohanlal plays it with the ease and élan few in the world of cinema would have done it. When he suddenly bursts in to the fits of anger you shudder seeing the vengeance in his eyes. When he breaks down at the end, it makes your eyes moist. The ease with which he switches between these sudden changes of emotions is brilliant to watch. If there is one reason for 'Bhramaram' being a must watch its 'Shivankutty'.

Blessy - Brutally Brave
Blessy the most promising director over the last decade pushes the envelope this time with his 'Bhramaram'. Taking the wafer thin story line in to consideration, the screen play and the direction needs to be commended handsomely. Blessy uses a canvas which has seldom been seen on the Malayalam screen. The camera has been used near to perfection. Blessy succeeds to keep the suspense alive for almost 70% of the movie. Sometimes it’s so gripping and interesting that you find yourself leaning forward, all keen eyes. The entire suspense is created by the mystery surrounding the maverick 'Shivankutty'. It’s impossible to decipher what he is going to do next or which path he will take just like the Bee (Bhramaram). ‘Bhramaram’ will haunt you for days after you have seen it.
It takes immense bravado to make such a movie without any compromises. Blessy could have added more lighter moments in the first half and also created a more relatable plane for the audience. But he doesn't compromise a wee bit. So majority may find 'Kazcha' and 'Tanmatra' more relatable and likable but not 'Bhramaram'. May be becauase it was never meant to be so.

Other +ves
Bhramaram has one of the best cinematographic efforts that Malayalam may have seen for a long long time. Its technically a very superior movie apart from a few special effect glitches.Music is very competant for the movie. It goes with the mood. People are sure to hum 'Annarakanna vaa'. 'Kuzhaloothi' is good as well.Performance of Suresh Menon as Unni is competent.
Negatives
I feel that the most prominent negative of 'Bhramaram' is that only a mere 30-40% may be able to relate to it. Kazcha and Tanmatra were ones which majority could relate to. Otherwise you should be able to just hand the reins of your mind to the director and go along the journey which he takes. Don't think of the message or the eventuality at the end.Bhramaram is not meant to be a message driven movie. Its a journey of a curious character which may not be relatable to all. If you see it from that point of view, you will love it. But how many can do so is the vital question.
Bhoomika and the kid who plays Lal's daughter could have been replaced by better people. The movie could have been crisper by 10 minutes minimum.Lalitha's oft seen hue and cry could have been avoided. It looked cliched.

Conclusion
A few years back Sanjay Leela Bansali tested the bollywood audience with a brooding, cathartic journey of a teacher and a student to redemption and named it 'BLACK'. He literally tested the bollywood audience and thank god he succeeded as there was a sizable multiplex thinking audience by that time.Blessy with 'Bhramaram' has now thrown open a similar test for the Malayalam Audience.We need to await the results.
In short, Bhramaram is a treat to watch if you can let your mind follow the journey and not look for a message. After all, the journey is more important than the destination. Isn't it?
VERDICT : -
3.75/5 and ' Brutally GOOD' tag for Blessy's Bhramaram.
Bharamaram - Brutally Haunting!

Movie: Ivar Vivahitarayal
Language: Malayalam
Wednesday, 16,June,09.


Review
Vivek 22 yrs old and all newly wed awaits eagerly for his wife for their first night. He expects her to be in Traditional Kerala Sari and with a glass of milk. Kavya, Vivek's newly wedded wife, enters the room in a night gown with no signs of a glass of milk with her and addresses him as 'Vivek' instead of the expected 'Vivek ettan'. Vivek is negatively shocked and shows his displeasure. Kavya asks " Even for the guys of today's generation who wear jeans and are modern, they still expect their wives-to-be to wear Traditional Kerala Sari and bring a glass of milk for them as per tradition".

The above scene is a good reality check for the male chauvinism or hypocrisy that majority of the malayalee population suffer from. Also, a good eye opener for anyone who thinks that marriage is somewhat like the 'staged drama' thats shown in malayalam movies where the wife always bears the brunt.
Director Saji Surendran's new movie 'Ivar Vivahitharayal', throws light at many of such attitude problems related to male chauvanism in our society and misbeliefs about married life among young men. But the sad twist is that Saji almost commits suicide by the weapon he uses.

+Ves
IVA boasts of a commendable first half. The script has a smooth flow and there is humour thrown in aplenty. Suraj is back in form and along with Jayasurya he creates moments that will genuinely bring more than a laugh. Script writer has to be applauded for the same. The proceedings for the first 30 minutes after the interval also seem somewhat fine.Performance wise Jayasurya plays his part. Bhama works in parts. Some scenes she acts fine but in others she leaves much to be desired. Samvratha is good but it seems she is getting typecasted in second heroine roles. Suraj plays a highlight role in the movie.Songs are just about ok with 'Enikku Paadan Oru' being the good one.Cinematography works as much required for such a theme.

-Ves
Now to the -ves. The interval point will definetely remind of you of 'Meenathil Thaalikettu' but one will still be happy because proceedings till then look good. After the interval, for the first 30 mins also the movie looks somewhat ok but after that Saji's serial instincts take over.After that each scene is ripped and torn apart with emotinal upheavels and overtures.

Each look which Bhama makes is accompanied by jarring BGM. Jayasurya and Bhama spend minutes on screen just looking at each other accompanied by the worse BGM in recent times.Bhama's character who till then is a today's girl with a sensible head on her shoulders turns in to the most contrived, cliched wife character doubting and throwing tantrums. Sitting through the last 45 minutes of the movie needs lots of patience and is as painful and dragging as Ravinda Jadeja's 35 ball 20 against England in the T20 World Cup decider!

The friendship between the 5 member gang is shown but not really well established for the audience to feel for them when that becomes an issue in the marriage and dialgoues are made regarding their noble friendship at the end.The movie at 2 hours and 30 minutes or more needs trimming immediately especially in the last portions. Editing leaves much to be desired.

Saji Surendran makes somewhat promising debue in the first half but he should get out of his serial mode. His guest actors except for Navya are veteran Serial actors. His emotional scenes are over the top serial moments.I guess when the movie reached second half and story had to move in to an emotional path, Saji just allowed his serial instincts to take over.

Last but the most annoying factor of IVA is that it looks like a Preachy Sermon towards the end. Its almost like a pre-martial counselling session by Ganesh Kumar. He keeps on lecturing the couple and others in the house. The scene ends we breathe a sigh of relief. Cut the action moves to outside the falt with all the characters in the movie and the lectur continues. It really needs some patience to sit through this.
In Short, IVA promises a lot with its good first half but falls falt in the second with 'high emotion serial type drama' and 'sermons about marriage' at the end. Also, I have a strange feeling that you may like the movie a bit more if you are married than if you are a bachelor.
Verdict -
2.5/5 and 'Average' rating for Ivar Vivahitharayal.
If you have the time and patience to sit thorugh a preachy and emotional second half take a look, you may be pleasently surprised by the first.
IVA - Could have been Good But remains Average.

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About Me

The Rainmaker is intended as a blog for casual writing and bring about small little changes wherever possible.Initally, it would have movie reviews watched at the cinemas. For starters, movie reviews that I have written over over the past 2 years for Malayalam, Hindi and Tamil movies have been included here. ----------------------------- Next Likely Reviews - Ividam Swargamanu