The Rainmaker

Movie : Madambi
Language : Malayalam
Date : 24th July
Review:
Small things make a world of a difference - Thats what I felt when I walked out of the hall after seeing Mohanlal's latest outing on Silver Screen named "Madambi'.Let me put it this way. What I felt is that 'Madambi' has subtle freshness throughout the movie. And that subtle freshness keeps growing on you and by the time the movie is over if you ask your genuinely that the reason why you may have liked it.
There is freshness in small things like for example look at the casting. Just imagine the same movie with Kaviyoor Ponnamma as Lal's mother and Saikumar in Sreeraman's role. I bet you wouldn't have liked the movie as much or atleast I wouldn't. Coz haven't we see those combinations umpteen number of times?

I am not going to discuss the story in detail here as I don't wish to be a spolier. But the story is good enough. Holding the brooding secrets of a familyand living a life of hatred within the family is a good theme, I feel.
Now let me come straight to what I wanted to discuss more. Mohanlal as Gopalakrishna Pillai.See, I have hated him in the list of the movies below:Thandavam, Natturajavu, Onnaman, Baba Kalyani, Praja and may be some more clones of these, whose names I have forgotten.But trust me Mohanlal in Madambi is different from the ones in the above list. His character is neatly etched out and moreover his performance is ernest.Let me tell you the scene or shot which changed it all for me.After the fight in which his arm gets bruised mohanlal comes home to an angry mother.The first long dialogue is KPAC lalitha's where she scolds him and says that her younger son is right.Cut and there is a full frontal close up shot of mohanal in which he says that he has been suffering for them.That particular shot just watch his performance. Look at those eyes. I think it says it all. Also, many other scenes like the one which his mother removes her ornaments for reasons I don't want to discuss as a spolier.
Also a small word of appreciation for his costume designer. I don't if its a new guy in this movie but it looks good. For first time in recent times, some of the shirts he wore looked impressive and contemporary.
I think he is genuine and his performance is Ernest. More so I had seen people saying that its like 'Balettan'.I differ here as well. In Balettan he was just suffering through out the movie. It was like pls all of you come and hit me and I will keep mum kind of thing. But I think he lives the character in Madambi than in Balettan. I think its his most Ernest performance after Thanmatra. (I am not trying to compare the movies pls).

Now the rest of the cast. I felt that Ajmal did a fair job but was stiff in parts. I had read someone is FK suggesting Jayasurya for the role.I don't think so. The only other person I felt cud have been casted would be a delicious combo that you would like to hear. Prithvi raj :)
Ajmal's pair is a goner. KPAC Laitha is good. Sreeraman is also adequate. Kavya Madavan is fine. Suraj has some nice one liners.Music is adequate and my favourite is 'Ente Sharike' which Roopa from SSG has sung. It stays with you even after the movie.

Finally I think B.Unni did a good job. For all the subtle frshness, casting winners, script and dialogues, he has done a good job.If you look at it very very critically, Madambi is an 'Above Average' movie but my mind wishes to give it grace marks coz it cud have been easily another Natturajavu or Thandavam.

So its 3/5 and Rating of 'GOOD' for Madambi.
If ICV (which i didn't like much) can do a 75 days, Madambi sure can do a 100.
-ves in the movie : Cliches' that cud have been avoided. Waring families. Girl from the opposite family. band of brothers as villains etc