The Rainmaker

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.