Film Review:

Cast: Mohanlal, Sukumari, Jagathy Sreekumar, Manoj K Jayan, Nedumudi Venu, Saikumar, Kochupreman
Direction: Ashok R. Nath
Production: V.R. Das, V. Mohanlal
Music : Dakshinamoorthy


In an era when cinema is all about slapsticks, violence and vulgarity, 'Mizhikal Sakshi' by Ashok R Nath is a good reminder that cinema can be much more. This feel-good movie while raising several pertinent issues lets you walk out the theatre, with something to think about.

The movie tells a tale of a mute mother, who finds it hard to come into terms with the fact that her only son is convicted as a terrorist and is sent to gallows. She, after a long journey in search of her son, finally lands up in a temple premises where food is offered free, everyday. She becomes popular in the area as Kuniyamma, doing necessary cleaning and allied works in the temple environment. But all havoc break loose when someone finds that she is not a Hindu and is the mother of a revolutionary, who is supposed to have planted a bomb on a moving train, killing hundreds. The story does get interesting till the post-interval portions. But the sequence of events then follows the beaten path, till the climax which has its share of appeal.

The narration is simple, yet captivating. The director has used flashbacks to tell the story, using the discussions of an officer on investigation, Aditya Varma, as the tool to move the story ahead. The highlight of the movie is that it's extremely realistic for most of the times and looks straight out of life. And that being the USP of this grim tale, it's also a downer considering that the viewer of today is just not interested in watching a drama that's too realistic.

But as a movie that appeals more too serious audiences, director Ashok has deftly handled the script. He had maintained throughout, a monotonous pace, despite the somewhat predictable plot. Anil Mukhathala, in the scripts have maintained a distinct style and crisp dialogues with reasonable food for serious thought.

'Mizhikal Sakshi', presents Sukumari in the role of a life time. The most experienced actress of our times who had never been exposed to such meaty roles gives in a power house performance through her subtle act, all through the sequences. She emotes through eyes on several occasions- a hallmark of an accomplished actor. It is a difficult to think of any other actress who would've essayed this complex role with such sincerity. Mohanlal aptly supports Sukumari with an effective cameo, for which he can be proud of. Hats off to the star for agreeing to be a part of the movie, or else the film may not have seen the light. Another actor who made it his best is Kochupreman who had been first rate as Chollu Swamy.

Ashok has also been able to bring out the best from his technical crew, be it in much picturesque and emotive cinematography by Ramachandra Babu or in editing by Beena paul. Another highlight of the movie is the musical scores by veteran Dakshinamoorthy in the lyrics of O N V Kurup. Of all the four good songs set by Swamy for the movie, 'Chethiyum' and ‘Thazhampoo' are real gems, which arose nostalgia of our good old film music. Kaithapram Viswanath also ably supports the director with his skillfully done background scores.

All in all, ‘Mizhikal Sakshi’ is a memorable fare, which doesn't disguise itself as a high class entertainer. Have a watch, to witness some of the finest performances from one of our best known actress. The movie may well be remembered, more for Sukumari’s bravura performance than for the experience in totality!

Film Review:

Cast: Prithviraj, Bhama, Mammootty, Thilakan, Jagathy Sreekumar, Salim Kumar, Kalabhavan Mani, Prachot, Jagadish, Suraj Venjaramood, Govindan Kutty, Balachandran Chullikad
Direction: Bipin Prabhakar


Fans associations had been always crucial in ensuring an awesome opening for those movies, which star their favorite on screen demigods. Especially in Mollywood, stars and their fans share an unique and interesting relationship .What director Bibin Prabhakar was trying to explore through his movie ‘One Way Ticket' was this interesting relationship between a superstar and his fan, which ultimately results in the star making some important amendments in the life of his fan. But mishmash in plot points, the culmination to the story and the note on which the film ends mars the impact of the film completely, making it an average fare.

The movie has Prithviraj as Jehangir, the district president of Mammootty fans association. Popularly called by the name Kunjapoo, he is the third rank holder in Plus two examinations. He was forced to become a taxi jeep driver, due to the dismal financial conditions of his family consisting of three sisters and widowed mother, for whom he was the only savior. Kunjappoo had made it a point to harass his uncle Bava Haji, by projecting stories about his love with Bava Haji's daughter Sajira and spreading false stories about his plans to marry her. But Haji is hell bend on bringing up some proposal to keep Kunjappo away from his daughter. His trusted aides broker Sakath Beeran (Salim Kumar) and Kanakkapillai Salahudeen (Jagadheesh) is always up to something in this direction.

Kunjapoo accidentally falls for a girl, who comes for an 'Oppana' dance at one of his friend's marriage. Mislead about her as ‘Rasiya’, he tries to track her whereabouts. This news comes as a big relief to Bava Haji, who immediately reaches Rasiya’s house and officially announce her relation with Kunjapoo and plans for the marriage. But later Kunjappo realizes that it was another girl named Sunanda (Bhama) whom he mistook as Rasiya, while agreeing for the marriage. Kunjappoo turns away from the deal and Bava Haji is now forced to marry off his only son with Rasiya.

Sunanda on the other hand, has her share of problems. His venomous uncle Karunakaran Ezhuttachan (Thilakan) is hatching plans to get her agree to marry his widower son (Nishanth Sagar), and thus seize her huge family fortune. Even though Kunjappoo and Sunanda part ways initially, they cross each other's path at regular intervals, try to find solace in others' arms.

And ultimately Kunjapoo is destined to become the savior of the girl, whose father has already been murdered and her mother, at the verge of another fatal disease. How Kunjaapoo works out plans to save her with the help of the real superstar, whom he admires, forms the plot the film. The film has a freeflow till the half way with rollicking comedy from Jagathy, Salimkumar and Jaffer Idukki. But thereafter the story comes to a screeching halt and starts focusing on the romantic side than the story of fanships and ends up without fireworks as an ordinary fare.

The second hour drags and the climax would've been better, realistic to be precise. The final reels has been extremely pathetic with wayward screenplay coupled with plastic performances .The poor treatment of the script in the final reels, written without any attention to details ruins the chances of an other wise safer movie. A fine-tuned performance from Prithviraj saves the film from becoming a much bigger dud. He plays his part, particularly the lighter comic sequences with amazing timing and ease.

In fact, the actor has graduated to a natural actor to the core, handling the most complex scenes with flourish. The other silver lining in the film is the presence of Mammootty who does an eventful cameo, which couldn't raise the expected applause. Bhama, as the love interest, has some significance in the beginning, but she is totally lost by the end of the film. Thilakan as Bhama's uncle fails to evoke the necessary villainy, with the director trying to dismantle the flashback sequences and present the story only through dialogues. Jagathy Sreekumar essays Radhika's father, Bava Hajyar to perfection. Salim Kumar, Jagadheesh and Jaffer Idukki handle the comic department proficiently

But the technical side remains average with even cinematographer Vipin Mohan’s work, so tailor-made with old fashioned wide shots. The background score by Raja Mani is jarring. Except for a couple of songs including the oppana song, the music by Raahul Raj is not up to mark. Ranjan Abraham also fails to sustain the interest, with the needed sharp cuts in the later half.

‘One Way Ticket’ is too ordinary a ticket for a fare that doesn’t leave any impression whatsoever. On the whole, it meets the expectations partly. At the box-office too, the film will end up as an average earner .See it once, if you have the time and inclination.

Film Review:

Cast: Jayaram, Meena, Divya Unni, Rasika,
Direction: Haridas
Music: Ouseppachan

Jayaram seems to be in a deep turmoil where he just can't hope for a magical movie to give a fresh life to his career. His latest, to add to the list of non starters will be ‘Magic Lamp', the movie which was waiting in the cans for the last seven years. And as expected, this identical individuals' tale definitely give that depressing, silly air of the nineties. This logic-defying, light-hearted comedy (intended) movie seems to be caught in a time warp, which never ever will manage to entertain the viewers of the new millennium.

‘Magic Lamp’ also reminds us that nonsensical film like this, used to be made with unerring frequency in the early nineties, when audiences know exactly what to expect from them. The movie opens with Anupama (Meena), a rich and spoilt girl living in Bangalore, landing up on a photo of a young man, when she happens to drive by. On seeing the photo her two friends identifies the man as two different persons. Anupama who aspires to become an airhostess has just finished her interview and is waiting for her appointment letter. But her rich aristocratic family in Kerala is very much against the decision, as they consider the job below their status.

Having lost her parents at a very early stage, Anupama is take care by an aged grand father (Oduvil Unnikrishanan). Her two uncles always have an eye on her wealth, and they want their respective sons to marry her. The sons Mohana Krishnan (Baiju) a Veterinary doctor and Omana Kuttan (Kottayam Nazeer) an Ayurvedic doctor are also competing with each other for her attention. To escape from marriage she weaves stories, one after another, about her fictitious lover whom she had seen in the photo. Later with the help of Adv Lalan, another lover who is also after her, Anupama keeps unwanted marriage alliances at bay, by another cooked up story about herself as a victim who was molested by the same man at Goa! A search for 'the man' by different persons of the family leads to Sunny Kuruvila (Jayaram), a coach in a women’s College about to be betrothed to Alphonsa (Rasika), to Dr. Nandakumar (Jayaram), married to Viji (Divya Unni) and to Chandrasenan, a macho guy with the twirled up moustache from Peruvannapuram. With this alleged relation with Anupama, each of their families faces unexpected problems.Now Chandrasensn who is toughest one among the three decides to unearth the real problem maker and the reality behind the stories which brings him face to face with Anupama.

Ranjith who is credited with the story has a done to death premise of brothers at war for wealth. The screenplay and dialogues also never rise above the ordinary. And as you watch the drama unfold on the screen, there is this feeling of deja vu in almost every scene, making you remember the likes of Rajasenan’s movies of the nineties.

The first half an hour is really a torture where the director has apparently forgot what quality comedy is all about and made a crass concoction abundantly supplied with plenty of uncomplimentary hints, double entendres and songs. Jayaram tries hard to give a different look and pattern of accents to each of the characters, while Jagathy runs all through the movie, enters every scene with his characteristic demeanor, as he used to be in the films of the nineties.Meena as Anupama is in his usual self, while Rasika and Divya Unni make eye candy appearances in a few scenes.

In delivering a below-par product, director Haridas appears confused throughout, dealing with the different characterizations of mismatched identities, all played of Jayaram. He also has also failed to extract the best out of his technicians. Music by Ouseppachan is average while more atrocious is its BG scores by S SP Venkatesh. The camera work by Vipin Mohan never rises above the pedestrian and the costumes and sets are tasteless and outdated.

Film Review:

Director : Akbar Jose
Producer : Cinema Company
Cast : Kalabhavan Mani, Sindhu Menon,Jagathy, Anand, Boban Alummoodan, Salim Kumar,
Machan Varghese, Narayanankutty, Subair, Irshad, Jose, Bijukuttan, Ponnamma
Babu, Kulapulli Leela, Seema G. Nair
Lyrics : Kaithapram, Bappu Veliparambu
Cinematography : Vipin Mohan
Music: Alex Paul


‘Aandavan' is a regular Kalabhavan Mani affair -yet another take which glorify one-man vigilant justice. And as usual with his films, this too remains unsurprising and predictable to the core. In an obvious attempt at making a formulaic masala movie, the creators come up with another that turns out far from satisfactory.

The movie has Mani as Murugan, who is more popular as 'Aandavan', a demi god in his slum, a savior robin hood who steals money from the rich to help the poor. The peculiarity with him is that he is a specialist who repeatedly steals from only one man-Parameshwara Panikkar, his sworn enemy, the local tycoon and moneylender who is there into every unlawful business, from illicit liquor to massage centers.

Panikkar had destroyed Murugan's family, years ago, getting him and his father arrested and assaulted on false claims.

Panikkar's own son Sadasivan, who is now the Circle Inspector of Police couldn't resist the brainy protagonist thief from continuing with his follies in his father's house. Murugan, who is also a childhood enemy of Sadasivan, execute the most daring and ingenuous of heists, looting the big share of money that Panikkar earns through his unlawful means. Murugan is even more particular to leave any money left after his charity activities, into the local police station, without revealing himself.

The new female Sub-Inspector, Sreelekha (Sindhu Menon) who is put into the charge of the related investigations takes up residence on the ground floor of house in which Murugan hides on nights. On recognizing Sreerekha’s paralized father, Murugan realizes Sreerekha as one of his childhood playmates.

Unaware of this friend in the attic, Sreerekha hatches plans to grab Murugan.

Meanwhile Sreerekha has to confront with Sadasivan who helps his father in his shady activities, which ultimately results in Sreerekha getting suspended from service. But, by now she has fallen for her childhood friend, realising the facts that made him a thief. Murugan has now got a lot of things to accomplish. To take on his final revenge against Panikkar and his sons and to reinstate Sreerekha into the service. How he accomplish this forms the rest of the plot.

The biggest drawback of the film is that it is highly predictable. It ends up in a much contrived climax. The last reels of the film looks like a product made in a hurry, with little attention to details, logic or story continuity.

K Gireeshkumar in the scripts has reworked a story that seems to be as old as the Stone Age, failing to give anything unique to the story lines, that the audience can take back.

Kalabhavan Mani as Murugan has nothing more to do than be in his usual self. Sindhu Menon is passable as Sreerekha, while Jagathy Sreekumar as Parameswara Panicker and Anand as Sadasivan are in their regular outings. Bijukuttan as the small-time ganja dealer Bhaskaran and Salim Kumar as the iron-man Mayankutty bring in some chuckles. Seema G. Nair is remarkable as the local streetwalker Sarasu.

In the technical side, everything is in tune with the theme. M Bawa in art direction has done an exceptional job in creating the slums, look natural. Vipin Mohan has opted for not much experimentation while Renjan Abraham in editing also is ordinary, employing innumerable white flashes..The action sequences are well-orchestrated and act as a catalyst to hold on the narratives.

The songs by Alex Paul are hummable of which, "Poonnila punchiri thookum..." rendered by Vineeth Sreenivasan has the potential to enter the charts. There is also the mandatory Mani song, which is also crisply visualized with good choreography, thankfully without an item girl.

Film Review:

Banner: Kamalam Films
Cast: Jayasurya, Kalabhavan Mani, Bhama, Jagathy, Salimkumar, Suraj Venjaaramoodu, Rajan
P Dev, Siddhique, Anoop Chandran
Direction: Shaiju - Shaji

We usually go to the movies to laugh, cry and get entertained. Reinforcing this faith in movies, without any pretensions is the new film 'Shakesphere M A Malayalam', from the debutante duo Shaiju-Shaji. Count among the high points of the movie - the whole team of comedians from Malayalam coming together in tandem, a refreshingly engaging plot lines that induce continuous laughs, good technical support, background scores and winsome dialogues. Yes, this is a film with no larger than life heroes, no loud villains or no punchlines...what you can see here is only a feel good comic escapade, presented with the needed spirits.

"The entire world is a stage and all the men and women merely players" -The plotlines of the movie follows Pavithran who follows this Shakespearean quote in its fullest. He is the award winning play wright of Jayabharathi theatres, who writes on people around him and about those he knows personally. This habit of representing real-life characters on stage earned him the nickname 'Shakespeare Pavithran.'

As Pavithran is combating a creative block, with little time to spare for setting up their drama for the new season, Kottayan Gopalan, the lead actor ,director and owner of Jayabharathi theatres convinces Pavithran go to a remote village of Kakkathuruthu. He is accompanied by a group of actors like Sugunan (Salim Kumar), and Sarasan (Anoopchandran), who are dying to take the stage by a storm and to support Pavithran to battle over his temporary slump in writing. While Pavithran waits for days without any promising themes, he comes across Alli, a young country girl, loaded with her share of grave problems. Pavithran impressed by Alli, as a gullible character who can be interestingly transformed to stage, began to scribble on her the new drama - 'Prakasham Parathunna Penkutty'. He starts to ponder over her woes and difficult situations and guides her as if he write the growing sequences of his characters on stage. But what Pavithran is heading to, is the most unexpected piece of drama that his life has never ever witnessed.


The movie has a refreshingly different plot by Rajesh K Raman, scripted by the director duo Shaiju -Shaji with support from Jiju Ashok. The movie does have clichéd characters and the typical masalas associated with Mollywood packaging. But the intrinsic humour in the writing and the immensely likeable characters wins over us, especially in the first half. The later half is a little drag, but don't takes off the liveliness of the movie, even though the intended surprise in the climax is not so promising.

With a revolting, sugary sense of comedy, the movie appears disjointed at times, also due to intense pace in the proceedings. Like the rags - turn - riches sequences in the later half, which happens in a matter of few days. But as a comedy film it is above par, with a mixed bag of hilarity, leaving us hooked up almost through the entire proceedings.

Jayasuriya is once again at the familiar territory easing through the light hearted narratives. Roma also dons a different role as Alli with spontaneity. It is also heartening to see Kalabahavan Mani, back to a humorous role after a couple of years. But 'Shakesphere M A Malayalam' really banks on the host of real stars of the movie - the comedy artists with their impeccable timing, be it in the incredible Jagathy Sreekumar as Thoothukudy Thulaseedas to the obligatory Suraj venjaramoodu as junior ONV and Salim Kumar in a hilarious role of an actor longing for animated embraces from his female leads. Anoop Chandran as Sarasan, a School of Drama product excited by the riddles of every encounters in life, is one of the best roles that he has ever essayed.

Film Review:

Banner: Fabulance Entertainments
Cast: Jayasuriya, Sooraj, Saikumar, Manikuttan, Jagathy, T G Ravi, Augustine, Maala, Bindu-
Panikkar
Direction: V K Prakash
Music: Vayalar Sharth- Alex Paul


Now it's a trend in the industry to make films on plots of friendship .Even a lot of other language films like 'Happy Days' raked in big profits from Kerala while dealing with such plots. Following this propensity for youthfulness in style and narratives, filmmaker V K Prakash has accomplished another movie made on the tender alliance of friendship and love.

As a director who has been constantly dumped down by weaker scripts, this new movie ‘Positive' also is not a big exception. But this time due credit should be given to V K P (as he is popularly called in ad circles), for coming up with a clean film sans any coarseness. Only if the screenplay were a bit well knitted, the film would have been even better.

The highlights of 'Positive' is not only the high spirit of camaraderie but also the absorbing planting of a investigative thriller module amidst the life of a group of teens, who continues with their musical band even after their studies. The action mainly gyrates around Raju (Suraj) a software engineer and his three bosom pals essayed onscreen by Vani, Manikuttan and Remesh Pisharody. Raju who plays the key board and is into vocals is supported in his every endevours by progressive boisterous Winnie (Vani Kishore), Udayan-the drummer of the band with long tresses and a 'designer beard' (Manikuttan) and Cherry (Ramesh Pisharody). Winnie's mother tries to marry her off to a Police Officer named Aniyan, but his off hand remarks on their friendship group spoils the event.

On a way back from Bangalore, Raju accidentally encounters Jyothi (Ayilya G Nair) in a bus, which leads to a transitory romance. On the day when Raju plans to introduce Jyothy to his friends of the troupe and his family, she disappears from the hostel without leaving a trace about her whereabouts. Raju is totally heartbroken following the incident.

The film which starts off blissfully cheeky with lively proceedings in the first half, songs and humor, gets more and more serious as it goes along, and suddenly changes over to an investigative thriller. This constant, changes of direction to the story, at every given opportunity spoils much of this slickly made sequences and its stylish visuals. The story has all the vital ingredients of a commercial potboiler like romance, family sentiments, suspense and action. But the scripts by S N Swamy fails to split the proverbial beans with élan, leaving us desperate to figure how the filmmaker will reach that loopy ending, after the completely unrelated first few reels. Despite its strong technical content and brilliant performances, V K Prakash finds its hard to carry the juggling act successfully with this many layered story.

All the key artists in the movie have come up with brilliant performances. But Jayasuriya as a police officer seems to be a miscast in the film, with his shallow physical appearances. It is not easy being an emerging star in Malayalam cinema because most characters you play has a benchmark set by a veteran actor. So when Jayasuriya plays a warm, non indulgent police officer, we are immediately reminded of the veteran superstar's powerful police roles. Suraj, Manikuttan and Remesh Pishadory seem perfect and natural in their roles. Saikumar is in his usual self while Jagathy who often appears from nowhere is wasted in the movie.

The female leads, Ayilya and Vani with good screen presence, do their parts surprisingly convincingly, though their characters could have been etched out more sharply.

Technically, the film offers some of the best visuals seen in Malayalam cinema in recent times. Cinematographer R Ganesh captures the spirit of the youth in every frame. Mahesh Narayanan also deserves applause for the zest full cuts that announces the landing of another talented technician to Mollywood.

Film Review:

Banner: Revathy Kalamandhir
Cast: Sreenivasan, Padmapriya, Lalu Alex, Lal, Nassar, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Bijukuttan,
Sukumari, Sona Nair
Direction: Leo Thaddhevoos
Production: G Sureshkumar
Music: Alphonse Joseph

At times, you go to movies with the great expectations. Particularly when a new director shows up with a film, in his own title below story, screenplay and dialogues, and that too directing the veterans like Sreenivasan and immensely talented Padmapriya, you have all the reasons to expect a winner. After watching such an attempt by the debutante director and script writer Leo Thaddhevoos, an erstwhile associate to ace director Bhadran, in the new flick ‘Pachamarathanalil' you are not all together knocked out by its narratives, but will feel an urge to appreciate it as a well made movie.

The film tells the story of Sachi alias Sachidanandan (Sreenivasan), a renowned cartoonist who is much popular as the creator of 'Poompatta Princess', a very popular cartoon character in a children's magazine. Sachi leads a peaceful life with his beautiful wife Anu (Padmapriya) a government employee who is much obsessed with their 5 year old daughter's studies. Their daughter Sneha, who is the cynosure of all eyes and attracts attention wherever she goes, is also the inspiration behind the creation of the cartoon character 'Poompatta'

Following a dance performance in her school, Teny, an Advertisement film maker happens to notice Sneha and invites her to play the lead in his new advertisement film which is to be shot in Chennai. Sneha accepts the offer grace fully and seems enjoying and easy going like a professional actress in the entire sets, sometimes fooling around her father who is also accompanying the child. After a couple of days, the shoot crew makes a shift to Pollachi. But on the way to the new location, the entire shooting crew finds the child virtually vanished into thin air, that too on the highways from a speeding bus! Sachidandandan, shocked at missing his daughter, tries ways to find her, but with little clues to the happening.

The drama at the highways takes a curious turn when C I Venkitachal Aiyer (Nazar) reaches the scene to investigate the case. Within a short time, he claims that Sneha is not the daughter of Sachidandandan. The film goes on to tell what is the actually behind her missing and how they unearth ways to find her.

The basic premise of the story seems to be more interesting in paper than on screen, as usual with the recent Mollywood movies. The film holds a curious resemblance to Maniratnam's classic 'Kannathil Mutthamittal' in its plot lines, even though the director Leo has tried ways to present it different. The first half of the movie is rather pacy but the second half is a tad slow with some lengthy flashbacks.

The impact of the story has been crippled by a casual narrative approach at some points. An attempt is made to make it an edge-of-the-seat thriller with the missing- child mystery and its associated suspense, maintained through out with the aid from spooky sound effects. As the story progresses the suspense element decreases, the film starts to drag a bit till the climax, where it is again back to predictable lines, offering least genuine tensions. The characters are all well etched, but the narration lacks feeling and maturity, particularly in the later sequences.

Coming to performances, Sreenivasan as Sachi is at home, presenting another character with ease and commendable restrain. He is particularly good, even though not at his best, in the timing of his witty one-liners and sounds natural all through. Padmapriya as Anu is cut out for the role, giving justice to every sequence. It is amazing the way she handles the role with needed intensity, and manages to connect with the audience. Suraj Venjaramoodu and Biju Kuttan provide the needed comic relief, playing the production controller Urakathu Jose and his manager Shivadasan.

Film Review:

Banner: Jyotirgamaya
Cast: Kalabahavan Mani, Praveena, Murali, Valsala Menon, Jagathy Sreekumar,
Kozhikode Narayanan Nair, Indrans, U C K Thangal, Chertala Lalitha, Vijayan Peringod,
Soniya
Direction: Venugopan
Production: Soman Pallat
Music: Mohan Sitar


Finally Kalabhavan Mani is back to a role, which has him in his elements, affably displaying his acting potential in 'Swarnam'. The fourth movie by Venugopan is of course, the best from the director. Based on a solid script from S.Sureshbabu, 'Swarnam' weaves a story around men enmeshed in hatred, greed and prurience. The movie reminds you of some of the oldies of the Bharthan-Padmarajan era, particularly in the plot lines and in the deft touches and tonal intricacies.Of course, this is a movie that you can definitely be with for its fine craft, directorial control over the proceedings, and stupendous performance from a talented cast.

The movie tells the story of inhabitants of Chumrampathy- a small village along the banks of the Shiruvani River, who believes in the legend of a golden treasure that lies somewhere buried under water. From the time of Aachiyamma (Valsala Menon), the oldest of the clan, many have enterprises risking their lives into the Chavukayam in search of the gold, but in vain.

Divakaran (Kalabhavan Mani) grandson of Aachiyamma, a harsh man, never believed in the mythful fable, but tried other ways to make money. Being insensitive to other's woes and needs, he was not even ready to look after his orphaned niece and wife Radha, but garnered money, penny by penny, to fulfill his objectives like buying a lorry for himself.

One day, Divakaran finds himself bare handed with all his money robbed off. This leads him to trying his luck once in the Chavukayam for gold. Even after trying for eighteen days, he couldn't fetch a mentionable amount of fortune. In this juncture arrives a black magician who demands a five year old child as a 'bali' in exchange for loads of gold that is soon to be discovered on the river banks. Divakaran's dislike to his niece, suddenly goes on a change, following this divination .Now his obsessions to wealth is set to lead him along a path, which will make him identify the locus of the original gold.

The highlight of the movie is definitely, the unassuming package of script lines, which avoids the normal pit holes, in its entire ride. In this straight forward narration of events, Sureshbabu has gracefully avoided the formula stuff, except in the finale. The director Venugopan stays clear off the regular gimmicks but showcases his skills in steering the viewer's emotions as desired.

The film has its flaws. It sometimes tries too hard to be philosophical and piousful in its dialogues and some tear jerking sequences especially with the child (Baby Nayantara) ends up sounding bogus. The logic also goes for a toss in some sequences in the later half. The film’s pace slackens at intervals, mainly due to a lesser degree of lighter moments, as the focus is more on emotional content. And the continuous onslaught of sorrow and hopelessness may sometimes exasperate you.

The film's substantial emotional impact depends largely on the performances. The smallest of cast member seems to know the job on hand. Kalabhavan Mani excels playing the hero and villain of the movie ‘Swarnam’ has created enough sequences that give a platform for his performance.

Praveena in her comeback incredibly depicts the various shades of the character with amazing ease. Her calm face with plethora of emotions, sans make-up looks up at you with frankness and honesty -- the perfect foil to the hero unidimensional hero.

Saloo George once again proved to be one of the best behind the camera, maintaining a singular dark tone throughout, suiting the mood of the movie. Mohan Sithara also proves effective particularly in the background scoring that sets the mood of the movie. No unnecessary fast-paced songs mar the tempo. Out of the five songs, there are a couple of hummable tunes.

Film Review:

Banner: Marikkar Films
Cast: Mammootty, Lakshmi Rai, Gopika, Ragasiya, Harishree Ashokan, Suraj Venjaaramoodu,
Kunjan, Manianpillai Raju, Siddhique, Mohan Jose, Anil Murali, Urmila Unni, Shivani
Direction: Anwar Rasheed
Production: Marikkar
Music: Rahul Raj

The only world of caution for those who are planning to watch ‘Annan Thampi' is that this is not a production for the purist, pointed reviews ,or logic viewing. It is more a racy formulaic stuff, laugh-out-loud funny at times that is just meant for entertaining you for two hours. The results are a lot of smiles and snickers, and these larger moments come just enough to make this a movie that is much more consistent in tone than many of other recent endeavors.

Creating comical plots around a handicap appears to be the latest mantra in our films. 'Annan Thampi', too is yet another formula friendly adoption of such a story of twins, born within a difference of 90 seconds, who are at loggerheads with each other since childhood. The problem with them is that one is dumb and the other is verbose. To avoid more casualties due to sibling rivalry, one is sent to Pollachi with his uncle and other stays back with his parents. Appu the eldest of the twins is a vitriolic troublemaker, and erstwhile associate and present enemy of Dharmarajan (Rajan P Dev), who's niece Thenmozhi (Laxmi Rai) is madly after Appu.

On the other hand, a dumb Achu is the softer one who is unlucky enough to take the brunt of others in his shoulders. He and his wife Lekshmy is assisting his father Ravunni (Janardanan )in recreating the Puranas for their ballet troupe and is even ready to portray the roles of puranic characters in folklore, along with fellow artists played by Suraj, Salim Kumar and Harishree Ashokan.

Even after years, the brothers continue their fight when ever they see face to face. But soon major misunderstanding created by enemies pop up and the brothers starts calling for each others blood. And as usual, just before the finale, they understand the real reasons behind their enmity, which makes them, reconcile and fight as one against the baddies.

'Annan Thampi', even though on a ''done to death plot frame'' primarily works for two big reasons -- the ingenuity of the production crew led by Anwar Rasheed and scenarist Benny P Nayarambalam and the acting talents of the artists in crucial characters and naturally, its lead star Mammootty ,with his cleverly done dumb act. Anwar Rasheed cleverly brings out every possible joke that can be told featuring twins and they rarely need to resort to too much crass envelope pushing in order to achieve humor. He even makes Mammootty mimic himself in one of the scenes which drives the audience positively wonder about his understated comic timing. Retaining his idiosyncratic detours, this is a slick package concocted to showcase his star qualities, – for a Mammootty fan anyway.

The comic situations of the movie rise above the mere case of mistaken identities. Amidst the visual gags and crazy situations, the fun quota is consistently maintained even in circumstances that are not really humorous. This is thanks in large part to the versatility of Suraj Venjaramoodu and Salimkumar, two actors who have shown the ability to do outrageous comedy and drama equally well. Among the lady leads, Gopika as usual performs well in a tailor made role while Lakshmi Rai is around with the right dosage of glamour quotient.

The biggest letdown of the movie, of course is the climax fight, its build up and the associated graphic works which looks more animated and inconsistent. The entire fight choreography of the movie is sparse and ineffective. Fortunately, director operates in his usual style -- pleasantly funny, but not especially inventive, keeps it from getting out of hand, allowing the movie to stay reasonably consistent with its interestingly done tail piece. Lokanathan behind camera and Don Max in editing supports evenly for making a technically well done movie. Rahul Raj's songs that are choreographed brilliantly suit the mood of the movie but leave little to sing along. Alex Paul also has done commendable job in rerecording.

'Anann Thampi' is strictly for those who don’t look for too much logic in the film, but wanting to sit back and enjoy consistent laughs. The comedy here is in the funny bone of the beholder, as every stratum of so called high end jokes and low end crass are here, and many viewers are probably just as likely to find it unfunny as funny, so this is reservedly recommended. And in comparison to other comedies out there, that's better than most.

Film Review:

Banner: Aashirwad Cinemas
Cast: Mohanlal, Meera Jasmine, Suganya, Asokhan,
Vijayaraghavan, Mohini, Muthumani, Kripa, Mamukoya,
Baby Nivedhitha
Direction: Sathyan Anthikkad
Production: Antony Perumbavoor
Music: Ilayaraja - Gireesh Puthencherry

‘Innathe Chintha Vishayam’ is a film with a serious subject and worth a watch. Especially if you are interested in the likes of tearjerker soaps dealing with marital discords. ‘Old wine in a new bottle' may not be the apt adage to describe the film. The plot is not daringly unconventional but it’s packaged refreshingly with multiple dozes of strained relations.

Nine out of ten television soaps have marital discord as its plot. Nine out of ten television soaps have women as their privileged viewers. And this film, meeting the both elements, belongs to that genre. Sathyan is using the tried and tested formula to create movie- soap made for the fair sex, who gives the best support to all his endeavors in the box office. This is one of the films that were made keeping in mind of its strict target audience and marketing strategies. And so it may never fail to bring in applause, at least from some corners.

In fact, the movie superficially sums up many a jilted plight of individuals when they are desperately trying to pick up the pieces after an unequal relationship, where partners are separated on silly issues but is still in need. Trying to dwell on the present scenario and comment on the societal mores of today, the movie finds it hard to effectively convey a precise message about 'understanding' in the place of 'adjustments'.

The movie opens with the voice over of the director who presents three different couples in the verge of disseverance. Dr .Murali Krishanan (Mukesh), the most successful dentist in the city is more interested in having female associations, more than often. He hides them from his wife Teresa (Sukanya), even by assigning male names for them in his mobile. One fine day he is in a tight corner with his wife raiding his mobile contacts, and for evading the conflicts associated, he walks out of her life even leaving his daughter Lakshmi.

The second family, Pithambaran (Vijayaraghavan) and his wife Premila (Mohini) with their lovely children Malavika and Madhavan are leading a good life. But due to increased possessiveness for his wife, Pithambaran returns home from gulf throwing away his good job, and starts escorting his wife all along. He even develops inferiority complex which further complicates things for Premila, ultimately resulting in continuous fights and separation.

And in the third family, Rehna (Muthumani) is not able to continue with her lawyer profession due to the orthodox attitude of her husband and his family. She too walks out of his life, and starts working independently

Into the lives of these three ladies who starts living separately arrives, G K alias Gopakumar, a garment exporter. He has bought the house where Teresa is staying away from her husband Muralikrishnan. Now left in a difficult situation which does not allow G K, to throw out Teresa and her daughter, to establish his office, Gopakumar is trying newer ways to get the couple together. And in the process he meets the other similar ladies who happen to be friends of Teresa. The film follows how G K with his fashion designer Kamala and land Broker Immanuel, succeeds in getting the feuding couples back to lives of reunion.

Mohanlal as G K don't have anything exceptional and is repeating the Good Samaritan act for the umpteenth time, but still it is a pleasure watching him in a role that seldom goes larger than life. There may seem to be some exaggeration in the portrayal of the idealist Gopakumar, but Lal is effortless in presenting the character convincing, with least obvious loopholes. The director who is also credited with writing the script integrates many topical issues in the story, but this time he is consciously making them the centre of our attention in every now and then sequences. The idealistic lines goes up to the level of preaching in the later half, which partially destroys the charm of narratives.

And then there is Meera Jasmine as Kamala with a precious little to do. She says her lines, flutters those eyelashes and looks ravishing. Her repeat act of ‘Rasathanthram’ and ‘Vinodhayathra’ as a girl with a sad past are not inspiring as the original. In terms of chemistry, none of the couples from Mukesh, - Sukanya, Vijayaraghavan - Mohini and Ashokam - Muthmani share any vibes. But all have taken care to do a competent job to display them with no visible warmth.

At times, you do feel the film, almost two and a half hours long, is bit stretched and that it loses pace in the second half after a rollicking first part. In fact is one of those films, that aren’t as much about the happy finale, as it is about the insightful journey about relationships, which is at times, hilarious. And definitely the director falters in getting it around for a more logical climax, which seems forced and infantile with every weak male counterparts mercifully turning up to realize what they have been in their life -chauvinists, freaks and psychos.

Azhakappan has once again excelled behind the camera, with his limited resources capturing the mood of the movie. Ilayaraja gives a couple of hummable tunes that seems to be the recycled versions of his earlier hits in Malayalam. Sai Babu in the costumes and Santhosh Raman in art department had definitely added colors to the proceedings.

Despite its many minuses, ‘Innathe Chintha Vishayam’ is still endurable on account of the subtle smiles that it generates and the running time of just 145 minutes. It is not a bad film to watch at least once, especially because it tries to discuss one of the grave issues that our society faces, and reiterates some of the eroded values and ideals that is presented without too much glorification.

Film Review:

Banner: A V A Productions
Cast: Sara, Jagathy, Jayasuriya, Thilakan, Edavela Babu, Mala,
Aravindhan, Nedumudi Venu,Salim Kumar, Indrans,
Kochu Preman, Rajan P Dev, Kollam Thulasi, M R
Gopakumar, Lena, Sukumary, Kaviyoor Ponnamma
Direction: Balachandra Menon
Production: A.V. Anoop
Music: M Jayachandran

In Mollywood, Vishu films normally have their share of highlights, mostly being the time of well made flicks.

After watching one of this year’s entries 'De, Ingottu Nokkiye', I wonder what this dreary and misguided film is doing in the little crowded filmi market, when every one was waiting eagerly for the comeback movie of Balachandra Menon as the director.

Menon had failed miserably, this time attempting to create a romantic farce, a black comedy or a morality tale. The attempt for a funny satirical film just turned out into a night mare reminding its surprising catch line about 'an idiotic film’, made with the least intelligence. From a versatile performer of several parts, a national award-winning actor, a director, a scenarist, a lyricist, a music-composer and even a singer who proved many times before, this is an unpardonable act. You can very well stay away from this poor excuse for a film, without much regret.

As said, it's little away from being horrible. You can watch the film without being submissive, and tolerantly try to figure out where it is going wrong and ascertain how the real joke might have sounded if worked well. The plot is all about an youth, Vettikkadu Sivan, who is all set to teach his uncle and Chief Minister of the state, Vettikkadu Sadasivan, a lesson by importing his occasionally moronic twin brother who is a banana vendor at Gujarat and placing the look alike as the puppet C M of the state. To accomplish this, Sivan kidnaps the original C M with the help of his friends and presents the second man in power, closely guarding and assisting the puppet CM, who is here only to find his long missed sweet heart, Ammu.

This plot though seemingly linear and promising, is dealt in the wildest stage bound way without clarity and doesn't make plausible points in its exaggeratedly loud cynical outbursts. The ludicrous screenplay hallmarked with inconsistencies and irregularities could be the worst from the director who had been an icon in the eighties. And as a director too, Menon with his disjointed treatment fails to stand up to the need of the hour, drawing bizarre pictures of tad superficial thoughts. He seems to have a got a lot of points of social criticisms to make in every alternative scenes, but fail to draw in skillful sequences to air them. Not surprisingly the plenty of one-liners have an off-the cut, improvised feel. Interesting observations can be found as the film skims its roster of issues: the numbing effects of voting, the problems with political anarchism and increased alcoholism in the state.

As far as performances are concerned, Jagathy Sreekumar in dual roles desperately tries to deliver something different with limited success while Jaysuriya is in his usual self. The new girl Sarah seems pretty and promising. Salimkumar, Nedumudi Venu and Co is wasted in roles that demand nothing of their caliber. The cinematography by Jibu Jacob is average, while Bhoominthan in editing couldn't do any thing to lessen the distortions and the total mess up. M Jayachandran's songs and Sanjeev Lal's background scores adds cacophony to this failed project.

The result can be summed up as a satire without sting, which is the same as no satire at all. If you have more choices, don’t waste your time on this one.

Film Review:

Banner: Sagar Balaji Creations
Cast: Dileep, Meera Nandan, Reena Bashir, Sruthi Menon, Biju
Menon, Innocent, Mala Aravindan, Salimkumar, Sukumari,
Anoop Chandran, Bineesh Kodiyery, Rizabava, Ashok,Suja
Direction: Lal Jose
Production: Sagar Sherif
Music: Vidhyasagar'

The eleventh film from ace director Lal Jose - 'Mulla ' cannot perhaps be called a bad film. But neither can it be called a brilliant movie. After such critically appreciated movies like 'Arabikkatha' and 'Classmates', one did expect a lot more from the director who gave us path breaking hits, even with lesser stars. An average film that may not make much of an impact at the box office, that's what 'Mulla', is. Though a colorful film that is entertaining at times, 'Mulla' falters on many counts, being too far from an engrossing stuff and is perhaps indicative that Lal Jose and Sindhu Raj failed miserably this time, trying to give a long elusive hit to Dileep.

'Mulla' takes us to the Karakadu colony, a settlement of thieves, sex workers and goondas. Here we have got every representative from a microcosmic colony ranging from the reigning goonda gang headed by Thampi Annan to Thotty Sasi, the pimp and manager to the sex workers. Lal Jose tries hard to layer the story with issues ranging from human trafficking to parent less rearing of children who ultimately become criminals. But the juggling act of creating an action based romantic comedy is too unsuccessful with 'Mulla'.

Our protagonist 'Mulla', named after his mother who was a silent sex worker known by her smile and bunch of jasmine in her hair, grows up as an orphan following the suicide of his mother. Thereafter he becomes a dumb left arm to Thampi Annan. By a quirk of fate, he spots an abandoned child on the train while on an encounter with a money lender.

He immediately hands over the child to Lalchi, a girl who is a regular traveler in the train. Lalchi, working in bakery, on the other hand, has her share of problems, and after a day returns the child to Mulla in the colony. With nothing else to do Mulla and his men plans to rear the child. Lalchi, who is a bold, smart and outgoing girl, becomes a regular visitor to the dreaded colony to take care of the child which gradually paves way for a romance with Mulla. He tries ways to readapt himself to the new life but destiny had different designs, already set for them.

The scriptwriter seems to have followed the Balu Mahendra’s classic ‘Yathra’ or its Hindi version ‘Milan’ in the narrative style and the film even showcases some shades of 'Dhalapathy'. The problem with the movie is that after establishing the premises, whose majority is shot on the moving train, the later half falls too predicable, even though not clichéd. The film would have come in for less criticism, had it been from a less accomplished director. Lal also seems to have failed to utilize the desired elements of the plot points to race into a riveting climax, which stands inadequate for the work that he has done in the build ups to the story.

The highlight of the film is the excellent camera work by Vipin Mohan, who has beautifully covered the entire proceedings, a work that will match the best of his career. And that is the case with the art director Gokuldas who has taken pains to display the best from his team, creating the sets of the colony. . What saves this film is the cast that has given noteworthy performances. Dileep is good as Mulla, though not extraordinary. But the decision to keep him with very limited dialogues definitely did backfired, as the actor without much easy talking had always been less effective. Meera Nandhan as Lalchi proves herself in her first outing and is the surprise packages who carry the film in her tender shoulders. Biju Menon, with his towering personality and evocative eyes, looks every part the enigmatic ring leader. Anoop Chandran, Reena Basheer, Suraj Venjaramoodu and Salim Kumar, excel in the supporting roles with well timed comedies while Saiju Kurup takes a mature look as C.I. Bharathan. Bhavana too makes an appearance in a wasted and overly done cameo.

After seeing the film, one gets the feeling that the script should have been a lot slicker. The screenplay credited to Sindhu Raj, does not however make us emotionally involved with the plot, but rather opt for a detached way of narrating the story. The overall pace of the film dispels the average audience especially since the film dawdles to establish it. Ranjan Abraham in editing could have gone for some harsh cuts to initiate a momentum.

In the past, it was the music that was one of the highlights of the Lal Jose flick. But that cannot be said about 'Mulla', even though some songs from Vidhyasagar like ‘Kanavukal’ and 'Arumukhane' are not unimpressive.

To sum up, 'Mulla' is a passable fare, but not up to the mark expected from Lal Jose. A film that make you watch glazed, get amused and entertained at times, but one that make you leave the theatre exactly the way you entered........ With not much new thoughts or feelings to linger..... . And that is the rarest disappointment that you can have from a Lal Jose movie.

Film Review:

Banner: Best Group Productions
Cast: Sudeesh, Ramya Nambeeshan, Kaithapram, Madambu Kunjikuttan, Aravindhan,
Mamukoyya, Rajan Padoor, K P A C Lalitha, Bindu Vaarapuzha, Nilamboor Ayisha
Direction: Suresh Palanshery
Production: Aseez Kadalundi, Alavi Ramanattukara, Rasheed Perumanna
Music: Kaithapram

Salabham doesn't belong to any genre. Not even to the genre which challenges the established genres. Perhaps it can be called, rather force-fit into, a "menofilm", which never shaped up into one category at any circuit.

At the most it only has the steam that can be pressed into a thirty-minute short film. Without much to say, this old fashioned film doesn't offer anything engrossing in all the ninety minutes. In fact, the film has labored to reach the ninety-minute mark with a couple of songs, which are totally unwanted.

The movie has a plot which is thinner than the wings of Salabham, a butterfly. It's about the journey of a young girl into a delayed womanhood or puberty. The myths about late menstruation passed down by mothers, aunts, storytellers and community leaders from generations to generation, form the backdrop of the story.

In the movie, Meera, living with her single mother, suffers from developmental disorders. She finds it difficult to cope up with the delay in attaining womanhood. The friends of her age, incoming proposals for marriage and the neighbors… all aggravate her agony. She desires to be like others, desires to fly like a butterfly. But she can't. She keeps all the menacing sorrows to herself, creating emotional turmoil.

The narrative makes it a point to keep the actual problem subdued; dragging the proceedings further and it takes some time to move forward in the first half. There is an attempt to keep this suspense alive, but this too falls flat. With nothing more to offer in the storyline in the later half, the viewers are left to wait until the girl attains puberty, for the film to sign off.

Maadambu in the screenplay couldn't reach out to what was expected from such a film, with a rarest plot while director Suresh Palancherry shows his sparkles of directorial abilities in a few sequences. The other highlight of the film is the acting departments, majority consisting of relatively fresh faces who lived up to the demands of the characterizations. Remya Nambeeshan also fares better in the title role as Meera. Infact it is her best on screen performance , till date. Another special applause must go to Deepankuran for the careful background scoring and to cinematographer M J Radhakrishnan who is sure to excel in any given conditions. It is really pathetic that such a talented cinematographer, who has proved himself in more than fifty films, is never offered one big film in which he can work with out any budgeting compromises.

In regular intervals, a song written and set to music by Kaithapram pops up, to fill the screen time. Altogether there are four songs in this ninety minute fare. With too many unnecessary songs and no single clear cut comments on the topic, the very purpose why this movie was made stands void. It cannot be a shame for the audience, not to be in the cinema halls to witness such outdated plot lines.

Film Review:
Cast: Kalabhavan Mani, Siddique, Nedumudi Venu, Innocent, Suraaj Venjaramoodu,
ShammiThilakan, Bijukuttan, Vijayaraghavan, Saadique, Augustine, Sreehari, Irshad,
Iswarya, Sreelatha Namboothiri, Ambika Mohan, Poornima
Direction: Chandrashekharan
Music: Kailas Menon










Bits and pieces of investigative drama, that we have seen umpteenth times with the other super star movies, too sleepy paced narratives, Kalabhavan Mani in usual maneuvers, and an outdated presentation style- These could be the taglines of 'Kerala Police' which doesn't offer anything refreshing in terms of visuals, presentations or narratives..

The skeletal of the story is the same as in any Mani film of the past decade and half. Only the garb of the characters has changed to the police uniforms. Despite half a dozen movies to his credit, it appears that director Chandrasekharan ,after a long gap to filmdom ,still needs to work on updating his film making techniques .He doesn't try to experiment much, simply tweaking formulaic stuff a little to claim originality of plot.

The film is as usual about an honest cop Circle Inspector of Police Satyanath, bogged down by the system in his fight for righteousness. Just because of his backward class, many like Mukunda Varma (Baiju) and Venugopal in his same grade sidelines and ridicules him and takes credits of everything that Sathyanath does. He being an upright officer faces a lot of troubles from official circles, but with the help of his god father and Superintendent of Police, Philip Tharakan (Innocent), he survives in service.

As he smells some mysterious links in the death of a Goan based freelance photographer Bimal Roy, whose body was found in a tile factory, Sathyanath follows in close steps with the incidents that led to the murder and spots popular actress and a national award winner Sanjana ( Lekshmy Sharma) , behind the murder. On the further investigations Sanjana admits her part in the murder .But Sathyanath is not convinced that she alone can commit such a dreaded act and refuses to arrest her.

This leads to the case being wrapped up and taken away from state police to be handed over to the CBI group headed by Nandini Verma (Swarnamalya). She is highly critical about the way the police department is run in the state and from the day one, the stage is set for confrontation between Sathyanath and Nandhini. Sathyan now take leave and start a personal level investigation on the case with the able aid from constable Balram. The movie follows how the Kerala Police and the CBI race it to the finish to grab the enshrouded killer.

In this obvious attempt at making a formulaic masala movie, the resulting experience is far from satisfactory. The narrative loses steam post interval with the arrival of C B I , as it becomes a typical murder mystery without much momentum, which leaves the movie to be just an average one .More over, the liberal use of the caste cards even in punch lines and the related generalizations is not a case to be encouraged, even though they appeal to a very few .The only highlight of the movie is that the creators has managed to keep the suspense till the finale, even though the ultimate find is not a matter of bigger surprise.

As usual with the Mani movies the script by Vinu Narayanan based on a story by Anwar Abdulla doesn't offer much for him to improvise. The proceedings are not so gory that people in the movie theater along with this reviewer often have to search for the clocks. As far as histrionics go, the less said the better. Kalabhavan Mani has his way through, with nothing worth mentioning. Swarnamalya catches our attention once in a while as Nandhini but Lekshmy Sharma as Sanjana doesn't fit too much to the bill. The other saving grace of the movie is Biju Kuttan who provides a little comic relief. The technical crew also doesn’t give any mentionable outputs.

All in all, the movie doesn't offer anything extraordinary in terms of content and performance. You can be a part of it, if you still have an appetite for investigative movies that appear at least in dozens, every year in Mollywood.

Film Review:

Banner: Minerva Creations
Cast: Indrajith, Gopika, Janardanan, Mamukkoya, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Kiran Raj, Manianpillai
Raju, Anoop Chandran, T P Madhavan, Santhosh Jogi, Manka Mahesh, Mini Arun,
Lekshmipriya, Sree Nandhana.
Direction: Rajesh , Faizal
Production: T Santhoshkumar, K B Devaraj
Music: Rahulraj

A fresh team of directors, a new scriptwriter, producers and an young technician crew-every time when we hear about a movie from such a crew, we always expects much from them. Many of the recent outings from such crews proved banal and stale. But that is not the case with Rajesh Faizal's debut film 'Malabar Wedding'. It is a light hearted movie that truly delivers what is expected from it. A romantic comedy about a couple who had to endure a humiliating obstacle course to marriage, much due to a popular custom sorakalyanam, is a comedy of manners, Kerala - style.

The director duo Rajesh - Faisal proves very much through their debut film that a long term association with their mentor, Priyadarshan, have definitely groomed them to realize how to make quality comedies. This comic caper never really runs out of steam, moving unpredictably all along till the climax, with no forced sequences, making us remember some of the best from the nineties. With no nonsensical musings and slapsticks, and the deft handling of a funniest cast, who stands rooted without any overacting, Rajesh and faizal certainly deserve the credits for creating some of the pleasing laughs in a couple of years.

The cast is exclusively keralite and the setting is Malabar, where the very middle-class Maanu kuttan an his friends rule the village, playing Sorakalyanam, the custom of beleaguering and teasing the prospective grooms up to their marriage and sometimes even after that. These pranks and jokes are taken with the rightest spirit in their Ilanjikkara village where each wedding are made uproarious, loud and cheerful by maanukuttan and his gang composing of sugunan, pookkatta satheeshan, avookar, savior and sadhu.

Into this village unexpectedly arrives Smitha and her parents from calcutta, leaving back their unpleasant parts of life. Within a few days, Maanu gets engaged with Smitha, little knowing about her history. But he very well knows and fears that being the lead instigator in the group of teasers, this could be his payback time from his former victims, including satheeshan and gang. He tries many ways to avoid the confrontations, but ultimately has to fall to the consequences that wreak havoc on his personal life, which the entire gang seldom foresee.

We've probably seen many marriage related stories before but not any way related to this plot. That's one reason Malabar Wedding seems fresh. The other highlight is the excellent casting, and the tactfulness which avoids overplaying and thus makes the comedy a great deal more amusing than it might have been in coarser hands. With such a refreshing story and taut scripts by Ramesh madhavaan, wheels are set in motion for an non obstacle-ridden course of a refreshing movie. Any fan of the comedy tradition from Sathyan to Priyadarshan, can very well feel the deft touches of farce gently applied, except in a very few stretches where the antics are haphazardly staged. Compared, however, to several recent ultra-bore formulaic movie wagons that have ripped the majority of Malayalam films recently, Malabar wedding is a model of subdued charm. The resulting entertainment is just a little facile at times but the with many interconnecting tracks and caricatured characters, ending with a wedding, are encompassed with considerable skill.

And in the acting front, 'Malabar Wedding', is another movie in which the protagonists have little to do than the group that is surrounding them. But even in this course of narratives, Indrajith shines makes his striking presence felt all over. He is equally in control in witty and touching sequences, showcasing his apt comic timing once again. Gopika even though in a small role with least dialogues proves her fine facility yet again, with an impeccable performance in a role that is quite vital though not in any way truly demanding of her acting prowess.

With a bunch of talented comic actors like Suraj Venjarammood, Mamukkoya, Bijukuttan, Maniyan Pillai Raju, Anoop Chnadran, Janardhanan, K T S padnnyil, and santhosh jogi coming up with remarkable timing, none of the sequences proves ineffective Velraj in his first outing to Malayalam rightly captures the shots that suit the mood of the film and so is Arunkumar in editing who created interesting mis en scenes to create comedies. Gokuldas in art department and Rahul raj's rerecording also built up certain variations from the ordinary stuff. The movie also have a couple of songs of which''Kolusu'' is the pick.

All in all Malabar Wedding is an engrossing fare that doesn't talk too much about what we don't know. With all the right elements mixed up with elaan, this is a movie that deserves to be applauded for rightly recognising what all will work within our little budgets and with our audiences of intellect. A movie that rightly merits to win, this can be a definite recommendation for a quality viewing pleasure.

Film Review:

Cast: Vineet Sreenivasan, Bhama, Sandhya, Vinu Mohan
Direction: Johnny Antony
Music: Biji Bal, Mejo Joseph



After making four films with the lead stars of Malayalam in C I D Moosa, Kochi Raajavu, Thuruppu Ghulan and Inspector Garud, Johny Antony - one of the regular hit makers of Malayalam industry is finally joining the young brigade to can a new, but different film. The director who specializes in creating films that can be watched in a lighter vein is now with James Albert, the classy scriptwriter of super hit film Classmates, for this new film titled Cycle.

”Though I am in a new circuit, away from my regulars scriptwriters, this too will be my kind of film with songs, dances and hilarious moments. But through the film, I am trying to say a more serious storyline that will address the youth of today. The movie's plot lines demand new faces and that is why I preferred to go for fresher, than the established faces”, says Johny Antony who shot for the film in multitude of locations including Bombay and Germany.

Telling another narrative that will cater to the audiences of all ages, the plot of cycle is set in the backdrop of a shopping complex. Two aspiring youngsters, Roy (Vineeth Sreenivasan), an accountant in a private finance firm and Sanju (Vinoo Mohan) who is sales man in a shop which sells home appliances are the lead characters of this flick. Even though coming from modest backgrounds they have big dreams about their future and are trying ways to make a name for them. Sanju who plays cricket well has got his share of frustrations of not being selected into the state team.

Annie (Bhama) is another girl who works in the same complex in the reception of a travel agency. Meenakshy (Sandhya) is the other heroine of the film, who is the daughter of Kaustubhan (Jagathy Sreekumar), a banker and owner of the shopping complex. This foursome propels the film through ways that we have never seen before.

Cycle, thus has got plenty of highlights, one being the film which introduces popular singer Vineeth to films as an actor. “I had enjoyed the experience and had a lengthy discussion with my father before accepting the film. He loved the script very much and is waiting for the response of the audiences on my histrionic skills”, says Vineeth who has just completed shooting his part, in the film. Scenarist James Albert is sure that he will live up to the hype created after the super hit Classmates. “The theme of the film touches the life cycle of average middle class youth, who always runs after the material things and fortunes in life”. The movie also feature Jagathy Sreekumar, Murali, Cochin Naneef, Saikumar, Salimkumar, Saadi, T G Ravi, Kunchan, Shobha Mohan, Arun and Rekha Pillai.

Cycle produced in the banner of masters cinema by Sunny Kuruvila, T N Thilakan and Viswanathan is entering its last phase of post production. The film's music tracks handled by Mejo Joseph and Anil Panachooran are already in the hit charts. Shaji wields the camera for the first time in a Johny Antony film while Renjan Abraham does the editing. Cycle distributed by Lal creations, will grace the theaters on 15th of February.

Film review:

Banner: Pyramid Saimira Production
Cast: Suresh Gopi, Bala, Honey, Lakshana, Rhajan P Dev, Murali, Sona Nair, Rizabava, Bheeman Raghu, Maniyan Pillai Raju, Krishnakumar, Biju Pappan
Direction: Shaji Kailash

 
The Sound Of Boot Movie Review-Shaji Kailas tries for a difference

 ‘Sound Of Boot’, the new film by Shaji Kailas, is not a superlative inquiring cinema experience, even though soaked in tension, character and atmosphere. The movie, whose structure is basically a murder investigation, has an intriguing look, a bit closely following the footsteps of “Ee Thanutha Veluppan Kaalathu”.

The film follows the tracks of S P Siddharth Mahadevan , who is following the commotion surrounding the killing of two senior police officials, Rtd I G Raghavan Nambiar and SP Abdul Sathar, shortly after their farewell dinner from service, and also a missing case of Meera Nambiar, that occurs at a hilly landscapes. On the very first day itself, he bumps into Rahul Krishna, a college student who has a piece of story to tell about his relation with Meera .

Following the leads, he crashes into the resort holiday home and its caretaker Shankaranarayan, where Siddharth finds the corpse of Meera. Brought in under the clout of suspicion as to his actual role in the event, Shankaranaryanan presents his version of the incidents that happened there, leading to the killings. Each fragment takes the viewer up through the first moment of the previous scene. There are also story flashbacks that are shown in linear sequence, and they move against the main story .But with a few supportive traces, Siddharth builds his cloying version of all the deeply buried secrets, that is finally presented as the original story. As it turns out, there are not any eyeballs awaiting spectacles, but certainly an unexpected additional twist to the proceedings intended to add thrills to the show.
   

The plot, while slightly thin with lesser number of beautifully drawn out characters, is pictured in picturesque Moonnar and Peerumade, where people hide in shadows (intended to add speculations) and policemen making their own rules, running the high ranges, especially during the declared emergency of the seventies. The scriptwriter Rajesh Jayaraman has tried his best to present all proceedings, operating under a set of rules unique to detective cinema. The highlight is that in aiming for this memorable allegiance, however, he doesn't fall into the documentary trap. Moreover he succeeds in interweaving narrative of crimes conducted and enacted in the midst of an insurgency regime in the name of surveillance, also portraying the cruel acts of a forgotten decade which unsettled the lives of hundreds. The downside of the film is that the gloomy mystery is not airtight, as it is built around a lot of coincidences and events that finds hard to fit in place to develop a totally engaging plot.

And for the director Shaji Kailas , the saying goes, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it ''. Far from the demands of the scripts, nothing seems to be absent from Shaji's usual fare, even though he tries to be a bit classy. He has done fairly better in the opening half but in the later, the movie runs out of steam, making an acclivitous mechanical attempt to involve us. Shaji fails to maintain the atmosphere of suspense or tension all through ,particularly towards the end, reminding many of his loose- ended antecedents .One can't help but be disappointed with how "Sound Of Boot '' resolves( with impracticable executioners in bizarre uniforms) , even though it has a better tail piece.

But a few superb performances can never hurt. Suresh Gopi as Siddharth Mahadevan is a welcome relief from his usual agitated mannerisms. And certainly due to that, this may not probably win over the masses. The other actor who deserved mention is Murali , who has brought in a stupefying performance.

In the technical sides also the film is superior with crisp editing by Arunkumar (Sorry, for his credit is montage) and moody photography and extreme angles by Raja Rathnam in which no values are compromised, even though the film was shot in a record 25 days. The only song in the film ''Yamuna Theeram'' is an unwanted suffering, but Rajamani in rerecording definitely sets the pace with enthralling theme music.

If you can walk away with several weak plot points that may inquire your intellect, the movie may make you feel as a well made ‘‘endeavor’’. It may be unfair to expect a wondrous exclamation, from the viewer's side ' at the end of a picture but certainly ''Sound Of Boot'' is not the one to be avoided, at least for its atypical narratives. Perhaps that may be the point that the makers are also bearing in their minds.

  

Film Review:
Banner: Marikar Films
Cast: Mammootty, Manju, Sai Kumar, Vijayaraghavan, Subair, Lalu Alex, Rajan P Dev, Shammi Thilakan, Sphadikom George, Urmila Unni
Direction: Ranji Panikkar
Production: Shahul Hameed Marikar and Anto Joseph

As predicted by trade experts, Mammootty's new release 'Roudram' made a stupendous opening all across Kerala.
The film was greeted with thoughtful vigor by the fans of the star who has been awaiting his role in a police uniform for a long time.
The film opened in many centers as early as seven in the morning. The film is registering full houses in almost all centers and is certainly in the lead among the new releases.
The film which have half a dozen charged scenes have Mammootty with a powerful screen presence and in another mesmerizing character as 'Nari, who again proves that he is the best cop in Malayalam films.

Movie Review:

Banner: Fairy Queen Productions, Emil And Eric
Cast: Mohanlal, Vimala Raman, Balachandramenon, Saikumar, Nedumudi Venu, Innocent, Salimkumar, Suraj, Vijayaraghavan, Kochupreman, Indrans
Direction: Thulasidas
Music: Shibu Chakrabarthy, Ouseppachan


  

A enchanting mix of college life, campus politics and of course, Mohanlal promised to charge and welcome us in the new year. And standing by their words is 'College Kumaran', the new release of the star which is not a classy affair, but surely an entertaining one. The film offers us excitement all through as we settle into our seats for the movie and the director has made it a point to keep the tempo sustained with little bit of twists coming up in every twenty minutes. The film which stretch a little more than two and a half hours, is definitely a passable fare, when compared with the recent outings of the star.

The film is a rollicking ride through the life of Kumaran alias Captin Sreekumar, an ex military officer, who is presently running the campus canteen of Mahatma College.

Spending his days entirely for and with the students Kumaran popularly called as Kumarettan, is the life and soul of the campus. Kumaran is the only person who can influence the students of this college to any extent. He is like a gang leader who is always in front to support and raise the needs of students, be it the agitation demanding the recognition of courses before the Secretariat or the strike against Prof Vikraman (Rizabava) who runs special tuition in the time of college classes. Even the principal Narendranath (Janaardhanan) and manager Shivaraman Nair(Nedumudi Venu) turns to him, whenever the students starts fights on petty issues and politically targeted strikes.

Kumaran's father Karunakaran Nair and his sister died in a fire that happened in the canteen ten years back , and there after Kumaran left the army to be with the students and the college, which he maintains like his own home. But there were many who hated Kumaran and his freehand in the college administration. The spearhead among them was Sethunathan, the educational minister, and the chieftain of all illegal business activities related to education. A former chairman of the college, he raved to buy the college from the manager Shivaraman by hook or crook. And for this he hatched many plans which get spoiled always by the timely intrusion of Kumaran. Madhavi (Vimala Raman), the college's English professor, was another person who felt that Kumaran is the major reason behind the students getting pampered and spoiled. But very soon the tables are expected to turn against Kumaran as he get enmeshed in a bigger trap, Will Kumaran be able to survive the commotion? Can he save the college from Sethunath? See the film for the answers.

The film rooted in the campus itself has a pretty thin story line. But Thulaseedas has finally managed to convert the flick into a passable fare. The director is spot on the little subject, he had and races to the final with the help of fine cuts by P C Mohanan. The screenplay and dialogues by Suresh Pothuwal flesh out the characters of this thin concept, with not many deviations. The later half is more impressive, but with too many cliches, that makes the flick a predictable stuff. Mohanlal looks tired but ease through the role which he had been in, many times before. Vimala Raman as Madhavi is ok but has precious little to do. The shortcoming of the script is that it doesn’t have many hilarious moments, funny sequences, punch lines or witty one liner. Suraaj and Harishree Ashokan as Kumaran's aides in canteen try to bring in chuckles but fails more than often. Siddhique as Sethunathan is in his usual self while a bunch of young artists completes the castline as campus groups.

Venugopalan support Thulassedas behind the camera. The film has three songs of which ''Kanakuyilin'' is the best, sung by Sujatha and Venugopal. The background score by Ouseppachan also give the needed impetus on many scenes, lifting it to the needed moods. Altogether the film may not be a must-watch but it's also not a total let down either. Something you could fish out, still endurable on account of its running time of just 145 minutes, and of course Mohanlal. When you have two hours to do nothing important, just have a look at 'College Kumaran'.

Movie Review:

Cast: Dileep, Meera Jasmine, Indrajit, Vimala Raman, Innocent, Bindu Panikkar
Direction: Blessy
Production: Thampy Antony

  

Blessy is a master story teller. His previous endeavours had proven it beyond doubt. Now, 'Calcutta News ', produced by Kaayal Films, also stands testimony to that. Set in the backdrop of urban Kolkata, this gripping story deals with the disturbing social menace of sex rackets. More than a love story, the plot explores the lives of innocent women who feel shunted out by a world that doesn't understand them due to their circumstances.

The news is not just from Calcutta alone. This absorbing story can happen anywhere in the country or at any part of this world. So universal is the theme. And the narration is bonny to watch - even if it is somewhat cinematic and overly simplistic, in the context of the bolder theme.

The film is a variation on the village-family themes that the director had been with for long, but instead, our female protagonist brood about in the caliginous emotional aftermath of her husband's death. On the surface, the film is very much in the detailing the plight of innocent country girl who winds up in the big city and becomes the punching bag victim of a fake marriage, undergoes the death of his so called husband and rejection by unfeeling society, and who becomes so besieged by tragedy that she is blind to the genuine love offered to her by a gutsy journalist.

The film opens with Ajith Thomas (Dileep), an acclaimed investigative television producer and anchor of a leading channel 'Calcutta News', being felicitated for his work 'Shadows of Calcutta' -entirely shot via mobile phone cameras, receiving a national award for its sincerity and boldness of theme. The plot lines open with Ajith narrating the incidents that made him to produce this work of art. Ajith, the son of a former footballer of Mohammedans grew up in Kolkata with his two sisters and his mother, in an apartment that his mother considered important as they resided there from their early days. An active member of kairalee malayalee samajan headed by a comical president (Innocent ), Ajith has at his disposal a strong media team including producers Smita (Vimala Raman), and news anchors Aruna (Manasa) and Sheela (Brinda) and bunch of cameraman and editors.

One day on a hectic shoot of kali pooja, he bumps into a newly married Malayalee couple who were seen irritable before camera. And in the next day Ajith meets them again on a tram and the guy turns hostile realizing Ajith is a malayali. Within few days Ajith once again finds him while editing the news, this time found as an unidentified body found near Kalighat. Ajith immediately go through the rushes and make arrangements to beam the previous shots of the couple that he shot, so that some one may come forward to claim the body.

Within a couple of days Ajith get news about the girl, 'Krishnapriya' who was brutally beaten and locked up in a petty lodge in the city. Ajith with the help of kairali samagam offers help to her who identifies the body of her husband Hari (Indrajith), with whom she was married five days back. She being a an orphan from Pattambi with no one back in her village, they leave the claim on the body. But the shattered girl with the agony, anger and grief combined with the uncertainty of life tries for a suicide. But Ajith comes up in the role of her protector and arranges her stay with his workmates in the channel. Soon he gets attracted to Krishnapriya primarily due to her love for singing and music.

But within days, Ajit finds that Hari was one of the henchman in a sex racket that traps innocent girls and sells them for lakhs to the Sonagachi sex mafia led by one-arm bearded guy (Kathal fame Krishnamoorthy) . But as days goes by, Krishnapriya develops a kind of obsessive compulsive disorder thinking about herself being the cause of Hari's death.

Ajith tries to help her out, with the support of a psychiatrist. Going after the causes of Hari's murder then lands them into further problems, ultimately resulting in the mafia kidnapping Krishnapriya to their den at the red lit area. Ajith with the help of his fellow media men try to rescue her, following them to the red street and shooting all in his mobile, which lead to a riveting climax.

Blessy is once again at the top of his game, telling a tale in a clean and crisp illustrative terms, never meandering too much (except in the scenes of development of infatuation among protagonists and their mutual interest in music, which is indeed a letdown in this inspiring tale) and propelling the tale forward with relentless and masterful editing by Vijay Shanker. And it’s sure, the tacked-on and forced cheesy ending is okay to appease the masses, but for a film which stresses such a bold theme and in context of what the film tries to say, could have been more impressive, if it had taken a different route.

The storyline sounds simple and, perhaps, clichéd to some extent. But what makes it really different is the treatment. Blessy deals with human emotions very well and provides equal space for all characters to develop but the screenplay ought to have been tightened a little more. The film begins on a sombre pace (and slips back off and forth) it gains momentum post the first half an hour. But it also let us know very well , the unsurely of the scriptor director, whether to keep the film in a track of drippy romance, a psychological thriller, or a realistic paradox, or even a appropriate mixture of all. The film gets predictable as it progresses, failing the attempts to maintain an air of mystery allover by the inclusion of extrasensory perception and the psychiatrist act. But all these shortcomings can be excused for the broader cause of the bolder theme, with which the films stands tall.

The superlative performances of the lead are the other highlights in the film . Meera Jasmine is amazing in the role of a lifetime, playing a lady pushed to the extremes of dilemma and dichotomy of choices. She is believable in every shades offered in the plot. Dileep as Ajith Thomas, with a new look with straightened hair and glasses also has done a superb job playing a gutsy , determined and modest journo. All others in the cast including Vimala Raman as Smitha , Innocent as the Samajam president and Indarajith as Hari does their roles impressively.

The film leaves a lot of physical space for mind-blowing camerawork by Cinematographer S Kumar, who has brought in a marvel with well shot sequences and frames which speaks more than what the film offers verbally. The stunning look of the movie is mostly due to his creative and brilliant cinematography, making it an adorable piece of art. Renjith Amabadi's makeup and Manu Jagand's art work is definitely commendable and can be listed among their bests.

For music, it’s Deojyoth Misra whose work fits the situations to a T, particularly excelling in the folk based songs, which is tasteful while also conforming to musical standards. Most pleasing to the ear, perhaps, are the 'Kannadi koottile', 'Ariloru chilla' and ‘Engu ninno vanna' with its simple tones, all sung in the rich voice of K S Chithra. Ouseppachan also gel best with his background scores, which control the tempo and lift the mood of the film in many a scenes. Considering the present standards of commercial ventures in Mollywood, ‘Calcutta News’ is definitely a immensely watchable film, very hard to leave behind. It is a commendable movie, one that needs to be talked about, discussed, and recommended.