Movie Reviews

BUDDY

Buddy, scripted and directed by Raaj Prabhavathy Menon, hit the screens today after a week's delay. This Anoop Menon starred flick is not going to make one cringe in the seat due to its over usage of double entendre and taboo words, or in other words, we can say it is loaded with it.

 Asha Sharath, popular for her role as professor Jayanthi in Kumkumapoovu, gets a meaty role in this film. She plays the role of an English writer in the film, who leads a peaceful life with her friend Dr Padma (Bhoomika Chawla) and her son Vishnu (Mithun Murali). He consider both of them as his mother, though he is born after an artificial insemination. But he is not interested to know who is his father and mother. 

But as time flew, Vishnu becomes anxious to know about his father. And with the little information shared by his mother, he set out in search of his father. The movie then takes you to Ooty where we are introduced to Maanikunju (Anoop Menon). He is a person who tries to be detached from all and spends time only with friends. Vishnu asks him to accept him as his son, but he consider him as his Buddy as he is too scared to take up the responsibility of a father. 

After that a spate of meaningless scenes follows. The climax ends up in a melodrama. The guest appearance of Lal and Tamil actor Srikanth gives the movie a predictable ending. All the actors have performed well, but the script is filled with scenes that seems to be a crooked up one.

Tourist Home - Movie Review

Tourist Home can be said as an experimental movie canned in single shot. It is not a time killing one. A unique flow of narration and the technicalities is sure to get noticed. The story of individuals lodge at the tourist home is indeed a thoughtful one. 

The plot of the story had two young boys ( Sreejith Vijay and Rajath Menon) who have a bad past due to their unethical lives, an old man (Nedumudi Venu) who has come for the medical aid for his grand daughter in the medical college, a policeman and a whore (Kalabhavan Mani and Archana), a woman (Lena) who is forced to search unlawful means to earn money to meet the medical expenses for her ill husband, two people who fear to attend an interview (Hemanth and his friend), an astrologer (Maniyan Pilla Raju) who chants different ways to get a peaceful mind, a daughter (Meera Nandan) who tries to remind the unethical ways of her father, a woman (Sarayu) who has come to abort her pregnancy from her husband's friend (Sreejith Ravi), and a gang who has taken a room for gambling, who are all staying in that ten rooms of the Tourist Home.

 Theme 

A technically daring venture indeed that throws light on the so-called morally and socially cultured Malayalees. An unseen picture in any recent time

. Characterisation 

The movie has the apt cast and each one has done their best performance. The picturisation itself reminds one such a happening in their real life too.

 Positives

 A daringly different flick with an interesting narration. The technical side is to be emphasised. Long dialogue delivery and sequences have been deftly handled by them. Negatives One can find hardly any 'negative'. It is not an entertaining movie but a real life depiction with full of serious moments filled in it. Do not watch it as a time pass or for an enjoyment. 

Verdict 

The theme of 'a single canned shot' is felt nicely. The story plot is also interesting. Watch the movie with patience and not for a mere entertainment.

Ayal - Is not for everyone

After quite some time with teleserials, director Suresh Unnithan' is back to take a closer look at passionate human relationships  in his latest 'Ayaal' .  Set in the late 1950's at Kuttanad, the movie tracks the life of an undisciplined and unmanageable man who has no inhibitions in receiving love and affection from anyone who offers him. 'Ayal' also examines the concepts of love, lust and associated morals in a different level .

With serpentine worship as its background, the movie has Lal as Gurudasan, the most famous singer of Pulluvan pattu (Songs for snake worship) of the area.   With an ascribed divinity for his deeds and rituals, Gurudasan is unchallenged in his community. Though living with two wives Janaki (Lakshmi Sharma) and Chakkara (Iniya), who are also sisters, Dasan is a man who cannot be bind by society's dogma's about love, family and home as he continues to thrive in looking for newer avenues to share passionate relations. The only person with whom he share a big bonding is Anandhu, his son (Master Anjaneyan) .

The leading landlords of the village ,Pravarthiyar family, decides to hold an important ritual so as to please the snake gods and  get a child out of  his wife Devaki Antharajanam(Lena). Dasan is selected for the act, and for that he has to undergo some strict sacraments. But Devaki develops a liking for Dasan which results in some  unprecedented events that starts to shatter him.

Scripted by Dr K Ambady 'Ayal' is embellished with a lot of traditional ritualistic art forms from kuthiyottapattu to Nagapattu, local beliefs and traditional norms. The movie and its narrative starts of in a different note from the regular scripting styles and falls to place in ten minutes with the colourful presentations of nagapattu. The dialogues are very impressive though the languages and slang are not that much taken care of.  Lal and Lekshmy sharma  are splendid in their Pananpattu sequences  and lend a lots of believability here. But the movie starts to wither as it holds nothing more than physical relations of the protagonist . Though the three women in his life stands for different  kind of emotions - duty bound devotion, lust and possessiveness, and spiritual  love, it is not that convincingly expressed. Moreover, the pacing of the stuff and the unfolding of events are really slow for the new generation viewers. The finale also comes up in the unexpected minute, with the viewer's asking for more.

Anyhow, the highlights of the movie are the awesome visuals of Kuttanad by cinematographer Sujith Vasudev supported by the art director Boban.  The bold and sensuous scenes are shot charmingly and aesthetically. The BG scores filled with 'folk'ish interludes  by Mohan Sithara are fine while the songs set by Somasekharan Unnithan, Mohan Sithara, and M G Anil are classy stuff with 'Manasijan' and Kannathali' -our pick among the six melodies.

The performances in the movie are uniformly good. Lal though appear a miscast for his age and appearance, but lend believability with his performances. The regular muffled voice hampers his  effective dubbing, as usual. Lekshmy Sharma , and Iniya are appropriate in their roles  while Lena comes up in a bold avatar playing the complex role of an open minded lady .

All in all , this 'Ayal' may not be a film for everyone. Shot in a classy mood and verve, this movie may be appreciated by a selected few who would like to peel of layers and discover the implicit  features of the complex narrative.

Rating - 6/10

Paisa Paisa

What would an ad filmmaker do, if he has to get Rs.10, 000 in an hour or two? Well, debutant director Prashanth Murali's Paisa Paisa deals with such a rather unbelievably silly premise and after a few minutes, you could end up offering the money to end this farce!

Balu (Aju Varghese) is in Chennai for an interview at a call centre. But as fate would have it, he is kidnapped by a shady looking fellow, played by Daniel Balaji. All he needs is Rs.10, 000 and Balu calls up his friend Kishore (Indrajith) to send the money as early as possible. He in turn has fixed a meeting with his estranged wife Surya (Mamta Mohandas) at a coffee shop.

Now starts Indrajith's journey to get the money but can he send the money on time? Watch it and know for yourself, if you have the nerves to sit through this nauseating misadventure.

If anything is surprising here, it is the audacity of those who decided to make this flimsy plot into a full-fledged film and convince the producer to cough up money for this venture. And it would be interesting to know if the actors who agreed to be part of this stupidity did it just for the money, without even spending to read the script at least once?

It has been a busy year for Malayalam films with the total number of films nearing 100 in the first six months and this one could rank among the worst films made during recent times.

Paisa Paisa can barely be classified as a serious attempt and at best, it has the content worthy enough for a ten-minute short film. Watch it if you really don't care about your 'paisa' and time.

Verdict: Avoidable

God For Sale: Daivam Vilppanakku

Director Babu Janardhan's God for sale: Daivam Vilppanakku points fingers at the exploitation made in the name of certain beliefs. With some hard hitting statements and a bold stance, the film has its heart at the right place.

The writer-director definitely knows what to tell. But the problem is the way it has been told.

Prasannan Nair (Kunchacko Boban) had a disturbing childhood living in poverty and shame, after his father ended his life following certain unfortunate turnarounds. He was part of the RSS as a youth and when he joined the college for studying law, he had no qualms in shifting his ideology to Communism.

The same happened with his romance as well, as he conveniently forgets his love for a village girl (played by Jyothi Krishna) when he meets a rich girl (played by Anumol) at the college. The gift of the gab took him ahead in his life but there was no conviction in his words or thoughts.

Sometime later, Prasannan becomes a Christian and then, he attracted followers as Poornananda Swami. The story unfolds through the narration of the Swami, after a mishap that happens at his 'asram' and also from the narration of his elder brother Bhaskaran, played superbly by Suraj Venjarammoodu.

Babu Janardhan tries to fit in too many plots and sub plots into the narrative and it all ends up as a terrible mess. Even for the discerning viewer, it will be pretty tough to pick the actual focus as the director goes for unnecessary detailing of not so important sequences, with some of the crucial sequences getting a lazy treatment.

The efforts to get some applause at the cinemas using a few shots from actor Thilakan and adding some dialogues which have no real connection with the film, ends up as a meek show. It is ironic that the director attempts to exploit the controversies that followed the legendary actor in a film that says about exploitation of various kinds!

And it is also a pity that a film, which handles some courageous and relevant topics, has been made in such a careless way. The film could have been made crispier with a skillful editing perhaps, but no such luck here. The less said about the visuals (credited to Sinu Sidharth and Pramod-Pappan), the better.

The highlight of the film could be an outstanding performance by Suraj Venjarammoodu. Kunchacko Boban shows some maturity in his acting style for sure during most part of the film, but has evidently done the rest of the scenes in a laidback and half-hearted manner. The rest of the cast, including the heroines, have nothing much to do.

There is a certain honesty about God for sale: Daivam vilppanakku, which needs to be appreciated for sure. But with the way it has been narrated, this one tests your patience in a big way. Now, decide on your own.

Verdict: Above Average

Left Right Left - Lives up to the hype

After a short while, Mollywood is back to a finer political movie in 'Left, right,Left.  A movie that talks about real issues with a frontage of sense, director Arun Kumar Aravind  and his actor-scribe Murali Gopi complement each other with some extreme performances in their departments,   creating a rarer experience of a movie that  really lives up to the hype. Hats off dear , for a brave, sensible movie that is sure to be called a classic political satire.

'Left Right Left' pans through the lives of three different characters with different ideologies and live styles.  It sketches the making of the political stalwart 'Kaitheri  Sahadevan (Hareesh Perady ) , Sub Inspector of police K P Jayan(Indrajith)   and  Roy Joseph (Murali Gopi) who is a political activist , now left into traumas of hemiplegia. His wife Anitha (Lena) a contract lecturer teaching journalism, takes care of Roy who runs an orphanage and also keep in touch with some of the partymen  forced out of the party due to their revolutionary thoughts.  S I Jayan, who is nicknamed as 'Vattu' jayan for his brutal take on student strikes, is all after a married Jennifer (Remya Nambeesan) a nurse, whose drug addict husband is currently under de addiction treatment.The lives of all of them gets intertwined as a newspaper scoop unearthing a scandalous bribe of 3.5 crores paid to Sahadevan  appear in a local newspaper.

The movie with an ordinary storyline, but excels due to its an extraordinary narrative and dialogues from Murali gopi. He uses the best of his expertise and experience that  he had as a Journalist before joining movies, to craft some of the well etched scenes which also reveals how the dictatorship can affect  even a strong ideology  like that of communism  . With an impressive tag line 'Revolution is homemade' , the movie rightly answers how our childhood influences and the environment affect our choices, nature and dogmas when we become adults. Also the costumes, mannerisms of the lead actors and their body languages are spellbound, leaving the direction of Arun Kumar a few notches above from his previous ' EAK'.

The highlight of the movie is perfect casting with each of the actors giving their heart out to refine their characters.  P.K Jayan, the psycho sub-inspector is the best ever role that happened to Indrajith, that had him playing the best of his elements. The sequences of this rough and tough policeman with an impressive past, is sure to be played out in future as the best from the  actor. Equally competing with him is Murali Gopi, who is picture perfect in the role of a spirited, paralysed revolutionary who believe in his ideals imbibed from his father. Harish Perady as Sahadevan is a real find in a life -like role whom we can easily find parallels while Lena as Anitha , a women of strength  leads the performances from the ladies.

The technical sides are topnotch with another fine cinematography by award winner Shahnad Jaleel.  The editing by the director Arun is sharp , though the final flashback sounded a little lagging. Keeping away the allegation of lifting,  Gopi Sundar's melodious songs and BGM suits the movie perfectly.   The art direction by Ajayan chalisserry  is aplomb and the period and geographical settings, fine. 

On the whole, Left ,Right Left' is a  daringly different attempt from the director, which has a sense of sparkle  and subtlety , all over it. With proper marketing, the movie is sure to have plenty of takers who love movies of this magnitude of impressions.

Rating - 7.5/10

Money Back Policy - Is mediocre

After a few like Bharaya Athra Pora' and 'ASK'  that worked quite well,  here is another  tale of a sexually frustrated middle aged man who develops a weird fascination for a young girl.In 'Money Back Policy', debutante director Jayaraj Vjay manages to keep things under control though in a not so interesting premise.

The movie has Sreenivasan as Ashokan ,  a man who sticks to simple life and prescribe it for his family comprising of Urmila(Sarayu) and two kids, as he has got no better options than to be like that. And when his sister Indira living away at Chennai passes away, Ashokan suddenly finds himself amidst big fortunes left by his sister. He immediately changes ways from his simpler ways, starts to live in a villa amidst luxuries and find ways to spend money unwisely. Upon the insistence of his loudmouthed neighbour Onachan(Nedumudi Venu) , he falls for an insurance agent Roopa (Aishwarya Nambiar). Offering her the reward of big policies,  he starts to  woo her, offers her residence and protection finally to perish from his newly found social status

After being with some noteworthy roles recently, we don't find any reason for a seasoned actor like Sreenivasan to fall for the role that doesn't have any fresh meat. Though there are some satirical observations about the malayalee psyche, the attempts to ignite laughter fails big time, sometimes resorting to bufoonary. Told in flashback ala eighty style where the protagonist enters a bus to tell his tale to fellow passengers, the scripts by producer Manoj Ramsingh has pretty little that may impress and engage you. The twist in tale can be spotted miles away for an intelligent viewer. Even there are attempts by using that BG score of 'Pavizha malli'  to remind you of classic Sreeni years, but more than two decades from those time, new age audience can't find the  proceedings funny as intended. The spoof of the song of 'Thattathin Marayathu' also invites big booing all through.

In the acting side Nedumudi Venu impresses as Lonachan. Aishwarya Nambair in her first outing looks good in fine attires and may find few more roles in Mollywood. Sarayu plays to the demands of the role of a subdued housewife while Bhagath Manuel and Sreejith are apt for their roles.

The technical sides of the movie are pretty average, with the editing done too lazily. The  cutshots comes up as pace breakers . Camera by Murali Raman  has nothing exceptional to it while the only song by M Jayachandran  is poorly picturised.

All in all, this 'Money Back Policy' is a mediocre film. If you have plenty of time left for nothing important , this may fill your demand for entertainment, but in parts.

ABCD

Wacky at times and dawdling at others, Martin Prakkatt's 'ABCD' has plenty of highs and a few lows. The tidings of good cheer make it humorous and playful, but the tendency to get lost amidst ineffectual distractions hold it back from turning into a perfect entertainer. Johns (Dulquer Salman) and Korah (Jacob Gregory), born and brought up in the US have the shock of their lives, when all on a sudden they are packed off to India, after Johns' dad decides that he has had it up to his neck with their antics. When they realize that their Indian vacation is gonna last longer than they expected it to, the duo try every trick in the trade to fly back home. 
Martin Prakkatt's 'ABCD' might not qualify as an intellect stimulator nor would it send your brain cells working overtime. However, it isn't purely shallow entertainment either since it blends together a few commendable thoughts with whole lots of fun. 'ABCD' could very well boast of plenty of light moments that would easily bring a smile to your lips. This jovial hilarity that runs throughout the film is what makes it endearing to the viewers. The uproarious dialogues and amusing situations do ensure a laugh most of the time. You do sense that the film isn't all about rainbows and hugs when the baddie walks in as a young minister who brushes off adversaries from his path, like one does away the flies with a fly swatter. It is at this point that the film brings in some social activism for a change, and from here on the film gets all wobbly, though the humor stills acts as a life saver on several occasions.It's a very simple movie, which has an even simpler tale to tell. I did love the way it all ends, and especially the very last shot of Madhumitha (Aparna Gopinath), riding away to glory on her yellow scooter. It's one of those rare instances where love could have unleashed havoc on the tale, and it's fantastic that the film takes a safe detour right there. The film runs for an unforgivably long time of one hundred and sixty six minutes, and could have been much better if it were trimmed off some thirty minutes. There is nothing earth shattering about the issues being discussed and a shorter running time could have made 'ABCD', the crisper, smarter film that it ought to have been.One also cannot deny the fact that Johns looks like a shadow of Faizy of 'Ustad Hotel' at least on a few occasions. Both of them are caught in an identity crisis and go through some life transforming experiences that would decide the kind of men they are to become eventually. And both of them, in the process, realize as to what they have been losing out on all the while. Dulquer is perfectly cast as Johns, and he is quite comfortable playing the youngster who finds his world going topsy-turvy one fine day. Jacob Gregory is quite good as well, but his accent betrays his performance as a guy who has spent his entire life in the US. Aparna Gopinath is a talent that we would see more of in the future, and her debut is a real confident one that could give a few lead actresses a run for their money. This is a visually spectacular movie thanks to some spellbinding cinematography by Jomon T John. And the 'Johny Mone Johny' number that has already caught on like a rage is brilliantly captured on screen, making the peppy song composed by Gopi Sunder one of the highlights of the film.'ABCD' is one madcap ride of entertainment. There are a few complaints to be made here and there, but it's an enjoyable romp nevertheless with these American born confused desis!

'5 Sundarikal'

'5 Sundarikal', the omnibus film comprising of five shorts directed by Anwar Rasheed, Amal Neerad, Aashiq Abu, Sameer Thahir and Shyju Khalid, handles the shift in styles and perspectives efficiently, evolving into a fine movie with full blooded characters and topnotch performances. 

The tiny fingers that stick wedding announcement photographs from the newspaper on to the shabby pages of a notebook belong to Sethulekshmi (Anikha), a pretty girl who is yet to cross over to her teens. Along with her classmate (Chethan) who promises to let her into the secret behind a magic trick, she head over to a studio across the river banks, to get their photograph taken. Little do they realize, that the shutter click is all set to change their lives forever. Shyju Khalid's directorial debut 'Sethulekshmi' talks of bleeding bruises that are viciously clawed across the face of innocence. Shockingly brutal and extremely touching, I wouldn't mind watching '5 Sundarikal' time and again for this cinematic gem. 



The residents of a housing colony eagerly await the arrival of the new tenants at 10 D in Amal Neerad's 'Kullante Bharya', and when they turn out to be a midget (Jinu Ben) and his stunningly beautiful wife (Reenu Mathews), they are shocked beyond their wits. The determined men folk strive hard to make their presence felt before the midget's wife, while the women folk sympathize and craft sob stories around her. However, when she emerges pregnant, the disappointment and disillusionment that she spreads among the onlookers is contagious. Amal Neerad, through 'Kullante Bharya' finally gets to silence his detractors, hits the bull's eye, and proves beyond doubt, that a spectacular script could of course work wonders.

In a story that bears the heady scent of the mist and the wild forests, Aashiq Abu's 'Gouri' has Kavya Madhavan playing a young woman, who expresses to her husband (Biju Menon) her desire to have a baby, on the eve of their first wedding anniversary. The morning after, her wildlife photographer husband disappears into the forest, and alone, she waits for his return, unearthing a perplexing puzzle that he has left behind for her. Aashiq's film is deliberately slow, and the breakdown of its protagonist complete. One that requires tremendous patience, 'Gouri' moves slowly towards a whopper climax that transfixes you onto your seats. 

In Anwar Rasheed's 'Ami', a man (Fahad Fazil ) drives around the shady confines of a neon-lit city, hoping to strike a real estate deal before dawn. His aide (Chemban Vinod Jose ) keeps him company, and so do his wife Ami's (Ashmita Sood) frequent messages and phone calls. She poses one query after the other to him, the answers to which he discovers in the course of his strenuous journey beneath the stars. The breaking day brings to light revelations that he had almost missed out in the night. Rasheed surprises us yet again with 'Ami', which presents before us one bittersweet moment after the other, dipped in visual splendor. 

Sameer Thahir's 'Isha' has a burglar (Nivin Pauly) as its protagonist, who having quickly tied up the sole occupant of a palatial mansion - a gorgeous lady with a fickle temperament - gets down to his business in no time. In a surprise move, the woman (Isha Sharvani) promises him two of the costliest things in the house, in return for his untying her. Over a glass wine, the couple moves to the terrace, to bring in the New Year under a splendid shower of fireworks. I should admit that 'Isha' denies the collection an opportunity to coalesce into a perfect combo, on account of its jaggedness. It isn't an unimpressive film in isolation, but along with the rest of them, it does appear out of place. 

What is perhaps most appealing about '5 Sundarikal' is that it isn't a feminist film that remains obsessed with gender politics. On the other hand, it concerns itself with five women, who form the central characters of the tales that they tell on screen. The roughness in the tone and quality of their tales, is even endearing, which makes this anthology a trip worth taking.

The mounting tension, the hilarity, the swinging moods and the melancholy - it's all there in '5 Sundarikal', and the richness and depth retained to the hilt. At least two of the tales ('Kullante Bharya' and 'Ami') are as much about the men in them as they are about the women. The film is compulsively watchable because it purposefully defies categorization and liberally spreads across genres. 

The five actresses, who have essayed the five major roles in the film, are all remarkably good, though the stellar performance that Anikha comes up with, towers way above the rest. The child artiste is a revelation, and we are sure to hear of several honors coming her way in the days to come. Kavya Madhavan is remarkably convincing as the bewildered wife, while Reenu Mathews brings in a very special charm to her portrayal of 'Kullante Bharya'. Isha Sharvani has the agility and liveliness that her character demands, while Ashmita Sood in a very brief role leaves a mark. One also needs to mention the dazzling Dhwani, who makes a very special appearance. 

And if the women are right at the front, could the men be far behind? Somasundaram leads the pack with a dynamite act as the photographer with the sly smile in 'Sethulakshmi'. Dulquer Salman comes a close second, and as man rendered incapacitated by an accident, he is quite believable. Chethan blends into his performance the right amount of melancholy and joy, while Jinu Ben lends immense credibility to his portrayal of the jovial, short man. Fahad brings in an incredible fervor to his performance, while Nivin Pauly and Biju Menon come up with impressive feats. 

'5 Sundarikal' as a portmanteau film dispels the oft cited notion that too many cooks spoil the broth. This splendid compilation is a remarkable achievement, in that each of the five films, though distinctly disparate from one another, offers the viewer a totally rewarding experience. 

Honey bee – padam polichu machanee 

youth pulse arinju tayyarakkiya script , brilliant camera wrk and freshness in xecution.. with full support from the actors.. dats honey bee 

positives :
script and dialogues [ istam pole comedys and avasanam vareyum enthu sambavikkum ennu prekshakanu kodukkunna aakamsha ..onnude chindichal kurachu logic less scenes und..but atellam oro comedykalilum angu marakkam ]
direction [ as a dedut director he did a fabulous job..and freshnes s inte okke pirakil adheham tanneyanannkil ..hats off ]
camera wrk [ ariyathe tanne kayyadichu pokunna kuree shots undu ]
aart direction , BGM , Editing
srenath bhasi [ enta ponnu machane .. u were really suprb.. buddy..ninga verum vann sambavamanu in kochi slang ..]
baburaj [ gundakulaude kode nilkendirunna manusyan aanu..ippam ethu range il.. pulliyude casting was too perfect and with dat body language he did his role to the best ]
asif [ he did a good job... fahad bermuda itta..fasion..nammalu ittal oola.. barmudayum undu ..french um undu..pinnallah.. ]
bhavana and one other guy [ peru ariyilla ]
lal , vijay babu and all did a great job…chumma vaari valichu characters idathe..ellarkkum nala importance kodutitundu

oru ordinary ending il ninnum oru twist…pinnem twist and veendum twist..ellam kidu
tail ending..athum kalakki [ credits inu shesham ulla oru small scene.. credits tundagumpozhekkum theatre vidunavarude sredakku  ]

negatives :
idakku cheriya lag undu.. I felt the scene demands it…but koovan vendi matram kerunna chelavanmarkkulla biksha aayi aa scene
climax ile oru imp twist ..athu engane ennu kanikkunilla [ dats never a negative… but mention cheytu ennee ullu ]
kure double meaning undu [ I enjoyed it a lot..family audience inu vendi am mentioning it ]

verdict : 3.5
surely a good one to hang out with frnds