If you have the patience to sit through Ranjan Pramod's directorial debut Photographer, you would finally ask yourself: ''Well! What was this film about?'' That's what you feel after seeing Photographer, perhaps the worst Mohanlal-starrer till date. It leaves you befuddled, thoroughly confused and totally exhausted.
Photographer takes us into the life of Dijo John, a professional wild-life photographer. He has married Satya, a Brahmin girl, against stiff opposition from both their families and is now living with his wife and their son Sharan. He ekes a living out of photography, for which he has some kind of a passion (the intensity of which, unfortunately, neither the director nor the actor succeeds in making us feel). Once, while on a photographic mission to the forests of Wyanad (because this photographer, who lives in a big, well-furnished house and carries a laptop with him, needs money to buy a saree for his wife who has to attend a wedding shortly!?), he happens to save an adivasi boy, Thammi, from the hands of the Police, who had resorted to uncontrolled brutal force to curb an adivasi agitation for land (a reference to the Muthanga issue).
He saves Thammi from the hands of a cruel Police Officer (Manoj.K.Jayan) and even takes a photograph of the Officer getting ready to shoot the unarmed harmless boy. He rushes with the child to the State Forest Minister, who is a friend and classmate of his and shows him the photograph too. The minister advises him against making it an issue and assures him the boy will be protected. Thammi is lodged in a juvenile home and Dijo returns home to his family. He visits Thammi in the juvenile home frequently. But one day Thammi is found missing and Dijo goes back to Wyanad in search of the boy. He is in an agitated mood since he finds that even his friend, the minister has been playing foul with him. But Dijo too goes missing. Then his twin brother Joy, who is a writer of pulp fiction and also the owner of a publication, tries to trace him down, but to no avail. What follows forms the climax of Photographer. .
What irritates you is the pace at which the film moves, and that too without somewhere to arrive at. I wonder why Ranjan Pramod, who till date had scripted good films like Randaam Bhaavam, Meesha Madhavan, Manassinakkare, Achuvinte Amma and Naran, embarked on this venture in the first place. It is mostly the fans of an actor who make it to the first shows of a new release. To find such an audience booing or yawning or even snoring a few minutes from the start of the film speaks for the shoddiness of it all.
The main problem with the film is that Ranjan, who himself scripted the film, faltered in the script department itself. Even the dialogues are unbearable at times. As for direction, the less said, the better. The acting department too falls flat. The director obviously didn't pay much attention to that, perhaps taking it for granted that the presence of the superstar would ensure good acting. The fact is, even Mohanlal's double role cannot salvage the film. The only saving grace is Azhagappan's cinematography, which alone however, cannot attract people to the theatres. In short, Photographer is a film that will not appeal to any section of the Malayalam film viewing public and would better have not been made. It's no doubt one of the most insufferable movies made in Malayalam in recent times.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Bada Dosth
The Viji Thambi-directed Suresh Gopi-starrer Beda Dosth opens with some amount of applause but ends with quite a bit of booing.
It is a typical Suresh Gopi film that is OK till the interval, but post-interval it bores you to some extent, perhaps on account of moving on predictable lines and ending in a manner as you have seen umpteen number of times in Suresh Gopi films.
The film opens with media persons (one of them being Viji Thambi himself, given his habit of appearing in a cameo a la Alfred Hitchcock) questioning the home minister as to what his government is doing regarding the suppression of the underworld don 'Bada Dosth'.
The minister assures them that steps have been taken to bring him to books. Enter Zakir Ali Mohammed, Commissioner of Police, all set to finish the regime of Beda Dosth. But Beda Dosth is a hard nut to crack and soon Zakir Ali finds himself suspended. But he is determined to finish off Beda Dosth and soon is brought face to face with the don. And then Beda Dosth, appreciating Zakir's intentions and integrity, begins to tell him how the upright Police Officer Dayashankar metamorphosed into Beda Dosth.
The villainous Gee Verghese, known popularly as GV, had ruined his family, but was later he was forced to join hands with the same GV.
Zakir becomes Beda Dosthe's fan and steps out of the latter's bungalow, calling his beloved Nadira, a television journalist, on his mobile phone and telling her that Beda Dosth is not what he thought he was. But the moment he switches off his phone, he is greeted by a bullet in his head. Beda Dosth comes out running and then, of course there is someone to capture him on video gun in hand standing next to Zakir's body. What happens after that forms the climax of Beda Dosth.
Suresh Gopi plays his part as Dayashankar alias Beda Dosth in his typical style, trotting guns, mouthing loud dialogues and fighting it out with the baddies.
Siddique as the villainous GV, who occasionally utters lines from the Bible, is also well-cast. Karthika as Nadira, Jyothirmayi as Dayashankar's wife Meenu, Cochin Haneefa as Beda Dosthe's aide Javed, Manoj K. Jayan as Zakir Ali, Riyaz Khan as the Circle Inspector Niranjan Das - all have played their respective roles in their respective styles.
M. V. Sajan's editing is crisp and tight, but apart from the stylish packaging, the film is just another Suresh Gopi-starrer, which doesn't impress you in any way. The post-interval session just bores you, even eliciting an occasional yawn. The old-time song "Kaadu kuliranu..." fails to impress.
Scenarist Babu Pallassery, Director Viji Thambi and others could have made the film a lot peppier.
It is a typical Suresh Gopi film that is OK till the interval, but post-interval it bores you to some extent, perhaps on account of moving on predictable lines and ending in a manner as you have seen umpteen number of times in Suresh Gopi films.
The film opens with media persons (one of them being Viji Thambi himself, given his habit of appearing in a cameo a la Alfred Hitchcock) questioning the home minister as to what his government is doing regarding the suppression of the underworld don 'Bada Dosth'.
The minister assures them that steps have been taken to bring him to books. Enter Zakir Ali Mohammed, Commissioner of Police, all set to finish the regime of Beda Dosth. But Beda Dosth is a hard nut to crack and soon Zakir Ali finds himself suspended. But he is determined to finish off Beda Dosth and soon is brought face to face with the don. And then Beda Dosth, appreciating Zakir's intentions and integrity, begins to tell him how the upright Police Officer Dayashankar metamorphosed into Beda Dosth.
The villainous Gee Verghese, known popularly as GV, had ruined his family, but was later he was forced to join hands with the same GV.
Zakir becomes Beda Dosthe's fan and steps out of the latter's bungalow, calling his beloved Nadira, a television journalist, on his mobile phone and telling her that Beda Dosth is not what he thought he was. But the moment he switches off his phone, he is greeted by a bullet in his head. Beda Dosth comes out running and then, of course there is someone to capture him on video gun in hand standing next to Zakir's body. What happens after that forms the climax of Beda Dosth.
Suresh Gopi plays his part as Dayashankar alias Beda Dosth in his typical style, trotting guns, mouthing loud dialogues and fighting it out with the baddies.
Siddique as the villainous GV, who occasionally utters lines from the Bible, is also well-cast. Karthika as Nadira, Jyothirmayi as Dayashankar's wife Meenu, Cochin Haneefa as Beda Dosthe's aide Javed, Manoj K. Jayan as Zakir Ali, Riyaz Khan as the Circle Inspector Niranjan Das - all have played their respective roles in their respective styles.
M. V. Sajan's editing is crisp and tight, but apart from the stylish packaging, the film is just another Suresh Gopi-starrer, which doesn't impress you in any way. The post-interval session just bores you, even eliciting an occasional yawn. The old-time song "Kaadu kuliranu..." fails to impress.
Scenarist Babu Pallassery, Director Viji Thambi and others could have made the film a lot peppier.
Chakkaramuthu
Chakkaramuththu, the eleventh directorial venture of writer-turned-director Lohithadas, has proved to be a big let down in almost all respects.
Lohithadas, who had earlier directed films like Bhoothakannadi, Arayannangalude Veedu, Joker etc, seems to have made the film in a rather carefree manner, paying little attention to important aspects like scripting, characterization etc. He has attempted to bank on Dileep's acting potential, especially his skills as an excellent mimicry artist. Of course he has been able to tap the actor's potentials in a commendable way, but that alone doesn't make for a good film. The director's attempt has thus to a very great extent misfired and hence watching Chakkaramuththu is not at all a pleasant experience.
The film tells the story of Aravindan, an expert tailor of ladies' garments, who is slightly challenged mentally, and is called by all and sundry as 'Pottan' (meaning a dunce). Aravindan is happy in his small world. He is romantically inclined towards Anitha, his childhood friend, whom he lovingly calls Unnimol.
Though Anitha likes him and is very free and friendly with him, her love for him is of a different kind. She has a world of her own which includes friends, college-mates, her uncles and of course her lover Jeevan, who makes his entry later. But Aravindan is an inevitable part of the lives of Anitha and her mother who live alone, and is like a member of their family.
Meanwhile Bombay Kumaran (in whose tailoring shop Aravindan works) and Santhosh (who runs a barber shop) frequently tease him and pass comments mocking his fondness for Anitha, and instigate him to do ridiculous things and make a fool of himself in front of others. As part of this they even persuade him to try to kiss Anitha and thus ensure that she too reciprocates his love. And when the innocent Aravindan attempts to do this, Anitha is shocked and bursts out at him. Aravindan is ashamed of himself and doesn't know what to do. It is at this juncture that Jeevan George, who is Anitha's lover, turns up. What happens from then forms the plot of Chakkaramuththu.
Dileep has tried his best to portray the character of Aravindan and he has come out really well, but the character lacks depth and life and doesn't impress us beyond the superficial level. Though the actor has done an excellent job, it was for the director and the writer(in this case both the same person) who had to see to this aspect.
Kavya Madhavan too has done a commendable job. Debutante Lakshmi as the heroine's mother too is impressive. Saikumar is perfect as the heroine's uncle Vijayaraghavan, a police officer. Cochin Haneefa as Bombay Kumaran is his usual self. Jishnu as Jeevan George is passable. Sarath as Dr. Rajeev Menon, who comes seeking Anitha's hand in marriage, has done his role perfectly well.
In spite of fairly good performances by the artists, the film doesn't impress you since it seems to be a mixture or a rehashed version of what you have seen in many films before. The climax, though touching, doesn't impress you at all. There is little to be said about the technical aspects or about the songs, which lack any kind of appeal. When you leave the theatre you don't carry even an iota of the film with you, and that is what makes it a let down coming from a craftsman of Lohithadasan's talent.
Lohithadas, who had earlier directed films like Bhoothakannadi, Arayannangalude Veedu, Joker etc, seems to have made the film in a rather carefree manner, paying little attention to important aspects like scripting, characterization etc. He has attempted to bank on Dileep's acting potential, especially his skills as an excellent mimicry artist. Of course he has been able to tap the actor's potentials in a commendable way, but that alone doesn't make for a good film. The director's attempt has thus to a very great extent misfired and hence watching Chakkaramuththu is not at all a pleasant experience.
The film tells the story of Aravindan, an expert tailor of ladies' garments, who is slightly challenged mentally, and is called by all and sundry as 'Pottan' (meaning a dunce). Aravindan is happy in his small world. He is romantically inclined towards Anitha, his childhood friend, whom he lovingly calls Unnimol.
Though Anitha likes him and is very free and friendly with him, her love for him is of a different kind. She has a world of her own which includes friends, college-mates, her uncles and of course her lover Jeevan, who makes his entry later. But Aravindan is an inevitable part of the lives of Anitha and her mother who live alone, and is like a member of their family.
Meanwhile Bombay Kumaran (in whose tailoring shop Aravindan works) and Santhosh (who runs a barber shop) frequently tease him and pass comments mocking his fondness for Anitha, and instigate him to do ridiculous things and make a fool of himself in front of others. As part of this they even persuade him to try to kiss Anitha and thus ensure that she too reciprocates his love. And when the innocent Aravindan attempts to do this, Anitha is shocked and bursts out at him. Aravindan is ashamed of himself and doesn't know what to do. It is at this juncture that Jeevan George, who is Anitha's lover, turns up. What happens from then forms the plot of Chakkaramuththu.
Dileep has tried his best to portray the character of Aravindan and he has come out really well, but the character lacks depth and life and doesn't impress us beyond the superficial level. Though the actor has done an excellent job, it was for the director and the writer(in this case both the same person) who had to see to this aspect.
Kavya Madhavan too has done a commendable job. Debutante Lakshmi as the heroine's mother too is impressive. Saikumar is perfect as the heroine's uncle Vijayaraghavan, a police officer. Cochin Haneefa as Bombay Kumaran is his usual self. Jishnu as Jeevan George is passable. Sarath as Dr. Rajeev Menon, who comes seeking Anitha's hand in marriage, has done his role perfectly well.
In spite of fairly good performances by the artists, the film doesn't impress you since it seems to be a mixture or a rehashed version of what you have seen in many films before. The climax, though touching, doesn't impress you at all. There is little to be said about the technical aspects or about the songs, which lack any kind of appeal. When you leave the theatre you don't carry even an iota of the film with you, and that is what makes it a let down coming from a craftsman of Lohithadasan's talent.
Vaasthavam
Hats off to director M. Padmakumar, who has come out with a very bold and different film in Vaasthavam. Padmakumar made his directorial debut with Ammakilikoodu and then gave us a very well-made Vargam, which however was not well accepted at the box office. And now with Vaasthavam, he proves that there still are directors who can tread fresh and unbeaten tracks and give us something new, something gutsy.
Vaasthavam takes us into the life of young Balachandran Adigal, the son of the idealistic Ramachandran Namboothiri. Balachandran is in love with young Sumithra, with whom he had grown up and who is also acceptable to Balachandran's parents and all their relatives.
All of a sudden an aged contractor Thrippan Namboothiri makes his entry with a marriage proposal for Balachandran. He wants Balachandran to marry his niece Surabhi and in exchange he proposes to secure him a job in the Government Secretariat, and because the family is in dire straits financially, he also promises to render financial help towards marrying off Balachandran's sisters.
Though Balachandran is dead against this, his family and even Sumithra convince him that it is the best option and he willy-nilly agrees to it. On his marriage night itself, his sister elopes with her lover, who is from another caste.
Balachandran reaches the capital city and meets Unnithan, who wields considerable influence over the bureaucracy. Unnithan gets Balachandran into government service in the secretariat. Though aged, Unnithan is a veteran of sorts and has his own ways and principles, which are practical though not very idealistic. He becomes a sort of a godfather for Balachandran and trains him in the art of receiving bribes and even tells him how to manage things in today's world.
After he sheds his ideals and principles, Balachandran takes all kinds of shortcuts, uses everyone for achieving his purposes and starts climbing the ladder of success. He very soon becomes the private secretary of Revenue Minister Pattom Raveendran, by his very clever machinations and manipulations. He becomes influential and rich, at a very young age. He uses Vimala Thankachi, the Minister's niece to take his first step towards success, and then uses the Minister's wife Radhamani, a goonda named Vasu and others to continue to prosper. But things are not so good in his personal life...
Director M. Padmakumar and writer Babu Janardhanan have done a really good job. The subject is well-chosen and the treatment is up to the mark.
Performance by Prithviraj as Balachandran is excellent. Kavya Madhavan as Sumithra, Samvritha as Surabhi and Sindhu Menon as Vimala Thankachi do their respective roles well. However, it's Jagathy Sreekumar who scores best as Unnithan. Murali as the minister Pattom Raveendran and Salim Kumar as Thrippan Namboothiri have also done justice to their roles.
The others in the cast are also OK, except perhaps Rajmohan Unnithan, who has to learn that acting is a lot different from delivering political speeches. Cinematography by Manoj Pillai, Art Direction by Saloo K. George and Editing by L. Bhoominathan are in sync with the theme.
Songs penned by Gireesh Puthencherry and set to tune by Alex Paul have also come off very well and merge with the film and the storyline.
In total Vaasthavam is a well-made film which has a very well worked out climax.
Vaasthavam takes us into the life of young Balachandran Adigal, the son of the idealistic Ramachandran Namboothiri. Balachandran is in love with young Sumithra, with whom he had grown up and who is also acceptable to Balachandran's parents and all their relatives.
All of a sudden an aged contractor Thrippan Namboothiri makes his entry with a marriage proposal for Balachandran. He wants Balachandran to marry his niece Surabhi and in exchange he proposes to secure him a job in the Government Secretariat, and because the family is in dire straits financially, he also promises to render financial help towards marrying off Balachandran's sisters.
Though Balachandran is dead against this, his family and even Sumithra convince him that it is the best option and he willy-nilly agrees to it. On his marriage night itself, his sister elopes with her lover, who is from another caste.
Balachandran reaches the capital city and meets Unnithan, who wields considerable influence over the bureaucracy. Unnithan gets Balachandran into government service in the secretariat. Though aged, Unnithan is a veteran of sorts and has his own ways and principles, which are practical though not very idealistic. He becomes a sort of a godfather for Balachandran and trains him in the art of receiving bribes and even tells him how to manage things in today's world.
After he sheds his ideals and principles, Balachandran takes all kinds of shortcuts, uses everyone for achieving his purposes and starts climbing the ladder of success. He very soon becomes the private secretary of Revenue Minister Pattom Raveendran, by his very clever machinations and manipulations. He becomes influential and rich, at a very young age. He uses Vimala Thankachi, the Minister's niece to take his first step towards success, and then uses the Minister's wife Radhamani, a goonda named Vasu and others to continue to prosper. But things are not so good in his personal life...
Director M. Padmakumar and writer Babu Janardhanan have done a really good job. The subject is well-chosen and the treatment is up to the mark.
Performance by Prithviraj as Balachandran is excellent. Kavya Madhavan as Sumithra, Samvritha as Surabhi and Sindhu Menon as Vimala Thankachi do their respective roles well. However, it's Jagathy Sreekumar who scores best as Unnithan. Murali as the minister Pattom Raveendran and Salim Kumar as Thrippan Namboothiri have also done justice to their roles.
The others in the cast are also OK, except perhaps Rajmohan Unnithan, who has to learn that acting is a lot different from delivering political speeches. Cinematography by Manoj Pillai, Art Direction by Saloo K. George and Editing by L. Bhoominathan are in sync with the theme.
Songs penned by Gireesh Puthencherry and set to tune by Alex Paul have also come off very well and merge with the film and the storyline.
In total Vaasthavam is a well-made film which has a very well worked out climax.
Yes Your Honour
Yes Your Honour, which comes from one of the most reputed producers of Malayalam Cinema, P.V. Gangadharan of Grihalakshmi Productions and is directed by V.M. Vinu of Balettan fame, is an enjoyable film that reiterates the importance and relevance of moral values in today's world.
Ravi Shankar, a law graduate worked as an assistant to senior advocate Venugopal, who had his hands full of cases. Ravi Shankar is an idealist and joined the legal profession to be of service to society. His shrewd observations on various aspects of a case and his thorough understanding of the nuances of law provided the perfect inputs for Venugopal. But the latter always took the credit, habitually degraded Ravi Shankar and treated him more like a domestic servant than as a legal practitioner. He is never given a chance to appear in any case.
Ravi Shankar had married Maya, a women's rights activist who belonged to a rich family, against the wishes of her father Krishnan or brother Gopi Krishnan, both of whom are hand in gloves with a gang of baddies led by ex-minister Isaac Samuel and his aide Mustafa. It is advocate Venugopal who had been appearing in court for Isaac Samuel and his group in all kinds of criminal cases.
On the recommendation of Appukuttan, Venugopal's clerk, Ravi is for once given an opportunity to handle a case on behalf of a client. Ravi works hard preparing for the hearing, only to learn at the last moment that the case has been handed over to another assistant. Ravi is frustrated and even manhandles Venugopal and leaves him for good. Venugopal decides to make life hell for Ravi and sees to it that no other lawyer hires him as an assistant. But a judge named Mukundan and 'Sakshi' Mani, who helps advocates by providing them with fake witnesses, come to his succour. Ravi is also helped by his friend and former classmate Prakash, who is an honest police officer. He is recommended to the panel for the post of Public Prosecutor. Meanwhile, owing to the timely intervention of Judge Mukundan, he is handed the responsibility of handling a case relating to the murder of Deputy Forest Officer Sharath Shetty. As a mater of coincidence, the real culprits in the case are Isaac Samuel and his group and hence Ravi has to battle his former senior Venugopal in the court. What happens then on forms the rest of Yes Your Honour.
Sreenivasan performs the role of the protagonist Ravi Shankar in his characteristic style. Padmapriya is OK as Maya. Saikumar in the role of Isaac Samuel does his role convincingly, while Innocent is in full form as Venugopal. Jagathy Sreekumar as Sakshi Mani is his usual self and is no doubt the best choice for the role. Suresh Krishna gets a change of image, playing a positive character, that of Prakash, the honest and daring cop. Thilakan does the role of Mukundan convincingly. Riyaz Khan as Gopi Krishnan, Sreeraman as Krishnan, and Babu Namboothiri as Appukuttan fit into their respective roles very well.
Veteran scenarist T. Damodharan proves once again that time has not taken the fire out of him and that he still can write scripts that are relevant to the day. Cinematography by Shaji, editing by P.C. Mohanan and Art Direction by Bawa are in tune with the theme. Of the songs penned by Vayalar Sharath Chandra Verma and set to tune by Deepak Dev, ''Chellam Chellam...'' and ''Chillakombile...'' stand out though they may not top the charts. To sum up, though Yes Your Honour may not become a sensation at the box office, it is not a bad film to watch at least once, especially because it reiterates values and ideals that have been eroded and seem out of context in today's world, and are rarely seen glorified in films.
Ravi Shankar, a law graduate worked as an assistant to senior advocate Venugopal, who had his hands full of cases. Ravi Shankar is an idealist and joined the legal profession to be of service to society. His shrewd observations on various aspects of a case and his thorough understanding of the nuances of law provided the perfect inputs for Venugopal. But the latter always took the credit, habitually degraded Ravi Shankar and treated him more like a domestic servant than as a legal practitioner. He is never given a chance to appear in any case.
Ravi Shankar had married Maya, a women's rights activist who belonged to a rich family, against the wishes of her father Krishnan or brother Gopi Krishnan, both of whom are hand in gloves with a gang of baddies led by ex-minister Isaac Samuel and his aide Mustafa. It is advocate Venugopal who had been appearing in court for Isaac Samuel and his group in all kinds of criminal cases.
On the recommendation of Appukuttan, Venugopal's clerk, Ravi is for once given an opportunity to handle a case on behalf of a client. Ravi works hard preparing for the hearing, only to learn at the last moment that the case has been handed over to another assistant. Ravi is frustrated and even manhandles Venugopal and leaves him for good. Venugopal decides to make life hell for Ravi and sees to it that no other lawyer hires him as an assistant. But a judge named Mukundan and 'Sakshi' Mani, who helps advocates by providing them with fake witnesses, come to his succour. Ravi is also helped by his friend and former classmate Prakash, who is an honest police officer. He is recommended to the panel for the post of Public Prosecutor. Meanwhile, owing to the timely intervention of Judge Mukundan, he is handed the responsibility of handling a case relating to the murder of Deputy Forest Officer Sharath Shetty. As a mater of coincidence, the real culprits in the case are Isaac Samuel and his group and hence Ravi has to battle his former senior Venugopal in the court. What happens then on forms the rest of Yes Your Honour.
Sreenivasan performs the role of the protagonist Ravi Shankar in his characteristic style. Padmapriya is OK as Maya. Saikumar in the role of Isaac Samuel does his role convincingly, while Innocent is in full form as Venugopal. Jagathy Sreekumar as Sakshi Mani is his usual self and is no doubt the best choice for the role. Suresh Krishna gets a change of image, playing a positive character, that of Prakash, the honest and daring cop. Thilakan does the role of Mukundan convincingly. Riyaz Khan as Gopi Krishnan, Sreeraman as Krishnan, and Babu Namboothiri as Appukuttan fit into their respective roles very well.
Veteran scenarist T. Damodharan proves once again that time has not taken the fire out of him and that he still can write scripts that are relevant to the day. Cinematography by Shaji, editing by P.C. Mohanan and Art Direction by Bawa are in tune with the theme. Of the songs penned by Vayalar Sharath Chandra Verma and set to tune by Deepak Dev, ''Chellam Chellam...'' and ''Chillakombile...'' stand out though they may not top the charts. To sum up, though Yes Your Honour may not become a sensation at the box office, it is not a bad film to watch at least once, especially because it reiterates values and ideals that have been eroded and seem out of context in today's world, and are rarely seen glorified in films.
Karutha Pakshikal
The Kamal-directed Karuththapakshikal is a well-made, touching film that is rather slow- paced, realistic and shorn of all glamour and glitter, essential factors in a commercial venture.
Murugan, a migrant from Tamil Nadu ekes out a living by ironing clothes on the street. His wife Muththulakshmi is no more and he is the one who looks after his three children Azhagu, Mayil and Malli. While Azhagu and Mayil go to school, Malli goes along with her father, because she is blind. The big wish that Murugan has is that his daughter should be able to see someday. He knows that this can be done only if someone donates eyes to her. He also knows that the operation would incur huge expenses, well beyond his means.
Murugan and his children live in a slum. Among their neighbours are Muthu and family who live by making pappads, and Poonkodi who makes a living by begging on the streets. Poonkodi has a special place in her heart for Murugan and his family.
Murugan is a regular visitor at the big house owned by Chandramohan and his wife Anitha. Chandramohan has a sister Suvarna, who is in Mumbai with her husband. Another member of the house is Warrier, who is sort of a caretaker and is very cordial towards Murugan, who comes there for ironing. Suvarna comes from Mumbai to stay with her brother. She is suffering from a terminal disease and finds solace in music. She develops a fondness for little Malli. She knows that her days are counted and wants to donate her eyes to Malli. What follows then forms the plot of Karuththapakshikal.
Mammootty, in a deglamorised role as Murugan does his role perfectly well. Meena as Suvarna, Padmapriya as Poonkodi and Jagathy Sreekumar as Warrier are their usual selves. Padmapriya occasionally overdoes her bit and her character seems to be one that we have come across in umpteen films. The children Thejas, Suhaila and Malavika as Azhagu, Mayil and Malli respectively do their roles in a commendable manner. Salim Kumar as the drunkard Shanmughan is also good.
Cinematography by director Kamal's favourite cameraman P. Sukumar is well in tune with the theme. Of the songs penned by Vayalar Sarath Chandra Varma and set to tune by Mohan Sithara, "Mazhayil raathri mazhayil..." and "Venmukil etho..." have come out really good.
Though the film is well-made, it is not without its drawbacks. This reviewer feels that at certain times, the children, especially the blind Malli speak and behave like grown ups. You don't carry much of the film with you once you leave the theatre, and that perhaps is the reason for the initial lukewarm response at the box office.
To sum up, Karuththapakshikal is a well-made film that impresses to a limited extend but doesn't remain in your heart for long.
Murugan, a migrant from Tamil Nadu ekes out a living by ironing clothes on the street. His wife Muththulakshmi is no more and he is the one who looks after his three children Azhagu, Mayil and Malli. While Azhagu and Mayil go to school, Malli goes along with her father, because she is blind. The big wish that Murugan has is that his daughter should be able to see someday. He knows that this can be done only if someone donates eyes to her. He also knows that the operation would incur huge expenses, well beyond his means.
Murugan and his children live in a slum. Among their neighbours are Muthu and family who live by making pappads, and Poonkodi who makes a living by begging on the streets. Poonkodi has a special place in her heart for Murugan and his family.
Murugan is a regular visitor at the big house owned by Chandramohan and his wife Anitha. Chandramohan has a sister Suvarna, who is in Mumbai with her husband. Another member of the house is Warrier, who is sort of a caretaker and is very cordial towards Murugan, who comes there for ironing. Suvarna comes from Mumbai to stay with her brother. She is suffering from a terminal disease and finds solace in music. She develops a fondness for little Malli. She knows that her days are counted and wants to donate her eyes to Malli. What follows then forms the plot of Karuththapakshikal.
Mammootty, in a deglamorised role as Murugan does his role perfectly well. Meena as Suvarna, Padmapriya as Poonkodi and Jagathy Sreekumar as Warrier are their usual selves. Padmapriya occasionally overdoes her bit and her character seems to be one that we have come across in umpteen films. The children Thejas, Suhaila and Malavika as Azhagu, Mayil and Malli respectively do their roles in a commendable manner. Salim Kumar as the drunkard Shanmughan is also good.
Cinematography by director Kamal's favourite cameraman P. Sukumar is well in tune with the theme. Of the songs penned by Vayalar Sarath Chandra Varma and set to tune by Mohan Sithara, "Mazhayil raathri mazhayil..." and "Venmukil etho..." have come out really good.
Though the film is well-made, it is not without its drawbacks. This reviewer feels that at certain times, the children, especially the blind Malli speak and behave like grown ups. You don't carry much of the film with you once you leave the theatre, and that perhaps is the reason for the initial lukewarm response at the box office.
To sum up, Karuththapakshikal is a well-made film that impresses to a limited extend but doesn't remain in your heart for long.
Pakal
Pakal - the debut directorial venture of M.A. Nishad, delves into a very relevant and serious issue and offers solutions too, but there are certain things that don't seem to have worked out well in the realization of the theme, speaking on cinematic terms.
Pakal takes us into the world of the hapless peasants of Wyanad District of Kerala, who are forced to commit suicide following financial problems. Nandakumar, who is a reporter of the television channel Kerala Today, and his friend and cameraman Abu are sent to Pannakamkudi to do a regular series on the plight of the farmers of the area. Crop failure, low prices for agricultural produce, inability to repay loans issued by banks, cut-throat interest rates charged by private financiers and above all the red-tapism that is inherent in government procedures - all these have been driving peasants of this area to commit suicide in large numbers. It is to probe this situation that Nandakumar and Abu have set out.
At the outset they meet old Kunjappan, who has been holding a dharna for 14 years to get justice from the authorities. And then they meet Thenginthottathil Joseph and his family members, who are in the grip of severe financial problems and on the brink of desperation and even suicide. Joseph's eldest daughter Merlin is working in a private firm whereas his second daughter Celine is a medical student. It is on Celine that they pin all their hopes. The probe conducted by Nandakumar and Abu disrupts the sleep of many, including the shrewd and heartless moneylender Ummachchan. In the meantime certain untoward happenings take place in Joseph's family. What all follows forms the plot of Pakal.
The makers of the film should be appreciated for their bold attempt to look into a sensitive issue. But at the same time the pace of the film and the treatment it is given tend to be akin to that of a documentary, and that makes the film rather unappealing to the masses.
Prithviraj as Nandakumar, Jyothirmayi as Celine, Sudheesh as Abu, Thilakan as Kunjappan and T.G.Ravi as Joseph have done full justice to their respective roles. And so has Jagadeesh as Ummachchan. The others in the cast too have performed well. Cinematography by Vipin Mohan, editing by P.C. Mohanan and art-direction by Mahesh Sridhar are in tune with the theme. The songs penned by Gireesh Puthencherry and set to tune by M.G. Radhakrishnan are good but may not catch much attention, this being a low-profile film. The scenarist and the director could have worked better on the subject and should have made it more appealing to the viewers.
Pakal takes us into the world of the hapless peasants of Wyanad District of Kerala, who are forced to commit suicide following financial problems. Nandakumar, who is a reporter of the television channel Kerala Today, and his friend and cameraman Abu are sent to Pannakamkudi to do a regular series on the plight of the farmers of the area. Crop failure, low prices for agricultural produce, inability to repay loans issued by banks, cut-throat interest rates charged by private financiers and above all the red-tapism that is inherent in government procedures - all these have been driving peasants of this area to commit suicide in large numbers. It is to probe this situation that Nandakumar and Abu have set out.
At the outset they meet old Kunjappan, who has been holding a dharna for 14 years to get justice from the authorities. And then they meet Thenginthottathil Joseph and his family members, who are in the grip of severe financial problems and on the brink of desperation and even suicide. Joseph's eldest daughter Merlin is working in a private firm whereas his second daughter Celine is a medical student. It is on Celine that they pin all their hopes. The probe conducted by Nandakumar and Abu disrupts the sleep of many, including the shrewd and heartless moneylender Ummachchan. In the meantime certain untoward happenings take place in Joseph's family. What all follows forms the plot of Pakal.
The makers of the film should be appreciated for their bold attempt to look into a sensitive issue. But at the same time the pace of the film and the treatment it is given tend to be akin to that of a documentary, and that makes the film rather unappealing to the masses.
Prithviraj as Nandakumar, Jyothirmayi as Celine, Sudheesh as Abu, Thilakan as Kunjappan and T.G.Ravi as Joseph have done full justice to their respective roles. And so has Jagadeesh as Ummachchan. The others in the cast too have performed well. Cinematography by Vipin Mohan, editing by P.C. Mohanan and art-direction by Mahesh Sridhar are in tune with the theme. The songs penned by Gireesh Puthencherry and set to tune by M.G. Radhakrishnan are good but may not catch much attention, this being a low-profile film. The scenarist and the director could have worked better on the subject and should have made it more appealing to the viewers.
Baba Kalyani
Produced by Antony Perumbavoor under the banner of Ashirwad Cinemas and directed by hit-maker Shaji Kailas, the Mohanlal-starrer "Baba Kalyani" is an action movie for the new generation. Though it starts off at a fast pace, the film slows down in the second half and moves towards a typical Shaji Kailas style end, which bores us to some extent. "Baba Kalyani" is a one-man show by Mohanlal all the way.
The film zooms in on the activities of the Anti Terrorist Cell of the Kerala Police led by the very vibrant and daring Baba Kalyani. When an e-mail is received that an attempt would be made to assassinate a VVIP visiting the state, Baba Kalyani and his team set out on a hunt. Though the e-mail proves to be a hoax, the group gets a hunch that some terrorist activity is being planned in the State on a very large scale, and that a group of terrorists has moved to Kochi from Thiruvananthapuram. Baba Kalyani too moves to Kochi with his team.
In the meanwhile Arackal Ashokan, a very influential politician based in Kochi, who has some old scores to settle, comes to know of Baba's posting and waits eagerly for his arrival. Ashokan's daughter Madhumita, who is an advocate, too holds a grudge against him. Baba meanwhile develops a fondness for Meenakshi Amma who reminds him of his mother. She becomes a mother-like figure to him.
The film moves at a tremendous pace in the first half, giving you the feel of an edge-of-the-seat thriller. Slick editing, well-choreographed action sequences and excellent acting keep you glued to your seats. But post-interval the pace slackens. A romance track is started, but trails off without making any impact. The attachment between Baba and Meenakshi Amma, though well conceived, slackens the tempo of the film till she disappears from the film altogether. The action picks up again after that.
Mohanlal has played the part of Baba Kalyani with ease. His performance as the very controlled and cool-headed cop is excellent. The English dialogues that the writer S.N. Swamy thrusts into his mouth could however, have been avoided since they sound unnatural and don't really seem to suit Mohanlal. Biju Menon as Baba's aide Thomas, Jagathy Sreekumar as Sub Inspector Ramanan, Indrajith as Zahir Ahmed alias Babu, Saikumar as Iza Muhammed Haji, Kaviyoor Ponnamma as Meenakshi Amma, and Maya Moushumi as Thomas' wife Ammini do justice to their respective roles. Murali as Arackal Ashokan has nothing much to do. It's the same with Siddique, as Tamil Nadu DIG Reghupathi. Mamta as Madhumita doesn't impress much.
Though Mohanlal is the hero, the real star of the film is Editor Don Max. His editing gives the film a stylish appeal. Shaji lends able support with brilliant camerawork. The only song "Kainiraye venna tharaam..." is well rendered and well filmed.
Writer S.N. Swamy too has done a good job of the script. To sum up, if the pace set in the first half of the film was maintained post-interval too, Baba Kalyani would have become a really good action-thriller and would have had greater appeal. As such the post-interval portion does more harm than good to the film. It will however, prove to be a success at the box office.
The film zooms in on the activities of the Anti Terrorist Cell of the Kerala Police led by the very vibrant and daring Baba Kalyani. When an e-mail is received that an attempt would be made to assassinate a VVIP visiting the state, Baba Kalyani and his team set out on a hunt. Though the e-mail proves to be a hoax, the group gets a hunch that some terrorist activity is being planned in the State on a very large scale, and that a group of terrorists has moved to Kochi from Thiruvananthapuram. Baba Kalyani too moves to Kochi with his team.
In the meanwhile Arackal Ashokan, a very influential politician based in Kochi, who has some old scores to settle, comes to know of Baba's posting and waits eagerly for his arrival. Ashokan's daughter Madhumita, who is an advocate, too holds a grudge against him. Baba meanwhile develops a fondness for Meenakshi Amma who reminds him of his mother. She becomes a mother-like figure to him.
The film moves at a tremendous pace in the first half, giving you the feel of an edge-of-the-seat thriller. Slick editing, well-choreographed action sequences and excellent acting keep you glued to your seats. But post-interval the pace slackens. A romance track is started, but trails off without making any impact. The attachment between Baba and Meenakshi Amma, though well conceived, slackens the tempo of the film till she disappears from the film altogether. The action picks up again after that.
Mohanlal has played the part of Baba Kalyani with ease. His performance as the very controlled and cool-headed cop is excellent. The English dialogues that the writer S.N. Swamy thrusts into his mouth could however, have been avoided since they sound unnatural and don't really seem to suit Mohanlal. Biju Menon as Baba's aide Thomas, Jagathy Sreekumar as Sub Inspector Ramanan, Indrajith as Zahir Ahmed alias Babu, Saikumar as Iza Muhammed Haji, Kaviyoor Ponnamma as Meenakshi Amma, and Maya Moushumi as Thomas' wife Ammini do justice to their respective roles. Murali as Arackal Ashokan has nothing much to do. It's the same with Siddique, as Tamil Nadu DIG Reghupathi. Mamta as Madhumita doesn't impress much.
Though Mohanlal is the hero, the real star of the film is Editor Don Max. His editing gives the film a stylish appeal. Shaji lends able support with brilliant camerawork. The only song "Kainiraye venna tharaam..." is well rendered and well filmed.
Writer S.N. Swamy too has done a good job of the script. To sum up, if the pace set in the first half of the film was maintained post-interval too, Baba Kalyani would have become a really good action-thriller and would have had greater appeal. As such the post-interval portion does more harm than good to the film. It will however, prove to be a success at the box office.
Smart City
Here is yet another writer who proves once again, after Ranjan Pramod, that directing is not as easy as script-writing. B. Unnikrishnan, who penned the script for films like "Cover Story", "Shivam", "The Tiger" etc, turns director on the big screen with "Smart City", a Suresh Gopi starrer, which was supposed to turn out to be a good, fast-paced action thriller, but has in fact turned out to be a big disaster.
Shekharan has always been at the head of the mafia in Kochi. And then he gets a trusted lieutenant in Madhavan, who is shrewd, daring and dependable too. Shekharan's daughter Sharada is married to Sharath Chandran, who is the Town Planning Officer. Sharath is honest and doesn't like his father-in-law or Madhavan for that matter, and is averse to letting his wife or son go visiting them.
Shekharan and Madhavan have always been at loggerheads with the Kottooraan group headed by Joseph Kottooraan, Thomas Kottooraan and the State Finance Minister Raghuram. In the meantime, a daring City Police Commissioner Arun Nambiar takes charge and sets out to eliminate the mafia. Madhavan's sister Devi, who doesn't know what exactly Shekharan and Madhavan are doing, is in love with Varun, the younger brother of Arun Nambiar. There is a faceless individual who controls the Kottooraan group and is its de facto head. When the identity of this mysterious person is revealed, it comes as a shock to everyone. Then follows the real battle between the Kottooraan group and the Shekharan-Madhavan syndicate.
Suresh Gopi repeats himself the umpteenth time as Madhavan. Except for the new hairdo, there is nothing new as far as his character is concerned. We have become fed up watching such characters so frequently. There is moreover something incongruous as far as the character and its portrayal is concerned. Murali as Shekharan, Siddique as Arun Nambiar, Manoj K. Jayan as Sharath Chandran, Shammi Thilakan as Raghuram and Rajmohan Unnithan as Joseph Kottooraan make no impact whatsoever. Jayasurya and Gopika as Varun and Devi respectively have nothing to do at all and their characters are very poorly etched. Similar is the case with Lakshmi Gopalaswami as Sharada.
There is little to be said about the technical aspects, which make no impression on us at all. The songs too just make you yawn and even doze off in the middle. In total, B. Unnikrishnan and his crew simply disappoint us with Smart City, a film that is anything but smart.
Shekharan has always been at the head of the mafia in Kochi. And then he gets a trusted lieutenant in Madhavan, who is shrewd, daring and dependable too. Shekharan's daughter Sharada is married to Sharath Chandran, who is the Town Planning Officer. Sharath is honest and doesn't like his father-in-law or Madhavan for that matter, and is averse to letting his wife or son go visiting them.
Shekharan and Madhavan have always been at loggerheads with the Kottooraan group headed by Joseph Kottooraan, Thomas Kottooraan and the State Finance Minister Raghuram. In the meantime, a daring City Police Commissioner Arun Nambiar takes charge and sets out to eliminate the mafia. Madhavan's sister Devi, who doesn't know what exactly Shekharan and Madhavan are doing, is in love with Varun, the younger brother of Arun Nambiar. There is a faceless individual who controls the Kottooraan group and is its de facto head. When the identity of this mysterious person is revealed, it comes as a shock to everyone. Then follows the real battle between the Kottooraan group and the Shekharan-Madhavan syndicate.
Suresh Gopi repeats himself the umpteenth time as Madhavan. Except for the new hairdo, there is nothing new as far as his character is concerned. We have become fed up watching such characters so frequently. There is moreover something incongruous as far as the character and its portrayal is concerned. Murali as Shekharan, Siddique as Arun Nambiar, Manoj K. Jayan as Sharath Chandran, Shammi Thilakan as Raghuram and Rajmohan Unnithan as Joseph Kottooraan make no impact whatsoever. Jayasurya and Gopika as Varun and Devi respectively have nothing to do at all and their characters are very poorly etched. Similar is the case with Lakshmi Gopalaswami as Sharada.
There is little to be said about the technical aspects, which make no impression on us at all. The songs too just make you yawn and even doze off in the middle. In total, B. Unnikrishnan and his crew simply disappoint us with Smart City, a film that is anything but smart.
Oruvan
Debutante director Vinu Anand's Oruvan tells in a convincing and rather well-etched out manner the story of Sivan, a psychopath, but the film turns out to be one that doesn't remain in your minds once you leave the theatres. The performances by almost all the main actors are convincing, and the technical aspects too are handled fairly well, but Oruvan is not the kind of film that would find place among your favourite ones.
Sivan, a psychopath who falls in the hands of the public, escapes from their custody and on being chased, jumps into a river. He is found in a severely wounded condition by Bharathan, who makes fire-crackers and conducts fireworks at temple festivals. Bharathan, who is on his way back home with his associates Velu and Balan, takes Sivan to his house and nurses him back to health. Sivan becomes a part of his family which consists of his wife Jaya and three daughters, and in course of time becomes his right-hand man in the fireworks business.
But Sivan has an air of mystery surrounding him and behaves strangely at times. The psychopath in him doesn't remain idle. He targets the village harlot and kills her. And then his next victim is Ravi, who is Velu's nephew and happens to be rather inquisitive, making inquiries about Sivan and his whereabouts. He kills Ravi and dumps his body in a marsh, so that nobody even gets to know about his fate. But then, Sivan has something bigger, something more dreadful in his mind. And when that is executed, all hell breaks loose.
Indrajith as Sivan does his job excellently. Lal as Bharathan too does justice to his role. But Meera Vasudev doesn't seem comfortable in her role as Jaya, Bharathan's wife. Prithviraj as the young police officer Jeevan is his usual self, while all others in the cast are OK. Of the songs, "Kuyilukale..." and "Kannipenney..." jell with the subject and have been shot rather well. Jibu Jacob's cinematography is good. Ranjan Abraham has rendered able support with his editing and so has Joseph Nellickal with his art-work. Reji Nair's script too is good.
But there still is something lacking that makes the film an average one, though well-made. That something perhaps concerns the pace of the film or its setting and packaging. Be that as it may, director Vinu Anand and his team must be appreciated for having ventured to make a rather different kind of a movie with a very striking end, and that too in a fairly good manner for a maiden venture.
Sivan, a psychopath who falls in the hands of the public, escapes from their custody and on being chased, jumps into a river. He is found in a severely wounded condition by Bharathan, who makes fire-crackers and conducts fireworks at temple festivals. Bharathan, who is on his way back home with his associates Velu and Balan, takes Sivan to his house and nurses him back to health. Sivan becomes a part of his family which consists of his wife Jaya and three daughters, and in course of time becomes his right-hand man in the fireworks business.
But Sivan has an air of mystery surrounding him and behaves strangely at times. The psychopath in him doesn't remain idle. He targets the village harlot and kills her. And then his next victim is Ravi, who is Velu's nephew and happens to be rather inquisitive, making inquiries about Sivan and his whereabouts. He kills Ravi and dumps his body in a marsh, so that nobody even gets to know about his fate. But then, Sivan has something bigger, something more dreadful in his mind. And when that is executed, all hell breaks loose.
Indrajith as Sivan does his job excellently. Lal as Bharathan too does justice to his role. But Meera Vasudev doesn't seem comfortable in her role as Jaya, Bharathan's wife. Prithviraj as the young police officer Jeevan is his usual self, while all others in the cast are OK. Of the songs, "Kuyilukale..." and "Kannipenney..." jell with the subject and have been shot rather well. Jibu Jacob's cinematography is good. Ranjan Abraham has rendered able support with his editing and so has Joseph Nellickal with his art-work. Reji Nair's script too is good.
But there still is something lacking that makes the film an average one, though well-made. That something perhaps concerns the pace of the film or its setting and packaging. Be that as it may, director Vinu Anand and his team must be appreciated for having ventured to make a rather different kind of a movie with a very striking end, and that too in a fairly good manner for a maiden venture.
Note Book
The pain that Rosshan Andrrews took in shaping his maiden venture Udayanaanu Thaaram was reflected in the totality of the film, and found it a place among one of the most exquisitely crafted movies of recent times. Now, about two years later, Rosshan has come up with his second film, Notebook, produced by P.V. Gangadharan of Grihalakshmi Productions. But this colourful film, though entertaining and good, falters on many counts and is perhaps indicative that the promising young director didn't take as much pain moulding this film as he did making Udayanaanu Thaaram.
Saira, Pooja and Sreedevi are close friends and are plus two students of Lords Academy, a boarding school in Ooty. While Saira and Sreedevi live in the hostel, Pooja is a day scholar and lives with her mother. Saira's parents are divorced. Sreedevi hails from a Brahmin family.
Under some very funny circumstances, Sreedevi and a boy named Suraj Menon fall in love. During an excursion they share some very intimate moments and get physical. As a result Sreedevi becomes pregnant. She reveals this to Saira and Pooja. The trio decides to handle the matter themselves and don't even intimate Suraj of this development. What happens in consequence forms the rest of the plot.
The film is set against the colourful backdrop of a boarding school and everything about the film is colourful. It captures the zest and joie de vivre of school life, and delves into issues like friendship, love, parental care etc in a sensitive manner. Towards the end, the film gives us some very touching moments too. Still it must be said that the script and its treatment could have been better polished. Writers Bobby and Sanjay, and Rosshan himself should have taken care of this.
The members of the cast have put in a good performance. It's Roma as Saira who impresses the most. Parvathi as Pooja and Maria as Sreedevi too are good. Suraj is a good choice. Mejo Joseph, who also tunes the songs for the film, has put in a very impressive performance as Feroz Ahmed, the rather meek and shy student who has a passion for music. Suresh Gopi as Brigadier Alexander (Saira's father) does an impressive guest role. Seeta as Pooja's mother too is impressive. Sukanya as Sreedevi's mother and Premprakash as Sreedevi's father are just average. Bobby as the principal Father Antony, nicknamed Dragon by the students, is also a good choice. Aiswarya as Saira's mother is her very usual self.
The songs penned by Vayalar Sharath Chandra Varma and set to tune by Mejo Joseph are good. Cinematography by R. Diwakar and art-work by Sunil Babu are the highlights of the film. Editor Ranjan Abraham could have made the film crispier at some points at least, especially in the first half.
To sum up, Notebook as a film is passable and falls short of what one would expect from a director like Rosshan Andrrews and a producer like P.V. Gangadharan.
Saira, Pooja and Sreedevi are close friends and are plus two students of Lords Academy, a boarding school in Ooty. While Saira and Sreedevi live in the hostel, Pooja is a day scholar and lives with her mother. Saira's parents are divorced. Sreedevi hails from a Brahmin family.
Under some very funny circumstances, Sreedevi and a boy named Suraj Menon fall in love. During an excursion they share some very intimate moments and get physical. As a result Sreedevi becomes pregnant. She reveals this to Saira and Pooja. The trio decides to handle the matter themselves and don't even intimate Suraj of this development. What happens in consequence forms the rest of the plot.
The film is set against the colourful backdrop of a boarding school and everything about the film is colourful. It captures the zest and joie de vivre of school life, and delves into issues like friendship, love, parental care etc in a sensitive manner. Towards the end, the film gives us some very touching moments too. Still it must be said that the script and its treatment could have been better polished. Writers Bobby and Sanjay, and Rosshan himself should have taken care of this.
The members of the cast have put in a good performance. It's Roma as Saira who impresses the most. Parvathi as Pooja and Maria as Sreedevi too are good. Suraj is a good choice. Mejo Joseph, who also tunes the songs for the film, has put in a very impressive performance as Feroz Ahmed, the rather meek and shy student who has a passion for music. Suresh Gopi as Brigadier Alexander (Saira's father) does an impressive guest role. Seeta as Pooja's mother too is impressive. Sukanya as Sreedevi's mother and Premprakash as Sreedevi's father are just average. Bobby as the principal Father Antony, nicknamed Dragon by the students, is also a good choice. Aiswarya as Saira's mother is her very usual self.
The songs penned by Vayalar Sharath Chandra Varma and set to tune by Mejo Joseph are good. Cinematography by R. Diwakar and art-work by Sunil Babu are the highlights of the film. Editor Ranjan Abraham could have made the film crispier at some points at least, especially in the first half.
To sum up, Notebook as a film is passable and falls short of what one would expect from a director like Rosshan Andrrews and a producer like P.V. Gangadharan.
Palunku
Blessy, who earlier gave us Kaazhcha and Thanmathra, now amazes and impresses us with Palunku, his latest offering. While the first half of the film sometimes leaves us wondering as to what the film is all about and whether Blessy's career graph is going for a dip, the post-interval section simply leaves us spellbound and exclaiming that Palunku is Blessy's best till date. The film has outscored Kaazhcha and Thanmathra, subject-wise and treatment-wise, though it may perhaps not be a crowd puller or appease die-hard fans of lead man Mammootty.
Palunku tells the story of an industrious farmer Monichan and his family, which consists of his wife Susamma, and his daughters Geethu and Neethu, whom he lovingly calls 'Ponnu' and 'Kilunthu'. Monichan is happy with his life as a farmer and loves his family, his profession, nature and the people around him.
At a juncture in his life, he is forced to take his daughters to a school in the town, simply because the school in his village cannot accommodate his elder daughter, who is in fifth standard, as there are not enough students to run classes. Thus Geethu and Neethu join an English medium school. Monichan brings the children to school every morning and hangs around in town till evening to take them back.
In the course of this routine, Monichan gets close to Soman Pillai, a shrewd lottery agent, who knows all short-cuts to earn money. Soman Pillai becomes Monichan's advisor. Monichan buys a bicycle and the father and the daughters now travel to town and back on the bicycle. In the meantime Monichan joins a class conducted for elders and starts learning to read and write Malayalam as well as English. A minor accident makes Monichan shift over to the town along with his family.
Once in town, Monichan finds himself entrapped in a vicious circle. He, with all help from Soman Pillai, begins to tread on the wrong path, lending out money, and doing things not entirely above board. His life changes slowly. He is no more the naive farmer he used to be. Even his wife has changed. She spends her time watching soaps on TV and dreaming about modern household amenities. But fate has something else in store for them.
Mammootty gives a stellar performance as Monichan and he proves that he is just irreplaceable as far as such roles are concerned. New girl Lakshmi Sharma as Susamma is a good choice. The children Nazrin (as Geethu) and Niveditha (as Neethu) have done full justice to their roles. Jagathy Sreekumar as Soman Pillai and Nedumudi Venu as the teacher are quite impressive. All the others in the cast too have done well.
Technically the film is superb without the cinematographer (Santhosh Thundiyil of Krish fame) or the editor (Raja Muhammed) having to indulge in any gimmicks. The songs too jell with the theme and the situations. The star of the film however, is the director himself. Blessy has done an excellent job with the script as well as the direction.
Every element finds its way into the film - irony, allegory, sentiment, and humour - all in good measure without ever tending to be melodramatic or overtly sentimental. Palunku is a slice of contemporary life and has universal appeal. It is rarely that such films happen in mainstream Malayalam cinema. Hats off to Blessy for coming up with such a bold initiative without falling prey to the demands of the box office!
Palunku tells the story of an industrious farmer Monichan and his family, which consists of his wife Susamma, and his daughters Geethu and Neethu, whom he lovingly calls 'Ponnu' and 'Kilunthu'. Monichan is happy with his life as a farmer and loves his family, his profession, nature and the people around him.
At a juncture in his life, he is forced to take his daughters to a school in the town, simply because the school in his village cannot accommodate his elder daughter, who is in fifth standard, as there are not enough students to run classes. Thus Geethu and Neethu join an English medium school. Monichan brings the children to school every morning and hangs around in town till evening to take them back.
In the course of this routine, Monichan gets close to Soman Pillai, a shrewd lottery agent, who knows all short-cuts to earn money. Soman Pillai becomes Monichan's advisor. Monichan buys a bicycle and the father and the daughters now travel to town and back on the bicycle. In the meantime Monichan joins a class conducted for elders and starts learning to read and write Malayalam as well as English. A minor accident makes Monichan shift over to the town along with his family.
Once in town, Monichan finds himself entrapped in a vicious circle. He, with all help from Soman Pillai, begins to tread on the wrong path, lending out money, and doing things not entirely above board. His life changes slowly. He is no more the naive farmer he used to be. Even his wife has changed. She spends her time watching soaps on TV and dreaming about modern household amenities. But fate has something else in store for them.
Mammootty gives a stellar performance as Monichan and he proves that he is just irreplaceable as far as such roles are concerned. New girl Lakshmi Sharma as Susamma is a good choice. The children Nazrin (as Geethu) and Niveditha (as Neethu) have done full justice to their roles. Jagathy Sreekumar as Soman Pillai and Nedumudi Venu as the teacher are quite impressive. All the others in the cast too have done well.
Technically the film is superb without the cinematographer (Santhosh Thundiyil of Krish fame) or the editor (Raja Muhammed) having to indulge in any gimmicks. The songs too jell with the theme and the situations. The star of the film however, is the director himself. Blessy has done an excellent job with the script as well as the direction.
Every element finds its way into the film - irony, allegory, sentiment, and humour - all in good measure without ever tending to be melodramatic or overtly sentimental. Palunku is a slice of contemporary life and has universal appeal. It is rarely that such films happen in mainstream Malayalam cinema. Hats off to Blessy for coming up with such a bold initiative without falling prey to the demands of the box office!
Kanakasimhasanam
Kanakasimhasanam is a typical Rajasenan film, which has all the ingredients you have come to expect from the Rajasenan-Jayaram combo. The film zooms in on the life of stage artist Kanakambaran and his wife Bharathi, also a stage artist. They produce and act in plays, usually with mythological themes. From what they get out of the exercise, they pay their co-artists and other hangers-on. What remains after that is never enough to make ends meet. They run up debts, which eventually leads them to a financial crisis. Everyday Kanakambaran finds people at his doorstep asking for the repayment of one loan or other.
One day Bharathi finds a bundle on their verandah, containing money and a note saying that it is a gift from 'Kanthapuram Brothers' to Kanakambaran and his family. This is repeated again. Kanakambaran is only too happy to spend the money lavishly. And then enters the 'Kanthapuram Brothers', Udaya Varma and Ramakrishnan, who are closely related to a Royal family from Kanthapuram. The duo wants Kanakambaran to go with them and act out in real life the role of a prince named Suryanarayanan.
Their niece Kanchanalakshmi, who is the present Rani of Kanthapuram, has been waiting for her childhood sweetheart Suryanarayanan who had gone missing years ago. And if Suryanarayanan turns up, Udaya Varma and Ramakrishnan could get a fortune out of the Rani. They promise Kanakambaran a substantial cut. Kanakambaran doesn't find the proposal appealing, but agrees to it despite protests from his wife. He dons the role of Suryanarayanan. What follows forms the plot of Kanakasimhasanam.
Jayaram fits into the role of Kanakambaran like a glove, while Karthika gives able support as Bharathi. Lakshmi Gopalaswami as Kanchanalakshmi too is an apt choice. Others in the cast like Janardhanan as Udaya Varma, Bheeman Raghu as Ramakrishnan, Kalasala Babu as Guru Indrasena Reddy, Geetha Salam as Rishikesha Kaimal, Venjaramoodu Suraj as Bharathi's brother Gopalan, and Kiran Raj as Narasimhan have also done justice to their respective roles.
The songs have been shot in typical Rajasenan style. Cinematographer K.P. Nambiathiri, editor Rajamuhammed, art-director Boban - all have given him ample support. To sum up, Kanakasimhasanam is a typical Rajasenan movie that is enjoyable, provided you don't expect anything more than the usual Rajasenan stuff.
One day Bharathi finds a bundle on their verandah, containing money and a note saying that it is a gift from 'Kanthapuram Brothers' to Kanakambaran and his family. This is repeated again. Kanakambaran is only too happy to spend the money lavishly. And then enters the 'Kanthapuram Brothers', Udaya Varma and Ramakrishnan, who are closely related to a Royal family from Kanthapuram. The duo wants Kanakambaran to go with them and act out in real life the role of a prince named Suryanarayanan.
Their niece Kanchanalakshmi, who is the present Rani of Kanthapuram, has been waiting for her childhood sweetheart Suryanarayanan who had gone missing years ago. And if Suryanarayanan turns up, Udaya Varma and Ramakrishnan could get a fortune out of the Rani. They promise Kanakambaran a substantial cut. Kanakambaran doesn't find the proposal appealing, but agrees to it despite protests from his wife. He dons the role of Suryanarayanan. What follows forms the plot of Kanakasimhasanam.
Jayaram fits into the role of Kanakambaran like a glove, while Karthika gives able support as Bharathi. Lakshmi Gopalaswami as Kanchanalakshmi too is an apt choice. Others in the cast like Janardhanan as Udaya Varma, Bheeman Raghu as Ramakrishnan, Kalasala Babu as Guru Indrasena Reddy, Geetha Salam as Rishikesha Kaimal, Venjaramoodu Suraj as Bharathi's brother Gopalan, and Kiran Raj as Narasimhan have also done justice to their respective roles.
The songs have been shot in typical Rajasenan style. Cinematographer K.P. Nambiathiri, editor Rajamuhammed, art-director Boban - all have given him ample support. To sum up, Kanakasimhasanam is a typical Rajasenan movie that is enjoyable, provided you don't expect anything more than the usual Rajasenan stuff.
Avan Chaandiyude Makan
Avan Chandiyude Makan, the Thulaseedaas-directed film that has been pending release for long, was finally released a couple of weeks back. It is to be noted that the film is very different from the earlier films of the director, who had focused mainly on making light entertainers for the family audience.
Avan Chandiyude Makan speaks on one plane about the clash between a father and son, the rich and arrogant Chandy Sebastian and his young son, Kurian, who is as adamant as his father in many matters. At the same time it also narrates the story of the feud between two families - the Thattekaad family represented by Chandy and Kurian and the Peralithaanam family represented by Kunjukochu and his sons.
Chandy Sebastian is a prosperous rubber merchant who has always taken pride in having made it to the top unaided. He was accused of having killed his own wife, whom he loved very dearly, but the court had acquitted him. He likes his three daughters Aleyamma, Kochurani and Sophie, but has disowned one of his daughters Susanna, who had become a nun, but had given up the holy robes and had married against his wishes.
His son Kurian too lives away from him due to certain differences that had risen between them. When Susanna, now widowed, returns home with her kids, Chandy refuses to accept her and even insults her harshly. Kurian returns, intend on getting his father accept Susanna back into the family.
In the meantime Peralithaanam Kunjukochu starts making moves against Chandy. He wants Kurian to join him, but Kurian blatantly refuses this, saying that he is not an enemy of his father, though he has certain differences with him. But there are people close to Chandy who are hand in glove with Kunjukochu and his group. What follows forms the plot of Avan Chandiyude Makan.
The highlight of the film is the performance of Vijayaraghavan as Chandy and the performance of Prithviraj as Kurian. Both of them have put life into their respective characters and deserve appreciation. Leading lady Sreedevika as Shobha (who is the daughter of Chandy's friend and Police Constable Soman Pillai and who later gets married to Kurian) is passable. Cochin Haneefa as Sophie's father-in-law and Chandy's manager Chacko is his very usual self and scores in his own way.
Kalasala Babu as Kunjukochu is a good choice. P. Sreekumar as Soman Pillai, Shobha Mohan as Soman Pillai's wife, Rekha as Aleyamma, Sona Nair as Susanna, Augustine as Chandy's aide Kunjaria, Usha as Kochurani, Saadique as Kochurani's husband Paul, Anil Murali as the Sub Inspector Hari - all have done their respective roles well.
As for the songs penned by Gireesh Puthencherry and set to tune by Sanjeev Lal, "Maamboo pookkum kaalam..." and "Kuruthola peeli perunnaal..." are good though not outstanding. Cinematography by K.P.Nambiathiri is in tune with the subject.
Avan Chandiyude Makan raises our expectations in the beginning, but fails to do justice to those expectations through the length of the film. The second half moves along predictable lines, though it is well shot and well narrated. The film doesn't elicit booing from the audience and is a rather watchable movie, at least for the sake of the performances by Vijayaraghavan and Prithviraj.
Avan Chandiyude Makan speaks on one plane about the clash between a father and son, the rich and arrogant Chandy Sebastian and his young son, Kurian, who is as adamant as his father in many matters. At the same time it also narrates the story of the feud between two families - the Thattekaad family represented by Chandy and Kurian and the Peralithaanam family represented by Kunjukochu and his sons.
Chandy Sebastian is a prosperous rubber merchant who has always taken pride in having made it to the top unaided. He was accused of having killed his own wife, whom he loved very dearly, but the court had acquitted him. He likes his three daughters Aleyamma, Kochurani and Sophie, but has disowned one of his daughters Susanna, who had become a nun, but had given up the holy robes and had married against his wishes.
His son Kurian too lives away from him due to certain differences that had risen between them. When Susanna, now widowed, returns home with her kids, Chandy refuses to accept her and even insults her harshly. Kurian returns, intend on getting his father accept Susanna back into the family.
In the meantime Peralithaanam Kunjukochu starts making moves against Chandy. He wants Kurian to join him, but Kurian blatantly refuses this, saying that he is not an enemy of his father, though he has certain differences with him. But there are people close to Chandy who are hand in glove with Kunjukochu and his group. What follows forms the plot of Avan Chandiyude Makan.
The highlight of the film is the performance of Vijayaraghavan as Chandy and the performance of Prithviraj as Kurian. Both of them have put life into their respective characters and deserve appreciation. Leading lady Sreedevika as Shobha (who is the daughter of Chandy's friend and Police Constable Soman Pillai and who later gets married to Kurian) is passable. Cochin Haneefa as Sophie's father-in-law and Chandy's manager Chacko is his very usual self and scores in his own way.
Kalasala Babu as Kunjukochu is a good choice. P. Sreekumar as Soman Pillai, Shobha Mohan as Soman Pillai's wife, Rekha as Aleyamma, Sona Nair as Susanna, Augustine as Chandy's aide Kunjaria, Usha as Kochurani, Saadique as Kochurani's husband Paul, Anil Murali as the Sub Inspector Hari - all have done their respective roles well.
As for the songs penned by Gireesh Puthencherry and set to tune by Sanjeev Lal, "Maamboo pookkum kaalam..." and "Kuruthola peeli perunnaal..." are good though not outstanding. Cinematography by K.P.Nambiathiri is in tune with the subject.
Avan Chandiyude Makan raises our expectations in the beginning, but fails to do justice to those expectations through the length of the film. The second half moves along predictable lines, though it is well shot and well narrated. The film doesn't elicit booing from the audience and is a rather watchable movie, at least for the sake of the performances by Vijayaraghavan and Prithviraj.
Anchiloral Arjunan
Attempting an honest review of the Anil-directed Jayaram-starrer Anchil Oraal Arjunan is not easy. It's well made, is quite convincing, and has many of the ingredients that make for a Jayaram-film or a film directed by Anil. But still the question as to whether the film entertains you or touches you in some manner or whether you carry even an iota of it once you leave the theatre remains answered. And if at all the question is answered, it would probably be in the negative. In total this is a well-made film that could very well have been avoided. You are going to miss absolutely nothing by missing out on this one.
The film tells the story of Sudheendran fondly called Sudhi by everyone. He lives entirely for his family, which consists of his aged mother, his two aged unmarried paternal aunts, an elder sister and a younger sister. His elder sister Shanta was deserted by her husband immediately after her marriage. Sudhi, who has no job to call his own, has the responsibility of looking after them. He manages things somehow. He is often helped by Kovilakam Sreedharan, who runs a drama company, tutorial college, real estate business etc and also by Panathakolli Paul, a money lender, who lives in the attic of Sudhi's house.
Sudhi also gets support from Pavithra, who is in love with him and also from her father Padmanabhan, whom he often addresses as 'Guruji'. But Sudhi also has some enemies in the form of his paternal cousins Vijayan and Vinayan, both of whom are assisted by a crooked politician brother-in-law and advised by an equally crooked uncle. This gang of baddies is out to make life a hell for Sudhi and oust him and his family of five from the ancestral home and wrest the house and other property from them.
Then comes one Unni Menon from Delhi. Unni Menon's young daughter Saraswathy, lovingly called Sathi, is a doctor and is also Sudhi's childhood friend. Sudhi begins to love her and she too is intimate with him, but her engagement is soon fixed with Vinayan. She is also ready to tie the knot with Vinayan. What follows forms the plot of Anchil Oraal Arjunan.
Almost all the actors have done their roles perfectly well. Jayaram as Sudhi, Padmapriya as Pavithra, Samvritha as Sathi, Siddique as Vijayan, Madhu Warrier as Vinayan, Jagathy Sreekumar as Paul, Sreenivasan as Sreedharan, Venu Nagavalli as Padmanabhan, Kalpana as Shanta ? all of them have put life into the characters that they portray. But still there is something missing in the film. It neither makes you laugh nor cry. Even if certain situations provoke laughter, you tend to forget them all too quickly.
Siddique has done his role very convincingly and is no doubt the perfect choice to play the role of Vijayan, but it is high time he tried not to be typecast. The character and the mannerisms seem very similar to those of umpteen characters he has already played. The same could be said of Jayaram too. These actors have to re-invent themselves.
The songs don't stay in your mind for long. And as for technical features, cinematography by Anandakuttan, editing by P.C. Mohanan and art-work by Gokuldas are well in tune with the theme. Screenplay and dialogues by T.A. Razack too is good. But the subject chosen doesn't seem to have anything new and is like old wine in a new bottle.
The film tells the story of Sudheendran fondly called Sudhi by everyone. He lives entirely for his family, which consists of his aged mother, his two aged unmarried paternal aunts, an elder sister and a younger sister. His elder sister Shanta was deserted by her husband immediately after her marriage. Sudhi, who has no job to call his own, has the responsibility of looking after them. He manages things somehow. He is often helped by Kovilakam Sreedharan, who runs a drama company, tutorial college, real estate business etc and also by Panathakolli Paul, a money lender, who lives in the attic of Sudhi's house.
Sudhi also gets support from Pavithra, who is in love with him and also from her father Padmanabhan, whom he often addresses as 'Guruji'. But Sudhi also has some enemies in the form of his paternal cousins Vijayan and Vinayan, both of whom are assisted by a crooked politician brother-in-law and advised by an equally crooked uncle. This gang of baddies is out to make life a hell for Sudhi and oust him and his family of five from the ancestral home and wrest the house and other property from them.
Then comes one Unni Menon from Delhi. Unni Menon's young daughter Saraswathy, lovingly called Sathi, is a doctor and is also Sudhi's childhood friend. Sudhi begins to love her and she too is intimate with him, but her engagement is soon fixed with Vinayan. She is also ready to tie the knot with Vinayan. What follows forms the plot of Anchil Oraal Arjunan.
Almost all the actors have done their roles perfectly well. Jayaram as Sudhi, Padmapriya as Pavithra, Samvritha as Sathi, Siddique as Vijayan, Madhu Warrier as Vinayan, Jagathy Sreekumar as Paul, Sreenivasan as Sreedharan, Venu Nagavalli as Padmanabhan, Kalpana as Shanta ? all of them have put life into the characters that they portray. But still there is something missing in the film. It neither makes you laugh nor cry. Even if certain situations provoke laughter, you tend to forget them all too quickly.
Siddique has done his role very convincingly and is no doubt the perfect choice to play the role of Vijayan, but it is high time he tried not to be typecast. The character and the mannerisms seem very similar to those of umpteen characters he has already played. The same could be said of Jayaram too. These actors have to re-invent themselves.
The songs don't stay in your mind for long. And as for technical features, cinematography by Anandakuttan, editing by P.C. Mohanan and art-work by Gokuldas are well in tune with the theme. Screenplay and dialogues by T.A. Razack too is good. But the subject chosen doesn't seem to have anything new and is like old wine in a new bottle.
Kaiyoppu
Kayyoppu (Signature), directed by Ranjith, is a film that has the maker's signature all over it. Though it may not be a crowd puller, the film impresses you, shocks you, disturbs you and awakens you to grim realities that are mostly overlooked. In spite of some flaws the film stands apart, and is worth seeing more than once.
Kayyoppu tells the story of Balachandran, who works as an accountant in a fertilizer company in Kochi and lives immersed in the world of books. He lives in a lodge in a room that is full of books. As far as literature is concerned, he is an encyclopedia and the passion that he has for books and reading amazes almost everyone, including writers. Even noted writers like C.P. Vasudevan are his fans.
Once at a public function, C.P. Vasudevan mentions about an unfinished novel that had impressed him much. The novel was written by Balachandran who was present at the function. Sivadasan, a small time publisher and a lover of genuine literature, was also present there. Sivadasan follows Balachandran to his room and urges him to finish the book and give it to him for publishing. Balachandran agrees and tries to make a beginning. But things don't move the way he wants them to. He is afflicted with what is usually termed 'Writer's Block' and fails to write even a single word.
In the meantime, Padma, who was once his classmate in college and a fan of his too, comes to stay in Kozhikode. Padma, who is divorced from her husband, is a great lover of literature. She gets Balachandran's number and calls him. The entry of Padma into Balachandran's life changes things to a very great extent. It marks the beginning of a new chapter in Balachandran's life. What happens from then forms the plot of Kayyoppu.
Mammootty as the central character Balachandran is very impressive. Occasionally though, the star in him comes to the fore making his performance seem a bit artificial to keen observers. Khushboo as Padma, Mukesh as Sivadasan, Nedumudi Venu as C.P. Vasudevan, Narayanan Nair as Balachandran's estate-manager and father-figure Kammaran, Jaffer as Babu who looks after things in the lodge etc have done their respective roles very convincingly.
The rest of the cast like Mamookoya, Nilambur Ayisha, Biju Pappan, Neena Kurup etc too fit into their roles perfectly well. Cinematography by Manoj Pillai, editing by Bina Paul and art-direction by Sabu Ram are no doubt the highlights of Kayyoppu. Vidyasagar has done his part as the music composer with élan and heightens the tempo of the dramatic moments in the film. Ranjith has included the immortal Hindi song "Jalte hein jiske liye (composed by S.D. Burman and rendered by Talat Mahmood for the old-time Hindi film Sujata), this time rendered by Manjari and blended very well with the situation in Kayyoppu.
It is the sensitive approach of the director that makes the film stand apart. The very touching and disturbing climax remains etched in our minds for a long time. Though one gets the feeling that Ranjith occasionally tries to be a little arty, the director ought to be appreciated for a film that is definitely not to be missed by those who love good cinema.
Kayyoppu tells the story of Balachandran, who works as an accountant in a fertilizer company in Kochi and lives immersed in the world of books. He lives in a lodge in a room that is full of books. As far as literature is concerned, he is an encyclopedia and the passion that he has for books and reading amazes almost everyone, including writers. Even noted writers like C.P. Vasudevan are his fans.
Once at a public function, C.P. Vasudevan mentions about an unfinished novel that had impressed him much. The novel was written by Balachandran who was present at the function. Sivadasan, a small time publisher and a lover of genuine literature, was also present there. Sivadasan follows Balachandran to his room and urges him to finish the book and give it to him for publishing. Balachandran agrees and tries to make a beginning. But things don't move the way he wants them to. He is afflicted with what is usually termed 'Writer's Block' and fails to write even a single word.
In the meantime, Padma, who was once his classmate in college and a fan of his too, comes to stay in Kozhikode. Padma, who is divorced from her husband, is a great lover of literature. She gets Balachandran's number and calls him. The entry of Padma into Balachandran's life changes things to a very great extent. It marks the beginning of a new chapter in Balachandran's life. What happens from then forms the plot of Kayyoppu.
Mammootty as the central character Balachandran is very impressive. Occasionally though, the star in him comes to the fore making his performance seem a bit artificial to keen observers. Khushboo as Padma, Mukesh as Sivadasan, Nedumudi Venu as C.P. Vasudevan, Narayanan Nair as Balachandran's estate-manager and father-figure Kammaran, Jaffer as Babu who looks after things in the lodge etc have done their respective roles very convincingly.
The rest of the cast like Mamookoya, Nilambur Ayisha, Biju Pappan, Neena Kurup etc too fit into their roles perfectly well. Cinematography by Manoj Pillai, editing by Bina Paul and art-direction by Sabu Ram are no doubt the highlights of Kayyoppu. Vidyasagar has done his part as the music composer with élan and heightens the tempo of the dramatic moments in the film. Ranjith has included the immortal Hindi song "Jalte hein jiske liye (composed by S.D. Burman and rendered by Talat Mahmood for the old-time Hindi film Sujata), this time rendered by Manjari and blended very well with the situation in Kayyoppu.
It is the sensitive approach of the director that makes the film stand apart. The very touching and disturbing climax remains etched in our minds for a long time. Though one gets the feeling that Ranjith occasionally tries to be a little arty, the director ought to be appreciated for a film that is definitely not to be missed by those who love good cinema.
Inspector Garud
When you go to see the Dileep-starrer Inspector Garud directed by Johny Antony, you'd expect another film like CID Moosa or Kochiraajaavu. And that is what Inspector Garud doesn't happen to be. For Dileep fans and for fans of Johny Antony (the director of such roaring hits as CID Moosa, Kochiraajaavu and Thuruppugulaan) the film is a disappointment. At the end of it, you feel all wasted and that justifies the booing that could be heard towards the end of the film on the first day itself.
Inspector Garud tells the story of young Circle Inspector Madhavankutty, nicknamed 'Garudan', who is steeped in corruption and is a master at bribery. Karaikudi Arumughan Palaniappa Chettiar and his son Saravanan get involved in arms smuggling with a terrorist group based in Mumbai. The weapons are kept in a slum which is under the control of Chettiar. Due to negligence on the part of Lonappan, who is in charge of safe-keeping of the weapons, the Police come to know of it. Trouble starts brewing for Chettiar and Co.
Circle Inspector Rajan Joseph, who is an honest cop, is bent on bringing the crooks to book, but the baddies manage to complicate things and get him suspended. And then Chettiar and Co, upon the advice of their manager Sivan Pillai, bring in Madhavankutty, to help them out of this predicament. Madhavankutty obliges after accepting a hefty bribe.
In the meantime, the Collector Sandhya Gopinath hands over the inquiry of the case involving the arms to the newly appointed Sub Collector Sethulakshmi. Soon after Sethulakshmi takes charge, a clash takes place between her and Madhavankutty. The latter is humiliated, and vows to have his revenge by marrying Sethulakshmi. How he achieves this and what all happens as a consequence forms the plot of Inspector Garud.
Dileep as Madhavankutty shines in the first half as the corrupt and funny police officer. But towards the end, when it is time for action, Dileep doesn't impress in anyway and even his fans seem to get bored. It has been proved earlier in The Don that action is not what people expect from Dileep. Kavya Madhavan as Sethulakshmi is good, but the clash between Madhavankutty and Sethulakshmi could have been worked out better and the film would have benefited much.
Vijayaraghavan as Karaikudi Arumughan Palaniappa Chettiar is a good choice while Laloo Aalex (that's the way he spells his name now) as Rajan Joseph hasn't got much to do. Anand as Saravanan is OK. Salim Kumar as Lonappan and Harisree Ashokan as the small-time politician Kuttappan could have been used better to enhance the comedy aspects of the film. Both these actors have handled their roles in their characteristic style. Innocent as Head Constable Raghavan impresses. The others in the cast are just passable.
As for the technical aspects, cinematography by P. Sukumar, editing by Ranjan Abraham and art-direction by Salu K. George are in sync with the theme and the mood. Background score by Ouseppachan is OK. Of the songs, "Kaanthaari penne..." penned by Santhosh Varma and set to tune by Alex Paul is a typical Johny Antony brand number and is reminiscent of a similar song in CID Moosa. The other songs are just average.
The way the song "Kannum chimmi chimmi..." has been visualized reminds you of the Tamil song "Kicku eruthey..." in the Rajnikanth starrer Padayappa and even Dileep seems to imitate the Tamil superstar. Scenarists Udayakrishna and Sibi K. Thomas and director Johny Antony should have packaged the film better, adding more humour and comedy, because that is what people seem to have expected.
Inspector Garud tells the story of young Circle Inspector Madhavankutty, nicknamed 'Garudan', who is steeped in corruption and is a master at bribery. Karaikudi Arumughan Palaniappa Chettiar and his son Saravanan get involved in arms smuggling with a terrorist group based in Mumbai. The weapons are kept in a slum which is under the control of Chettiar. Due to negligence on the part of Lonappan, who is in charge of safe-keeping of the weapons, the Police come to know of it. Trouble starts brewing for Chettiar and Co.
Circle Inspector Rajan Joseph, who is an honest cop, is bent on bringing the crooks to book, but the baddies manage to complicate things and get him suspended. And then Chettiar and Co, upon the advice of their manager Sivan Pillai, bring in Madhavankutty, to help them out of this predicament. Madhavankutty obliges after accepting a hefty bribe.
In the meantime, the Collector Sandhya Gopinath hands over the inquiry of the case involving the arms to the newly appointed Sub Collector Sethulakshmi. Soon after Sethulakshmi takes charge, a clash takes place between her and Madhavankutty. The latter is humiliated, and vows to have his revenge by marrying Sethulakshmi. How he achieves this and what all happens as a consequence forms the plot of Inspector Garud.
Dileep as Madhavankutty shines in the first half as the corrupt and funny police officer. But towards the end, when it is time for action, Dileep doesn't impress in anyway and even his fans seem to get bored. It has been proved earlier in The Don that action is not what people expect from Dileep. Kavya Madhavan as Sethulakshmi is good, but the clash between Madhavankutty and Sethulakshmi could have been worked out better and the film would have benefited much.
Vijayaraghavan as Karaikudi Arumughan Palaniappa Chettiar is a good choice while Laloo Aalex (that's the way he spells his name now) as Rajan Joseph hasn't got much to do. Anand as Saravanan is OK. Salim Kumar as Lonappan and Harisree Ashokan as the small-time politician Kuttappan could have been used better to enhance the comedy aspects of the film. Both these actors have handled their roles in their characteristic style. Innocent as Head Constable Raghavan impresses. The others in the cast are just passable.
As for the technical aspects, cinematography by P. Sukumar, editing by Ranjan Abraham and art-direction by Salu K. George are in sync with the theme and the mood. Background score by Ouseppachan is OK. Of the songs, "Kaanthaari penne..." penned by Santhosh Varma and set to tune by Alex Paul is a typical Johny Antony brand number and is reminiscent of a similar song in CID Moosa. The other songs are just average.
The way the song "Kannum chimmi chimmi..." has been visualized reminds you of the Tamil song "Kicku eruthey..." in the Rajnikanth starrer Padayappa and even Dileep seems to imitate the Tamil superstar. Scenarists Udayakrishna and Sibi K. Thomas and director Johny Antony should have packaged the film better, adding more humour and comedy, because that is what people seem to have expected.
Speed Track
After much delay and more than one name-change the Jayasurya-directed Dileep-starrer The Speed Track is finally here. (Jayasurya, the debutante director is the son of noted playwright and scenarist, the late S.L. Puram Sadanandan). And Dileep, who has been having a lean phase in his acting career for the past few months has reasons to be happy, because the film succeeds in entertaining the audience and keeps them glued to the screen till the very end.
The Speed Track tells a story set against the backdrop of a sports college. Arjun, who joins the college, is someone whose performance in athletics is simply amazing. Gauri, who had earlier seen him as an antagonist, gradually begins to admire him and they become very friendly. Gauri's brother Rahul too studies in the same college. Tinu Nalinakshan, another student has an eye on Gauri, and gets jealous when he sees her getting intimate with Arjun.
Arjun is a man with definite ambitions. He aims to be the individual champion in the intercollegiate sports meet to be conducted by the end of the academic year. This is very important for him as it is closely linked to the future of his younger brother Anil, himself a very talented sportsman. But Anil had been severely injured in an accident and is presently in a wheelchair. Arjun's winning the individual championship is crucial as the prize money of Rs.10 lakhs is necessary for his brother's treatment.
Gauri and Arjun gradually fall in love. Gauri, who now shares Arjun's dreams and aspirations, wishes for his victory on the tracks. But she is torn between her love for her brother Rahul and her love for Arjun, both of whom are to contest in one single item. The crisis however, is soon averted as Arjun opts out of the event. But then Tinu has some vile designs in his mind. What happens consequently lead to a very thrilling climax.
Dileep is excellent as Arjun while Gajala, who is physically right for the part of Gauri and looks good, fares just average in acting. Madhu Warrier as Rahul is good. Riyaz Khan as Tinu is his very usual self. All the other actors including Jagathy Sreekumar, Vijayaraghavan, Bindu Panicker, Salim Kumar etc have done justice to their respective roles.
The main attraction of The Speed Track is that the director, who has himself penned the story and the script, has paid much care to the packaging aspect. Comedy, romance, thrills and every other ingredient has been put in judiciously. The comic sequences do seem very similar to those we have seen in umpteen films, but they are thoroughly enjoyable nonetheless.
The thrilling climax, when things are to be decided on the tracks in a crucial 4 x 200 mtrs relay, has been filmed really well. Cinematographer P. Sukumar deserves appreciation, along with director Jayasurya, for having handled this scene very brilliantly. The songs too sync with the mood and the tempo of the film. Background score by Ouseppachchan too deserves mention. To sum up, The Speed Track is a well-made film that you would enjoy watching, though it cannot in any way be called offbeat or arty.
The Speed Track tells a story set against the backdrop of a sports college. Arjun, who joins the college, is someone whose performance in athletics is simply amazing. Gauri, who had earlier seen him as an antagonist, gradually begins to admire him and they become very friendly. Gauri's brother Rahul too studies in the same college. Tinu Nalinakshan, another student has an eye on Gauri, and gets jealous when he sees her getting intimate with Arjun.
Arjun is a man with definite ambitions. He aims to be the individual champion in the intercollegiate sports meet to be conducted by the end of the academic year. This is very important for him as it is closely linked to the future of his younger brother Anil, himself a very talented sportsman. But Anil had been severely injured in an accident and is presently in a wheelchair. Arjun's winning the individual championship is crucial as the prize money of Rs.10 lakhs is necessary for his brother's treatment.
Gauri and Arjun gradually fall in love. Gauri, who now shares Arjun's dreams and aspirations, wishes for his victory on the tracks. But she is torn between her love for her brother Rahul and her love for Arjun, both of whom are to contest in one single item. The crisis however, is soon averted as Arjun opts out of the event. But then Tinu has some vile designs in his mind. What happens consequently lead to a very thrilling climax.
Dileep is excellent as Arjun while Gajala, who is physically right for the part of Gauri and looks good, fares just average in acting. Madhu Warrier as Rahul is good. Riyaz Khan as Tinu is his very usual self. All the other actors including Jagathy Sreekumar, Vijayaraghavan, Bindu Panicker, Salim Kumar etc have done justice to their respective roles.
The main attraction of The Speed Track is that the director, who has himself penned the story and the script, has paid much care to the packaging aspect. Comedy, romance, thrills and every other ingredient has been put in judiciously. The comic sequences do seem very similar to those we have seen in umpteen films, but they are thoroughly enjoyable nonetheless.
The thrilling climax, when things are to be decided on the tracks in a crucial 4 x 200 mtrs relay, has been filmed really well. Cinematographer P. Sukumar deserves appreciation, along with director Jayasurya, for having handled this scene very brilliantly. The songs too sync with the mood and the tempo of the film. Background score by Ouseppachchan too deserves mention. To sum up, The Speed Track is a well-made film that you would enjoy watching, though it cannot in any way be called offbeat or arty.
Changathy poocha
S.P. Mahessh, who had been an associate of many noted directors, especially Vinayan, had raised a lot of expectations when he announced a film, even though it was with Jayasurya, who presently has little command over the box office. But Mahessh's debut directorial venture Changaathipoochcha fails to leave a mark.
It's not that there is nothing good in Changaathipoochcha, but that there is nothing new, and that makes the film almost insufferable. It wouldn't be surprising if you yawn and doze off as you sit through the film. That's what the film is - not bad, but boring.
Changaathi Poochcha tells the story of two brothers Sreedharan Nair and Raman Nair, who are constantly at loggerheads owing to ego problems and differences in opinion regarding ancestral property. But Sreedharan Nair's daughter Priya and Raman Nair's daughter Sreedevi are very close to each other. And then come letters to both the brothers that their sister Bhanumathi, who had been away for years, is coming back. Raman Nair is shocked, especially because Bhanumathi's share of the property is at present under his control and even the house he is living in rightfully belongs to her.
And then comes news that Bhanumathi's son would be marrying one of his cousins, i.e., either Priya or Sreedevi. Raman Nair begins to feel that if Bhanumathi's son married Sreedevi, he wouldn't be ousted from the house. But it is not certain that the boy would choose her and not Priya. Purushottaman Nair, who is Raman Nair's manager, comes up with a solution. He says that this possibility could be eliminated if someone else comes in and Priya could be made to fall in love even before the arrival of Bhanumathi and her son.
And thus comes in Sivankutty, who is entrusted with the job of making Priya fall in love with him so that Raman Nair could score a win over Sreedharan Nair. Sivan is actually the brother-in-law of Purushottaman Nair and owes a large amount of money to many people, who are constantly after him. Sivankutty takes up the 'job' to solve his financial problems. What happens then on forms the rest of the story.
The story does seem funny and there is enough scope for humour. But somehow, courtesy the scenarist and the director, there are very few moments in the film that elicit laughter. Some very funny moments are there, where you cannot but help laughing, but they are few and far between, and don't make the film enjoyable as a whole.
Jayasurya is not impressive as Sivankutty, while Radhika, who had shot to fame as Raziya in Classmates, too doesn't impress in any way. Nedumudi Venu as Sreedharan Nair and Jagathy Sreekumar as Raman Nair are their usual selves. Salim Kumar as Sivankutty's friend Rajappan too is his usual self and doesn't deserve much of a mention. Sudheesh as Sivankutty's other friend Kunjunni doesn't have much to do. The same is the case with Ramya Nambeeshan as Priya. Harisri Ashokan is his very own comic self as Aishwaryan, who is Sreedevi's cousin and is eager to marry her. He creates few laughs in a few scenes.
The songs too don't impress, though "Shararaanthal minni nilkkum ..." is just about OK. Nothing much to note about the technical aspects, except perhaps camera by Vipin Mohan. He has done a good job. Shani Khader, who penned the story and the script for Changaathi Poochcha and director S.P. Mahessh should have remembered that such subjects, though they had an appeal in the 1980's and early 1990's don't appeal to film goers today unless the treatment is very different. Better luck next time, Mahessh!
It's not that there is nothing good in Changaathipoochcha, but that there is nothing new, and that makes the film almost insufferable. It wouldn't be surprising if you yawn and doze off as you sit through the film. That's what the film is - not bad, but boring.
Changaathi Poochcha tells the story of two brothers Sreedharan Nair and Raman Nair, who are constantly at loggerheads owing to ego problems and differences in opinion regarding ancestral property. But Sreedharan Nair's daughter Priya and Raman Nair's daughter Sreedevi are very close to each other. And then come letters to both the brothers that their sister Bhanumathi, who had been away for years, is coming back. Raman Nair is shocked, especially because Bhanumathi's share of the property is at present under his control and even the house he is living in rightfully belongs to her.
And then comes news that Bhanumathi's son would be marrying one of his cousins, i.e., either Priya or Sreedevi. Raman Nair begins to feel that if Bhanumathi's son married Sreedevi, he wouldn't be ousted from the house. But it is not certain that the boy would choose her and not Priya. Purushottaman Nair, who is Raman Nair's manager, comes up with a solution. He says that this possibility could be eliminated if someone else comes in and Priya could be made to fall in love even before the arrival of Bhanumathi and her son.
And thus comes in Sivankutty, who is entrusted with the job of making Priya fall in love with him so that Raman Nair could score a win over Sreedharan Nair. Sivan is actually the brother-in-law of Purushottaman Nair and owes a large amount of money to many people, who are constantly after him. Sivankutty takes up the 'job' to solve his financial problems. What happens then on forms the rest of the story.
The story does seem funny and there is enough scope for humour. But somehow, courtesy the scenarist and the director, there are very few moments in the film that elicit laughter. Some very funny moments are there, where you cannot but help laughing, but they are few and far between, and don't make the film enjoyable as a whole.
Jayasurya is not impressive as Sivankutty, while Radhika, who had shot to fame as Raziya in Classmates, too doesn't impress in any way. Nedumudi Venu as Sreedharan Nair and Jagathy Sreekumar as Raman Nair are their usual selves. Salim Kumar as Sivankutty's friend Rajappan too is his usual self and doesn't deserve much of a mention. Sudheesh as Sivankutty's other friend Kunjunni doesn't have much to do. The same is the case with Ramya Nambeeshan as Priya. Harisri Ashokan is his very own comic self as Aishwaryan, who is Sreedevi's cousin and is eager to marry her. He creates few laughs in a few scenes.
The songs too don't impress, though "Shararaanthal minni nilkkum ..." is just about OK. Nothing much to note about the technical aspects, except perhaps camera by Vipin Mohan. He has done a good job. Shani Khader, who penned the story and the script for Changaathi Poochcha and director S.P. Mahessh should have remembered that such subjects, though they had an appeal in the 1980's and early 1990's don't appeal to film goers today unless the treatment is very different. Better luck next time, Mahessh!
Mayavi
Director Shafi and actor Mammootty have once again teamed up to give us a thoroughly enjoyable entertainer in Mayavi. If you are looking for two and a half hours of total relaxation, then here is the film for you. Forget yourself and your worries and smile and laugh with 'Mayavi'.
Mahe is a regular jailbird. He is also a master at the art of fighting invisibly. When he cannot afford to appear in front of his enemies, he makes his moves so suddenly, so swiftly and so intelligently that his opponents don't even get a chance to see him. This style of fighting has earned for him the nickname 'Mayavi'. Mahe however, is a do-gooder and is loved by most of the people around him, including the jailer and other policemen.
In jail he has a friend, Balan, who is more like a brother to him. Balan has three months to go to get released, but there is an emergency situation at home. His brother Satheesh is in hospital due to a very serious ailment and requires to be operated upon. That requires a big sum of money. If Balan is out of prison he is confident he can arrange the money. He hopes to get released on Independence Day, when every year a prisoner is set free. Even Mahe desires that. But the lucky one who gets released is Mahe.
Mahe takes it upon himself to do what is possible to save Satheesh. He reaches the hospital and promises to return with the money. And then, with his friend Giri, he plans some drastic moves. He takes up a very strange kind of assignment - that of owning up the responsibility of a murder to be committed by someone else. And that someone is Thottappilly Surendran, who is all set to murder Aranimuttam Sivasankaran, who has gone to jail after murdering his (Surendran's) father.
On board a boat on the way to Surendran's place, Mahe happens to see a young girl, Indu, who is a manager-cum-accountant and a dependent of the Aranimuttam family. What happens subsequently compels Mahe to don the mantle of Mayavi again. What follows are moments of undiluted fun and quite a few thrills too.
Mammootty has done an excellent job as Mahe alias Mayavi. Coming as it does after three serious films from the star, (Karuththapakshikal, Palunku and Kayyoppu), Mayavi is a welcome change for fans of the talented actor. He has proved once again that he can handle all kinds of roles with ease. The way he delivers his dialogues and the timing he shows as far as comedy is concerned helps him to morph into the character of Mayavi.
Gopika as Indu forms an excellent pair to Mammookka and does her part too perfectly well. Manoj K. Jayan as Balan is OK. Venjaramoodu Suraaj as Giri and Salim Kumar as Kannan Shrank play an important role in taking the film forward and provide good comedy. Vijayaraghavan as Thottappilly Surendran and Saikumar as Aranimuttam Sivasankaran are their usual selves. Manikuttan as Satheesh doesn't have much to do. Others in the cast are passable.
Of the songs penned by Vayalar Sharath Chandra Varma and set to tune by Alex Paul, "Muttaththe mulle chollu..." could soon turn out to be hit. We seem to miss the Suresh Peters type of songs that have been the trademark of Rafi-Mecartin and Shafi brand of films. But still the songs and the music are good and suit the theme. The technical aspects are all in tune with the subject and the treatment. Scenarists Rafi and Mecartin and director Shafi deserve special appreciation for having come up with such a good entertainer.
Mahe is a regular jailbird. He is also a master at the art of fighting invisibly. When he cannot afford to appear in front of his enemies, he makes his moves so suddenly, so swiftly and so intelligently that his opponents don't even get a chance to see him. This style of fighting has earned for him the nickname 'Mayavi'. Mahe however, is a do-gooder and is loved by most of the people around him, including the jailer and other policemen.
In jail he has a friend, Balan, who is more like a brother to him. Balan has three months to go to get released, but there is an emergency situation at home. His brother Satheesh is in hospital due to a very serious ailment and requires to be operated upon. That requires a big sum of money. If Balan is out of prison he is confident he can arrange the money. He hopes to get released on Independence Day, when every year a prisoner is set free. Even Mahe desires that. But the lucky one who gets released is Mahe.
Mahe takes it upon himself to do what is possible to save Satheesh. He reaches the hospital and promises to return with the money. And then, with his friend Giri, he plans some drastic moves. He takes up a very strange kind of assignment - that of owning up the responsibility of a murder to be committed by someone else. And that someone is Thottappilly Surendran, who is all set to murder Aranimuttam Sivasankaran, who has gone to jail after murdering his (Surendran's) father.
On board a boat on the way to Surendran's place, Mahe happens to see a young girl, Indu, who is a manager-cum-accountant and a dependent of the Aranimuttam family. What happens subsequently compels Mahe to don the mantle of Mayavi again. What follows are moments of undiluted fun and quite a few thrills too.
Mammootty has done an excellent job as Mahe alias Mayavi. Coming as it does after three serious films from the star, (Karuththapakshikal, Palunku and Kayyoppu), Mayavi is a welcome change for fans of the talented actor. He has proved once again that he can handle all kinds of roles with ease. The way he delivers his dialogues and the timing he shows as far as comedy is concerned helps him to morph into the character of Mayavi.
Gopika as Indu forms an excellent pair to Mammookka and does her part too perfectly well. Manoj K. Jayan as Balan is OK. Venjaramoodu Suraaj as Giri and Salim Kumar as Kannan Shrank play an important role in taking the film forward and provide good comedy. Vijayaraghavan as Thottappilly Surendran and Saikumar as Aranimuttam Sivasankaran are their usual selves. Manikuttan as Satheesh doesn't have much to do. Others in the cast are passable.
Of the songs penned by Vayalar Sharath Chandra Varma and set to tune by Alex Paul, "Muttaththe mulle chollu..." could soon turn out to be hit. We seem to miss the Suresh Peters type of songs that have been the trademark of Rafi-Mecartin and Shafi brand of films. But still the songs and the music are good and suit the theme. The technical aspects are all in tune with the subject and the treatment. Scenarists Rafi and Mecartin and director Shafi deserve special appreciation for having come up with such a good entertainer.
Rakilipaattu
Raakkilipaattu, directed by Priyadarsan and produced by Mukesh R. Mehta, has finally hit the screens almost seven years after it was filmed. Such delayed releases usually get a very poor response at the box office in Kerala. It is no different with Raakkilipaattu.
Viewing films at theatres in Kerala has become dependent on the cast, especially the male members of the cast. It is no surprise that this film with predominantly female artists in the cast has received a lukewarm reception. Pre-release publicity too was poor. Anyhow, the film definitely deserves a watch, especially since it has many pluses (along with many minuses as well).
Raakkilipaattu tells the story of a bunch of college-going girls. The first half focuses mainly on their life in the campus. Josephine and Radhika Menon are the best of friends and Geetha Damodaran, who is the rather arrogant daughter of a very rich father, is their rival. They clash often and this leads to many problems. When the staff too favours Geetha, things go mostly against Radhika and Josephine.
Then one day, Radhika's aunt Malati Menon, who had taken care of her after her parents' death, decides that it is time for Radhika to get married. Radhika doesn't want to tie the knot before Josephine is also ready to marry. They want to get married at around the same time and till then they want to enjoy their friendship. Josephine therefore tells Malati Menon the cooked up story about Radhika being in love with one Ramesh Nair, a merchant navy officer currently abroad.
Malati Menon believes her and tells the girls that they could wait till he comes on leave. And then Radhika begins getting calls and letters from Ramesh Nair. Fiction turns real and the two friends are bewildered. And when Ramesh finally lands up, they go to meet him at his hotel. But the meeting doesn't materialize. Then Ramesh is called to meet Radhika at Josephine's hostel room on a night when everyone else would be at the college auditorium attending the anniversary functions.
Ramesh comes and is shot dead. Radhika and Josephine had actually acquired and kept ready some weapons including pistols and when they are later arrested, this is taken as evidence against them. The first half of the film comes to an end with the killing of Ramesh. The second half takes a twist with the film turning into a racy thriller with some well worked out elements of suspense. When everything is resolved, the film ends in typical Priyadarsan style.
Priyadarsan has managed to capture the spirit of campus life with all its colours brilliantly etched out, with apt support from his favourite art-director Sabu Cyril. The friendship between Josephine and Radhika as well as their rivalry with Geetha has been handled well. Jyothika as Josephine does a good job while Shrabani Mukherjee gives ample support as Radhika. Ishitha Arun as Geetha is OK. Tabu does well as Gayathri Varma, the daring Police Officer. Mita Vashishta is good as Prema Narayanan, the Superintendent of Police. Jeeva's camera work is good.
So much for the pluses. And now for the minuses. The dialogues at many places seem to be rather artificial and unappealing. This may be because of the film being multilingual and with a multilingual cast. The scene where Gayathri Varma addresses the media outside the hospital, speaking on the plight of women in the country, could have been handled better. The dialogues rendered by Advocate Soumini, played by Suchithra, too seems unappealing.
The highlight of Raakkilipaattu however are the songs, especially the "Dhum dhum dhum dhum doore..." number and "Shaarike ninne kaanaan...". The song "Anthinila maanaaththu..." is filmed in typical Priyadarsan style. What the film lacks is perhaps the Priyan brand of humour. Raakkilipaattu is a rather well-made commercial film, but taking into consideration Priyadarsan's potential as a director, it could have been made far better.
Viewing films at theatres in Kerala has become dependent on the cast, especially the male members of the cast. It is no surprise that this film with predominantly female artists in the cast has received a lukewarm reception. Pre-release publicity too was poor. Anyhow, the film definitely deserves a watch, especially since it has many pluses (along with many minuses as well).
Raakkilipaattu tells the story of a bunch of college-going girls. The first half focuses mainly on their life in the campus. Josephine and Radhika Menon are the best of friends and Geetha Damodaran, who is the rather arrogant daughter of a very rich father, is their rival. They clash often and this leads to many problems. When the staff too favours Geetha, things go mostly against Radhika and Josephine.
Then one day, Radhika's aunt Malati Menon, who had taken care of her after her parents' death, decides that it is time for Radhika to get married. Radhika doesn't want to tie the knot before Josephine is also ready to marry. They want to get married at around the same time and till then they want to enjoy their friendship. Josephine therefore tells Malati Menon the cooked up story about Radhika being in love with one Ramesh Nair, a merchant navy officer currently abroad.
Malati Menon believes her and tells the girls that they could wait till he comes on leave. And then Radhika begins getting calls and letters from Ramesh Nair. Fiction turns real and the two friends are bewildered. And when Ramesh finally lands up, they go to meet him at his hotel. But the meeting doesn't materialize. Then Ramesh is called to meet Radhika at Josephine's hostel room on a night when everyone else would be at the college auditorium attending the anniversary functions.
Ramesh comes and is shot dead. Radhika and Josephine had actually acquired and kept ready some weapons including pistols and when they are later arrested, this is taken as evidence against them. The first half of the film comes to an end with the killing of Ramesh. The second half takes a twist with the film turning into a racy thriller with some well worked out elements of suspense. When everything is resolved, the film ends in typical Priyadarsan style.
Priyadarsan has managed to capture the spirit of campus life with all its colours brilliantly etched out, with apt support from his favourite art-director Sabu Cyril. The friendship between Josephine and Radhika as well as their rivalry with Geetha has been handled well. Jyothika as Josephine does a good job while Shrabani Mukherjee gives ample support as Radhika. Ishitha Arun as Geetha is OK. Tabu does well as Gayathri Varma, the daring Police Officer. Mita Vashishta is good as Prema Narayanan, the Superintendent of Police. Jeeva's camera work is good.
So much for the pluses. And now for the minuses. The dialogues at many places seem to be rather artificial and unappealing. This may be because of the film being multilingual and with a multilingual cast. The scene where Gayathri Varma addresses the media outside the hospital, speaking on the plight of women in the country, could have been handled better. The dialogues rendered by Advocate Soumini, played by Suchithra, too seems unappealing.
The highlight of Raakkilipaattu however are the songs, especially the "Dhum dhum dhum dhum doore..." number and "Shaarike ninne kaanaan...". The song "Anthinila maanaaththu..." is filmed in typical Priyadarsan style. What the film lacks is perhaps the Priyan brand of humour. Raakkilipaattu is a rather well-made commercial film, but taking into consideration Priyadarsan's potential as a director, it could have been made far better.
Detective
Detective, the debut directorial venture of Jeethu Joseph, is a rather well made suspense-thriller, which keeps you glued to your seats, but at times lets a yawn escape your mouth too. The film has almost all the elements of a typical suspense thriller but provides nothing new, except for the fact that Suresh Gopi does a double role. Though Detective satisfies you as a suspense thriller, it doesn't satisfy you much as a film.
The story begins from where young Reshmi, the wife of an idealistic young politician Mohan Kumar, is found dead in her own bedroom, presumably killing herself consuming rat-poison. Mohan Kumar at this juncture, is getting ready to contest the coming assembly bye-elections and his victory is certain, considering his mass appeal, his honesty and integrity. However, when the police begin the investigations, they get a note written by Reshmi saying her suicide is a result of the cruelties inflicted on her by her husband.
Mohan is arrested and his political career seems to be heading for a nose dive. His friend Kumbalam Jose is now chosen as the new candidate. Meanwhile Reshmi's father Prabhakaran Thampi, using his influence coaxes the opposition leader to press for the investigation to be handed over to Shyam Prasad, a brilliant officer. Prabhakaran Thampi believes that it is Mohan who killed his daughter, and feels that if the investigation is not handled properly, Mohan would go scot-free.
Shyam Prasad is actually Mohan's step-brother but hates Mohan because he feels that his birth has brought disgrace on the family. Mohan is apprehensive that if Shyam is put in charge of the case, he will bend the law to get him implicated, and tries to have him removed. But Shyam gets the job and his team begins the investigation. The opposition leader mean while persuades the DGP to include his brother-in-law Chandrachoodan in the investigating team so he can keep abreast of developments. What unfolds in the course of the investigation forms the plot of Detective.
Suresh Gopi as Shyam Prasad looks smart, but doubling as Mohan Kumar looks rather uncomfortable. Sindhu Menon as Reshmi is not bad. Jagathy Sreekumar as Chandrachoodan is his usual comic self, but why he mysteriously disappears after a few scenes and that too mid-way through the investigation of which he too is a part, remains unexplained.
Madhu Warrier as Shyam Prasad's assistant Basheer looks good, but his dialogue delivery remains poor and unimpressive. Saikumar as S.P. James Joseph, Prem Prakash as the Chief Minister, Cochin Haneefa as the opposition leader, Augustine as Mohan's neighbour Thankachchan, Babu Namboothiri as Reshmi's father Prabhakaran Thampi, Baiju as Reshmi's cousin Suresh, Koottikkal Jayachandran as the milk-man Ashokan, and Kalabhavan Prachod as Ashokan's younger brother Sumesh are OK.
Cinematography by Anandakuttan and editing by P.C. Mohanan suit the subject and the mood of the film. Rajamani gives good support with his background score. The clichéd way in which the film progresses however, makes it just one of those many suspense-thrillers, with nothing special to write home about. Summing it up, Detective is not a bad film and is definitely worth a watch, but it could have been made better.
The story begins from where young Reshmi, the wife of an idealistic young politician Mohan Kumar, is found dead in her own bedroom, presumably killing herself consuming rat-poison. Mohan Kumar at this juncture, is getting ready to contest the coming assembly bye-elections and his victory is certain, considering his mass appeal, his honesty and integrity. However, when the police begin the investigations, they get a note written by Reshmi saying her suicide is a result of the cruelties inflicted on her by her husband.
Mohan is arrested and his political career seems to be heading for a nose dive. His friend Kumbalam Jose is now chosen as the new candidate. Meanwhile Reshmi's father Prabhakaran Thampi, using his influence coaxes the opposition leader to press for the investigation to be handed over to Shyam Prasad, a brilliant officer. Prabhakaran Thampi believes that it is Mohan who killed his daughter, and feels that if the investigation is not handled properly, Mohan would go scot-free.
Shyam Prasad is actually Mohan's step-brother but hates Mohan because he feels that his birth has brought disgrace on the family. Mohan is apprehensive that if Shyam is put in charge of the case, he will bend the law to get him implicated, and tries to have him removed. But Shyam gets the job and his team begins the investigation. The opposition leader mean while persuades the DGP to include his brother-in-law Chandrachoodan in the investigating team so he can keep abreast of developments. What unfolds in the course of the investigation forms the plot of Detective.
Suresh Gopi as Shyam Prasad looks smart, but doubling as Mohan Kumar looks rather uncomfortable. Sindhu Menon as Reshmi is not bad. Jagathy Sreekumar as Chandrachoodan is his usual comic self, but why he mysteriously disappears after a few scenes and that too mid-way through the investigation of which he too is a part, remains unexplained.
Madhu Warrier as Shyam Prasad's assistant Basheer looks good, but his dialogue delivery remains poor and unimpressive. Saikumar as S.P. James Joseph, Prem Prakash as the Chief Minister, Cochin Haneefa as the opposition leader, Augustine as Mohan's neighbour Thankachchan, Babu Namboothiri as Reshmi's father Prabhakaran Thampi, Baiju as Reshmi's cousin Suresh, Koottikkal Jayachandran as the milk-man Ashokan, and Kalabhavan Prachod as Ashokan's younger brother Sumesh are OK.
Cinematography by Anandakuttan and editing by P.C. Mohanan suit the subject and the mood of the film. Rajamani gives good support with his background score. The clichéd way in which the film progresses however, makes it just one of those many suspense-thrillers, with nothing special to write home about. Summing it up, Detective is not a bad film and is definitely worth a watch, but it could have been made better.
Sketch
Debutante director Prasad Yadav's Sketch is a film that is different to some extent from films released recently in Malayalam. But Sketch fails to impress you and leaves you feeling all spent up.
Sivahari Iyer is the son of Parthasarathy Iyer, a leading and honest advocate, and is studying for LLB. Parthasarathy Iyer gets murdered under mysterious circumstances. Siva frequents the police station to make inquiries about the investigation and then, when he hints that he has some inkling about who is behind the murder, he is falsely implicated in a sex-scam by the Sub-Inspector. Even Siva's mother turns against him and he is forced to leave his home and take refuge in a slum.
In the slum he meets the aged Koya, who gives him refuge and even takes him to a businessman whom he knows. Siva gets a job, but before he can take it up something happens and Siva lands in police custody. There he meets Basheer, who also belongs to the same slum and who has links to the underworld. Basheer begins to like Siva for several reasons and they become good friends.
Once he is out on bail, Basheer talks to his mentor and godfather Alexander Nambadan about Siva. Nambadan brings Siva out using his money and influence. Nambadan is actually someone who controls criminal activities in the city and at the same time has his sway in the political circle. This politician-cum-criminal gets Siva to work for him as a hit man along with Basheer. Siva's life takes a twist from there on.
Chandrashekhara Shetty is the sworn enemy of Nambadan. Siva and Basheer play a crucial role in Nambadan's battle against Shetty and his gang. Meanwhile a daring young police officer, Viswanath, takes charge as the new Superintendent of Police and swears to rid the city of crime and criminals. What follows forms the plot of Sketch.
Saiju Kurup, who had made his debut as hero with Mayookham, looks better and more comfortable as Siva than he did in his debut film. His performance has improved but still is not up to the mark. Sreejith Ravi as Basheer is good, but at times louder than he should have been. T.G. Ravi as Koya is good. Vijayaraghavan as Alexander Nambadan is also good, but doesn't impress us as we have seen him umpteen times in such roles. His character seems to lack life and soul. Same is the case with Rajan P. Dev's Shetty.
Vijayakumar as Viswanath is OK, but someone more dynamic could have handled the character better. Sindhu Menon as Siva's sweetheart Lekshmi cuts a sorry figure and falters in the scenes that should have been highly emotion-charged. The blame for this however, falls squarely on the director and scenarist. Of the many actors in Sketch, it is Jagathy Sreekumar who alone impresses us, but his presence as Parthasarathy is there in just a couple of scenes and his character is of secondary importance.
Technical features are just about OK. The director has gone in for a different treatment and tries his best to make a good gang-world thriller. Some of the elements he has put in and the approach and treatment he has chosen are good. But he should have sat with the scenarist and worked harder on the script. The commentary in English about Kochi and its underworld activities is an absolute bore and could have been handled better. He could also have tried to bring out more from the actors at his disposal.
Sketch, though rather unimpressive, could be seen as a film that brings in a new director who could give us different and better films in future. The way Prasad Yadav has ended the film deserves special mention, as it has the mark of a dispassionate observer.
Sivahari Iyer is the son of Parthasarathy Iyer, a leading and honest advocate, and is studying for LLB. Parthasarathy Iyer gets murdered under mysterious circumstances. Siva frequents the police station to make inquiries about the investigation and then, when he hints that he has some inkling about who is behind the murder, he is falsely implicated in a sex-scam by the Sub-Inspector. Even Siva's mother turns against him and he is forced to leave his home and take refuge in a slum.
In the slum he meets the aged Koya, who gives him refuge and even takes him to a businessman whom he knows. Siva gets a job, but before he can take it up something happens and Siva lands in police custody. There he meets Basheer, who also belongs to the same slum and who has links to the underworld. Basheer begins to like Siva for several reasons and they become good friends.
Once he is out on bail, Basheer talks to his mentor and godfather Alexander Nambadan about Siva. Nambadan brings Siva out using his money and influence. Nambadan is actually someone who controls criminal activities in the city and at the same time has his sway in the political circle. This politician-cum-criminal gets Siva to work for him as a hit man along with Basheer. Siva's life takes a twist from there on.
Chandrashekhara Shetty is the sworn enemy of Nambadan. Siva and Basheer play a crucial role in Nambadan's battle against Shetty and his gang. Meanwhile a daring young police officer, Viswanath, takes charge as the new Superintendent of Police and swears to rid the city of crime and criminals. What follows forms the plot of Sketch.
Saiju Kurup, who had made his debut as hero with Mayookham, looks better and more comfortable as Siva than he did in his debut film. His performance has improved but still is not up to the mark. Sreejith Ravi as Basheer is good, but at times louder than he should have been. T.G. Ravi as Koya is good. Vijayaraghavan as Alexander Nambadan is also good, but doesn't impress us as we have seen him umpteen times in such roles. His character seems to lack life and soul. Same is the case with Rajan P. Dev's Shetty.
Vijayakumar as Viswanath is OK, but someone more dynamic could have handled the character better. Sindhu Menon as Siva's sweetheart Lekshmi cuts a sorry figure and falters in the scenes that should have been highly emotion-charged. The blame for this however, falls squarely on the director and scenarist. Of the many actors in Sketch, it is Jagathy Sreekumar who alone impresses us, but his presence as Parthasarathy is there in just a couple of scenes and his character is of secondary importance.
Technical features are just about OK. The director has gone in for a different treatment and tries his best to make a good gang-world thriller. Some of the elements he has put in and the approach and treatment he has chosen are good. But he should have sat with the scenarist and worked harder on the script. The commentary in English about Kochi and its underworld activities is an absolute bore and could have been handled better. He could also have tried to bring out more from the actors at his disposal.
Sketch, though rather unimpressive, could be seen as a film that brings in a new director who could give us different and better films in future. The way Prasad Yadav has ended the film deserves special mention, as it has the mark of a dispassionate observer.
Payum Puli
After seeing Paayumpuli, you will find yourself exclaiming: "It's high time a talented actor like Kalabhavan Mani stopped doing such nonsensical stereotyped stuff again and again." Director Mohan Kupleri, who had cast Kalabhavan Mani in the lead role in Paayumpuli, has failed miserably in providing us something worthwhile. Seeing Paayumpuli is a sheer waste of our time and money.
The story begins in a place called Malacca Colony, where Saravanan, our hero, lives. Saravanan is a henchman and works for Moosa Bhai, once a dreaded mafia-man of Kochi. As his friend and aide Saravanan has Thankappan, an auto-rickshaw driver. Someone comes to Malacca Colony and appeals to Moosa Bhai to let Saravanan come to Kochi to help the Ninan Group of Companies recover from a crisis created by some enemies.
At the behest of Moosa Bhai, Saravanan and Thankappan land in Kochi. An old acquaintance Mujeeb Rahman arranges accommodation for the duo. They are brought to a big, old house named Gokulam Veedu. The occupants of the house are the aged Mr. Warrier, his wife and two young granddaughters Mallika and Maya. Mallika and Maya have a step-brother named Ravishankar, who has decided to sell off Gokulam Veedu to Jose, a real-estate dealer. He has also accepted a huge amount as advance for selling the house and now plans to evict Mallika's family from there, by hook or by crook.
Meanwhile Saravanan, in the course of working for the Ninan Group, happens to clash with Jose. And when Ravishankar comes to forcefully evict the family from Gokulam Veedu, Saravanan opposes him and fights with him and his goons. And when this is finally brought to the attention of Jose, he swears to finish off Saravanan. What happens then leads to the building up of the film's climax.
Kalabhavan Mani is his usual self as Saravanan, but he is repeating himself again and again in such roles and we get fed up of this, though his performance is not at all bad. Jagathy Sreekumar as Thankappan doesn't impress us much and mysteriously his character even disappears for some time in the post-interval section. Saikumar as Jose is good. Rambha, who plays the role of Mallika, is a sheer waste in the film, though the director makes an unsuccessful attempt to cash in on her glamour factor.
There is nothing to be written about the rest of the cast including Anand as Ravishankar, Jagannatha Varma as the old Warrier, Salim Kumar as Mujeeb Rahman and Riyaz Khan as Jose's son Isaac. Their performances are very ordinary and boring because they have all done such roles many times before.
The songs are not catchy. The technical aspects are not up to the mark. After seeing the film, we begin to feel that though it has actors playing stereotyped roles and though the story moves along a familiar and predictable track, it would have fared better if the script was penned better and the direction more adept.
The story begins in a place called Malacca Colony, where Saravanan, our hero, lives. Saravanan is a henchman and works for Moosa Bhai, once a dreaded mafia-man of Kochi. As his friend and aide Saravanan has Thankappan, an auto-rickshaw driver. Someone comes to Malacca Colony and appeals to Moosa Bhai to let Saravanan come to Kochi to help the Ninan Group of Companies recover from a crisis created by some enemies.
At the behest of Moosa Bhai, Saravanan and Thankappan land in Kochi. An old acquaintance Mujeeb Rahman arranges accommodation for the duo. They are brought to a big, old house named Gokulam Veedu. The occupants of the house are the aged Mr. Warrier, his wife and two young granddaughters Mallika and Maya. Mallika and Maya have a step-brother named Ravishankar, who has decided to sell off Gokulam Veedu to Jose, a real-estate dealer. He has also accepted a huge amount as advance for selling the house and now plans to evict Mallika's family from there, by hook or by crook.
Meanwhile Saravanan, in the course of working for the Ninan Group, happens to clash with Jose. And when Ravishankar comes to forcefully evict the family from Gokulam Veedu, Saravanan opposes him and fights with him and his goons. And when this is finally brought to the attention of Jose, he swears to finish off Saravanan. What happens then leads to the building up of the film's climax.
Kalabhavan Mani is his usual self as Saravanan, but he is repeating himself again and again in such roles and we get fed up of this, though his performance is not at all bad. Jagathy Sreekumar as Thankappan doesn't impress us much and mysteriously his character even disappears for some time in the post-interval section. Saikumar as Jose is good. Rambha, who plays the role of Mallika, is a sheer waste in the film, though the director makes an unsuccessful attempt to cash in on her glamour factor.
There is nothing to be written about the rest of the cast including Anand as Ravishankar, Jagannatha Varma as the old Warrier, Salim Kumar as Mujeeb Rahman and Riyaz Khan as Jose's son Isaac. Their performances are very ordinary and boring because they have all done such roles many times before.
The songs are not catchy. The technical aspects are not up to the mark. After seeing the film, we begin to feel that though it has actors playing stereotyped roles and though the story moves along a familiar and predictable track, it would have fared better if the script was penned better and the direction more adept.
November Rain
Debutante director Vinu Joseph's November Rain is a film that is well-made, but may not prove to be crowd puller. The reasons are diverse. Firstly the film, though well made, doesn't provide us with anything new, i.e., nothing is there which makes the film different from others in the same genre. Secondly, the lead player Arun is someone who hasn't yet proved himself at the box office, and Kerala is a State where people still do not accept new stars that easily. Thirdly the songs don't have in them the power to make the film a hit on their merit.
November Rain tells the story of a young man named Satyanarayanan, the son of honest and daring police officer Krishnamoorthy, who is heading the anti-goonda squad in the city and is bent on eliminating the breed entirely. Satya is an easy going kind of youth who has passed the plus two exams after repeated attempts. He is waiting to be admitted to college and passes his time practising boxing, eating and lazing about.
After he gets admitted to college Satya becomes part of a group that has some indirect connections with some of the henchmen of Majid Ali, a noted criminal and a reckoning force in the city's dreaded underworld. Satya, who appears initially as a silly imbecile, later turns out to be a tough guy and gradually begins to head his gang in the college. Then one day, Satya and his gang clash with goondas brought in by Prabhakaran, the college union chairman. In the course of the fight one of the goondas is stabbed by Satya. This leads to many problems.
Though the victim doesn't die, Satya and gang are forced to go into hiding and talks for compromise begin. The parents of others in Satya's gang come forward to pay money and go in for a compromise. But Krishnamoorthy is a man of principles and he holds that if Satya has done something wrong, he must be punished. Satya somehow comes out of the mess along with his friends. But this marks the beginning of a rift between the father and the son. Satya gradually drifts into the ranks of the underworld. What happens consequently leads to a very touching climax.
For the People fame Arun, who dons the role of Satyanarayanan, does a good job, but like most other actors in Malayalam Cinema, he too is getting stereotyped. It seems that after the earlier Quotation and now November Rain, we can expect only this kind of action films from him. Laloo Aalex as Krishnamoorthy is his usual self. Balaji is good as Majid Ali. Sreejith Ravi as Ali's henchman is also good, but at some junctures he and his character seem to be unnecessarily loud. Geetha as Satya's mother Indira is OK.
Nimisha who plays Satya's beloved Anu doesn't have any kind of appeal. Sajitha Beti as Satya's sister Archana alias Achchu is OK. Niyaz as Pappu and Aniyappan as Sajeevan (both friends and aides of Satya) and Unni Shivapal as Prabhakaran are good. The others in the cast don't make much of an impression. Of the songs, "Raavin nenjil theeram thedum ..." gels with the theme and is shot very well. The other songs are OK, but not outstanding. Cinematography, editing and art-work are in sync with the theme.
November Rain is on the whole well-made and the performances of the main actors are satisfactory, but the film doesn't offer anything new. It moves along predictable lines and we have seen many such stories earlier on the screen. One wonders why our filmwallahs are obsessed with the name Satya for characters that drift into the underbelly of organized crime for various reasons. [Remember the Suresh Krishna-directed Tamil film Satya (1988) starring Kamalhassan, and the Ram Gopal Varma-directed Hindi film Satya (1998) starring Chakravarthy?]
The script of November Rain has been worked out well. The inclusion of the hooded figures used very symbolically to refer to changes in Satya's life and his fate is good, though it seems more like a theatrical device than a cinematic innovation, and doesn't have much of an impact. Here is hoping Vinu Joseph will tread a different track in his next movie and give us something with an element of freshness. For he seems to be a director of promise. All the best, Vinu!
November Rain tells the story of a young man named Satyanarayanan, the son of honest and daring police officer Krishnamoorthy, who is heading the anti-goonda squad in the city and is bent on eliminating the breed entirely. Satya is an easy going kind of youth who has passed the plus two exams after repeated attempts. He is waiting to be admitted to college and passes his time practising boxing, eating and lazing about.
After he gets admitted to college Satya becomes part of a group that has some indirect connections with some of the henchmen of Majid Ali, a noted criminal and a reckoning force in the city's dreaded underworld. Satya, who appears initially as a silly imbecile, later turns out to be a tough guy and gradually begins to head his gang in the college. Then one day, Satya and his gang clash with goondas brought in by Prabhakaran, the college union chairman. In the course of the fight one of the goondas is stabbed by Satya. This leads to many problems.
Though the victim doesn't die, Satya and gang are forced to go into hiding and talks for compromise begin. The parents of others in Satya's gang come forward to pay money and go in for a compromise. But Krishnamoorthy is a man of principles and he holds that if Satya has done something wrong, he must be punished. Satya somehow comes out of the mess along with his friends. But this marks the beginning of a rift between the father and the son. Satya gradually drifts into the ranks of the underworld. What happens consequently leads to a very touching climax.
For the People fame Arun, who dons the role of Satyanarayanan, does a good job, but like most other actors in Malayalam Cinema, he too is getting stereotyped. It seems that after the earlier Quotation and now November Rain, we can expect only this kind of action films from him. Laloo Aalex as Krishnamoorthy is his usual self. Balaji is good as Majid Ali. Sreejith Ravi as Ali's henchman is also good, but at some junctures he and his character seem to be unnecessarily loud. Geetha as Satya's mother Indira is OK.
Nimisha who plays Satya's beloved Anu doesn't have any kind of appeal. Sajitha Beti as Satya's sister Archana alias Achchu is OK. Niyaz as Pappu and Aniyappan as Sajeevan (both friends and aides of Satya) and Unni Shivapal as Prabhakaran are good. The others in the cast don't make much of an impression. Of the songs, "Raavin nenjil theeram thedum ..." gels with the theme and is shot very well. The other songs are OK, but not outstanding. Cinematography, editing and art-work are in sync with the theme.
November Rain is on the whole well-made and the performances of the main actors are satisfactory, but the film doesn't offer anything new. It moves along predictable lines and we have seen many such stories earlier on the screen. One wonders why our filmwallahs are obsessed with the name Satya for characters that drift into the underbelly of organized crime for various reasons. [Remember the Suresh Krishna-directed Tamil film Satya (1988) starring Kamalhassan, and the Ram Gopal Varma-directed Hindi film Satya (1998) starring Chakravarthy?]
The script of November Rain has been worked out well. The inclusion of the hooded figures used very symbolically to refer to changes in Satya's life and his fate is good, though it seems more like a theatrical device than a cinematic innovation, and doesn't have much of an impact. Here is hoping Vinu Joseph will tread a different track in his next movie and give us something with an element of freshness. For he seems to be a director of promise. All the best, Vinu!
Abraham and Lincoln
Director duo Pramod and Pappan, after their Vajram and Thaskaraveeran, have now come up with Abraham and Lincoln, a film that goes forward at a terrific speed and employs the use of all kinds of technical gimmicks to dazzle you only to finally leave you a bit confused too as to what it was all about.
Johnson Dominic, who works as a carrier for Sonar Kella group of jewelers owned by Shankar Nath, is killed by the henchmen of Rahim Rowther, who is Shankar Nath's rival in the business. Rowther wants to see the end of Shankar Nath and Sonar Kella. After some while Johnson's elder brother Abraham, who had earlier been in the army, comes to the city with the sole aim of finding out those who had killed his brother and to take revenge.
Abraham begins his mission by finding a way into the world of the gold mafia. He begins to work for Shankar Nath and his group. In the meantime, Lincoln George, who is a Circle Inspector, happens to clash with Abraham and both fight it out in the street. And when, towards the end of the fight, Lincoln stands aiming his gun at Abraham, someone else shoots Lincoln and wounds him. Abraham doesn't spare a moment and takes the wounded Lincoln to hospital and gets him admitted. The two thus become friends.
Abraham reveals to Lincoln the details of his mission, while Lincoln tells Abraham how his sister Nancy had turned a mental wreck after being cheated by someone with whom she was in love while studying in Bangalore. He says that person had always remained a mystery, and that he had not attempted to unravel that mystery because that would mean eliminating the culprit, getting himself behind bars, and leaving Nancy with no one to take care of her.
Nancy is now mentally in better shape and it is for her that Lincoln is living. Abraham goes ahead with his mission and Lincoln on the other hand is handed the job of fighting the gold mafia by the new District Collector Philip Mathew. What happens in consequence forms the rest of the plot.
Kalabhavan Mani portrays well his role as Abraham, while Rahman lends able support as Lincoln, both forming a perfect pair. Both the heroes act out their parts well, but their performance, especially in the stunt scenes, is targeted mainly at the youth and the so-called front-benchers, a class that is now hard to identify distinctly. The leading ladies Shwetha Menon and Neha Pendse don't have much to do, except to appear in song sequences and add to the oomph factor.
All the others in the cast are their usual selves with Salim Kumar as constable Marcose adding a bit of a comedy to the film. Anoop Menon, who appears as collector Philip Mathew is good. In the second half of the film, it is just the heroes and the baddies face to face and almost everyone, including the heroines just become insignificant.
Abraham and Lincoln is definitely not boring. Kalabhavan Mani's presence is there throughout the film and makes it worth watching. Mani's presence in the film is so overwhelming, one feels it wouldn't have made any difference whoever did Rahman's role. But isn't the actor repeating himself again and again in similar roles. (Maybe his forthcoming film Nanma would feature him in a different role).
The fist song-"Uduraajamukhi..." is lilting, but after seeing it you are left wondering if the models shown in the ramp are hired by Sonar Kella or by the Joy Alukkas Group, whose banners are displayed in profusion making the song a brilliant advertisement gimmick. Of the other songs "Kezhumekannaalle..." and "Indrasabha..." are good. "Thakkida tharikida ..." would just fizzle out in a few weeks time.
In total Abraham and Lincoln is a film that belongs to Kalabhavan Mani, the cinematographer, the editor, the art-director and the stunts people, who have all been assisted in profusion by the effects people, thus making the film loud and fast. And when, finally the film comes to a screeching halt, you are left wondering as to what it would have been without the technical gizmos and all. Nothing. Nothing at all!
Johnson Dominic, who works as a carrier for Sonar Kella group of jewelers owned by Shankar Nath, is killed by the henchmen of Rahim Rowther, who is Shankar Nath's rival in the business. Rowther wants to see the end of Shankar Nath and Sonar Kella. After some while Johnson's elder brother Abraham, who had earlier been in the army, comes to the city with the sole aim of finding out those who had killed his brother and to take revenge.
Abraham begins his mission by finding a way into the world of the gold mafia. He begins to work for Shankar Nath and his group. In the meantime, Lincoln George, who is a Circle Inspector, happens to clash with Abraham and both fight it out in the street. And when, towards the end of the fight, Lincoln stands aiming his gun at Abraham, someone else shoots Lincoln and wounds him. Abraham doesn't spare a moment and takes the wounded Lincoln to hospital and gets him admitted. The two thus become friends.
Abraham reveals to Lincoln the details of his mission, while Lincoln tells Abraham how his sister Nancy had turned a mental wreck after being cheated by someone with whom she was in love while studying in Bangalore. He says that person had always remained a mystery, and that he had not attempted to unravel that mystery because that would mean eliminating the culprit, getting himself behind bars, and leaving Nancy with no one to take care of her.
Nancy is now mentally in better shape and it is for her that Lincoln is living. Abraham goes ahead with his mission and Lincoln on the other hand is handed the job of fighting the gold mafia by the new District Collector Philip Mathew. What happens in consequence forms the rest of the plot.
Kalabhavan Mani portrays well his role as Abraham, while Rahman lends able support as Lincoln, both forming a perfect pair. Both the heroes act out their parts well, but their performance, especially in the stunt scenes, is targeted mainly at the youth and the so-called front-benchers, a class that is now hard to identify distinctly. The leading ladies Shwetha Menon and Neha Pendse don't have much to do, except to appear in song sequences and add to the oomph factor.
All the others in the cast are their usual selves with Salim Kumar as constable Marcose adding a bit of a comedy to the film. Anoop Menon, who appears as collector Philip Mathew is good. In the second half of the film, it is just the heroes and the baddies face to face and almost everyone, including the heroines just become insignificant.
Abraham and Lincoln is definitely not boring. Kalabhavan Mani's presence is there throughout the film and makes it worth watching. Mani's presence in the film is so overwhelming, one feels it wouldn't have made any difference whoever did Rahman's role. But isn't the actor repeating himself again and again in similar roles. (Maybe his forthcoming film Nanma would feature him in a different role).
The fist song-"Uduraajamukhi..." is lilting, but after seeing it you are left wondering if the models shown in the ramp are hired by Sonar Kella or by the Joy Alukkas Group, whose banners are displayed in profusion making the song a brilliant advertisement gimmick. Of the other songs "Kezhumekannaalle..." and "Indrasabha..." are good. "Thakkida tharikida ..." would just fizzle out in a few weeks time.
In total Abraham and Lincoln is a film that belongs to Kalabhavan Mani, the cinematographer, the editor, the art-director and the stunts people, who have all been assisted in profusion by the effects people, thus making the film loud and fast. And when, finally the film comes to a screeching halt, you are left wondering as to what it would have been without the technical gizmos and all. Nothing. Nothing at all!
Paranju Theeratha Visheshangal
Sukritham fame National Award winning director Harikumar was ready with Paranju Theeraatha Visheshangal for a long time, but the film remained unreleased due to unknown reasons, one of which could have been the fact that when the film was being made, Suresh Gopi's popularity was at a low ebb, and distributors hesitated to take the film for release. (The film was canned before Suresh Gopi began his second successful innings in cinema with Bharath Chandran IPS). After a wait of three years, the film has finally found its way to the theatres, but to a very lukewarm response.
Architect Rajeevan and bank employee Vijayalakshmi (Viji) had been married for four years before they went in for a divorce because their relationship became strained due to many reasons. The court ruled that their only daughter Animol should be in Viji's custody till she attains the age of 10. Rajeevan and Viji continue to be friends even after their legal divorce and Viji doesn't object to Rajeevan visiting his daughter, even at school in her absence. They talk over the phone frequently and their talk is not strained in any way.
In the meantime Viji's father Meledaththu Raghavan Nair and her brother Mohan try to persuade her to go in for a second marriage. Rajeevan's mother, his uncle and his colleague and well-wisher Samuel try to persuade him to go in for a second marriage too. And then Ashok, a widower, who is settled in the U.S, comes to Viji's house with a proposal to marry her, while Samuel persuades Anjana Menon, who works in the same firm as Rajeevan and Samuel to marry Rajeevan.
Viji calls Rajeevan and asks his opinion. Rajeevan tells her to go on with the marriage. He discusses with Viji about Anjana and she too approves of the match. In the meantime, when Viji learns that Ashok is not willing to take Animol with them to the U.S, she decides to back off. But later Ashok agrees to take the little girl too. What happens from then forms the plot of Paranjutheeraatha Visheshangal.
Suresh Gopi as Rajeevan and Lakshmi Gopalaswamy as Viji are good. Mannyah as Anjana too is OK. Jagathy Sreekumar delivers a commendable performance as Samuel, while P. Sreekumar as Rajeevan's uncle, Janardhanan as Viji's father, Irshad as Rajeevan's younger brother Sajeevan, Jayakrishnan as Viji's brother Mohan and Sukumari as Rajeevan's mother are their usual selves. Devan appears in a single scene as Ashok and doesn't have much to do.
The film, which is based on a short story named Bali Kaakkakal by E.V. Sreedharan, delves into relationships, but the overall mood of the film is rather glum and the pace is too slow to appeal to the average filmgoer.
The fact that the film moves towards a very predictable climax, and one that is handled in a very cliched manner is a major drawback. There is nothing new or outstanding in the film. The story is good, but that alone is not enough to win the audience over. There is something that the film vitally lacks. The dialogues don't carry any punch. Many scenes seem unconvincing and repetitive. The saving grace is that the story, which focuses on relationships, has universal significance.
Architect Rajeevan and bank employee Vijayalakshmi (Viji) had been married for four years before they went in for a divorce because their relationship became strained due to many reasons. The court ruled that their only daughter Animol should be in Viji's custody till she attains the age of 10. Rajeevan and Viji continue to be friends even after their legal divorce and Viji doesn't object to Rajeevan visiting his daughter, even at school in her absence. They talk over the phone frequently and their talk is not strained in any way.
In the meantime Viji's father Meledaththu Raghavan Nair and her brother Mohan try to persuade her to go in for a second marriage. Rajeevan's mother, his uncle and his colleague and well-wisher Samuel try to persuade him to go in for a second marriage too. And then Ashok, a widower, who is settled in the U.S, comes to Viji's house with a proposal to marry her, while Samuel persuades Anjana Menon, who works in the same firm as Rajeevan and Samuel to marry Rajeevan.
Viji calls Rajeevan and asks his opinion. Rajeevan tells her to go on with the marriage. He discusses with Viji about Anjana and she too approves of the match. In the meantime, when Viji learns that Ashok is not willing to take Animol with them to the U.S, she decides to back off. But later Ashok agrees to take the little girl too. What happens from then forms the plot of Paranjutheeraatha Visheshangal.
Suresh Gopi as Rajeevan and Lakshmi Gopalaswamy as Viji are good. Mannyah as Anjana too is OK. Jagathy Sreekumar delivers a commendable performance as Samuel, while P. Sreekumar as Rajeevan's uncle, Janardhanan as Viji's father, Irshad as Rajeevan's younger brother Sajeevan, Jayakrishnan as Viji's brother Mohan and Sukumari as Rajeevan's mother are their usual selves. Devan appears in a single scene as Ashok and doesn't have much to do.
The film, which is based on a short story named Bali Kaakkakal by E.V. Sreedharan, delves into relationships, but the overall mood of the film is rather glum and the pace is too slow to appeal to the average filmgoer.
The fact that the film moves towards a very predictable climax, and one that is handled in a very cliched manner is a major drawback. There is nothing new or outstanding in the film. The story is good, but that alone is not enough to win the audience over. There is something that the film vitally lacks. The dialogues don't carry any punch. Many scenes seem unconvincing and repetitive. The saving grace is that the story, which focuses on relationships, has universal significance.
Goal
Director Kamal has once again shown that he can handle any subject with ease. If you approach Goal with a cynical mind, you may tend to categorize the film as boring and say that there is nothing new in it at all. To a certain extend that's true. The film moves along very predictable lines, but the director has seen to it that it is presented in such a way that it keeps you glued to the seat till the end. Of course there are certain scenes that elicit a yawn and even some amount of booing. But still, the film is a good commercial venture.
The story of Goal is set against a boarding school in Ooty, the Good Shepherd International School, where it is mostly the children of the rich who come to study. Everything about the school is posh. Vijay is the football coach in this school. The star-striker of the school football team is Felix Joseph, who is a spoilt brat and a drug addict too. The only reason that no action is taken against him is that he is the star attraction of the school's football team.
Victory always eludes the Good Shepherd football team, especially when they are playing against the St. Xavier's Team. One day Felix and two of his friends are caught red-handed using drugs. The Principal Dr. Emmanuel George is forced to take action. The three are dismissed.
Sam, who is from a poor background, is a ground-boy at the stadium and also works as a helper in the canteen. His father Isaac, who had been an ace footballer, had left years back in search of his wife who had been forcefully taken by people sent by her parents. Before leaving he entrusts Sam to the care of a friend named John, with whose daughter Maria he grows up. Maria is now working in the school canteen.
Sam is very close to Vijay and hence he is a sore in the eye for Felix and his friends. The dismissed Felix joins St. Xavier's and is determined to humble Vijay in every way possible. Vijay gives his team the necessary inspiration and brings them face to face with the St. Xavier's team. But Felix's friends in the Good Shepherd School are hand in glove with him and do all that is possible to see that their own team is beaten. They succeed in this and thus Felix accomplishes what he had wanted to.
In the meantime Sam's father turns up, but is in a totally distracted state mentally. In order to help his father regain his memory, Sam takes the ball and goes to the football ground at night. Neethu, who is Vijay's niece, happens to pass by and shoots Sam's performance on video. Vijay is stunned on seeing Sam's performance. What happens consequent to that forms the plot of Goal.
Debutante Rejith Menon gives a good performance as Sam, while Rehman is good as Vijay. Mumbai-based Aksha as Neethu too is good, though she falters a bit in the emotionally-charged sequences. Muktha, who had earlier been noted in Achchanurangaatha Veedu plays the role of Maria fairly well. Mukesh as Isaac is OK while Salim Kumar as Kuriakose, one of the faculty members of the school is his very usual self. Captain Raju does well as the Principal.
The songs, penned by Gireesh Puthencherry and Vayalar Sharath Chandra Varma and set to tune by Vidyasagar are in sync with the theme and the mood of the film. Cinematography by P. Sukumar, editing by K. Rajagopal and art-direction by Suresh Kollam are the highlights of the film and help in maintaining and enhancing the mood and the tempo of the film.
The director, cinematographer and art-director have done all that is possible to make the film colourful, loud and lively so that it appeals to the young generation. Apart from some of the lagging scenes, the main drawback of the film is the storyline, which is an oft-repeated one moving along predictable lines. Still Kamal and team deserve to be appreciated for having come up with a colourful entertainer that jells well with the holiday mood.
The story of Goal is set against a boarding school in Ooty, the Good Shepherd International School, where it is mostly the children of the rich who come to study. Everything about the school is posh. Vijay is the football coach in this school. The star-striker of the school football team is Felix Joseph, who is a spoilt brat and a drug addict too. The only reason that no action is taken against him is that he is the star attraction of the school's football team.
Victory always eludes the Good Shepherd football team, especially when they are playing against the St. Xavier's Team. One day Felix and two of his friends are caught red-handed using drugs. The Principal Dr. Emmanuel George is forced to take action. The three are dismissed.
Sam, who is from a poor background, is a ground-boy at the stadium and also works as a helper in the canteen. His father Isaac, who had been an ace footballer, had left years back in search of his wife who had been forcefully taken by people sent by her parents. Before leaving he entrusts Sam to the care of a friend named John, with whose daughter Maria he grows up. Maria is now working in the school canteen.
Sam is very close to Vijay and hence he is a sore in the eye for Felix and his friends. The dismissed Felix joins St. Xavier's and is determined to humble Vijay in every way possible. Vijay gives his team the necessary inspiration and brings them face to face with the St. Xavier's team. But Felix's friends in the Good Shepherd School are hand in glove with him and do all that is possible to see that their own team is beaten. They succeed in this and thus Felix accomplishes what he had wanted to.
In the meantime Sam's father turns up, but is in a totally distracted state mentally. In order to help his father regain his memory, Sam takes the ball and goes to the football ground at night. Neethu, who is Vijay's niece, happens to pass by and shoots Sam's performance on video. Vijay is stunned on seeing Sam's performance. What happens consequent to that forms the plot of Goal.
Debutante Rejith Menon gives a good performance as Sam, while Rehman is good as Vijay. Mumbai-based Aksha as Neethu too is good, though she falters a bit in the emotionally-charged sequences. Muktha, who had earlier been noted in Achchanurangaatha Veedu plays the role of Maria fairly well. Mukesh as Isaac is OK while Salim Kumar as Kuriakose, one of the faculty members of the school is his very usual self. Captain Raju does well as the Principal.
The songs, penned by Gireesh Puthencherry and Vayalar Sharath Chandra Varma and set to tune by Vidyasagar are in sync with the theme and the mood of the film. Cinematography by P. Sukumar, editing by K. Rajagopal and art-direction by Suresh Kollam are the highlights of the film and help in maintaining and enhancing the mood and the tempo of the film.
The director, cinematographer and art-director have done all that is possible to make the film colourful, loud and lively so that it appeals to the young generation. Apart from some of the lagging scenes, the main drawback of the film is the storyline, which is an oft-repeated one moving along predictable lines. Still Kamal and team deserve to be appreciated for having come up with a colourful entertainer that jells well with the holiday mood.
Ekaandam
Ekaantham meaning "Solitude" is a sensitive portrayal of the loneliness felt in old age, aggravated by the feeling of not being wanted even by one's own children. The makers have roped in the services of two of the most brilliant actors of Malayalam cinema - Thilakan and Murali - to do the pivotal roles. The film also discusses human relationships in today's scenario, while speaking about love on a parallel track. Ekaantham is rather offbeat and slow-paced and hence would most likely not reach the masses.
The film begins with the aged Achutha Menon performing the last rites for his deceased wife Saraswathy. He had been a high government official, and had put in years of service in Delhi and even abroad. While scaling the professional ladder however, he had never cared to look back to his roots. After his wife's demise, Achutha Menon lives alone for a while, since the couple had had no children.
Tiring of his lonely life, he decides to go to his younger brother Ravunni, who lives in their native village. Achutha Menon travels all the way back home and back into his distant past. The brothers come together after a gap of many years. Ravunni too is a widower, but has a son Viswanathan and a daughter Chandrika, both of whom are settled in the city with their respective families. But both frequently visit Ravunni, since he is suffering from a severe ailment. In essence though, Ravunni too is all alone, but remains attached to his roots.
When the brothers come together, they cherish the memories of old times and are happy being together. In the meantime, Ravunni's health deteriorates and his son and daughter want him to shift to the city where better care can be given. At this juncture, Achutha Menon's friend Captain R.K. Nair suggests taking Ravunni to a place that provides holistic treatment, and Ravunni is shifter to 'Kaarunyam Pain and Palliative Care Centre'.
At the center we come across some other characters like Dr. Sunny, who is in charge of the centre, Dr. Sophie, who is working there and is deeply in love with Dr. Sunny, Velayudhan, who is a patient there and who goes on asking people to spare just ten minutes to talk with him etc. Achutha Menon too stays there with Ravunni, and their stay there happens to be a revelation especially to Achutha Menon, who sees a very different world of human relationships.
Thilakan plays Achutha Menon with his characteristic ease, while Murali gives able support as Ravunni. Salim Kumar as Velayudhan, who appears only in the second half, leaves a lasting impression on our minds. Manoj K. Jayan as Dr. Sunny and Meera Vasudev as Dr. Sophie are good, though not exceptionally so. Their characters have been worked out well and they could have performed better. Madhupal as Viswanathan, Bindu Panicker as Chandrika and T.S. Raju as Captain R.K. Nair don't have much to do.
M.J. Radhakrishnan's cinematography could be called one of the highlights of the film. Of the songs, "Kaiyeththum doore oru kuttikaalam..." rendered by Yesudas is superb, soulful and nostalgic. The script, penned by Alankode Leelakrishnan could have been a bit more polished and the director could have made the movement a bit faster. Over all however, the film is well-crafted, and the team behind Ekaantham deserves to be appreciated for having come up with a good movie.
The film begins with the aged Achutha Menon performing the last rites for his deceased wife Saraswathy. He had been a high government official, and had put in years of service in Delhi and even abroad. While scaling the professional ladder however, he had never cared to look back to his roots. After his wife's demise, Achutha Menon lives alone for a while, since the couple had had no children.
Tiring of his lonely life, he decides to go to his younger brother Ravunni, who lives in their native village. Achutha Menon travels all the way back home and back into his distant past. The brothers come together after a gap of many years. Ravunni too is a widower, but has a son Viswanathan and a daughter Chandrika, both of whom are settled in the city with their respective families. But both frequently visit Ravunni, since he is suffering from a severe ailment. In essence though, Ravunni too is all alone, but remains attached to his roots.
When the brothers come together, they cherish the memories of old times and are happy being together. In the meantime, Ravunni's health deteriorates and his son and daughter want him to shift to the city where better care can be given. At this juncture, Achutha Menon's friend Captain R.K. Nair suggests taking Ravunni to a place that provides holistic treatment, and Ravunni is shifter to 'Kaarunyam Pain and Palliative Care Centre'.
At the center we come across some other characters like Dr. Sunny, who is in charge of the centre, Dr. Sophie, who is working there and is deeply in love with Dr. Sunny, Velayudhan, who is a patient there and who goes on asking people to spare just ten minutes to talk with him etc. Achutha Menon too stays there with Ravunni, and their stay there happens to be a revelation especially to Achutha Menon, who sees a very different world of human relationships.
Thilakan plays Achutha Menon with his characteristic ease, while Murali gives able support as Ravunni. Salim Kumar as Velayudhan, who appears only in the second half, leaves a lasting impression on our minds. Manoj K. Jayan as Dr. Sunny and Meera Vasudev as Dr. Sophie are good, though not exceptionally so. Their characters have been worked out well and they could have performed better. Madhupal as Viswanathan, Bindu Panicker as Chandrika and T.S. Raju as Captain R.K. Nair don't have much to do.
M.J. Radhakrishnan's cinematography could be called one of the highlights of the film. Of the songs, "Kaiyeththum doore oru kuttikaalam..." rendered by Yesudas is superb, soulful and nostalgic. The script, penned by Alankode Leelakrishnan could have been a bit more polished and the director could have made the movement a bit faster. Over all however, the film is well-crafted, and the team behind Ekaantham deserves to be appreciated for having come up with a good movie.
Athisayan
The Vinayan-directed Athishayan is as an average film, but for kids who'd be looking for something entertaining this summer, Athishayan would be fine. It's a film that you would very likely enjoy if you cast yourself in the mindset of a kid.
Maya, a young television reporter works for New India Television. Radharamanan, the Managing Director of the channel has a fascination for Maya, who was brought up in an orphanage by Father Chanthakkadan. Maya herself takes up the responsibility of bringing up a few orphans, whom she has picked up from the streets. One of these kids is Devan, who is sort of a child prodigy, with a computer-like mind and very good in studies and extra-curricular activities.
R.C. Shekhar, a scientist, lives very near their house. He is working on a project, which could help in making human bodies invisible. On the very day that he successfully experiments his 'magic' potion on a rabbit, he is urgently called to the U.S as his daughter, who is studying there, meets with an accident.
Meanwhile Maya's friend and lover Roy, who too had been a journalist, is in jail after having been framed in a murder case by some influential politicians including the State Revenue Minister Divakaran, another minister Yunus Kunju, the Police Commissioner Shanmughan and the very influential Kuwait Nazar. With the help of the newly-appointed Collector Anita Williams, Maya shoots a video of these baddies accepting crores of rupees as commission from some Arab businessmen, who are here to sign some business deals with the State Government.
Maya immediately goes to Radharamanan and shows him the clip. Radharamanan is thrilled and agrees to telecast it, after discussing it with the Board of Directors. Somehow Nazar, Divakaran and others come to know of this and they go after Maya, in order to get from her the memory card containing the clipping. On the very same day that R.C.Shekhar goes to the U.S, Maya is abducted by Nazar and group. The kids are baffled. Anita Williams, Father Chanthakkadan and Radharamanan know who are behind this, but nothing can be done without sufficient evidence. And then Devan, who had seen R.C. Shekhar conducting the experiment on the rabbit, steals into Shekhar's lab and drinks the potion. He becomes invisible and sets out to save Maya. How he does it forms the rest of the plot.
Devadas, who had recently hogged the limelight with Jayaraj's Anandabhairavi, is good as Devan and would appeal to everyone, though he often behaves and even speaks like an adult. Kavya Madhavan as Maya has done justice to her role. Jackie Shroff, who makes his debut in Malayalam playing R.C. Shekhar, is a good choice. Thilakan as Father Chanthakkadan, Mukesh as Radharamanan, Devan as Kuwait Nazar, Rajan P. Dev as Divakaran, Ramu as Yunus Kunju, Bheeman Rehgu as Shanmughan, Jagadeesh as the news-reader Koshy, Harisri Ashokan as R.C. Shekhar's assistant Damodaran etc have done their respective roles well.
The cinematography, the music, the lyrics, the editing and the art-direction are all in tune with the theme. Athishayan relies heavily on special effects, without which the film is virtually nothing. So, if you really wish to go for Athishayan, expect nothing but kid's stuff gift-wrapped with an abundance of special effects.
Maya, a young television reporter works for New India Television. Radharamanan, the Managing Director of the channel has a fascination for Maya, who was brought up in an orphanage by Father Chanthakkadan. Maya herself takes up the responsibility of bringing up a few orphans, whom she has picked up from the streets. One of these kids is Devan, who is sort of a child prodigy, with a computer-like mind and very good in studies and extra-curricular activities.
R.C. Shekhar, a scientist, lives very near their house. He is working on a project, which could help in making human bodies invisible. On the very day that he successfully experiments his 'magic' potion on a rabbit, he is urgently called to the U.S as his daughter, who is studying there, meets with an accident.
Meanwhile Maya's friend and lover Roy, who too had been a journalist, is in jail after having been framed in a murder case by some influential politicians including the State Revenue Minister Divakaran, another minister Yunus Kunju, the Police Commissioner Shanmughan and the very influential Kuwait Nazar. With the help of the newly-appointed Collector Anita Williams, Maya shoots a video of these baddies accepting crores of rupees as commission from some Arab businessmen, who are here to sign some business deals with the State Government.
Maya immediately goes to Radharamanan and shows him the clip. Radharamanan is thrilled and agrees to telecast it, after discussing it with the Board of Directors. Somehow Nazar, Divakaran and others come to know of this and they go after Maya, in order to get from her the memory card containing the clipping. On the very same day that R.C.Shekhar goes to the U.S, Maya is abducted by Nazar and group. The kids are baffled. Anita Williams, Father Chanthakkadan and Radharamanan know who are behind this, but nothing can be done without sufficient evidence. And then Devan, who had seen R.C. Shekhar conducting the experiment on the rabbit, steals into Shekhar's lab and drinks the potion. He becomes invisible and sets out to save Maya. How he does it forms the rest of the plot.
Devadas, who had recently hogged the limelight with Jayaraj's Anandabhairavi, is good as Devan and would appeal to everyone, though he often behaves and even speaks like an adult. Kavya Madhavan as Maya has done justice to her role. Jackie Shroff, who makes his debut in Malayalam playing R.C. Shekhar, is a good choice. Thilakan as Father Chanthakkadan, Mukesh as Radharamanan, Devan as Kuwait Nazar, Rajan P. Dev as Divakaran, Ramu as Yunus Kunju, Bheeman Rehgu as Shanmughan, Jagadeesh as the news-reader Koshy, Harisri Ashokan as R.C. Shekhar's assistant Damodaran etc have done their respective roles well.
The cinematography, the music, the lyrics, the editing and the art-direction are all in tune with the theme. Athishayan relies heavily on special effects, without which the film is virtually nothing. So, if you really wish to go for Athishayan, expect nothing but kid's stuff gift-wrapped with an abundance of special effects.
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