Panthayakozhi, directed by M.A. Venuu and produced Lal, who has produced only hits till date, is a film that disappoints you on the whole. It seems hard to believe that a director who had earlier given us a film like Chakoram could come up with such insufferable stuff.
Panthayakozhi starts with a bang. We are taken fifteen years back in time to Kalimuththupalayam in Tamil Nadu. A person who refuses to submit to the wishes of goondas doing booth-rigging during an election gets his hand cut off by the villainous Nachiappan.
And then we are transported back to the present with Nandagopal and his three friends, who live in Palakkad district of Kerala, spending their time merrily, playing all kinds of silly pranks on people, singing, dancing etc. But Nandagopal has his own responsibilities and lives with his mother Madhavi and mute sister Maya at his uncle's house. Nandagopal's uncle Shankaran Nair and aunt Bhanumathi make him work hard and rebuke him for no reason.
In the meantime one Abdulla Rowther arrives from Kalimuththupalayam one day and hands over to Shankaran Nair the documents of a house and property that is in Kalimuththupalayam. After Abdulla Rowther departs, Shankaran Nair informs Nandagopal that he had bought for Nandagopal, Madhavi and Maya a house in Kalimuththupalayam in Tamil Nadu. He asks Nandagopal to go to the place and sell off the property so that the money can be used by them for acquiring a new house and to marry off Maya.
Nandan sets off and is joined there by Bhaskaran, who has reached there as per the request of Nandan and his friends. As Nandan and Bhaskaran step into the compound of the house, they meet Chembakam and her gang of kids who have been stealing things from the compound. Chembakam remarks that the house is haunted and Rajappan, who runs a tea-shop nearby, too endorses this opinion. Nandan and Bhaskaran find it difficult to sell the house, as Chembakam does everything possible to dissuade prospective buyers.
Nandan's friends meanwhile arrive and they all decide to bring Nandan's mother and sister to stay in the house. When Madhavi comes and stands before the house, she is shocked. For there is a story from the past that she remembers - one that Nandan doesn't know. In the days that follow, Nandan is destined to encounter some very tragic developments and also face the crooked, scheming and powerful Nachiappan.
There seems to be nothing new or refreshing about Panthayakozhi and it seems that it is a film that should have been made some ten or fifteen years back. Narein, who does the lead role, playing Nandagopal, cuts a poor figure and even falters in the scenes where he has to emote strongly. He falters in dialogue delivery too, which he does rather unconvincingly at many places. He does the last scene very convincingly though, indicating the arrival of a new action hero, but the makers should have remembered that it is not a single well-executed scene, but the totality of the film that matters.
Pooja as Chembakam is OK while Ramya Nambeeshan has not much to do as the mute Maya. Cochin Haneefa as Bhaskaran is his usual self. Same is the case with Janardhanan as Shankaran Nair, Geetha as Madhavi, Indrans as Rajappan and Manka Mahesh as Bhanumathi. Sudheesh, Sreejith Ravi and Anoop Chandran as Nandagopal's friends are OK. Lal is OK in the few scenes in which he appears as Nandagopal's late father Raghavan. Rami Reddy makes his debut in Malayalam as Nachiappan and the character that he plays is just like those umpteen ones he had played in many films in Hindi, Tamil etc. Veteran actor Madhu does a very impressive cameo as Abdulla Rowther.
The songs are good, especially the "Karimbanayude kaattile..." and "Sundariye chembakamalare..." numbers. Technical aspects are good. Cinematographer Venugopal has captured the beauty of the Palakkad landscape in the song sequences, but we have seen similar locations in many other films and hence it all seems boring. In total, Panthayakozhi has a subject that could have been made impressive if the script-writer and the director had worked a bit harder. As such the film has nothing new, nothing impressive and is simply boring stuff.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Vinodayatra
Satyan Anthikkad has done it again. With his latest film Vinodayaathra, this popular director of Malayalam movies proves once again that he can change with the times and still be what he is as far as the creativity is concerned. His films have undergone certain changes as is demanded by the changing times, but beneath the surface Satyan Anthikkad films still bear the stamp of his individuality and convey some strong messages to all classes of viewers, while staying within the parameters of commercial cinema. Vinodayaathra is another testimony to the director's versatility, while it remains to be seen how the film fares at the box office.
Shaji Raghavan is an Assistant Executive Engineer in the Irrigation Department and lives with his wife Vimala and younger sister Reshmi, who is a college student. Shaji is a man of principles and integrity and always does what he feels right. He is sincere to his profession too. And then one day Vimala tells him that her younger brother Vinod is coming to stay with them for an indefinite period. This is unwelcome news for Shaji as he is worried that Vinod and Reshmi may get intimate with each other and even fall in love, which he doesn't want to happen. He decides to stall Vinod's trip, but doesn't succeed in doing that. Vinod arrives and Shaji takes care to see to it that Vinod and Reshmi don't get intimate.
Shaji arranges a job for Vinod with retired IG John Mathew, who requires an assistant for penning an autobiography. Shaji does this to see that Vinod is engaged elsewhere and doesn't get time to spend with his sister. John Mathew treats Vinod like a servant and even makes him do domestic chores and run errands. In the meantime, Vinod happens to come across a young girl Anupama at a Railway Station. She appears to be in a drugged condition. He comes to her rescue, books her into a hotel, and leaves his number behind. But this lands him in very difficult situations.
Dileep is an actor with his own limitations. But under the direction of Satyan Anthikkad, he has performed convincingly as Vinod and deserves appreciation. Meera Jasmine as Anupama is superb. Mukesh as Shaji Raghavan is his usual self and makes the whole film live with his presence. Seetha as Vimala and Parvathy as Reshmi lend able support. Nedumudi Venu as John Mathew, Mamookoya as Shaji's driver Ananthan, Innocent as watchman Thankachchan, Sreelatha as Thankachchan's wife Shoshamma, Murali as Anupama's father Vijayan, Reshmi Nambiar as Anupama's sister Ambili, KPAC Lalitha as John Mathew's sister etc do their respective roles convincingly. The child actor Ganapathy in the role of Ganapathy, who has run away from the juvenile home, appeals very much.
The main highlight of the film is that the director is able to convey what he wants to convey in a simple and straight forward manner. Characterization too is a highlight as far as the movie is concerned. There may seem to be some exaggeration in the portrayal of the idealist Shaji Raghavan, but Mukesh who does the role performs rather convincingly, making the exaggeration less obvious.
Cinematography by S. Kumar is first-rate. The songs penned by Vayalar Sharath Chandra Varma and set to tune by Illayaraja have come out really well and have also been shot well. Vinodayaathra like any other Satyan Anthikkad film, stands out as it sensitively presents slices from real life through really down-to-earth characters.
Shaji Raghavan is an Assistant Executive Engineer in the Irrigation Department and lives with his wife Vimala and younger sister Reshmi, who is a college student. Shaji is a man of principles and integrity and always does what he feels right. He is sincere to his profession too. And then one day Vimala tells him that her younger brother Vinod is coming to stay with them for an indefinite period. This is unwelcome news for Shaji as he is worried that Vinod and Reshmi may get intimate with each other and even fall in love, which he doesn't want to happen. He decides to stall Vinod's trip, but doesn't succeed in doing that. Vinod arrives and Shaji takes care to see to it that Vinod and Reshmi don't get intimate.
Shaji arranges a job for Vinod with retired IG John Mathew, who requires an assistant for penning an autobiography. Shaji does this to see that Vinod is engaged elsewhere and doesn't get time to spend with his sister. John Mathew treats Vinod like a servant and even makes him do domestic chores and run errands. In the meantime, Vinod happens to come across a young girl Anupama at a Railway Station. She appears to be in a drugged condition. He comes to her rescue, books her into a hotel, and leaves his number behind. But this lands him in very difficult situations.
Dileep is an actor with his own limitations. But under the direction of Satyan Anthikkad, he has performed convincingly as Vinod and deserves appreciation. Meera Jasmine as Anupama is superb. Mukesh as Shaji Raghavan is his usual self and makes the whole film live with his presence. Seetha as Vimala and Parvathy as Reshmi lend able support. Nedumudi Venu as John Mathew, Mamookoya as Shaji's driver Ananthan, Innocent as watchman Thankachchan, Sreelatha as Thankachchan's wife Shoshamma, Murali as Anupama's father Vijayan, Reshmi Nambiar as Anupama's sister Ambili, KPAC Lalitha as John Mathew's sister etc do their respective roles convincingly. The child actor Ganapathy in the role of Ganapathy, who has run away from the juvenile home, appeals very much.
The main highlight of the film is that the director is able to convey what he wants to convey in a simple and straight forward manner. Characterization too is a highlight as far as the movie is concerned. There may seem to be some exaggeration in the portrayal of the idealist Shaji Raghavan, but Mukesh who does the role performs rather convincingly, making the exaggeration less obvious.
Cinematography by S. Kumar is first-rate. The songs penned by Vayalar Sharath Chandra Varma and set to tune by Illayaraja have come out really well and have also been shot well. Vinodayaathra like any other Satyan Anthikkad film, stands out as it sensitively presents slices from real life through really down-to-earth characters.
Big B
Amal Neerad, who is product of the SRFTI and a cinematographer groomed mainly, doing films by the Ram Gopal Verma factory, makes his directorial debut with the Malayalam film, Big B. While Big B is a very different film compared to any other Malayalam film and sparkles with technical brilliance, good acting, a well-written script etc, there are of course shortcomings too that mar the totality of the film in many ways.
Big B begins with the murder of Mary Teacher, who has been a messiah for orphans. Mary John Kurishinkal, lovingly called Mary Teacher and Teacher Amma by many, is murdered on the street at night by some professional murderers. A young boy accidentally shoots this on his handy cam.
Mary Teacher has been looking after lots of orphans, but she had brought up four such orphans as her own adopted sons. They are - Bilal, Eddie, Murugan and Bijo. While Eddie and Bijo live in Kochi itself, Murugan is a stunt-director in films and is always traveling. Bilal, the eldest, had left Kochi a couple of years back after being involved in a stabbing incident, following which Mary Teacher had refused to let him enter the house.
Bilal had landed up in Mumbai and had been working as a bodyguard. Murugan and Bilal rush to Kochi. Bilal is determined that those behind the murder should be traced out. Meanwhile the Police, led by Assistant Commissioner Balaji Shakthivel and assisted by C.I. George, too are probing the case. Bilal uses his own resources and begins his hunt, with assistance from Eddie, Murugan and Bijo. Eddie, who has a wife and children, is often reluctant and does not cooperate fully with the hunt for the murderers. Bilal, Murugan and Bijo however just move on, cracking professional criminals, using their links in the underworld, especially since Bilal had been a dreaded name earlier in the city. And their hunt takes them to some surprising revelations.
Mammootty is simply marvelous as Bilal, the central character and delivers a very controlled and spectacular performance. Nafisa Ali, who plays Mary Teacher, is impressive. Manoj K. Jayan as Eddie, Bala as Murugan and Sumit Naval as Bijo render able support. Tamil actor Pasupathi does the role of Balaji Shakthivel with élan, while Vijayaraghavan is his usual self as George. Hindi actor Sherveer Vakil as the villainous Sayippu Tony and debutante Ramesh as the crooked Mayor fit perfectly into their roles. Mamta as Rimi, who is Murugan's love, is good while Manasa as Gowri, the daughter of Dr. Venu, Mary Teacher's neighbour and well-wisher (played by Manianpilla Raju), has nothing much to do. Lena as Eddie's wife Celina is OK. Innocent provides some comedy in the couple of scenes in which he appears, playing the role of Rimi's father.
Technically Big B is no doubt a class apart from usual Malayalam movies. Excellent cinematography by Sameer Thahir and fast cuts by Editor Vivek Harshan deserve special mention. The background score, which perfectly suits the mood of the film, too deserves mention. Screenplay by Amal Neerad, based on story by Amal himself and dialogues penned by R.Unni have been handled well. Art-work by Joseph Nellickal and well-choreographed stunt scenes directed by Anal Arasu, are among the highlights of the film.
All this was of course expected from Big B, given the fact that Amal Neerad, who had earlier cranked the camera for the Malayalam film Black (directed by Ranjith and starring Mammootty in lead role), had been groomed under Ram Gopal Verma in films like James, Darna Zaroori Hai and Shiva. And Big B definitely has some kind of a RGV stamp upon it. The scene in which ACP Balaji Shakthivel is shot dead, which comes totally unexpectedly and abruptly, reminds one of the scene in which the Police Officer in RGV's Satya, played by Anupam Kher, is shot dead.
But the problem with the film is that though you remain engrossed in the film while you are in the theatre, you don't carry any of it with you once you leave the theatre. And the total pace of the film is rather slow, making most of the viewers impatient, especially in the post-interval section. Another factor that goes against the film is that Amal Neerad seems to be unable to forget that Mammootty is a superstar and hence he attempts to entice the star's die-hard fans, presenting him as someone who is invulnerable and who never gets a blow while he delivers blows after blows to the baddies. Yes, larger-than-life stunt sequences presented in a rather realistic format is one of the drawbacks of the film.
Amal Neerad should have separated the star from the actor because his attempt to entice Mammootty fans would definitely not really work as most of them wouldn't be able to enjoy seeing this well-made, techno-savvy movie, that could even prove a trendsetter of sorts. Anyhow, hats off to Amal Neerad and team for coming up with such a different Malayalam film.
Rating-3/5.
Big B begins with the murder of Mary Teacher, who has been a messiah for orphans. Mary John Kurishinkal, lovingly called Mary Teacher and Teacher Amma by many, is murdered on the street at night by some professional murderers. A young boy accidentally shoots this on his handy cam.
Mary Teacher has been looking after lots of orphans, but she had brought up four such orphans as her own adopted sons. They are - Bilal, Eddie, Murugan and Bijo. While Eddie and Bijo live in Kochi itself, Murugan is a stunt-director in films and is always traveling. Bilal, the eldest, had left Kochi a couple of years back after being involved in a stabbing incident, following which Mary Teacher had refused to let him enter the house.
Bilal had landed up in Mumbai and had been working as a bodyguard. Murugan and Bilal rush to Kochi. Bilal is determined that those behind the murder should be traced out. Meanwhile the Police, led by Assistant Commissioner Balaji Shakthivel and assisted by C.I. George, too are probing the case. Bilal uses his own resources and begins his hunt, with assistance from Eddie, Murugan and Bijo. Eddie, who has a wife and children, is often reluctant and does not cooperate fully with the hunt for the murderers. Bilal, Murugan and Bijo however just move on, cracking professional criminals, using their links in the underworld, especially since Bilal had been a dreaded name earlier in the city. And their hunt takes them to some surprising revelations.
Mammootty is simply marvelous as Bilal, the central character and delivers a very controlled and spectacular performance. Nafisa Ali, who plays Mary Teacher, is impressive. Manoj K. Jayan as Eddie, Bala as Murugan and Sumit Naval as Bijo render able support. Tamil actor Pasupathi does the role of Balaji Shakthivel with élan, while Vijayaraghavan is his usual self as George. Hindi actor Sherveer Vakil as the villainous Sayippu Tony and debutante Ramesh as the crooked Mayor fit perfectly into their roles. Mamta as Rimi, who is Murugan's love, is good while Manasa as Gowri, the daughter of Dr. Venu, Mary Teacher's neighbour and well-wisher (played by Manianpilla Raju), has nothing much to do. Lena as Eddie's wife Celina is OK. Innocent provides some comedy in the couple of scenes in which he appears, playing the role of Rimi's father.
Technically Big B is no doubt a class apart from usual Malayalam movies. Excellent cinematography by Sameer Thahir and fast cuts by Editor Vivek Harshan deserve special mention. The background score, which perfectly suits the mood of the film, too deserves mention. Screenplay by Amal Neerad, based on story by Amal himself and dialogues penned by R.Unni have been handled well. Art-work by Joseph Nellickal and well-choreographed stunt scenes directed by Anal Arasu, are among the highlights of the film.
All this was of course expected from Big B, given the fact that Amal Neerad, who had earlier cranked the camera for the Malayalam film Black (directed by Ranjith and starring Mammootty in lead role), had been groomed under Ram Gopal Verma in films like James, Darna Zaroori Hai and Shiva. And Big B definitely has some kind of a RGV stamp upon it. The scene in which ACP Balaji Shakthivel is shot dead, which comes totally unexpectedly and abruptly, reminds one of the scene in which the Police Officer in RGV's Satya, played by Anupam Kher, is shot dead.
But the problem with the film is that though you remain engrossed in the film while you are in the theatre, you don't carry any of it with you once you leave the theatre. And the total pace of the film is rather slow, making most of the viewers impatient, especially in the post-interval section. Another factor that goes against the film is that Amal Neerad seems to be unable to forget that Mammootty is a superstar and hence he attempts to entice the star's die-hard fans, presenting him as someone who is invulnerable and who never gets a blow while he delivers blows after blows to the baddies. Yes, larger-than-life stunt sequences presented in a rather realistic format is one of the drawbacks of the film.
Amal Neerad should have separated the star from the actor because his attempt to entice Mammootty fans would definitely not really work as most of them wouldn't be able to enjoy seeing this well-made, techno-savvy movie, that could even prove a trendsetter of sorts. Anyhow, hats off to Amal Neerad and team for coming up with such a different Malayalam film.
Rating-3/5.
Chotta Mumbai
Rajamanikyam fame Anwar Rasheed strikes once again and that too with a bang with his second directorial venture Chotta Mumbai starring Mohanlal. An out and out entertainer, it's a film that you would like to just sit back and enjoy, pushing all logical thinking to the background. Chotta Mumbai is a film that cashes in on Mohanlal's superstar image and its aim is merely to entertain and enthrall.
The film takes us on a sort of roller coaster ride through a street in Fort Kochi, where Vasco da Gama, the son of a wrestler named Michael, lives. Vasco and his gang of five - Chandrappan, Susheelan, Sainu, Basheer and cousin Tomichchan are small-time goondas. But they are not really bad characters.
Vasco is called by all as 'Thala' meaning 'head', since he is the head of the gang. Though Vasco's father Michael rebukes his son time and again, his heart is full of love for him and he dreams big for Vasco. In the meantime, a marriage broker comes with a proposal for Vasco, and the bride-to-be is Latha, an auto rickshaw driver, who turns out to be the daughter of 'Pambu' Chackochan, who has been a longtime friend of Michael.
Vasco likes Latha, but Latha pleads with him to tell her father that he does not like her, since she is planning to elope with her lover. But Chackochan doesn't let him even voice his opinion. Vasco decides to help Latha out, but things take such a turn that Latha comes back to Vasco.
In the meantime Vasco, Michael, Chandrappan and Latha traveling in Latha's auto rickshaw, come to clash with a gang that has been on the run after stabbing an honest Police Officer. Vasco and his father had been witnesses to the murder committed by Satheesan, the younger brother of Natesan, a Circle Inspector who is steeped in crime and currently under suspension. What all follows forms the rest of the plot.
Mohanlal's on-screen presence is the real highlight of the film and he carries the film forward on his shoulders, enacting the role of Vasco with his characteristic ease. Saikumar is good as Michael. Siddique as Chandrappan, Indrajith as Tomichchan and Jagathy Sreekumar as Basheer have done justice to their respective roles.
Manikuttan has improved doing the role of Sainu. Bijukuttan, who had hogged the limelight in Pothen Vava as the latest entry in the comedy section, repeats himself and brings the house down playing the role of Susheelan.
Rajan P. Dev as the always drunk Chackochan, performs his role in his characteristic style. Bhavana is good as Latha. Kalabhavan Mani as Natesan is a good choice as the villain, while Vinayakan gives good support as Satheesan. Vijayaraghavan is good as the Circle Inspector Mohandas, who gets killed at the hands of Satheesan. The others in the cast are also above average.
The main attraction of Chotta Mumbai is that director Anwar Rasheed has made the most of Mohanlal as a star, letting him unleash his potentials as a performer, casting him in a 'Munnabhai' kind of role. (This was exactly what he had done with Mammootty in Rajamanikyam). Anwar Rasheed and scenarist Benny P. Nayarambalam have built the story and created situations so as to make the whole thing loud, merry and colourful, and thus retain the interest of the viewers till the end.
Azhakappan's camerawork is in tune with the pace of the film. Editing by Don Max too adds to the tempo of the film. The songs are all fast ones and suit the total mood of the film. The remix version of the old-time song "Chettikulangara..." has come out well. Debutante music director Rahul Raj deserves a pat on the shoulder for having come up with music that suits the tempo of the film.
The makers of Chotta Mumbai deserve appreciation for having achieved what they obviously set out to do - making a full-length entertainer. The film has set the cash registers ringing.
The film takes us on a sort of roller coaster ride through a street in Fort Kochi, where Vasco da Gama, the son of a wrestler named Michael, lives. Vasco and his gang of five - Chandrappan, Susheelan, Sainu, Basheer and cousin Tomichchan are small-time goondas. But they are not really bad characters.
Vasco is called by all as 'Thala' meaning 'head', since he is the head of the gang. Though Vasco's father Michael rebukes his son time and again, his heart is full of love for him and he dreams big for Vasco. In the meantime, a marriage broker comes with a proposal for Vasco, and the bride-to-be is Latha, an auto rickshaw driver, who turns out to be the daughter of 'Pambu' Chackochan, who has been a longtime friend of Michael.
Vasco likes Latha, but Latha pleads with him to tell her father that he does not like her, since she is planning to elope with her lover. But Chackochan doesn't let him even voice his opinion. Vasco decides to help Latha out, but things take such a turn that Latha comes back to Vasco.
In the meantime Vasco, Michael, Chandrappan and Latha traveling in Latha's auto rickshaw, come to clash with a gang that has been on the run after stabbing an honest Police Officer. Vasco and his father had been witnesses to the murder committed by Satheesan, the younger brother of Natesan, a Circle Inspector who is steeped in crime and currently under suspension. What all follows forms the rest of the plot.
Mohanlal's on-screen presence is the real highlight of the film and he carries the film forward on his shoulders, enacting the role of Vasco with his characteristic ease. Saikumar is good as Michael. Siddique as Chandrappan, Indrajith as Tomichchan and Jagathy Sreekumar as Basheer have done justice to their respective roles.
Manikuttan has improved doing the role of Sainu. Bijukuttan, who had hogged the limelight in Pothen Vava as the latest entry in the comedy section, repeats himself and brings the house down playing the role of Susheelan.
Rajan P. Dev as the always drunk Chackochan, performs his role in his characteristic style. Bhavana is good as Latha. Kalabhavan Mani as Natesan is a good choice as the villain, while Vinayakan gives good support as Satheesan. Vijayaraghavan is good as the Circle Inspector Mohandas, who gets killed at the hands of Satheesan. The others in the cast are also above average.
The main attraction of Chotta Mumbai is that director Anwar Rasheed has made the most of Mohanlal as a star, letting him unleash his potentials as a performer, casting him in a 'Munnabhai' kind of role. (This was exactly what he had done with Mammootty in Rajamanikyam). Anwar Rasheed and scenarist Benny P. Nayarambalam have built the story and created situations so as to make the whole thing loud, merry and colourful, and thus retain the interest of the viewers till the end.
Azhakappan's camerawork is in tune with the pace of the film. Editing by Don Max too adds to the tempo of the film. The songs are all fast ones and suit the total mood of the film. The remix version of the old-time song "Chettikulangara..." has come out well. Debutante music director Rahul Raj deserves a pat on the shoulder for having come up with music that suits the tempo of the film.
The makers of Chotta Mumbai deserve appreciation for having achieved what they obviously set out to do - making a full-length entertainer. The film has set the cash registers ringing.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)