Tag Archives: Althaf Salim

Odum Kuthira Chaadum Kuthira

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Vampire Owl: So, the third movie of the Onam Holidays also need to be watched.

Vampire Bat: On another day, this would have been our first choice to watch.

Vampire Owl: Yes, with a team having Fahadh Faasil and Kalyani Priyadarshan.

Vampire Bat: There was so much scope with this overall cast.

Vampire Owl: This should have surely done more in the theatres.

Vampire Bat: Yes, there is some magical feeling here right from the title.

Vampire Owl: That itself is a sign that everyone might not like the movie.

Vampire Bat: Well, you cannot please everybody all the time.

Vampire Owl: But there will be some point when everyone is pleased.

Vampire Bat: Not for vampires; not for an eternity or two.

[Gets a kadai chicken puffs and three cups of Darjeeling tea].

What is the movie about? :: Aby Mathew (Fahadh Faasil) is a youngster who has been running a furniture company in Cochin. His brother Siby Mathew (Vinay Forrt) who lives in Bangalore is known only for taking loans and wasting money, while his father Mathew Thalachirayil (Lal) is known to be not normal due to his eccentric behaviour coming out at times. Mathew has been in a state of depression for the last ten years since the death of his wife, but the father and the son share a fine bond, like good friends. Siby rarely comes home unless he needs money from Mathew or Aby. Mathew hopes to reunite with his wife after most of his responsibilities to his children are done, and keeps a rope for suicide by hanging. One day, while at work, Aby meets a girl named Nidhi Sudhish (Kalyani Priyadarshan), and their first meeting is not really a happy one. Nidhi had just gone through a breakup, and even slaps Aby, but a series of events including her demanding a return slap, changes things between them.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Nidhi always talks about the dreams that she has, and even acts according to the same. Both Aby and Nidhi are not sure, but due to talks between Mathew and Nidhi’s father Sudhish Menon (Suresh Krishna), the date for wedding is quickly fixed. It is then that Nidhi has a dream and asks Aby to come to the wedding ceremony on a while horse, for which arrangements are quickly made, but the horse which gets irritated by the camera flash, throws Aby away, landing him in a coma, which makes Mathew leave his decision to commit suicide and take care of his son. Nidhi also waits for his comeback from coma, but days pass, and nothing happens. But one day, there is a twist, and Aby shows movement. Now, it is to be seen if he can get his lost love back when Nidhi’s family do not have anything to do with Aby again and wishes her to get married to someone else. Mathew will go to any extent to keep his son happy, and Aby still loves Nidhi, but is there a future for them again?

The defence of Odum Kuthira Chaadum Kuthira :: This movie is indeed the second best among the Malayalam film releases of the Onam season, which means that it deserves better at least in the OTT platform. The visuals are stunning, and there are moments which would stay just for the beauty of what is shown on the screen. There is a certain amount of cuteness which is there to be taken in relation with the romance of the leading pair. The dupatta song shows the same, and we keep feeling the need to watch the same again and again, once again showing us that romance only needs the sweetness and nothing more – it should be a revelation for some other industries which depends on getting intimate to show love, and some nepo kids of other industries can realize that they could do without doing absurd acting in the name of love and devastate other cultures. The movie will remain technically sound and it is one true good movie, and we will get that feeling because of the lighter mood and no real darkness present to give a bad feeling at any point. The emotions also work in a positive way, and performances strike gold.

The claws of flaw :: The reception that this movie received at the theatre might keep the OTT audience of this part of the world in doubt, as it struggled to score during the Onam season even with Fahadh Faasil and the possibility of connecting with all kinds of audience – this one was removed from the theatres rather too early. The movie’s loss of momentum happens in the second half, especially with the subplot involving another girl in an apartment, but the whole story could have actually done without detailing this particular tale that much, as the length of the movie is also increased due to the same. When trying too many things and as so many elements try to come together in a tale which has the absurd and extra amount of silliness, the crash is somewhat certain. The middle portion, due to the same reason does not hold into the second half. The narrative should have held together in a better way, as the coherence seems to leave the movie. Absurdism with some black humour was just enough, but this one just tries too much.

The performers of the soul :: Fahadh Faasil adds a lot of power to this movie, which does not work as much as director’s more appreciated Njandukalude Veettil Oridavela, and as he gets in to make it better, he starts off well, and maintains that strength. The energy that he displays here is a lot more than one usually sees on the screen. But the one who scores the most is Lal, as the father figure with his strange activities, and dialogues that evoke the most laughter. This is revealed early with his talks with his son and those dialogues about sportsman spirit, wedding of his son and of HD Tharakan are indeed hilarious. He breathes fresh humour into moments which would have otherwise been dull, and he also makes sure that the light tone of the movie never gets to a darker one – it is even revealed on the writing on the clothing chosen by the character. Kalyani Priyadarshan was so different in Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra, and here we see something similar to what we had seen in Bro Daddy – she is too good here and perfects the mannerisms of the character. Suresh Krishna and Vinay Forrt adds extra fun, while Revathi Pillai and Dhyan Sreenivasan manage their work in less important subplots fine.

How it finishes :: Unlike the director’s Njandukalude Naattil Oridavela, Odum Kuthira Chaadum Kuthira tries to do too many things at the same time. That debut movie of one of the best actresses who have been less recognized, Aishwarya Lekshmi, was a direct family entertainer with humour and messages at the right portions. That movie served so well that even those who did not appreciate it then are not doing the same in a much better way. It is also one of those movies which are watched on any day or event associated with cancer as a disease, implying the need for survival. This movie is surely not going in that direction, and it will not be something that we will remember for too long with its content, except for certain moments of humour which are definitely there to stay. The movie surely had a lot of potential on paper with its actors, humour and theme which could have been more meaningful even in the absurd. For now, it is still an interesting movie with a divergence, and has the emotional as well as humour running through it – the film surely deserved a better reception in the theatres.

Release date: 29th August 2025
Running time: 151 minutes
Directed by: Althaf Salim
Starring: Fahadh Faasil, Kalyani Priyadarshan, Revathi Pillai, Vinay Forrt, Dhyan Sreenivasan, Idavela Babu, Niranjana Anoop, Lal, Vinay Forrt, Lakshmi Gopalaswamy, Anuraj O B, Noby Marcose, Vineeth Vasudevan, Suresh Krishna, Vineeth Thattil David, Gopu Kesav, Stephen Samuel, Sreekanth Vettiyar, Athira Niranjana, Varsha Ramesh, Riyas Narmakala, Renjini George, Sreeja Ajith

<<< Click here to go to the previous review.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Premalu

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Vampire Owl: We were never really planning to watch this one.

Vampire Bat: We are way past romantic comedy right now.

Vampire Owl: Well, who falls in love during these days of chaos?

Vampire Bat: There are always people who falls in love.

Vampire Owl: It is a human thing, I guess.

Vampire Bat: Yes, just like violence, hatred and hostility.

Vampire Owl: Humans are trying to hide their true nature with this?

Vampire Bat: They will have to show their terrifying true faces at some point.

Vampire Owl: We will enjoy this veneer applied on them for now.

Vampire Bat: Their world, their movies, their valentines.

[Gets a Kolkata Kathi Roll and three cups of Darjeeling Tea].

What is the movie about? :: Sachin (Naslen K Gafoor) is a jobless young man who managed to get his degree from a random college where he had fallen in love with a girl whom he know, but that thought itself never made any sense as the girl hardly even knew him. He gets back home and finds that his visa to the United Kingdom is rejected. He meets his old friend Amal (Sangeeth Prathap) after a long time, and decides to go with him to Hyderabad and attend GATE coaching, even though he has no clue about what he is doing. They are invited to the wedding ceremony of their teacher Shobi (Althaf Salim), scheduled to take place in Andhra Pradesh. At the function, he falls in love with Reenu (Mamitha Baiju) who had recently joined an IT firm in Hyderabad and was there with her colleagues. Their first meeting is not that great to talk about, and fails to create an impression as he almost kills her colleague and admirer Aadhi (Shyam Mohan M) and Reenu’s best friend Karthika (Akhila Bhargavan) feels that they have other motives.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: As Reenu and Karthika has no way to return to Hyderabad after the function, they choose to go back with Sachin and Amal. Aadhi who has been in love with Reenu since they first met, does not agree to the same. The journey makes them good friends and Sachin wishes to make sure that Reenu falls in love with him. At the same time, Karthika feels that Amal has fallen in love with her, which should be the reason why they keep contacting the two girls. Sachin and Amal invite Reenu and Karthika to a pub to attend a part for couples, but in the absence of a partner for their flat mate Niharika (Meenakshi Raveendran), they decline the offer. But this brings them to Thomas (Mathew Thomas), a science-addict who is paired with Niharika. The visit to the pub is messed up as they realize that nothing good is going to come out of all of these. But Sachin is still infatuated with Reenu, but is there any way for him to make love happen, and what can Amal do about all these?

The defence of Premalu :: The simple fun movie mode is turned on with this movie from the beginning to the end. The happy and light mood keeps making things better. The funny counters are really good, and might be repeated in the comedy shows for the new generation, as we see this as the first full comedy of the year. The movie becomes the reminder that there can be jokes which are suitable for everyone, even though sometimes it seems to show small tendencies to deviate to the other side. Friendship and romance, even when not new, feels refreshing, as the attempt to keep this interesting with moments can be seen. The stars have also been doing some great job in promoting the movie – saw them from a distance at Puthettu Cinemas, Palai last week, and that seemed to be a cheerful group of Mamitha Baiju, Sangeeth Prathap and Meenakshi Raveendran. The happy nature seems to be reflected in the film very well. We do have this movie showing the naïve nature of the youth that works pretty well.

The claws of flaw :: There is almost nothing to be taken seriously in regards to Premalu, as we see the characters go through the simple problems touched with humour. In the attempt to remain funny at all times, we see that trivial matters gain importance over everything else. This means that the amount of silliness that comes in between might be too high, but that kind of a feeling would be suitable more for films like Kunjiramayanam that could thrive on the foolishness of the characters from the beginning to the end, typecasting them. The movie is also a little too long for one’s liking, as there is not that much of a content to continue to ponder over. There is too much of a repetition for people who are less interested in the genre. The idea of having a foolish hero getting to marry a smart and intelligent heroine remains ridiculous; the happy ending seems forced, and these people separating forever would have been the right choice here. The weakness of second half is clearly seen in this movie, as the film seems to be confused where to stop.

The performers of the soul :: Naslen K Gafoor has been the boy next door for quite a long time, proving his point multiple times often considered in combination with Mathew Thomas of Kumbalangi Nights fame. The two made a fine combo in Thanneer Mathan Dinangal as well as Jo and Jo. He shines with the shades of comedy, even though there is some overdose. Naslen has gone further, as it was earlier somewhat shown in Kuruthi while Mathew also has a cameo role here which raises the interest of viewers. Mamitha Baiju has been a favourite among the youth more than ever in the recent years, starting with Sarvopari Palakkaran followed by Varathan a long time ago, but getting the big roles in Operation Java and Kho Kho. She has once again proven the point that she is perfectly suitable to this kind of roles. Meenakshi Raveendran is a joy to see again after that feel-good of Tholvi F C, but has too less to do. Sangeeth Prathap provides very good support here with shades of humour all over. Akhila Bhargavan is a lovely addition and Shyam Mohan with some memorable comic dialogues also add to the interesting young cast who make the impact here.

How it finishes :: Premalu is that kind of a romantic comedy which focuses on the humorous side so well that it remains entertaining throughout its run, and provides nothing more with content. The movie has found that kind of a cast that works like a dream. It becomes an enjoyable journey for families including children and youth, but not that much for people who are looking for some serious content. If we look at the same as we have intended it to be, there would be a smooth run here, and one can be left happy in the end, while going through laughs in between, without brains. It could be the bliss of solitude in parts, as there is no attempt to get into a darker mood even when things seem to go down for the protagonist. The success of the movie is a reminder that we have not lost that touch in enjoying the movies with no serious content, even though thrillers have remained the big scorers at the box office, with the last two being Abraham Ozler and Neru. Well, we still know that there are more big releases coming up and Premalu has to fight hard to maintain its good spot at he box-office.

Release date: 9th February 2024
Running time: 156 minutes
Directed by: Girish A D
Starring: Naslen K Gafoor, Mamitha Baiju, Sangeeth Prathap, Shyam Mohan M, Akhila Bhargavan, Meenakshi Raveendran, Althaf Salim, Shameer Khan, Ranjith Narayan Kurup, AR Rajaganesh, K S Prasad, Mathew Thomas (cameo)

<<< Click here to go to the previous review.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Tholvi F C

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Vampire Owl: I would like to sponsor this football club.

Vampire Bat: We are not allowed to sponsor clubs of humans.

Vampire Owl: But I have the money, like human cash.

Vampire Bat: It has never been about the money.

Vampire Owl: Well, for humans, it has always been about the money.

Vampire Bat: Uncle Dracula has never talked about money.

Vampire Owl: This is about survival in an evil human world.

Vampire Bat: You can try sponsoring any drink some vampire business instead.

Vampire Owl: We shouldn’t do business, for we lose money.

Vampire Bat: Well, we live in a vampire welfare society. There is no need of too much cash.

[Gets a chicken pizza and three cups of Bagdogra tea].

What is the movie about? :: Oommen (Sharaf U Dheen) is an engineer who quit his job in IT industry at Bangalore to start his own business in the form of a grand tea shop known as Chai Nation Private Limited, which he established close to an It park. But the venture is not successful, and his plans to expand the business gets nowhere. His father Kuruvila (Johny Antony) is only interested in making profit by investing in cryptocurrency, and he miserably fails in doing the same like he had earlier did with share market. Thambi (George Kora), Oommen’s brother is running a football club for children known as Thambi FC, based out of Kadavanthra. But the team has always been losing matches, especially to their newfound nemesis Bolgatty FC. Shoshamma (Asha Madathil Sreekanth) is not happy about her jobless husband Kuruvilla or the two sons who are also of no use. During one of the games, he gets to meet Mariyam (Meenakshi Raveendran), who is very much interested in football, and has returned to her sister Shahana (Anju Abraham) and brother-in-law Feroz (Abraham Joseph) who forms a typical orthodox family. She had only recently divorced her husband at Qatar, which has led to her living a lonely life.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: The struggles of Oommen, Thambi and Kuruvilla comes together with the failed attempts of Shoshamma to get her book published while going through her life as a librarian. Her psychological thriller keeps getting rejected by different publishers. Oomen is in love with Sharmin (Poonam Gurung) from Tibet who used to work with him, while Thambi and Mariyam gets closer to each other as much as they go keep the passion for football. Oomen’s attempts to impress a potential sponsor Althaf (Althaf Salim) fails miserably, while Thambi F C losses its players after a fight which breaks out after a match. Both Thambi F C and Chai Nation continues to be in trouble as the latter forms the main sponsor for the team. Kuruvilla is forced to get out of home as he losses more of the money earned by Shoshamma. Oomen’s relationship with Sharmin also gets into trouble. The family struggles to keep things going, as life gets more and more difficult for them to remain normal. Can they finally go past the struggles and get what each of them wishes to achieve in their lives?

The defence of Tholvi F C :: We have always looked for some fine family movies which we can relate to, and finish the movie with some happiness that can be kept with us for long. The message about gaining success in life is asserted strongly again and again. We are never short of the need to have some inspirational movies as long as they do not overdo their ideas with impossible or useless ideas which lead us to trouble. This movie knows where it stands in relation to that, and even though the investment and innovation mode might feel extra, the overall thing remains interesting and connectible to all of us. There are only a few feel-good movies with family and children that have managed to make a good impression on me, and this is surely one of them. Unlike some other overrated families in Malayalam movies, this is surely one family that we can love better than other. The comic side is very good, and they also feel realistic and close to our lives, sometimes reminding us of the pathetic state of affairs all around us, serving as satire too. Some of the dialogues are nicely written to stay in our minds and situations are created in the same way too. The significance of tea is also asserted so well, and a dream come true for all tea lovers to see the drink taking centre stage at times.

The claws of flaw :: There are moments when Tholvi F C tries to force some feel-good factor when the chance was not really there. The elements of football could have been taken in a better way. Some parts of the movie seem to be added just for the sake of having them there, even though no movie needs to focus on giving equality and liberty ideas all the time. There are moments when quick solution achieved despite going deeper, as humour takes over fast enough to overtake the tension. The problems of motherly figure also get a little too less attention here, as the character was the one who could have had much more to display here. The scattering of the elements of the movie is surely uneven, as it struggles to combine them at times. Sometimes, the movie does try too hard all of a sudden, but then we also realize that it is moving towards that aim of being full feel-good, to which tireless striving and the requirement not to yield is to be asserted, and we also let it go and move along. Still, a better title would have inspired more people to watch this one for sure.

The performers of the soul :: The main role of the movie is handled well by Sharaf U Dheen, who had already done a similar job well with Madhura Manohara Moham, providing the image of the family man who is not that successful in life. In this case, the bigger struggle belongs to him rather than the others around him, even though the problems belong to all of them. Johny Antony plays the father figure with his own long-lasting troubles well, as his transformation to the hardworking man is well-portrayed and combination scenes with Asha Madathil Sreekanth work really well. George Kora, the director plays the other character that undergoes transformation from the irresponsible to the better man with the touch of humour that keeps the movie getting better as it progresses. What strikes us more is Meenakshi Raveendran in a serious role which never ceases to be impressive. From Naayika Nayikan days and the later Udan Panam days with Dain Davis, we knew that she was a talent to be remembered, and she re-iterates the same even though she has not been provided which that many roles in the industry. The emotional side is as much safe with her as the humour. Althaf Salim and Anuraj O B nicely adds to the overall humour with some fine funny moments, and the child actors are really good here.

How it finishes :: Tholvi F C never really moves away from its feel-good factor, and the possibilities that it can achieve with simple family humour. This is one movie which is powered by its female lead more than any other even though it is not that much marketed in the same way, as Meenakshi Raveendran keeps scoring so well with multiple sides of life. There is no doubt about the fact that the movie could have been better with the progression of a tale which intends to be inspiring, but the purpose is nicely served in the end. For a new year, we should be looking for movies which would motivate us to do better, and this movie in Amazon Prime Video now, does the same with effectiveness. This drama about dysfunctional families never gets out of the light mood, even though some dark shades and a feeling of real danger comes in the end. We have some beginning to 2024 through the OTT platform, and we can only hope that the same can be there in the theatres too, as we wish another fine year for Malayalam movie industry which brings more collections and even more viewers than last year with bigger getting ready for release.

Release date: 4th January 2024 (Amazon Prime Video); 3rd November 2023 (Theatre)
Running time: 120 minutes
Directed by: George Kora
Starring: Sharaf U Dheen, Johny Antony, Meenakshi Raveendran, George Kora, Asha Madathil Sreekanth, Althaf Salim, Rahul Riji Nair, Poonam Gurung, Anuraj OB, Ashlee Issac Abraham, Joemon Jyothir, Amith Mohan Rajeshwari, Srikanth Mohan, Abraham Joseph, Anju Abraham, Ayden Abraham

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Madhura Manohara Moham

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Vampire Owl: It is too early to go back to the feel-good factor.

Vampire Bat: Well, there was also feel-good in slasher mode.

Vampire Owl: Yes, considering the number of dead humans, it feels good.

Vampire Bat: We do know that the dead in these situations deserve their killers.

Vampire Owl: We would have had to ask someone like Thanos otherwise.

Vampire Bat: Human existence has threatened everyone too much.

Vampire Owl: Do we need to call for alien support?

Vampire Bat: Let us wait and see if there will be self-destruction.

Vampire Owl: We cannot depend on humans for anything.

Vampire Bat: Yes, I know the trust issues with them.

[Gets a paneer masala dosa and three cups of Assam tea].

What is the movie about? :: Manu Mohan (Sharaf U Dheen) lives a happy but boring life after getting a government job post the demise of his father. His interest in the job is minimal, and is not able to do work well enough. He has his life based on the usual journey in bus to the office, and is in love with Salabha Kurup (Aarsha Chandini Baiju). His family includes his mother Ushamma Mohan (Bindu Panicker) and his younger sisters Meera Mohan (Rajisha Vijayan) and Malavika Mohan (Meenakshi Warrier). While Meera is studying Final Year B.Com at the nearby college along with taking commerce tuitions at home, Malavika has only recently joined the college. Salabha also studies at the same college for another course, but they are not really fond of each other. His best friends are his senior at the government office Jose (Biju Sopanam) and a neighbour Ambadi Nair (Althaf Salim), who supports him in all his endeavours. Manu remains a much-loved young man in the village, and Meera has even a better opinion spread about her in the local area.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: As the love affair between Manu and Salabha is discovered by Indrasena Kurup (Vijayaraghavan), there is no real problem, as they belong to the same caste, community and religion, with not much gap in their economic and social status. But they soon figure out that Meera’s case is rather different. She is also in love, but it is complicated, and finding a solution to her problem would require them to think more divergently than ever. At the same time, there is the alliance of an eligible bachelor Jeevan Raj (Saiju Kurup) which they also don’t want to reject at any cost. Then comes another surprising alliance proposal, and more about Meera’s complicated life is revealed. Even with the best of support, this seems to be a complicated problem of love and matrimonial alliances, with all of them being very proud of their caste and community identities, always attempting to keep a respectful position in the area. Can some involve in all of these and solve the problem before time runs out?

The defence of Madhura Manohara Moham :: The movie maintains a funny and interesting vibrance throughout its run. There is no dull moment and the film uses the simplest of incidents in the movie to evoke laughter as well as thoughts. Life in a simple village in Pathanamthitta has been nicely portrayed, with all its sweetness as well as weirdness in comparison to the modern world. It has its messages to be added, and leaves us with the realization that there will always be borders, and even individually, people have their walls to keep others out effectively. We will always have people who look suspiciously at others when matrimonial alliances are concerned, there will always be those self-proclaimed high families who will do anything to keep their level of pride higher. All of these are shown in a creatively humorous manner that keeps the whole thing thoroughly enjoyable. The visuals of the greenery also serve the purpose. The movie also comes to the end really well, and the feel-good factor is successfully maintained without troubles.

The claws of flaw :: The movie does not go through all the possibilities of the main female character whose actions define the further proceedings of the film. Her moments in the college and surroundings could have also provided some good situations in the movie. The situations which brought us to that ending of the movie is never given that much of a significance, as we are presented with the make-believe situation rather too quickly. The repetition is present as one would expect, and it never rises above the limitations which it gains in between due to the requirement to come up with a feel-good ending rather than the more possible one. The plot could have been arranged better in reaching the same. There is the feeling of having some forced moments in between too. The music is not that interesting, as the songs do not catch our attention much – it should have done that because this works on making people feel good, or maybe better. The movie depends on some dialogues to keep it going rather than working on some overall stuff.

The performers of the soul :: Sharaf U Dheen plays the character of the simple man from village with ease, and he makes a likable character at all times. He displays the helplessness and hope of everyman with things to be done in life, as realistic as possible. Among the performers, it is Rajisha Vijayan who stands out, as she shifts gears for her character at regular intervals. The Kerala State Award Winner for Best Actress with Anuraga Karikkin Vellam had some great time here too, and as someone who is capable of carrying the film all by herself like she did in Keedam, June, Finals and Kho-Kho, the actress maintains a lot of subtle energy here. Bindu Panicker’s mother figure is also someone whom we will remember for a very long time, as does Vijayaraghavan in the role of protagonist’s future father-in-law. Aarsha Chandini Baiju has a really cute performance in store here too. Biju Sopanam and Althaf Salim with the support feels very much suitable for the situation. Saiju Kurup’s extra addition of humour is also something to be appreciated. Sunil Sukhada has another interesting role to which he is no stranger.

How it finishes :: Madhura Manohara Moham is the kind of movie which has its interesting twists, and having a family feel-good movie doing these well can be considered as a nice journey. It serves as a reminder that people are not what we expect, and there is more to them than what meets the eye – for the same, there are only a few exceptions. It also reminds us that the divisions remain part of a social construct which remains the same, and despite the deviations, a complete change is not possible. It also reminds the viewers that all the romance that has been shown in the movies in the past is expendable, and there can be suitable replacements to all of them. In the new world, there is no scope for romantic love in the old style – we have gone a long way from there, and it is time for us to realize that the true realistic genres resemble horror. A movie like Forensic, Anjaam Paathira, Paappan, Twenty One Grams, Heaven or John Luther would be better truths than those dumb romantic movies which keep coming in Bollywood again and again.

Release date: 22nd August 2023 (Highrich); 16th June 2023 (Theatre)
Running time: 117 minutes
Directed by: Stephy Zaviour
Starring: Sharaf U Dheen, Rajisha Vijayan, Bindu Panicker, Aarsha Chandini Baiju, Vijayaraghavan, Biju Sopanam, Saiju Kurup, Niranj Maniyanpilla Raju, Sunil Sukhada, Neena Kurup, Althaf Salim, Meenakshi Warrier as Malu Mohan Aravind SK, Sanju Madhu, Jai Vishnu, Sooraj Nair, Shine Tom Chacko

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Makal

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Vampire Owl: I feel that this refers to the daughters of darkness.

Vampire Bat: Uncle Dracula refers to to the children of darkness, but they are different.

Vampire Owl: I am sure that darkness can have many undead children.

Vampire Bat: Yet, most of them are also the children of chaos.

Vampire Owl: You just cannot have such children roaming around.

Vampire Bat: The witches would not mind that.

Vampire Owl: They wouldn’t, while looking for some special ingredients for potions.

Vampire Bat: It has somewhat gone out of fashion, especially after the hunters started targeting the lesser witches of the woods.

Vampire Owl: The witches will still maintain most of their features.

Vampire Bat: The future of witches is yet to be finalized.

[Gets a vancho cake and three cups of ginger tea].

What is the movie about? :: Juliet (Meera Jasmine) lives with her daughter Aparna (Devika Sanjay) who is studying in plus two, and preparing for medical entrance. Aparna’s father Nandakumar (Jayaram) had been working as a mechanic in the Middle East for a long time, and finally returns to Kerala after losing his job. As Nandakumar and Juliet comes from different religious, social and economic backgrounds, there is more complication here. He starts a food processing unit with the name Pravasi Food Products which gains some initial success. But it seems that the products need more publicity, as sales in the supermarkets stay at an all-time low, and he is forced to find some other methods for support. Meanwhile, Rohit (Naslen K Gafoor) keeps trying to get closer to Aparna. He even becomes a part of Nandakumar’s factory in the disguise of a migrant worker from West Bengal. He keeps trying to make an impression upon Nandakumar until finally getting caught. Nandakumar and Aparna go through regular arguments related to her dog being inside the house, the problem reaching its highest point when the dog goes missing.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: When Juliet finally gets a government job in Wayanad, things get more complicated. There is the generation gap which is always present, and misunderstandings also exist. Aparna driving the car without a license becomes another common reason for fights. Even Nandakumar doesn’t have an Indian license, and he doesn’t like the car as it was given by Juliet’s family. He also feels tha Aparna is getting too close to her male friends. Meanwhile, Juliet arranges her stay with her co-worker Fathima (Dayyana Hameed), and is not able to take off on weekends to go home and meet her husband and daughter. Premlal (Kottayam Ramesh), the superior officer at the collectorate where she works is not ready to provide any relief to the employees. It is then that something strange happens in their life, as an unknown person also becomes part of their life – coming from Karnataka, Garuda Naik (Balaji Manohar) is a man of mystery. This would change their perspective about father-daughter relationship. But will that come a little too late for their liking?

The defence of Makal :: This family drama moves forward with a touch of humour, which seems to work very well with the audience for whom it is intended. The messages for the families related to parenting and family attachment are always there, as one would expect from this kind of a movie. Most of the struggles shown here feels very much real, and the problems with a new generation of teenagers are portrayed close to reality. It shows how difficult it is to take care of the new generation of such teenagers who rarely listen to their parents, despite seemingly staying with them and using their money for what seems to be forever. As this kind of movies are not easy to find among the categories these days, it is good to see this one coming back too. The emotional sequences are mostly working, and the credit to the same goes to a certain amount of nostalgia that goes towards the past. These are the kind of movies which takes us into the past, and places that world in the contemporary world, and we remember the values which are rarely present during these days when there is a new generation descending into chaos – it can be lamented, while the feel-good factor of this film is strong.

The claws of flaw :: There are many unnecessary sequences in the movie which makes one feel that they lose the focus on regular intervals. With better focus, some of the dialogues and situations wouldn’t have found light in relation to this particular movie, which had the potential for much more. The feeling of being outdated is also there at times. The major twist which happens in the movie is indeed the strangest addition which feels rather unwanted, and a movie which was going the realistic path seems to struggle in finding some realism from that moment. Before the incident, there were also the repetitions which never hesitate to appear out of nowhere. One would feel that some characters should have had more purpose around here. Some moments just gets added to bring more humour in here. Even the main characters seem to be irritating at times, but considering how the real-life people go about, blaming them for being so feels rather difficult. The small romantic angle added here seems to serve nothing other than some humour and a little bit more of emotions, even though all of these were already there.

The performers of the soul :: Jayaram has been having some skill in maintaining this kind of family-oriented films, and that quality is still here, even though the world has changed a little too much from those early times. The fatherly figure has suited him very well for some time now. Meera Jasmine makes her return to Malayalam cinema industry as a grand one, as she is the leading lady again, maybe marking a permanent stay around here. Devika Sanjay who was earlier seen in Njan Prakashan is the one person whom we notice more than anyone else, as she once again scores in playing the teenager with the usual problems which are reflective of the new generation. Naslen K Gafoor of Thanneer Mathan Dinangal and Kuruthi kind of variety and most recently seen in Jo and Jo, has much less to do, but still adds to the humour really well – still, this is a character with minimal impact on the tale. Sreenivasan makes a notable, but less influential appearance here too. Innocent and Siddique remain strong as the veterans. The smaller roles of Nilja K Baby and Dayyana Hameed would also be remembered, and the two are surely going to make it big sooner or later.

How it finishes :: It is clear that the audience intended for this particular movie are the groups which come to the theatre as families. For the other audience, this would seem like something which they have already seen. The movie released on the OTT platform much later than the other, and it comes as a surprise as it could have easily grabbed more viewers with an earlier release. It is late by at least two months, and such a delay would have been heart-breaking for the fans of Meera Jasmine waiting to see her return. We have known what Sathyan Anthikad movies have been capable of, and not much change has come across them. We can still feel the absence of some common names which were part of the cast in his most films, some of them not alive anymore and others not being there for some reason. Well, the 1980s and 1990s were the classic ages of the director, and it is clear that he still have the power of the same family values to be brought to the audience. One can accept them or choose to reject, but these works which has the minimum guarantee are not to be avoided. Most of our parents would always prefer to watch movies like this one.

Release date: 18th August 2022 (Manorama MAX); 29th April 2022 (Theatre)
Running time: 142 minutes
Directed by: Sathyan Anthikad
Starring: Jayaram, Meera Jasmine, Siddique, Sreenivasan, Innocent, Devika Sanjay, Dayyana Hameed, Naslen K Gafoor, Meera Nair, Sreedhanya, Balaji Manohar, Jayashankar Karimuttam, Nilja K Baby, Althaf Salim, Sreelatha Namboothiri, Kottayam Ramesh, Krishna Praba, Mani Shornur, Salim Hasan

<<< Click here to go to the previous film review.

<<< Click here to go to the previous drama film review.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Operation Java

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What is the movie about? :: Anthony George (Balu Varghese) and Vinaya Dasan (Lukman) are two unemployed youth who have finished Engineering. Things are not easy for them, as finding a job had become more difficult than ever, and they have been trying for a job for such a long time, with neighbours and relatives ridiculing their situation. They manage to change things around as they provide a new perspective to a film piracy case cyber cell office providing a new perspective to a famous film piracy case related to the film, Premam. The police decides to reopen the case and conduct further investigation with their help. This leads them to Jerry (Mathew Thomas) and Anjali (Anju Mary Thomas) who are studying in the same school, and finally they get to the person behind all the trouble. Still, the credit of solving the case goes to the crime branch. Anthony’s former classmate and lover, Alphonsa (Mamitha Baiju) who is a nurse, also leaves him because she gets an offer from Ireland, with a grand salary package.

So, what happens with the events to follow? :: When there is the chance for an internship in a cyber cell, the police officers call the two to join as the officers Prathap Chandran (Irshad) and Joy Pulimoottil (Binu Pappu) recommend them due to their previous service. The two come across different cases, most of which are the result of carelessness. There are the usual cases of cheating through Facebook, OTP etc among others which are of even more serious nature. The only media favourite case was that of Ramanathan (Vinayakan) and Janaki (Dhanya Ananya) who are trying to prove that the latter is not a part of a video. But soon, they come across a case filed by Anthony’s former lover Alphonsa who had lost more than two lakhs of rupees which she had given for a job in Ireland. The newcomers are asked to find the details of the case. But this case won’t be the only thing that they will have to worry about. This journey with the cyber cell would decide their future.

The defence of Operation Java :: There are many things that Operation Java shows without pretensions, as this is indeed a realistic work on the lines of Action Hero Biju, but without the superstar power. Almost everything here feels real, and with the usual cybercrime cases being mentioned, this stays close to what usually happens with people, and is shown in news channels. During these times when cybercrimes continue to be on the rise, the film also serves as a reminder to what all can happen, and the title Java seems to point to the computer language of the same name more than anything else. There is also the situation of the new graduates who don’t have a job shown here through the lives of the two main characters, and that can also be seen in some of the crimes being investigated here. Loss of cash from account through online means, creating fake videos and making them viral, online job scams have made part of news on many occasions.

Positives and negatives :: Operation Java might not be the movie for everyone, as there will also be people looking for the superhero mode when there is a police investigation, even though Anjaam Pathira and Forensic did make certain move against the same, minimizing action, and maximizing the focus on the procedure of finding the culprit. But you will know that this is as much enjoyable as anything else. The final case in the movie is indeed the most interesting of them all, even though there are lots of interesting things related the cyber cell happening in between. The fights which happen in between are also as realistic as it can get. When the film released, people might have been confused about what kind of a movie this was, but that problem is solved for now, and the OTT platforms deserve your presence now. The film has that kind of a cast, the type which seems to be so perfectly done, and we can expect wonders from them too.

The performers of the soul :: Balu Varghese in a serious role here instead of the usual stuff has proven to be a welcome change. He along with Lukman who was part of Unda earlier, makes a fine combination. They go through those realistic moments really well. There is also a certain amount of humour, and they go through the emotional side nicely too. The two are more or less like the usual type of people whom we see around. Shine Tom Chacko makes a nice entry in the final moments of the film, and as usual, he is great to watch – he enters realistic mode with ease. Irshad and Binu Pappu plays two likable police officers of the cyber cell, while Prasanth Alexander plays the role of the not too likable one around, as all these supporting characters leave some good moments for us to remember, with everyone being the common people and not superhuman officers who keep hunting criminals with their special skills.

Further performers of the soul :: The female characters are not given much of importance in this film, even though there is one lady police officer in the cyber cell. Even though Vinitha Koshy of Aanandam and Luca fame is here as the biggest female name on the list, she is seen for only a few minutes as a murder victim as the film nears the end. Dhanya Ananya surely has some of the most emotional moments, even when she is not speaking, but she along with Vinayakan who plays her husband doesn’t get screen time at all. Vinayakan was in most of the posters, maybe to bring more viewers into interest here. Other female cast includes Anju Mary Thomas and Rithu Manthra who don’t have screen space either. Mamitha Baiju is the only one who has something enough to do here, and she does her job quite well. P Balachandran and Johny Antony are also on the screen for very few minutes, while Mathew Thomas of Kumbalangi Nights and Thanneermathan Dinangal fame is there for that much short time period too.

How it finishes :: Operation Java is one of the movies which released directly in the theatre when the COVID-19 lockdown on theatres was lifted. It had received many positive reviews then, and is now available on ZEE 5 along with having the television premiere on ZEE Keralam. The message about the unemployed youth and awareness on cybercrimes adds to the movie’s advantages. At a time when the police investigation films continue to slide towards becoming mass entertainers, Operation Java stands apart, and can inspire some of the other industries with superstars to think beyond. As the film is now in OTT platform, one can choose to watch it from anywhere in the world, and we can expect it to come back to ZEE Keralam on multiple occasions too. Do watch the film, as these are type of movies which can keep our world realistic rather than inside escapism. There was Nayattu which released earlier, and this adds to that realistic world.

Release date: 12th February 2021 (Theatre), 15th May 2021 (ZEE 5 & ZEE Keralam)
Running time: 146 minutes
Directed by: Tharun Moorthy
Starring: Balu Varghese, Lukman, Shine Tom Chacko, Vinayakan, Prasanth Alexander, Binu Pappu, Irshad, Vinitha Koshy, Dhanya Ananya, Dinesh Prabhakar, Mamitha Baiju, Mathew Thomas, Johny Antony, P Balachandran, Anju Mary Thomas, Sanjay K Nair, Rithu Manthra, Deepak Vijayan, Eldho Raju, Ramesh Chandran, Sreeja Ajith, Sunil Meleppuram, Shiny Zara, Anil Kumar, Dilshana Dilshad, Althaf Salim

<— Click here to go to the previous review.

<— Click here to go to the previous Hollywood review.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Njandukalude Nattil Oridavela

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What is the movie about? :: Chacko (Lal) and Sheela (Shanthi Krishna) are a couple in the city who are going through their usual days. The former was working at Kuwait until a few years ago, and the latter is a Chemistry professor at the nearby college. While their youngest child Sarah (Ahaana Krishna) lives with them, their eldest child Mary (Srinda Arhaan) lives with her husband Tony (Siju Wilson) nearby. Their only son Kurien (Nivin Pauly) is working at London, and it has been some time since he last visited India. It is during one of these days that Sheela develops a doubt if she has breast cancer. The talk about the same frightens Chacko, who consults his good friend and dentist Varkichan (Dileesh Pothan). The man refers Chacko to a reputed doctor of a famous hospital in Cochin, Saiju (Saiju Kurup) who has cured many patients suffering from cancer. After consulting him and undergoing the tests, they confirm the same, that she does have stage two breast cancer.

So, what happens with the events to follow? :: It is at the same time that Kurien returns to Cochin for spending a forced break, as Sheela had called and asked him to come as soon as possible without saying any reason. He gets the feeling that she had called him to get him married, as most of the other relatives of his age have been married already, and his siblings also share the same thoughts. The only other reason could be related to their grandfather, but he has been the same for years, and there is absolutely no change regarding his health. Chacko, who is afraid of the disease, struggles to even talk about it to his children – but one day, he manages to let them know the truth after a series of misunderstandings. Everyone in the family is shocked and sad, and are cent percent confused about what to do next. The family which had things going straight without any intermissions, gets a lot of thinking to do after that revelation.

And what else is to follow in the adventure in the land of crabs? :: Kurien’s only relief is his long lost friend Subbu (Krishna Shankar) whom he meets after a long time. Sheela tells her family to support her happily, but everyone remains sad and depressed. They decide to get a home nurse to look after the grandfather as Sheela is not well. Their search for one ends with Yesudas (Sharafudheen) whose conditions are agreed upon. Meanwhile, while taking his mother to one of the chemotherapy sessions, Kurien meets a girl from Bangalore named Raichel (Aishwarya Lekshmi) who had arrived in the hospital with her parents, as her father also had cancer. They become good friends, and Kurien feels very much attracted to her. Meanwhile, Sarah is also in love. Chacko keeps struggling to make himself adjust to the understanding and fear of his wife’s disease. In this newly confused world, the battle between chemo and the crab goes on.

The defence of Njandukalude Nattil Oridavela :: There are two sides to Njandukalude Nattil Oridavela – a humorous one and the emotional one. The humour is there in the movie all the way – the light-hearted side of this flick will make it a much loved title for this Onam season for the families. The emotional side is there, as the family is shaken by the unexpected trouble, and we see how they overcome the same, but never missing out on bringing a little comedy here and there. The balance which has been maintained here without letting the flick stumble into some kind of melodrama, is a remarkable achievement. The use of the right cast also makes sure that things work better. The movie leaves us with the message that it is the unexpected twist in life that makes us stronger, and it is the difficulties that makes us capable of more – positivity added there when the trap of hopelessness is present. Along with the same, it is once again re-iterated that family is that important, and it would come over almost all the other things in life; something that most of the new generation would need to realize at some point.

The claws of flaw :: The movie does take the safe route rather than trying anything special or unexpected. It might be rather too simple for the liking of some people, unlike Adam Joan, the other good movie of the Onam-Eid season which makes sure that it is more like the exact opposite of this movie – like a mirror image which reverses things. Well, we have interesting movies at both sides of the mirror, and it is a positive sign for the Malayalam movie industry. Yet, one wonders why it was so necessary to add a romantic side to this movie which adds nothing more than a little bit of cuteness along with a song – without the same, this one would have finished in less than two hours, and Njandukalude Nattil Oridavela would have had no moment of deviation from its beautiful family stuff. In a world when youth wishes for quick movies, the movie’s dilatoriness will trouble more than one person, but if you relate to the characters well enough, such a problem can vanish into thin air. There could also be people who want some parts of this movie to be more serious; well could have been even more touching for sure.

Performers of the soul :: Nivin Pauly goes through his role comfortably, as the lazy, Lays eating, London-er with more Keralite thoughts than anything else. There is also a little bit of romantic side for him here, but it is once again the family stuff that he gets to handle, and does very well. When the movie is cute, and the hero is Nivin Pauly, I wonder what can stop the family from rushing into the theatres. It has been a long time since we saw Shanthi Krishna, and it is good to see her back, and she remains the strong point of this movie from the beginning to the end. Lal also joins in and makes this role exactly at the right place. Ahaana Krishna’s second role also seems to be a good choice, as she seems to be doing what Aima Rosmy Sebastian has been doing – she has more to do than the heroine, Aishwarya Lekshmi who has a memorable presence, but gets less time on screen. The Aluvaite Premam team has kind of a get together with Siju Wilson, Krishna Shankar and Sharafudheen there, and strengthens the funny side, and so does Srinda.

How it finishes :: You will find Njandukalude Nattil Oridavela from the debutante director Althaf Salim to be a treat for the whole family, even without trying anything huge. It stays close to life and closer to the heart with those simple moments of life, and simpler instances of comedy being nicely woven into the plot. One has to wonder how well Nivin Pauly has been choosing his movies – from those dual releases of Ivide and Premam, it has been such a fantastic journey. The last three movies, Action Hero Biju, Jacobinte Swargarajyam and Sakhavu have been different in core, and all three of them are worth the appreciation. Njandukalude Nattil Oridavela continues that sequences of interesting movies. With the Tamil movie Richie supposed to come up soon, our movie here will raise hope to an even higher level. As of now, there is no void as it has been at certain points of time, and we have enough to enjoy this vacation season. I wish all of my readers a Happy Eid, as well as a Happy Onam in advance! 🙂

PS: Relate the crab to cancer, and there is more than one meaning which you can take from “the land of crabs” in the title.

Release date: 1st September 2017
Running time: 131 minutes
Directed by: Althaf Salim
Starring: Nivin Pauly, Lal, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Ahaana Krishna, Shanthi Krishna, Siju Wilson, Srinda Arhaan, Krishna Shankar, Sharafudheen, Dileesh Pothan, Saiju Kurup, Sidhartha Siva

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Sakhavu

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What is the movie about? :: Krishna Kumar (Nivin Pauly) is a leftist student leader who wishes to make it big at every level. For the same, he has been studying different courses in the college – his aim is to get to the top of party’s student wing, and from there, get to a big position in party’s trade union, and then become MLA or MP. For the same, he is ready to do anything, including getting rid of his best friends who are threat to him. It is his friend in the party Mahesh (Althaf Salim) who provides him support in all his plans without asking for anything in return. One day, he gets a call from the party office to go to the hospital and donate blood for a party member who is in critical condition. He isn’t really interested in the same, and tries to act rude so that he could get out of there as fast as possible. There, he meets Aishwarya (Gayathri Suresh), his old friend from school, working as a nurse at the same hospital, who talks to him about the person who is in the ICU.

So, what happens next? :: There he meets more people including the man’s friends, and also his wife Janaki (Aishwarya Rajesh) and his daughter Nidhi (Aparna Gopinath), and the tale of a much loved comrade is revealed. There is a long past that goes to those days when this comrade, named Krishnan (again Nivin Pauly) had come to Peermade to strengthen the left trade union activities at the place. There were many things that followed, including those incidents which made the man a favourite among the masses, and nothing less than trouble for the exploiters. Krishna Kumar listens to the tale and also to that incident that landed Krishnan at the hospital – there is more to things here than what meets the eye, as he hears about what the comrade has been working on in the last few days. So, how does this tale influence Krishna Kumar, and how does life change for the man who was always after high positions and fame in the party?

The defence of Sakhavu :: There is the strength of ideology behind this movie, and it goes towards taking a righteous stand, especially when a political leader is concerned – on what the left ideals really mean, if they are implemented in the right way. The message is strong, and there is the presence of feel-good elements. The flashback scenes look really nice, and you need to watch this one on the big screen for the same. There is the presence of a lot of humour in the first forty five minutes of the movie, and then things get serious – the strength of the whole thing is tested, but the movie then stands the test, and comes back victorious. It is also the final sequence after the credits start rolling that score big at a time when we feel that the movie ended too soon. The movie can be considered as a nice mixture of things, and without showing no overdose of action sequences, the intensity of the sequences are very well delivered.

The claws of flaw :: There is a rather predictable story in this flick – even though the hero from the past has his heroics to be talked about by others, there is nothing new or special in that tale which follows a pattern which so many tales from the past has followed, with a big estate and firm, along with the workers who suffer because the rich and the affluent just don’t care. The movie could have also been shorter, or could have added some special ingredients to justify its length – maybe a return to the present in the end, and some more sequences to follow with the protagonist’s life could have made things even better, rather than stretching the flashback a little too much with the predictable things. The scope was so much more for this movie, and the divergence that it has taken here is not much, as the attempt is there to balance the class and the mass, never to overdo any of them. The movie could have also used its heroines more, especially in the present.

Performers of the soul :: When you look at Nivin Pauly’s last few movies, Jacobinte Swargarajyam, Action Hero Biju and Premam, they were not just very good movies, but also did great at the box-office; now he is back for more. This is also the best movie with him as a solo hero, and also the best performance from him till date. Here he comes in two roles, and among the two, it is the new-age role that suits the best for him – the other role also demands him to play the elder version of the character, which also leaves a mark. There is the new generation social worker portrayed nicely with all the shortcuts of life which are taken, and there is the maturity of the old generation comrade, who has struggled so hard with everything in life for the party as well as the society. It works at both sides for Nivin Pauly, and this is the kind of performance which will mean a big change and the right kind of deviation in his career. Here, it is Althaf who provides him great support with a nice funny side, making things so much alive.

Further performers of the soul :: Along with Nivin Pauly continuing his run as the one actor whose movies keep the standard, there is also a supporting cast which has rather less to do in helping. There are three heroines in this movie, but they get to do rather less in this flick which is highly dependent on Nivin Pauly to perform in two separate roles. Aishwarya Rajesh gets the most to do in the flashback, as the comrade’s wife, and a little bit in the present, and she manages the same fine, even though there seemed to a little bit of urgency about everything; rather more than required. It is good to see her again after Jomonte Suvisheshangal. Gayathri Suresh gets rather too little in this one, even less than what he had to do in Oru Mexican Aparatha and Puthiya Mugham, playing a character that the protagonist knows from school. Then there is Aparna Gopinath who plays the strongest of female leads, and also the most charming one – a good continuation after the magic of Charlie and the message supply in School Bus.

How it finishes :: Sidhartha Siva, the director is known for some of those critically appreciated movies including 101 Chodyangal and Ain, both winning him national awards, along with that inspirational flick which was very much feel-good, Kochavva Paulo Ayyappa Coelho. Sakhavu undoubtedly keeps that high level, and once again, there is no trouble with the quality. Sakhavu is a movie that has almost everything, and it is the movie that you wouldn’t want to miss – it will win this Easter-Vishu season, considering the fact that most people have already watched The Great Father, 1971: Beyond Borders under-performing, and Puthan Panam ended up as one of the worst movies to have released in some time. This should be the season of Sakhavu which succeeds in rising above the expectations; it not just superior to Oru Mexican Aparatha, it is also more responsible, getting to the point in the right way, and leaving the right messages. This is one of the best movies of the year so far. Well, what seems to be a simple family flick, Rakshadhikari Baiju is the next one up at the theatres.

Release date: 15th April 2017
Running time: 134 minutes
Directed by: Sidhartha Siva
Starring: Nivin Pauly, Gayathri Suresh, Sreenivasan, Aishwarya Rajesh, Aparna Gopinath, Althaf Salim, Tony Luke, Musthafa, Sudheesh, Kalabhavan Rahman, Renji Panicker, Prem Kumar, Manianpillai Raju, Aliyar

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Premam

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premam (2)

Vampire Bat: My dear vampire brethren, and the zombies who have decided to joined us by free-will. We have fought many battles together. We have fought side by side in the War of the Four Nations, the Tactical Warfare against the Werewolf Intrusion, the Conquest of the New Vampire World, The Battles against the never-ending Zombie Hordes and even the Magical Attacks of the Dark Elves. Zombies, please erase the zombie horde part from your memories instead of beginning to get offended, and do not return to your graves. But this is nothing like that. This will be the biggest battle that we have ever faced, and a task which is near impossible. It is called getting a ticket for the movie Premam.

Vampire Hamster: This is actually very scary. I need to go home and recharge my courage. I have heard that humans provide courage recharge centres at some religious places. Is it true? We could have also reserved the tickets, right? The ticket reservation is quite common these days.

Vampire Alligator: Can you just shut up and listen to the full speech? This is not even being recorded and you might not score well for the vampire apprentice exams if you miss parts of this which can come as annotation.

Vampire Owl: We don’t do reservations because we won’t support them – don’t you know that vampires are against all kinds of reservations? We are suffering because of this thing which gives nothing for the General Category to which the vampires belong. And you will be banned if you speak between grand, emotional speeches. The Vampire Crow and the Vampire Raven were banned once. Just listen to the speech.

Vampire Bat: We face the monsters here, and they are not like the ones we have faced before. We face the legendary warriors of the other world with human masks. We face those furious humans standing in queue for the movie Premam. We might not make it out of this queue in one piece, but lets fight for our righteous chance to watch this movie. We demand the rights to be equal and watch this movie which almost everybody except us has watched. Yes, even Werewolf Anger has watched it – can you believe that? The Lich Queen has watched it twice. It is the right to the movie ticket that we demand here, and it is clearly written in the vampire constitution, Article 007. Without watching this, we can’t even look at the face of Uncle Dracula, as you know what he is going to ask us when we return to the castle. The Vampire Penguin and the Vampire Panda have tried for this alone and failed, but we will win as this time we attack together after issuing the fake notice that we are not going to attack.

Vampire Panda: This is going to be awesome because I know part-time Kung-fu. You should all watch me and learn.

Vampire Penguin: I told you all that he is Kung-fu Panda in disguise.

Vampire Owl: Most probably, we won’t get tickets this time too, but in the name of Uncle Dracula and all the vampire elders, charge!

Vampire Crocodile: On this day, the night will be day and the day will be night. Attack!

Vampire Bat: What? No! I am the only one authorized to say that! So attack!!!

[Runs to the long queue and stands at the back end in silence].

What is it about? :: George David (Nivin Pauly) who lives in the town of Aluva and studies for pre-degree has completely fallen in love with Mary George (Anupama Parameshwaran) whom he usually sees on the way. She is the local beauty whom a lot of people are after. He has no interest in studies as he moves towards a possible failure in the course, and his only aim seems to be this girl’s love. Helped by his best friends Koya (Krishna Shankar) and Shambu (Shabareesh Varma), he attempts to make her fall in love with her, but that doesn’t go as planned. The movie also tells the story of his two other love interests, a Tamil girl called Malar (Sai Pallavi) with whom he falls in love at the first sight itself, and a girl named Celine (Madonna Sebastian) whom he meets much later as time moves forward through his love stories. His life related to these three ladies and his feelings towards them are depicted in the movie.

The defence of Premam :: By claiming to be the second film in the history of world cinema with nothing new in it, the movie seems to make a psychological move, but the truth is that the move is new if we look at how it is presented on the screen. I would give full credits to Alphonse Puthren for this one. He surely knows what the youth wants, and how to make the best use of Aluva as an Aluvaite. It is is his magic that Premam is such a delight on the big screen. I traveled to Aluva to watch this, and it was clear that there was no Aluvaite left without love and appreciation for this movie. Its nostalgia is powerful, and the central theme of love connects the three paramount pages of the protagonist’s tome of life – only three pages which connects directly to the title of the movie is taken and the word itself is used to make the much needed connection, and it is done in a beautiful way. There is infatuation, but there is no lust, and it is a sure positive thing. The second love story is a forbidden one, and clearly wrong for the standards of our civilized society, and we see poetic justice being served there as it ends in a much deserved tragedy – love fails there for the right reasons only. The comedy is working for most of the run.

The claws of flaw :: Yes, there is nothing new in the story – the liberty which was taken before the release of this movie arrives to make the impact here, and also reminds us that this is what they were talking about. There are some sequences which were aviodable, including the problems between the groups of friends at college and the missing dancer. The first of the three parts also has some exaggeration. The movie could have been shorter too – it would have surely helped the theatres to add another show in the morning to control the big crowd, and the very slight drag could have disappeared too. There is a little too much of drinking and smoking too, but I guess that they have only given the new generation’s normal audience what they wanted – crowd should get what the desired, for the good of the industry. The writings on the screen could have also been avoided, and it should have been left to the audience to come up with such ideas.

Performers of the soul :: Alphonse Puthren, with his brilliance, has given us some memorable characters along with those incidents, and he has also chosen the perfect cast as it seems from the look of it. When we look the performers here, this is “the Nivin Pauly movie” from the beginning to the end, and the way in which he goes through the three stages of his life is simply amazing. Here is another Aluvaite giving us the performance that we will always remember, and his transformations through the movie becomes the big boost. Among the heroines, I would choose Madonna Sebastian as the one making the best impact, with what seems to be her inherent cuteness and the way of dialogue delivery, and above all, as being the “right lady”, she steals the final moments. Sai Pallavi has what might be the best moment though, with the dance steps – she surely has an amazing screen presence. Anupama Parameshwaran is the charming simple beauty who disappears too early. Do look out for Vinay Forrt’s best comic moments too. All young actors deserve some applause here! Also look out for two awesome cameos from Renji Panikker and Jude Anthany Joseph.

How it finishes :: I would consider this movie as the journey of a man from love powered by infatuation to love strengthened by admiration, and then to the love based on commitment here, with those three heroines. Premam is undoubtedly the result of the hardwork of Alphonse Puthren who also comes in a role which he manages very well. All credits to him more making such a simple thing work so well. It is already taking the theatres by storm, and I had to go to the theatre and come back only to try again – these repeated for so many times to watch this movie. I was impressed even when this was not my genre at all, and I can guess how much effect this is having on the normal people. For those who are around Cochin, I would suggest watching this at Aluva and having a walk on the sides of the river and on the aqueduct which are shown in the movie. This movie also has another big personal effect on me – and it is to see the Union Christian College Aluva, on the big screen; I miss the place, and the most shown location in this movie, the college canteen 😀

Release date: 29th May 2015
Running time: 164 minutes
Directed by: Alphonse Puthren
Starring: Nivin Pauly, Madonna Sebastian, Sai Pallavi, Anupama Parameshwaran, Shabareesh Varma, Krishna Shankar, Vinay Forrt, Eva Prakash, Alphonse Puthren, Maniyanpilla Raju, Soubin Shahir, Wilson Joseph, Renji Paniker, Justin John, Hormis Paulachan, Althaf Salim, Anju Kurian, Jude Anthany Joseph, Sharafudeen, Maju Mathew, Rinsa Jacob, Vivek Vinod, Mahadev Ramakrishnan, Faisal, Manek Jose, Sandeep Varma, Viswajith Odukkathil, Vimal Pillai, Aishwarya R. Nair, Zuhair Sait, Deepak Nathan (I have put the whole list from wherever I could dig the names out, because they have all contributed so well)

premam

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.