Tag Archives: George Maryan

Lockdown

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Vampire Owl: Are we going to watch another movie about corona virus lockdown?

Vampire Bat: I do not think that this would have the lockdown at the core.

Vampire Owl: I thought so because it is too late for anything related to that.

Vampire Bat: Well, such movies have lesser chances of working with the audience now.

Vampire Owl: Yes, there are so many things to deal with other than the past.

Vampire Bat: The opportunities spread towards infinity itself.

Vampire Owl: I remember that Dr. Frankenstein had written an essay about.

Vampire Bat: Mr. Frankenstein is not educated to write that good an essay.

Vampire Owl: Frankenstein is a man of his word and the only one of his kind.

Vampire Bat: Even Uncle Dracula would not agree to that.

[Gets a butterscotch cake and three cups of badam tea].

What is the movie about? :: Anitha (Anupama Parameswaran) has been looking for a job since passing out from an engineering college. Despite being a bright student with good scores at college and in spite of her expertise, she was rejected at so many interviews that it affected her confidence beyond repair. Her father Suresh (Charle) has been working hard to make sure that his family have enough, and hopes that his two daughters do well in life, as he is always worried about his friend’s daughter who had eloped with a local goon and married him despite everyone begging her to stay. Anitha is determined to make her parents proud and will not stop until she gets a job. For the same, she has to stay close enough to home and also opt out of night jobs as her family does not approve of the same. At the same time, there are many local young men who are trying to win her love, but she is only focused on getting a job and earn enough to support her family which also includes her grandmother along with the younger sister and parents.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Sudha (Nirosha), Anitha’s mother, decides to take special care of their children due to the news about the children of people they know not being happy ones. Anitha’s best friend is Swapna (Priya Venkat) who live in the same city. But as she goes to a party with another one of her friends where she meets a Human Resources Manager of a famous IT company, she ends up being drunk and passes out. She comes to her complete sense only after two days, and continues to search for jobs despite the assurance of an offer letter in a month. Two months later, she gets a call from the company asking her to join. But by then, some time had passed since the first corona virus case was reported in India. As she begins to join, more restrictions are applied, and soon, she begins to feel very unwell. She goes for tests at the hospital, but by that time, the lockdown related to pandemic was being applied, and she could no longer go out. Her health was getting worse, and she was slowly realizing what was happening to her. But with the lockdown enforced, it was too late for her to do anything. Can she survive this?

The defence of Lockdown :: The movie addresses significant issues of the present such as consent, bodily autonomy, unplanned pregnancy and societal judgment. These days, the messages are often not considered with the seriousness that it deserves, but not this time. This is dealt nicely with an emotional side that works so well, mainly due to the leading actress never staying behind with her performance, standing tall, and rising to every moment of relevance in the flick. She particularly excels in the final moments as she fights against all odds when hope seems to fly away from her. The character’s journey feels so real to us due to her memorable performance. The emotions only get deeper as the movie progresses, and the helplessness of the protagonist makes the stakes much higher. The significance of family in a person’s life is also asserted, as we are reminded that the worst can be handled in the family with their support. The music as well as the technical departments nicely work efficiently with the film’s emotional tone and dramatic moments, making sure that the feeling is never lost.

The claws of flaw :: The movie still remains slow, and sometimes provides the feeling that it is going through the same thing again and again. It seems to bring the same kind of solutions again and again that we feel that the protagonist just has that option which does not happen and therefore need to keep trying one option multiple times. A final answer to what really happened and the right solution is not really provided by the movie as a few things are just left unanswered. There is no real investigation into the same and there is no idea of justice, as the focus only seems to be getting rid of the trouble and move on like nothing happened. The unresolved mystery means that the suspense never gets the strength and a thrilling side never gets stronger than the emotional drama that never stops running underneath story, as it was already established with an elopement and marriage. Then there are also those scenes and dialogues which can feel overly message-driven and meant to preach about a few societal elements. Some of the subplots are also lost in the way as the movie keeps its focus only on the protagonist.

The performers of the soul :: This is a movie of Anupama Parameswaran who delivers an emotionally convincing performance and effectively carries the film. This one is surely all about her as we keep seeing her on the screen almost every minute, and the movie itself seemingly runs for her, based on her predicament from where she keeps trying to escape one way or the other, despite the corona virus and its lockdown affecting her attempts. One keep feeling that Malayalam cinema is yet to have the best of Anupama, as movies like the debut work Premam, then Jomonte Suvisheshangal and The Pet Detective are never enough for someone with her calibre, as she keeps reminding us how good she can perform. Priya Venkat who plays her friend supports really well, and has her moments, as she goes through as one of the best comrades that one could have, standing by her friend’s side against all odds. Charle who plays the father and Nirosha who plays the mother also come up with the emotional performances that we note down. The fatherly affection will be something that we particularly remember. George Maryan, Livingston and all contribute well to support too.

How it finishes :: If you think that this a movie about that nation-wide lockdown with happenings related to that, you are surely going to be disappointed, as it plays only a part, and affects the proceedings from a side, bringing difficulties to the protagonist – otherwise it is not the main thing or the central idea that runs right through the movie. This is still that kind of a work which deals with the main idea well with some messages to take home. It sometimes provides the feeling that it is going the preachy way, but returns to the main thing soon enough. This could have actually gone on to be a conventional thriller, but instead focuses on the emotional and social consequences faced by the protagonist and makes itself more of a drama – in doing so, some of the answers are not provided and the focus is in staying within the tradition and not to deviate too much from it. Considering the present situation of a new generation, it is not really a bad thing, but the level of deviation or divergence will always remain in question as generations pass.

Release date: 30th January 2026
Running time: 119 minutes
Directed by: A R Jeeva
Starring: Anupama Parameswaran, Charle, Livingston, Nirosha, Priya Venkat, George Maryan, Indhumathi, Rajkumar, Shamji, Redin Kingsley, Abhirami, Revathi

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Leo

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Vampire Owl: The theatre requires more area, doesn’t it?

Vampire Bat: The movie has been taken up as a celebration by the audience.

Vampire Owl: These are the Pooja Holidays. So, it is expected.

Vampire Bat: Even for such a holiday rush, this is quite a lot.

Vampire Owl: It is only the blog which has lacked any rush this year.

Vampire Bat: We have been too busy this year.

Vampire Owl: We have always been busy towards eternity.

Vampire Bat: This is also the first Vijay movie that we are reviewing.

Vampire Owl: Yes, we had at least one review of most of the other stars already.

Vampire Bat: There is always a chance in violence for a new beginning.

[Gets a plate of chilli porotta and three cups of mint tea].

What is the movie about? :: Parthiban (Vijay) is an animal rescuer and a chocolate-specialized café owner who is now settled in Theog, Himachal Pradesh. He lives with his wife Sathya (Trisha Krishnan) and two children Siddharth (Mathew Thomas) and Mathi (Iyal) in a cottage which is located some distance away from the main town. Their only family friends are Forest Ranger Joshy Andrews (Gautham Vasudev Menon) and his wife Priya Joshy Andrews (Priya Anand). Parthiban wishes to keep himself away from public attention, which he somewhat manages to do despite him being able to tame a hyena which attacks the town with the help of Joshy and Siddharth. But when his café is attacked by a group of robbers and one of them tries to sexually harass his employee Shruthi (Janany Kunaseelan), he takes matters into his hands, and seeing his daughter in grave danger, ends up murdering all of them using their gun, despite never having used any firearms before. The court declares it self-defense, but the family of one of the robbers swear vengeance and his photos also become part of different newspapers all around India.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: After the incident, Parthiban becomes very careful about his family’s safety, installing CCTV cameras everywhere and checking the entry points to his home. He wakes up at night, feeling the requirement to protect his family from evil forces. His photos which were published in newspapers come to the attention of some of the gangsters in Telangana and the news spread further. Harold Das (Arjun Sarja), a notorious and ruthless gangster with roots in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. He informs his brother Antony Das (Sanja Dutt) who is a dreaded crime lord running an international drug business. Antony and Harold seem to identify Parthiban with another name Leo Das, as Antony’s son who was supposed to be dead some years ago. At the same time, facing threats from the relatives of Shanmugam (Mysskin) the leader of the robbers whom he murdered, Police Officer Napoleon (George Maryan) is assigned to his protection. Napoleon spends most of his time sleeping during duty, much to the dismay of Parthiban who feels that his home remains unprotected despite the best efforts.

And what more is to follow when chaos unleashes itself in the hilly terrain? :: Antony reaches the quiet town of Himachal Pradesh with his large group of henchmen. He gets to the café run by Parthiban and calls him Leo. But Parthiban refuses to acknowledge even knowing the man and the name which has been put on him. Antony meets Sathya and saves her from the relatives of Shanmugam and murders all members of the gang who were trying to hurt Parthiban’s family, while reminding them that the children are his own blood, the offsprings of Leo. This sets a sequence of confusing elements in motion, as Joshy Andrews visits Hridayaraj D’Souza (Mansoor Ali Khan), a former gangster now in prison, and he lets out a flashback about Leo and his twin sister Elisa Das (Madonna Sebastian). Meanwhile, Sathya and Priya goes on with their own methods to search more about Leo and Parthiban. But it seems that the truth is not something that they can find out easily. But they would need to unearth that early enough with Antony wandering around the town of Theog and Parthiban seemingly losing his mind. The question remains if they can be quick enough to do that.

The defence of Leo :: The movie, as expected is held strong by Vijay, and the action sequences here are difference, and in this world, mindless action makes way for more classic action. Vijay suits well in a new world of violence without that repeated style of action that we usually see. The action here remains more memorable as much as the violence. The visuals are breathtaking and the locations for the fights are so good that we will keep remembering them for the next few days. There is also no shortage of style, which is yet kept in control not to go overboard. We also have no slow-motion overdose here, even though the tendency would have been there. The final revelations nicely set things in motion here for more, and the good supporting cast means that this can contribute more to the overall universe of the same kind of movies. The background music remains stunning at all times, and we are made to go with the flow which is already supported by the visuals. Mathew Thomas of Kumbalangi Nights, Thanneermathan Dinangal and Jo and Jo also get the honours. The team of Gautham Vasudev Menon, Trisha, Priya Anand and George Maryan are very good and so are the menacing villains played by Sanjay Dutt and Arjun Sarja.

The claws of flaw :: The flashback remains a weak point of the movie, as Madonna Sebastian, despite making a quick impact with a return to the past, is done away too soon, and the same can be seen about Babu Antony who does not even get a name for his character after seemingly getting back to power with RDX again. The initial group of robbers are also disposed too early despite the scope which was exhibited. The movie also has that overdose of style even though not that much as one would fear. Some moments seem to be like from a game, and some of the action just goes a little too much ahead. Some characters actually needed to be stronger, and the antagonists could have been more than people of style and threatening. Considering the scale here, there could have been more to achieve, especially with the earlier avatar of the main character. A movie like this one requires to be more complex with its subplots getting further attention, but the secondary elements just seem to be there for providing support to the newly established hero. The movie, without that much of a tale from the past, could have surely been shorter too.

How it finishes :: Leo feels much divergent from other films of Vijay, and has a certain amount of Hollywood touch to it – the control that it manages to exhibit is to be appreciated as it does not go the way of Baahubali and RRR, overdoing with heroism. Our protagonist has been nicely managed in comparison, and so is his world, a small one in a large canvas which the viewer can relate with touch of horror running in the mind. The movie nicely blends into the bigger universe, and one can hope that there would be much more to come in future. After Jai Bhim, it took a long time to watch another Tamil film even though the first Tamil film review happened here a longer time ago in the form of David, and it is evident that this is movie here is worth the time. The huge collections that it received would feel worth it, as an exit into a world which feels magically terrifying with the spectacle of a view that is not seen so often. The fans would find this as the bliss of their free-time, but one can find no trouble in being assured that the movie is for everyone, despite a little bit of extra violence added here and there. Blood and gore have been on our list for some time too.

Release date: 19th October 2023
Running time: 164 minutes
Directed by: Lokesh Kanagaraj
Starring: Vijay, Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Madonna Sebastian, Babu Antony, George Maryan, Mathew Thomas, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Priya Anand, Iyal, Mansoor Ali Khan, Shanthi Master, Janany Kunaseelan, Sandy Master, Madhusudhan Rao, Sachin Mani, Denzil Smith, Santhi Mayadevi, Leela Samson

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Kooman

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Vampire Owl: This man might be familiar to us.

Vampire Bat: I am sure that he is not the kind of night rider whom we can call here.

Vampire Owl: But he is surely an owl like me.

Vampire Bat: Well, you have to check for the meaning which is intended here.

Vampire Owl: I decide the meaning around here for all owls.

Vampire Bat: They belong to a different world though.

Vampire Owl: Yes, the world which goes for terrible evil while pretending to be good.

Vampire Bat: You mean like Mr Frankenstein.

Vampire Owl: Dr Frankenstein has always been a decent man.

Vampire Bat: Chucky has been more decent than him.

[Gets a choco-marble cake and three glasses of orange juice].

What is the movie about? :: Civil Police Officer Giri Shankar (Asif Ali) is a respected member of the police station in the village of Nedumpara who is known for finding those clues to the cases which nobody else is able to find. Circle Inspector Soman Pillai (Renji Panicker) and Sub Inspector Sukumaran (Meghanathan) appreciate his skills as a young detective, but not everyone in the police station likes him showing better skills than the rest. The others feel that all the focus on him means that they mostly go unnoticed, despite doing some good job as expected from them. Despite his skills which can be put to good use, Giri is also an egoistic individual, who becomes angry for simple reasons and holds grudges against people as if his life depends on taking revenge on them. He is that kind of a person who could become a psychotic serial killer bigger than the ones whom he might catch in his long career as the policeman which is to follow. He would get enough advice from his senior officers, but that would not bring that much of a change on him.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: As Soman retires, the new Circle Inspector is Harilal Dev (Baburaj), and the situation becomes tense between him and Giri. As Harilal pushes him into the dirt in front of his childhood friend Lakshmi (Hannah Reji Koshy), Giri becomes really angry, and promises himself that he would have his vengeance against Harilal one way or the other. But that would take some time as his other opponents include Thampi (Baiju) and Suresh (Deepak Parambol) among a few more. To deal with the policemen, he seeks the help of the retired thief Maniyan (Jaffar Idukki). They decide to make the police circle feel the heat by increasing the crime rate. As more and more robberies happen in the area, Harilal feels the pressure, and Giri feels that he can nicely manipulate the situation to get back on his opponents. But as he takes one wrong step due to his ego, things go out of control. He understands that it is not really about him, as there are some other forces at work. There are deaths, and he needs to get to the bottom of a number of deaths which have happened in the last few years.

The defence of Kooman :: The movie works really well with its flawed hero who blends in to the situation with ease. The first half sets up things really well to that the second one which brings the mystery further. The weaknesses of the hero are explored well, but it does not bring the villainy to him, as he walks through the thin bridge that connects the two sides. It reminds one of the films like Salute which moves slowly with the protagonist who finds it difficult to solve cases due to his own limitations. The elements of darkness is nicely used, and there are enough red herrings around here to mislead those who make the guesses. The final twist gets another one attached to it, and the revelation reasserts that there is more than what meets the eye around here. As it points to something which has made the headlines in Kerala, the movie seems to have some prophetic skills too, with a release having a two week gap after the incidents became part of the television discussions.

Positives and negatives :: This movie is not for those people of the mass masala who who wishes to make all the nonsense happen on the big screen in the form action mass masala disguised as thrillers with all the dumbness. But it has managed be of better intellect in comparison. It does makes one feel that there is the need to explore the past of the protagonist further. Maybe, in a distanct future, some of these police officers in Jeethu Joseph’s universe played by Asif Ali, Prithviraj Sukumaran and Suresh Gopi could come together to investigate a case in a realistic manner, unlike the Bollywood cop universes where people fly around for reason and gravity gets no chance to prove its existence – much to the dismay of Newton. It is a fine relief that on this side, we have movies like Kooman which keeps its world realistic. We can always feel safe when a movie like this is taken at this corner of the country, and for those who want such films to happen elsewhere, would have the remake option to mint some money. Still, this might feel a little too lengthy in the absence of humour, and the robbery element gets a little overdose.

The performers of the soul :: Asif Ali gets a much different role to perform, and it can be seen that he embraces the changes to perfection. He was caught on the wrong side in Innale Vare, and this time, he is on that side where he can dictate terms, even though while staying within the struggles of a well-written character, the policeman with flaws, something the director created well with his another classic thriller, Memories. When we look at further performances, Hannah Reji Koshy has been a much underrated actress, someone who is capable of coming up with some big performances – she had supported well in Darvinte Parinamam, Theerpu and Rakshadhikari Baiju Oppu, something which she does nicely in this film too. Renji Panicker plays the likable police officer with ease, and it comes as no problem for someone like him. Jaffar Idukki continues to make an impression in supporting roles, and here we have no exception to him leaving a mark. Baburaj and Meghanathan are not far behind in being part of some moments to remember.

How it finishes :: After 12th Man which did not reach the director’s usual level, Jeethu Joseph gets strong with the genre of thrills and mysteries yet again, outside Drishyam 2 and its remake of Drushyam 2, creating something to remember outside the franchise which created the magic like no other. Kooman is a solid work which gets to the list of interesting investigative thrillers with ease. Even though Jeethu Joseph has not written the script in this case, there are high quality thriller elements still present here. I would feel that there are more indigenous elements elements added here. With its thrills, the movie is close to enough to horror and also connected to some of the incidents which were reported in news recently, making it having further contemporary relevance in this part of the world than one would think about it. There serves the reminder that even in the modern world, there will be people who are rooted in the ancient and the supernatural, which always find a way to reach the present with all the strength.

Release date: 2nd December 2022 (Amazon Prime Video); 4th November 2022 (Theatre)
Running time: 153 minutes
Directed by: Jeethu Joseph
Starring: Asif Ali, Hannah Reji Koshy, Baburaj, Renji Panicker, Baiju, Meghanathan, Pauly Valsan, Nandhu, Rajesh Paravoor, Karate Karthi, Adam Ayub, Deepak Parambol, Jaffar Idukki, Jayan Cherthala, Vinod Bose, Prasant Murali, Riyas Narmakala, Abhiram Pothuval, George Maryan, Ramesh Thilak, Pradeep Kottayam

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.