Kalabhavan Niyas – Movies of the Soul

Vampire Owl: I had some hope about this movie even before watching it.

Vampire Bat: Yes, the actors chosen here point to the same.

Vampire Owl: We were very close to watching this in theatre and not OTT.

Vampire Bat: Yes, but then we got vampiric sadness and decided not to go out.

Vampire Owl: I would say that sadness is a basic trait of vampire nature.

Vampire Bat: What can centuries-old vampires do other than being sad?

Vampire Owl: Watching humans do all the nonsense makes anyone sad.

Vampire Bat: They still having their civilization makes me wonder.

Vampire Owl: They would only have a few years left till extinction; I am sure.

Vampire Bat: I am checking on the time left for human extinction already.

[Gets a paneer uthappam and three cups of Sikkim tea].

What is the movie about? :: Aleena (Parvathy Thiruvothu) who had lost her husband Abraham (Asif Ali) during an operation which was executed without enough backup, opts for the same job despite a safe, desk job offered to her by the Kerala Police. As she decides to follow the path of her husband, she faces difficulties, but passes the training camp overcoming all struggles. She gets her first appointment at a police station which seems to have lesser number of troubles than one would expect, and her fellow officers CPO Sreenath (Mathew Thomas), ASI Dasan (Sidharth Bharathan) and CPO Divya (Unnimaya Prasad), with whom she becomes good friends. But their superior officer SI Xavier (Azeez Nedumangad) is more of an angry and frustrated man who is facing divorce from his wife due to his behaviour and alleged relation outside marriage. Meanwhile, the station is led by a more respectful and dignified, but often confused Circle Inspector Prathap (Vinay Forrt) who is fasting as he is getting ready to visit Sabarimala.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: The four officers also struggle with their own problems, as Sreenath has his relationship in trouble due to caste and status differences, Dasan wishes to marry a teacher whom he met while on duty and Divya is hoping to finally have a child after years of marriage. A textile showroom manager Jayaprakash (Sirajudheen Nazar) who seems to be leading a normal life with his wife Shilpa (Jayashree Sivadas) is secretly targeting and robbing homes at night with the help of his partner Meera (Catherine Maria) who works at the same showroom. On a night when both Prathap and Xavier are not at the station, Dasan, Sreenath and Aleena who are on night patrol, Jayaprakash in a car tries to evade the officers, only to end up being caught and taken to a police station where Divya is almost ready to leave duty. He tells them that he was only trying to avoid getting caught for drunk driving, making them uncuff him, but when they try to check the boot space, there is a fight during which Jayaprakash gets hold of Divya’s gun and is fatally shot. This leads a situation of custody death, from which they wonder how to escape.

The defence of Pradhama Drishtiya Kuttakkar :: The central conceit works like a dream here, as the group of cops trying to cover up evidence from their own department creates even higher stakes than Drishyam, which can be considered as having a less risky journey in comparison to this one. The fear and tension are so much there, never restricted to the background. The visuals are too good and we see the same elevate the tension during key procedural moments as well as the cover-up sequences. The moments are nicely arranged and the narrative strikes gold with ease. The movie’s best moments come out of nowhere when we least expect the same. While many sequels forget to keep the same level as original, this one brought some classic thrills which never goes down in level. The fights, when present, are also shown in a realistic manner, and we see the incidents unfolding in a believable manner. The assurance of a realistic journey can be seen at all times, and the success in achieving this much of twists and thrills with the same needs to be appreciated.

Positives and negatives :: The movie can feel like a little lengthier than needed, but as soon as the inciting incident happens, the same can be forgiven. There might be the feeling that too many liberties are taken, and the reliance on luck seems to be guiding the characters so much. There are moments when one feel that Drishyam-mode is activated, as even with finding of the corpse, there are more twists to follow, as the protagonist is as much well-planned as that particular family hero who has so much in mind. It is not easy to bring twist based on a twist, but that has been achieved. The emotional side also stays strong with the movie, and we stay in support of the main characters, even though the whole thing revolves more or less around one specific female character. Despite all of these, the movie has its own dose of humour. We also see dual-faced characters here who are not uncommon in any part of the world, and they remain the reflection of the society which keeps taking in pretenders as their champions.

The performers of the soul :: Parvathy Thiruvothu as Aleena Abraham serves as the one emotional and intellectual anchor to the proceedings, and we would remember her for a full-lead performance after a very long time here. Playing a junior police officer thrown into highly complicated situation, she goes from panic to stabilizer of the situation in no time. She blends into the situation like no other, and this might be the character we would remember her the most from now on, as works in movies like Ennu Ninte Moideen and Uyare pales in comparison. Vijayaraghavan stands tall on the other side, and instead of going through an aggressive mode following the usual cliches, he moves forward as a weary investigator whose patience is far more intimidating than anger. The slow, methodical dialogue delivery and classic observation rises above the rest with ease. Vinay Forrt plays the witness to all of these very well, while Sidharth Bharathan remains a fine likable character. Mathew Thomas plays his character in a convincing manner while Unnimaya Prasad could have had more to do in proceedings. Azees Nedumangad shines again in a police role different from that remarkable Kannur Squad.

How it finishes :: Pradhama Drishtya Kuttakkar is that kind of a thriller which has a crime coverup thriller very well done. While its overstretched total run-time and reliance on convenience keep us wondering if more could have been done, the film remains consistently watchable with strength in performances. Focusing on Parvathy Thiruvothu’s restrained intensity and Vijayaraghavan’s quiet menace, it deals with institutional guilt as much as survival panic, bringing twists and thrills as it keeps moving forward. Coming out of nowhere to get to that fifty-crore mark, this one can be counted as the silent assassin on low-budget rising above those higher budget thrillers which seemingly have tried more. One thing about the later Malayalam crime thrillers is that they have remained realistic, with or without a serial killer, and there are some of those investigations which surely deserve sequels. One cannot be sure about this particular movie which seems to have come to a fine end though.

Release date: 11 September 2026
Running time: 158 minutes
Directed by: Shahad Nilambur
Starring: Parvathy Thiruvothu, Mathew Thomas, Sidharth Bharathan, Vijayaraghavan, Vinay Forrt, Unnimaya Prasad, Azees Nedumangad, Balaji Sharma, Catherine Maria, Sirajudheen Nazar, Jayashree Sivadas, Midhun Venugopal, Suparna S, Jaya Shankar, Vrindha Menon, Bibin Joseph Vettukattil, Rini K Rajan, Jayarajan Kozhikode, Anusha Aravindakshan, Kalabhavan Niyas, Nandini Gopalakrishnan, Salman Kuttikode, Dinesh Prabhakar, Lal Jose, Praveen Selvam, Shifa Badusha, R Parthiban, Asif Ali (cameo)

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

What is the movie about? :: Porinju (Joju George), Mariyam (Nyla Usha) and Jose (Chemban Vinod Jose) used to be close friends from childhood days itself. Porinju has been in love with Mariyam since then with the support of Jose. She continued her studies at school even though her friends dropped out, and found one or two reasons to meet Porinju every time. But because of her dead father’s opposition, she has been keeping Porinju waiting. Porinju is the butcher of the village while Jose did even smaller jobs to support his family which included his father, brother, wife and daughter. Both of them never really missed a chance to enjoy life though, with some local alcohol and cigarettes. They are much loved by the people of the village, as they look forward to the local church festival to have the best of fun. Mariyam has been the village’s money lender since her father Varghese’s (Nandhu) death.

So, what happens with the events to follow? :: Set in one of the villages in the outskirts of Thrissur town in the 1980s, there is a lot of focus on the church festival which forms the basis of everything. It is during such a festival that something happens, which changes the equation. As Prince (Rahul Madhav), the young blood of the house of the rich and powerful Iype (Vijayaraghavan) falls for Mariya, chaos errupts. As he grabs her backside, Jose is there to beat him up, only to find the members of Iype’s family beating him up together. Porinju who has been in good terms with Iype decides to help his friend, but this fight doesn’t end there. Prince is a typical spoiled brat who wouldn’t stand being beaten up by someone of lesser social status, as he decides to return during the next festival, and teach Porinju and Jose a lesson, much to the dismay of Iype.

The defence of Porinju Mariyam Jose :: It can be clearly seen that Porinju Mariyam Jose is not a typical mass masala movie which is often expected when knowing about a premise like this. There are some fine introductions in the beginning stages, and we come to know about the incidents in the movie from the common village people themselves. The spirit of the age and people are nicely captured here, and the setting is nothing less than catching one’s attention. The action scenes are violent, but feels realistic with the intensity that surrounds it. There are some thrilling moments, and we have the funny sequences here and there. The romantic side remains emotional, and we feel its effect that would go through decades and into the grave. The touch of realism keeps this movie apart from the other movies from the same director, and we become part of this world with ease.

The claws of flaw :: There might be the feeling that Porinju Mariyam Jose is more suited for the time period of 1980s and 1990s, but I would say that it wouldn’t have this much of a beauty if it was presented then. A certain amount of stretching can also be seen in the second half, and the story doesn’t rise to go further away from the usual stuff – there is no special ingredient regarding that. This movie could have actually had more, with other happenings of the village, and a solid reason for all these twist of events. The messages could have been stronger, and this never-ending cycle of violence could have been given a pause at some point. Some people might say that this is not as good as the veteran director’s earlier movies, but I would consider that to be a case of personal opinion, because this movie’s case is to be considered separately, like a deviation.

The performers of the soul :: Joju George had greatness written all over Joseph, and here is back with another lead role, and something else to remember in a different way. He had also won the National Film Award – Special Mention for that flick which is considered to among the best emotional investigative thrillers of all-time. As we also remember two other emotional roles from him in Virus and June, it can be seen that this movie explores another side of him with the character of Porinju. The man here plays a lovable character even though he is always there in the middle of the fights. The emotional moments once again has the best here, and we see that the same touch our hearts again, and the ending does provide that Joseph-like feeling for us. From the release of Joseph itself, we have been aware that there is really nothing that Joju can’t do, and only he can make it better each and every time.

Further performers of the soul :: As a movie which thrives with its performances, Joju is not the only person who serves as the lighthouse, the fixed mark and guiding light to this movie. Nyla Usha, who is best known for Punyalan Agarbathis, was not to be seen in its sequel Punyalan Private Limited, but we did see her in Lucifer. We knew how well she could suit this role from the trailer itself. She plays a strong character, and she does that with so much ease, and makes us believe the same with a realistic side. Chemban Vinod Jose is a master of many things, as he had proven with the award winning Ee Ma Yau, but that was just one part of it. He blends into some roles so well that we feel that he is providing another flawed character to be loved by all. Vijayaraghavan plays the man caught between two loyalties very well that we feel for him, no matter what he does. Rahul Madhav’s role is rather small, and with too weak an antagonist, he serves okay.

How it finishes :: The first half of the movie is indeed better than the second, when things get kind of slower and predictable. Maybe a little bit more of an effort could have made everything better, but we can say with confidence that Porinju Mariyam Jose jumps far ahead of the director’s last few movies with ease. One can also have no doubt about the fact that this movie thrives on its performances with the best possible cast for each role. We are taken to that world of rivalry and revenge, as we also become part of it. Porinju Mariyam Jose is a movie which is there to stay in the mind for long – it doesn’t have to pretend to gain that recognition. It is a movie which is there to stay, and go on strong until the Onam releases try to take over, but as of now, special appreciation is needed for this movie which is kept family-friendly even with the different themes which could have been explored in another raw manner.

Release date: 23rd August 2019
Running time: 130 minutes
Directed by: Joshiy
Starring: Joju George, Chemban Vinod Jose, Nyla Usha, Sudhi Koppa, Sinoj Varghese, Rahul Madhav, TG Ravi, Swasika, Vijayaraghavan, Salim Kumar, Malavika Menon, Kalabhavan Niyas, IM Vijayan, Sarasa Balussery, Nandhu, Jayaraj Warrier, Disney James