I, Nobody

Posted on September 1, 2026 by Dr. Tennyson

Vampire Owl: A vampire has always preferred to remain as anonymous nobody.

Vampire Bat: There are no anonymous people among centuries-old immortals.

Vampire Owl: There is a certain anonymous infinity about us.

Vampire Bat: Infinity is not always equal to immortality.

Vampire Owl: Life which continues in an infinite manner is always immortality.

Vampire Bat: There cannot be a nobody here as there are centuries to discover any identity.

Vampire Owl: Nobody can identify a camouflaged vampire in his spirit form.

Vampire Bat: Uncle Dracula can see through everyone and everything.

Vampire Owl: So did Dr. Frankenstein, once upon a time.

Vampire Bat: Mr. Frankenstein has seen no real truth in his entire life. We are forced to sing that “Frank doesn’t know” every time.

[Gets a chocolate donut and three cups of Yorkshire tea].

What is the movie about? :: Rajeevan (Prithviraj Sukumaran) is a middle-class man with a regular daily job in the Secretariat married to Meera (Parvathy Thiruvothu) and they have two young children – this seems like a very happy family for the people looking from outside. But Meera regularly cheats in their marriage with an unknown man (Rony David) identified only as the Branch Manager of ISFC Bank at its Vanchiyoor Branch. Rajeevan who is fed up with Meera’s attitude with him and his children, as well as her recently discovered secret sexual affair and decides to go the bank and talk to him with a gun during the busy hours. But there, while waiting for a meeting with the man, Rajeevan ends up facing three masked bank robbers who enter the bank with weapons, Peter (Sanju Sivram), Alex (Sudhi Koppa) and Koshy (Khalid Rahman) who also finds the gun with him as it falls down in shock. They feel that he is part of a rival gang or someone sent by someone who got a clue about their plans.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: They decide to take him hostage with a plastic cover over his head as he seems like someone who can harm their cause, and they go on a ride in the van. But on the way, due to Rajeevan creating a ruckus, the car crashes while trying to run him down. CPO Anas Rahman (Hakim Shahjahan) who is also involved in the crime fails to find the stolen money, and everyone else in the police department who looks for the same are also not able to find the same. SP Ajith IPS (Shankar Ramakrishnan) who doubts Rajeevan fails to believe him, while CI Jomon (Madhupal) who has to listen to his superiors, decide not to help him as he is followed by the police and attacked by random goons and people who wish to steal from him after media calls him a suspect. Seeing the crisis that Rajeevan is going through and with her lover also disowning her due to police being involved, she decides to move away to a distant town after getting a divorce from him. Now the question remains if he can go on like this forever.

The defence of I, Nobody :: The movie talks about an almost middle or little above person, and the status of a common man in the food chain is questioned in a brutal manner, even for a man with a government job which had placed him in a safe-future zone. The final moments get the movie into action thriller mode really well, and we also remember that the beginning was so good. The emotional side is pretty much working around here for most of the times. A real-picture of dysfunctional small families of cities is also reflected here, as communication breaks down with not hope, with ego taking over. The final moments with the large amount of cash also proves that money is everything, and it is something that builds broken relations – the reality of humanity is exposed during so many occasions. Then there is the clear reflection of new generation online social media and media as a whole which streams and makes things worse. The movie is a reflection of a hopeless, absurd world of meaningless nihilism which still ends with a happily ever after.

The claws of flaw :: The supporting characters are not dealt with that well. This is too long a work, and it can be seen that the movie suffers from a certain drag, stretching scenes longer than needed, even having some slow motion and repetition in between. One can safely say that this never looked like a movie intended to go above two hours, but we see a very long journey around here. The individual character drama takes over so early that the main elements which we were expecting are always in the backseat. The heist elements die too early, and being an action thriller with this content is rather strange. It also seems to have a climax that lacks the punch for which we waited with so much expectations. The ending seems to be achieved as a deus ex machina or an easy resolution because there were not many ways left to end with such a build-up. There were so many moments in between which did not seem like suiting its world. The side characters also seem to go on a struggle in between, and some of them seem to be pushed right in there. The movie could have been so much more with the common man idea.

The performers of the soul :: Prithviraj Sukumaran comes up with a strong, but still a restrained portrayal of an ordinary as well as vulnerable everyman caught in extraordinary circumstances – due to his permanent government job nature, one might feel otherwise, but the same feeling is evoked as personal situations involving family also comes into picture, and there is always a food chain however safe one feels to be. Parvathy Thiruvothu has a role with subtle, layered emotional depth which is handled quite well. It is always good to see her in some work that requires a little bit of extra skill. The next one who catches our attention is Ashokan who has done a commendable job even though he gets more to do only later. Hakim Shahjahan’s policeman will also stay with us, while Shankar Ramakrishnan, Irshad Ali and Madhupal do well with lesser police roles. Nishanth Sagar also creates and impression, while Vijayaraghavan brings his fine veteran experience to light in the final few moments.

How it finishes :: The movie just serves the purpose, and that much is sure when we have a close look at it. There is the attempt to blend the genres, which seems to leave parts of the movie with a certain confusion about the possible directions. The inability to maintain its initial strength holds it back from reaching its full potential. A long runtime and the repetition followed by the inability to wrap up things well has it in peril by the end, but still manages to be fair enough. The needed dramatic weight never really comes in here either. It remains an interesting effort with makes the initial impact and brings the divergence, but struggles with the inconsistencies. The case of ordinary citizens struggling due to circumstances having no help from systemic corruption and feeling to activate the unexpected survival instincts was that engaging hook which sets it apart from the usual journeys, but what happens after that might be worth some questioning. Yet, this was enjoyable and thought-provoking for most of its run, especially in the first half. Jio Hotstar had this one releasing for Onam which serves the audience with more options.

Release date: 9 July 2026
Running time: 168 minutes
Directed by: Nissam Basheer
Starring: Prithviraj Sukumaran, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Hakkim Shahjahan, Ashokan, Vijayaraghavan, Shankar Ramakrishnan, Madhupal, Nakshatra, Ayra Izra, Nishanth Sagar, Nandu, Ishad Ali, Manoj K U, Jijoy Rajagopal, Sudhi Koppa, Sanju Sivram, Khalid Rahman, Rony David, Beena R Chandran, Sana Althaf, Krishnan Balakrishnan, Dinesh Alappuzha, Noushad Ali, Sudhi Kozhikode, Albin Alex, Jithin Madanan, Lenna Paul, Mahendran

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Kurukkan

Posted on September 17, 2023 by Dr. Tennyson

Vampire Owl: So, we are talking about a clever fox here.

Vampire Bat: I don’t think that vampire foxes can be clever.

Vampire Owl: I do not see any mention of this fox being a vampire.

Vampire Bat: The possibility of a vampire fox cannot be ignored.

Vampire Owl: What about the vampire wolf among werewolves?

Vampire Bat: A vampire wolf shall only be a werewolf.

Vampire Owl: I thought we were categorizing them into two.

Vampire Bat: Uncle Dracula has said that we shall trust no wolf.

Vampire Owl: I thought we were using wolves against wolves infinitely.

Vampire Bat: We don’t do divide and rule here. It is the job of humans.

[Gets some butterscotch pastry and three cups of Siliguri tea].

What is the movie about? :: Krishnan Rajasekharan (Sreenivasan) is a documenter who keeps appearing in the court to falsely testify, as a witness. He had only recently become a witness to win over a case which was almost lost. He has proven to be helpful in many different cases, and his motive is the monetary benefit. It is then that a model and social media influencer Neenu Iype (Mareena Michael Kurisingal) is found dead in her huge mansion. CI Dinesh KT (Vineeth Sreenivasan) is in charge of the investigation. Commissioner Balachandran K (Joji John) wants the case to be solved as early as possible, as the media hype is rather too much to handle. Neenu’s roommate Anjitha Narayanan (Ansiba Hassan) and Manager Bhagat (Nandan Unni) are confident that she is in no relationship and has no enemies at all. There is also no clue of anyone having entered the house and there are no male finger prints. Dinesh and his subordinates SI Reena Mathew (Sruthy Jayan) and SI Sajad Hassan (Aswath Lal) come under immense pressure.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: At the same time, Dinesh’s friend provides the information that there are drugs in a certain room in a popular hotel in the city. Dinesh, who was looking for an opportunity to improve his image, arrests two people from the same room after finding some white powder. But upon examination by the experts, it is discovered to be just gypsum powder. Dinesh who feels ashamed about the situation tries to frame the man who delivered the newspapers at Neenu’s house, Hari (Shine Tom Chacko) in the case to save his image. Dinesh plans the whole thing and arrests Hari while going to attend a PSC examination, much to the dismay of his lover, Arya (Malavika Menon). He also tries to prove that Hari does not have a good record in his past, and gets the support of the public prosecutor, despite the commissioner not being sure about this case’s progress. Now, it is up to Hari to prove his innocence, but once again Krishnan is there to give false witness. It is not easy to find a way out.

The defence of Kurukkan :: The attempt to move from the usual to become divergent is interesting indeed. The movie certainly required its seriousness along with the comic side, and that has been managed for most of its run. For the same, it has created the perfect partners in crime out of the right father-son duo; their adventures could have actually been longer. The final court scenes are hilarious, and the best moments are well-adjusted to the final shots of the movie. As one wonders if such scenes are actually possible, it is certainly far more realistic than what Jana Gana Mana dialogues make us feel in an artificial manner. The basic human nature can also be seen reflected here, as people continue to be what they do not seem to be. The inherent evil in man would find it difficult to let the innocent thrive, and the film shows it through multiple instances. There are no shortages for foxes in our world, and it is the innocent who have to take the blame, as it is shown in the movie. The smart evil ones often make the best out of their opportunities.

The claws of flaw :: The inability of Kurukkan to thrive on its advantages can be clearly seen throughout its run. There were so many opportunities to gain advantage here, but the same is not used effectively. The scene at the beginning which is the recreation of a known case is rather foolish and a sign of lacking in creativity and innovation. The use of some of the performers in the respective roles is questionable considering how the characters have been written. The main character here could have been developed better, especially with his personal relations. The mystery is also not effectively solved in the end, as the blending of genres often goes through a certain amount of struggle which makes some characters wonder about their existence. We have also reached a situation when talking about social media influencers do not concern the common man who go through their daily struggles any more. The comic side on some occasions also feel a little bit overdone in a film which has kept itself as normal as possible otherwise. Kurukkan could have mixed its world like Adi Kapyare Koottamani and evoked laugher, but it couldn’t really do that.

The performers of the soul :: In terms of performances, it is Vineeth Sreenivasan who stands out, and further excels in the final moments of the movie. He is not the usual cop, even for the comic standards, as a separate identity has been built efficiently by him. Another person standing tall is the real-life father and the reel-life partner in crime, Sreenivasan who has his fine moments of comedy. He once again pulls off a twisted role with ease. Shine Tom Chacko does not have the usual role when he is suspected as part of proceedings by the audience, as this time, the innocence is easily felt – but the role is not without his usual tendencies that are visible yet again. Malavika Menon has a neat role to perform here, and does a fine job to continue giving the feeling that she is here for stronger roles. Mareena Michael Kurisingal and Ansiba Hassan do not have much to do around here while Sruthy Jayan and Gowri Nandha have more notable moments. Aswath Lal also does some nice work here. Then, it is always nice to see Azees Nedumangad getting some roles to be noted.

How it finishes :: Kurukkan will have our attention with moments for sure. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea, and finding faults around here might not be a difficult task. It is not a movie to be taken that seriously and is not to be a movie full of laughs, taking care of both genres in one way or the other. The final moments of the film would make sure that it finishes well, and there is also that poetic justice very well provided. Kurukkan could surely have a sequel, or even a prequel, as the adventures of the main character deserved more. The movies like these are the type which we watch at some later time period when there is a lot of time at hand, and when the need for some nice little humour has arisen. We have had some interesting movies like Madhura Manohara Moham and Nalla Nilaavulla Raarthri which were not given that much hype. This one had created a better interest among the audience with the trailers, but the others might have turned out to be bigger movies in the end, except for the climax where this movie scores the most.

Release date: 25th August 2023 (Amazon Prime Video); 27th July 2023 (Theatre)
Running time: 123 minutes
Directed by: Jayalal Divakaran
Starring: Vineeth Sreenivasan, Sreenivasan, Shine Tom Chacko, Srikant Murali, Dileep Menon, Joji John, Sudheer Karamana, Mareena Michael Kurisingal, Malavika Menon, Ansiba Hassan, Sruthy Jayan, Aswath Lal, Balaji Sharma, Krishnan Balakrishnan, Azees Nedumangad, Nandan Unni, Rashmi Anil, Anjali Sathyanath, Sohan Seenulal, Ancy Sarah, Shaji Marad, Ajay Joseph, Mel Saju John, Riyaz Pattambi, Bijesh Naduvil, Manup Jaganathan

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Eighteen Hours

Posted on August 2, 2021 by Dr. Tennyson

What is the movie about? :: A group of friends is shown as making a journey through the forest, and after meeting an accident on the way, they are shot. Then the scene shifts to six hours earlier to an airport. Six students from a school are traveling from Kerala to Karnataka to take part in an inter-school competition in Bengaluru. But unfortunately, their flight is cancelled, and they have to travel by a bus instead. Along with them, there are the teachers from the school and a former student, Anupama (Indu Thampy) who is also in trouble due to the flight being cancelled. On the way, they reach the exact same place where the accident had happened, and there the bus is hijacked by a group of gunmen who were seen earlier. The gunmen are basically trying to get away from police and cross the border with a collection of drugs which they hope to exchange for a good amount of money. For the same, they hope to keep the bus and the students with them.

So, what happens with the events here? :: As the bus keep moving, the police are also after them, but with the bus in their control, they are able to keep themselves going. The man in charge of the operations is Commissioner Jayakumar IPS (Shyamaprasad). Now, as the teachers, Geetha (Devi Ajith) and Vinayan (Harikrishnan) are thrown out of the bus, the remaining students are Alisha (Sanjana Nair), Elsa (Keerthana Sreekumar), Chandrika (Keerthana P Kumar), Fiza (Abhirami), Bhoomi (Anagha Ravi) and Dwani (Parthavi Vinod), along with Anupama. Now they face the biggest problem in their life, as they realize that most probably, they won’t be going back home. Even though the police do find them, they are killed by the goons. Now, they have to take the matter into their hands and try to escape, but can they do it before time runs out?

The defence of Eighteen Hours :: There is some good experimentation in the form of a survival film here, and despite having some veteran actors in smaller roles in there, we have a lot of young blood at work, as there is some risk well taken around here. But as they all come up with pretty good performances, and with the atmosphere being used very well, film turns out to be effective. The background music is effective, and there is one good song to add to it. The camera work is fantastic, and there are some fine visuals of the forest, even though the focus actually shifts in between, which affects that possibility. Almost all of the film is focused on a forest, or semi-forest area, which is a big bonus for this kind of a theme, even though more adventures through the forest would have been preferred. The final moments also bring a twist, and has hope for a possible sequel, which turned out to be a nice idea, as this film was too short with its length.

The claws of flaw :: The film doesn’t utilize all the elements to its best advantage, even though the scope was for much more – when you get people being kidnapped with the setting in the forest, you know that the possibilities are endless. After all, a forest in nobody’s permanent ally, and it doesn’t matter what your age, gender or social and economic status used to be – a criminal or an innocent, forest has its say. We have seen similar hostage situations in films before, but this one in a more stylish take on the same, with no saviours and no planning, going rather ruthlessly at it, and in a contemporary world with drug-based crimes increasing, one would expect similar things to happen more than they used to be – COVID-19 has left people highly unstable, unpredictable and ready for anything. With a run-time of just more than one and half hours, it doesn’t establish the background story that much. It could have also used more fighting sequences, along with some extra running around and hiding – this should have focused more on escaping and hiding, but it is less in comparison.

Performers of the soul :: Indu Thampy plays the leading character here, and keeps things going, as she only gains strength. The elements of Type 1 Diabetic are nicely incorporated here, as she is supposed to be playing a character with the same health problem which she has in life, and she has some action sequences which are managed really well. Among the veteran actors, only Shyamaprasad gets something to perform here, and he plays the character well when focused on him. He has good scope in playing a senior police officer, as it is shown here. We have all loved him for his skills as a director, and one has to feel that Hollywood touch which was in Ivide and Hey Jude also being reflected here as far as style is concerned. Even he has a small role to play in his films, he has always made that memorable, and it is the same case here. We had last seen him as an actor this year itself, in Chathur Mukham, and we also remember his role in Ranam, another underrated film with its own moments of glory.

Further performers of the soul :: Vijay Babu has an even smaller role even though we feel that this was going to be a bigger role from how it goes in the beginning, while Sudheer Karamana’s work is unfortunately too small for our liking, as we all expected him to make a comeback at later stages as part of the search for the bus. One has to wonder why they needed other police officers to the lead other teams when the latter was there to make an impact. Lengthier presence of such actors were required, but I guess that they can be used better in a possible sequel in the future. The newcomers do handle the work well though. While the villains do suit their role, the girls do their job really well, and considering the fact that this is the first film for most of the cast around here, everything goes very much nicely. For a number of these performers, there will be more roles coming, and bright future is there for at least some of them, depending on how things would go in their next films. Former Miss India, Mansi Sehgal is also here in a cameo.

How it finishes :: Eighteen Hours, despite missing the chance to go higher, has its own merits running through it. It should be the belief in its strengths that made sure that this one had its release not in the theatres, but on Mazhavil Manorama as well as the app, Manorama Max. With less resources and also with a lot of newcomers, the film has managed enough to be entertaining in an atmosphere which seems to make the most out of it. Even when the film seems to struggle, it manages to raise its bar later, and just like its protagonists, the movie doesn’t give up, and goes on to bring a surprise in the end. The director’s best known film was Salt Mango Tree, along with other familiar titles like Thrissur Pooram and Escape from Uganda, but this film, even though without the big names playing major roles, gets to be better, and can inspire even better flicks like this. It adds on as another interesting release during COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, coming straight to home.

Release date: 1st August 2021 (Mazhavil Manorama and Manorama MAX)
Running time: 138 minutes
Directed by: Rajesh Nair
Starring: Indu Thampy, Vijay Babu, Sudheer Karamana, Shyamaprasad, Advaith Ajay, Harikrishnan, Krishnan Balakrishnan, Devi Ajith, Vimal Vijay, Sanjana Nair, Keerthana Sreekumar, Keerthana P Kumar, Abhirami, Anagha Ravi, Parthavi Vinod, Mansi Sehgal