Kundara Johny – Movies of the Soul

Vampire Owl: So, this is officially the third Malayalam movie that we watch this year.

Vampire Bat: Yes, Bheemante Vazhi was watched last year, and review posted this year.

Vampire Owl: Well, it was not really that good an adventure.

Vampire Bat: That was indeed a path which shouldn’t have been travelled.

Vampire Owl: I am sure that this one is a better path in comparison.

Vampire Bat: I have travelled through too many paths of similar quality.

Vampire Owl: You only travel through the clouds these days.

Vampire Bat: I make my own path through the clouds.

Vampire Owl: I hope that this movie shows enough of human evil.

Vampire Bat: I have read that this film has enough of that.

[Gets a vegetable puffs and three cups of white tea].

What is the movie about? :: Xavier (Aju Varghese), Democratic Malayora Congress Youth Wing President burns down a small hotel namely Ammini tea shop. Even though he is blamed for this, there is no proof for his involvement in the act. At the same time, Jayakrishnan (Unni Mukundan) continues as an expert autombile mechanic who has a high reputation for his skills in the village. One of his best friends is Varkey (Saiju Kurup) is someone who spends his time with alcohol and cigarattes, and also tries all the business activities which don’t work. Still, his wife Annie (Arya) supports him all the time. He also gets into regular fights in bars, and wants to make some easy money. He also runs a small business venture known as Varkey Stores without any responsibility. People say that he has destroyed all the reputation that his father had created, and lost most of the money and property which belonged to his family. But he continues to think big, and hopes to make quick profits. Jayakrishnan is in love with Renuka (Anju Kurian), who is a temporary school teacher.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Renuka wants him to get a government job and get settled in life, but he is not so sure about it, as he is confident about his abilities. She is also featured in the rank list of the last examination which she wrote. But he feels that by doing what he does the best, he could be successful in life, and getting a government job or going to the Middle East is totally unnecessary. It is then that Varkey and Satheesan (Jordi Poonjar) comes up with a plan to buy the land where the Ammini tea shop was standing, belonging to Yacob (Kundara Johny) and Stella (Nisha Sarang), and Jayakrishnan who requires ten cents of land also becomes part of it. As they decide to buy the land and gives an advance, they are forced to get money for half of the plot immediately as Yacob’s daughter is going to get married soon, and they have made arrangements having this in mind. But Jayakrishnan will only get the required money after a few months, and Varkey’s home and lands are going to be taken away by the bank. Now, they have to find some quick money, but the path which they choose will lead to many complications.

The defence of Meppadiyan :: The movie is a reflection of the common man’s suffering as he is the one who lands in trouble due to all these problems, and the terrible complications which government offices and the government itself brings on. Then there is the reflection of the inherent evil in humans which has gotten bigger in scope due to the greed for money that has cast a pure evil shadow on everyone. It is so close to truth that most probably, after watching this movie, you will no longer trust most of the people around you, as an understanding of evil humanity is provided without a chance to doubt it. I desire to call this the warning movie for everyone, and if you are going to sell or buy something that costs a lot, maximum care is to be taken. The film captures the essence of a village really well, and there are some nice twists which are added here and there, mostly related to problems being added one after the other to trouble the common man. It was only a few days ago that we read about a man who committed suicide due to problems related to his land, and this is also a grand reminder.

The claws of flaw :: The movie’s beginning stages seems to be stretched with a certain amount of predictability, and some parts of the movie can be guessed. Some of the websites about this movie also provided the spoilers without that much of a warning, and there was also an unnecessary controversy created related to that, even though I wouldn’t see any such problem related to that. The emotional side is also a little bit more stretched than how it should have existed here. The female characters could have also had something to do here, instead of being worried for most of the time and depending on the main characters for help. Also, much earlier, the movie was expected to be a thriller, but those elements are very much limited. Even though we do understand the evil which is present in this movie, we should have been able to see its reflection as pure evil, like how we associate them with goblins and orcs – well, even though they belong to fantasy, some of the humans are exactly like them, not that much with appearance, but with what goes on inside. Trust a human, goblin or orc too much, you might be gone forever. The ending could have been better, and not quickly forced like seen here.

The performers of the soul :: Unni Mukundan who plays the main character, just lives as the man, as this seems to be one role which suits him so well. He plays the one man who is determined to get things right for everyone, and we are left to support him above everyone else as he seems to be the only one who doesn’t have any negative shades – those other positive people are all more helpless than him. His character serves as a mortal instrument to understand the evil humanity around us, and this understanding which will prevent us from trusting people again will be helpful to us in future, and considering the same, Unni Mukundan’s performance is a blessing in a fake world of chaos. Aju Varghese plays a good friend who also takes commission, and so not so good – interesting performance there. Anju Kurian’s role is good, but limited in presence. Saiju Kurup plays the usual dumb and lazy person who hopes to get rich by one good deal, but doesn’t have the ability to do that, and once again he is good. Indrans is very much notable in his role. Kottayam Ramesh also contributes nicely, while Kundara Johny and Nisha Sarang also got their moments.

How it finishes :: Meppadiyan‘s basic idea is that most of the people, as well as the government and politics remain evil at all times. It is a perfect understanding of the world that surrounds us. One should understand that in this money-oriented world, there is no hope for good common man, unless he has a huge amount of luck or gets a favour from the heavens. Everyone around you is looking for monetary benefits, and it will be nice if everyone takes the warning out of this movie and be careful with dealing with people all around. Living in this world and trusting humans will be more difficult than ever after watching the film – what we can do is to take the best precautions, for you cannot trust any person, not your friend, government official or the government itself. Everyone is after your money, and these are the kind of people who will beg for cash out of a beggar’s bowl. Along with being an interesting emotional thriller, Meppadiyan works as a warning against the devils that are around you. The movie leaves a doubtful, but really careful person, which will help for your future dealing with those who live around you, as this seems to be inspired from things heard and seen in our world – stay awake to possible evil, and make sure you take no wrong turn.

Release date: 18th February 2022 (Amazon Prime Video); 14th January 2022 (Theatres)
Running time: 122 minutes
Directed by: Vishnu Mohan
Starring: Unni Mukundan, Aju Varghese, Anju Kurian, Arya, Kottayam Ramesh, Saiju Kurup, Indrans, Nisha Sarang, Shankar Ramakrishnan, Kundara Johny, Pauly Valsan, Jordi Poonjar, Manohari Joy, Kalabhavan Shajohn, Major Ravi, Krishna Prasad, Sreejith Ravi, Aparna Janardhanan, Naveen Illath

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

<<< Click here to go to the previous Malayalam film review of thrills.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

What is it about? :: The story is set in the late 1980s, as Louis (Asif Ali) is a small-time thief who is looking forward to making it big. With the support of his best friend, Aandikkunju (Aju Varghese), he is hoping to make one huge heist which will mean that he won’t have to be a thief any more. Meanwhile, Haider has arrived in the town from Mumbai and is looking to commit a big robbery, and for the same, he seeks the help of two other thieves Nicholas (Chemban Vinod Jose) and Freddy (Vinay Forrt). As they hope to find a master thief who can pick almost any lock, Aandikkunju comes into the picture, and Louis comes up with a plan to create a twist and big gain for the two best friends. At the same time, Louis falls in love with Daisy (Aparna Vinod) who works at the place where they are to commit the heist. But Haider has more just a heist in his mind.

The defence of Kohinoor :: In an attempt to make an interesting heist movie which never bores, Kohinoor remains a success. There are enough funny moments and good songs to keep things moving forward well. The movie as a whole is a mixture, with comedy always being there and as a heist movie, there are enough twists and turns around. The final moments actually has the best of them, and the best thing about this movie is that it finishes off really well, and manages the entertainment well throughout its run. “Hemanthamen” is the pick of the songs. The use of nostalgia from the early age also works very nicely, with the looks of the times re-created and having references to the hit crime thrillers of the time, Irupatham Noottandu and Athirathram. The movie also nicely maintains a light-hearted feeling throughout it, and nostalgia works very well in favour of this. This is also a big improvement from the director after Kili Poyi.

Claws of flaw :: There has been certain love for thieves with Sapthamashree Thaskaraha releasing last year and the recently released Urumbukal Urangarilla – the audience might think that there is a little too much of the same, but Kohinoor is surely ahead of the recent flicks with the same theme. The movie could have also done without a few scenes which are meant for the masses, because this could have remained simple fun with just realistic twists. The romantic angle doesn’t really work either, as it only seems to stretch the movie and gives the opportunity for the hero to have a heroine, along with one extra song. One can also think that this could have gone full comedy, and also that there could have been more twisted heists added. Yes, there was even more scope. Some actors who were there only for a short time could have stayed there for a longer period of time.

Performers of the soul :: I would consider this as the best performance of Asif Ali in a movie having him as the leading actor. Some people will praise Nirnaayakam, but it was just a movie which had no direction, and that had affected Asif in return. But Kohinoor knows what it is and towards which direction it is moving, and it is its strength and also of the actors associated with the movie. Being self-aware is one the things that can make a movie better and its actors do better, and this movie clearly has that awareness. Asif is in full control, and Aju Varghese makes sure that the movie is a lot of fun with new looks and his impeccable comic timing. Chemban Vinod Jose and Vinay Forrt joins in taking the fun get to the next level. These three actors have been the difference makers for quite some time, and they have done the same here too.

Further Performers of the soul :: While Asif Ali has made this work in his own style beginning from that nice entry, Indrajith Sukumaran brings a top level performance. He has some very nice dialogues in the movie, and the way in which he handles things during trouble at the heist scene is the pick here. There will be moments to remember from him, that is for sure. There is rarely a movie in which Indrajith doesn’t bring the big impact, and we all know that. Aparna Vinod has just so less to do with the smiles, looking cute and remaining so till the end – instead the one who makes the impact is one of the twist-bringers, the lady who brings more to the heist out of nowhere; the name of the actress is not mentioned anywhere, but she is the beauty who manages to do a very nice job in this movie. If you find the name, let me know so that I can add her to the cast.

Soul exploration :: Most of the characters in this movie remains on the grey side, with only the shades of light and dark grey being available. Unlike Sapthamashree Thaskaraha which has more of the thieves made by situations, this one has people skilled in the profession in one way or the other. But almost all of them are still likable, no matter which side they are on. The world in this movie has a certain shortage of people on the good side, but there are still some nice moments of goodness in this movie. If there is a mixed genre called feel-good comedy heist, this one can fit right in there. When everything comes together, things only get better, in more than one way. Just as the name of the movie, there is something “Kohinoor”istic in this movie, majestic and like the mountain of light, and it is something which is rare if we consider only those heist movies.

How it finishes :: Kohinoor goes battling against Life of Josutty and Ennu Ninte Moideen this weekend which is a tough job, even though it has more creativity and smartness behind it compared to these two movies. It replaces Urumbukal Urangarilla, and has enough in it for a long run. The best thing about this movie is that it is not overrated like Ennu Ninte Moideen; I watched the Kohinoor with less expectations and ended up with a certain happy feeling. This is one advantage of not overrating movies and not putting stuff about the movie everywhere on Facebook while copying from others. There is a certain nice feeling when someone reads different opinions from different people about a particular movie and come up with an opinion by oneself – it is how things are to be done, and not by keeping on telling others about one movie and forcing others to watch it.

Release date: 24th September 2015
Running time: 143 minutes
Directed by: Vinay Govind
Starring: Asif Ali, Indrajith Sukumaran, Aju Varghese, Chemban Vinod Jose, Aparna Vinod, Vinay Forrt, Pradeep Kottayam, Sudheer Karamana, Riza Bava, Mamukkoya, Saiju Kurup, Kundara Johny, Bijukuttan, Bhavana (cameo), Harikrishnan (cameo)