Karam

Posted on November 11, 2025 by Tennyson

Vampire Owl: Do you know that we were looking forward to watching this one in theatre.

Vampire Bat: Yes, but we were very busy at that time.

Vampire Owl: The opinions were still not positive.

Vampire Bat: I still have a Thira feeling about this particular movie.

Vampire Owl: I have watched the trailer and it was really good.

Vampire Bat: And I feel that there is more than what meets the eye here.

Vampire Owl: I have wanted Vineeth Sreenivasan with a thriller again.

Vampire Bat: There is something about that change from the feel-good.

Vampire Owl: Well, feel-good has never been a reality.

Vampire Bat: Humans can create a fake infinite realities and live in the same all the time.

[Gets a kadai paneer dosa and three cups of Ceylon tea].

What is the movie about? :: Dev (Noble Babu Thomas) and Salman (John Kaippallil) were in charge of an undercover operation to capture a notorious terrorist who has been threatening India from Pakistan and other nations, but after going against a direct order, gets in trouble, with former being court-marshalled and latter landing in the hospital for quite some time. After his return home, his girlfriend Sana (Audrey Miriam Henest) meets with an accident, leading her father Abdullah (Johny Antony) taking her away, and Dev is blamed for the incident and prohibited from meeting her again. A disappointed Dev who also has problems with his father Mahendran (Manoj K Jayan), decides to get married, and find love in Tara (Reshma Sebastian) and has a son Ayaan (Nazhan Bin Najmal). One day, they have to travel to a country named Lenarco, for Tara’s international conference. It feels like a happy family trip with the help of Kamal (Kalabhavan Shajohn) who remains their driver for the trips, with places to visit and happy moments to be shared with a tour that came after a long time.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Things seem to go around nicely, but when Dev goes to a night club which also has a brother underneath, he finds Sana there as one of the experienced sex workers displayed for the clients. Confused and disheartened, he chooses her from the display, and she reveals that she was trafficked from India while escaping home in order to find and be with him against the wishes of her father. On the way, she was tracked by a human trafficking gang that kidnapped and trafficked her out of the nation. She was sold, raped and forced into sex work in the organization which runs the most powerful mafia in the land. Andre (Ivan Vukomanovic), a man with high connections and the most powerful group of goons under his control manages the operations. There is no escape for her from there as even the police are in his payroll. A distraught Dev who feels that he could have saved her from this hopeless situation if he had gone after her, decides to save her from the brothel, but it would not be so easy, with his own family at risk in a nation which seems to have less control over its gangs and guns.

The defence of Karam :: We have all waited for a technically polished thriller of international standards, and if you are not watching it despite the same, there is no hope in having more – we remember how much quality could be felt in movies like Ranam and Ivide, which did not have that success that they deserved, and this one gets into that list with ease. The movie is visually stunning, and the fight scenes never feel overdone with no love for that dumb dose of heroism and mass moments. The tension is present throughout the movie, and there are some nicely managed thrilling moments around here. The emotions are really felt here, and there is no shortage of feeling in this world which is dark and has evil hiding underneath. Unlike a few other movies, it does not hesitate to get into that world of chaos and sometimes not checking into that safe side. These kinds of movies should be considered as the true feel-good, and not others that pretend to be so, without any story and keeping on saying the same things again and again to pretend to be feel-good. The release in Amazon Prime Video would surely bring more positive opinions as people would the movie without prejudices.

Positives and negatives :: The movie could have surely used more twists in between and set the whole thing on pure survival mode, and we see that the pace is often lost regarding the attempt to escape. The ending could have also been more classic without what seemed like the deus ex machina which felt not that suitable for the overall tone of the movie. The emotional side despite being there at all times, do not keep up with the overall movie. Then there will always be those people who put negativity in movie in relation to its similarities with Thira, but one has to note that most of them supported Thudarum which was basically Drishyam in a lower quality and unnecessary mass. This movie here is basically an improvement on the technical side compared to Thira, but for some strange reason, people did not seem to go for this one that much. Well, Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra was still running strong at that time, and some others had also joined – maybe it was not the right time to have a release for this particular movie.

The performers of the soul :: Noble Babu Thomas who made his debut as actor in Helen, comes up with fine work here, and he has written this one too – portrays the character with control, unlike the usual superstars who would overdo such a role for the dumb fans. Ivan Vukomanovic is not a name less known among Keralites, as the head coach of Kerala Blasters, and when he is present on the screen, he maintains a certain quality as the main antagonist. Audrey Miriam Henest feels like a fine find for the industry as she maintains strength not just as the strong lover, but also as the damsel in distress, maintaining the emotions in strength and helplessness without holding back. It might not have been easy playing the same character in different life-changing situations, but she seems to have no trouble in doing the same, and is definitely a talent for the future. Reshma Sebastian, on the other side, comes up with a natural and memorable performance opposite the hero, and she seems to have mastered the role so well. I am sure that we will see her around again. Kalabhavan Shajohn and Baburaj adds quite well too. Johny Antony and Manoj K Jayan got some quick, veteran stuff to do nicely again.

How it finishes :: The movie is surely better than what the critics have been talking about, and it surely scores more than most of the overrated movies of the same genre. It is quite surprising that the audience did not support this movie that much, especially when the quality of the movie is so much, and keeps on an engaging route. The movie has so many good moments to remember, and if you liked Thira from the same director, there is no chance that you will feel the need to like this any less. The feel-good nonsense has been getting on our nerves after that and we needed to get out of them which keeps doing the meaningless for such a long time. Reminding us of Thira, this one deals with human trafficking with an international setting, unlike the usual one, and therefore feels not that close to the usual, but this is something of a grander setting. When a movie thrills and keeps one on the edge of the seat, there is not much more that you need. A technically polished work with ambitions and performances set in a classic world is something one would not miss, even with some problems here and there. This kind of movie surely needs to be appreciated to inspire more of the same kind; for now, do check it out on Amazon Prime Video.

Release date: 25th September 2025
Running time: 126 minutes
Directed by: Vineeth Sreenivasan
Starring: Noble Babu Thomas, Audrey Miriam Henest, Reshma Sebastian, Ivan Vukomanovic, Manoj K Jayan, Baburaj, Kalabhavan Shajohn, Sudev Nair, Vishnu G Varrier, Johny Antony, Shweta Menon, Redin Kingsley, Vineeth Vasudevan, Joji Mundakayam, Nazhan Bin Najmal, John Kaippallil, Basheer Rimmi Singh, Vettai Muthukumar

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

Maine Pyar Kiya

Posted on October 10, 2025 by Tennyson

Vampire Owl: I have heard this title before.

Vampire Bat: I am sure that everyone in India knows this title.

Vampire Owl: So, an original title was unavailable.

Vampire Bat: This is only meant to make things feel interesting.

Vampire Owl: Well, the Malayalam translated title would not be interesting.

Vampire Bat: I could still suggest a few names.

Vampire Owl: I am sure that Dr. Frankenstein could give some better names.

Vampire Bat: I am more certain that Mr. Frankenstein has names only for himself.

Vampire Owl: It is obvious. He is a hero of different worlds.

Vampire Bat: There is no world that would take this particular pseudo-scientist with a smile.

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

What is the movie about? :: Aryan (Hridhu Haroon) is a college dropout who had to leave his studies early as he created that kind of a fight in the college with his seniors, which would be remembered in a bad light for very long. The college is also not ready to give him his school certificates before he pays for the damages he caused in the college, which is as high as three lakhs. During one of his visits to college to get the certificates, he comes across Nidhi (Preity Mukhundhan), a young woman from Madurai who studies in Kerala as her mother is working in the railways and had got transferred there. With the advice of his elder friends Nixon (Askar Ali) and Tony (Sreekanth Vettiyar), he tries to make her fall in love with him. But Nidhi does not have any feelings for him, and due to her strict her parents, she tries to keep everyone away from her and focus only on her studies. Aryan continues to stalk her, even though she pleads with him to leave her alone. He even comes to her house, leading to him getting beaten up.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: She finally agrees to just talk to him, and after having food together outside campus on a day of strike, her parents get to know that she, along with many students went out of the campus during the strike and skipped the classes. Nidhi is desperate to make sure that her mother does not know, and hearing about the situation, Aryan arranges for someone who call her home and say that everything is okay, and she was in the college. But as her mother comes to know about it from the college itself and comes to the campus, she realizes that there are stories about her and Aryan being spread. Desperate to escape the situation and the wrath of the parents, she gets into Aryan’s car. They drive away, but the story only gets worse, as a kidnap case is filed against Aryan. The police start searching for them, and they keep going further. But the question remains if Nidhi will ever really fall in love with Aryan. There is also the question of what the two families think about this.

The defence of Maine Pyar Kiya :: The movie seems like it is elevating itself on multiple occasions, especially after the fake call made to the home of leading actress. We will feel that there will twist which will follow, and we go through some relevant moments after that. The movie remains at a higher level until the team of friends get attacked by goons, and there is a good run in between, as we have moments of family, friendship and understanding between people, making the whole thing a pretty well-crafted drama that works. When a movie seems to exist more as multiple identities in one, as signified in the initial moments itself, one would expect such ups and downs. The humour works in here, when there is no stalking involved – those moments are not funny or even romantic like some people might feel. The overall quality is surely felt with what is shown on the screen, and the visuals contribute to the positives. Even though the action is out of place, it is also done well. The ending is justified, and we know that a true romantic movie is never about the lovers uniting, but about them finding happiness in life maybe without each other.

The claws of flaw :: The movie’s cluelessness after the middle part gets over and also the complication by the end is what gives us the struggle too. Despite starting as one thing and by the end of first half, slowly turning into something else keeps us wonder what exactly are we watching. Then there is that showoff with the good romantic boy going for stalking the girl whom he thinks is good-looking and she is also the one who should tell him that she loves him. This understanding of him is mainly because he knows a lot of filmy dialogues and also because he did not tell a girl that he loved her in school which led to she getting into another relationship. Then there are so may goons who confuse the hero and his friends for somebody else when they are in Madurai and starts beating them up and vice versa? This is indeed a strange parallel universe which is not even good enough to bring the chaos comedy in action. The stalking and the random fights between random gangs just bring nothing around here at all, as we feel that just the subplot and some confused souls would have made the movie shorter and sharper, keeping the main thing relevant. This was not really that difficult to do, with two worlds in two states established easily enough.

The performers of the soul :: Hridhu Haroon feels nicely suited for the role, and seems to do his job well, even though the tale does not allow him to beyond certain limitations – this is that kind of a character, a stalker and disturbance who claims to be in love and wishes to be romantic. If we still like the character, it is just because of his portrayal and body language. Preity Mukhundhan’s entry into Malayalam cinema is a good one, and there is no doubt about that one. Her characterization is very good, and her transformation is also effective, even outside the movie’s limits. Among the friend characters, it is Askar Ali who is the most noticeable. Arjun Sundharesan, Midhutty and Sreekanth Vettiyar remains effective among the friends too. Jeo Baby as the father figure might be one of the best father-figures of the year. Antony Varghese’s cameo was totally unnecessary, and that character is of absolutely no relevance. The reason for his cameo character existing will make even Sisyphus wonder like never before in his life. The friendship side of performance work nicely in favour of the movie.

How it finishes :: Maine Pyar Kiya could have been so many things, but it only ends up becoming a small part of itself, achieving only a little, deviating multiple times, and seemingly coming back, and often confused about its own identity. But it does have its moments, and even when we feel that it is done, the movie survives, and feels like the grandmother of comebacks. The movie does not go into that abyss of eternal chaos as some reviews seem to suggest, for it is like an Assault mode map of Unreal Tournament 99 Game of the Year Edition, for it is never done, as you struggle to complete one objective, then you easily go through the next, then finish the game in style when you feel that it as all going to end badly – maybe saved by that teammate who did not do much in the earlier part of the movie. Well, you know that this one is now available on Amazon Prime Video, and most of us have opted for the Prime option due to the need for buying so many things from the online marketplace – so, watching this one on a free day will not hurt, as there is some fun, and the youngsters around here are indeed good and deserves some attention.

Release date: 29th August 2025
Running time: 147 minutes
Directed by: Faizal Faziludeen
Starring: Hridhu Haroon, Preity Mukhundhan, Askar Ali, Midhutty, Jeo Baby, Arjun Sundharesan, Bibin Perumbillil, Abhimanue Sajeev, Redin Kingsley, Thrikkannan, Mime Gopi, Sai Dheena, Sreekanth Vettiyar, Jagadeesh Janardhan, Jibin Rexa