Sangeeth Prathap – Movies of the Soul

Vampire Owl: So, this is the one other movie of the Onam season.

Vampire Bat: Yes, the movie that came up with the second position.

Vampire Owl: And the movie which received what remained at the box office.

Vampire Bat: The second movie of a festival also does well enough.

Vampire Owl: Unless there are movies from other languages also coming in.

Vampire Bat: We have managed to keep it our own this time.

Vampire Owl: This Onam has been pretty well managed as we see it.

Vampire Bat: Onam is for the Malayalam movie industry.

Vampire Owl: What Lokah Chapter One: Chandra achieved has been remarkable.

Vampire Bat: Well, Avengers or Justice League of this world is ready to go.

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

What is the movie about? :: Sandeep Balakrishnan (Mohanlal) is a wealthy and successful businessman who runs a popular restaurant chain in Cochin named Lunch Box, and has been spending most of his time for the same. This group of restaurants are known to be the cleanest and the tastiest around. But he is forced to keep away from the business as he need to undergo a heart surgery, and receives the heart of a colonel who recently passed away. Even though his brother-in-law OK Panicker (Siddique) and other relatives around, they do not usually visit him except for when there is need, and the hospital assigns him a male nurse Jerry (Sangeeth Prathap) so that things are under control. It is then that a young woman named Haritha (Malavika Mohanan) contacts him as the daughter of the man whose heart was donated. She invites him to Pune for her engagement, and there he meets her mother Devika (Sangita Madhavan Nair). The function is grand, as they family have been settled there for many years, and Haritha is also an established architect.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: But not that much into the ceremony, Haritha declares the ceremony cancelled, leading to a quarrel, and Sandeep sustains a back injury while trying to intervene in the matters. Unable to return to Kochi due to this condition and he has to remain with Colonel’s family and Jerry to support him. Sandeep is not really happy about it in the beginning, as he feels the need to be back to his daily routine. But soon, he starts to get closer with Haritha and Devika. There he meets Haritha’s family friend Jacob (Lalu Alex) and Devika’s brother Manoj (Baburaj), which leads to him knowing more about his life as well as his habits. Despite his early feeling that a heart is just an organ, he feels the love and memories of the heart donor. Maybe this is the change that Sandeep needed, but how long can he stay in Pune and remain like the person who had donated the heart? How far will his world be changed, and how much does it change for the people around her?

The defence of Hridayapoorvam :: The movie goes on well with the feel-good idea. The movie would appeal to the family audience more than any other, and the director himself is reflected around here. There is a certain amount of happiness related to this movie, which stays on with us as we move away from the movie. The emotional side is also pretty strong for most of the time, and the mood with the death of a person and his hearth living inside another person keeps us going. There are also those light moments without even a pinch of dark that works, and the humour has itself moving in the right way. The background music and the songs keep working well for the overall mood of the movie. The people going for this movie because of the other two releases of the time being at the extremes, one becoming the industry hit and the other not getting audience, has kept the audience choosing this movie when the tickets for the all-time blockbuster was not available, getting this one to one of the top hits of the year.

The claws of flaw :: The movie feels a little bit too long for the content that it serves. It keeps on moving on and on even without much happening in between. Many things that happen in between seems to be not too relevant, and even then, they just keep happening in front of us, leaving us not focusing on the whole thing. The predictability factor is too high, and we know what is happening and feel like what could happen next can also be known in advance, with characters also acting in the ways we feel that they are going to act. Some jokes which seem to have been added here might serve no purpose at all, as a few dialogues and situations just fall flat, and were really not needed around here. Some characters just seem to have come out of nowhere, and never really even needed the big names to play them. The emotional loss is also seen at times. There are no real ups and downs here, as the movie keeps on going on in an average level, and sometimes gets just above average during its journey.

The performers of the soul :: Mohanlal, as expected, holds the movie together. His screen presence remains the biggest thing about this movie, and both humour and emotional depth stays strong within his arms it is due to him that simple moments become so strong and situations that would look dumb and absurd are converted into an effective side. His ability to turn the meaningless to the relevant with a certain amount of charm is on display here. Malavika Mohanan is a perfect addition as this character as she seems to blend in with cent percent accuracy. Sangita Madhavan Nair on another appearance after that memorable Anand Sreebala brings the charm of the past and our own nostalgia. Sangeeth Prathap brings the humour after Premalu, and this time, most of it comes smoothly and blends into the usual. Siddique and Lalu Alex, even though going on well, does not get their characters at full potential, and Janardhanan along with Baburaj only have a limited screen presence. The focus never really comes to the side characters, as it remains at one space, and the central character remains the heart.

How it finishes :: Lokah Chapter One: Chandra won the Onam in style, remarkably bypassing Lucifer 2: Empuraan unlike what was predicted, rising above all expectations. It does not bring anything new and with the old model of feel-good factor brought into the new world, manages to keep the audience interested, especially those who like similar flicks. There might be question if the movie could have been something bigger, but it keeps on being stuck to the safe mode – something greater is just kept away because it could be, to keep the family audience happy. If you are into this kind of movies, and stay happy with moments that bring nothing negative, pessimistic and disappointing, this is really the movie that keeps you there, even though that length might pull things back. The Onam mood nicely reflected here for sure, and we stay close to the same due to the mood never getting dark, and there seems to be the happiness that keeps on growing with hope for the better. We see that this is one of those paths that work, and that kind of audience will be watching it on the OTT and survive.

Release date: 28th August 2025
Running time: 151 minutes
Directed by: Sathyan Anthikad
Starring: Mohanlal, Malavika Mohanan, Sangeeth Prathap, Sangita Madhavan Nair, Lalu Alex, Baburaj, Nishan, Janardhanan, Siddique, Sabitha Anand, Saumya Bhagyan Pilla, Chandu Naik, Faheem B

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Vampire Owl: We were never really planning to watch this one.

Vampire Bat: We are way past romantic comedy right now.

Vampire Owl: Well, who falls in love during these days of chaos?

Vampire Bat: There are always people who falls in love.

Vampire Owl: It is a human thing, I guess.

Vampire Bat: Yes, just like violence, hatred and hostility.

Vampire Owl: Humans are trying to hide their true nature with this?

Vampire Bat: They will have to show their terrifying true faces at some point.

Vampire Owl: We will enjoy this veneer applied on them for now.

Vampire Bat: Their world, their movies, their valentines.

[Gets a Kolkata Kathi Roll and three cups of Darjeeling Tea].

What is the movie about? :: Sachin (Naslen K Gafoor) is a jobless young man who managed to get his degree from a random college where he had fallen in love with a girl whom he know, but that thought itself never made any sense as the girl hardly even knew him. He gets back home and finds that his visa to the United Kingdom is rejected. He meets his old friend Amal (Sangeeth Prathap) after a long time, and decides to go with him to Hyderabad and attend GATE coaching, even though he has no clue about what he is doing. They are invited to the wedding ceremony of their teacher Shobi (Althaf Salim), scheduled to take place in Andhra Pradesh. At the function, he falls in love with Reenu (Mamitha Baiju) who had recently joined an IT firm in Hyderabad and was there with her colleagues. Their first meeting is not that great to talk about, and fails to create an impression as he almost kills her colleague and admirer Aadhi (Shyam Mohan M) and Reenu’s best friend Karthika (Akhila Bhargavan) feels that they have other motives.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: As Reenu and Karthika has no way to return to Hyderabad after the function, they choose to go back with Sachin and Amal. Aadhi who has been in love with Reenu since they first met, does not agree to the same. The journey makes them good friends and Sachin wishes to make sure that Reenu falls in love with him. At the same time, Karthika feels that Amal has fallen in love with her, which should be the reason why they keep contacting the two girls. Sachin and Amal invite Reenu and Karthika to a pub to attend a part for couples, but in the absence of a partner for their flat mate Niharika (Meenakshi Raveendran), they decline the offer. But this brings them to Thomas (Mathew Thomas), a science-addict who is paired with Niharika. The visit to the pub is messed up as they realize that nothing good is going to come out of all of these. But Sachin is still infatuated with Reenu, but is there any way for him to make love happen, and what can Amal do about all these?

The defence of Premalu :: The simple fun movie mode is turned on with this movie from the beginning to the end. The happy and light mood keeps making things better. The funny counters are really good, and might be repeated in the comedy shows for the new generation, as we see this as the first full comedy of the year. The movie becomes the reminder that there can be jokes which are suitable for everyone, even though sometimes it seems to show small tendencies to deviate to the other side. Friendship and romance, even when not new, feels refreshing, as the attempt to keep this interesting with moments can be seen. The stars have also been doing some great job in promoting the movie – saw them from a distance at Puthettu Cinemas, Palai last week, and that seemed to be a cheerful group of Mamitha Baiju, Sangeeth Prathap and Meenakshi Raveendran. The happy nature seems to be reflected in the film very well. We do have this movie showing the naïve nature of the youth that works pretty well.

The claws of flaw :: There is almost nothing to be taken seriously in regards to Premalu, as we see the characters go through the simple problems touched with humour. In the attempt to remain funny at all times, we see that trivial matters gain importance over everything else. This means that the amount of silliness that comes in between might be too high, but that kind of a feeling would be suitable more for films like Kunjiramayanam that could thrive on the foolishness of the characters from the beginning to the end, typecasting them. The movie is also a little too long for one’s liking, as there is not that much of a content to continue to ponder over. There is too much of a repetition for people who are less interested in the genre. The idea of having a foolish hero getting to marry a smart and intelligent heroine remains ridiculous; the happy ending seems forced, and these people separating forever would have been the right choice here. The weakness of second half is clearly seen in this movie, as the film seems to be confused where to stop.

The performers of the soul :: Naslen K Gafoor has been the boy next door for quite a long time, proving his point multiple times often considered in combination with Mathew Thomas of Kumbalangi Nights fame. The two made a fine combo in Thanneer Mathan Dinangal as well as Jo and Jo. He shines with the shades of comedy, even though there is some overdose. Naslen has gone further, as it was earlier somewhat shown in Kuruthi while Mathew also has a cameo role here which raises the interest of viewers. Mamitha Baiju has been a favourite among the youth more than ever in the recent years, starting with Sarvopari Palakkaran followed by Varathan a long time ago, but getting the big roles in Operation Java and Kho Kho. She has once again proven the point that she is perfectly suitable to this kind of roles. Meenakshi Raveendran is a joy to see again after that feel-good of Tholvi F C, but has too less to do. Sangeeth Prathap provides very good support here with shades of humour all over. Akhila Bhargavan is a lovely addition and Shyam Mohan with some memorable comic dialogues also add to the interesting young cast who make the impact here.

How it finishes :: Premalu is that kind of a romantic comedy which focuses on the humorous side so well that it remains entertaining throughout its run, and provides nothing more with content. The movie has found that kind of a cast that works like a dream. It becomes an enjoyable journey for families including children and youth, but not that much for people who are looking for some serious content. If we look at the same as we have intended it to be, there would be a smooth run here, and one can be left happy in the end, while going through laughs in between, without brains. It could be the bliss of solitude in parts, as there is no attempt to get into a darker mood even when things seem to go down for the protagonist. The success of the movie is a reminder that we have not lost that touch in enjoying the movies with no serious content, even though thrillers have remained the big scorers at the box office, with the last two being Abraham Ozler and Neru. Well, we still know that there are more big releases coming up and Premalu has to fight hard to maintain its good spot at he box-office.

Release date: 9th February 2024
Running time: 156 minutes
Directed by: Girish A D
Starring: Naslen K Gafoor, Mamitha Baiju, Sangeeth Prathap, Shyam Mohan M, Akhila Bhargavan, Meenakshi Raveendran, Althaf Salim, Shameer Khan, Ranjith Narayan Kurup, AR Rajaganesh, K S Prasad, Mathew Thomas (cameo)