MARYKUNDORU KUNJAADU: Pure Entertainment!

Shafi along with Benny P Narayambalam, once again comes up with a film that is a purely entertaining stuff with engaging and believable narration. The story is wafer thin and has been made keeping Dileep's homely image in mind. Anyways the film is all fun 'n' frolic as director Shafi and script writer Benny.P.Nairambalam could have made it a whole lot more cherishable especially in the second half as simplicity is forsaken for chaos but the director has been successful in keeping the audience interested in the movie by touching your humorous side through out the movie.

Dileep enacts the role of Solomon, who is known by the nickname ‘Kunjaadu’ (Lamb). This story is set in a remote hilly village where the majority are Christians where Solomon is the son of the local priest and is brought up in a similar fashion as a simple soul. He is a very silent personality, who fears everything around him, and hence the name ‘Kunjaadu’. The movie had two Mary's in its character list. The first is Mary, the mother of Solomon. The other Mary is played by Bhavana, who is the only daughter of a rich landlord Ittichan. She is in love with Solomon right from their childhood days. But Ittichan doesn’t like the relationship as he has a sober lover story to tell. That is about his old relation with Solomon’s mother Mary, which never got fulfilled. But with the arrival of a strong man with a harsh look into the company of Solomon, the story changes gears suddenly and forms the rest of the story.

Coming to the performances, its Dileep all the way and I was absolutely happy to see him do what he does best. He was offered a role which everyone knows he will be comfortable with and he did with consummate ease. Bhavana had nothing to do other than performing yet another a stereotypical herione. Though Berny Ignatious' music is a total let down, the technical crew has done an excellent job with Joseph Nellikal doing art direction and Shyam Dutt handles the camera.

Overall ‘Marykundoru Kunjaadu’ is indeed a hilarious humor riot that knocks you over the head with its well directed sequences. With its family audience marked out in precise strokes, the film very well caters to their tastes and appeals without doubt and if you are looking for movies that will make you think, look somewhere else. This movie is all about laughter. Forget yourself and your real life issues and just laugh out loud…, the whole theater is with you.

My Verdict : 3.5/5

THE SOCIAL NETWORK is worth a watch!!!

The Social Network is another wonderful film from director David Fincher, who has given us gems like The Game, Fight Club, Seven, Zodiac and The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button. He holds the film together and extracts excellent performances from his cast. His sensitive and realistic portrayal of Mark Zuckerberg’s personality should be applauded. This movie is about a dramatic,enthralling and interesting story of success. It is not mainly about Facebook as many would think, it is about the mastermind who invented it to attract this much people all around the world with a simple idea.

The Social Network is the story of Mark Zuckerberg enacted by Jesse Eisenberg, a Harvard University student and the founder of Facebook.com. It takes us through the creation of the website, how it made Mark a billionaire and made enemies out of his friends. The seamless and exciting screenplay is the backbone of the movie and it is also excellent in the way it brings out the story of Mark Zuckerberg. The dialogues are natural and memorable. The director narrates Mark's personal life and the chronology of founding of Facebook very well. Although the screenplay moves between the past and the future, the transitions are beautiful, revealing different aspects of Mark’s personality one by one. There is a lot of talk in the film but the intense dialogues, coupled with the excellent performances, make the drama believable and interesting to watch. Jesse Eisenberg’s portrayal of Mark Zuckerberg is outstanding and he enacts with ease the vulnerability of Mark’s character with consummate ease. Justin Timberlake fits well into the shoes of the eccentric Sean Parker. David Fincher is one of those directors whose style is in everything that he makes and while at first that may not seem appropriate for a film about Harvard students creating a social website, it somehow makes the film better. Were this in the hands of another director, I don't think the film would have been as well received. The choice in music, camera angles, editing, lighting and the cast is all brilliant.

All in all, The Social Network makes for a good watch. It is one of those films that is rare in its ability to spark conversation. When the film ends, you can't help but turn to your friend or family member and instantly start talking about what you saw. I can safely recommend this movie to anyone who believe in good contentful cinema and if you are missing it, your education in films has not begun.

FOUR FRIENDS is emotionally irritating!!

Coming from the maker of Ivar Vivahitarayaal and Happy Husbands, ‘Four Friends’, is an emotional tearjerker which move in through well sketched out regular routes. Completely copied from the classic Hollywood movie 'Bucket List', this movie is a torture and can be advised to the family audience, who are regulars of formulaic television stuff.

Though you may not expect a great film from the director Saji Surendran, you will expect at least a cliched and mediocre movie. But here, director Saji Surendran is back with this silly made movie, Four friends, all about melodrama. If you are not ready to get an infectious bit from what is shown on screen, then you're best advised to leave this highly melodramatic movie alone and pretend it never existed. I'm not going to give an outline about the story of this movie. You people better go to a DVD store and grab a copy of the Hollywood classic 'Bucket List'. The Bucket List is a great and delightful movie to watch. The movie sways the viewers into an emotional level that continues to resonate even long after the film had ended. But this movie is a highly cliched mega serial like drama which can be avoided.

There are only two things which I liked about this movie. One is the electrifying cameo performance by universal hero Kamal Haasan. Other is actor Jayasurya. Must say that he delivered a commendable performance. He proved that he's got a far far better acting caliber and talent than the so called 'Young Superstar' of Malayalam cinema. All others in the lead including Jayaram, Kunchako and Meera Jasmine are just okay for their roles and nothing mention worthy. The technical side keeps in sync with the movie with mentionable cinematography from Anil Nair and co. The shots in the climax from the suicidal bridge was a treat to watch. This movie has some very ordinary songs. BG tracks and mechanical performances are at times making negative impact.

The director, Saji Surendran and the scriptwriter Krishna Poojapura has miserably failed to make the film an engrossing affair with none of the sequences inviting attention from the audience. All together ‘Four Friends’ is not an imaginative, impressive affair to a regular film goer. If you are on to this, just expect a pedestrian stuff.

My Verdict : 2/5

ENTHIRAN is spectacular

Any movie of Rajnikanth is always a festival; but this time with the never before pomp and show of Director Shankar, ARR, and Aishwarya Rai the biggest budgeted movie Endhiran hit screens worldwide with tickets sold out house full. I was dumbstruck when I heard that the tickets for this movie were finished in the first ten minutes after opening the bookings in a theatre in U.S and I even thought it was just getting a hype like all other Rajni movies. But this one is completely different from the others. This 3 hour flick deserves the budget, the wait, the applause and all the appreciations from the fans.

In this movie, Rajnikanth is a scientist, Vaseegaran who develops a robot. He names it ‘Chitty’ and teaches every single thing in this universe. ‘Chitty’ is programmed to learn and know everything except for human emotions and when that is taught, how would you expect a machine to react? What happens next forms the rest of the story. All the credit for this extravagant movie goes to Shankar Sir. This man is an absolute genius. His creativity reaches great heights with this movie and elevates the Indian movie standard to an all time high. With every movie of his, the scale of movie-making grows tremendously. He got the best technology money can buy. Looks like the majority of the budget is spent on 'Animatronics' and this movie has got plenty of that.

Thalaivar's fan following ranges from small villages to international cities. He is magnificent in this movie. In fact, HE is the movie. He adds life to every single frame created by Shankar with his charismatic screen presence which no other superstar in India could deliver. But this movie has a different Rajni rather than the Rajni who always does stylish marks punch dialogues and awesome modulations to impress us. Aishwarya Rai's role is quite limited in scope, but she looks ravishing in most scenes and does her job well. Santhanam and another comedian (forgot his name) also did justice to their roles.

Technically this movie is a wonder. Shankar proved that it is not only Hollywood that uses Indian staff to create wonders, we could do it too. And as I said the movie is worth the Whooping budget of 150 crores. Though the movie is an animation feast rather than a animation treat there are few sequences that are not to be missed though you don't watch the movie like the train fight, saving the people from fire, KIDNAPPING , And of course the last 45 minutes which makes you think that you are watching a Hollywood movie. Am sure this would lighten up the hopes of many talented Indian animators. Cinematographer Rathnavel impresses us again after a brilliant visual treat in Vinnaithaandi varuvaaya. I felt ARR's music in this film was just mediocre except for the 'Kilimanjaroo' song. The locales in which these two songs have been shot are just breathtaking including locales like Macchu Pichu in Peru which added more charm to these songs. Is ARR getting a little overrated now a days????

Of course this movie is a "must watch" if you are a lover of good commercial entertainers. But do not go to the movie expecting a typical Rajini movie. This is a spectacular visual experience and a real treat. Now, the clock has been reset and the wait continues. For the next Rajni starrer...Long live Thalaivaar!!!

My Verdict : 4/5

'PRANCHIYETTAN AND THE SAINT' is a masterpiece

For all you people who has been shedding tears about no good movie gets made nowadays, it is time for you to stop worrying, well for the time being at least, because 'Pranchiyettan and the Saint' is a brilliant movie. Rarely will you ever come across movies with such depth. Director Ranjith's latest venture starring Mammootty, is one such movie which offers sheer joy and a captivating cinematic experience to the viewers.

In this movie, Mammootty plays a rice merchant named Chirammal Eaanasu Francis, popularly known by the name ‘Pranchiyettan' or 'AriPraanchi' hailing from Trichur. He is an immensely rich business man who had been traditionally into rice selling. He is a man who is out there with a helping hand to the people around him. Though he had every other fortune, Pranchiyettan feels that he commands no needed respect from the society, as he is uneducated. The movies tracks his hilarious ways into making more respectability and honour for himself. Throughout the film, Ranjith remains undecided between two equally lucrative, and challenging choices. The first, of making his film a satire – a celebration of the flawed corrupted system we live in (Making us realize even the Padmasree is for sale) and the second – of making his film a genuinely profound,intense and extremely witty. Both black humor and emotional quotients are amalgamated in the right proportion. Full credits to Ranjith sir for that as the film offers lots of quality rib-tickling moments throughout. The intermission point offers a small and surprising element that is totally out of the blue and keeps you hooked to the movie. The way Ranjith sir narrated with the story with a tinge of black humour with a rich flavor of Thrissur slang is indeed mention worthy.

Mammootty is an actor who delivers good performance every time and he delivered the mannerisms and the rich thrissur slang with consummate ease. He is supported by a huge cast of actors including Innocent, Siddique, Tini Tom, Jagathy Sreekumar, and Master Ganapathy who was highly impressive. Priyamani and Khushboo did justice to their roles. The technical side of this movie is pretty strong with veteran cinematographer Venu delivering a very good camera work. The only song in the movie is nicely picturised but they seem to lack a real tune. A nice melody wouldn´t have gone amiss. The crew have attempted to make the song and BGM appropriate to the story but the song is not really anything memorable, then what is the point of having it? Ranjith controls the goings-on in the story very well and extracts assured performances from all of his actors.

On the whole, 'Pranchiyettan and the saint' easily ranks amongst Ranjith, Mammootty and Innocent's finest films. One of the finest films to have come out in the last five years. Do yourself and your family a favour: Watch 'Pranchiyettan and the saint'. It's entertaining, it's real and it's captivating and if you are missing it, you are missing it big time!!

My Verdict : 4.5/5

SHIKAAR -- An engrossing thriller !!!!

A very good story, superb performances, well fleshed out characters, play of emotions and technical brilliance. Padmakumar bounces back with flare in his new film ‘Shikaar’ which is indeed a worthy watch for all the lovers of contentful cinema. Although he had been able to create some mentionable and good movies in the past like 'Ammakilikoodu', 'Vargam' and 'Vasthavam'. All these movies were critically acclaimed but sadly ended up as flops at the Box Office. After several unsuccessful attempts to hit the bulls eye, director Padmakumar had to team up with none other than Mohanlal to create a commercial hit and I must say they have succeeded.

The story unfolds in a forest called Chittazha, a place that comes alive only when it is the time for the bamboo to be harvested. During the season, a dozen of shops are set up in the forest to serve the hundreds of workers and drivers who come up to harvest bamboo and transport them into far off places. Mohanlal is Balaraman in the movie, a lorry driver who frequents this place during the season. Although he appears cool in demeanor, certain incidents from his past continue to haunt him. The story carries you along and keeps you hanging on every moment. What starts as a passable entertainer turns into a gripping suspense-thriller during second half. Hats off to entire team as they deserve praises for their earnest efforts and brilliance. Padmakumar has successfully managed to build in the necessary tension and suspense around the lead character, which pushes the movie till the climax.

Mohanlal is used to such a good effect that one can really feel his fear and fire, experiences his struggle. This role was just a cake walk for him but he delivered it with magnificent ease. The director also seems to have decided to keep the central character more manly, without a huge deal of heroic built ups until the last reels. The only hiccups in the entire proceeding seems to be the comedy scenes which featured Suraj Venjaramudu which fails to deliver. Ananya delivered a candid natural performance without pushing for histrionics, and works the understated character perfectly. Samudrakani as Telungana leader Abdulla was nothing but brilliant. Lakshmi Gopalaswamy, Thalaivasal Vijay, Lalu Alex and Kalabhavan Mani also does their roles with elaan.

Surprisingly, the script writer Suresh Babu does a very good job as his script is both engaging and entertaining. A very good round of applause to the director because the movie follows a crystal-clear narration. The other highlights of the movie are the awesome and neatly framed cinematography by Manoj Pillai capturing the greenery and the ethereal beauty of Pooyamkutti forest. Musician Jayachandran has came up with a couple of good tracks including the track, “Enthedi Enthedi” which is also at the top of hit chart.

A little more crispness in script and care in execution could have made it to the list of the bests, seen in recent times in Mollywood. But now with its strong theme, nice premise and good performances from the lead pairs, the movie ends up as a laudable effort and can be definitely prescribed for a complete entertainment. Highly recommended.

My Verdict: 3.8/5

NAAN MAHAAN ALLA is classy and engrossing

‘Naan Mahaan Alla’ directed by Suseendran who made an impressive directorial debut with 'Vennilla Kabadi Kuzhu'. Expectations were sky high as Susindran and Karthi joined hands together. These personalities share a common history of success in film industry and together they have outmatched their previous films now. ‘Naan Mahaan Alla’ top notches on every arenas as it holds a powerful theme and technicians glistering at their best. The film creates a lump in your throats with its serious subject and you’ll walk out of theatres with an intense emotion. And remember Karthi is one of the hottest stars of this year with three consecutive hit films. This year he had the first super hit ‘Paiyaa’ and ‘Naan Mahaan Alla’ is his fourth film.

The heart of the film is about the bonding of a serious father and a romantic son, laced with the criminal backdrops of Chennai. Karthi plays the role of Jeeva, a typical middle-class Chennai youngster with an easy going attitude, who is drawn into the world of crime and criminals after a particular incident changes his life. The first half is racy, peppy and also enthusiastic. What starts as a passable entertainer turns into a gripping crime-thriller during second half. Hats off to entire team as they deserve praises for their earnest efforts and brilliancies and executed with consummate ease. Full credit goes to the director and the most highlighting attribute of this film is the crisp and crystal-clear narration. Susindran makes sure the audiences are not dragged back and forth with fluctuating tempos. This two hour of drama keeps you engaged and adhered to screens.

Coming to the technical aspects of the movie, Director Suseendran assures that ‘Naan Mahaan Alla’ contains 100% entertainment factors with the right mix of comedy, romance, action and sentiments. It's Karthi, Karthi and Karthi all through the film. Is this the making of another SUPERSTAR in tamil film industry? Every actor has come up with a realistic performance in typical Suseendran style. Yuvan Shanker Raja's music is sooting and beautiful. The songs are beautifully picturised.

Very rarely we do come across such engrossing and engaging entertainers on Tamil screen. Naan Mahaan Alla, director Suseendran's second venture can be considered among the outstanding entertainers that have come out in recent times. On the whole, 'NAAN MAHAAN ALLA' is a movie that is different from commercial cliches ushering hope and confidence in Tamil cinema. Go for it.

My Verdict : 3.5/5

INCEPTION -- A Connoisseur's delight !!!

Christopher Nolan's new movie is superb, engaging, mind blowing and indeed a MASTERPIECE. On your first viewing, you will quite possibly only grasp just a fraction of its complexity, but the brilliance of this movie lies in how engaging it is- even though you cannot quite fully comprehend what Nolan is trying to say. Indeed, it may take multiple viewings for one to absorb completely his audacious new creation that dares to tackle as dense and intricate a subject as that of dreams. Inception is a film that you can watch any number of times and each time you enjoy more. Its too brilliant a film. The screenplay is awesome. The non linear narration catch you off guard when you watch it first and may appear confusing but once you get the film you realize that it wouldn't have been better than this had it been told in a normal way.

The setup of the movie is fresh, with enough time spent on it that its logic makes sense and the plot structure holds. Despite the apparent complexity of the plot, once the rules are explained to us, we get it, and we can extrapolate from those initial rules and generate derivative rules from that, sometimes arriving at a new bunch of ideas or rules just as the characters do – almost never before. And as for the plot being complex, it isn't really, you just gotta be diligent, be engaged and awake, enter the cinema with a mind that is ready to work – and then it becomes moderately easy to follow; as there is a very simple layering pattern to the plot, you just need to orient yourself every time we transition from one scene to the next, and the filmmakers have done all that is within their responsibility to do to help you, the audience, along in figuring out where you are. SO DON'T F*****G COMPLAIN THAT YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON. If you do, you might as well give up on yourself – why bother living?

One of the things I liked most about the movie was that it throws you right into the middle of the plot, with little scenes here and there that sorta explain what’s going on, and they help you understand the movie and draw your own conclusions. There was no nonsense scenes with random talking and crap like that and that's why I said earlier that the dialogues are so powerful.

But believe me, it is so well written that you will understand it all the way until the end of the movie. Or at least so you think. The last few seconds of the movie will, excuse my language, mindfuck you in all the right ways. It will leave you wondering what the hell just happened? Was everything you believed you just saw wrong from the very start? Was it all a dream? I guess you’ll have to watch it to find out. I've seen this movie 6 times in the last two and a half weeks and I will definitely watch it again. :)

My Rating : 5/5

APOORVARAGAM is Pathetic

Sibi Malayil , the director who had delivered many classics in could have looked upon for a better script for his relaunch, than this which is found to be wanting in many areas. If he is to go on repeating things like this, very soon he will be stamped as a director who can't go over the potential of the supplied scripts. Apoorvaragam is a totally disappoiting movie with an unconvincing script, overacted performances and horrible music.

In Apoorvaragam, Sibi Malayil tells a story of three youngsters, Roopesh, Nancy and Tommy. Three young hearts in love, and a tumultuous ride through their joys, their pains and frustrations. How they try to implement thier evil intentions, some expectable and unrealistic twists etc forms the rest of the story. The plot, even though half baked, is little appealing but it is the screenplay and the dialogues with double meaning and vulgarity that proved to be the biggest negatives of the film. The director, Sibi Malayil and the scriptwriters has miserably failed to make the film an engrossing affair, as the first half with cliched sequences is a little dragging with none of the sequences inviting attention from the audience. The narrative of the film is also structured in a strange fashion. In the beginning of the movie, you have all the necessary campus film requirements; be it the so called 'thattupolippan' songs ( It was horrible though) or the outdated jokes, the canteen banter or the weirdo dance steps. In fact everything except studies. And in the second half Sibi Malayil takes you into a world of so called 'twists' or the correct word will be some unrealistic mix-up's.

Apoorvaragam is filled with over acted performances. Be it the cute Nishan or Asif. Both failed miserably to get into the skin of the character. Nishan looks attractive but doesn't even fit into a ruffian role. The man who played the role of Nithya's father often reminded me of the character played by Innocent in Azhakiya Raavan ( Thollakkal Panchayathu ;)) He was so amateurish. Jagathy Sreekumar's character is half baked. Nithya Menon had nothing to do in this film but her looks were good. On the flip side, the picturisation is okay. On the acting front, the late Santhosh Jogi and the guy who played the third protagonist (Forgot his name) is persevering. But since his role is limited and constricted, he cannot save the film. Music by Vidyasagar is below average. The camera work is indeed mention-worthy.


Apoorvaragam is not impressive and tedious, the script was just a crap, and the only thing it leaves one to ponder is, "Why didn't I believe the critics on this one?" If you can, personally, find some meaning in "Apoorvaragam" I'm happy for you, but please realize that that meaning is purely a personal one and nothing that is inherently suggested. (That or you are just claiming to find meaning where there is none because you like to make people think that you are smarter than you actually are. Sorry if that sounds bitter, but I was really disappointed.) And there is no logic promoting these kind of films. Strictly avoidable.

My Verdict : 1/5

MALARVADI ARTS CLUB -- A feel good friendship tale!!

Vineeth Sreenivasan has a very good track record in Mollywood. He is a successful playback singer, album director and even as an actor he proved his mettle. Now DIRECTOR Vineeth Sreenivasan has made bold with an absolutely new idea and to his eternal credit makes it work with finesse and flashiness. Malarvadi Arts club is a well made movie. He redefines the meaning of friendship in this well portrayed tale. Moreover, Vineeth Sreenivasan was successful in formulating a right script that revolves strongly on 'Relationships'.

The story of 'Malarvadi Arts Club' revolves around the life and adventures of five friends in a village named 'Manassery' in Malabar side. . These five friends have reached an important point of their lives, having completed their studies and are in the lookout for a job, they have no other place for a hangout than their old children’s club. The Club is at the edge of destruction with new generation children showing no interest in group activities, other than those related to their studies. The five men in the film are good at heart, but they have different temperaments and are unique in their own way. The five some decides to somehow run the Club and organize better activities with the help of the local men. The director clearly works out the ‘Nostalgia factor’ by clearly portraying the inherent innocence of a village and village men, their life, their joys, sorrows, etc. Everything is excellent about this movie. Be it the direction, the flawless realistic script, the performances from the lead actors , the music etc. Just everything perfect for me.

The actor who portrayed the role of ‘Prakash’ steals the show with his top-notching performance. He emotes fantastically to all situations. Let it be his relented shades or the emotional outburst in penultimate sequences; he’s awesome. Much accordingly ‘Santhosh’ delivers a stupendous act and Purushu – the romantic hero steals the show. On the grounds of hilarious lines as well heart-touching moments, the actor has gone ahead in places. The two new actresses does justice to their roles. Salim Kumar was impressive and quite good at parts. I felt Suraj Venjaramoodu was not effective with his usual gimmicks and mannerisms. Did I forgot to mention Nedumudi sir’s performance? Well this role was just a cakewalk for him. He exhibited his brilliance and portrayed the role with consummate ease. P Sukumar's cinematography has innovative placements adding to the touch of screenplay’s pace. Now winding up this section, Shaan Rahman’s music is fresh and entertaining. His beats including the BGM merge with the movie’s theme. His rerecording could have been better and could have included another singer but nevertheless, a great show! Hard work from cast and crew is evident in the movie and eventually it had paid off.

For all you people who has been shedding tears about no good movie getting made nowadays, it is time for you to stop worrying, well for the time being at least, because this is a terrific movie! Definitely advised for all, who love good, meaningful cinema. Highly recommended.

My Verdict : 3.5/5

Oru Naal Varum -- REFRESHINGLY DIFFERENT

Oru Naal Varum -- All connoisseurs of good, contentful cinema was eagerly waiting for its release for a long long time. July 9 was the day and I must say it delivered. It never came up to my level of expectation but I thoroughly enjoyed the movie to the core. It is of little doubt in Malayalam Cinema that Lalletan - Sreenivasan had been the best Writer-Actor duo to have ever come up on screen. They were exemplary pair which made super hits like Naadodikattu, Pattanapravesham, T.P Balagopalan M A, Sanmanasullavarkku Samadhanam, Udayananu Tharam etc. Apart from this big highlight, the movie featured T. K Rajeev Kumar- the director who gave us films like Pavithram and Chanakyan.


The movie shows glimpses of the magic that happens when Mohanlal and Srinivasan get together. My opinion is that they have been more entertaining in the past, but this movie is a rare treat in recent times. Oru Naal varum is another social satire film by Sreenivasan narrating the fate of a citizen trying hard to build a house of his own facing the harsh regulations of town planning office. Here Sreenivasan narrates the plight of an ordinary citizen who is forced to run after files paying bribes and offering presents to every officers on the way, to help him to realize his dream. I am not revealing much about about the storyline of the movie as there are some simple guessable suspense elements involved here. The first half of the movie is totally impressive with witty one liners, realistic dialogues and the second half would have been much much better if the narrative would have been delivered in a spicy and engaging way cutting off some of the melodrama. In the downside, the movie could have been trimmed a bit, particularly in the second half where it meanders around unwanted territories, with little results. The core issue in this film is corruption and I must say this film is firmly rooted in the current day social circumstances of Kerala and conveys a strong message.


Mohanlal as usual, has a cakewalk through the role of Kolapulli Sukumaran, who is never projected as a superhero(even though we had two stunt scenes forced to the narrative), but as a helpless ordinary man with right dose of emotions and strains. It was quite enthralling to watch Lalletan portraying the nuances, body language and inherent innocence of the character with magnificent ease. Sreenivasan makes his character memorable by delivering some of his trademark gestures. But he has played his part pretty well, in general. Another special role is of Nedumudi Venu who plays a retired havildar. Siddique, Lalu Alex and Sameera Reddy also play to the demands of their roles. The music department of this film is handled by M G Sreekumar and he delivered his career best performance. The technical side of the movie is also pretty good with cinematographer Manoj Pillai doing a good job.


All in all, ‘Oru naal Varum’ is a good attempt which ended up as just above mediocre. Had the makers packed the second half with some more dramatic, spicy and interesting events without much melodrama, the movie could have been a much better offering. Have a watch, as it definitely has some genuine moments that will interest you. This movie may work out well in the box office, if marketed intensively.

My Verdict : 7.5 / 10.

SHUTTER ISLAND

Martin Scorsese(One of my favorite movie directors), Leonardo DiCaprio, and a creepy, psychological thriller; what could possibly go wrong? Well, not much, but the end was a bit of a let down. Other than that this movie has to be appreciated for its unusual way of unfolding. So well is the mix of story-screenplay and direction that halfway into the movie and you feel like on "Shutter Island". Scorsese's brilliance is what makes the movie fantastic and add to it a stellar performance by Leonardo Di caprio.

"Shutter Island," as I said before, is a creepy, psychological thriller directed by film legend Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio as federal marshal Teddy Daniels, who's investigating the apparent disappearance of a 'patient' from the asylum for the criminally insane on Shutter island, where nothing is as it seems and everyone's motives are in question.

Just about everything in "Shutter Island" is dead on. Martin Scorsese knows how to make a movie. The actors give great performances, the cinematography is breathtaking, frightening, shocking, or whatever else Scorsese wants it to be, the story is suspenseful yet reveals its self at a good pace, and the pace keeps your attention through all two hours and eighteen minutes of film. For me, though, the twist ending was a bit of a disappointment.

I enjoyed most of the movie because it was a true psychological thriller, but felt a bit let down when I realized I had sat through all of that and most of it was not real. I think I would have preferred to have the true nature of federal marshal Teddy Daniels hinted at sooner. Having it all spelled out at the end, and not even knowing the absolute truth of it until the very end, just seems to bring all the momentum the story has built to that point to a screeching halt and was more of a disappointment than a shock.

It's hard to miss with Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio, and Scorsese doesn't miss, but for me, "Shutter Island" wasn't the psychological thriller I had hoped it would be but its a watchable fare.

Raavanan -- Amazing cinematography and a versatile Vikram.

Lots of film coming based on the stories of Indian epics. Two weeks after ‘Rajneeti’ was released, which was based on the epic, ‘Mahabharata’, here comes ‘Raavanan’, a film based on the epic, ‘Ramayana’. Perhaps this is the most anticipated film in recent times. Rightly so given the cast and crew assembled. Produced and directed by Mani Ratnam, ‘Raavanan’ stars Vikram, Aishwarya Rai and Prithviraj in the lead roles. The other cast comprises Prabhu, Karthik and Priyamani. This time retelling us the epic Ramayanam. As with any film of Mani Ratnam, the expectations are pretty high and when he combines with a power house of talent like Vikram the expectations only reach dizzying heights. The film also marks the reunion of Prabhu and Karthik with Mani Ratnam after 'Agni Natchathiram' nearly two decades ago.

The film is basically an attempt to forge the legendary Ramayana into today’s age but then, it is a very poor attempt. At one point, it looks like the makers got confused as to how they must portray the characters and it leaves a question mark on the audience’s face. Right at the start, we get the feeling of reaching half the plot so there is nothing much left to be desired. The movie revolves around the thief and cop chase after Vikram abrupts Ash. The plot takes the leaf out of Ramayana's most memorable chapter. Raavan abducted Sita, wife of Lord Rama, which resulted in a battle that ended with Rama vanquishing the ten-headed demon king. The twist in the plot comes in the form of Ragini questioning her own beliefs. Even though she wants to get rid of her abductor, she also sympathizes with him, developing a bond with Veera(Vikram) without knowing it. The first half of the film moves at snails pace and continues in the same vein till the climax when Dev and Veera face each other. Mani Rathnam's vision goes like this, Raaman can be a bad guy, Raavavan could be a good guy. Nothing really radical here by the way of treatment of narrative.

Mani Rathnam has often said that he lets his technicians do half his work and mind you he works only with the best in the country as in the lights of Santhosh Sivan and A.R Rahman. While the technicians have done a fabulous job, Mani sir hasn't kept his part off the bargain. It is more of a visual treat to the rain drenched forests and water falls of Athirampally and less of a love story. The technical finesse was highly impressive. The cinematography was the best till date in an Indian movie. It was mind blowing. Hats off to the Santhosh Sivan for his 'Cinematic Genius'. The song sequences were forced on the narrative but choreographed really well.

The film excels in the music department too with songs composed by A R Rahman. Vikram delivered one of his best performance and portrayed the character of Veera with consummate ease. With varied expressions, with a change of gait, with studied body language, Vikram portrays the protagonist so impressively that you cannot help admit this is the best he's been, in years. Aishwarya looks beautiful and she played her part well. Prithviraj was disappointing. He tried to outsmart Vikram in many combination scenes but the efforts were futile. Karthik didn't get the chance to show his mettle yet his body language and expressions proved he has got substance, Priyamani was good, Prabhu was effective, others didn't have anything to offer or add value.

Watch it if you are fan of all the big names attached to it. If Mani Sir's entire technical crew and Vikram’s acting skills are the positives for the movie; thin story line, sluggish narration and poor screenplay are the negatives. It is tough to rate this film, and yet to say that this film is going to be a great watch.

My Verdict : 3.2 / 5

SHERLOCK HOLMES -- Is disappointing!!

The film was much worse than I could have imagined. I calculated they wasted over 40 minutes in needless, and ridiculous, fight scenes. They had no bearing on the outcome of the movie. The film copied Indiana Jones in such capacity, I almost had to remind myself what film I was indeed viewing. The dialogues was terrible, often forced and brought the movie down to a snails pace. What exactly did people enjoy about this film? An enormous disappointment, I laughed out loud at all the predictable Guy Ritchie fight scenes and explosions, they were truly pathetic.

I have watched almost all Sherlock Homes movies starring Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Dr Watson, Jeremy Brett series from Granada etc, but this movie is sheer disappointment. I was very disappointed by the shame that movie makes of itself by transforming the noblest of men (Watson and Holmes) into two idiots punching each other. I don't want to give away too much, so I'll end the review with this: If you are a hardcore original Sherlock Holmes story fan, this may not be the movie for you. If not, I think anyone else would love this movie from start to finish.

Verdict : 1/5

KITES --- Coloured with boredom!!!!!

Produced by Rakesh Roshan and directed by Anurag Basu, ‘Kites’ is a mega-budget venture worth Rs.150 crore. Since the day it was announced, it was surrounded by hype, controversy, and rumor. The bigger the budget, the bigger the names, the bigger the hype,the bigger the expectations from the film. Kites has some of the biggest names in the business - Rakesh Roshan, Anurag Basu and Hrithik Roshan, to name a few - and the film, therefore, carries this huge responsibility on its shoulders. It has to soar higher than the hits delivered by this trio. Anything less will just not do! And I must say it failed to deliver. Anurag Basu should idolize Shanker and learn how to spend money on films. Anyone who saw the movie could say without a slight hesitation that 'Kites' was not even worth 50 crs except for those car chases and Mexican Extravaganza.

The film follows a Non- Linear narration. The story starts in a harsh terrain of the Mexican desert where a mortally wounded man Jai is left to die in the heat of the scorching sun. Once a street smart, carefree young guy, he is now a wanted man. Hrithik (Jay) is a money lover. He marries women for money and women marry him for Green Card. He has 11 legally illegal wives. He works as a Dance Teacher and his love for money gets him involved with the leading Business Man's daughter Kangana Ranaut (Jeena).He meets his would be Brother in Law and his fiancé Barbara Mori (Natasha\Linda) and guess what Linda is here one of those 11 wives. From then onwards typical Drama takes over Linda and Jay bond in Romantic Relation whereas the cheated Rich Family chases them.

Kites as a metaphor in the film. Kites are like two lovers who fly against the wind and not with the wind, they come close and separate and how their destinies are not in their hands. Performance wise, Hrithik is fine but he is not able to make a relation with his viewers mainly because both his romances with Barbara and Kangna appear to be flat without any depth. His act doesn’t have any novelty which used to be a key feature of his every new movie. But he simply excels in his last scene crying at the hill top. Barbara Mori is the refreshing factor in the film. She is a direct departure from the stereotypical Bollywood film heroine. She holds her own in each and every scene. Not only is her chemistry with Hrithik Roshan electrifying, she stands shoulder to shoulder with Hrithik in acting merits and screen presence. Barbara’s presence in the film also works with the fact that she is a talent we have not witnessed on screen before.

The one thing i liked most in the movie was the intermission for then was showed the theatrical promo of the forthcoming movie ‘Raavan’. It looks and sounds like a movie that brings together the likes of Mani Ratnam, A R Rahman, Gulzar and Santosh Sivan. My hopes are high but you never know. Promos are mostly deceptive and Bollywood has time and again strengthened my belief...;);). With no other Bollywood release to challenge it and the unprecedented buzz it has gathered, this one just might become the first big hit of 2010.

Verdict : 2/5

Pokkiri Raja --- Entertainment, but in parts.

I went for this movie with sky high expectation and to be frank, it didn't raised up to my level of expectation. This movie created a huge amount of buzz and hype as it features Mammooty and upcoming star Prithviraj. Apart from bringing in a casting coup by uniting Megastar Mammootty and youth icon Prithviraj for the first time in full length roles, this movie by debutant director Vysakh has also taken pains to present Super actress Shriya Saran to Mollywood.

Pokkiri raja is the story of two sons of a honest school teacher. Out of the two brothers, Raja runs away from home due to some circumstances which was a common feature of the Malayalam movie's made in the 80's. The movie has Mammootty as Raja and Prithvi as Soorya, both sons of popular Gandhian and idealistic teacher Madhavan Mash. The eldest son Raja was thrown out of the house by Madhavan Mash, as he was reluctant to stick to his father’s Gandhian ways. He ran away from home to Madurai after a scuffle and becomes the leader of a gang of ruffians in Madurai. Madhavan Mash has much hopes on his younger son Soorya, who was reared with care as to become a model for the youth of the town. But circumstances forced Soorya to just follow his elder brother’s path and to take arms and to become another notable name, booked by the police. Shriya plays Aswathy, the daughter of the city police commissioner who falls in love with Soorya. Then finally the two brothers meet face to face and the rest of the movie shows their tale.

The highlight of the movie is the glossy looks and colorfulness with which it is presented. With many song and dance sequences and funny moments, the movie will not give you much time to ponder over logic, atleast when in the cinema halls. Its high time that Mammootty should realize that he is NOT good in dance and he should stick on to what he does best.The song 'Kettille Kettille' and other so called 'Rap' song must have been picturised better. Remember the Rajamanicyam song.. "Pandi melam pattum koothum...". In that song Mammooty sir's screen presence is utilized to the maximum without the inclusion of dance steps. That's what a good director does. Even Manirathnam sir made Mammooty dance in Thalapathy, but he varied the camera movements and was a bit slower which made that song exceptional.But these kind of dance steps reminds me of Love in Singapore and mayabazaar which must have been avoided.

Coming to the technical aspects of the movie. The technical side of the movie is good, with every department doing their best to maintain the quality of a potential hit. Shaji's camera, and Mahesh Narayanans editing are brilliant even though the makers has failed to keep the interest going for the entire length of two hours. Jassie Gift's songs have good beats but won’t stay in our minds for long. The BGM for Mammootty was quite good. Prithviraj was good and completely outperformed Mammooty in fight sequences. Mammootty's screen presence is utilized to the maximum and he was looking awesome. The story of the film is just a combination of films like July 4, Chattambinaadu and some other malayalam films. The director did a mediocre job. Songs and Dance was not impressive for me. Climax was disappointing. This film is a usual masala entertainer which fans of both actors can celebrate and boast about and may turn out to be a hit.

If you are a die hard fan of Mammootty or Prithviraj, you will surely love this movie, as it offers everything for the fans to cherish. And for others its just another mass masala movie which seems like a combination of Tamil and Telugu films and is another chance for reminiscence. Unlike other Siby- Udayan films, this film doesn't end up as a torture as it offers something for the fans atleast.

My Verdict : 5/10

Thoovanathumbikal -- A poignant masterpiece

Thoovanathumbikal is an example of magical film making at its best. When I say best, I really mean it. Thoovanathumbikal is an unforgettable movie and a poignant movie that is worth having in your film library. Padmarajan sir had a habit. He loves to glue his viewers to the seat and hypnotize them by his unique movies. Films like Aparan, Nammukku Paarkan Munthiri Thoppukal, Kallan pavithran, Ennale etc. He does the same or even much further in Thoovanathumbikal. Malayalam movie viewers still miss him.


Padmarajan sir wrote a novel names "Udakapola" and the central character in this film is a colorless character in that novel. If you read this book and then watch it you can see the perfection of the picturisation. A film about a man who have his own principles in life regarding all his deeds accidentally breaks one and changes brought by it to his life. Mohanlal plays a man who lives in village and having lot of friends in town. He likes a girl and when he tell her about that he got denied. After that he got involved in a relation with a virgin girl whom he never thought would be like that. He decides to marry that girl following some of his principles in life. By that time girl he really loved comes to him and he have to choose between the two. This man don't want to hide anything from his lover and tells her about his old relationship. He cant stop himself seeing that old girl and finally he have to choose the right one. Both faces of the character was safe with Mohanlal. He again displays his genius as the handled the role with consummate ease.


"Enikku aa murivakanaanu moham... Aa changalayude oru kanniyodu mathram urayunna unangaatha oru murivu..." I always loved this dialogue from the movie. It is the beauty of that metaphor that connoisseurs of good cinema talk about. Mohanlal delivers in depth and breadth the emotions and feelings of a protagonist in a Padmarajan style.Clara as a prostitute who knows in what she is going to end up is superb . She shows the deep sorrow of being forced to be a prostitute in a neutral manner. Her dialogues reflects the feelings of a prostitute who knows clearly that a normal life is a dream for them. Jayakrishanan's ideologies are simple but his emotions are complex to understand. Parvathy has acted beautifully in her part so did Ashokan. There is NO other movie in the history of malayalam film history where 'Rain' is picturised more beautifully. The beauty of Rain which ushers whenever Jayakrishnan and Clara meet is both poignant and pure. The background music and the songs still lives in the hearts of people even after 20 years. Its a movie much ahead of time.

This is one of those films that come once in a blue moon. The ones that leave you sitting on your seat staring at the screen when the film is ended and trying to think of a word to describe the excellence of the film. What really makes this film great is the use of no special effects, no stunts, just plain simple amazingly original, witty story writing and outstanding acting by every character in the film including the minor ones.

To Padmarajan Sir, the genius who brought out love and passion so beautifully...!!

GOA is "PURE FUN"

GOA... The name itself is colorful. Venkat Prabhu can truly be proud of himself now. GOA is "PURE FUN". We underestimate what our own filmmakers are capable of, keep criticizing and thereby kill the intention of directors to try something different. Also, rarely does the film's certification matter to any moviegoer before he steps into the cinema hall. If a movie is certified for mature audiences, it is meant to be so. Cinema is inspired by true happenings in life today. It's either told in a sugar-coated fashion or straight in the face. Beginning the review on this note, Goa is different, be it in the story, screenplay or characterization and is for mature audiences. This Venkat Prabhu holiday is going to be loved by his fans and at the same time, will get mixed reviews from critics.

Venkat Prabhu has managed to keep his reputation intact. Venkat Prabhu has established himself as filmmaker who can make meaningful films without any big stars. His "Chennai 6000028" featured a host of newcomers and was a hit. It was followed by another hit "Saroja", a travelogue. This movie revolves around three young men who sets out on a trip to Goa only with a mission to fall in love with a white woman. They also plan to marry 'a foreign women' and settle down abroad. They head for Goa where many foreigners are seen and the rest of the story is all about their experiences there. Three young men from a rustic village going to GOA to satisfy and fulfill their dreams and the happenings around there forms the rest of the story. I must say GOA is a true amalgamation of fun,love and laughter. It is truly a 2.5 hrs fun filled romantic story and a roller-coaster ride that keeps you entertaining. It is a perfectly-planned holiday for all those who seek pure entertainment on the silver screen! Making his third directorial venture, Venkat must have surely enjoyed it like we do while watching it. Goa speaks on relationships and the love life of the protagonists in a lovable and a thoroughly engaging way!

I must say the technical crew of GOA has done exceptionally well. The camera angles were so refreshing that it was able to capture and portray the real GOA. Yuvan Shankar Raja is back. The songs in this movie are really foot tapping as well as enjoyable. The BGM was excellent. Coming to the acting performances, Premji ( Swami) was nothing but spectacular. His mannerisms and gimmicks aroused a lot of laughter among the audience. Jai proved that he has real acting skills he deserves a seat in Tamil film industry. The foreign girl that played opposite to Premji and Vaibhav (Ramarajan) deserves a special mention.


Venkat Prabhu has again created a successful commercial entertainer, but differs from the other directors by experimenting with a simple script, then making it interesting and entertaining by playing around with the screenplay and execution. A thriller with lot of drama and comedy, a must watch movie. If you want to unwind yourself, forget all logic's and enjoy, then the destination is 'GOA'.


My Verdict : 3.9/5

Namukku Paarkan Munthirithoppukal: A timeless classic!

Padmarajan sir is my favorite director of all time and 'Namukku paarkan munthirithoppukal' is my favorite Indian movie till date. Pappetan is surely a legend and he deserves more than respect from us. And no doubt, Mohanlal is my favorite actor in any language. In fact, I have seen this film for more than 20 times and always wonder how pappetan convinced such a character called 'Solomon'. This is the most influential film of its era and and still is called the greatest love story ever told in Malayalam film history.

'Nammuku paarkan Munthirithoppukal' is a sensitive portrayal of a mature love story which is lyrical and poetic as the music of the film. This film is based on a K sudhakaran novel and a great adaptation of the english translation which mean "Vineyards for us to Dwell". It transverses a path that exists but but is not mentioned in the book. That is the beauty of Padmarajan sir's work. The film is a beautiful and well told love story of a guy who falls in love with the newly moved neighbor girl. But the girls situation was worst than he thought when he finds that the man who was told to be her father was her stepfather. This film is noted for its inherent simplicity with a rich and expressive screenplay. The screenplay is the king just like all of pappetan's other concepts and this is the best of his work closely followed by 'Thoovanathumbikal". The entire screenplay is worked around Solomon's songs from the bible and it keeps referring to the vineyards of Solomon. The dialogues are crisp and powerful.

There are few things connoisseurs of good classic cinema will notice in this movie. The film is not about love, it is about the depth of love. The story is the hero and Solomon & Sofia are mere instruments to portray that tale. It's a simple tale but exceptional story telling makes it extra ordinary. The lines from Bible impart a touch of eternity to the selfless love portrayed in the film. Solomon proposes Sofia using lines from The song of songs, Bible. What a poetic way to propose to a girl ? The eternal romanticist Padmarajan professes through this scene a love that is perennial and profound. And the climax scene... Padmarajan's hero, Solomon accepts Sofia, who was raped, and takes her to his vineyards. It must also be noted that she wears white,  It implies a love that is pure, real, unconditional, deep and everlasting. It's no coincidence that she wears white, the symbol of purity. Also, when she gets into the truck, she doesn't even have to bent her legs. Everything is so subtle and implied.

Last but not the least, the movie has an excellent performance by Mohanlal. The background score by Johnson is so touching and surreal. It is one of those films that had always stayed with me in my dreams and fantasies ever since I saw it on my teen age. I am short of words to describe this cinematic awesomeness.

For those of you who grew up on a diet of great movies by Padmarajan sir, Bharatan etc, this is a way to get back. For the present generation of lovers of Malayalam Cinema, its a way to acquaint themselves with the glory days of Malayalam cinema. Hats off Padmarajan sir. I can safely recommend this movie to anyone who believe in good contentful cinema and if you are missing it, your education in films has not begun.