VISHUDHAN

VISHUDHAN

Theatre : TVM SreePadmanabha
Showtime & Date : 11.15am, 22-11-2013
Status : 85%

Vysakh who is known for his 100% success track record with four commercial mass masala entertainer joins with Kunchacko Boban for the third time after SENIORS & MALLU SINGH, but this time its a totally different Vysakh movie which sans all the usual masala elements. Lets see whether Vysakh entertains in this way

Story
Fr.Sunny(Kunchacko Boban) takes charge as a priest in new church in a village. Snehalayalam an oldage home run by Vaavachan for getting dead bodies for his Medical college creates clash between them. To cover up the issue, Vavachan creates an issue of illicit relationship between Fr.Sunny & nun Sister Sophie(Mia) which results in the marriage of both. The rest is their life in the same place after marriage & a subplot of Nandulal.

Performances
Kunchacko Boban as Sunny was superb. His looks, voice modulation, especially crying scenes in climax needs special mention. The best scene of him was the first night in the home when Mia comes to his room. Superb expressions & dialogues. Mia had nothing to do. Her looks itself did what she was supposed to do. Hareesh Perady as Vavachan was a letdown. He is still in the hangover of Left Right Left, climax scene underlines that point well. Shalin in her limited role was good, Nandulal too. Lal's intro was one of the best scenes in the movie, after that he too lost track. THough a single scene, Shaju was good as Chackochan's brother. Krishnakumar, Joju, Anil Murali, Suraj...all are wasted in poorly written roles

Songs & BGM
Both departments are handled by Gopi Sundar. Oru Mezhuthiriyude works well. BGM was not upto usual Gopi Sundar level. Still good at times.

Technical
Shehnad Jalal's cinematography was superb especially mist scenes. Editing by Mahesh Narayanan could have been a lot better. Art Direction needs special mention

Script & Direction
Vysakh handled both departments. Vishudhan was supposed to be Vysakh's first film. And the script was also ready long back. The problem is there is an incident in the movie. But there is no proper story which could create a good impact for that. First half was a good one with nice proceedings eventhough predictabel. But in second half, screenplay was half baked to reach the climax. Dialogues were superb at times. The best scenes were First Night dialogue scene & Lal's Intro. Predictability is another big problem of the movie. There are no surprises for audience at any point of the movie. Plot was a good one, but screenplay killed the part altogether though. Scenes as such was good but when considering the whole package, its a failed attempt. Overall a movie Vysakh could have made into a blockbuster in his usual way of direction was executed in a way which didn't struck the chord with audience at many times. The serious approach also kills the flow.

Verdict : Watchable, but lacks pace
BO Verdict :Flop

The movie will be an advantage for Kunchacko Boban as an actor, nothing more nothing less.

Idavakayil ethunna puthiya Fr.Sunny(Chackochan)
Naattile pramaaniyaaya kuttykku kandudan ishtam
Nayika ishtam thurannu paranjittum nayakan anusarikkunnilla
Romansle pole bhagyathinu kutty suicide cheyyunnilla
Naattile mattoru villainum muthalaaliyude makanumaaya Sasikku ee kochine nottam
Upadravikkaan varunna Sasiye(Riyaz Khan) pedichu nayika palliyil olikkunnu
Nalla vaakku paranju madakki vidaan nokkumbol Riyaz Khan kelkunnilla
Pinne Sunny Sasiye loha oori vechu thera paara adi
Itharinju Saside father naattilethi father pattam therippikkunnu
Sunny veendum aa naattil land cheythu Sasiyeyum gundakaleyum veendum thera paara ittu thalliyittu avante fathernte business samrajyam thakarthu nayikaye kettumennu parayunnu
INTERVAL
Pinne oru kidu second half

Vysakh ingane vichaarichirunnel padam SUPER HIT

KADHAVEEDU

KADHAVEEDU

Theatre : TVM Kripa

Showtime & Date : 11.30am, 08-11-2013

Status : Susheela... Enthooooo!!! Aaro enne vilich

KADHAVEEDU was supposed to be a serious cinema raising the question whats the relevance of marriage in a society where divorces are happening a lot due to various reasons. Or is it better to have a Living Together relationship?? This is what I understood from what I saw. But nothing was presented well and effectively other than making the audience yawn

Story

Characters from the stories of M T Vasudevan Nair, Madhavikutty & Vaikkom Muhammed Basheer was mixed to the storyline of a film maker Raj Karthi(Kunchacko Boban). He makes the movie with Basheer's storyline(featuring Manoj K Jayan as Abdul Khader & Mallika as Jameela) and Madhavikutty's Indulekha & Balachandran played by Swapna Menon & Biju Menon respectively. In between Raj Karthi reminds what happened two years ago with Major Frederic Mukundan(Lal) & his wife Reetha(Rituparna Sen Gupta). Whats the final decision by Raj Karthi whether to marry or not Jeena(Bhama) who is having a living together relationship with him.

Performances

Kunchacko Boban delivers a good performance as Raj Karthi. As a film maker, he was simply awesome in his looks which suits well with attitude of the character he plays. His scenes with Lal & Rituparna Sen was too good. The scene remarking his victory over Reeta like a kid featuring Innocence lost was awesome. Biju Menon as Balachandran was too good. He underplays the pain the character demanded and makes it more effective. Only positive I found was these actors' performances.

Lal was usual. Rituparna Sen Gupta as a debutant in malayalam needs special mention for perfect lipsync even with the song. Manoj K Jayan was wasted in a badly directed episode. His makeup too looked bad especially old getup. Mallika scored well in old getup scene. Swapna Menon was  just a showcase. Bhama too. Kalabhavan Shajohn was fine.

Songs & BGM

Songs by M Jayachandran was superb ones which were picturised in a dull manner. BGM was done as if the person wants to market himself of what he knows rather than sticking to the mood of the movie.

Technical

Good Cinematography by T D Sreenivas. Editing NO COMMENTS. What else can be done with these. Art Direction was good. Sound Recording needs special mention. Rain Effects were Awesome

Script & Direction

I appreciate Sohannlal for selecting this theme, but a movie works mainly on the screenplay rather than the theme. Bad screenplay on the whole. Dialogues were too drama type ones at times. At times too good too. Direction was below average one.

On the whole, KADHAVEEDU never impresses as a movie. If the movie has any positives its Kunchacko Boban, Biju Menon & Songs(just listen, don't watch the video)

Verdict : No story presented well

BO Verdict : 1 Week Run itself is too large for this

ALL IN ALL AZHAGURAJA

ALL IN ALL AZHAGURAJA

Theatre : TVM Ajantha
Showtime & Date : 11.00am, 02-11-2013
Status : Balcony Full, FC ~80%

Rajesh M after hits Siva Manasula Shakthi, Boss Engira Bhaskaran, Oru Kal Oru Kannadi this teams with Karthi who is going through a tough phase in his career after flops Saguni & Alex Pandian. Whether Azhaguraja saves him?? Lets see

Story
A very simple plot as in every Rajesh movie - Azhaguraja(Karthi) falls in love with Devipriya(Kajal Agarwal). Raja is running a local cable TV channel along with friend aka officer Kalyanam(Santhanam). How Raja wins Devipriya along with problems happening in between with Kalyanam forms the rest of the story with a super flashback episode of Raja's father(Prabhu) played by Karthi again in 80's episode.


Performances
Kajal Agarwal as Chithra Devipriya aka Devipriya towers above all in performance with her impeccable comedy timing and smart expressions. She proved that she's not the usual glamdoll in routine tamilcinema. There is a good actress in her who can emote well comedy & emotional scenes without going overboard. Directors out there, an actress is here, give her good roles to perform. 

Karthi makes a strong comeback & he performed well. His comic timing & voice modulation needs special mention. Santhanam is getting typecasted and boring at times. His Kareena Chopra avatar was good but long sequences made it irritating in initial scenes. He was good in 80s episode. M S Bhaskar was enjoyable in his extended cameo. Prabhu, Kota Srinivasa Rao, Nasser & Saranya was adequate. Rest of the cast did their part well.

Songs & BGM
Songs were good especially Unna Partha Neram in flashback was superb. It was picturised well. Also Yaarukkum theriyaamal is one of the most colourfull song after Maduraikku Pogathedee in Ilayathalapathy Vijay's Azhagiya Tamizh Magan. Rest were enjoyable and sync well with the flow of the movie. BGM was enjoyable though nothing great to rave about.

Technical
Cinematography was usual, but did a neat job for a movie like this especially in flashback episode. Editing could have been a lot better especially Santhanam scenes and at times certain scenes. Art Direction was good.

Script & Direction
Both departments handled by Rajesh M. This time too he chad chosen a waferthin plot and converted to an enjoyable ride with lots of comedies in proceedings. First half though the nothing great happens still it was enjoyable with nice song well taken scenes and neat proceedings. It is second half, flash back episode and post that makes it a laugh riot. For me its Rajesh's best after Siva Manasula Shakthi. His other two movies bored me at times in second half. Interval Punch though nothing to do with tone of the movie was a Mass one matching to PAIYYA interval block.


Overall a jolly funride this Deepavali season, enjoy with your families

Verdict : FUN-FILLED JOLLY ENTERTAINER
BO VERDICT : HIT

NORTH 24 KAATHAM

NORTH 24 KAATHAM

Theatre : TVM Dhanya
Showtime & Date : 6.15pm,16-09-2013
Status : Balcony Almost FULL, FC 21 persons
A small movie with Fahad Fazil in lead released this Onam season - NORTH 24 KAATHAM by debutant Anil Radhakrishnan Menon. Does the movie offers anything interesting?? Lets see.

Story
Hari(Fahad Fazil), an IT professional at Ernakulam is an introvert and a person who has a disciplined life and more concerned about cleanliness. He was forced to attend a meeting at Trivandrum on a Harthal Day. On the way, situations made him to be with Saghav(Nedumudi Venu) and Narayani aka Nani(Swathi) on their way to Kozhikode. How they reach Kozhikode from Paravur near Kollam on a harthal day, the persons they meet and how everything changes Hari's life forms the story.

Performances
Fahad Fazil as Hari delivered a brilliant performance with less dialogues and more expressions. Nedumudi Venu delivered another terrific performance especially towards climax. His dialogues about his wife while travelling in an auto was awesome. Swathi did a notable performance as social worker Nani. Premji Amaran in his cameo made his mark. His trademark dialogue recieved terrific applause. Sreenath Bhasi, Geetha, Thalaivasal Vijay did a neat job so as rest of the cast.


Songs & BGM
Govind Menon handled both sections. He did a great job. Especially the last song and climax episode BGM was top noth with nice lyrics.

Technical
Everything was perfect - be it Jayesh Nair's Cinematography or Dilip Dennies's Editing or Sameera Saneesh's costumes.

Script & Direction
Both departments are handled by Anil Radhakrishnan Menon. A simple story presented in a beautiful manner. Though climax was predictable, the packaging was too good and the lead actors' performances took the movie to another level. Dialogues were natural. The best one being Nedumudi's dialogues about his wife.

Nothing more to say, the best movie of this Onam season is undoubtedly this one
Verdict : Go for it
BO Verdict : Multiplexes and Balcony hit, Audience out there, please support this one.

SRINGAARAVELAN

SRINGAARAVELAN

Theatre : TVM SreePadmanabha
Showtime & Date : 2.30pm, 16-09-2013
Status : Housefull

Last year's biggest hit MAYAMOHINI team unites once again for a festival season release SRINGAARAVELAN. Whether the movie works?? Lets see

Story
Kannan(Dileep) is a lazy guy who is in search of a rich girl to marry and settle in life. In a scenario, he goes to go to a palace and he was forced to stay back. He fell in love with the heroine and rest is whether he wins or not

Performances
Dileep as Kannan was below his usual energy level we saw in MY BOSS or MAYAMOHINI. His looks were fine. Lal as Yesudas aka Yesu, a goon was over the top and he tried his best to laugh the audience with his histronics but sadly failed. Kalabhavan Shajohn too tried his best but the script was too weak for him to do anything. Nedumudi Venu repeats the role again. Vedhika as heroine is ok in a cliched role. Sreedevi Unni made the audience laugh in Mohiniyattam scene in song with heroine(or is it Bharathanatyam?). Joy Mathew was a miscast. His dialogue delivery was pathetic. Baburaj though his slang was fine, his underdeveloped character made him an unwanted character. Shammi Thilakan as Ukken Tintu(the character in film NERAM) but lacks the soul as in the original. Babu Namboothiri was usual, Rahul Roy too.

Songs & BGM
Berny Ignatious disappoints once again. Rajamani tried his best to uplift certain scenes with his BGM, but the script failed him too.

Technical
Nothing special to mention except art direction in certain scenes.

Script & Direction
Script by Udayakrishna-Sibi K Thomas was a rehash of rehashes which they had done in their recent flicks. Sad to say that this time no good comedies were there in the movie other than loud scream by the actors. If we closely look into their career graph, we can see that they can surely create a tight script with surprises. But this festival flick has no solid storyline or screenplay or nice dialogues. Climax part was weak and thattikkoottu to the core.

Direction by Jos Thomaas was fine. He tried his best to uplift certain scenes. Scenes as such was fine. But as a movie it lacks the pace and a nice packaging.

Overall a rehash of rehashes which provides no comedies though labelled as comedy entertainer. Wait for DVD and watch this 2hr 40 min movie in less than an hour or get the DVD of Mayamohini which was far better than this one.

Verdict : Below Average
BO Verdict : Vacation season and Dileep's family audience might make this one a hit

DAIVATHINTE SWANTHAM CLEETUS

DAIVATHINTE SWANTHAM CLEETUS

Theatre : Aluva Matha
Showtime & Date : 6.15pm, 12-09-2013
Status : Balcony NO IDEA, FC 40%

Benny P Nayarambalam once again joins with Mammootty after Chattambinadu which was a fun filled entertainer for DAIVATHINTE SWANTHAM CLEETUS directed by debutant Marthandan. Whether movie entertains as Chattambinaadu?? Lets see

Story
A drama troupe plans a Bible drama. They are in search of a person to play the role of Jesus. Cleetus(Mammootty) enters the scene as the actor, who is a goon, to play Jesus. What happens there. Nothing more

Performances
First of all, it may be the first script of Benny P Nayarambalam with least well written characters.
Mammootty as Cleetus had nothing much or new to do. Another dull performance from Mammootty. Even THAPPANA had an energetic performance than this. Honey Rose as Lakshmi was cliched and she did an ok job only. Vijayaraghavan though he performed well, his character was incomplete in all aspects. Siddhique as usual did a fine job. P Balachandran too. Rejath Menon had nothing much to do. Abu Salim, Vinayagan, Aju Varghese, Anoop Chandran, Kailash all makes the scene worse. Kottayam Nazeer had something different but whether to make the character comic or villaneous make the scene again worse. Moorkhan Jose as police officer was another wastely executed role by director & scrip writer.

Songs & BGM
Both by Bijibal. Songs were below average ones and badly picturised. BGM for Mammootty's intro scene was good. Rest of the BGM was a big failure.

Technical
Nothing much to rave about. A lazy work by Editor Shyam. Editing could have been crisp at many parts especially action scenes. Art direction was good.

Script & Direction
For me Benny P Nayarambalam's boring script was SPANISH MASALA. Even Puthiya Theerangal was ok to an extent. But this one crosses all the limits. Lack of a clear storyline and rehash of many film stories makes the final storyline a confusing one for scriptwriter itself I hope. Whether to make it full length comedy movie or one like Chattambinadu an action comedy entertainer. But lack of the former makes the script proceedings dull and boring which provides nothing new for the audience where as it tests patience at times too. Comedies were trademarks of Benny's script. May be this one will be his script with least comedy numbers.Also included ones didn't work as expected because of poor direction, bad choice of actors and cliched items. Moorkhan Jose scene seeing Mammootty as Jesus in Drama rehearsal camp was irritiating at peak level and audience were commenting and booing. A bad work from Benny

Debutant Marthandan disappoints big time. Offers nothing new in making or presenting well the script. Not at all promising debut by the director.

Overall a movie, which has a mixed storyline of many movies, and which has to be released in 1980s released in 2013 with the very same making style as in 1980s.

Verdict : Big Bore
BO Verdict : Flop

I think the part of storyline had enough elements to be a good entertainer without mass elements. Siddhique's or P Balachandran's, don't know which role was supposed to be for Rajan P Dev if the movie was released years back.

MEMORIES

MEMORIES

Theatre : Aluva Zeenath Screen 2
Showtime & Date : 12.00pm, 15-08-2013
Status : Housefull

Jeethu Joseph who started his career with an investigation flick - Suresh Gopi starrer DETECTIVE is back to that genre after a hatrick success with MUMMY n ME & MY BOSS. Does the movie promises the ample thrills?? Lets see

Story
Its the same old wine - Sam Alex(Prithviraj)who was once a brilliant police officer is now on leave and a drunkard now because of his personal tragedy. He was asked to take up a case which he starts and finishes well, as usual towards the end it becomes personal.

Performances
Prithviraj was good as Sam Alex, especially in first half. He performed well in scenes with Nedumudi Venu. Its a big break for Rahul Madhav. Nedumudi Venu and Vijayaraghavan was good and Suresh Krishna was apt. Sreejith Ravi gets typecasted where as Madhupal is wasted. Kuttickal Jayachandran was fine in his cameo, so are Irshad & Praveen though nothing much to do. Rest of the cast were fine. Mia was an unwanted role as Varsha, the journalist while Meghna Raj had nothing to do in cameo.

Songs & BGM
Only one song in the movie which could have been avoided that adds as a speed breaker. BGM was good in towards interval and towards climax portions. But on other proceedings BGM failed.

Technical
Cinematography was fine, Editing could have been a bit more tighter. Graphics work was not upto the mark though the idea was awesome.

Script & Direction
Both departments are handled by Jeethu Joseph himself. Though the story is the same old wine, a mix of Mohanlal starrers MUKHAM & GRANDMASTER, it is the screenplay and packaging by Jeethu which makes the product a bit different. First half was more focussed on character development and from few minutes before interval, the movie falls on track. The flashback episodes were routine and the interrogation scene was the most funniest one in the film. Dialogues at few scenes were superb, but at other times, it was too artificial. Second half was much better and the detailing by director needs mention though many are left unanswered. Eventhough the suspense revealing scene and final encounter between main characters do not make any impact, it is the question to HOW(those who watched the movie may understand) he saved makes a better impression for the movie altogether(similar impact which S J Suryah could create in the climax of Newtonin Moondram Vidhi). Direction by Jeethu could have been better though initial and climax scenes were well executed, at times the movie lacks the pace.

Overall a well-written investigation flick

Verdict : Engaging Thriller
BO Verdict : Hit

NEELAKASHAM PACHAKKADAL CHUVANNA BHOOMI

NEELAKASHAM PACHAKKADAL CHUVANNA BHOOMI

Theatre : Aluva Madhurya
Showtime & Date : 6.15pm, 11-08-2013
Status : Housefull

Samir Thahir, after Chappa Kurishu is back with his second flick with Second Show team - Dulquer Salman & Sunny Wayne in major roles in a road movie with an interesting title. Does the movie makes an impact?? Lets see

Story
Qasi(Dulquer Salman) is going for a road journey in his motorcycle without a proper destination. Suni(Sunny Wayne), his college mate and friend joins him. The destination somehow ends at Nagaland for Qasi to meet his love - Asi. Its all about the people they are meeting in between.

Performances
Dulquer Salman as Qasi was good. Sunny Wayne repeats his Second Show as Asi in Kannur slang with well written set of oneliners and sequences for him. Joy Mathew was apt. Rest of the casts did their part. Heroine did what the script demanded and freshness was there in her characterisation as a Nagaland native. Needs special mention for actors on other state episodes.

Songs & BGM
Both disappoints big time. Not a single song was hummable. BGM, which had a lot to do in a movie like this was a total disappointment.

Technical
Cinematography by Girish Gangadharan was fine. Though these many locations from Kerala to Nagaland was involved, cinematography lacked the charm at many places. May be ebcause the script focused more on characters and a travelling mood than visual beauty. The travelling mode work by cinematographer needs special mention. Sreekar Prasad did a neat job in editing, especially the flashback episodes and traces in present mode was just superb.

Script & Direction
A clear oneline was there. Hero with his friend going from Kerala to Nagaland to find his love and the incidents he meets in between and the impact on him. But screenplay by Hashir Mohammed was a clear failure I should say at majority portions. First half was a blank paper except the flashback scenes. It was just a travelogue with no dialogues most of the time. The Puri episode was boring and lengthy whereas the village episode was another Swades rehash. But second half was better with well written scenes till the climax portions though dragging was there at times. The mechanic episode was superb. Ganja episode at Railway station was an avoidable one. Climax was a big letdown. Dialogues were good and subtitles were class.

Direction by Samir Thahir was not upto the mark I should say. It is commendable that he produced and directed this road movie, the first of its kind in Malayalam Cinema. But the direction(with script) fails big time in creating an emotional attachment for characters with audience leading to a dull reaction for a happy ending episode.

Overall a commendable effort with a dull first half and a better second half.

Verdict : Its New, but halfbaked
BO Verdict : Expecting a HIT

THALAIVAA

THALAIVAA

Theatre : Aluva Casino
Showtime & Date : 6.00pm, 09-08-2013
Status : HOUSEFULL

First of all, THANKS to all those "great people" who watched this movie yesterday at outside India theatres and for putting negative reviews.

A Vijay starrer after Thuppakki, a mega mass teaser and a well cut trailer though increased hype, the name of the director and his previous track record made a small doubt. So how's the movie??? If that's the question, read here.

Story
Vishwa(Vijay) is doing business in Australia. His father Rama aka Anna(Sathyaraj) is a leader in Mumbai. To avoid his son know what he's doing, he sends Vishwa to Australia and visits him once in a year. Things change when Vishwa falls in love and takes her and her father to Mumbai to meet his father. The rest is villains killing Anna and Vishwa becoming the next THALAIVAA with some interesting twists and good as well as cliched sequences.

Performances
In the first half, Vijay is just that cute simple lover boy and in second half he's at his full energy carrying the whole movie. As in THUPPAKKI, its the character and not the image of Vijay which carries the film. His scenes with Sathyaraj and his histronics and dialogue delivery was superb. Sathyaraj makes a strong presence as Anna. The intro scene itself was too good. Amala Paul though her makeup is a bit over the board, she had considerably improved in acting and a big round of applause for dubbing in her own voice. In song sequences too she shines. Santhanam as usual with his witty oneliners makes audience laugh. All other actors did their part as needed for the movie.

Songs & BGM
Songs lacked the tempo though the ecstacy of love and Sol Sol fits well. THALAIVAA and Vaanganna song were picturised badly. BGM was good at parts.

Technical
Nirav Shah's cinematography was top class. Editing was good. Art Direction needs special mention.

Script & Direction
Story by A L Vijay(not exactly) is as old as hill one. Screenplay had nice moments in first half with a good interval punch. Second half was too predictable though director included some nice sequences. And climax was routine. Still the movie is worth a watch as this one is an A L Vijay style of making and above all the actor VIJAY is used more than the star ILAYATHALAPATHY VIJAY.


Verdict : Mass presented in a classy way
BO Verdict : Hit

PULLIPULIKALUM AATTINKUTTIYUM

PULLIPULIKALUM AATTINKUTTIYUM

Theatre : Aluva Matha
Showtime & Date : 12.15pm, 09-08-2013
Status : Balcony Almost Full, FC 55%
 
Lal Jose - Kunchacko Boban - Sindhuraj teams up after Superhit ELSAMMA ENNA AANKUTTY which gave Kunchacko Boban a new image. Expectations were a bit high for this as the trailer, songs and song picturisation were to good. Whether it lives upto expectation?? Lets see

Story
Just watch the trailer, the storyline is clearly there.

Performances
Once again Kunchacko Boban impresses with his ease in comedy and dialogue delivery as Aadu Gopan aka Chakka Gopan. He carries the whole movie from start to end. In action sequence too he shines. Irshad as Chakka Mani surprises us with ample fun in histronics and face expressions. Shiju as Chakka Vijayan was a revelation and sure to give this actor a new image. His "Ingere njan thaallilla" scenes were good. Joju as Chakka Suku had the oneliners which he delivered superbly. Suraj Venjarammood impresses on big screen without his cliche items after a long time. Harisree Asokan was superb with witty oneliners. Its his good comeback. Namitha Pramod as Kainakari Jayasree impresses with her ease in acting. She is sure to stay in Malayalam Cinema. Also Anusree with her typical dubbing style. Shammi Thilakan as Kuryachan once again entertains us. Chaali Pala in his cameo was good. All other actors did their part well.

Sreenivasan once again as a narrator of the story impresses us with his voice over.

Songs & BGM
Songs by Vayalar SharathChandra Varma - Vidyasagar team are already chartbusters which was picturised superbly. BGM perfectly fits to the whole movie especially "Chakka Gopa, Nee Pettu Gopa". Also the lyrics by LalJose, the small humming portions was too good.

Technical
It was S Kumar show all the way. Every frame was a visual. Cinematography work on backwaters need special appreciation. Editing was crisp. Art Direction by GokulDas Mohandas was awesome.

Script & Direction
The same team's previous flick Elsamma enna Aankutty was just a tad above average flick for me. In all Sindhuraj scripts, second half was out of track. This time, he changed that track. The movie had enough fun elements in both halves making it a full length fun film. Dialogues were superb at many parts.

Yes, the captain of the ship - LAL JOSE. He did his part as usual. Took the movie to another level by his direction. Nothing more to say other than a neat work with that cute LalJose touch.

Overall a simple neat fun film of the season. Enjoy with families and kids.
Verdict : Good Family Entertainer
BO Verdict : HIT

PATTATHU YAANAI

PATTATHU YAANAI

Theatre : Aluva Matha
Showtime & Date : 3.00pm, 27-07-2013
Status : Balcony No idea, FC 30%

Rehashing a winning formula is not a crime in Cinema if its done neatly. Vishal-Bhoopathy Pandian teams up after a well made mass entertainer MALAIKOTTAI which had good songs. Whether this time it works??? Lets see

Story
Gauravam(Santhanam) runs a catering service. He recruits 5 new people - Saravanan(Vishal) and his friends. Gauravam runs into trouble when he cancels goon's catering order and takes up police officer's by sending him to jail. This forces them to leave to Trichy to start a new hotel. The rest is the same MALAIKOTTAI story with an as old as hill flashback for Saravanan.

Performances
Vishal is not at his best. Except song sequences and with Santhanam scenes, he looks like he's not that interested. Even in action scenes, he is not at his best which is for the first time in his career I hope. Debutant Aishwarya Arjun(Daughter of actor Action King Arjun) is not that promising. She plays the cliched social worker-student role who has to fall in love with hero after initial scenes and just 2 scenes to cry and songs. Santhanam entertains and irritates. If he's not too careful about script, he'll be on the lines of Vadivelu soon. The initial scenes of Santhanam was too lengthy and boring though dialogues at times were fine. The cfinal portions of Santhanam were good. Panchu Arunachalam wasted in a single scene role. Villains were usual - loud and TATA SUMO. Rest of the cast were ok only. The one who played villain's henchman was good in comic scenes.

Songs & BGM
Songs by Thaman were disappointing. And badly picturised ones too. The biggest plus points of Vishal movies so far is adrenaline pumping BGM score which takes scenes to a mass level. Here Sabesh-Murali team disappoints big.

Technical
Everything as usual except editing. Editing was a bit too bad I must say.

Script & Direction
Is this the same Bhoopathy Pandian who made MALAIKOTTAI & THIRUVILAIYADAL AARAMBHAM. Story, though a rehashed one of MALAIKOTTAI had a mass element in it. But the 80's model flashback episode for hero and forced comedy scenes makes screenplay lagging and boring. Remember, MALAIKOTTAI & THIRUVILAIYADAL AARAMBHAM had no separate comedy track or stars. It was the leads and their relative roles who did the job well. Here everything is out of place. Post flashback scenes were a lot MALAIKOTTAI inspired ones. Dialogues by Srinivas was disappointing. Interval punchline was a rehash of THIMIRU & MALAIKOTTAI, but lacked punch.

Direction too lacked sincerety. The whole movie was like completed just because we started this. A disappointing work.

On the whole, if you get the DVD of this movie, make sure that FORWARD button works well.
Verdict : Disappointing
BO Verdict : Flop to Disaster

BUDDY

BUDDY

Theatre : Aluva Zeenath Screen 1
Showtime & Date : 6.15pm, 07-07-2013
Status : Balcony no idea, FC 40%

BUDDY is the new film by debutant RAAJ PRABHAVATHY MENON. A well edited trailer and release by UTV Motion Pictures were the calling cards. Whether the movie surprised??? Lets see

Story
Two ladies - an Indian English writer(Asha Sharath) and a dancer(Bhumika Chawla) discloses their child Kunju(Midhun of Black Butterfly fame) on his 18th birthday that he was the product of artificial insemnation. Kunju founds out that his father is Manikunju Thaadikkaaran(Anoop Menon) from hospital records & meets him. Rest is one hundred times told same old wine.

Performances
This one is the film in recent times which had the best or near perfect miscasting.
Anoop Menon as Manikunju Thaadikkaaran was in usual Anoop Menon style of acting & style of dialogues with an overdose of Mohanlal. Asha Sharath looked out of place & Bhumika Chawla looked too young for the role. Srikanth was wasted. BalachandraMenon's comeback did not make any impact in this poorly written role. Babu Antony had nothing to do, so as the serial artist who played the cook role. Arun was just ok in his small role. Lal and T G Ravi in their scenes were the only better ones. Aju Varghese disappoints big time in this cliched role which was executed poorly. Anil Murali was routine. Honey Rose just for one song and one scene with no dialogues.

Songs & BGM
Songs by Navneeth Sundar were okay  only. Some of them had many old A R Rahman tunes rehashed. BGM by Gopi Sundar as usual worked especially second half towards climax.

Technical
Editing - I won't say bad, what else can be done with whatever taken and what director says. Art direction was good. Costumes by Sameera Saneesh needs special mention.

Here comes the high positive point of this movie which makes us sit till the final scene - CINEMATOGRAPHY. Prakash Kutty who debuted with Kunchacko Boban-AnilBabu movie INGANE ORU NILAPAKSHI, after a gap is back. AWESOME WORK. EVERY FRAME WAS A VISUAL WITH GREAT COLOUR COMBINATION. ACTION SEQUENCE WAS WELL TAKEN, ABOVE AN AMAL NEERAD WORK.

Script & Direction
Story & Screenplay by Raaj Prabhavathy Menon itself. A decent plot on the hangover of Vicky Donor was there. A storyline which a good director could make us engaging too. But the sceenplay was horrible. Just like Manikunju character in the movie, the screenplay also lacked a presence of mind or direction. The problem I felt was what to do till the final portion was an empty page which was filled with routine TV serial stuff. Dialogues by Bipin Chandran disappointed a lot. Is this the same person who worked in DADDY COOL??? Forced kind of newgen items couldn't make any impact in screenplay or for the movie

Direction was fine in respective scenes at times. But as a whole movie, a below average work. Action Sequence as such was superb. Certain scenes were well executed and some others in rather poor manner.

Overall BUDDY minus Cinematographer PrakashKutty is below below average

Verdict : Watch it only for Cinematography
BO Verdict : Flop to Disaster
WAITING FOR A LAL JOSE - PRAKASH KUTTY WORK SOON.

The same plot if given to Priyadarsan or Lal Jose could have made wonders.

Don't know whether Mr or Miss or Mrs, whatever Raaj Prabhavathy Menon, putting such a lengthy name in direction part and influence of english in dialogues will not help in making another Gautham Vasudeva Menon

SINGAM II

SINGAM II

Theatre : Aluva Matha
Showtime & Date : 5.45pm, 06-07-2013
Status : Balcony No idea, FC 30%

SINGAM II, the sequel of Suriya-Hari combo's superhit SINGAM, a well made mass masala entertainer in last few years ,came with high expectations. Lets see whether the expectations were met.

Story
SINGAM II starts from where SINGAM ended. Making public believe that DuraiSingam(Suriya) resigned, he is on special deputation to know more about the illegal activities happening in Tuticorin area. Now he is working as PT in a school. After a series of incidents, Satya(Hansika) falls in love with DuraiSingam. On the otherhand, Kavya(Anushka) is still waiting for him to marry her. The marriage didn't take place before as Durai's father refused as he resigned his job in part one. An incident forced him to join back in the duty. The rest is a racy entertainer.

Performances
Suriya as Durai Singam did a neat job. He excelled in certain scenes and in some scenes he lacked the punch. Certain mass scenes did not suit that well for him. Overall a SURIYA SHOW. Anushka repeated her role and came in two songs and some scenes. Hansika got a better role and did a fine job. Vivek was wasted. Don't know why Santhanam was given a role done by Vadivelu or Ganja Karuppu in previous HARI movies. His comic scenes lacked comedy and were speedbreakers. Rahman was fine. Thalaivasal Vijay was wasted. Mukesh Rishi was good. Danny as main villain lacked the screen presence and punch. Still the old scenes of PrakashRaj makes such an impact which no other actor could match. Nasser, Vijayakumar, Radharavi, Manorama repeated their roles as usual.

Songs & BGM
Too loud though SINGAM DANCE and Kannukkulle were hummable. Nowhere near SINGAM. BGM was a disappointment compared to SINGAM. Except the family sentiment scene BGM, from first part & Puriyavillai song BGM, nothing impresses. The remixed SINGAM SINGAM was used in a small portion only.

Technical
Priyan's camera needs special mention - SUPERB work for a mass entertainer and new frames definitely needs appreciation. Editing was racy and apt. Art direction was good.

Script & Direction
Both departments handled by Hari. Script lacked the punch which was there in first part. Dialogues were fine at parts and funny at parts. From interval portion onwards, the storyline is just a rehashed version of Viji Thampy - SureshGopi team's SATHYAMEVA JAYATHE. In that SureshGopi arrests Hemanth Ravan not knowing who really he is for traffic case. Here Durai Singam arrests Danny without knowing he's an international drug dealer as a person having not enough papers to land on port. Though script was thin, especially Kerala episode was made too comical, it is the awesome direction by HARI which makes the show engaging with no time to think about anything even the scene before.

Overall an enjoyable mass masala entertainer

Verdict : Well directed MASS MASALA ENTERTAINER
BO Verdict : Sure HIT

GOD FOR SALE : DAIVAM VILPANAKKU

GOD FOR SALE : DAIVAM VILPANAKKU

Theatre : Aluva Matha
Showtime & Date : 6.20pm, 28-06-2013
Status : Balcony 50%, FC 15%

What if a beautiful chocolate with nice layering packed in waste paper and put for sale with no marketing??? Thats exactly the case of this movie.

Story
Prasannan Nair(Kunchacko Boban) who is now Poornanandha Swamy is arrested for killing a kid as part of his rituals. Story unfolds when he is taken for Narco Analysis & through his brother Kamalasanan Nair(Suraj Venjarammoodu). Its told as an autobiography - Story before his birth in 1970 at Attingal, after his graduation, his life as a coolie worker, his love for Kamala(Jyothi Krishna), realising his past,his college life, a communist life, a betrayer, an alcoholic, person who joins dhyanakendra, person who lost everything, a demigod, a criminal....

Performances
An awesome performance from Kunchacko Boban as Prasannan Nair. The climax portions clearly says that this actor is yet to be explored by our script writers and directors. Be it the climax portion or the scene he tries to kill Anumol's kid, be the scene he fights when Krishnaprasad mentions about his father or the scene he cries as an eccentric,be it he slaps his own brother or the sweet simple smile in final scene -  simply awesome performance. He looked simply superb in his various looks.

Suraj Venjarammoodu was a surprise. He plays double role here. In father role, he was too good. In brother role, he simply excelled. Only negative felt about his performance was he tries to be the same trademark Suraj at times. On the whole he was superb in serious scenes. As handicapped brother, he simply makes his mark as an actor.

Jyothi Krishna as Kamala makes her presence effectively. With trademark Trivandrum-Murukkumpuzha,Chirayinkeezhu,Kadakkavoor slang she was awesome. A lookalike of yesteryear actress Vidhubala is an actress to look out for.

Anumol as Anumol was fine in her limited role. Thilakan's character was not fully picturised I believe. In scenes he appear, Thilakan makes his mark. Tiny Tom was ok, Kochu Preman too. Rest of the actors did their part.

Songs & BGM
Songs were fine to hear, but picturised in a very boring manner. "Illaathaalam" by P Jayachandran is the best which reminds us of 80's song. BGM was loud at many parts.

Technical
Cinematography by SinuSidharth & Pramod-Pappan lacks a constant tone & working style. Editing was bad. Art direction needs special mention. The initial portion was an art director magic in recreating 70s. He did a good job.
Script & Direction
Story by Babu Janardhanan was a good one to be converted into an enjoyable watch. But the screenplay lacks pace and elements to make audience entertained. A Gautham Menon style of story telling mixed with T V Chandran's Danny style with date mania. Though the screenplay had its own moments at parts, it lacks consistency & a good flow. Dialogues were good at parts. On the whole a very bad & lazy work.

Direction was done as if he's not at all interested to make this movie at majority portions. A passion to script by director was clearly missing. Scenes were made, edited and says a movie is here - thats what a common audien will say.

On the whole, a good storyline & awesome performance packed by a bad screenplay & direction marketed poorly

Verdict : Autobiographical documentary
BO Verdict : Ezhichu podey, kaliyaakkathe

Lal Jose was the best person to direct this script, he would have made this one into a mind blowing one.

LEFT RIGHT LEFT

LEFT RIGHT LEFT

Theatre : Aluva Zeenath Screen 2
Showtime & Date : 3.00pm, 16-06-2013
Status : Balcony FULL, FC 98%

Indrajith - Arun Kumar Aravind - Murali Gopy team is back with LEFT RIGHT LEFT after last year's much talked movie EE ADUTHA KAALATHU. Whether movie works well with audience?? Lets see

Story
The story unfolds with three main characters - P.K.Jayan aka Vattu Jayan(Indrajith), Cheguvera Roy(Murali Gopy) and Kaitheri Sahadevan(Hareesh Peradi). Watch the movie to know the story as it goes through the social and political issues of today's Kerala eventhough the makers claim that everything is purely fictional.

Performances
Indrajith walks away with all applause as Vattu Jayan with well written dialogues with the ample support of actress who played the role of his mother with typical Trivandrum slang in an awesome way. Murali Gopy was fine in his role. Hareesh Peradi was refreshing in his role. Hope he won't get typecasted like his predecessors. Lena delivered a powerful performance. Remya Nambeesan did justice to her role. Irshad was fine in his cameo. Sudheer Karamana & Sreejith Ravi was good, also Anusree & person who played the bookshop owner on roadside. Baiju, Vijayaraghavan delivers a strong mark. Saiju Kurup and Jagadish was wasted, Mamukkoya too. Suraj Venjarammood and Krishnaprabha were unwanted actors in the script. Rest of the artists did their part well.

Songs & BGM
Though the songs by Gopi Sundar did not make any impact, LRL anthem & BGM was awesome & effective. The whole movie had a strong BGM with LRL anthem.

Technical
Cinematography was fine. Editing was good, especially climax part, director-editor Arun Kumar Aravind deserves special mention for that. Art direction was good in recreating 60s,70s and 80s, but failed to create an effective NewDelhi in flashback episode.

Script & Direction
Script by Murali Gopi was good. Though a clear oneline is missing, the screenplay was strong enough to hold audience attention thoughout with the well written strong dialogues. Though the writer made a strong first half, second half was a letdown comparing first half. The script does not offer something new towards the final portions. Indrajith-Remya episode in second half and a not so effective Saiju Kurup murder case without even enquiring Saiju's past did not suit well with the script's flow. Also the flashback episode of MuraliGopy comes in the wrong reel of the movie. It would have been in first half. And glimpses of it in final hours would have been much more effective. Anyways he succeeded in making the audience engaged till final credits though cliches and loopholes were there.

Direction by Arun Kumar Aravind was good & effective though certain scenes were treated not that good like Sahadevan-Roy talk in second half. A simple scene with limited dialogues was a more effective than this one. Anyways that does not affect the movie in any way. On the whole direction was too good at times and average at times.

On the whole an engaging entertainer

Verdict : Good
BO Verdict : Hit

In the scene, when Saiju Kurup met with accident on right side of the road, blood sheds to Remya Nambeesan's face who was sitting on right side of bus. Is that a technical error or symbolic one director - LEFT RIGHT LEFT???

ABCD - AMERICAN BORN CONFUSED DESI

ABCD - AMERICAN BORN CONFUSED DESI

Theatre : Aluva Matha
Showtime & Date : 6.00pm, 15-06-2013
Status : Balcony Good status, FC 40%

Martin Prakkat after Mammootty starrer BEST ACTOR is back with his second movie ABCD - AMERICAN BORN CONFUSED DESI, this time Mammootty's sn Dulquer Salmaan in lead. Whether movie entertains?? Lets see

Story
Johns Issac(Dulquer) & Kora(Gregory) are spoiled brats in NewYork. Issac(Lalu Alex) decides to make them learn what is life. For that he sends them to Kerala & cancel bank accounts and asks them to live life with the small amount he gives every month. Both tries to go back to NewYork in several ways. What happens when they got fame in the city?? Watch the movie

Performances
Dulquer was cool as Johns though the character is similar to his role in Usthad Hotel. This time his energy level is high & he carries the movie well. Gregory as Kora was good especially in second half. Lalu Alex was good especially in second half flashback story. Aparna the heroine was superb. Rest of the characters did their part well.

Songs & BGM
Though songs & BGM lacks the usual Gopi Sundar touch, it fits to the mood of the movie.

Technical
Nothing special. Editing could have been better at many parts.

Script & Direction
Story oneline was somewhat similar to movies like Veendum Chila Veettukaryangal & Wakeup Sid. But it is the screenlay & characterisation which makes the movie so lively throughout along with lead actors' performances. Writers have tried their best to avoid cliches to the core though at times it happens & second half lacks the pace at times. The climax part definitely needs appreciation as the characterisation was given 100% justice. Direction by Martin Prakkat keeps us engaged. The flashback episode in second half was a fun ride. Dialogues were fine & funny. Screenplay by Martin, Sooraj & definitely needs special mention for avoiding the love track which was a must in this type of movies. At the sametime, the typical do gooder social worker heroine with typcial spects was a cliche to the core though Aparna's performance provided ample freshness on screen.

Overall a fun filled entertainer

Verdict : Entertainer
BO Verdict : Hit

HONEY BEE

HONEY BEE

Theatre : Aluva Zeenath Screen 1
Showtime & Date : 6.15pm, 08-06-2013
Status : Balcony No idea, FC about 70%

HONEY BEE is the debut film of Jean Lal aka Lal Jr, son of actor/producer/director LAL. Lets see whether the movie entertains or not

Story
Angel(Bhavana) is the sister of goonda brothers Mighayel(Lal),Suresh Krishna & 2 others. Angel's friends are Sebastian aka Seban(Asif Ali), Fernado(Baburaj), Abu(Sreenath Bhasi) & Ambro. Police Officer(Vijay Babu), tells Angel that Seban might have fallen in love with her. On marriage day, she elopes with Seban once Seban realises his love for her. From there on, its their run from her brothers.

Performances
Asif Ali as Seban has got limited role & dialogues. As usual, his dialogue delivery failed at many points. Bhavana has to look bubbly as Angel, nothing else, Archana Kavi had a better role. Baburaj with bad english vocabulary tried to make us laugh throughout, sadly only few succeeded. Sreenath Bhasi & Ambro was fine at parts. Lal repeats his tough play once again, Suresh Krishna too. It is Vijay Babu, who was superb in his looks. An actor to look forward.

Songs
Two songs in the movie were fine. BGM was okay, nothing great. Deepak Dev disappoints this time.

Technical
Cinematography was good from cameraman's view point but too much Amal Neerad style shots were boring especially fight with song in second half. Chase scene in auto was well taken. Editing could have been a lot better especially second half & climax portions. Art direction was good.

Script & Direction
Story was one hundred times told one only. Writer tried to make it different in making it happen in Fort Kochi. Lal Jr had a good start but once the movie unfolds the main plot, the writing was disappointing. Too much of drugs & drinks to make the story engaging makes us bored at many points. Second half towards climax portions were a rehash of old Siddhique Lal movies, especially In Harihar Nagar godown scenes. A success formula plot spoiled by the over use of drugs. Thats what I felt.

Direction was fine. Lal Jr tried his best to make frames fresh. Promising direction style for a good script. All the best for the next movie. Hope that will entertain all type of audience like Lal's movies rather than focusing target audience.

On the whole just an okay movie. On DVD, 1.5 hours itself will be too long

Verdict : Just OK
BO Verdict : Average

The movie was supposed to be a throughout FUN movie, but sadly what lacked was FUN

UP & DOWN MUKALIL ORAALUNDU

UP & DOWN MUKALIL ORAALUNDU

Theatre : Aluva Madhurya
Showtime & Date : 3.00pm, 25-05-2013
Status : About 40 people

T K Rajeevkumar after a series of dull films is back with his new film - UP & DOWN, MUKALIL ORAALUNDU, a thriller genre. Whether mmovie succeeds in entertaining us?? Lets see

Story
All the lead actors in the story gets trapped in a lift. Above that lift, they find a dead body. The rest is an investigation through flashbacks by each in the lift.

Performances
Indrajith as lift operator Thamburan was another ordinary one for him. His lift repairing scene was funny. Ganeshkumar as Police Commissioner delivers a powerful performance. Baiju rocked with his comments in first half. Prathap Pothen once again makes the scenes appear entertaining with his typical style. It was a MeghnaRaj show as the whole story revolves around her character without a proper name. Remya Nambeesan was fine, Rejath Menon & Vijayakumar too. Nandulal repeats Jagathy style once again. Kochu Preman failed to evoke laughter at many parts. Rest of the cast were okay except the female artist(Idea Comedy Stars TV programme anchor - somebody please make her attend an acting course session)

Songs
No songs in the movie. BGM by Prasanth Murali syncs well with the movie.

Technical
Great work by cinematographer & Editor. Sound effects by Arun Seenu, Mixing by Shankar and team needs special mention for powerpacked sound effects right from titles.

Script & Direction
Story by T K RajeevKumar was fine. Screenplay by Sunny Joseph & Manuvel George need special mention. Without a dull moment and in a single location they made the plot this much engaging eventhough the towards climax portions were predictable. Still they could make the show engaging with light surprises in climax. Dialogues by Indugopan needs special mention - Awesome oneliners.

Direction by T K Rajeekumar will be a surprise to all who have seen his past few movies. Remember he is the one who gave us CHANAKYAN, MAHANAGARAM & PAVITHRAM. Good execution of a theme like this.

Overall a well made entertaining thriller.

Verdict : Engaging well written & executed thriller
BO Verdict : Deserves a HIT status, but chances are less.

Another movie which will be getting appreciated after DVD release. Support this movie and watch it in theatres.

NERAM

NERAM

Theatre : Aluva Matha
Showtime & Date : 6.20pm, 11-05-2013
Status : Balcony Almost FULL, FC 45%

LAL JOSE FILMS, PISTAH song and an amazing trailer, these are more than enough to give Alphonse Putheran's debut film NERAM(a bilingual, Tamil version releasing a on 17th May by  Udayanithi Stalin's RED GIANT MOVIES) a try. The tagline itself was interesting.

Story
Story is waferthin one. Its the story happening from 9am to 6pm in a day. Mathew(Nivin Pauly) has to pay back the amount he borrowed from VattiRaja(Simha), a baddie. On the same day, his love Jeena(Nazriya) leaves her home to live with Mathew. On the way, Mathew loses his money. The rest of the story is full of twists and turns which director turned to a roller coaster ride.

Performances
Nivin Pauly as Mathew was good. His mannerisms & dialogue delivery was super cool. More action sequences should have given to him, he escelled in whatever given. Nazriya as Jeena - you can't look anything else on the screen on scenes which she appear. Amazing Screen presence. Her initial scenes shows the actor in her. An actress to look forward is here. Lalu Alex as Jeena's father was funny. Simha as VattiRaja was another promising actor. All the unknown actors was awesome. Joju once again proved his ability to do comic roles - Aliyan was wonderful.

Shammi Thilakan as S I Ookken Tintu and Manoj K Jayan as Achayan makes the show lively and engaging in scenes they appear and climax episode. Manoj K Jayan was awesome with his funny dialogues.

Songs & BGM
Rajesh Murugesan did a great job in both departments. All songs were equally good and picturised well and sync well to the narration.

Technical
Editing by Alphonse Putheran could have been better at parts. Cinematography by Anand C Chandran needs special mention. EXCELLENT work!!! Artists running through slums were beautifully picturised. Art direction by Mohana Mahendran was good. Action by RUN Ravi was cool.

Script & Direction
Story by Alphonse Putheran was a simple one. Its his screenplay that takes the story  to another level. Though first half was a bit slow, second half was superb with good twists and turns. Dialogues by Alphonse and Mohsin Kasim were perfect for a great entertainer.

Direction by Alphonse Putheran was superb. Whole movie was concieved in a new way. Still we feel that lots of scenes in second half, especially Manoj K Jayan's part could have been better by giving him more screenspace, Pistah song could have been used in a much better way like that. Realistic approach made the scenes funny at many points.

Another new director for malayalam cinema with new visions

On the whole, a racy entertainer with never a dull moment

Verdict : RACY ENTERTAINER
BO Verdict : Sure HIT

After AMEN, another movie fully belonging to director.

BHARYA ATHRA PORA

BHARYA ATHRA PORA

Theatre : Aluva Madhurya
Showtime & Date : 11.35am, 05-05-2013
Status : 50%

After VERUTHE ORU BHARYA which gave Jayaram a comeback, the same team - Akku Akbar, GireeshKumar Jayaram,Gopika unites again for BHARYA ATHRA PORA. Is this one a rehash of previous venture?? DDefinitely not - this time more entertaining & engaging with a good shocking climax episode.

Story
Sathyanathan(Jayaram), a school teacher is an alcoholic who has immense love for P Bhaskaran songs. He lives with his wife Priya(Gopika) & son Bhas aka Bhaskaran(master Ken Sanal).The story unfolds when Sathyanathan becomes too alcoholic & starts using facebook. Watch rest on screen.

Performances
Jayaram, after a long time makes a strong performance. At times, the character is a caricature to show newgen language which Jayaram does with ease & deserves applause. Gopika as Priya was usual till the final 25min. The final lap makes her the star of the movie. Thanks to the wellmade character. Siddhique in his limited role impresses us once again. Reena Basheer was usual. Aju Varghese was fine at parts. Sunil Sagatha is wasted. Balachandran Chullikkad had a fine set of dialogues towards climax which he delivered well. Arun Ghosh was fine as SI Paul. Veronica once again impresses as Thandamma.

Songs & BGM
Only one song in the movie which works well because of picturisation. BGM was usual.

Technical
Cinematography was fine. Editing could have been better in second half. Art direction was good.

Script & Direction
Script y K GireeshKumar was a good one. Though from start itself script mentions about newgen, the final hour makes it work well. Dialogues were good at parts. Final parts of the movie was too good which was shocking at the same time a reality in current society. Though movie takes off slowly in first half, the movie never makes us boring. One of the best climax scene in recent times which sans all the cliches of the typical climax of movies of same genre.

Direction by Akku Akbar could have been better at parts. He did a fine job except in newgen portions. It was lengthy and sans reality at many points.

On the whole a good family entertainer.

Must watch for all those who are married & going to marry
Verdict : Family Entertainer
BO Verdict : Hit

Ladies will surely like this one as many scenes and dialogues will be applauded by them, especially the climax & the scene in which Gopika blocks Jayaram before slapping her.

HOTEL CALIFORNIA

HOTEL CALIFORNIA

Theatre : Aluva Matha
Showtime & Date : 6.15pm, 04-05-2013
Status : Balcony about 25%+, FC 15-20%
Aji John after Nallavan joins with Anoop Menon-Jayasurya combo mainly banking on Trivandrum Lodge effect in new movie HOTEL CALIFORNIA

Story
I'm copying this part from INDIAGLITZ review as there are so many characters I forgot the names

It moves through the lives of many persons with the common link being a 'pushpak' flight from Mumbai to Kochy. It has on its board, Roshan (Krishna), the personal body guard of a Bollywood superstar, who is carrying the latter's  sperm to be delivered to Kamala Nambiar, who wants to deliver a child without the real physical interference of any male.  In the same flight is Aby Mathew(Shankar), a rich flirting businessman, who is ready to have a day out with a television star of his dreams ,Swapna Joseph(Dhwani). Tarun Singh(Saiju Kurup), the son of a politician convicted in 5G scam, is flying down to kochy to meet his online girl friend. And on the same flight' is his look-alike Rafeeq Ahamed(again Saiju Kurup), a poor NRI who is working as a 'carrier fly', carrying the pirated copy of yet to be released film of Supreme Star Premsagar (Anoop Menon), titled as ' Hotel California'. Outside the airport waiting for them is another big group starting from a bunch of self-procalimed terrorists lead by Nandulal to the local conman Airpot Gimmy(Jayasuriya) , who all needs to make money out of each of the deals offered by the men on the  plane.


Performances
Jayasurya repeats his Cocktail role even in dialogue delivery & costumes. If he was given comical shade the movie would have been much more entertaining. Anoop Menon once again repeats his trademark do-gooder clean man role once again. Shankar was funny with awesome BGM "Njanoru Vedan". Nandulal once again imitates Jagathy Sreekumar & fails wonderfully. P Balachandran was repetitive. Saiju Kurup was impressive & good. His hindi accent was awesome. His Rafeeq role was too innocent & realistic. Sukumari was good. Manikuttan was wasted. Sudheesh was fine in his limited role. Narayanankutty, Krishna, TV comedy stars were fine. Female artists had nothing much to do.

Here comes the show stealer JOJU GEORGE as BHARATHCHANDRAN IPS, the police commissioner. He made the scenes he appeared a scream with awesome expressions & dialogues. Awesome Work. Another comedy actor in the making.

Songs & BGM
Only one song, a rehashed version of "Anthimaanam" song from movie Chukkan.
BGM was another star of the movie - AWESOME work by Shaan Rahman. The best one was NJANORU VEDAN BGM for Shankar.

Technical
Cinematography by Jeethu Damodar was good. Editing could have been better. Art Direction was good.

Script & Direction
Story of the movie was a kind of old Priyadarsan movie - lots of confusions and interchange. A great plot to become a blockbuster stuff. But sadly script by Anoop Menon lacked the punch & funny elements at many parts to be a comedy movie. Many scenes were forced & many characters were created with confusions in writing itself I hope. Don't know what was Jayasurya's role to be - comic or serious or criminal??? If made into a full length comic one, movie would have taken a U turn to positive note. Dialogues were funny, mainly for Joju & Shankar. Many dialogues could have been avoided so that the movie would have been a clean family entertainer. Better luck next time.

Aji John after Nallavan once again proved direction is not his cup of tea. A director like Priyadarsan or Shafi would have taken this to a great entertainer. Aji  mainly focused on visuals rather than flow of the film. Screenplay saved the part to a great extent there. First half was dull with no much comic elements other than Joju's. Second half was far better with Joju & Shankar rocking. Still the movie fails to reach an average + status due to bad direction.

A movie like this need 3 things in my opinion - an entertaining script, good actors and a good director. In most parts, all three fails. When all works, its for Joju and Shankar parts only too. Rest was like 2-0 or 1-0.

Verdict : Timepass, if you go with zero expectation
BO Verdict : Average to flop

Anybody can try to be a Priyadarsan, but to compete with Priyadarsan one should become another Priyadarsan. Luckily or unluckily there is only one PRIYADARSAN. This film clearly proves how talented director Priyadarsan is once again to handle such plots in such a simple way and making big hits. If the script was given to Priyadarsan may be this year's blockbuster would have been this with his selection of starcast

Nandulal, please stop imitating Jagathy Sreekumar. In this movie you did the role which Jagathy did a hundred times. If the same was done by Jagathy even if again a hundred times again it won't make us feel bore, thats JAGATHY SREEKUMAR.

MUMBAI POLICE

MUMBAI POLICE

Theatre :Aluva Zeenath Screen 1
Showtime & Date : 3.00pm, 04-05-2013
Status: Balcony 45%, FC 75%

Rosshan Andrrews-Bobby-Sanjay team is back after the disaster Cassanova with Mumbai Police, a thriller genre one

 
Story
Antony Mosses IPS, ACP(Prithviraj) mets with an accident when he was about to reveal the culprit of Aryan John ACP(Jayasurya) murder case to Commissioner Farhan(Rahman).After accident Antony had memory loss & he tries to solve the case once again is the rest.

Performances
Prithviraj as Antony Mosses post accident episode was good but in the past episode, he was artificial. In looks too he was not at his best when compared to his previous police roles. Rahman was good while Jayasurya was ok only, especially in parade scenes he lacks the police finese in looks & actions. Rest of the cast had nothing much to do though Kunjan had a scene to score which was an unwanted scene in the movie. Riyaz Khan in his cameo impresses.

Songs & BGM
No songs in the movie. Is it the same Gopi Sundar who impressed us with many awesome BG scores. His worst work in recent times.

Technical
Cinematography was fine. Editing could have been better a lot. Art Direction was fine. Action choreography was good.

Script & DirectionIs this the same Bobby-Sanjay team who gave us TRAFFIC. The storyline was a good one but the screenplay was in a confused state I hope like whether tto make in non linear or linear in a stretch especially flashback episode and whether to make it a forcefully made newgen theme. Script had a lot of unwanted scenes which had nothing to do with proceedings of the story. Interval block was a simple one which makes no interest. Many good scenes were conveyed through dialogues and bad ones were made into scenes. Overall an average work on script by the team.

Rosshan Andrrews did his part but direction lacked thrill. These type of films need thrills at regular intervals to keep audience engaging till climax. Like a sensex graph the pace of the film goes up & down at regular intervals. The film deserved a Joshiy style of approach. The hollywood standard adapted definitely won't work with the starcast & the theme in malayalam cinema.

Verdict : Average(at max)
BO Verdict : Flop