BHAIYYA BHAIYYA

BHAIYYA BHAIYYA

Theatre : TVM Anjali
Showtime & Date : 11:30am, 05-09-2014
Status : Balcony Don't know, FC 45-50%

Kunchacko Boban-Biju Menon combo again after a short gap, Benny P Nayarambalam penning the script. This Johny Antony flick had these features to attract attention before release. Did the movie reach the expectations??? Lets See

Story
Movie begins with Babumon(Kunchacko Boban) on an ambulance introducing his Bhaiyya Baburam Chatterjee(Biju Menon), his love Angel(Nisha Agarwal), Baburam's untold love Shanthi(Vinutha) and Udayipp Soman(Suraj Venjarammood), all for different reasons travelling together while both Babus on the way to Bengal to deliver a deadbody of one of their workers. Story begins from childhood when Chacko Contractor(Innocent) takes home Baburam to his home and considering his as his own son and both Babus are living as brothers. Now Babumon is a Bengali employee supplier with the help of Baburam. Angel is the daughter of politician Vijayaraghavan and his son Monayi(Shammi Thilakan) is an upcoming MP Candidate. Story takes a turn in Interval after flashbacks when the Ambulance met with an accident.

Performances
Kunchacko Boban and Biju Menon did their part well. But the screenplay failed to create a strong bonding and emotional attachment the story demanded. Suraj was superb, though repetitive at times. Salimkumar was good in one scene, otherwise wasted, Innocent too. Shammi Thilakan and Vijayaraghavan were Superb. Nisha Agarwal, reminded Kajal in most frames except closeups. Her lipsync needs special mention. Vinutha was fine as Tamil girl Shanthi. Gregory except one or two scenes, failed to evoke laughter. Thesni Khan repeats her Trivandrum Lodge role. Sadhique was wasted.

Songs and BGM
Vidyasagar disappoints big time. Aarodum by Jayachandran which is the title song is my pick. Only 3 songs are included in the movie, not even theme song Bhaiyya Bhaiyya. BGM could have been a lot  better

Technical
Nothing much to talk about, except the opening shot cinematography, the road from hills.

Script & Direction
Benny P Nayarambalam seems to have a plot and a no proper storyline to engage the audience at times. It is the lead casts with Suraj makes the show watchable. Screenplay lacks the flow and the whole stuff treated as a fun film, which lacked that seriousness the scenes demanded. Comedies some of them were too old or rehashed which acted as subplots.

Direction by Johny Antony was engaging. Climax portions clearly states that slapstick humour is his forte and he could create that well. Overall the packaging was OK to FINE only. No blames to director, but the script didn't give him ample support most of the times.

Overall an avg first half with few comedies and an avg but better second half with an enjoyable climax which takes the movie to an abv avg level

Verdict : Tads Above Average

The ones who are planning to make Chackochan-Biju team has to keep one thing in mind. The script and final product should be something above ROMANS to satisfy the audience fully

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

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

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.

3 DOTS

3 DOTS
 
Theatre : Aluva Zeenath Screen 1
Showtime & Date : 6.15pm, 22-03-2013
Status : Balcony Full, FC 70%

Kunchacko Boban-Biju Menon team joins again after the first hit of this year ROMANS along with the director of ORDINARY - the blockbuster of last year which made the combo a magic one. So will they repeat the magic of ORDINARY in box office??? Lets see

Story
Vishnu(Kunchacko Boban) is a petty thief stealing mobile phones, Louiy(Biju Menon) a goon and Pappan aka Pappettan(Prathap Pothen) meets at jail. After the counselling programme by Dr.Issac(Narein), they decided to start a new life after releasing from jail. Vishnu & Louiy goes to Pappan's flat and there they starts a new life. Vishnu is now a private ambulance driver & Louiy and Pappan runs a kindergarten with the help of Dr.Issac. Their life changes when they involve to solve Dr.Issac's problem. Watch the rest on screen.

Performances
Kunchacko Boban as Vishnu has delivered a smart performance. His intro scene was stylish to the core. As usual, the romantic scenes featuring Chackochan was a treat to watch. Climax protions belongs to him. Once again his chemistry with Biju Menon works in many scenes. Biju Menon has got a good set of oneliners this time too though his performance was dull at parts especially in second half. Pratap Pothen was good as Pappettan especially his scenes in flat and gestures were funny. Narein got a good role but failed to raise to the level except in climax action sequence. Heroines had nothing much to do. Rest of the cast did their part well.

Songs & BGM
Vidyasagar was not in good form this time though the theme music and the song version was fine. Kannil Kannil is the pick of the lot. Songs were picturised very well with smart visuals. BGM was fine.

Technical
Art Director Suresh Kollam and Cinematographer Faisal Ali are the show stealers here. Awesome work by both. Editing by V Saajan was good in first half but needs trimming in second half.

Script & Direction
Story by director Sugeeth is as old as hill plot only - a rehashed version of Ramji Rao Speaking & tamil movie SA-RO-JA. Screenplay & Dialogues by Rajesh Raghavan was entertaining in first half though no major story started in first half. Not a single dull moment in first half. Second half moves in a predictable way and once Narein's plot starts the movie starts lagging. Still the climax was entertaining though predictable. Direction by Sugeeth had a fresh approach especially in first half. The way the characters were introduced and till Interval portion was visual treat. Romantic scenes were taken in a beautiful manner - with close up shots and slow motion with apt BGM. Second half faced the problem of lagging for audience due to predictability and lengthy scenes of Narein. Climax was well executed.

On the whole a good first half & tads above average second half with a fine climax

Verdict : Above Average
BO Verdict : Hit

The movie is a perfect vacation entertainer but chances for another ORDINARY show in box office is less.

Once again Kunchacko Boban-Biju Menon combo is encashed in many scenes, the title sequences is the best example for their chemistry

ROMANS

ROMANS

Theatre : Aluva Zeenath
Showtime & Date : 6.15pm, 17-01-2013
Status : Balcony FULL, FC 95%

The hit duo Kunchacko Boban - Biju Menon comes together in Janapriyan fame director Boban Samuel's ROMANS scripted by Y V Rajesh. Expectation was just a simple entertainer. But the movie turned out to be a well made kidu racy mass comedy entertainer which was never expected from the director. The duo actors made the show to the max entertaining level.

Story
Aakash(Kunchacko Boban) & Shibu(Biju Menon) escapes from way to prison and reaches Poomala village where people were expecting two priests from Rome. To find a hide out & to make money, they acts like priests from Rome & things change when they plans to conduct the church function which has got some mysterious past.

Performances
Kunchacko Boban & Biju Menon - their chemistry was magical. Throughout the film we can see them complimenting each other. The whole film was their show. Terrific combo & ORDINARY is just a history after this movie for sure

Shaju was funny with costumes & visiting card numbers. Nelson was too good. Ponnamma Babu rocks in her cameo. After a long time, Kakka Ravi aka Nizhalgal Ravi in a cameo.Lalu Alex rocks, T G Ravi & Vijayaraghavan too. Niveda was just for the sake of a heroine. The one who played Arun Ghosh's heroine is a heroine material. Awesome screen presence.
Rest of the actors did their part well.

Songs & BGM
Though songs by M Jeyachandran was passable, BGM by Bijipal rocked especially for Chackochan & BijuMenon scenes.
Technical
Cinematography was awesome, Editing was perfect for second half, but first half needs a bit more better work I felt. Art direction was awesome.

Script & Direction
Script by Y V Rajesh was superb. Though the basic thought was from hollywood flick We're No Angels, the thread was beautifully made into a fresh story & executed very well with nice elements in apt mixture. Fun was there thoughout along with sentiments & horror factor. Best screenplay by Y V Rajesh till date. Dialogues were too funny at many parts which makes us miss some proceeding dialogues. Smart work

Direction by Boban Samuel was impressive. We can't believe that the same director who created Janapriyan made this. Scenes were well crafted & told in a fresh manner at many points especially flashback & story telling modes. Frame composition were awesome for 90% of the scenes. Not a single dull moment. So racy & fun filled.

Overall the first good comedy mass entertainer, enjoy with your families

Verdict : Go for it
BO Verdict : Sure Hit, chances for Blockbuster too(if ORDINARY can, this one has  double chances)

101 WEDDINGS

101 WEDDINGS

Theatre : Aluva Matha
Showtime & Date : 6pm, 23-11-2012
Status : Balcony Full, FC 55%

Shafi after box office debacle Venicele Vyapari teams up with Kunchacko Boban after Ordinary & Mallu Singh this year along with Biju Menon & Jayasurya. Whether movie entertains us?? Lets see

Story
Film starts with childhood of Krrish aka Krishnankutty(Kunchacko Boban) - son of Munshi Parameshwara Pillai(Vijayaraghavan), a true Gandhian and Antappan(Biju Menon), son of a fraud played by Kochu Preman. Munshi acts against illegal works done by Kochu Preman using police. In return, Antappan always hits Krrish. To get rid of him, he makes Antappan a thief purposefully. Years later, now Krrish is a careless youth thinking of making easy money. Munshi wants him to marry Abhirami(Samvrutha Sunil) in a marriage function arranged by Kasthurba foundation. Without knowing that Abhirami is the daughter of a rich man, Krrish tries to stop the wedding by bringing Jyothish(Jayasurya) into picture as Krrish. By the time Antappan also enters there. When knowing truth about Abhirami, Krrish wants to marry her. Jyothish too wants to marry. When Jyothish comes to know about the past of Krrish & Antappan he blackmails & things become more complex when Abhirami's father too agrees for the marriage. What happens next is the rest.


Performances
Kunchacko Boban as Krrish was good. His comic timing was good with a set of well written dialogues. In sentiment scenes too, he shines. Biju Menon once again repeats his Ordinary play leaving Palakkadan language. He shines in a set of scenes & action sequences. Jayasurya as Jyothish was just okay. His sentiment scene was fine. Samvrutha Sunil looked more beautiful and did her part neatly. Bhama as Rukiya was fine. Her sentiment scene expression was horrible. The person who played Biju Menon's pair(the one who played Rima Kallingal's friend in 22 FEMALE KOTTAYAM) should have given more screenspace. Vijeesh was cool as Chackochan's side kick. Dialogues were funny at many parts. Suraj Venjarammood & Salimkummar were good in parts. Sunil Sugatha was a surprise package with good comic timing. Rest of the cast were fine.

Songs & BGM
Songs by Deepak Dev were hummable. Changathi & Muthodu  were fine. Sajalamai is the pick of the lot. Nice picturisation with good visuals. BGM was fine

Technical
Cinematography was good at parts. Editing was good. Art Direction was superb.

Script & Direction
Script by Kalavoor Ravikumar was a fine entertaining one with a set of fresh scenes and dialogues. A simple oneline, a complexilty & confusions blended neatly & presented well with a set of nice scenes & dialogues. Direction by Shafi was fine. The packaging was good presented in a nice & new atmosphere. Jayasurya's guiness performance was out of place in second half. Shafi's packaging was good as usual and with the fresh plot & atmosphere, he delivers a fine entertainer.

Verdict : A Simple Timepass Comedy Entertainer
BO Verdict : Hit

Movie heavily banks on the new team Kunchacko Boban - Biju Menon.

MALLU SINGH

MALLU SINGH

Theatre : TVM Kairali

Showtime & Date : 11.30am, 04-05-2012

Status : HOUSEFULL

MALLU SINGH, which was on news after the change of title role actor replaced by a comparatively new actor & the movie which is Kunchacko Boban's 50th film hit the screens today. Expectations were there when Vysakh is back after Pokkiriraja & Seniors & Kunchacko Boban-Biju menon-Manoj K Jayan trio again. Whether movie entertains us? Lets see.

Story

Ani(Kunchacko Boban) is in search of his relative Hari(Unni Mukundan) who was supposed to marry Ani's sister Aswathy(Samvrutha Sunil), who vanished 7 years ago. Now Hari's relatives try to bag his properties using loophole in IPC. Ani finds a person similar to Hari in a TV show & starts to Punjab to find him. There he meets Hareendar Singh(Unni Mukundan). Is it the same Hari Ani is searching?? It is what Ani tries to find out with the help of Kathikeyan aka Karthi(Biju Menon), Pappan(Manoj K Jayan) & Suseelan(Suraj Venjarammood)

Performances

Its a luck for Unni Mukundan to play the title role when his seniors are playing other main characters. Unni was fine in looks. But this movie looks too early to be done in his career. He was fine in flashback episode shop scene & a wonderful intro scene(Thanks to Mahesh Narayanan's awesome editing). After that till suspense revealing scene Unni had nothing much to do other than to look rough, deliver threatening dialogues & do action in a plenty. 

Biju menon as Karthi, a coward lover of  one of Hareendar's sister had a nice intro with good oneliners in between. He did his part well. Manoj K Jayan as Pappan was good & better than Biju this time with nice dialogues, good expressions & body language. Suraj once again repeats his trademarks in between. But some of the oneliners were a riot. Mamukoya was fine in his limited role & looks a bit fresh for this role. Siddhique as usual was superb in looks, acting with nice dialogue delivery.  Saikumar was wasted in 3 scenes. Asif Ali in his cameo was just ok. Once again he proved his dubbing problem in the first scene of him. He was delivering dialogue like he was doing his role in Salt n Pepper. Among heroines, Samvrutha had a good role. Except Sentiments, she did it fine. Rest of the heroines were just for songs.

Yes, it is KUNCHACKO BOBAN, the show stealer who makes the show this much entertaining. Right from intro scene, he was doing comedy with such an ease. In train sequences, kalyanam polikkal sequence..... he was SUPERB!!! Be it, comedy, sentiments, dance, romance he shines in the movie throughout.

Songs & BGM

M Jayachandran's music seems to be a rehash of many, but suits the mood of the movie. Cham Cham is the pick of the lot. Gopi Sundar's BGM  was superb. Thousgh BGM for Unni was a rehash of THIMIRU music, it was a good one. Then BGM like Anikuttan in kalyanam polikkal scene, senti scene in second half, he scores.

Technical

Camera by Shaji was a visual treat be it Punjab or Kerala. Editing was Mahesh Narayanan was fine in first half except the action sequence. t was endlessly going. Second half needs trimming especially action sequences. Art direction was superb. Costume department's hardwork was seen in each & every frame. The whole movie looked colourful.

Script & Direction

Script by Sethu was a a commercial potboiler, rehash of many films except the background. First half was a racy one with no dull moments, but second half was moving like wait some more time to reveal the flashback, till then let it go like this(The same happened for Seniors too). Dialogues were funny at many parts. Climax looked silly as in every mass entertainers of the same league. It is Kunchacko Boban with ample support of Biju & Manoj makes the show engaging even in dull sequences. Direction by Vysakh lacked the freshness we felt in Seniors. This one is in the league of Pokkiriraja. Though he handled the whole packaging well, action sequences makes the show boring. Main reasons were the lead role done by comparitively new hero & rehashed action choreography. Cinematography too fails to bring freshness in those parts. It was keep on going on screen. Once again Vysakh uses the commercial packaging which will work with mass audience.

Verdict : Another Mass Entertainer

BO Verdict : Hit

The actor who was supposed to do the lead role could bring much more mass level to the movie, but how many times we see him in the same action sequences.

Samvutha singing Punjabi song was a kooval festval(I think Editor was sleeping)

ORDINARY

ORDINARY

Theatre : TVM Kripa

Status : Balcony Full, FC 70%

Showtime & Date : 11.30am,17-03-2012

Ever since the first poster of this movie was seen on 24th Jan 2010, I was very much impressed by the way it was designed. 

Finally movie started shooting towards end of 2011 & movie released today. A very impressive starcast, good songs, smart picturisaton of songs & awesome cinematography in those, smart posters everything added much to the pre-release hype of the movie. Whether movie was able to meet the expectations?  Lets take a look.

Story

IravikuttanPillai aka "E Ravi"(Kunchacko Boban) dreams of a political life. But he was forced to join as a KSRTC conductor after his father. His first posting was in an ORDINARY service from Pathanamthitta to Gavi which has Sukumaran(Biju Menon) as driver. The rest of the story is life of Iravi & Suku in Gavi & people there.

Performances

The smart combo - Kunchacko Boban & BijuMenon steals the show. Kunchacko Boban as Iravi was safe in his hands as it had some freshness watching on screen and the energy level too was high. BijuMenon as Suku driver who is alcoholic was wonderful with witty dialogues. The Palakkadan slang was superb. Be it comedy or sentiments, action or romance both shines in their own style. Kunchacko Boban was given enough dialogues & situations in script to score as a mass hero where as BijuMenon was provided with witty oneliners & a sad background for sentiments which worked out well with both.The climax action sequence in which both of them blocks the main villain was awesome.The best taken action sequence frame I have seen in recent times.

Asif Ali as Bhadran seems to be a miscast. He had nothing to do in first half. In second half, he was just shouting & smiling. Repeating the same expressions every time created boos in theatre. He is still what we have seen in Apoorvaragam. Jishnu was fine as Jose mash. BabuRaj again rocked as Vakkachan the Gaviboy in first hal, in secon half he was absolutely missing. Ann Augustine is another person who should be given an application form to an acting school along with Asif Ali. In song sequnces & dance steps she was wooden. Debutant Shritha was just okay only. Dharmarajan will make us laugh. Lalu Alex, Raghavan, T P Madhavan, Vaiga did their parts

Songs

Lyrics were writtenby Rajeev Nair(who is also the producer of the movie). Lyrics were fine & simple, catchy too especially Sun Sun & Enthinee MizhiRandum. Vidyasagar once again is back in form. Sun Sun & Enthinee are already topping the charts. Superb music & awesome picturisation. Thechippoo song was situational one though it makes us remind of Vidyasagar's composition of Sundariye song in Oru Maravathoor Kanavu at times.  Opening song Chenthamara was beautiful with graphic titles. Suryashalabham by K J Yesudas was a good situational one picturised with awesome visuals.. BGM was good at parts.

Technical

Another hero of the movie - cinematographer Faizal Ali. The beauty of Gavi was well framed in the whole movie. Movie was a visual extravaganza. Editing by V Saajan was good in first half, needs some trimming in second half. Art Direction was good. Costumes were fine.

Script & Direction

Script by Nishad Koya & ManuPrasad had a nice thread & had a good start too. But the story was too cliched to be presented in second half which is about an hour is a bit too lengthy. First half had enough nice moments though predictable. Dialogues were Superb & witty ones. Second half of the movie falls into the cliched line which we have seen in similar lines & the flashback episode & twist could have been something else.

Direction by debutant Sugeeth needs special mention. Though a debutant, he handled first half as an experienced one as a racy one. But second half could have been better. The flashback episode & climax could have been a lot better. Also the casting of Asif Ali was a wrong choice. Action sequences were well taken. If second half was made with same energy of first half, this would have been a great entertainer.

Overall a super first half & tad above average second half

Verdict : ABOVE AVERAGE

BO Verdict : HIT if promoted well & will be in theatres in coming weeks along with biggies



The dialogue which rocked the theatres
Chackochan to Sritha : Kutty, aarodum parayillenkil njanoru sathyam parayaam, SOUTH INDIAYIL ENGLISH SAMSAARIKKUNNA ORE ORU CONDUCTOR NJAANAANU

SPANISH MASALA

SPANISH MASALA

Theatre : TVM Kripa
Showtime & Date : 11.15am, 22-01-2012
Status : Housefull

What we'll expect from a Lal Jose-Benny P Nayarambalam combo with Dileep, Kunchacko Boban & Biju Menon coming together with Spain as backdrop - good comedies, nice twists, extraordinary visuals in songs & scenes - altogether an entertainer. But the outing from the team SPANISH MASALA is a total disaster.

Story
Story begins with childhood days of Kamela(debutant Austrian model Daniela Zacherl) whose father is leaving back to his homeland Spain after his service as brand ambassdor in India. She learn Malayalam from her Aaya(Vinayaprasad). Then camera focuses to childhood days of Charlie(Dileep) who is not at all interested in learning especially English language. After 16 years, due to financial problems, Charlie now a mimicry artist decided to stay back in Spain after his stage programme for a job without a job visa. He gets the job of a chef in an Indian restaurant. Kamela impressed by his Dosa asks Menon(Biju Menon), the manager to buy that. Considering the health matters, he appoints Charlie as chef in her house. Kamela was in love with Rahul(Kunchacko Boban) whom she believes was killed by her father. After a series of incidents, impressed by his tatics her father decided Charlie as his son-in-law. Menon asks Charlie to bring his relatives there to take a decision regarding this. By the time, Kamela's father dies. Then comes back Rahul to the picture. I'm sure what's the rest of the story you have in mind. The very same thing without any changes or surprises can be viewed in this.

Performances
Dileep as Charlie, to an extent was a tailor-made role for him but missed the Dileep in his old movies in which he used to score a lot in similar scenes. Except some 2-3 comedy scenes and 2-3 scenes in second half, script wasted him in such a dull role. Kunchacko Boban as Rahul had a good entry in Interval sequence but the script had nothing much to offer him except two scenes with Dileep. His performance in climax sequence was Superb. LalJose & Benny P Nayarambalam should be blamed for not utilising BijuMenon in such an underdeveloped character with same style dialogue delivery throughout the movie. Nelson as Pappan had a nice debut chance but except his cliched drunken guy(in which he scores in TV shows) scene in second half, nothing evoked much laughter. Daniela Zacherl as Kamela was a cliched absent minded lover girl. Vinayaprasad was OK but Kalaranjini was bore. Spanish actors had nothing to do other than to drink wine all the time & smile for what lead actors are doing. Archana Kavi was awesome in her cameo(because she had no dialogues or any scenes to perform). Nivin Pauly had the looks, why LalJose didn't use him???

Songs
Vidyasagar always created magic with LalJose. But here that magic was missing. Arezhuthiyavo is the pick of the lot. Song picturisation tto lacked the LalJose touch. BGM was too loud at times & senti music used was heard from Doordarshan times itself.

Technical
Lokanathan, the cinematographer was sleeping giving camera to Spanish technicians I think. The trademark LalJose visuals were there in few scenes only - the sunrise scene during titles, Interval scene & Dileep-Chackochan scene in second half. Editor can't help this movie more than this is what I can say. Art direction was just okay.

Script & Direction
Benny P Nayarambalam known for presenting silly storylines with good comedies & screenplay flow miserably fails here after PothenVava & Lollypop. Plot eventhough silly had enough elements to make it a suspense thriller in second half was converted to a cliched malayalam movie which we have seen 100 times before, to be exact the early career movies of Shankar,Mammootty & Mohanlal. Predictable to the core was one problem & the characterisation of Dileep, Chackochan & BijuMenon were limited by the screenplay. Dialogues were good at parts especially Dileep's dialogue in second half, Chackochan's dialogue in climax & Biju Menon's dialogue regarding his old lover. Benny, please concentrate on script suiting today's audience or future audience but not for audience of 80s movie. Masala was there only on movie title only, but spoiled second half whcih would have been a great Masala Entertainer with twists & action. Childhood school days of Charlie's character makes us remember the Salt n Pepper first scene in school.

LalJose announced the movie & went for a tour to Spain I think. This is not what audience expected from the most promising(We were wrong) director in the new league. After Arabikkadha, your love towards movie seems to be in low level. Elsamma enna Aankutty though an average movie had nice moments with greeneries as background & nice performances. This one had nothing to take a look for second time except the following scenes
1. Dileep's 2-3 comedy scenes
2. Kunchacko Boban in Climax
3. Nelson as drunken guy
4. Interval

I don't think that today's Malayalee audience will watch this movie for the above said scenes alone just because it's a movie by LALJOSE. Please concentrate on script next time. All the very best for DIAMOND NECKLACE

Don't know why Spain was chosen as backdrop for this storyline which is as old as Himalayas for Malayalam/Indian Cinema.

Verdict : Average, at max because of those scenes
BO Verdict : Flop, considering the huge budget

Once Casanova gets released on 26th Jan & if it works well with audience, Spanish Masala will be a washout at BOX OFFICE.

Wait for a DVD release as this one had nothing worth for a theatre watch.

SALT N' PEPPER

SALT N' PEPPER

Theatre : TVM Sreevisakh

Showtime & Date : 11.30am, 11-07-11

Status : Housefull

After an impressive debut with DADDY COOL(read my review) in 2009, director Aashiq Abu is back with his new movie SALT N' PEPPER with no big names in lead.

Story

Archeologist Kalidasan(Lal) is a foodie staying along with his cook Babu(Adv.Baburaj), his nephew Manu(Asif Ali) & a tribal guy Mooppan who was brought to his house to learn about new dishes & its making. Maya(Sewtha Menon) is a dubbing artist in film industry staying as paying guest in a beautician's(Kalpana) home along with Meenakshi(Maithili). Kalidasan & Maya meets through a call ordering DOSA, which was a wrong number. Kalidasan & Maya falls in love through chat without seeing each other. At a point, they decided to meet. Kalidasan sents Manu instead of him & Maya sents Meenakshi as they were really introvert & a bit complex. Whether Kalidasan & Maya unites is the rest of the story.

Performances

Lal as Kalidasan is the show stealer. The character was safe in his hands. Small movements, be it after tasting a food or after cutting the call when Swetha cries thinking about her mother, Lal was too good. A tailor-made role for him.

Adv.Baburaj as Babu the cook with some feminine nature is a change for him & audience. His oneliners & certain gestures will make us laugh at parts. But comparing to his role in DADDY COOL, its nowhere. Asif Ali as Manu had nothing much to do. He did an ok job & improved in his dialogue delivery. Swetha Menon was a miscast, atleast for me. ROHINI was the best person to play that role. Also Bhagyalakshmi's dubbing was not matching for her. She did an ok job. Mythili too had nothing much to do. In her intro scene itself, she proved that she's not a heroine material with bad expression. Kalpana had nothing to do in her bad makeup.Tribal character Mooppan was just a showcase material. Archana Kavi & NanduLal was fine in their cameo.

If someone tells you like this is a feel-good romantic movie, then you can find only one such sequence in this movie. Its not Lal-Swetha or Asif-Mythili, its none other than VIJAYARAGHAVAN. Though the character makes us remember the type of characters which Nedumudi Venu played in 80s, Vijayaraghavan's way of performance & dialogue delivery & smart dialogues in script makes you tell that this is the feel-good lovestory.

Songs

Music by Bijibal fits to the mood of the movie. Though songs are speedbreakers & seems unwanted in a movie like this, the editing of "Premikkumbol" song makes it watchable. "Kaanamullal" was an unwanted one. The final song "Aanakallan" by Avial band was a disaster. Are you the same Aashiq Abu who directed "Daddy Cool" song in that movie end titles. Bad editing results in an headache only. This song totally disturbs the mood of the audience which created till before that..

Technical

After TRAFFIC, Shyju Khalid makes an impressive work at parts. The opening forest sequence, the car crossing the bridge, a set of such visuals was impressive. But lacked the presence in the movie. Editing was good at parts & boring too at parts. The opening sequence & some scenes makes us think why so lengthy. Editing could have been crisper. Art direction needs special mention.

Script & Direction

I'll rate this film above DADDY COOL script wise & below DADDY COOL direction wise.

Script is by Shyam Pushkar & Dileesh Nair. They told a simple story on the backdrop of food. But unfortunately the script disappoints at times. The movie's first half was en engaging one. But problem is with second half. The climax is already known to audience. The scenarists failed to make it engaging with nice twists & turns or some feel-good sequences. Instead the script gave importance to Asif-Mythili sequence which looks totally out of place. Though presented the simple theme in new package, the film is not free from cliches. Mythili falls in love with Asif once he helps her & admits her in hospital following a duet. Also an irritated romance failure hero showing his anger towards his beloved ones. It is the director who gives the film another dimension. Aashiq Abu started the movie very promisingly & differently with fresh title cards. But the direction loses at many parts. Even traces of DADDY COOL was there here too. Watch out for the scene how director tells us that the characters were fined a Rs.3000 & what for. It made me remember Antony Simon's suspension scene in DADDY COOL.  In scenes with content, there lacks visual beauty & viceversa. On the whole, a decent work. Though the movie was given the tagline "Oru Dosa undakkiya Kadha"(A story which is made by a DOSA), not only that Dosa the entire food stuff which was used wantedly & unwantedly for proceedings in first half was missing in second half. Climax was another big disappointment, neither the script writer nor director provide a surprise or freshness. Also once the shooting location with flowers is shown, people started telling like this will be the climax shot.

Verdict : Entertainer, if you have no other biggies in theatres

BO Verdict : May end up as a HIT

Aashiq Abu is a director with talent, but his work is not at all consistent. Hope from next time onwards he'll overcome this.

People were booing & shouting & passing comments about Prithviraj when Swetha's opening sequence was a la'CLASSMATES sequence dubbing & later the same actor speaks about fans flex work.

Claps were there for Mammootty & Kunchacko Boban in the opening titles.Watch it!!

THREE KINGS

THREE KINGS (3 KINGS / THREEE KINGS)

Theatre : TVM Anjali

Showtime & Date : 11.25am, 02-07-2011  

Status : HOUSEFULL

V.K.Prakash after his first hit in career, GULUMAAL which also marked the comeback of Kunchacko Boban, is back with his new movie THREEE KINGS(three E's because there are 3 leads).

Story

Ramanunni Raja aka Ram(Kunchacko Boban), Shankaranunni Raja aka Shankar(Jayasurya) & Bhaskaranunni Raja aka Bhasi(Indrajith)  who were born at the same time are the sons of three brothers in a royal family . Now their families are having a lot of debt & all three try to save their families by earning money through their own methods. Ram tries to be a millionaire through Reality shows. Shankar tries to be an actor. Bhasi tries to be a sportsman. All three fails because every time one's attempt was made failed by the other two. All three are also in love, with Ranju(Ann Augustine), Manju(Samvrutha Sunil) a TV serial maniac & Anju(Sandhya), daughters of Jagathy Sreekumar. At one point they comes to know about a treasure which can solve all their financial problems thereby get settled in life. They starts for that along with their lovers. Rest of the story is whether they finds that & how.

Performances

All the three leads have got equal screenspace in the whole movie. Considering the variety of scenes & second half, Kunchacko Boban is the show stealer. Watch out his sequence in which he rescues Samvrutha. Though the second half sequence is same as Ritesh Deshmukh's sequence in Dhamaal, changes were done which makes it better. Jayasurya was funny with one-liners. Jayasurya had nothing new to offer other than his previous films of somewhat same genre. The spoof of SILSILA, BILSILA didn't worked on screen as expected. Kunchacko Boban- Jayasurya chemistry had worked very well once again on screen. In second half Jayasurya miserably failed in the sequence where Arshad Warsi scored well in the original. Watch this

Indrajith was the one who got more screen space in first half, but had a very few moments only to make us laugh. In the second half, except his "Inky Pinky" number towards the climax, nothing worked out. Indrajith's hindi was also a bit bore & at times we feel like he's doing his role in Happy Husbands. His sequence in second half was the same Vadivelu sequence from tamil movie Aayudham.Both Indrajith & Sandhya were horrible in that sequence.

All female leads have nothing much to do other than acting as people without brains. Samvrutha scores there a tad above with her innocent dialogue delivery. Ann Augustine & Sandhya were OK only. Jagathy was usual only. Suraj & Salimkumar were wasted. Asokan was good especially in climax sequence.

Songs

Music by Ouseppachan perfectly fits to the mood of the movie, lyrics by Shibu Chakravarthy too. BGM also impresses.

Technical

Cinematography by Venu was good especially in jungle sequences. Editing by Mahesh Narayanan was racy. Art Direction was superb especially the forest episode. Costume designer needs special mention for making the movie looks colourfull & the artists looks good in that.

Script & Direction

Script by Y.V.Rajesh is a mix of hollywood & bollywood films(Remember his first film GULUMAAL was a straight lift of Argentenian film NUEVE REINAS). Basic storyline of Three Kings is taken from 2007 bollywood flick DHAMAAL. Several scenes are a straight lift from that. Also films like GOLMAAL are also there. Samvrutha Sunil's role of a TV serial maniac is a straight lift of Kareena Kapoor's role in GOLMAAL. On the whole he did a commendable job in making the script work with Kerala audience. V.K.Prakash had given his style of narration. Second half is same as DHAMAAL in which many scenes didn't work except Chackochan's sequence. Mahesh Narayanan's editing as the saving grace for those sequences. Screenplay had many spoofs - Ghajini, Anwar, regarding Sreesanth, Serial actress on mobile clip, Rakshi Swanth ka swayamvar reality show, Silsila album.....V.K.Prakash was able to make an entertainer but those who have seen original may not enjoy the second half. But the climax was a good one though it was shown like the climax of Gulumaal, even dialogues were almost same. Screenplay by Y.V.Rajesh was an engaging one with good set of dialogues. After Cochin Haneefa-Jagadeesh jail sequence in Kakkakuyil, I saw a same stuff like same dialogue making fun here too where Kunchacko Boban & jayasurya telling each other "Ninakkenthanu chodikkaanullathu?"
Overall a good first half & tad above average second half with a good climax.

Verdict : Above Average Mass comedy Entertainer

BO Verdict : HIT

This movie can be enjoyed only by watching a mass audience, otherwise we'll find it boring at parts.

Leave your brains at home & Enjoy!!!

Kooval was there when Indrajith mentions about Prithviraj