Tag Archives: Gopi Sunder

Top 30 Malayalam Film Songs of 2017: A Compilation

Despite major rumblings in the Malayalam cinema industry in the form of Dileep’s actress assault case and incidents of online trolling of women actresses highlighting the rampant misogyny in our artistic space, I’d like to believe that it emerged stronger with more and more people debating the patriarchal nature of our cinema. It was, therefore, appropriate that 2017 closed with Aashiq Abu’s ‘Mayaanadhi’ – a film that spoke for a lot of women by giving its heroine agency. However, be cautioned – for every Mahesh Narayanan, Ranjith Shankar and Aashiq Abu creating strong independent woman characters, you also came across the likes of Nithin Renji Panicker (Kasaba) and Omar Lulu (Chunkzz) whose disgustingly trashy films belied the idea that the new generation has a different world view, when it comes to women.Continue reading “Top 30 Malayalam Film Songs of 2017: A Compilation”

Take Off Movie Review: A Take Off That One Will Cherish

Sometimes when a film that you are watching disturbs you a lot, moving you in a way that you are probably not too prepared for, it’s tough to really single out any particular moment from it which truly shook you. While Mahesh Narayanan’s Take Off is a film that works on almost all counts, however I definitely do wish to point out something that in particular is an arresting moment from the film. During the interval block we see Ibru/Ibrahim, the son of Sameera (Parvathy Thiruvoth) and Faizal (Asif Ali) in great distress. Well the 8 year old boy was unaware that his parents have been divorced for a while and that Sameera is now married to Shaheed (Kunchacko Boban), not just that she’s also now pregnant as well. On somehow sensing all this and not being comfortable with the realization, Ibru runs away from the hospital premises that they are in, only to be followed in close pursuit by Sameera and Shaheed. He doesn’t however end up running far though, as the film pauses for the interval break, we see violence erupt in the background, even as a deeply disturbed Ibru clings on to Sameera.  Forget everything else, this moment alone is worth the ticket price of the film; it only reminds you that editor Mahesh Narayanan has made a fantastic debut as filmmaker now.Continue reading “Take Off Movie Review: A Take Off That One Will Cherish”

Top 20 Malayalam Film Songs of 2016: A Compilation

As 2016 comes to a close, there are familiar rumblings in the Malayalam film world about new film releases with the distributors, producers and theatre owners slugging it out leading to no releases on a Christmas weekend! This is a familiar scenario for Malayalam cinema buffs but let’s hope this perennial bickering gives way to new releases waiting to hit the road, for an industry which has perked up a bit recently in the mainstream space. Meanwhile, I decided to spend time to look at the audio tracks this year and see how they stack up.Continue reading “Top 20 Malayalam Film Songs of 2016: A Compilation”

Pulimurugan Movie Review: The Tiger Roars and Shows Who’s the Boss

Not too long ago many of us had given up on Mohanlal, neither was he drawing crowds to the theatres like he used to do with remarkable ease film after film, nor was he managing to please the critics. However with Drishyam he made everyone shut up, even as the film appealed to audiences far and wide and critics too were moved by what Jeethu Joseph managed to come up with through this film. But somehow his choice of films post Drishyam have not been all that convincing, even his fans have not been completely satisfied to be honest. With no release for around 8 months (post Kanal) one was left wondering what exactly is his game plan but it looks like he knew that he was always there in the hunt. With Vismayam/Manamantha he showed that he is still good with the simple family oriented subjects and with Janatha Garage he managed to wow the Telugu audience as well.  And by the time you read this I’m sure everyone knows that he has now had huge back to back hits in the form of Priyadarshan’s Oppam and of course Vysakh’s Pulimurugan.Continue reading “Pulimurugan Movie Review: The Tiger Roars and Shows Who’s the Boss”

Brahmotsavam Movie Review: The Family Saga that Fails to Excite, Entice or Amuse in Any Manner

A leading man who at 40 can easily pass off as someone in his late 20’s naturally and who is a superstar by all means, with his previous film (Srimanthudu) being a blockbuster, that’s Mahesh Babu for you. A director who has only made 3 films prior to this, but all of them being different from each other, coming across comfortable working with newcomers as well as big stars, that’s director Srikanth Addala alright. A production house which is known to back its directors all the way, investing in the fashion that is needed for a film and whose last 2 Telugu ventures (Kshanam and Oopiri ) have come across as among the better Telugu films of late, that’s PVP Cinema‘s identity in case you aren’t aware. With Mahesh Babu, Srikanth Addala and PVP Cinema coming together to make Brahmotsavam, the film was indeed expected to be a grand celebration, worthy enough of the film’s title. Continue reading “Brahmotsavam Movie Review: The Family Saga that Fails to Excite, Entice or Amuse in Any Manner”

James and Alice Movie Review: Can a Relationship Work with a Second Chance?

Isn’t it an amazing feeling to fall in love with someone? Those tender moments that you encounter which make you go weak in your knees every time you see your beloved. When hours pass by without hearing from your lover and as you get frantic, looking at your mobile phone again and again for any trace of a missed call, SMS or a WhatsApp message. You do things that you otherwise would never have done before, so what if some of them later on dawn upon you as “painkili” or mushy :). Whatever be the challenge in front of you, be it related to academics, job or anything else, everything pales in significance before your love and your beloved. It’s almost as if life has come to a standstill, and there’s only one active window in front of you. Come on, haven’t you all (or at least most of you) gone through all this? Some of you have even perhaps gone on to get married to the person whom you were in love with, so does the romance continue the same way after the wedding is over?Continue reading “James and Alice Movie Review: Can a Relationship Work with a Second Chance?”

Thozha Movie Review: An Unlikely Tale of Friendship That Works Quite Well

When I first heard of someone having acquired the official remake rights for the French Film The Intouchables (2011), I was mildly amused. Later when I heard that PVP Cinema was going to adapt the film in Tamil and Telugu, having bought the rights from Guneet Monga I was quite surprised, even a little annoyed I must admit. I was wondering why would they want to really play around with such a sensitive well-made film which is based on a real life story of two friends from totally contrasting backgrounds. With names like Nagarjuna and NTR Jr. being discussed initially, later giving way to Nagarjuna and Karthi and with a director who has a successful track record for making mainstream commercial films, Vamshi Paidipally I was somehow feeling uneasy. After all everything seemed to indicate that this could be the opposite of a simple, fun filled and realistic film, but then I was hoping to be proved wrong. Continue reading “Thozha Movie Review: An Unlikely Tale of Friendship That Works Quite Well”

Kali Movie Review: Keep Your Rage in Check

While I generally do not lose my cool all that easily and claim to have a relatively high level of patience, there are rare occasions when on hitting the threshold level I have gone on to really get upset and vent out my anger. Looking back in time I wouldn’t say I am proud of those instances, especially those where unpleasantness set in. In fact a few years ago I actually ended up getting into a tight situation, something that could have easily been avoided. After that I have tried to be a lot more careful especially when I am outdoors. I’m sure if you look around it is always easy to spot people with a clear short fuse, you can find such people arguing with other motorists on a busy road, or screaming and abusing someone over his/her mobile or even appearing to fight or quarrel with their own family or friends. Stress is certainly one major reason for people to get provoked easily these days, thanks to the busy lifestyle that we are leading and the kind of pressure that we face, both in our professional and personal lives.Continue reading “Kali Movie Review: Keep Your Rage in Check”

In Conversation With Director Vamshi Paidipally: On Thozha/Oopiri and More

Vamshi Paidipally has been making Telugu films over the last few years, starting with Munna in 2007. Despite the not so great response to his first film he remained determined on his mission to be successful, as seen by the commercial success of his next 2 films, Brindavanam (2010) and Yevadu (2014). He is now ready with his latest venture, a bilingual film, Oopiri in Telugu and Thozha in Tamil, both of which release this Friday (25th March). Over the weekend he went on to have an interesting conversation with MAM and given below is an excerpt from the same.Continue reading “In Conversation With Director Vamshi Paidipally: On Thozha/Oopiri and More”