A little into Sathyan Anthikkad’s latest Malayalam film Jomonte Suvishengal we see a funny situation where an elderly pair is travelling by car, with the wife sitting in front next to the driver’s seat, while the husband is sitting at the back. Before you wonder what’s wrong, we see the car stopping to meet someone as the husband of the lady goes about surreptitiously taking a bribe from the person outside, handing over some legal document duly signed in return. That’s when we realize that lady is the mayor of the city (Thrissur), but she is more like a rubber stamp authority as the position has been reserved for women. It is in fact the husband (Innocent) who is actually running the show. The scene is handled humorously as Sathyan Anthikkad is usually known for, yet it conveys a reality that’s applicable not just to Kerala but across the country as well. It is for moments like these that one usually appreciates Sathyan Anthikkad and his films.Continue reading “Jomonte Suvishengal Movie Review: Return of the Prodigal Son”
Tag Archives: Muthumani
Kammatipaadam Movie Review: A Crime Saga from the Underbelly of Kochi
In today’s fast paced world we see tall skyscrapers housing residential or office complexes all around us. Gone are the days when this was a phenomenon restricted to the Metro cities alone, now it has even percolated down to all the State capitals & even further down. But have we ever bothered to know how these original cities once looked like? How the sites housing these large buildings once appeared to be as? A lot of these places were probably agricultural lands, wastelands or perhaps even slum dwellings where the poor lived, only to make way over course of time to these concrete jungles. Kochi or Cochin is one of those rapidly developing cities, a city that is becoming more and more cosmopolitan by the day. You hear people often say “Kochi ippol pazhaya Kochi alla” (Kochi now isn’t the same old Kochi like before) and perhaps Rajeev Ravi has kept all this in the back of his mind as he conceived his latest film Kammatipaadam, a tale that spans across three decades, taking us virtually into the underbelly of Kochi.Continue reading “Kammatipaadam Movie Review: A Crime Saga from the Underbelly of Kochi”
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Loham Movie Review: Yellow Metal without the Required Shine
Writer-director Ranjith and superstar Mohanlal have had a long working relationship. From writing some of the popular films of Mohanlal like Devasuram, Aaram Thampuran, Narasimham etc Ranjith went on make his directorial debut with Ravanaprabhu featuring Mohanlal. While not all the films from this combination may have worked, some of their films did manage to win the appreciation from both audiences and critics alike. Back in 2012 they came out together with Spirit, winner of the National Award for Best Film on Social Issues. Spirit may not have been the best of Ranjith but nevertheless had its moments and went on to find appreciation at the box office as well. Incidentally this was the last commercial success seen by Ranjith as writer-director, the films he made after that did not really bear his magic like before. Hence it was exciting to hear of the dynamic duo coming back together with Loham: The Yellow Metal.Continue reading “Loham Movie Review: Yellow Metal without the Required Shine”
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How Old Are You Movie Review: Return of a Diva
Manju Warrier is back and how! Rosshan Andrrews’ How Old Are You brings back Manju to the silver screen after a decade and half and one of Malayalam cinema’s most-loved actresses makes a spirited return as a middle-aged woman restoring her identity and finding new direction in life. This easily is one of the more anticipated movies this year and to that extent, there is a sense of mild nostalgia, coupled with a sense of satisfaction that her re-launch vehicle is the perfect one for the occasion.
(Mild Spoilers Ahead)
How Old Are You (HOAY), follows the ‘boring’ middle-class life of Nirupama Rajeev (Manju Warrier), a 36-year old UD clerk in the revenue department. Her life comprises a run-of-the-mill government job which she has been doing for the past 15 years, her family and colleagues, after she settles down and adjusts herself to the reality of a post-marital life. Her husband Rajeev (Kunchacko Boban) who works with All India Radio, and her high school daughter Lakshmi (Amritha Anil), have big dreams in life and want to migrate to Ireland to carve a new life for them.Continue reading “How Old Are You Movie Review: Return of a Diva”
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Kadal Kadannu Oru Maathukutty: Sneak Peek
All those who are familiar with Malayalam Cinema will acknowledge the fact that writer-director (also producer and actor at times) Ranjith is one of the better writer-filmmakers around in the industry right now. Continue reading “Kadal Kadannu Oru Maathukutty: Sneak Peek”
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