Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Kerala Cafe
Kerala Cafe works! I had my apprehensions at first. 10 short films by 10 directors, woven into a single movie. But the pedigree of the people involved, led by Ranjith, made the project very intriguing. Portmanteau are always intriguing!
I liked the concept of Kerala Cafe, the cafe as the meeting point for all the stories. A cafe in a railway station. We mallus are perpetual travelers and nothing is dearer to a traveler than trains. Though the concept is good, the execution is slightly flawed. The stories are not intricately woven as we desire. This issue does not affect the viewer too much. Nevertheless, an issue it is.
The major plus for me in the project is that, the directors are not tied down to the traditional image bestowed upon them. For instance, Shaji Kailas, noted for his slick action movies, tackles a family/relationship issue and Shyamaprasad, known for offbeat cinema, attempts a comedy short. Same is the case with actors. They avoid typing necessitated by commercial demands. The best examples are Mammooty and Salim Kumar. These kind of roles from them is usually seen only by the selected audience of art cinema. The mainstream moviegoers get to experience how gifted they are with these offbeat roles.
The best movie of the lot according to me is Happy Journey by Anjali Menon. A smart and intelligent film which really works as a 10 minute short. Excellent use of the given time. Jagathy Sreekumar is outstanding and Nithya Menon is convincing as his tormentor. Anwar Rasheed's Bridge comes next. Anwar Rasheed is known for his blockbuster commercial movies like Rajamanickyam and Chota Mumbai. A lesser known fact is his passion for off-beat cinems. He has been able to do justice to his passion with Bridge. Visually, the short is outstanding. The best of the lot. Performance wise, Salim Kumar and Santha Devi steals the show. The kid in the short is also very convincing.
Puramkazhchakal by Lal Jose is another wonderful short. A great performance by Mammooty and Srinivasan. Ironically, the short really worked for me as I am totally pissed off at Mamootty in real life. Nothing personal, but the guy carries himself like a dick and a jerk. Anyway, the short really affected me. The climax is chilling to say the least.
Among the rest of the shorts, Makal by Revathy, Aviramam by B.Unnikrishnan, Island Express by Shankar Ramakrishnan are very good. M.Padmakumar's Nostalgia deals with the very interesting subject of a typical, selfish NRI. The execution could have been better. Shyamprasad's Off Season starts of delightfully. Suraj is pretty good in this. But the plot just loses its way after the first couple of minutes. Lalitham Hiranmayam by Lal Jose deals with a man's infidelity and the women in his life. Stylishly shot, but the short lacks substance. Mrityunjayam by Uday Ananthan is a horror short. The story seems to be an adaptation of the short story Indigo by Satyajit Ray. Sort of okayish. Such a short didn't really fit into the bigger picture.
This is a must see movie for all mallus. Especially the ones whining of the lack of good movies. More specifically the ones who whine and don't watch good movies when they are released. Cases in point: Thalappaavu , Thirakatha, and Gulmohar.
Watch the Kerala Cafe trailer. The title song is wonderful!
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