Indian Rupee - Bang for the Buck

Cross-posting my review in FK.

Show: 10 PM, 7-Oct
Theatre: Innovative Multiplex, Bangalore
Status: Housefull (Houseful note was put up by the time we reached at 9:40. Great to see a full house despite poor reservation earlier in the day)

Hats off to Ranjith. Brilliant movie. For the third time in a row he has managed to pull off a great movie. Its often easy to be a victim of your own success but Ranjith has managed to stay true to his work. Armed with a good script, his direction has made this movie a delight for the viewer. Apart from poor picturisation of an awesome song (what were you smoking?), you could hardly find any glaring (or otherwise) fault. Terrific dialogues. The little verbal spars and one liners are really enjoyable.

Not getting into the story details. Better to see it unfold in the screen. Movie basically discusses the urge of today's generation to make a quick buck with little regard to everything else.

Prithviraj did well. Possibly his best performance since Vasthavam. No signs of stiffness that had crept into his acting in the recent flicks. His performance as JP would be remembered. A very good performance throughout barring the scene where he runs away from home during his sister's pennukaanal. He was able to portray the emotions of JP to perfection. You could easily accept JP as a "9th pass". A little smattering of humour works really well for the character. He should try doing more of these rather than trying a hand at slapstick which does not suit him at this stage.

Thilakan has shown how we miss him as an actor. A dialogue from Prithviraj, "Ningalithu evide aayirunnu ithrem naal!", sums it up. Brilliant performance. The best in the movie by far.

I thought Reema did quite well. She was charming and did well as the supporting yet strong romantic interest. The chemistry between Reema and Prithvi worked really well for me.

Jagathy as usual was terrific. Played the character to perfection. Tini Tom has played a good role. The movie should do him a lot of good. All the others were also aptly selected and did a good job. Special note to the girl who played JPs sister. Fantastic brother-sister chemistry. A welcome relief from the usual cliched kunjupengal.

Technical side was quite adequate. Good frames. Terrific BGM. Shahbaz Aman is seriously good. Ee puzhayum song was brilliant barring the terrible picturisation.

Its great to see that Malayalam cinema has marched ahead this year with some good movies. Indian Rupee certainly ranks high in my list among the best movies this year.

TL;DR: Indian Rupee is a delightful movie that handles a good theme backed by good performances in front and behind the camera.

Rating: Excellent!

Sneha Veedu - A cliched feel good movie

As usual cross-posting my FK review. Delayed by two weeks I guess! :-)

Theatre: Innovative Multiplex, Bangalore
Show: 10 PM, 30-Sep-2011
Status: 90%+ in balcony, first class status unsure. Quite healthy I think.

A beautiful village with all the village clichés set in place. The hero nostalgic about the village. A mother who has raised her son against all the odds. Lovely human beings all around. Typical Sathyan fare yet again. This setting, though unreal, is good to watch. If a typical city brat like me got tickled with the feeling of nostalgia, then it would be a rush for Sathyan's target audience. But the usual problem haunts yet again. Lack of credible writing.

The first half is quite enjoyable. A terrific performance from Mohanlal. A good performance from Sheela where she does not go too loud. Most of the comedies work out quite well. Not the kind of comedy where you laugh out loud and hurt your belly, but the ones which induce a smile and an occassional chuckle.

Cometh second half and cometh the devil. Sathyan has no idea how to go about the business. The story cruises along aimlessly and eventually runs out of gas. A better writer would have been able make the movie interesting with the same story line. The ending and second half should appeal to a family audience, but not for others.

The biggest positive by far in the movie is Mohanlal. His comic timing is impeccable. Self-referential humour was a riot. The exercise sequence with Biju Menon was hilarious.

Songs were a let down. Most of all them sounded alike. Sathyan should have got rid of Ilayaraja and got somebody new. Camera was adequate, but frames could have looked better.

Still, the movie is pretty harmless unlike other comic capers we are subjected to. Clichéd to be sure, but it never makes you want to hit the exit.

TL;DR: Snehaveedu is a typical family movie pulled down by weak writing and propped by a good performance from Mohanlal.

Rating: Decent to Good.