The King and the Commissioner - Not the best of returns

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Theatre: Innovative, Bangalore
Show: 24-Mar-2012, 1:30 PM
Status: FC - Around 60%, Balcony - Must have been more than 90%

I had very little hope in the movie, despite the glowing reviews. Lowered expectations probably got the movie to an average level for me. The story revolves around the exploits of Joseph Alex in New Delhi, ably assisted by Bharath Chandran. The core issue of the length and lack of character development of antagonists probably stems from this fact. This movie would have better suited to either of the characters, not both. A lot of time had to be spent giving time to Joseph Alex, Bharath Chandran, and their bonding.

Nothing to write home about the screenplay and story. Renji Panikker totally fall flat here. The one department he shines is the dialogues. Eventhough a lot of the dialogues are rehashed, there are quite a few dialogues that make your blood boil. Pass marks to him for that. Shaji's direction is something we have seen over and over. Some of the multi-frame cuts look silly and would have been fit in a Telugu movie. He does manage to hook you onto the seat for most of the time. Quite an accomplishment considering the length of the film. You can't help wonder, when you would get to see a Shaji without these stupid gimmicks ala Commissioner.

Mammooty was good as Joseph Alex. Not fiery like in The King. He managed to control the dialogue modulation to suit his current stature and manages to deliver big. An intelligent performance. Suresh Gopi was also pretty good, manages not to go overboard unlike his recent outings. The man can still swear like a pottymouth and make it look cool! Aside from the leads, only Biju Pappan made some impression. Good performance from him. In an ideal world, this movie should have had King or Commissioner with Biju Pappan as the side kick. The biggest disappointment by far is Sai Kumar. I am big fan of the man. But this has to be one of his worst performances. Totally unconvincing. The other villain characters were simply caricatures. Poor job by the writer in character development. Mohan Thomas and Jayakrishnan would be rolling in their graves if they knew about such insipid villains.

BGM was on and off. Some parts good, most of the time pretty loud and lame. Editing also felt a bit shoddy.

Except for the perfomances and dialogues, nothing much goes for this film. Some sequences could have trimmed or cut away altogether. The film just plods along at times testing your patience. Probably the biggest disappointment was the climax. Same old warehouse, dishum-dishum, bharathamatha kee jai. A combination of king and commissioner climaxes.

This is a film I would recommend to Mam fans (and SG fans), who would lap it up following a disastrous period. For the others, it would be decent enough only if you like Renji Panikker dialogs.

TL;DR: King and Commissioner is an average fare with some great dialogues and good lead performances.

Rating: Strictly Average

Ee Adutha Kaalathu - Excellent stuff!

Theatre: Innovative, Bangalore
Show: 19-03-2012, 4:45 PM
Status: Houseful


A great script enhanced by good direction spiked with good performances. This is EAK in simple terms. The only issue I saw was in the first half. The pacing is off and once in a while you reach for your watch. A better beginning could have cranked up the viewers interest by a few notches and made for a more complete experience.

Murali Gopi deserves the meat of all appreciation. A good script which gets more and more interesting with the passage of time and ends on a note that the viewer hopes and prays for. Rubik's cube features in the film from start to end. According to his interview, the screenplay is paced in a way someone solves the Rubik's cube. Slow at start and frenetic towards the end. Looks good on paper, but the execution on screen was a teeny bit short.

Glad to see that the lesser known parts of Trivandrum are on view in the film. The small agrahaarams, housing colonies filled with lonely elders. More so happy to see a new gen film away from Kochi.

Arun Kumar Aravind drew a lot of flak for his straight lift Cocktail. He can proudly display EAK to whoever calls him out for Cocktail. EAK is original as far as I know. Though EAK gives a little feel of Lock, Stock and Burn After Reading, there is nothing lifted in here. As a director, I would say he has done a neat job. The pacing should have been better in the first half, but the second half was excellent. His editing skills complemented very well towards the climax and provided the much needed frenzy on the screen. A job well done indeed.

BGM was exceptional, but sadly lifted as we all now. Cinematography was good, but a better visual sense or colour tone could have taken the movie to a whole different level altogether.

Indrajith steals the show as Vettu Vishnu. Excellent performance. Trivandrum slang portrayed at its best. Tanusree Ghosh was very good. Even with the dubbing issues, her performance stands out. Murali Gopi was convincing in a role that could have been a goner had it been someone else. Even with all the antics, the character manages to feel real. Mythili was alright, but could have been better. Nishaan was good and apt for the role. Probably the first time I guess! Anoop Menon was good but very short. I would have preferred to see more of his gaffes in the first half instead of trudging through a lot of meaningless stuff. Lena had a somewhat lengthy role and she played the part very well. Jagathy had a short but effective role as well. The casting has been perfect with all the leads and supporting characters who suit the characters to the sock.

This is a film which carries forward the torch that Traffic (and Passenger to an extent) lighted last year. Anybody should be able to enjoy the film, provided you are averse to a few swear words (muted and beeped for posterity!) or a masala/goodie-goodie free experience.

TL;DR: EAK is an entertaining new-gen film with a fresh screenplay, taut direction and very good performances.

Rating: Very good

Nidra - with the magical touch

Theatre: Sangeeth, Bangalore
Show: 2:45 PM, 10-Mar-2012
Status: Around 50-60 people

Sangeeth is a theatre I completely avoid unless there is no other option. Nidra got released here in two other multiplexes which were too far off from my place. Sound was terrible the last time I went to Sangeeth, this time the sound was good, but the picture was way too dark.

Nidra 2012 is a faithful remake of the old Nidra. I watched the old one a few months back and thought it was a very average film at best. Sidharth has done a very good job by remaking such a film and leaving his father's best work untouched. The new Nidra makes you feel way more than the old one. Direction is good and the pacing is okay for such a movie. Good debut from Sidharth as a director. Bharathan touch is evident in this film which was missing from the old one! He has put in a lot of effort on the technical side. Sound, music, visuals, and everything that qualifies him as an exciting new talent.

Cinematography is awesome. Sameer Thahir has woven magic on screen with some excellent shots. BGM by Prasant Pillai deserves a special mention. Well crafted and immerses you in the movie even when there is not much going on in the screen. The songs are also good and Jassie Gift has delivered big here.

Sidharth as Raju was adequate. He certainly looked better than Vijay Menon in the original. While you could see Sidharth's Raju as a quirky person slipping into insanity over a period of time, Vijay Menon's Raju looked bat-shit insane right from the start. Rima Kallingal has performed very well. Most likely her best performance till date. Good call on not making her dub. Her original sound wouldn't really suit the character. Jishnu has made a good comeback to the screen and should get more chances. Business as usual for Thalaivasal Vijay and Lalitha with good performances in the kitty.

I feel that the new Nidra is able to convince the audience about the theme better than the old one. How an eccentric can drift into insanity just because he thinks in different fashion and how our penchant for money can destroy a beautiful place. The old one never connected to the audience in such ways.

TL;DR: Nidra is a movie worth a watch for the technical brilliance and the bittersweet feel of a tragic romance.

Rating: Very good.