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

Beautiful - The title sums it up!

Cross-posting my FK review. Visit FK for more discussions.

Theatre: Innovative Multiplex
Show: 8 PM, 11-Dec-2011
Status: Nearly a full house.

This year has been a good year for our cinema. A handful of good flicks a class apart from the usual fare dished out by our filmmakers over the last few years. Beautiful ends the year on a really high note just like what Traffic did in the beginning of this year.

Beautiful can be summed up as a writers movie. Anoop Menon has a done a great job in the screenplay and more importantly, the dialogues. Refreshing and natural are the two words that come into my mind. The language spoken by an average, educated Malayali. The kind of conversations that I would have with a friend. The kind of jokes that we would crack in our midst. Special props for the Aishwarya Rai sequence. We used to play the same prank on our friends in a more sadistic manner. He could have done better towards the end as the flow seems to disrupt a bit. But you can take nothing away from the man. Full marks for his penmanship. Love the way he puts in Mohanlal references in his scripts (Cocktail and now this). I hope we get a movie with Lal written by Anoop Menon on a subject several notches lighter than Pakalnakshathrangal.

VKP has often given us exciting frames but not a good movie as a whole. This is definitely his best work. Rain scenes were sheer poetry.

Jayasuriya has done well as Stephen. A great performance from probably the most improved actor of this generation. Anoop Menon was good and Meghna looked delectable. Nandu provided with good laughs and other cast members did justice to their roles.

Beautiful shows that a movie shot and released in a limited a span of time at an extremely low budget can probably be one of the best in terms of aesthetics and entertainment.

Do yourself a favour and go watch the movie at the theatre. Else you miss out one of the best films this year and lose your license to lament about the lack of quality films in Malayalam.

TL;DR: Beautiful is a beautiful film with enough smiles and laughs to entertain you for several days.

Rating: Brilliant

Pranayam - Poetry in Motion

Cross-posting my review in Forumkeralam. Visit FK for reactions and comments.
Theatre: Sreekumar
Show: 31-Aug-2011, 2 PM
Status: Balcony - Full, First Class- Not many (where are the bloody fans who fill out multiple theatres on the first day? Shame on you!)

I am still under the spell of the movie. Personally, the best movie I have seen this year and possibly for an even longer period of time. Hats off to Blessy for terrific writing and direction. Pranayam is not a love story, rather a life story. A movie that has a lot of value for someone who wants to lead a happy life. Blessy has penned some of the best lines I have ever heard in a film. Life is an extension of happiness...Imo, the best film from Blessy (taking nothing away from Kazhcha).

This is one of those performances that every fan crave. To show off your favourite actor with pride. Look! This is the man I am talking about! To say Mohanlal is brilliant would be an understatement. He shows his immense screen presence and brilliant performance with limited scenes and even more limited mobility. I strongly believe nobody could have matched him or even come close to what he has done here. Blessy once again deserves kudos for writing such a masterclass character for him.

Anupam Kher can be proud of his work in Pranayam. As the character that drives the movie he exudes an aura of freshness and performs with perfection. Lip sync was a slight irritant in the beginning, but later on I was mesmerized with his performance that I never even noticed it again. Truly awesome! Blessy deserves another pat on the back for such a brilliant casting idea.

Jayaprada was truly a revelation. Brilliant performance. A strong feminine character without the cliched underpinnings. Felt just like a strong woman in real life who loves to live a happy life. Her character was pivotal to the plot and she did a fantastic job. I wanted Sumalatha in the role when the news about this film came. More for the Thoovanathumpikal nostalgia more than anything. I am glad Blessy didnt think like me!

Anoop Menon deserves kudos for a fabulous performance. I really wish he would get meatier roles in future movies. He showed his class and makes one wish he had started out a bit earlier. Other characters were aptly casted with good performances.

Camera work is brilliant. Satish Kurup has done a magnificent job. The lighting and shots were delectable to say the least. Editing, sound, BGM were top class.

Blessy has shown his class once again. After a forgettable outing in Calcutta News and a fragile script in Bhramaram, this is a remarkable comeback (of sorts!).

This movie is a modern classic. There are no two words about it. I would always cherish this movie close to my heart. Once I was confused about what I should do in life. Nothing really made too many sense. I asked a friend: What do you want to be in life? A prompt reply came: Be happy! A moment of truth for me. I feel Pranayam tells the same thing. Live life and be happy. Life is more beautiful than dreams...if you know how to live.

TL;DR: Pranayam is a wonderful experience. A must "feel" movie.

Ratiing: Exquisite!