Amen - Imprrressive Stuff!

Theatre: Gopalan Grand Mall, Bangalore
Show: 23-Mar-2013, 6:45 PM
Status: Around 90%

Does your head explode when someone mentions flatulence? Are you the elusive fairy who does not poop? If your answer to either or both the questions is yes, then its probably good for you to stay away from Amen. Sick of seeing an awesome movie get stick for a few harmless jokes. May be one joke too far, but if that sticks out in your head after 2:30 hours of sheer art, then I guess you should not be watching it in the first place.

Lijo has sculpted a beauty and he has raised his game several notches up from City of God, one of the best films in 2011. Though the film is thoroughly rooted in fantasy, you just feel that a such a village exist somewhere in the backwaters of Kerala. Characters never feel wooden with their own little quirks and agendas. Lijo has simply transformed the written script into a living and breathing entity. Pure magic. He has had ample support from the cameraman and art director. All three on top of their game and perfectly complimenting each other. I have never felt such a sync between the three since Thenmavin Kombathu.

Abinandhan Ramanujam has stormed his way into the top echelons of camera men with just one film. In a crowded space filled with superlative talent, he has made his indelible mark. Jaw dropping would be the word to use. To be honest, Amen would be the best work to showcase the beauty of Kuttanadu to the outside world. He has been adept not just in capturing the landscape, but the people as well.

Art director Bava deserves an applause for a terrific job. Props look perfect for the mood of the film and the setting feels authentic. I believe that the church is a set and hats off to him for giving a mystic feel to the church. The downside might be the relatively new drums, but since I am a stranger to drum technology, cannot comment more on that.

Screenplay and dialogues by P.S.Rafique is upto the mark most of the time. However, a tighter screenplay would have bolstered the film a little bit more. The story is something we have heard over the years in several avatars, but the treatment is fresh and unique. Amen reiterates the fact that a film is not dependent on the story, but the screenplay, treatment, and direction.

Fahad is impressive as Solomon. Yet another Solomon who would be remembered by Malayalam movie lovers. Indrajith did well as Vincent Vattoli, but I felt the character had a little more space for development. Swathy as Shoshanna was good barring minor lipsync issues. Aside from the main characters, the life of Amen resides with the supporting cast. Awesome work from Joy Mathew, Sunil Sukhada, Nandu, Makarand Deshpande, Rachana, Lijo regulars et all. The list is practically endless.

Music and BGM felt apt for the subject. Another good work Prashant Pillai. The romance track and the finale competition song stands out.

Amen is a one of a kind occurrence. Relish the film for such magic is seldom seen and never created.

TL;DR: Amen is an awesome experience. Go and watch unless you yearn for the regular, recycled schtick in Malayalam cinema.

Rating: Excellent

Red Wine - For the connoisseur

Theatre - Gopalan Grand Mall, Bangalore
Show - 9:45 PM, 23-March
Status - 90-95%

I guess Salam Bappu named the film as Red Wine because of the fact that the movie like Wine requires an acquired taste and like Wine it doesn't give you an immediate high.

The film is more of a drama centred around the lives of two people than an investigative thriller. The film centers around the psychology of a murder rather than the whodunnit aspect of it. Red Wine belongs to a thin pack of realistic police stories headed by Yavanika. Its fun to watch how the investigation unfurls and thankfully stays away from political cliche though there is enough scope for it in the story. On the topic of politics, its hard to find political identity even in political thrillers these days. Red Wine stays true to an ideology and its evident from the red signature throughout the film. Though not a fan of the left, respect for the director to stay true to his beliefs without antagonizing others.

Direction is good. The director has a good idea was to what his film must be. Some shots are really good. Script is decent to good. But a little more tighter screenplay would have done wonders to the film. Camera, editing etc are upto the mark. Camera work deserves a special mention in capturing the beauty of Wayanad. The tribal colony scenes are pretty colourful. BGM is good at places, but expected better from Bijibal.

Fahad easily steals the show as Comrade Anoop. Love the way he eases into yet another different role. Arguably, the best actor around on form. Asif Ali was good. He brought a level of believable vulnerability to the character. One of his better performances. Mohanlal had an almost extended cameo. Performance is par for the course. Nothing much to do for the actor, but the star certainly lifted the quality of the film and role. Good to see him in such a role in such a film. I hope Red Wine garners enough support from the audience so that he becomes more open into  doing more such roles. The girls did well in their limited roles. The romantic pairs had great chemistry. Meghna's character was an eyesore to be honest. Lots of potential, but seriously underwritten and thus feels unwanted. Saiju and Sudheer Karamana had good roles and they played the parts to perfection.

At the end of the day Red Wine leaves you with lingering thoughts about how rampant commercialization affects the lives of people and is devoid of human touch. At least it did for me.

TL;DR: Red Wine is a decent film that focuses on the psychology behind a murder rather than give you cheap thrills.

Rating: Good (3.25/5)

Netholi Oru Cheriya Meenalla - A Delicious Dish

Theatre - Innovative Multiplex, Bangalore
Show - 10-Feb-2012, 4:45 PM
Status - HF or nearly so

Its not everyday that you encounter movies like Natholi. Self-indulgent with a bold narrative. Rarely these kind of experiments work and when they do, its a treat. Natholi worked big time for me. Essentially a comedy-drama which would have been utterly forgettable had it been written and directed in a conventional fashion. Just another film. Perhaps a tad more successful financially.


Shankar Ramakrishnan has essentially written one of the more unconventional films to come out of our industry in a long time. He writes strong dialogues that could be mistaken for some thing that Ranjith, his mentor, wrote. He keeps a level ground even while dealing with fiction inside fiction. Sadly, there would be a large section of audience who needs to be spoon fed as to what is real and what is not. Preman is a well setup character and drives the movie on. Narendran is also the same. Prabha could have been a little more fleshed out. There are quite a few interesting characters popping all through out the film. Even the cameo by V.K.Sriraman stands out. He has etched out the underlying theme of class difference pretty well without being overt or preachy. Kudos to him for the final parts where he establishes that a person is responsible for his destiny and should not live a life harbouring hatred for those who are better off. Its really satisfying as a writer to see how the characters that you write take on a life of their own and you start to get feelings towards them.


V.K.P is on the mark with his frames as usual. I doubt there is a better director with the visual sense that he has. Not many eye popping moments ala Beautiful or Trivandrum Lodge, but still the entire movie is aesthetically pleasing. The pacing is excellent for a drama. The movie does not drag out anywhere and parts towards the climax is pretty well laid out. Only qualm is so how the epilogue panned out. Though amusing with a dig towards himself, it does not satisfy.


BGM is terrific and apt to the mood. Couple of songs provide the needed break from the drama and are very well shot. Camera work is upto mark and with excellent editing adding value to the product. Art direction is great as well. Captured the feel of how most of the supervisors live in a posh apartment complex.


Fahad Fazil does a terrific job as Preman/Narendran. After Annayum Rasoolum he establishes the fact that he is the best young actor around in any type of role. Preman is a delight to watch and is kind of a lead that we haven't seen in a very long time. Narendran is equally good with Fahad being in a familiar territory. Kamalini Mukherjee is pretty good. Lip syncs decently enough and a good fit as the older, single woman. Mukundan is a revelation in a short role. Hoping for more roles for him. Rima was good in a very short role. Pretty effective in spite of being an almost complete fictional character. Other actors did well. P. Balachandran has a short cameo that left you wanting more.


Netholi Our Cheriya Meenalla may not be your cup of tea if you are used to a film that is to the point and follows the typical commercial pattern. Try it if you want to see something that’s truly different.


TL;DR: Netholi is one of the more imaginative flicks to come out of Malayalam in a long time. Entertaining and unique.


Rating: Very Good.

22 Female Kottayam - Bold and Beautiful!

Show: 11:30 PM, 13-April-2012 (FDFS)
Status: Balcony nearly full (4-5 seats vacant), FC - Not too many
Theatre: Kairali, Trivandrum

Ashique has been hyping at 22 Female Kottayam since its inception. To be frank it was off-putting to see so much of his face in the promotions. I had serious doubts on whether this movie would fall flat on its face and turn out to be an embarrassment. Even with such negativity in my head, I was blown away by the film.

To be honest, this film is not everybody's cup of tea. Its like watching an enthralling test match. A nice buildup, culminating in an excellent finale. Not necessarily, a pulse racing affair. But a lot more satisfying in the end. I seriously doubt its success in this T20 era. This film tries to stay away from the new-gen cliches as much as possible. An urban setting with sexually liberated folks would be something that we can call a new-gen element. Whatever element it is, I have seen lives like this in Bangalore. They may be outliers, but they are there.

Ashique has done a good job as the director. His best work so far. I thought SnP was a tad overrated from a direction point of view though it was thoroughly enjoyable. The narration and treatment was really good. Kudos to him for striking a balance between going downright arty and typical commercial cinema. Some may find this as a negative, but I felt that this approach made the film very enjoyable. The best part of the treatment is that the theme would have strayed into the titillating territory in a lesser directors hand.

Script could have been better. Crispier script would have avoided some amount of drag in the film, especially in the second half. Though the dialogues were adequate, the film deserved better, memorable lines. Cinematography from Shyju Khalid is top class. Bijibal and Rex has done a brilliant job with the BGM. Music gelled well with the film. Editing was also spot on for most part. Art direction was good, but being a bachelor in Bangalore, I wonder if nurses can afford such a lavish apartment.

Rima is in top form in this film. I think she has dubbed for herself and for the first time she has done a brilliant job in a full length role. Kudos to her for a controlled performance. There were lot of places where she could have gone overboard and destroyed the scene. She managed to punch above her weight and gave a scintillating performance. If Kavya can sweep awards for her bulging eyes in Gaddama, I will be royally pissed if Rima doesn't sweep the awards next year.

I loved Fahad in the movie. He was very good throughout and upstaged Rima in the climax sequences. Till now, I was thinking he would do good only as the urban yuppie. Though this role is typical Fahad, I really want him to see in other roles after watching this performance. Loved the drunk scenes and the scene where he corrects Rimas "pha". Rima-Fahad chemistry is electrifying to say the least. You feel that they are connected even while they are not even in a touching distance.

Sathar was good as the stylish Casanova. Prathap Pothan was also good as the eccentric Hegde. Refreshing to see familiar yet not too familiar faces in prominent roles. TG Ravi had a decent role which he did well as usual.

22FK cannot be clubbed as a typical new-gen film. It doesnt employ a difficult narrative. Its not very light-hearted or have sudden twists and turns. At its soul, its a Malayalam film with a strong story and well-etched characters. Th film has a slow build-up like many of the foreign drama films, which people do not appreciate when seen in Malayalam.

TL;DR: 22FK is a brilliant film with a strong story and excellent performances. Watch it if you are a connoisseur of good films. Stay away if you want some brain-dead entertainment.

Rating: Excellent