Tag: malayalam movie

Diés Iraé

Published on by cinemadilemmaLeave a comment
https://indianexpress.com/

Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Starring: Pranav Mohanlal, Sushmita Bhat, Gibin Gopinath, Shine Tom Chacko, Arun Ajikumar
Where to watch: Jio Hotstar
To watch or not to watch: One of the best horror movies to come out last year. Rahul Sadasivan knows his craft

Rohan (Pranav Mohanlal) is an architect, the son of a super successful architect, studied in the USA, living in Kerala in a mansion on his own, is a f**kboy who smokes up, drinks and throws lavish parties for his friends at this home. One day, he learns that his recently ex-girlfriend Kani (Sushmita Bhat) has unalived herself. Kani was a Bharatnatyam dancer, quite dedicated to her craft, but from a slightly less affluent family than Rohan (but then, who isn’t), and probably more into Rohan than he was into her. It is also implied that her unaliving herself was a direct consequence of them breaking up. Rohan feels a bit guilty and responsible for her, and goes to visit her family to offer his condolences. He goes up to her room, is reminded of her, picks up one of her red hairclips as a keepsake, and talks with her brother Kiran (Arun Ajikumar). He also meets Madhu (Gibin Gopinath) who is Kani’s neighbour and works as a contractor for Rohan’s father. Rohan comes back home and starts experiencing unexplained sounds at night. This escalates to him being beaten up brutally by an invisible force, and creepily enough, Kiran is thrown off the terrace to his death by the same force. This makes him seek guidance, and Madhu comes to the rescue. They find the cause of the haunting and how it can be undone. Exciting.

Rahul Sadasivan is attempting to do something fun in the horror genre, which, if knowledge and memory serve, has not been done till now in India. This movie is the third in this universe he has created, and while arguably the weakest of the three, it is still a brilliant watch. Pranav Mohanlal is a nepo baby, and yes, nepotism is bad for all the right reasons, Pranav is an example of when it can be good too. His performance doesn’t falter even for a moment and his demeanour as Rohan feels very authentic, and it probably is, given his pedigree. Where it is weaker than its predecessors is in the story, which lacks atmosphere and can be on-the-nose, and since the previous movies were so, so good, there is little to be done to make this one better than them, so temper the expectations accordingly. But it wins in execution, like the others. The build-up of the haunting and its impact on Rohan is slow and delibrate, leaves the viewer wondering in anticipation. The movie doesn’t deliver on the grandiosity of the title (which is Latin for Day Of Wrath, and it doesn’t explain which Day and whose Wrath it is about), but it makes for a good horror movie.

Malayalam cinema is where it’s at these days, especially in the genres of suspense/thriller and horror. It has given us bangers after bangers in recent years, and hopefully this continues. Bhoothakalam was definitely an award-winning calibre movie, working with story and atmosphere rather than any tropes. Diés Iraé does falter in that department – less atmosphere and more shock factor, even (cheap) jump scares and really sh*ts the bed towards the end. But here’s the thing, even then it is a good movie, not just by Indian standards, but by global standards. It introduces drama in the story, which was absent in the previous instalments by Sadasivan, and still less drama than the Conjuring/Insidious universe. Movies like these give hope to cinema, which has taken a nose dive in the recent years, and you only have to look through the recent posts on this website to get proof of that. Rahul Sadasivan is a director and writer to look out for; he gets it right! Watch this movie please. Support the cinema which doesn’t take the audience for granted.

Ela Veezha Poonchira

Published on by cinemadilemmaLeave a comment
https://www.cinemaexpress.com/

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5
Starring: Soubin Shahir, Sudhi Koppa, Jude Anthany Joseph
Where to watch: Prime Video
To watch or not to watch: A must watch for your Friday night intense watch! Fresh and brilliant!

Madhu (Soubin Shahir) is a police constable posted at a hilltop to maintain the lines for wireless signals and keep people away from the area as it is frequently struck by lightning. He is accompanied by another younger constable Sudhi (Sudhi Koppa) who has a rather cavalier attitude to Madhu’s more serious, withdrawn, quiet persona. Madhu cooks chicken curry for Sudhi, cleans up after him, tells him off from watching a couple having a private time among the bushes on the hill, all in all, a fair balance. In the opening scene we learn that there are dismembered body parts found all around the hill, and leads to an investigation that the two constables can follow through the wireless. But along with this, there is a simmering tension under the surface of Madhu’s quiet exterior visible through his furrowed brows, pinched mouth and staring eyes. With that is the mounting tension of the murder investigation, which then reveals itself to be the one missing puzzle piece which makes sense of the seemingly simple narrative.

This movie is largely a two-parter with very few supporting cast members, in fact, it won’t be wrong to say that Soubin Shahir is the Atlas who carries with him the weight of the narration. It is such an easy, simple narration, driven by dialogues, daily life events and, as mentioned before, a simmering tension. People complain about unfaithful wives, upset stomachs, normal police functions, etc. with nothing indicating the weight of the world waiting for the viewers at the end of the movie. But there are breadcrumbs spread all across the movie – from the opening scene, to a seemingly innocuous pregnant woman, a man masturbating, and so on. And when it all comes together, it is such a revelation to see the entire picture come to light. Very satisfactory.

In this era, when everyone blames huge productions like MCU for the high budget and claim the difficulty in products, we have a simple, poignant and deep movie like Ela Veezha Poonchira. The screenplay and cinematography are so tight and well executed, it is a masterclass in filmmaking. It is one of the best directorial debut movies and one of the reasons it feels so authentic is Shahi Kabir, the director, has been a police officer himself. Add to that the acting by Soubin Shahir – man! He conveyed so much by just subtle expressions – expressions of a man trying to hide his emotions in a setting where emotions have little place. This movie is a study in humanity and yes, filmmaking. Film makers, take note. Film viewers, don’t miss this one.

Kishkindha Kaandam

Published on by cinemadilemmaLeave a comment
https://maktoobmedia.com/

Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Starring: Asif Ali, Vijayaraghavan, Aparna Balamurali, Jagadish, Ashokan
Where to watch: JioHotstar
To watch or not to watch: This movie is like an onion – it has layers and will make you cry

Ajayan (Asif Ali) is a forest office who lives close to a reserved forest with this second wife Aparna (Aparna Balamurali) and elderly, retired army officer father Appu Pillai (Vijayaraghavan). Ajayan’s first wife passed away a couple of years back from cancer and his son is missing. Ajayan travels far and wide across the country everytime he gets any news of his missing son. Recently his father, who used to be very alert and sharp, has shown tendencies to forget things, even his licensed revolver has gone missing and there is an investigation underway. Aparna has noticed Appu write things in notebooks and then burn them after a month or so. She discusses this bizarre behaviour with her husband but gets more questions than answers.

It is difficult to describe what happens in this movie, it is all a bit bizarre, until the last act when everything comes together quickly and quietly, like a puzzle piece and it all makes sense in an “Ahhaa” way. The three main characters are believable and understandable – the proud old man unwilling to bend to the effects of old age but unable to stop them, the concerned son with the weight of the world on his shoulders and his new wife who is trying to understand her new environment and adjust to it all like a true superhuman. Along with them are some friends of the family who together fit into the puzzle too.

There is a certain simplicity in good Malayalam cinema which lends a sense of reality to the movies. And this is specially true for Kishkindha Kaandam – the actors depict a very average socio-economic stature and lifestyle. Their characters have friends they have known all their lives and who know them in turn. Despite that there are undercurrents throughout the movie related to the characters differently. Goes to show the wide expanse of human relations and emotions. There are also some deep-rooted moral questions faced by the characters, which they cannot reveal to others because there is humanity, love and sense of protection. As much as the movie is about the thrill, it is more so about the humanity of it all. It will require patience as it is a slow burn, but the understated climax makes up for it.

Sookshmadarshini – an entertaining, fun thriller

Published on by cinemadilemmaLeave a comment
https://arynews.tv/

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5
Starring: Nazriya Nazim, Basil Joseph, Akhila Bhargavan, Merin Philip, Deepak Parambol, Pooja Mohanraj
Where to watch: JioHotstar
To watch or not to watch: Oh it is a must watch. It is a fun and thrilling ride.

Priya or Priyadarshini (Nazriya Nazim) is a homemaker and an aspiring professional who lives in harmony with her husband, daughter and group of ladies around the neighbourhood, where they are always into each other’s business. When a new neighbour Manuel (Basil Joseph), with his sick mother, moves next door to Priya, her curiosity peeks its head. Manuel is a people pleaser and very well to do, managing his family’s bakery. His mother is said to have dementia and is thus a recluse. Priya finds that suspicious as she has seen the mother walking around their property, seemingly in full control of her senses. One day the mother walks out of the house and is subsequently lost, but Priya is sure she has seen her in the house, leading her to conclude that Manuel is holding her captive, but none of her friends believe her. In the parallel, Manuel is indeed cooking something with the help of his uncle and his doctor friend who is treating his mother. What is the plan? And why such elaborate facade in a gossipy and nosy neighbourhood?

This movie is not trying to hide things. We know there is something crooked about Manuel, we know Priya has seen his mother easily carrying out daily tasks without any hint of confusion and that he has fed a monitor lizard as beef to his neighbours in a party (gross!!!). But there is still a sense of urgency, a sense of confusion and an eagerness to know the truth throughout the film. Priya appears to be a very loving mother and wife, who is frustrated at not being able to bag a job and is bored as a homemaker. It is understandable when people don’t believe her, but as an audience member you get frustrated on her behalf. This is movie is that engaging. It is so much fun too, as Priya makes a cartel of sorts of the other stay-at-home ladies of the neighbourhood to aid in her investigation. It goes to show that minds can work in mysterious ways.

The end of the movie is gratifying, though albeit convoluted. It is wasn’t for some of the overdone climax twists, this movie would have been a 5/5, hands down. This is a fresh take on the whodunnit trope which can only be experimented in the Malayalam film industry. All the other regional and national movie makers need to stop what they are doing and really, deliberately take notes of what is being done right. This movie’s budget is 10 cr or approximately $1.2 million and what it produced is pure entertainment. Yes, it is not a thought provoking, moral preaching movie – it is a fun, entertaining watch which delivers the thrill it promises the audience.

Bhoothkalam

Published on by cinemadilemmaLeave a comment
https://www.manoramaonline.com/

Rating: 4 out of 5
Starring: Shane Nigam, Revathy, Saiju Kurup, James Eliya and Athira Patel
Streaming on: Sony Liv
To watch or not to watch: A good watch for people on the hunt for a thrilling movie

Asha (Revathy) and her son Vinu (Shane Nigam) live together with Asha’s mother in a house. They are financially hard-up, with Vinu not having a job since one and a half years after graduating, and Asha being a school teacher, not making enough. Vinu has taken to substance abuse and Asha suffers from clinical depression, which is aggravated by her mother’s passing. Slowly and steadily Vinu’s mental health starts declining and he becomes sleep deprived, easily startled, and aggressive. So his hearing sounds at night and seeing shadows is attributed to his addictions and is a counsellor is consulted. That is when the history of the house, incidents with the past tenants comes to fore and story takes shape.

The storyline is stupidly simple, in a good way. There is linearity in things unfolding and not much is said about what happened in the past in Asha’s and Vinu’s lives which has shaped them this way – it is only hinted at. And it is annoying. It neither helps nor can it be ignored, as it is fundamental to the relationship mother-son share, which is in-turn fundamental to the story. There are also false starts (Granny staring at Vinu when he is helping to put her to bed), loud music from out of no where, which dies the sudden death special to amorphous entities, with nothing to show for it. And also a love song in the background of Vinu’s and Priya’s date, when it has not shown to have any bearing on Vinu’s life – Priya just exists.
Now that that’s out of the way, we can come to why this movie is recommended. The movie shines in camera work, direction and ACTING, a bit of story too. The play of shadows and difference in views of Asha and Vinu are beautifully done, the viewer gets to be in the same room as them and understand the agitation, helplessness and frustration when they are not able to understand each other. The show-not-tell segue into the past of the house with the counselor investigating the truth is better done than in most movies, though far from perfect.

This movie wins on most points, specially since horror has been an under-performing genre in Indian cinema as a whole. The fact that Revathy stars in it, who is better known to the masses, helps bring this movie to the fore, and demography of cinema lovers is all the better for it. It is a simple movie, no gore, crazy made-up ghost or VFX, it is a plain haunted house horror. The last 17 minutes of the movie, shot in one bedroom and dining area really does justice to the almost one and a quarter hour spent before. Only wish the cinema can grow to understand movies can be made with without a romantic angle in the lead’s life and some more of the backbone story. And it is only being said because this movie was so so close to perfection. Highly recommended.