To the Right Destination!

I generally dont write about a movie the same day I watch it. The reason is that I generally go out for shows that start at 6 PM or 9 PM and by the time I am back home after the movie, it gets late to start writing about it. But today I could not hold myself back after having seen a movie as taut, well written and superbly directed as Passenger.

Written and directed by debutant Ranjith Sankar, Passenger tells the story of 2 strangers who meet aboard a passenger train plying between Ernakulam and Guruvayoor. The one chance meeting leads to many exciting things that happen in their lives over the course of a day and ever since they meet, we, the audience are transported to their world and you literally remain seated at the edge of your seat anxiously waiting for the events to unfold.

It is after a very long time that someone in Malayalam filmdom has come up with a theme that can happen with anyone and given real shades to characters to the extent that you feel they are one among you. 100 marks to Ranjith Sankar for that. You end up sincerely wishing that the veteran writers and directors of Malayalam learn a lesson or two from this talented youngster. Rajamani scores with his BGM and P Sukumar's camera work is fabulous. Editing is crisp and adds value to the script. There is not even a single shot that is out of place.

Sreenivasan surprises you once again with his realistic portrayal of Sathyanathan. Mamta Mohandas is a revelation playing Anuradha, the television journalist. Dilip suitably underplays Adv. Nandan Menon, possibly his best performance since Chandupottu. Nedumudi Venu scores yet again after Bhagyadevatha. Lakshmi Sarma, Valsala Menon, Sivaji Guruvayoor, Kochupreman, Harisree Ashokan, Anoop Chandran, T P Madhavan and Madhu are all aptly cast. Jagathy Sreekumar is adequately menacing as the evil Home Minister Thomas Chacko.

The best things about Passenger is its realistic storyline with a simple and straight forward treatment. The situations are identifiable and relatable and through his script, Ranjith Sankar puts forward a message or two that many of us forget in our fast lives today. Watch "Passenger" with the whole family at a theatre near you. Efforts like these are rare these days and they need to be encouraged for the bright future of Malayalam Cinema!