Ten to Tango...

Malayalam cinema of the 80's were known for their bold themes and experiments- thanks to stalwarts like Padmarajan, Bharathan, Mohan and K G George. Many ardent fans of Malayalam Cinema still refer to the 80's as the Golden Era and keep on ruing and crying about the sorry state of affairs in the industry today.

There is no dearth of talented filmmakers here but none of them are ready to push the envelope further. Instead, they all follow the tried and tested commercial potboiler route and end up making movies that have no stuff and are carbon copies of their own earlier creations.

Renjith has not been much different, but once in a while he comes up with worthy experiments. Kerala Cafe is another such experiment from Renjith that does not fall flat. This Renjith project showcases 10 short films by 10 different directors- all of them dealing with a common theme- "Yathra" or journey. Renjith has chosen his partners well- some established, some relative new comers and some rank new comers and the cast is also ensemble and eclectic. "Kerala Cafe" is a railway platform coffee shop in one of the busiest railway stations in Kerala and the lead characters in all stories either start from the cafe or end at the cafe. The connection with the cafe is jarring and not well established in all cases but works well most of the time. Here is a look at what the 10 stories have to ofer us:

1. Nostalgia by M Padmakumar features Dileep, Navya Nair, Sudheesh, Babu Namboodhiri and Sreelatha Namboodiri in the lead. It shows the twin faced, hypocritic NRI Malayalee who longs for his motherland while in the Emirates but hates, curses and poo- poohs everything after he lands here. It also shows how money minded the society has become and how we give false hopes to others to get things done. An above average effort
2. Island Express by newcomer Sankar Ramakrishnan takes us back to the days of Peruman Tragedy when the train fell into the Ashtamudi lake in the late 80's. It shows a bunch of people gathering at the accident site to pay tribute to their lost ones. A noble thought but the story suffers from poor execution and too many characters. Needed more screen time and hence, none of the actors- Sukumari, Manian Pilla Raju, Rehman, Jayasuriya or Prithviraj impress
3. Lalitham Hiranmayam by Shaji Kailas is the weakest of the lot with a story line as old as the hills, highly predictable climax and amateurish performances by Suresh Gopi, Jyothirmayee and Dhanya Mary
4. Mrutyunjayam by Uday Anandhan stands out because it absolutely lacks any connection with the central theme. It only leaves you confused as to why it is there in the first place. A stunning Reema Kallingal makes a fleeting appearance and Shanu Fazil seems to have come a long way since his listless debut in "Kaiyethum Doorathu". Boring fare!
5. Right Time by Anjali Menon is my pick of the lot. Starring Jagathy Sreekumar and Nithya, this one is a simple story and makes a dig at horny men who ogle at unknown women while traveling. The underlying humous is pleasant and this one shines in the midst of heavy duty tracks
6. Aviramam by B Unnikrishnan is the most predictable of the lot. It lacks novelty and plays out lazily though Siddique and Sweta Menon put in their best efforts to salvage it. Lacks depth like the filmmaker's earlier outings
7. Off Season by Syamaprasad is plain irritating. It is high time the director got rid of Joshua Newton- their previous outing together was unimpressive and so is this time. Suraj Venjarammoodu grates your nerves with his oft repeated Thiruvananthapuram accent and though it tries to speak about a global issue, the narrative goes haywire. Totally unimpressive...
8. Bridge by Anwar Rasheed is reassuring especially considering his last attempt. The director skilfully tells us 2 stories within a very short time frame and manages to do justice to all characters. The way he draws parallels between the pet dog and the have not's in the society needs to be seen to be believed. Supported by strong performances by Salim Kumar, Kalpana and Kozhikode Santhadevi, Bridge is easily the crowd favorite among all
9. Magal by Revathy draws on female trafficking and handles the issue sensitively. Getting Sreenath and Sona Nair to play the smooth talking agents is a battle half won. The other artistes from Tamil Nadu also contribute generously to the script and let Revathy drive the point home very well
10. Puram Kazhchakal by Lal Jose is definitely not outstanding but can be considered an honest effort. It showcases the great performer that Mammootty is and Sreenivasan plays perfect foil to Mammootty. The final scene will definitely leave a lump in your throat.

That sums up "Kerala Cafe" which needs to be lauded considering the fact that someone is being bold enough to experiment in the current scenario. The shoe string budget on which the movie has been made should definitely help. The movie lacks polish as a whole but is still watchable for the sincerity of its makers and the 3 odd stories that really stand out!