Mayaavi is for the front benchers

When everything is going right for the Malayalam Superstars (Mammootty and Mohanlal), all of a sudden they decide to please their ardent fans and such quick, impulsive decisions result in blockbusters like Mayaavi, which might set the cash registers ringing but is surely a black mark in the otherwise sparkling career of the Megastar. One can only feel sorry for such state of affairs! Mayaavi’s plot is nothing worth dwelling upon, nor is it anything novel. The only idea that is novel here is the fact that the hero is an IAS, not Indian Administrative Service you fool, it is Iruttu Adi Service. This means that the hero beats up the villains in darkness without exposing his identity. Generally such acts are not considered heroic but Shafi with the help of Rafi- Mecartin’s script has managed to project this deed of the compassionate hero as “heroism” of the highest order which has been accepted by the public as well which is the reason why Mayaavi emerged one of the most successful films of 2007! Mahi (Mammootty) is a petty thief cum goonda who befriends Mukundan (Manoj K Jayan) while in prison who is in arrest for embezzlement of cash in the bank where he was working. Mukundan’s younger brother (Manikuttan) is ill and would require an operation. Mahi promises to provide funds for this purpose. He is released on bail on Independence Day and he sets out to meet his friend (Suraj Venjaramoodu). A chance encounter with Indu (Gopika) lands him in the company of the villain (Vijayaraghavan). How Mahi helps Mukundan and saves a golden hearted matriarch (KPAC Lalitha) and her son (Saikumar) from the villain is what the rest of the movie is about. The story of Mayaavi offers nothing new but Shafi is successful in keeping up with the tempo of the movie. Something or the other keeps on happening whether or not having a direct nexus to the plot. The comic track has been handled effectively by Suraj and Salimkumar which keeps the audience in splits. Gopika supposedly plays Mammootty’s love interest, but, thankfully, there are no explicit romantic scenes either. All technical departments contribute to the narrative, none of them are bad, none of them stand out either. As for performances, the roles are like cake walks for the veteran star cast of the movie. Manoj K Jayan is impressive as the wily Mukundan. Mammootty plays heartily to the gallery making this his most commercial effort since Rajamanickam. His dialogues peppered with chaste Malayalam words that are used at the wrong instances do evoke some laughter. To sum up, Mayaavi is a film for die hard Mammootty fans and satisfies its target audience.

Sivappathigaram is preachy and unrealistic

Karu. Pazhaniyappan directs Sivappathigaram that stars Vishal, Mamta Mohandas and Raghuvaran in the lead. Sivappathigaram is the story of a college professor and his student. The professor along with his daughter returns to his village in remote Tamil Nadu and is researching on the folk songs along with the help of his favorite student. The assembly elections have been announced in the state and it starts witnessing a series of strange murders where in the candidates who have submitted their nominations for elections are being murdered one after the other, that too in public without anyone realizing how. The Police department starts its enquiries and finally finds out the culprits who are none other than the Professor and his student. The director then takes us to the flashback where an opinion poll conducted by a group of students adversely affects the election results. The wily politicians of the losing party storm the college and in the large scale violence that ensues, many students lose their lives. Disappointed, the professor decides enough is enough but the seeds of vengeance are sown deep in his heart. His brains coupled with the brawns of his favorite student start working together to eliminate the group of politicians responsible for the mayhem. The police rise to the occasion and nab the culprits but the movie does not end before the student breaks into a sermon on what responsible politics is. Having sat through the movie, one also starts thinking if it were this easy eliminating corrupt politicians. However, one has to admit that though the movie deals with a real life scenario, the solutions that it offers are quite unreal. The manner, in which murders are committed in the open public without anybody present in the vicinity realizing the same, is utterly foolish. One also fails to understand as to why is it necessary for the hero to make speeches at the end of every film that takes upon itself a social issue. It is getting a bit too repetitive and boring, especially when the speech is peppered with suggestions and advices that are anything but practical. It is to Karu. Pazhaniyappan’s credit that he keeps the audience engaged to his narrative. The first half is slow but Vidyasagar more than makes up for the lethargic pace by contributing immensely to the narrative. His tunes are so deeply rooted in the cultural milieu of Tamil Nadu. The editing could have been crisper in the first half. Camera and Art Direction are normal. Vishal plays a mellowed hero compared to his earlier releases and is quite at home doing so. Mamta Mohandas makes a lackluster Tamil debut. She has very little screen time and has nothing much to do. Raghuvaran is impressive as the idealistic teacher. Kanja karuppu manages to pull a few laughs. Sivappathigaram does tread a different path and takes up an issue that is plaguing the nation. However, it is unnecessarily preachy and ends up providing unrealistic solutions!

Kaakha Kaakha: An engaging cop story

Goutam Menon directs Surya- Jyothika starrer “Kaakha Kaakha” produced by Kalaipuli S Thanu that was released way back in 2003. I had always wanted to watch KK in theatres but was not fortunate enough. Finally, I did manage to grab a DVD of the movie and here you go on what my thoughts are on KK. KK is the story of an honest, upright cop (Surya) who is part of a group of newly recruited cops working for the encounter specialist group of the Crime Branch. All they are interested in is to clear the Chennai city of all the mafia men who are making life miserable for the police and the public alike. What follows is an engaging cop- drama that also dwells briefly into the private lives of the men. The attacks, counter- attacks and its effects on the personal lives of the policmen have been captured effectively by Gautham. The romantic track of Surya- Jyothika is a tad lengthy and at some point, one gets a feeling that the director is moving away from the plot. However, Gautham bounces back in time to carry the thread forward and the result is one of the most engaging cop dramas that Tamil cinema has witnessed in recent times. What sets KK apart is Gautham’s treatment of the story. The look and the feel of the movie is totally different from anything that has been seen before in Tamil Cinema. The style and sophistication with which Gautham carries the plot adds to the uniqueness of the movie. KK is purely a director’s film and with this, Gautham proves to one and all that he is a film maker to watch out for in future. Surya and Jyothika are individually good but what needs to be commented is their electrifying on screen chemistry that sets the screen ablaze. I would even go to the extent of considering them the best on screen pair Kollywood has ever seen. The romantic scenes and song sequences are definitely a treat. Rajasekhar’s camera and Antony’s editing are major pluses for the movie. Art Direction by Rajeevan is minimal and realistic. Harris Jayaraj’s compositions are trendy, catchy and foot tapping at the same time. Bombay Jayashree’s seductive voice makes “Onra, Randa Aasaigal” unforgettable, Vasundhara Das is in form while crooning “Doothu Varuma”. “Oru ooril” is a befitting introduction to Jyothika. The lyrics of “Ennai Konjam Mathri” deserve special mention. The foot tapping “Uyirin Uyirae” is very well choreographed. The extra care that Jyothika has put in choosing her make up and costumes need to be commented. Surya has worked hard on his physique and the result is that he looks every inch the young cop that he is portraying. KK can easily be considered one of the best films in Surya’s career and will be remembered for his excellent on screen chemistry with Jyothika. Gautham Menon manages to raise the bar a few notches higher with his brave attempt at a cop story. This is a must watch!

Achanurangatha Veedu will leave you disturbed

In spite of being one of the most literate states in the country, Kerala is quite well known for the numerous instances of sexual harassment of women. It is quite a black mark on the otherwise clean image of the state. It is this sorry state of affair that forms the crux of Lal Jose directed “Achanurangatha Veedu”. The movie deals with the travails of Samuel (Salim Kumar), a widower and his three daughters (Suja Karthika, Samvrutha Sunil and Muktha George). Samuel is a converted X’ian and a follower of the Pentecostal Mission. He is a widower employed with the state government. His eldest daughter is married to a government driver, who is a habitual drunkard and lives with him since the father owes her arrears of dowry. His second daughter has completed her studies and is whining away her time at home. Samuel’s hopes are pinned on Lisamma (Muktha George), his youngest daughter who is the apple of his eye. Lisamma is a good student and Samuel dreams of making her an Engineer. All hell breaks loose when one evening Lisamma does not return from school. On enquiry, it is known that Lisamma fails in her school exams and fearing her father, she elopes with the son of a local VIP. The girl is sexually assaulted, abused and handed over to a lady who runs a brothel and after several enquiries; Samuel finally manages to trace Lisamma who is in a very sorry state by then. Samuel approaches the police for justice but he and his family is frowned upon and ridiculed by the law keepers and the public alike. Humiliated and disappointed, Samuel and his girls attempt suicide but are unsuccessful. The court convicts Samuel and his two older daughters to imprisonment for fear of them attempting suicide a second time round and the movie ends with the disturbing visual of Lisamma being approached by the madam who runs a brothel. It requires guts and gumption to take up a subject like flesh trade and come up trumps with it. Lal Jose, the director; Babu Janardhanan, the script writer and Reji Joseph, the producer deserve special mention for having come up with a movie that deals with a subject like this. The characters are natural and the situations are drawn out of everyday life. The narrative follows a non- linear format and moves back and forth in time which brings forth a compromise on the effectiveness of the narrative. Probably, Lal Jose wanted to make this as commercial a film as possible. Camera by debutant Manoj Pillai captures the beauty of Peerumedu in its entire splendor. The darkly lit frames towards the second half of the movie more than expresses the mental trauma of the protagonists. Editing is good. Background score enhances the mood of the movie. Music by Alex Paul blends very well with the narrative. All technical departments contribute immensely to the aesthetics of the movie. Muktha George makes a confident debut playing Lisamma. Samvrutha Sunil and Suja Karthika are adequate. Murali does a neat job as expected of a veteran. Prithviraj playing the college student and Indrajith who plays the sympathetic inspector do justice to their respective characters. However, it’s Salim Kumar who carries the entire film on his shoulders. The actor makes excellent use of the rare opportunity that has come his way and proves to one and all that he is not just another comedian. Malayalam cinema can be blessed with a few more inspired performances if directors take note of the immense talent that Salim Kumar possesses. In short, Achanurangatha Veedu is a must watch for the unique path the plot prods on and also for Lal Jose’s sensitive treatment of the theme.

Panchagni: A classic

Panchagni written by M T Vasudevan Nair and directed by Hariharan is the story of a strong willed woman who gets involved in extremist activities. It is more than 2 decades old but stirs the passion in you even if you watch it now! That is the reason many others along with me consider Panchagni a classic! Indira (Geetha) is serving life imprisonment for murdering a rich, wily landlord. Her mother, a freedom fighter in her hey days (Lakshmi Krishnamoorthy) is bed ridden and Indira is granted a week long parole to go and visit her ailing mother. However, she is not a welcome visitor in her house, especially for her younger brother, Raghu (Meghanathan) who is unable to find a decent employment, thanks to the popularity of his sister. The only solace for her is her childhood friend- neighbour Sharada (Chithra) and her sister, Savithri (Nadia Moythu) and family. Indira comes into contact with Rasheed (Mohanlal), a freelance journalist who wants to interview her. She turns him away initially but gets close to him when she comes to know that they share common interests. Somewhere down the line, Rasheed falls in love with Indira and tries to cut short her life imprisonment with the support of his mentor, Ramettan (Thilakan). In the meantime, Savithri suspects Indira of having an affair with her husband (Devan) which forces her out of her house. She joins Ramettan and Rasheed in their abode and she is set free by the government. Just when things are going fine, Indira witnesses the gruesome rape of Sharada’s maid servant by her husband (Murali) and his friends. The fiery fighter in her wakes up and she shoots the culprit down only to return to the prison. There are many who consider Panchagni as a depressing movie since the protagonist has to compromise her life for having believed in her ideology. In my opinion, that exactly is the strength of the movie. The uncompromising Indira is definitely one of the strongest female characters to have ever graced the Malayalam cine world and kudos to M T Vasudevan Nair, the master story teller, for having created her. The dialogues are natural and the milieu being that of the feudal lords of North Kerala is re created marvelously by the Hariharan- M T duo. M S Money’s scissors are razor sharp and Shaji’s camera work is wonderful. P Bhaskaran- Ravi Bombay team creates two soulful songs- Aa Raathri manju poyi crooned perfectly by Chithra and Sagarangale, a gentle melody by K J Yesudas. Murali and Meghanathan make their on screen debuts in Panchagni and put in credible performances in their respective characters. Chithra evokes sympathy, Nadia Moythu is adequate and Thilakan walks away with the best of the dialogues. Devan impresses and Nedumudi Venu is at ease playing the all- understanding Karyasthan. Mohanlal literally lives as Rasheed, this being one of his most under- stated performances ever. Watch out for Mohanlal expressing his love for Geetha, that single shot speaks volumes and volumes about the power house of talent that the actor is, something that he has proved beyond any doubts to cine goers all over India. There are actresses and then there is Geetha. How else can one describe her performance as Indira. Watching the actor emote, it is difficult for the viewer to believe that she hails from Karnataka. She is a complete natural and slips effortlessly into the highly demanding role of Indira. Truly, an award winning performance this is! To sum up, Panchagni is one of those films that will be remembered for a very long time to come for the truthfulness with which it approaches its subject and also for the natural treatment of the subject by the director- script writer duo.

“Azhagan” is a beautiful love story!

It definitely might not be necessary for me to write about a movie that was released a decade and half ago. But, being the self confessed KB fan I am, I really do not have a choice. I chanced upon the DVD of Azhagan during my recent trip to Chennai and did not waste even single moment thinking whether or not I should buy it. Yesterday, I saw Azhagan on my DVD and this should have been the 15th time I was watching that movie. Romance has not really been my favorite theme as far as movies go, but I cannot point out a better instance of mature romance handled in an entertaining manner in Indian cinema before or after Azhagan. Azhagan is the story of M S Azhagappan (Mammootty), a widower with four children and a successful hotelier in Chennai. At different points of time, he comes into contact with three women- Swapna (Madhubala), the perky college student; Kanmani (Geetha), a highly qualified teacher and Priya Renjan (Bhanupriya), a well known classical dancer. How each of these women fall for Azhagappan’s charms and who among the three he chooses as his life partner is what the rest of the movie is all about. The strongest point of Azhagan is its script and dialogues. K Balachander in his inimitable style weaves a cohesive and clear script around Azhagappan and the three ladies. The characterization of Azhagappan is so deft that anyone will believe three ladies falling for him and trust, the extremely handsome Mammootty to get into the skin of the character. The actor truly comes up with a mesmerizing performance, his looks and image contributing much more than his talent in making this a winning one. Madhubala makes a fabulous debut playing the naughty Swapna. It is sad that the actress could not capitalize much even in spite of her association with stalwarts like Balachander and Maniratnam very early in her career. Geetha is adequate as Kanmani, she gets the least screen time among the three ladies but being the veteran that she is, Geetha makes Kanmani unforgettable. However, it is Bhanupriya who walks off with all the credit for breathing fire into the character of the extremely stubborn and possessive Priya Renjan. She is graceful in the dance sequences and forceful when it comes to dialogue delivery. Her make up and costumes add to her camera friendly looks. Among the rest of the cast, Soniya and Veeraraghavan stand out for their witty dialogues. Editing is good and the photography by Reghunatha Reddy is in typical KB style with extreme close- up’s of the protagonists. Lyrics by Pulamai Pithan are extremely tasteful and Maragathamani provides soulful music in his debut album. Chithra’s talent is brought to the fore in “Kozhi koovum” and “Thathitho”. “Sangeetha swarangal” can easily be considered one of the best romantic songs ever. “Saadimalli poocharamae” stands out for its meaningful lyrics. To sum up, “Azhagan” is one of K B’s best films and a treat for die hard romantics!!!