THE CRITIC'S SPOT

Meppadiyan (2022) is one true village life story seen in a very long time. What happens when innocence of a person conflicts with some totally messed up people and system?   The movie is written and directed by debutant Vishnu Mohan. Though the movie starts in a feel good pace, it soons transforms into a socially responsible film. Like the movie Sandhesham (1991) it will also remain forever in Malayali movie discussions since the plot of the movie is somewhat timeless. Jayakrishnan (Unni Mukundan) is a mechanic who lives a sweet and simple life. His family includes his mother and sister and his fiancé Renuka (Anju Kurian). Everything was going well until he meets someone called Varkey (Saiju Kurup) for some real estate matters. Rest forms the main plot of the movie. The impact of power and money over the life of a common man is well portrayed in the movie. One major character named Thadathil Xavier (Aju Varghese) who is a corrupt politician is very much relatable to us. In this...

Despite being a brilliantly made film, “Devadhootan” (2001) failed to make an impression at the box-office. The Sibi Malayil directoral’s ill fate was due to the fact that it wasn’t the theme of that particular era. Malayalam cinema has had distinct trends throughout its history. Be it family drama era or comedy movie era or action thriller era. Any movie released out of its era had a very little chance of box-office success. The stereotypes are vanishing now. A fair amount of credit must be given to OTT platforms. The much creatively made film was released amidst the other films where the needless glorification of the hero is of prime importance. Some of these elements are reflected in this movie too. Despite adding all the commercial success formula, this classic dark mystic thriller film failed to make a mark at the box-office. Maybe it was too dark for a typical Malayalam film released at that time. Very unfortunate !   RIGHT? The movie begins with famous musician Vishal ...

What did you feel after watching “Shutter Island? I was in awe because; I never expected such a climax. Never ever did I think that Teddy wasn’t a cop. For sure, I thought that he was a little eccentric, but being insane is a whole different thing.   So…… I decided to watch it once again. Believe me ! This time literally every scene proved that he is insane. I just couldn’t unsee it. And also I would like to appreciate the underrated performance of Mark Ruffallo as Dr. Sheehan aka Chuck. He was exceptional. On the first watch we feel that Dicaprio overshadowed him. No offense to Dicaprio, please dare to watch the movie once again, you will be amazed. Ruffallo is literally flawless in his portrayal of Dr. Sheehan aka Chuck. You could literally read the story from his expressions. He just confirms all your doubts from the first watch. In the first watch he is just an assistant, who is little bit unsure about the island residents. Also he doesn’t seem to be disturbed as much as ...

  “MINNAL EFFECT” is going on everywhere. Much deserved response to such an exceptional and fresh concept. Why “MINNAL MURALI” became a great success? Never ever have we seen such a relatable super hero ! When we look into other super heroes that we are familiar with, most of them stand out of our real world. “Minnal Murali” creators had really taken a different path. Jaison is definitely one among us. He is our friend, brother or some person that we see in our day to day life. Only peculiarity is that he possesses some boosted abilities. As the plot moves forward, the makers succeed in normalizing his superpowers. Thus the creators were able to keep the realistic touch of Murali’s superhero abilities. Murali OR Shibu debate is going on everywhere. Although BRUCE LEE BIJI is not very crucial in plot perspective, the much distinct character needs to be celebrated. No one expects such a self-sufficient heroine in an Indian superhero film . Biji is bold, fit, strong and financ...

The Basheer and Narayani classic romance is very popular among the Malayali audience. The idea of romance across a prison wall was of course fresh to Malayalees at that time. Thanks to Vaikom Muhammed Basheer, the most beloved writer in Malayalam. The 1990 film “Mathilukal” (The Walls) by Adoor Gopalakrishnan is an adaptation of the novel of the same name (1965) written by Vaikom Muhammed Basheer. The classic Mammotty starrer movie is the recipient of several accolades, including four national awards. The protagonist is none other than Basheer. He is imprisoned for two and a half years for the crime of writing against the British government. A charming and popular Basheer easily befriends the jail mates and even some jail officials. He was leading a happy life until all of his friends were released one after another. The loneliness made him crave for freedom. This is the point at which he meets Narayani, to be precise Narayani’s sound. They become close after each passing day. Th...

  The 2022 movie Hridayam is full of clichés. The campus love, breakup, love triangle, trains, beaches, food, photography, the list goes on. Actually what is new in Hridayam? Despite all of these, what makes the movie so appealing to common audience? The one factor that made Hridayam unique is pure director’s impact. Definitely, there is a freshness factor amidst all the clichés in the movie. Vineeth Sreenivasan effect hugely lifts the mood of the plot. It is impossible to not mention that, this movie literally has no similarity with his previous directories. It is a totally different journey. It’s like his way of presentation keeps on changing. The fresh faces too had a major share in the success of the movie. By fresh faces, it is meant that these faces are fresh in a Vineeth Sreenivasan frame. Pranav Mohanlal, Darshana Rajendran and Kalyani Priyadarshan have done a wonderful job. Supporting cast also had done a nice job. The music is also extremely fresh, like it is tail...