Archana 31 Not Out Malayalam Movie Review

Picture Courtesy: FilmGappa

“Is this girl even 5 feet? She looks awfully small, with this height and weight, will she be able to bear a child?” This was the dialogue uttered by one of the brokers who came to arrange an alliance for me. He said the dialogue and busted out laughing with his pan-stained teeth as if he cracked the century’s funniest joke. Till my death I will not be able to forget the humiliation I felt, that I wanted the earth to split and vanish into the same. Well, like these there were at least 15-20 wedding proposal dramas that took place in my native for me. Almost every weekend visit from college hostel to home meant that there was some random guy or worse, some random group of people who will come to see me. I had to dress up, take a tray full of teacups and go stand in front of them so that they can rate me based on my looks and decide if they will take me or not. Wait a minute, isn’t that what happens in brothels too? Maybe except that you have to pay, to get women in brothels, and in the “civilized brothel” cultures of arranged marriages, women have to pay some guy and his family to take her to be the unpaid maid for a man-baby. Archana 31 Not Out, touches on these atrocities of arranged marriage set up from a surface level, making it digestible and like in the society, completely normalized.

Picture Courtesy: Gulf News

Just like Archana, the protagonist of the movie, I back then had no revolutionary thoughts. Honestly, I found this drama, fun because most of the time for these setups, the best snacks were arranged and once these people left, the foodie in me had a feast. What do you expect a 19-year-old to think who was raised in a rural village in Kerala, meticulously trained that everything she does will eventually lead to only one thing, marriage, kids, and building a family? As years went by and thank goodness for my Assumption college days, I started realizing how absolutely humiliating and patriarchal these customs were. Yet, I didn’t have the courage to go against the family and thus began my own adventures to intentionally break the alliances that came my way. From prank calling the groom’s family to learn cuss words in pure Malayalam and scaring the bejesus out of the annoying broker, I had so much fun.

Picture Courtesy: Youtube

So, for me, the movie Archana 31 Not Out is relatable in parts. This is a movie that had potential and a unique premise of a twist just like another Malayalam movie called “Stand Up” but failed somewhere during the execution. Being an Archana myself in some foregone past and seeing lakhs of Archana(s) being manufactured in my native, still unknown of any future apart from unpaid labor in a domestic setup, Aishwarya Lekshmi’s character is relatable but somehow at some key points fell flat for me.

Picture Courtesy: Youtube

Especially in the much-revered climax twist, which is great but her execution felt very stoic and dialogues were sugar-coated so that, the fragile egos of the typical Malayali crowd are not hurt. Well can’t blame, debutant feature film director Akhil Anilkumar, since on the face messaging has neither worked for that crowd. It’s decades of conditioning that needs to be unlearned, so hopefully slowly but steadily someday before extinction, we might learn to consider women as living beings and not property to be exchanged between families as unpaid domestic help. Also, just like me, may Archana(s) stay longer on the pitch, get a way out of the toxic setups they grew up in and realize that they are living beings with a character of their own and rights as any other human beings of this planet. And that they have the potential to dream and achieve beyond being enablers of someone else’s life.

Picture Courtesy: Youtube

The setup and the supporting casts do deserve praise for their performance. Although some of the characters and their subplots felt unnecessary like that of Ramesh Pisharody and Indrans.

Picture Courtesy: Youtube

Hakkim Shah’s (One-Sided lover of Archana) and James Varghese’s (father of Archana) performances were notable and heartfelt. Wish the makers gave some importance to the cricket subplot beyond giving a comical connection to the 31 matches. The movie as it is could have been much better with a bit of crisp editing and removal of some very unnecessary sub narratives in the name of comedy which never landed.

Akhil Anilkumar, I hear is a promising director who proved his talent with a couple of short films and the latest anthology movie “Freedom Fight”, all of which I am yet to explore. I hope he never loses sight of unique stories and creates better narratives. With regards to Archana 31 Not Out, it’s a feel-good one-time watch, with some persistent points to think about despite its minimal impact.

You can watch Archana 31 Not Out movie on Amazon Prime Video.

83 Hindi Movie Review

Picture Courtesy: Paytm

Some movies are personal, for they remind you of those few good memories from a painful past that you have buried deep within. 83, to even my surprise became one such movie. Once an ardent fan, I stopped watching cricket 13 years ago in 2009, one year after IPL was introduced which made cricket, the circus it is today. I was too young to understand how bad IPL would make International Cricket, so obviously, that wasn’t the reason. I only watched world cups after that year which also eventually stopped after 2014. So, when the 83 movie released, I decided not to watch it, as I thought neither the movie nor me had anything to give each other, I wasn’t even born when the 1983 world cup happened. I was so wrong, I gladly realized minutes into the movie. Once bit by the bug of the game, guess it remains no matter what.

Picture Courtesy: Youtube

I don’t remember when was the first time I watched a cricket game on TV, but I do remember the game from a very young age. The reason for that love was my Appa, it was our ‘thing’. We never played the game but watching the game together was one thing that bonded me and him along with music and movies. Pretty unconventional bond for a young girl from a small rural village in Kerala to develop with her father, in a time when the game was for men to bond. Weeks of planning used to go into each match, Appa used to bunk his office and me, my school, to watch matches. We used to make the living room into our own personalized stadium and no one was allowed to bother us. I still remember Amma shouting at both of us for letting me watch the match, days before my exams. Of course, neither of us could hear that as we were screaming in happiness for India was winning a match. Can’t blame no one, Cricket was indeed such a fever in the country, that I still remember my great grandmother to grandparents checking the scores when India is playing and my sister having posters of Robin Singh secretly hidden in her cupboard.

Years went by in a blink and I and Appa parted ways after inflicting some grave wounds upon each other that neither of us could heal in time. I vehemently spent years after that ‘unliking’ everything that was ‘ours’. That was my coping mechanism, I guess. I stopped all of it, from our favorite color green to our favorite sports cricket. I still remember getting out of spaces where people were hooked onto TV when India was playing. It hurt, a lot more than I imagined as I loved to watch the game but anything that reminded me of him, hurt worse. I do remember reluctantly watching India’s 2011 world Cup win celebration on TV and getting so hurt as all I could remember was Appa saying, “Ponnu, one day we will see a match together where India will win the World Cup”. That day never came and Appa passed away in 2014 so abruptly taking a part of me with him. It was too much pain to handle that I went back to my routine of completely shutting down everything related to his memories and in the process, stopped watching the game altogether. The introduction of IPL made it easier to forget about the game totally.

I told myself that all of that was far behind me and cricket, the only sport I knew about was out of my life completely. Until a few days ago during a sleepless night, I decided to watch 83 on Netflix. I have no idea what made me watch it then, despite having it on my recommendations for weeks on Netflix. Yet, I am glad I did.

Picture Courtesy: Youtube

Objectively looking, 83 is indeed your sports drama genre movie with the added element of the reality of a time world history was rewritten, blended seamlessly into it. For those who saw the 1983 world cup, this movie will be a sweet revival of a historic moment and for those who haven’t been around then, the movie is the retelling of a brilliant match played by a team that no one believed in.

Picture Courtesy: Youtube

Yes, that doesn’t go over to say that the movie doesn’t play to the bollywoodness and nationalist sentiments of the country. The whole subplot about the government utilizing the game to divert people from ongoing local insurgence or the military watching the game with commoners or at borders can feel like a bit of an overstretch. You will find songs, scenes, and drama specifically catering to sentiment, but it isn’t on your face that you cannot overlook them.  Despite all of that, director Kabir Khan didn’t let it overrun the narrative though, especially something that I feared, about regular vilification of opponents to add to the nationalistic fervor. He handled those aspects with maturity; the scene where Kapil Dev explains about West Indies's win in 1975 was something, that I barely expected out of a movie like this. Also, it might have helped the director and writers Sanjay Puran Singh and Vasan Bala that the match of 1983 and certain moments were indeed stranger than fiction which hardly needed any embellishments. For example, Dilip Vengsarkar getting hit so bad on his jaw by a Malcolm Marshall bouncer that he couldn’t play for several matches after or Indian Team’s return ticket being booked in advance even before the semi-finals as literally no one, not even the Indian cricket board at that time believed that the team had any chance.

Picture Courtesy: Patrick Eagar shared by @RandomCricketP1 on Twitter

For a few like me, 83 is also a reminder of a time when cricket meant a lot more than a game, before polarisation, hatred, corruption, scams, and all the other bandwagons it is associated with now, spoiled the game for the entire world. Thanks to you Lalit Modi and BCCI. There was indeed a brief point of time in the past, where the game did represent national sentiment but also was a symbol of unity that surpassed differences, at least for a time period.

Picture Courtesy: Bollywood Hungama

The best part of 83 is that the effort is evident which they have put in to do the research and recreation and not letting the narrative drown in the whole national sentiment elements. The perfect blend in of real-life photographs and videos, whether it’s at the immigration point or during the live match, will definitely give you that feeling of nostalgia, if you loved the game ever. Also, kudos to casting companies for choosing actors who resembled their real-life counterparts spectacularly. 

Picture Courtesy: Youtube

While almost all the actors did their part perfectly, it was Ranveer Singh who stole the show for me. He definitely merges into the looks and personality of Kapil Dev with chameleon-like ease. While he gets his spots just like how Kapil Dev had his unbelievable moments at the game, he doesn’t overrun the spaces of other actors. 

Picture Courtesy: Youtube

Also, I was so glad to see Jiiva in a role where he could perform well after a long time, his monologue as Krishnamachari Srikkanth, is a scene I would gladly watch again. Slightly, irrelevant but giving Avantika Akerkar the role of Indira Gandhi would also be one of the finest casting choices done for the then prime minister of the country that I have seen yet, as she matched so well to her real-life counterpart.

Throughout the movie, I laughed, cried, and was on my edge much like in the old times. I missed Appa so much and many a time unknowingly raised my hands in the air for a Hi-Fi like we used to. So, as I mentioned earlier, objectively 83 is another sports drama genre movie that is created reasonably well. I couldn’t take 83 objectively as it was clouded by a lot of emotions, memories, pain, and happiness. Smiling through tears I finished watching the movie realizing I still got some good memories from a past that I believed had nothing to offer.

Picture Courtesy: ICCI

Cricket fan or not, bit by nostalgia bug or not, if you love sports movies, you can give 83 a chance.

You can watch the movie 83 on Netflix and Disney+ Hotstar in Hindi and simultaneously in its dubbed versions (Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam).

P.S. If you would like a fact check to some pivotal scenes in the movie 83, do check out this video by 5ocial on Youtube:

https://youtu.be/hu_EEFLtW9w - 10 Things 83 Movie Got Factually Right & Wrong | Fact vs Fiction

 

Pada Malayalam Movie Review

Picture Courtesy: IMDb

 "I do not know if India can be called a democracy anymore. Today, one can define democracy as a government of the privileged few, for the privileged few and by the privileged few,"- Former Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde made this statement in 2011 commenting on the state of affairs in the country. In the movie Pada, based on real incidents of violation of Adivasi (indigenous) community rights on their own land, the narrative reminds us of the fact that India, has ALWAYS been a democracy for only a privileged few. For anyone without some privilege in the form of power, caste, religion, or money, it’s always been an uphill battle for their right to live and be treated as human beings.

Pada doesn’t require a review, for all the good reasons. It’s a movie that each and every one of us must watch especially in the times we live in. Also, the real incident the movie is based on happened 26 years ago and nothing much has changed since then in the lives of the Adivasi communities of this country. So, the review of the movie will be short and it will be filled more with links to reading material and videos that will give you the necessary understanding of the incident. It will also give an insight into the facts as mentioned in the movie that, how through eviction and neglect, the history of Adivasis continues to this day in India with no place to call their own on the map.

Picture Courtesy: Onmanorama

From the atrocious and completely insensitive representation of the Adivasi (Indigenous) community in the Malayalam movie, Bamboo Boys (2002) to the irresponsible and total misrepresentation of the Dalit community and their battles in the recent movie Nayattu (2021), it’s a relief that Malayalam cinema chose to focus a realistic and sensitive lens on an incident pivotal to the indigenous community’s protest for their human rights. After Virus, an ensemble of versatile actors came together to tell a gripping tale of a real-life incident that shook the state of Kerala for 9 hours on October 4, 1996. Pada is also a cinematic example of how to build highly engaging and purely mass sequences from a completely realistic depiction of the story. Vinayakan, Kunchacko Boban, Dileesh Pothan, and Joju George effectively carry the narrative on their shoulders with their acting prowess. While an elaborate ensemble cast including Prakash Raj to Kani Kusruthi excellently performed their small but impactful parts. Amidst the cast, Arjun Radhakrishnan who played the character of the collector stood out as he performed his role with utmost conviction.

Pada Movie Cast and Real Life Counterparts- Picture Courtesy: The Indian Express

Pada is based on the 1996 incident when four activists of the Ayyankali Pada (Ayyankali was a social reformer of Travancore of the early 1900s) held the then Palakkad District Collector WR Reddy hostage for nine hours in his office chamber.

Why did they stage such a hostage drama? – The infamous 1996 amendment of the 1975 Kerala Scheduled Tribes (Restriction on Transfer of Lands and Restoration of Alienated Lands) Act, which the state government amended in favor of settlers and made all tribal land transactions up to 1986 valid. Tribal lands have been historically bought for throwaway prices or illegally claimed by people in power, throwing the indigenous community out of their own lands. The government’s unanimous support for this injustice with the amendment of the act triggered the Adivasi community to revolt. 

1975 Kerala Scheduled Tribes (Restriction on Transfer of Lands and Restoration of Alienated Lands) Act - https://www.indiacode.nic.in/bitstream/123456789/15581/1/full_page_photo_-_1975.pdf

The Amendment- https://prsindia.org/files/bills_acts/acts_states/kerala/1999/1999KERALA12.pdf

You can watch the actual footage of the press meet that the ‘Ayyankali Pada’ did with Asianet, the only existing satellite channel in Kerala at that time in the link below;

https://youtu.be/gIlOhvoso7c - Hostage Drama by Ayyankali Pada in 1996: Asianet News Archives Video

Following are other various media coverage of the incident and the real-life Adivasi activists involved;

https://youtu.be/9AXCNaGrw-I - Pada | Story Of Ayyankali Pada Hostage Drama- MediaOne

https://youtu.be/9RzB67aYk6s - Hostage Drama by Ayyankali Pada | Vallathoru katha- Asianet News

Indigenous Community’s struggles in Kerala;

https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/234673941.pdf - Land Alienation and Livelihood Problems of Scheduled Tribes in Kerala

https://newsislands.com/when-a-singular-protest-for-adivasi-land-rights-held-keralas-breath-for-9-hours/

https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/the-land-betrayal-41596 - an extensive coverage on historic land betrayals

26 years since the incident and the struggle continues;

https://www.ritimo.org/The-Promised-Land-Adivasi-Land-Struggles-in-Kerala - The Promised Land: Adivasi Land Struggles in Kerala

https://thewire.in/rights/fifteen-years-since-muthanga-incident-promise-land-keralas-adivasis-remains-unfulfilled - Fifteen Years Since Muthanga, Promise of Land to Kerala’s Adivasis Remains Unfulfilled

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/betrayed-wayanad-tribes-on-the-warpath/article30604811.ece - Betrayed, Wayanad tribes on the warpath

Felt the whole write-up was a bit too scholarly? Well, movies like Pada are not created merely for entertainment, at least for the sensitive citizens of this country, it shouldn’t be. It is a reminder of systematic injustice which continues in one form or other to date in our country. Educating ourselves and being aware is the least we could do. In our deafening silence as a country witnessing the atrocities against minorities and organized looting of the nation, let’s hope movies like Pada remind us about the value and necessity of protesting against injustice.  

For those who still feel all this to be too much, well,

“If the deaf are to hear, the sound has to be very loud.” - Bhagath Singh.

P.S.: The links mentioned are from my limited understanding and research of the incident and the community. There might be much better and more extensive materials available, yet I hope this list gives you a basic understanding and provokes you to read and think more.

Do watch the movie Pada on Amazon Prime Video.

 

 

Hey Sinamika Tamil Movie Review

Picture Courtesy: IMDb

There is a huge difference between gender equality and gender role reversal. We keep dangerously mixing the two and end up making a mess like ‘Hey Sinamika’. It’s been an age-old narrative in movies about relationships where usually a man finds himself unhappy in a marriage and meanders away from the relationship until he realizes his mistake and then comes back to his wife to live happily ever after. Also is the portrayal of women as annoying housewives who got no personality of their own other than managing the household and micromanaging their partner in the name of love and care. In the directorial debut of choreographer Brinda, ‘Hey Sinamika’ the same toxicity is adapted into the character of Yaazhan played by Dulquer Salman. The only difference is, maybe because it’s a man portrayed doing household chores, cooking looks like a MasterChef show episode, gardening or any other chore looks like an episode from a Netflix show on house décor. 

Picture Courtesy: Youtube

To add to the unhealthy patterns, Yaazhan is annoyingly clingy and mind-numbingly condescending. He has a lecture to give on each and every minute thing in life without having no care about what the other person is feeling.  Having the experience of knowing a few people like that too closely in life, I know it’s excruciating to bear. Don't even get me started on his lecture on divorce and the sanctity of marriage. It’s painful and thought-provoking to notice, how deep patriarchy is entrenched into our psychology that, the same character flaws which are shown as irritating when a woman is playing the role, are shown almost with admiration when Dulquer is playing the part. Even if you feel it’s mildly annoying in two montages of non-stop talking, trust me by the end of the movie, all of that magically fades away.  Also, all the annoying characters of Yaazhan are dedicated only to his wife Mouna (played by Aditi Rao Hydari), and conveniently fade away when he is at work or is with Malarvizhi (played by Kajal Aggarwal).

Picture Courtesy: Youtube

The biggest issue with Hey Sinamika is that it’s created so carelessly and without one ounce of genuinity or any shred of logic. It felt like Yaazhan, Mouna, and Malarvizhi, the pivotal characters were kindergarten kids more than adults. There is an increasing trend of kids mouthing dialogues like adults in the movies these days and Hey Sinamika is a movie where adults got to act like kids. Instead of making Yaazhan sit down and have a conversation about how his behaviors are affecting her, Mouna throws tantrums like a child and hires another woman to tempt him, so that she can use that as an excuse for a divorce. 

Picture Courtesy: Youtube

In the regular narrative with a man playing this role, he would have had an extramarital affair, which the dutiful wife will forgive in the end. Yet when the tables turned, since the woman having an affair would be just too much to stomach for the husband, the narrative slides gladly into the plot, where two women fight for a man who is such a chamathu thankam (catch). Not that either of the partners cheating on a relationship is healthy, but the pattern in the movie shows how well it tries to cater to the patriarchal traits of the society.

Picture Courtesy: The News Minute

They could have given any profession to the third woman in the equation, Malarvizhi, but they made her a psychologist, sorry slash that, a psychologist and a private investigator. In a society where there are still taboos around mental health and consulting a psychologist for support, they portrayed the character of a psychologist in the most caricaturish and completely unethical manner.  For instance, Mouna threatens suicide to make Malarvizhi agree to seduce her husband, which you consult ANY psychologist will be the reason for referring Mouna for intense mental health care and/or for the psychologist to seek legal support. Instead, Malarvizhi who is a borderline misandrist agrees to the deed, to prove that Yaazhan is just another man who is a cheater. But Yaazhan being the chamathu he is, changes her perspective. How innovative. Ever heard of couple counseling, Brinda? No? Oh, sorry, my mistake, Malarvizhi will be a BAD choice for that too.

Picture Courtesy: Youtube

Malarvizhi, who is given a backdrop of repeated abuses and trauma which again is covered in just one sentence flashback dialogue, does PI work on couples who comes for couple counseling to her. Apparently, all the men in those couples are cheating on their wives and she finds proof of the same and the enraged wives leave the relationship. Completely illogical and probably illegal, but she is indeed putting an end to unhealthy relationships. Yet by the end after being magically being ‘cured’ by Yaazhan she says, “I have been separating couples till date, now I will reunite couples”. So, she will ask couples who are cheating on each other to stay together? Why am I even trying to find logic in this absurd story?  

Picture Courtesy: Youtube

It's high time we call out new generation actors for choosing stories that send wrong messages to society or misrepresent professions, minorities, ethnicities, and so on. They have access to any knowledge they want to find at their fingertips. When creators come up with such absurd narratives, they have to be responsible enough to choose them wisely or suggest changes that are necessary. Dulquer Salman, with a very bad hairdo and passive acting, tries to sell off Yaazhan just with his charm and so does Aditi Rao Hydari and Kajal Aggarwal try their best with the sloppy and impossible script. Any of them has zero chemistry with each other and none of the relationships are given time to develop except for a very shoddily captured song montage. Abhishek Kumar is a stand-up comedian I really like and genuinely hope to get better scripts to work on. RJ Vijay, Yogi Babu, and Nakshathra Nagesh are all there as mere plot devices and some as caricaturish portrayals, you all deserved better.

Picture Courtesy: Youtube

Also, this must be the first album of music director Govind Vasantha which I couldn't connect with. The playlist included a Tamil retake of the band Thaikkudam Bridge’s most popular number, ‘Fish Rock’ which nobody asked for or deserved. Except for a beautiful rendition of Bharathiyar Kavithai and the song ‘Yarissaika’ by Bombay Jayasree who can make anything magical, not one another song stayed with me.  Song ‘Thozhi’ felt okayish and maybe the only song that visually assimilated to the narrative. The rest of the songs felt bland just like the movie.

Picture Courtesy: Youtube

In conclusion, Hey Sinamika did have some interesting plot points which could have been developed into an intense romantic drama like a husband who is comfortable in his masculinity, relationship issues that arise due to personality differences, and coping mechanisms that could have been nurtured with the support of a relationship counseling. Instead, the movie settled for the most stereotypical portrayals, toxic gender role reversals, and misrepresentations, making Hey Sinamika, one of the most annoying watches of 2022. 

You can watch Hey Sinamika on Netflix. 

Bheeshma Parvam Malayalam Movie Review

    Picture Courtesy: Times of India

Do we need a larger-than-life mass movie focussing on a patriarch managing to keep a family of misfits afloat? Probably not. Yet we do have an audience for that genre since as a nation, we have a tendency to look for that one person, as a savior and bearer of justice. That tendency is what collectively got us into the misery that we are in currently. Corruption of such amassed power can also translate to mass destruction, which we are bearing witness to these days.

Although in Amal Neerad’s fictional world of Bheeshma Parvam (Book of Bheeshma), the thalamoothappan (head of the family) for a relief, is a flagbearer of justice, with shades of wokeness way ahead for the age the movie is portrayed. The backdrop for that is set as his parents being loving and open-minded, a trait which unfortunately passed down only to Michael aka Michaelappan (played by Mammotty), and a few others in the family.

Anyone who has been following Amal Neerad’s filmography, especially his all-powerful don character movies, will not have many surprises in the storyline. In fact, at many points, you will know what exactly is going to happen; you will know which character is going to be the pawn for emotional turmoil in the final storm, who will turn the tables, and so on. What makes Bheeshma Parvam stand apart despite the predictability is the fact that Amal Neerad and Mammotty have learned to evolve according to the changing times, at least on screen. Big B, Amal’s previous outing with Mammotty, another swag-filled mass entertainer, despite having a decent enough narrative, was marred by the same issue in which creators often get affected, lack of confidence in their own material and style. To overcompensate for that, certain portions in the name of comedy and dialogues were added which was hard to sit through. Despite all of that, Big B wasn’t a theatre success although it generated its own cult following after being on the online platforms. This time to manage that, Amal didn’t take support, substandard comedy, and vulgar elements, instead, added the right amounts of socially relevant pieces of recent incidents into the narrative and also changed his style of making it age-appropriate. Here the hero is indeed all-powerful but isn’t superhuman, he does fight a bunch of goons but gets injured himself bad enough to take him to a near-death stage.  

While some things changed, some remained the same too. The women in the movie are not exactly damsels in distress in the traditional sense but they have nothing much to do. From Nadhiya Moidu to Lena, the women in the movie are treated with respect and given points of importance but the action and the storyline largely remain with the men of the movie. Yet it felt far better than the regular casting of women in such movies, a recent example being the train wreck of a movie called Aarattu. Yup, too low a bar to prove to be better but that’s a plague associated with mass entertainers, that even baby steps towards some change feel like a relief. Amidst the women cast, Susan by Lena, Alice played by Anasuya Bharadwaj, and Rachel played by Anagha stood out for me.

Outings of the two superstars of the Malayalam industry post the 2000s have been extremely disappointing, especially in the mass action-drama genre. There were only a few memorable characters they portrayed on screen and as years went by their choice of movies became only worse. It was Prithviraj’s Lucifer that utilized Mohanlal’s capabilities to the fullest and created a mass entertainer from the actor which was worth sitting through. Bheeshma Parvam is Mammotty’s Lucifer and better; he is in the best possible form and portrays the character of Michaelappan with the swag and flavor, it deserves. The character and the story, in general, draw heavily from movies like Godfather to mythological narrations of Mahabharatha, and those who know both can find a lot of parallels in the story. So naturally, it’s indeed a tale of men, their egos, glorified violence in the name of justice, and the destruction that haunts past generations. Amal Neerad with his quintessential style and technical proficiency adds the visual appeal and makes it entertaining.

                                                           Picture Courtesy: Koimoi

In the age of scrolling and shorter attention span, if you decide to create a movie for almost 3 hours it needs to have aspects that can capture the audience time and again. Amal Neerad has already proven that he builds his narrative at his own pace, so in his own style, each character of the elaborate family tree within which this story occurs is carefully established. Although there are many characters with small but impactful parts, Ami played by Sreenath Bhasi, Ajas played by Soubin Shahir, and Peter played by Shine Tom Chacko were some of the notable performances. Sushin Shyam’s music perfectly assimilates into the narrative, at many points even accentuates it. I especially loved the theme music and the beautiful Parudeesa, which also showcased, the impressive dancing skills of Soubin and Sreenath.

Action scenes are choreographed with style but again not in the regular '10 villains flying all around the superhero' kind. Goons don’t wait for the hero to finish with another goon to attack him, the wounds don’t heal overnight magically as the hero recovers and most importantly, the hero doesn’t snatch out the IV line and go with a broken rib to beat up the last villain in the final act, untying his bandages with his teeth. It feels so silly while actually wording it out that, how less a creator in a certain genre has to do, to be called better. Yet, some change is better than no change, I guess.

So, in conclusion, once again, do we still need mass hero-oriented action movies? Probably not, but if it HAS to be made, then make it this way and better.

Bheeshma Parvam is currently streaming on Disney+Hotstar.

 

Hridayam Malyalam Movie Review

 

Picture Courtesy: Onmanorama

I thrive on memories and is a tad bit too attached to the threads of past.  When the hype was created about Hridayam as a nostalgic journey and so on, I kind of restricted myself. I wasn’t in a state of mind to take such a journey especially since a movie is not just a movie for me, as I associate my own experiences with the path the movie takes. Thus, after postponing for the longest of time, I finally finished watching Hridayam and honestly, I felt nothing. When Premam was hyped like this, years ago, I had the same experience and the best I could describe that movie was that it is a good biriyani with all the ingredients that the creators knew the audience would relate to, was carefully curated to evoke certain emotions. Hridayam is the same with added aesthetics and a bit of poster wokeism.  

Issue could also be that, I am tired of this ‘coming of age’ genre where a man goes through stuff, in this case, college life, breakup, spiralling down to toxicity (shades close enough to the infamous ‘Arjun Reddy’), then travel, being one with nature and finally moving on with life. What does others do? Nothing major. For example, despite Arun (Pranav Mohanlal) moving on with his life, being a lover, husband and even a father, Darshana (Darshana Rajendran) who also built her own life is still swooning over her possibilities that could have been with Arun. Even the night before her wedding, for crying out loud. Darshana who has so much potential is criminally wasted in this movie except for some very pretty scenes and a song in her name.

 

Picture Courtesy: The News Minute

Don’t even get me started on Nithya played by Kalyani Priyadarshan who is the most one toned female character in the movie; the cute dumb girlfriend, jealous insecure wife and finally the ‘new age’ mother. I honestly haven’t seen her in anything that could make me focus beyond her beautiful face and hair makeovers. There is no depth to the connection of Arun’s relationship with either of the women, except may be a prolonged ‘love at first sight’.

         Picture Courtesy: The Indian Express

The whole movie has an extremely sanitized and aesthetically crafted narrative and that is also a reason which restricted it from evoking any natural feeling inside me. I mean kudos to cinematographer Viswajith Odukkathil, who captures every single scene so beautifully that it acts like a beauty filter to the incidents or journey, they try to capture throughout the film.  The surface level writing by Vineeth Sreenivasan did nothing to help the movie either. Something that worked for me were the songs and background music by Hesham Abdul Wahab, although it was sad to witness some pretty good background music just going shallow when the scene hardly evoked any feeling.

Picture Courtesy: India Today Malayalam

Also speaking of things that worked, Maya played by Annu Antony is one character that portrayed some depth. Although her character is introduced as similar to Preethi marred by Stockholm syndrome from Arjun Reddy, the way she moves out of something that is clearly undermining her value was beautifully portrayed. We all can learn a thing or two about self-respect in toxic relationships especially with people close to your heart and in vulnerable conditions.

                                                Picture Courtesy: Free Press Journal

Now coming to the man of the movie, Arun Neelakandan (not subtle at all, if you still not get it, there is a scene dedicated for the second name pun), can the universe please keep Pranav Mohanlal in his natural habitat, that I think might be nature. In the almost 3 hours movie, that’s the place where he seemed most comfortable. Also bit contradicting myself, this is the only movie till date where I felt he was the most comfortable in front of a screen, mostly because the co-actors and director Vineeth Sreenivasan was familiar, kinda like a home-made production. It’s funny how we largely ignore the not-so-subtle ‘nepotism’ traits in the Malayalam industry, which here is evident from the moment title credits with actors’ name is shown on screen, you will see what I mean. Also, not his mistake probably, but the whole buzz around ‘see how Mohanlal’s son is simple’ or ‘look he only owns few clothes’ and so on marketing around the promotion of Hridayam was borderline annoying. Yes, he is a human being probably into minimalism, can we leave it at that? The attention he was given by people were like as if he is the adult version of Taimur Ali Khan. 

                                                Picture Courtesy: IMDb

Arun’s character arch from being a man baby to an absolute jerk to a somewhat okayish man would have been jarring to sit through if not for Pranav’s likeable personality, which I think is the most prominent reason why he is an apt cast.  

Except for Kalesh Ramanand as Selva (moral anchor turning point for main character), Aswath Lal as Antony (hero’s best friend) and Vijayaraghavan as (Arun’s father), who did their best with the typical roles given to them, no one else’s roles lasted for me from the movie. Also, Aju Varghese seriously needs to move beyond extended portrayals similar to the kozhi chunk / best buddy. It was funny may be in “Thattathin Marayathu” but not anymore and oh yes, mention from that movie is also there by the way.

In conclusion, if you have literally nothing to do on a weekend for almost three hours and also likes to see a movie which can please your eyes and just that, then may be sit down with popcorn, nah slash that, make it lunch preferably sambhar sadam, tea and snacks. Hridayam is streaming on Disney+Hotstar.

                                                 Picture Courtesy: Onmanorama