Brothers Hindi Movie Review

An emotion filled drama is what you see right through the first half. The thrills and fights are all reserved for the latter half that has everything you expect from a film of this genre. Only thing that makes you disappointed is that you get a feel of orchestration of matches so that in the end, the two protagonist brothers in the film have a head to head blood against blood fight.
Gary Fernandez an ex fighter returns from jail and finds that his family is now in disarray. He train his son Monty for a martial arts competition but on the other side is Monty's older brother David. The two should fight each other and the film basically show how the brothers reached such a situation and how the big event culminate.
Karan Malhothra directed Brothers is a movie with lots of thrills and well choreographed stunt sequences in the backdrop of street fights and Right to Fight (RTF) competition but too much focus on the emotional aspects and relationships do spoil the mood in the first half taking time to settle down to what the business is all about.
No doubt the film is gripping and is highly entertaining but a twenty minutes trimming was badly needed especially the extended and stretched first half. Still the performances and action makes Brothers an above average watchable film which is a remake of Hollywood film Warrior.
Performances has definitely helped and the best one of the lot is Jackie Shroff. Right from the opening scene where he is released from jail and continuing throughout till the end, the actor has delivered a steady and consistent performance. Not much to choose between Akshay and Sidharth as both the actors matched each other and have put in best efforts. In the action sequences too, both the actors lived up to our expectation.
Jacqueline Fernandez was okay as the better half of David. Ashutosh Rana and Shefali Shah were notable with their supporting roles. The two child artists portraying the younger days of Akshay and Sidharth were nice on screen. Kareena's item number was just about okay.
The film is backed by good cinematography and nice background score to create the perfect mood for the situation.
It could have been better but still the thrills and excitement of the first half and the emotional drama of the initial part makes you put a positive feedback for Brothers which I will rate three out of five.
Rating - 3 / 5

Mission Impossible :Rogue Nation Review

He is back with the fifth installment of the Mission Impossible franchise. Tom Cruise return is spectacular fashion in MI 5 : Rogue Nation. Though he is fifty three years old,he still has it in him to continue the series.
The film is what we all expect from a Mission Impossible franchise. So what we have experienced in all the previous four parts, you can expect the same level of entertainment and enjoyment in the form of action, chases, suspense and of course gadgets. The best part is of course Tom Cruise as Ethen Hunt, the agent of IMF (Impossible Mission Force) as the guy shows the same level of intensity and energy that we saw him in the very first part of MI series.
The plot continue from Ghost Protocol where the CIA led by its chief is desperate to disband the IMF accusing them of irresponsibility in their operations. A senate is held to discuss whether IMF needs to be carried forward. Now it is upto Hunt and his small team to prove CIA that their perceptions about IMF are wrong. Rest of story focus on Ethen Hunt and his team to establish the presence of a bigger and deadly organisation called the Syndicate in the terrror network.
Directed by Christopher McQuairre, the film as I said has everything one would expect from the franchise. Humour and witty dialogues also plays a big part and even the final moments after the climax has some amount of jokes to make us laugh.
Couple of twist is added to make things more exciting and suspense is maintained especially in some of the characters and the way there presence in some critical junctures of the movie are shown. All credits to some fine writing and of course good direction.
The film begins from an edge of the seat plane ride for Ethen where Tom Cruise has himself performed this stunt without any use of CGI and dupe is worth mentioning. Bike chase towards the latter part of the movie is another action packed moment to make us pumped up.
Cannot imagine another actor now in the shoes of Ethen Hunt. Tom Cruise is at his best even though age is fast catching up with him. Rebecca Fergusson impressed very much. Be it action, beauty and even in those sexy shots with her charm and looks. Simon Pegg was humorous. Jeremy Renner and rest of the crew were also fine in their respective roles. The villain in my view was not that menacing and a match for Ethen.
So, the film provide the right dose of thrill with every element a MI follower would want. Aided by a fast and engaging screenplay, Mission Impossible :Rogue Nation is the perfect choice for your weekend entertainment. I am going with four out of five for MI 5.
Rating - 4 / 5

Karma Cartel Malayalam Movie Review

Karma Cartel is a VVS movie on all counts. So now you must be wondering what I meant by VVS. VERY VERY SPECIAL in the way a new treatment has been given to Malayalam Cinema. All credits to Vinod Bharatan, the director of Karma Cartel and his whole team in trying the avant-garde style of film making where a realistic approach is adopted on an experimental basis. And they have come out with flying colours to put forth a socially relevant them quite convincingly.
The film begins from a reporter who is in search of a missing actor named Sidh portrayed by Vinay Fort. This search lead to some incidents and bring some other people into the picture who are directly or indirectly connected with the main plot. Shortcut to money without hardwork among the youth is a growing trend these days and the film try to put forward this in a realistic manner.
Karma Cartel is the third of the Karma series from the director, the previous two films being short films. The beauty of the film is definitely the treatment which cannot be expressed in a few words. It is to be enjoyed on screen which is a first of a kind in Indian Cinema if my information is correct.
So you can see for yourself how the camera moves and how the picture is captured which is totally different from the conventional style of Cinematography. Same is the case with editing and how the film is narrated.
If you are to talk about the performances, then it needs some writing. There is a long line up of actors appearing in small but pivotal roles and each of them have made it memorable. Also the way they performed made it look so easy on screen but there will be hardwork and efforts to come up with such fine performances.
Vinay Fort as the struggling actor Sidh was a perfect cast for that role. The guy who impressed me most was Jinu Jacob as an Indy (Independent) film maker. The uncut scene that runs close to five minutes culminating with the half way mark, guys this man was brilliant in this shot. Luttu and Plan B portrayed by Sabumon and Shani Shaki were natural and evoked good laughs. The character of Deejay Fixer, the girl dating Arjun, Roopesh KV as Dr Rupesh were all had small roles but looked perfect for those characters on screen.
Premam fame Davis Manjilla (father of Mary) as ex-gangster Franco is another notable actor who could make his presence felt even if it was too brief. All the tensions that are normally seen in people facing financial problems were there on the face of Dr.Roy acted out by Rony David Raj. I might have missed a few to mention since the line up is too long.
Now to the best part of the film where a spoof is made on the current trend of social media reviews of films and the ratings put by online reviewers. As per what is shown in the film, a rating of 2.5 and 3.5 is the normal practice and it is rare and a difficulty to get 4 and 4 plus. Being a small time reviewer myself, enjoyed this part very much.
But I am going to prove them a thing wrong. Four is a rarity, says Luttu to Plan B but I am going to give four out of five for Karma Cartel, a movie that you should experience yourself if you love an experimental film and that too a first of a kind for Malayalam audience.
I am a few who is lucky enough to watch the film released in India under the PVR Director's Rare. If you get a chance, don't miss it.
Rating - 4 / 5

4 Super Cars of Megastar Mammootty | Being Malayali

Comparing Drishyam to the original Malayalam version and Paapanasham

Finally its the turn of Bollywood to adapt the Malayalam movie Dhrisyam after all the South Indian languages adapted it with profound success. After watching the Malayalam film followed by Tamil and now Hindi, I would say both have done a pretty good job in remaking the original but still Dhrisyam the original Malayalam version is the best among the three. May be my mother tongue is playing a big influence here but even then the original Jeethu Joseph film have something extra in it.
Nishikanth Kamat has adapted the screenplay of Jeethu Joseph in almost similar pattern with few minor changes to suit the Hindi audience. Without compromising on the thrills in the second half and a simpler first half, Dhrisyam the Hindi remake is an excellent film for a viewer who is totally new to the storyline. So the bottom line here is that if you have seen Malayalam or Tamil, Dhrisyam Hindi is not a must watch. May be for a comparison purpose you can give it a try.
Story is the same here too where Ajay's Vijay Salgaonkar and his family leading a normal life gets an uninvited guest to ruin their life. The investigation that follows a murder case and the effort of Vijay to save his family form rest of the story.
Ajay Devgan is a fine actor but he has his own limitations. So we cannot compare him to what Mohanlal or for that matter what Kamal Hassan did in Malayalam and Tamil respectively. Ajay has done a decent job but in the Hindi version it is Tabu as IG Meera Desmukh who scores more and you can say she has outshone the male protagonist unlike the Malayalam and Tamil versions. Though a comparison is tough, on a personal note I would say our Georgekutty was the better among the lot closely followed by Kamal. Ajay is not a match for these two legends and veterans which he himself said a few days back.
So go for Dhrisyam Hindi only if you haven't seen the other versions which is highly unlikely given the enormous success of Malayalam and a moderately successful Papanasam. Even then the Hindi version is a remarkably thrilling experience doing justice to the original. I am going with three and a half out of five for Dhrisyam Hindi and puts it in the same bracket of Paapanasam but slightly below Dhrisyam the original Malayalam movie by Jeethu Joseph.
Rating - 3.5 / 5

Ayaal Njaanalla Malayalam Movie Review

A sudden and unexpected climax does cast a disappointing and bitter end for Ayaal Njaanalla but except that factor and some illogical stuffs, the film is definitely a clean entertainer that mainly stand out for a fine performance from Fahadh Fazil. It is a sort of a comeback for the actor who was going through a tough phase after the debacle of Money Ratnam, Haram and Mariyam Mukku.
The central protagonist is Prakasan who hails from Koilandy and is living with his uncle in Gujarat. He has no one back home and is helping in the tyre business of his uncle. Sudden demise of Prakasan's uncle puts the young man in financial trouble. To settle all the debts, the guy lands in Bangalore where the film takes a different turn.
A normal pattern of narrative is followed in the pre-interval portion and it is the second half that takes a sudden twist in the proceedings. Humour plays a prominent part in the latter half to entertain the audience and there is no amount of boredom in the movie to make a bad experience for the audience.
As I said, a bit of a let down is the climax portion that gets a sudden end. The writing for that portion after taking the audience to a certain level of enjoyment takes a beating because of that. Certain illogical moments which I am not mentioning here due to the spoiler factor could have been avoided.
Actor Vineeth Kumar who is directing this flick has not done anything exceptional and has kept things straight and simple without adding any melodramatic feel. His screenplay based on the story by Renjith needed some fine tuning. Cinematography was a positive factor in the film and the frames definitely gave a different feel for the eyes. Edits were okay while music and background score also contributed in a positive way.
Fahadh handled the character of Prakasan with utmost sincerity and credit also goes to him for the way he handled the Koilandy slang to such perfection. Mrudula Murali, the female lead did a decent job. Humour part was given the best finish by Sreekumar and Noby and among the two it was Sreekumar who was the better one among the duo. Tini Tom, TG Ravi, Renji Paniker and Dinesh Prabhakar are also part of the cast.
Overall, Ayaal Njaanalla is a far better movie than some of the recent films from Fahadh. A bit more polishing in the screenplay would have a more convincing and satisfying feel but still it is a watchable and above average movie from Vineeth Kumar. My rating is three out of five.
Rating - 3 / 5

Rudrasimhasanam Malayalam Movie Review

There is love, there is lust, there is seduction, there is romance, there is revenge and every sort of element and that too in a backdrop of black magic and witch craft centered around an ancient Kovilakam. But none of these elements excite you nor does it has the strength to hold and keep the audience engaged. The three hour drama is literally a torturing experience that test the patience level and by the time the movie finish and we come out of theatre gasping for breath, Rudrasimhasanam will have already taken a heavy toll on the audience.
Mattathoor Kovilakam is the pivotal place where the story happens where Hemalatha Thamburatty is getting adjusted to a life without anyone from her family to support after the sudden demise of her father. The story begins in a flash back mode and traces the happenings in the Kovilakam connected with the life of the lady protagonist after the sudden arrival of Rudra Simhan from nowhere.
Screenplay by Sunil Parameswaran who has earlier written Ananthabadram is a major disappointment. Every scene is highly artificial with heavy dose of melodrama that creates an irritating feel. Story was somewhat okay while the execution and treatment from director Shibu Gangadharan also contributed to the movie's downfall. Dialogues and their delivery was poorly done without any natural feel.
Shibu's previous work was Praise the Lord and it seems he still has to wait for more time to direct a good work that can take him to the next level. Sloppy work from the director with a boring screenplay, that would sum up the direction and scripting scene.
On the acting front, Suresh Gopi was okay as Rudra Simhan whose attire and make up deserved some more care and lacked perfection. Nikki Galrani who had a prominent role to play was a disappointment and her dubbing was not synching at all. Nedumudi Venu was also not able to do total justice to the character of karyasthan of the Kovilakam. Kaniha was not a bad choice as the seductive Mohini while Nishanth Sagar passed the litmus test and didn't make his role bad.
Sudheer Karamana had a different role to play this time. Shwetha Menon was okay along with Sunil Sugatha and Devan. Inspite of the everything going against the film, Kalabhavan Shajon was able to make a mark in the film.
Cinematography was nicely done while editing department needed to user their chopping skills more efficiently and that did not happen. Songs weren't that impressive and saying about the background score, it was too loud and heavy creating an unpleasant feel. Whoever has done the art direction deserves praise. Same opinion about the colouring pattern used for the film.
So in a nutshell, Rudrasimhasanam showcased as a thanthric thriller is a good film for you to break your mood from a pleasant and sweet one to the exact opposite of it. I am not recommending the film to anyone nor do I want to waste your precious time and money watching this. The rating is one and a half out of five.
Rating - 1.5 / 5