Chanthupottu (2005) : A Controversy

                            Chanthupottu is a Malayalam movie directed by Lal Jose and released in 2005 . It tells the story of Radhakrishn...

Aug 31, 2016

Kismath Malayalam Movie Review


Kismath is much much more than a pure and normal love story. It has more depth in it and has an intense plot which shows the mindset and attitude of people and society when it comes to inter- caste marriages and marriage between people belonging to different religion. The film written and directed by Shanavas.K.Bavakutty is an honest attempt and the presentation with a realistic approach has come out really well.

The story is based on true incidents that happened in Ponnani where a Muslim youth Irfan and a Dalit girl Anitha fell in love and decides to live together. The girl is aged twenty eight and the boy is twenty three, the girl being five years elder.

Fearing the wrath of their family and the society, the two of them decide to approach the nearby police station and request for police support and protection not knowing that such a help depends on many things and is not an easy task. The situations that they face after they reach out to police is clearly and precisely depicted in Kismath, a serious film that has its heart at the right place.

The romantic part where the couple meet and how they fell for each other is told in a little time and bulk of the situations happen inside the police station focusing on how they face the situation with various people in their life coming into picture there. One would feel a little disappointed in seeing the romantic part getting little screen presence but one should also understand that Kismath is not a colourful chocolate love story and has something more to say which is the relevant part in this story.

There are some spoilers in this paragraph and hence people yet to watch the film, please skip this portion. A short film with a running time of one hundred and two minutes, we have a quick intermission that happen after completion of around fifty minutes or so. Rest of the important events unfold after the first half. I liked the way the film has been structured. Beginning with the girl being taken to rescue home and then the incidents that happen inside the police station following up with the romantic track and culminating with the present situation after few years of all the dramas in the life of the couple had a good flow in it.

This ensured a smooth passage for the film to land in a safe zone. All credits for all these things goes to the screenplay and direction. Both these areas are the works of Shanavas.K.Bavakutty who has proven with Kismath that he is a man to watch out for in future. Almost the entire on-screen proceedings have a realistic tone it. Especially the ones that happened inside the police station, something that we saw in Action Hero Biju. The difference is that the situations in AHB was more of humourous in nature, the tone of Kismath is a serious one with very little lighter moments.

Shane Nigam didn't look as if he was facing the camera in a big role for the first time. He had shown his face in little roles in couple of movies like Annayum Rasoolum, Neelakasham Pacha Kadal Chuvanna Bhoomi and the more recent Kammattipadam before. He was natural and effortless in his acting and the dialogues with the typical Malappuram slang blended well with his performance. The boy has definitely got a future.

Shruthi Menon was okay playing the role of Anitha and could not make much of an impact. Vinay Fort as the rude SI was the one actor who made a big impression along with Alencier Lay, Sunil Sugatha, Sajitha Madathil and a few other unknown faces on the supporting side. Cinematography was done quite well. Good support from the editing table and music side also helped Kismath.

I recommend Kismath for the sincere portrayal of an intense theme that has a shocking nature which can make you a little unsettled in the end. The way the film has been conceived and executed with its realistic portrayal of a true incident makes this small film without any tall claims a good one to watch. Going with three and a half out of five as my personal rating for Kismath..

Rating - 3.5 / 5

Vismayam Trilingual Movie Review - Mohanlal Starrer


Vismayam which is a trilingual with different titles in Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam attempt to spread love, happiness, peace and stress on the importance of human relationships. In that attempt, in my opinion the film has succeeded partially. The film could have been much better had they trimmed some unwanted and dull moments particularly in the first half.

One world and four stories. Thats the tag line of the film. Justifying this tag line, Vismayam tells four different stories that have four different characters as the protagonists. We have Sai Ram who is an Asst Manager in a super market, Gayathri, a home maker, Abhiram an engineering student and a school going girl in the mix of things in the story.

Though it is an anthology, the story is told in a mixed way without waiting for one of them to end and then tries to find a connecting link in the overall storyline. I wasn't much impressed with the first half that has many silly and unwanted scenes that affected the overall flow. But should say the way the first half ended and the second half was better. The ending was a smooth and feel good one compensating for the lag and weakness of the pre-intermission portion.

Ita a dubbed film but the close up shots of Mohanlal and scenes involving Joy Mathew and P.Balachandran have been shot in Malayalam. On the dubbing part, the portions of all the main actors were done well but the supporting actors dubbing was annoying at times.

Though the film is released with no hype surrounding it but cannot ignore the fact that we are seeing Mohanlal for the first time on big screen this year as this is his first release of 2016. A simple and homely character has been given the apt treatment with his usual flavour and mannerisms. The character goes through a different and difficult times at a particular juncture in the film and the actor rose up expressing the tension that he was passing through in an effective manner.

Gouthami, Viswanth and the little girl who are also part of the four stories have played their part quite well. Urvashi, Nasser, Joy Mathew and P.Balachandran are the familiar actors for me among the supporting actors without much significance in the overall story.

I liked the way the nonlinear presentation of the four stories was done by director Chandrasekhar Yeleti. But felt a slight disconnection with the story when it came back live on screen to the previous story as the four stories are told at a time with no endpoint in the middle.

Though I realised in the end that such a narrative was a necessity in this case and as per the demands of the story, it was little difficult to come to grip with the interwoven narration of four stories at a time. Not that such a treatment is something happening for the first time but those unwanted scenes acted as a culprit affecting the flow of the film.

Some feel good and touching scenes also needs a special mention. The moments betwen the young girl and the little boy from the slums is one such icing on the cake giving a sweet and cute feel to the film.

Cinematography was good. Editing could have taken care of those uninteresting portion in a better way. Music and background score is apt for the situations that the film passes through. Dialogues being dubbed into Malayalam had as usual its share of trouble but compared to some irritating dubbed films we have seen, Vismayam is far better and way ahead of such movies.

Being a film brought from another language, I am not sure how the audience would react to and accept Vismayam that had very limited publicity with zero hype even though it is the first film of 2016 for Mohanlal. Going by the number of people present in the theatre for watching the first day first show (there were hardly twenty five in attendance) the film needs a good word of mouth to get more audience to the theatre. I enjoyed the film in parts especially the latter half and more particularly the final half an hour and how they ultimately wrapped up the story which was a convincing end for it.

Rating - 3 / 5

Gappi Malayalam Movie Review


Once the film begins till the first one hour or so, the proceedings didn't keep me much interested and looked decent but pretty ordinary. But once the character of Thejas Varkey appear and how the events unfold from there, the film turns out to be lively and a beautiful one. Finally how Guppy was wrapped up by debutant director Johnpaul George makes a touching and emotional ending taking it to another level with lot of meaning in it.

The storyline is quite simple without any depth in the initial stages and makes one wonder where the film is heading upto. But once everything is settled, the end result which is the most important thing puts Guppy not just in a safe zone but much above that.

Its the story of this boy who is nicknamed Guppy who has a paralysed mother to support. He earns his daily bread by working in a local tea shop and also selling guppy fish. The movie portray the incidents that happen in a village after the arrival of a civil engineer in that place for construction of a railway over bridge.

Johnpaul George, the director has taken utmost care in presenting the characters and sketching the locality with a pure village feel to it. Screenplay has ensured in giving each and every character the required space in the story. I wasn't much impressed with the beginning portion but that may be linked to my taste and preferences. But the situation might not be the same for everyone.

What impressed me more was the emotionally touching and sentimental final one hour that makes you happy and sad within a short span of time emphasising that both happiness and sadness are two sides of the same coin. We feel emotionally rooted and connected with some of the important characters in Guppy, something which is the result of the points taken care of in the script. Johnpaul George is credited for the screenplay as well and for a young man appearing in his first innings in this role is to be specially noted.

Master Chetan appearing in the title role of Guppy was a treat to watch and coming from a boy of his age it was a matured acting display from him. Some of the scenes were special moments that came out well mainly because of the contribution and effort he had put in. The moments he shared with his mother was too touching and was pictured well with good support from Chetan as well as Rohini who acted as the mother.

Tovino Thomas who for me is a rising star and is fast improving to be a reliable actor. The character of Thejas Varkey had both style and substance in it and the role was safe in his hands. Tovino ensured his director's choice of casting him in that role with dual shades to it didn't go wasted. It was an important character in the film apart from Guppy, the boy and in the end the actor made sure the results of his efforts are there for the audience to see on screen with a controlled acting display.

Sreenivasan was the next actor who even with a role with limited screen presence making a good impact. Sudheer Karamana, Dileesh Pothen and Alencier Lay made their roles lively. Rest of the supporting casts were also fine. Devi Ajith and Nobi also were notable on the supporting side.

Guppy is a visually beautiful film as well, thanks to excellent camera work from Gireesh Gangadharan. Editing was also okay. Background score was apt and songs were also tuned well with my personal favourite being the song that appear in the final moments of the film.

Guppy from a debutant director is a neat piece of work and a promising film. Barring that initial phase of the film, it was a smooth ride for me till the end. A cute film that can remain in your minds after leaving theatres, I recommend the film for its freshness in the theme and its presentation.

Rating - 3.5 / 5

Annmariya Kalippilaanu Malayalam Movie Review


His fondness for catchy titles continues with his second film too. I am talking about two films old director Midhun Manuel Thomas who made his debut with Aadu Oru Beegara Jeevi Aanu and now follow it with Annmariya Kalippilaanu. Though Aadu could not shake the box office, the success of the film later when its DVD was released have given a ray of hope for the makers to come up with a sequel to AOBJA.

Coming to Annmariya Kalippilaanu, the film apart from the curious and catchy title has more in it and is a cool, breezy and passable entertainer which will have both the adults and kids finding it to their liking. A very simple and wafer thin story gets a good treatment mixed with light humour and moments sans any melodrama.

Annmariya is a little girl studying in fourth standard and has a passion and dream for winning a medal in long jump. But someone stands in her way of achieving that dream. The film narrate how she achieves it and what comes in her way as a helping hand.

As I said, the plot is quite simple and at the same time a threadbare one. Midhun has balanced the film adding all the right mix of factors and ingredients to make the film a watchable one with lot of positivity and feel good factors. At times, our sensible side of the brain can question things but being a film primarily focused on grown ups as well as kids too, we need to leave the logic part aside.

Comedy is apt and not done excessively. When situations need to be told seriously, film takes total turn from a light approach to a serious tone. There is a balance between everything and some issues that we see in and around us like marital discomfort among young couples and problems faced by school children also gets a reference.

Sara Arjun has expressed herself remarkably well even with her voice being dubbed. Credits to both Sara and the girl who has dubbed it to perfection to make the character looked and sound to be natural and effective. Sunny Wayne as Poombaatta Girish had a light role that had humour to do along with some action too. He was up to it and and combined well with Aju Varghese to create some genuine laughs.

Sidhique as usual left his trademark style in presenting the character of Baby that appeared at the halfway mark. The scene where he goes sentimental while recollecting his past bringing his daughter's case into picture was a classic case of the range the actor possessed.

Saiju Kuruppu and Leona Lishoy appeared in the roles of parents to Annmariya and both of them were never found wanting at any place. Shine Tom Chacko and the baddie character of David (not sure of his name) were also nice. Sethulakshmy, Biju Kuttan and Dharmajan also have little but effective roles to play. Loved the cameo played by Dulquer Salman which added some more life and fun into the film.

Decent work with the camera and pretty neat cuts too without affecting the flow. Music side is good too which was handled by Shaan Rahman. Background score helped in creating the right mood for each and every scene.

There are any dull moments in this film even if the ingredients added are sometimes more suited for children. No element of boredom and that means you can enjoy and get entertained watching this light hearted and simple film.

Rating - 3 / 5

Pretham Malayalam Movie Review


The going was pretty nice with lots of fun and at the same time shredded with some mystery element of horror in Pretham directed by Renjith Sankar. But with an unconvincing, pretty weak and ordinary second half, the film could not sustain the interest and excitement of the pre-intermission portion till the end. The result is a disappointment to the film and at best Pretham can be categorised as anaverage flick for some but not for all.

Denny, Shibu and Priyan are college buddies and thick friends who are still maintaining their good old day relationship even after leaving from college. They buy a luxurious resort with a plan to expand this business to other parts of the world. Things were going well for the three until they notice strange behaviour and happenings at the resort. The priest of the local church seek the help of John Don Bosco who is a mentalist (a combination of a mind reader plus a hypnotist plus a magician). How John unravel the mystery surrounding the plot is what is Pretham all about.

I read through online media that Renjith Sankar got inspired through a screenplay he wrote for television serial Nizhalukal that was aired some time back. What has worked for the film is the humour part of the first one hour where the combination of Aju Varghese and Sharafudeen along with Dharmajan creating some nice, genuine and hilarious moments. But thereafter the twist and the revealing of the actual truth and reasons for the ghostly presence was very weak and lacked some fire in it to provide a fitting end.

The solace or the relief and the positive side of the film is the comedy angle that has worked out well. Screenplay has given more prominence to the humour part but failed to bring some substance into the plot. Normally for Mollywood audience, the concept of 'Yakshi' is the cliched form of female ghost. Renjith Sankar has tried here to break from that shackles to give a new form of ghostly presence which is a relief.

Aju Varghese, Sharafudeen and Govind Padmasoorya are the three friends and their chemistry filled with good dose of humour created some genuine laughs inside the theatre. The trio especially the first two have done their part very well that helped in forming a lighter mood for the film's first hour. Dharmajan through his own style added more masala into the comedy curry.

A very less number of characters are there in the screenplay thus limiting the number of supporting actors. Among them Hareesh Perady and Pearley Manne made their performance count. Devan, Vijay Babu and Sunil Sugatha makes cameo appearances.

Jayasurya who is also the co-producer of the film along with Renjith Sankar appear in the role of mentalist John Don Bosco. It was an easy role for the actor but nevertheless he did his part neatly bringing in some element of doubt in our minds about his intentions.

Cinematography is handled well and the movie with a running time of just two hours have been given a good treatment at the editing table. Background score was good and a notable work on the sound design side.

Director's efforts in attempting a new genre for himself is laudable but his story is a weak one that can last in our minds for only a very little time. To be precise, until the first half the horror comedy has worked well through the funny moments but thereafter the transition to the next level for a convincing ending didn't happen and back fired.

Rating - 2.5 / 5

Idi Malayalam Movie Review


Its too hard to define the genre of Sajid Yahia's IDI. IDI is the short form of Inspector Dawood Ibrahim, the title character that actor Jayasurya portray. About the film, it is a mix of action, gangster comedy, a little spoof and one can also find little dose of elements that is common in heist films.

Ultimately its a mass masala film giving a stylish makeover and a large than life role to the hero who is a police officer. Where the line falls for categorising the film is the next big question. I was hearing some very bad feedbacks for IDI but at the same time heard some positive comments also in the past couple of days after the release. I wasn't completely disappointed though not completely satisfied too. But at the time time, I enjoyed the film partially as a no logic entertainer. So its an average experience for me with Sajid Yahia's debut outing.

Dawood Ibrahim from his childhood dreams of becoming a police officer. His dreams are all modelled with him being a stylish and daredevil officer beating criminals in a way we have seen in most hero centric police films in Malayalam and Tamil. Ultimately our title protagonist ends up as a cop thereby realising his ultimate dream. The place where he is posted is at Kollanahali, a place close to the Kerala Karnataka border. But what turned his plans upside down is what we see in IDI and how he handles the same is narrated in the film.

The problem with the film is the stand it has taken to remain in a zone of spoof, gangster comedy, action plus heroism taking a serious tone in its approach though there is humour in the backdrop for entertainment. Had it been an outright spoof film, IDI would have a different result and the enjoyment level would have been totally the opposite of what it is now. Still I am in no mood to totally reject the film since I had my share of enjoyment in the film and there were entertaining moments in it. It was a predictable storyline that one can guess at a very early phase of the film.

Though at times it goes over the top, the action forming part of this threadbare storyline was tolerable evoking memories of Tamil cop movies. There were some genuine comedy scenes too evoking laughter but the way it was mixed with serious situations at times created an awkward feel.

In my opinion, the film created a wrong perception of what we are going to witness in its promotion through the teaser, trailer and poster. Maybe a better strategy there would have given a better result for the film. Anyway whatever is done and happened is past and in the present circumstance, its better to market the film of what it actually is. Since Sajid an online promoter by himself would know it best how to do that I am leaving that aspect to him.

Jayasurya in a mass and larger than life cop role has delivered the results that are expected out of him from such a role. Joju George, Sudhy Kopa and Gokulan, the three member local thiefs gang was successful in making us laugh with some good witty dialogues and situations. Same goes for Sunil Sugatha as Kuttan Pilla and Molly Kannamali as Angel Mary, the police constables of Kollanahali. Yog Japee, the villain, Saiju Kurupu and the petty thief of the area( not sure about his name) were also notable with their acting. Sshivada who made a memorable performance pairing up with Jayasurya in Su Su Sudhi Valmeekam didn't had a meaty stuff this time to bring her talents out as she is limited to just a few scenes and a song.

Rahul Raj has given some hard and foot tapping background score with lot of energy in it matching the stylish format of the film. The melodious song pictured on Jayasurya and Sshivada was a good one too. Cinematography and cuts were fine too.

Overall, IDI is a mix of everything that didn't fully satisfy the entertainment appetite in me but still it gave me occasional enjoyment which puts me to assign the debut outing of Sajid Yahia to an average one. Not fully pleased but not completely crestfallen either!

Rating - 2.5 / 5

RUSTOM Hindi Movie Review


If we can tolerate the excess amount of melodrama and the unnatural presentation of the courtroom drama, Rustom is a watchable film. Based on the sensational true story of naval officer Manekshaw Nanvati that happened in the late fifties, the film recreate this case on the big screen adding additional ideas. Film is not a total washout but could have been far better had the screenplay been more careful with its approach while presentation of the case happens in court.

Commander Rustom Pavri is a naval officer with decorated ranks. Finding about an illicit relationship between his wife Cynthia and a wealthy businessman Vikram Makhija, Rustom goes and kills the man and surrender before the police. An intense courtroom drama follows where Rustom defends himself by pleading not guilty.

The funny sequences in the courtroom seemed to be too artificial and the dose of excess drama that follows the murder is what that makes Rustom confined to an above average watch. Neeraj Pandey's name is just limited to the production side and Rustom the film bear no stamp of him.

Directed by Tinu Suresh Desai, Rustom could have done away with some of the scenes where we see people carrying placards with silly wordings like "I love you Rustom" , "Marry me Rustom" and " I want your baby Rustom". These were totally out of place and seems to be fictional scenes. Also the court room drama had all the elements of a decent thriller but the public prosecutor and the judge were behaving quite artificially. I haven't seen courtroom proceedings in real but from what I have seen in some exceptional films of this genre, the drama was handled by trying out too much.

Akshay Kumar handled the role of Rustom Pavri with utmost care bringing out different emotions at different times. He was a husband , a responsible and sincere officer and also he had a difficult phase in life defending himself for a murder. He also had to witness his wife having an extramarital relationship. As an actor, all this makes up for a few challenges to the role he was doing in which he could attain the pass mark.

Illeana D'cruz was just about okay as wife of Rustom while Arjan Bajwa was apt in the role of Vikram Makhija. Pawan Malhotra was notable in the role of investigating officer Vincent Lobo. Sachin Khadekar and Anang Desai as public prosecutor and the Judge were not bad but nevertheless their performance was annoying at times that was mainly attributed to the writing. Esha Gupta looked totally out of place in that sister' role to Vikram Makhija.

Director is not able to fully bring about the tensions and thrills of a courtroom drama but the presence of Akshay Kumar saves the film as he carries the film on his shoulders right till the end. Cinematography is good and the cuts could have been done at many places that would have reduced the running time by another twenty minutes or so. Art department was able to create a tone suitable for the period of fifties but it also had its share of trouble in some portions that gave the frames an artificial and mediocre flavour to it. Music was good especially the song Tera Bin Yaara which is worth hearing again and again.

Rustom even with the presence of excess melodrama and average direction is a watchable thriller. A bit more care on the way they have presented the second half where the courtroom drama takes place would have ideally changed the outcome of the film to another zone.

Rating - 3 / 5

Pinneyum Malayalam Movie Review


Before moving on to express my viewpoints, there are two special things connected with Pinneyum, from renowned director Adoor Gopalakrishnan. First and foremost, this is the first chance that I am getting to review a film that has the golden touch of the man who is regarded as one of the finest directors of India. Secondly, this is my first experience watching his film in theatres that too a first day first show. Of course, I had little memories of watching Anantaram his fifth film in cinemas, but that happened way back; twenty nine years down the lane, to be precise.

Now coming to Pinneyum, which is Adoor's twelfth movie of his illustrious and glittering career, the film gave a beautiful feel dwelling upon the importance of relationships, family life, love, romance and greed for money. A movie sans any noise is a welcome relief these days as Pinneyum is a typical Adoor Gopalakrishnan film with little mix of some commercial elements as well that has a family oriented subject as its backbone.

I could sense the story partially inspired from a real incident which I cannot reveal. So basically the story has in it focused on Purushothaman Nair, his wife Devi and their six year old daughter. Purushothaman's father-in-law, his brother-in-law and Devi's uncle also has some role to play in this family oriented subject. The protagonist here is jobless inspite of several attempts attending various interview and this situation leads to unhappiness in his marital life. Pinneyum move on based on this situation.

The treatment and how the plot is narrated is in typical AGK style without much noise and pace. A slow treatment with gradual build up takes some important turn towards the halfway mark. There are nothing in the film that can stake a claim to be a new generation thing as the director has adopted a conventional method and style which he is famous for without any melodrama.

There are very limited characters in Pinneyum but each one of them has been sketched out well in the screenplay. Even some characters like that of Nandu who just appear in a single scene gets adequate importance in the totality of plot. The one area where I was a little disappointed was on the dialogues side which was a bit dramatic and sounded less natural especially after the post intermission session between Devi and her husband. May be it happened because of the way it was delivered by the actors. Whatever thats a small thing which can be ignored for other good things that the film offers.

Audience and critics often complain about the choice of films that Dileep makes that has little or no substance in them and is full of mass elements in it. Well here is the answer to it as the actor has chosen a role that has substance in it but ultimately in an AGK film, screenplay is the main hero which the director quite often reiterate. A controlled, matured and balanced act from the actor. Its not a heavy and challenging role but whatever he has done is as per the demands of the character.

Kavya Madhavan in her own voice played Devi to perfection showing that she has still got in her the ability to perform even after taking a break from films. As a wife and mother, she brought out different emotions to distinguish between two important roles in a women's life after marriage.

Nedumudy Venu, Indrans and Vijayaraghavan supported with notable performances. KPAC Lalita, Srinda, Sudheer Karamana, Nandu, Ravi Vallathol and some of the familiar faces that we see in AGK's films also find a place in the story.

Veteran and award winning cinematographer M.J.Radhakrishnan has wielded the camera with apt colour tone and frames suited for the story and background. Edits were fine. Bijipal has taken care of the BGM side with soulful and silent tunes that matches with the story and mood of each scene.

Pinneyum has the stamp of the director in every scene. But it is watchable for all provided you change and adjust the mindset expecting something that has nothing of the usual elements of a complete commercial entertainer, something which need not be stressed again since one who has closely followed the director's track record would know it very well. I liked the film and Pinneyum was able to create a homely as well as haunting feel after watching it.

Rating - 3.5 / 5

A Flying Jatt - Movie Review


The makers of A Flying Jatt has really underestimated the mindset and cinematic experience of both the kids and adults alike. Otherwise how could they come with such a pathetic and inferior film that doesn't have the standards for a superhero film and lacks a proper storyline. Agreed, we can't expect a Batman, Superman or a Spiderman from a film which is done in a smaller canvas but A Flying Jatt doesn't have the ammunition in its kitty to deliver something worthy. The result is a sloppy piece of work good for a few laughs here and there.

Aman lives with his mother and brother. Our protagonist is a martial arts trainer at a nearby school. A businessman who has some vested interests approach to buy their land and the story narrates what happens from here exposing the intentions of this deal and how the family deals with it.

The initial phase portray a story which was quite okay and looking at the message they pass in the end, it was a reasonably okay plot. But somewhere down the lane, the main plot is sidelined and the film goes into settling some other business. The half-baked and irritating romance between the lead pair also added to the miseries acting as a speed breaker.

There is nothing novel in the storyline as everything is predictable and cliched with heavy dose of melodrama. Director Remo D'Souza has no one to blame except himself for this ambitious adventure of bringing out a superhero film for the Indian audience. The result is a film that neither the kids nor the matured audience will find it to their liking. One has to accept the limited budget we have and for a superhero film to look grand on screen, money is a factor which if compromised will be clearly seen on screen.

The addition of some funny scenes created few hilarious moments. These witty scenes also had the company of few other laughable situations for the audience whenever the film takes a serious approach. That sums up what is there in store. The makers have lifted many situations modelled on all those Hollywood superhero films trying to replicate them for Indian audience but couldn't bring about an identity of its own. A pretty good first half is followed by an extended second half and it is here in the second half that the film loose its balance.

With a badly executed romantic part which can mainly be attributed to the overacting of the lead actress and a preachy tone that the film shapes into in the end, A Flying Jatt is a way too underwhelming experience. The message of saving Mother Earth and the environment from pollution is a good and relevant thought especially in today's lifestyle but the way it has been conceived taking one hundred and fifty minutes to tell that have given a preachy tone and boring feel to the proceedings.

Tiger Shroff has it in him do high level action as well as dance with so much vigour and energy. He has so much flexibility in both these areas and has done action and dance without any surprises. He has also acted whenever the situation demanded. Amritha Singh as his mother was also apt for that role. It was hard to come to terms with the performance of Jacqueline Fernandez which was plain boring and irritating as well. Kay Kay Menon as the antagonist gets a rousing welcome in the beginning but later on his character gets sidelined. Nathan Jones who is from World Wrestling Entertainment plays Raka the human turned beast character and nothing much to say about his acting skills but on the screen his gigantic figure helped to convey the power his baddie character possessed.

The film is definitely done on a shoestring budget which is very much evident from the tacky visual effects. Costumes of Jatt and Rakha is okay considering the small canvas the film is conceived upon. Sachin-Jigar is behind the music scene and there is nothing commendable as far as the music goes. The timing of songs is also done in a poor way.

All in all, this might be an okay movie for kids who are stepping into the world of animation films. For others who are so used to seeing some exceptional films of this genre, A Flying Jatt will be a disappointing one that runs aimlessly lacking a punch required for such films.

I would have been half convinced with the film had it been able to entertain my five year old kid who was with me. Seeing him restless by halfway mark, I was also disappointed seeing him sit with lot of patience but conveying his situation silently making sure it didn't affect me or the other viewers close to us.

Rating - 1.5 / 5

Popcorn Malayalam Movie Review


Aneesh Upasana had two pretty good flicks to his credit before the release of Popcorn. Both Matinee and Seconds were decent films with nice making. Though both of them didn't shake the box office as such, I did like both of them even though they were not money spinners. Now we have Popcorn which is the director's third. Projected as a pure fun movie, the posters and trailer did give the impression of such a thing but the reality is very little of the comedy has worked out and the film aimlessly wander with a script that fails to provide class humour and entertainment at any point except those portions where Soubin Shahir does the act in his familiar but enjoyable manner.

Kinder and Joy are friends working in a bar. Kinder falls in love with a girl but realises that money is something that he desperately needs to fulfill his romance. By chance, he meets Sharon who hires him for a job that takes them to Nasik, a place in Maharashtra. The duo before the journey is joined by Milton, a suspended Police Constable. The purpose and results of this travel are what is narrated in Popcorn.

The initial name given for the film was Kinder and Joy which they changed quite wisely since its Milton who drives the film through the entire second half. So on a lighter note, an ideal title matching the story would have been Kinder, Joy and Milton.

The tagline of the film conveys an anticipatory bail taking from Popcorn team wherein they have straightaway said there is no place for any serious thought process and no serious thinking should go into the storyline wherein laughter is the only thing you can find in the film. So basically the attempt is a brainless entertainer with no place for logic. But except for a few laughs created by Soubin, there is nothing humourous that justifies the tagline completely.

By the halfway mark, the tone of the film is more or less serious with limited space for fun and humour quite contradictory to what was projected. This serious tone in the screenplay was not all gelling with the story and acted as a thorn in the way of entertainment. The addition of those kidney related sequences seemed to be a deliberate push to bring in a different shade and angle to the story. Giving a road movie genre was also noted in the promotions which are just limited to a small travel that begins from Kochi and culminating at Nasik. The romantic part involving Kinder is presented in a less convincing manner and the story from where it started and where it ended, it was a bit difficult to get the connecting link.

Both Shine Tom Chacko and Bagath Manuel didn't go overboard and played the characters of Kinder and Joy decently. But it was Milton enacted by Soubin Shahir who stole the show from the duo. Soubin was repeating what he is doing in all of his recent flicks but his joker act was hilarious enough to add some humour tone to the film. While many other jokes were a bit annoying the comedy of this actor was a saving grace. His introductory scene inside the police station in the company of Sasi Kallinga was taken well. Srinda was okay portraying the role of Sharon. Indrans, Sudheer Karamana, Anjali Upasana, Johny and a few other actors are also part of the supporting casts.

Happy Wedding was one movie in the recent past that projected itself as a brainless entertainer and justified what it said through full comedy from start until the end. Popcorn is also showcased as a film on similar lines trying to capitalise on this premise but the humour portion here works only in parts as many of the jokes were not quite up to the mark to raise the bar to make it an outright entertainer.

Rating - 2 / 5

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