Recently Seen Movies - 10 - Page 48

Veeram

The most expensive movie made in Malayalam so far( beats Pulimurugan).
A roll call of giants in the technical team
Allan Poppleton- stunt coordinator
Jeff Rona- musical score
Make up- Trefor Proud
Cinematography- S Kumar
Visual effects- Sanket Durgaprasad Agase

Vadakkan paatukkal have inspired a significant number of movies and indeed Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha has decieved a good number of people into thinking that that is truly the story of Chandu.

Veeram is Director Jayaraj's grand medley of Macbeth set to the context of Vadakkan paatukkal. Clearly he has put in monumental effort into the conception and amalgamation of his story line and got his technical team into the period as well.

You can call it a period drama or an adaptation, but he has indeed adapted the Macbeth plot to this theme quite nicely. Chandu ( Kunal Kapoor) is honoured with becoming the second for his illustrious warrior cousin Aromal Chekavar( Shivajith Nambiar), however he meets a lady oracle ( nude!) who foretells that he will become the main warrior and the chieftain of the 18.5 kalaris. His disillusion with being cheated of Unniarcha's(Himarsha Venkata Samy) hand in marriage, his innate sense of ambition and the influence of Kuttimani(Divinaa Thackur) are all factors that influence the way he betrays the trust in him.

There is a duel between Aromal and Aringodar (Aaran) where despite Chandu's betrayal, Aromal vanquishes Aringodar, yet spurred on by Kuttimani, he stabs a sleeping Aromal. One murder requires that many more need to happen to cover tracks and Chandu with Kuttimani as his Lady Macbeth slowly have a lot of blood on their hands. One by one, they become progressively insane and finally is the duel between Unniarcha's son Aromalunni and Chandu seeking vengeance after his uncle's death. It's another sleek duel, and even as one anticipates the outcome, the finale still knocks you out cold.

Jayaraj's adaptation and script are commendable, authentically in the Vadakkan dialect and incorporating some of the well known ballads, the stunts and sequences are impressive both ,the orchestration, cinematography and the sheer fitness and movements of the actors who have all undergone serious kalari training for their roles. The male roles are well defined and all of them truly embody the physical avatar of kalari warriors. Chandu seems to have been a little underexploited in his capacity to fight .

However Kunal has certainly carried off the role with the emoting to a fine standard and he offers us a different portrayal to Mammootty's Chandu which also still shines in its merits. Shivajith is impressive as Aromal and the others too are. However, I was disappointed with the portrayal of the key female protagonists who are such powerful figures in the original ballads. Both Unniarcha and Kuttimani's roles were not as developed as they could have been and both the ladies impressed the least in the cast . And we felt that the passion between Chandu and his ladies was more forced than palpably there.

But overall, a great adaptation, with clear parallels to the plot of Macbeth,great period settings and action and a wonderful script. Technically, this really elevates standards in Malayalam cinema.

Well worth a watch - on the big screen

Angamaly Diaries

An unusual film by all accounts. Lijo Jose Pelissery explores a different kind of coming of age drama.

Set in the background of the town of Angamaly, is this story of the Malayali Christian boy Pepe Joseph( Anthony Varghese). He grows up watching the goonda gangs ( called Teams) and the times they have. He sets about creating his own Team which seems to be his greatest achievement. After having failed the final year of his BA History, he and his friends try their hands at various money making schemes. Their general day tends to involve going around on bikes, trying a hand at various things, including a bit of scuffle if requested, consuming plenty of Angamaly's best shack cuisine - from omelettes to pork which is the signature dish of Angamaly btw , and rounding the day off with 10 mls! The Angamaly code word for 'small' . Violence and blood are soon routine in their lives and then they venture into cutting and selling pork and in the process rub shoulders with a rival team.

Pepe has his romances too- and one serious relationship gets affected by the main turn of events in his life. Can he turn his life around?

All the actors are new and have applied themselves to their roles, the rawness is there but overall the acting is fine.
While it's more of a depiction of the kind of life that youth without much education or ambition land themselves into, the amount of daily level violence, fraud and general crime is mind-boggling. Alcohol is obviously a way of life and one can neither never start early enough or have enough of it.

Technically, there is much to say. The photography is a huge plus, and whether it be the mouthwatering food visuals, the fight sequences or the chases or processions, it's the high point of this movie. The music and Background score are good in many parts but in some parts seemed to try to overtake the narrative. The final scene which has been much talked about was good, but probably expectations were set too high

This is not a sweet story - it's a realistic depiction of a seedy underworld with more grime than glamour and certainly nothing to warm the cockles of your heart. If it was to compete with Kammatipaadam, the latter is way ahead.
Seeing as this depicts current day Angamaly or small town Kerala, you would leave more worried about the kind of youngsters in our midst.

This is not a bad movie- but I ain't raving either. Unlike the box office ratings, I preferred Veeram to this.
It's time however to put some Angamaly pork t the test!!!!

Munthirivallikal Thalirkumbol

Jibu Jacob presents- with Mohanlal, Meena et al.

A family drama about a tough acting Panchayat secretary Unnachan( Mohanlal) and his family- wife Annie or Aamy ( Meena) , high school daughter Jini( Aima Sebastian) and son Jerry ( Sanoop). A household where the all pervasive severity of Unnachan seems to generally switch off to whispering, tiptoeing around when he comes home. He has a routine of going to work, returning, drinks with his mates and home to sleep with little actual interaction with his family members which progressively moves into a loveless joyless lifestyle. A college reunion and meeting his old sweetheart, and a philandering friend and neighbour Venukuttan( Anoop Menon) spur him to combat his midlife crisis by considering a fling. Things happen, situations evolve and he then realises that His Life is actually His Wife!!!! Or vice-versa would be just as good, I guess. And then there's more family saga.

Based on a novel by VV James, I have a feeling that the director really wanted to ramp up the feel-good genre. The story, truly does feel too good to be true.

What I liked
The reality factor- the people, their houses , lives and routine are just as they are in today's Kerala. The calling bell switch has dust collected at the base, the kitchen stove backsplash is a trifle grimy, kids are as annoying as they usually are.

The acting all round is excellent. Each one a natural in his/ her role. Unnachan's transformation is particularly notable. A little delightful cameo by Asha Sharat . Particularly liked her sari.
Music- two songs, really melodious and pleasing

There's a lot for parents of the depicted age to identify with. And for that reason, this movie is probably aimed at the 40+ age group. I think that youngsters may not resonate too much with the film. It's clean though.

It's a relief to see Mohanlal do real life characters without disproportionate glamour and oopmph . Munthirivallikal Thalirkumbol is a movie reflective of old heyday Malayalam movies where reality was the winner genre. It's good but I feel doesn't justify rave reviews it's been attracting.

Watching on DVD would be just as good

Fidaa, telugu movie...Absolutely brilliant and a MUST watch!

Buddha in a traffic jam



Arunoday Singh plays a dynamic young man who has come to Hyderabad to study in a university . He is talkative and can make speeches inspiring his peers . He has all the makings of a yuppie ; he is liberal and cool and as sophisticated as they come . His and his friends' lifestyle is as cool as it can be in India ; they dance and sing to the beat of rock music , they ( including the females ) drink and smoke and party . His female friend ( played by Akanksha Dwivedi ) is free enough to dance almost topless on the bartender's table in a lounge . So free that she act attracts the unwanted attention of the moral police , who violently interrupt the act .

But at not too long a distance from Hyderabad in the district of Bastar lives another India . The tribals living there are being crushed by both sides---by the naxalites who beat them up regularly for co operating with government authorities and the government authorities who humiliate them for being in cahoots with the naxals . They have no hope of progress or development . Their only source of pride is their 5000 year old way of life that has not been change for 5 millenia . It is they who are focus of the film , even though it is played out mainly in the big city .

Back in the big city , Arunoday Singh takes part in a campaign called pink bra campaign against the moral police and he comes into the limelight due this . His articulate speeches against the moral policing win him admirers and he becomes a popular figure in the university . During this time he comes to the attention of a professor in the university ( played by Anupam Kher ) and his wife played by Pallavi Joshi . They run an NGO which sells pottery made by the tribals from Bastar and the sales of the pottery are used to help raise money for the tribals' development...a worthy cause , no doubt . Along with them is Mahie Gill , who openly says to Arunoday that she is a believer in the tribals' cause. A naxalite sympathiser who grows close to Arunoday soon .

But the NGO runs on government grants , and the government has recently decided to cut the flow of funds to such NGOs because the money is being fuelled to the naxalites . So Anupam Kher approaches Arunoday to create a way of raising money for his NGO . Arunoday takes up the task with full gusto and soon comes up with a master plan to sell the tribals' pottery online and cut out all the middlemen , so that the money is directly transferred to the tribals for whose benefit the whole enterprise is supposed to be . But Anupam Kher develops acute discomfort at this idea , and he says that he is a professor not a businessman and his prestige as a professor will be affected if he goes into online business .

But the real reason for his refusal is different ; he is the typical JNU type of professor , in cahoots with the naxalites and their brutal leader who is played by Gopal K Singh . Anupam goes to meet them in their hideouts , and this time when he goes there he is told that Arunoday must be killed immediately . For Arunoday's plan for helping the tribals' is too good ; it will bypass all the middlemen controlled by naxalites and even the government agents who are all revealed to be part of the money siphoning mafia . Arunoday has unwittingly got mixed up in all this and has brought about his own doom...or has he ? For Anupam Kher's aide Mahie Gill is not a corrupt person but a real passionate naxalite who genuinely cares for the tribals' cause and is appalled by this planned murder , and her personal reason for this is that she is in love with Arunoday too . Also Anupam's wife Pallavi Joshi is shocked by her husband's involvement with the naxalites and is prepared to help Arunoday . Together they and Arunoday hatch a plan to bring the situation to justice...

Straightway I must say that it takes courage to make such a film ; the JNU type of anti nationals whom the movie villainizes have a tremendous hold on our media and culture . All reviewers panned the movie after it was released under pressure from the liberal/anti national mafia which controls our press . And the director's courage must be applauded by watching the film . For it brings out the true colours of the universities like JNU and their professors . They are clearly funding the maoists and in cahoots with them .

I could see myself in Arunoday---a real person , a buddha like figure who believes in peace and wants to lead a liberal westernized free life . But he has peoples' good at heart and being liberal does not mean he wants to be anti national . But in this movie Buddha has been caught in a traffic jam created by elements inimical to our nation...

The movie scores on photography and colours and has decent music and songs . Acting by Arunoday is top class and Anupam Kher too excels , especially excelling in his last speech when he spells out his mad dream of communist revolution in the classroom . For anybody interested in politics and wanting to be in touch with contemporary issues , the film is a must see !!

Verdict---Highly Recommended .

Four stars out of five .

It's on youtube,... watch it,..https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nn3hYmgK3ek&feature=youtu.be

Vikram Vedha (Tamil movie) --- 3 stars.

Originally posted by: Himalaya10

Buddha in a traffic jam



Arunoday Singh plays a dynamic young man who has come to Hyderabad to study in a university . He is talkative and can make speeches inspiring his peers . He has all the makings of a yuppie ; he is liberal and cool and as sophisticated as they come . His and his friends' lifestyle is as cool as it can be in India ; they dance and sing to the beat of rock music , they ( including the females ) drink and smoke and party . His female friend ( played by Akanksha Dwivedi ) is free enough to dance almost topless on the bartender's table in a lounge . So free that she act attracts the unwanted attention of the moral police , who violently interrupt the act .

But at not too long a distance from Hyderabad in the district of Bastar lives another India . The tribals living there are being crushed by both sides---by the naxalites who beat them up regularly for co operating with government authorities and the government authorities who humiliate them for being in cahoots with the naxals . They have no hope of progress or development . Their only source of pride is their 5000 year old way of life that has not been change for 5 millenia . It is they who are focus of the film , even though it is played out mainly in the big city .

Back in the big city , Arunoday Singh takes part in a campaign called pink bra campaign against the moral police and he comes into the limelight due this . His articulate speeches against the moral policing win him admirers and he becomes a popular figure in the university . During this time he comes to the attention of a professor in the university ( played by Anupam Kher ) and his wife played by Pallavi Joshi . They run an NGO which sells pottery made by the tribals from Bastar and the sales of the pottery are used to help raise money for the tribals' development...a worthy cause , no doubt . Along with them is Mahie Gill , who openly says to Arunoday that she is a believer in the tribals' cause. A naxalite sympathiser who grows close to Arunoday soon .

But the NGO runs on government grants , and the government has recently decided to cut the flow of funds to such NGOs because the money is being fuelled to the naxalites . So Anupam Kher approaches Arunoday to create a way of raising money for his NGO . Arunoday takes up the task with full gusto and soon comes up with a master plan to sell the tribals' pottery online and cut out all the middlemen , so that the money is directly transferred to the tribals for whose benefit the whole enterprise is supposed to be . But Anupam Kher develops acute discomfort at this idea , and he says that he is a professor not a businessman and his prestige as a professor will be affected if he goes into online business .

But the real reason for his refusal is different ; he is the typical JNU type of professor , in cahoots with the naxalites and their brutal leader who is played by Gopal K Singh . Anupam goes to meet them in their hideouts , and this time when he goes there he is told that Arunoday must be killed immediately . For Arunoday's plan for helping the tribals' is too good ; it will bypass all the middlemen controlled by naxalites and even the government agents who are all revealed to be part of the money siphoning mafia . Arunoday has unwittingly got mixed up in all this and has brought about his own doom...or has he ? For Anupam Kher's aide Mahie Gill is not a corrupt person but a real passionate naxalite who genuinely cares for the tribals' cause and is appalled by this planned murder , and her personal reason for this is that she is in love with Arunoday too . Also Anupam's wife Pallavi Joshi is shocked by her husband's involvement with the naxalites and is prepared to help Arunoday . Together they and Arunoday hatch a plan to bring the situation to justice...

Straightway I must say that it takes courage to make such a film ; the JNU type of anti nationals whom the movie villainizes have a tremendous hold on our media and culture . All reviewers panned the movie after it was released under pressure from the liberal/anti national mafia which controls our press . And the director's courage must be applauded by watching the film . For it brings out the true colours of the universities like JNU and their professors . They are clearly funding the maoists and in cahoots with them .

I could see myself in Arunoday---a real person , a buddha like figure who believes in peace and wants to lead a liberal westernized free life . But he has peoples' good at heart and being liberal does not mean he wants to be anti national . But in this movie Buddha has been caught in a traffic jam created by elements inimical to our nation...

The movie scores on photography and colours and has decent music and songs . Acting by Arunoday is top class and Anupam Kher too excels , especially excelling in his last speech when he spells out his mad dream of communist revolution in the classroom . For anybody interested in politics and wanting to be in touch with contemporary issues , the film is a must see !!

Verdict---Highly Recommended .

Four stars out of five .

It's on youtube,... watch it,..https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nn3hYmgK3ek&feature=youtu.be

Anyway the director deserves kudos for his courage in exposing the ideologues from one particular side, how they are against the betterment of the poor and downtrodden although they pretend to help them

If somebody from the "other side" tries to help them, they tell them to get off the high horse, from their high horse, they even become violent

They're the "Thought Police" telling the rest of us, what to think and how to think 😛

Chasing Liberty