2d-life;

Android Kunjappan is a movie about loneliness at old age, but with many twists.  The movie is the story of Bhaskara Poduval and his loving son Subrahmanian (Chuppan).  Chuppan being educated and ambitious find it difficult to lead his life in rural Kerala.  Bhaskara Poduval, on the other hand, does not want to leave his home town.  Upon getting a lucrative job in a Japanese company, Chuppan leaves to Russia.  Initially, Chuppan appoints a couple of home nurses (one after the other) to take care of his father.  But, they all end up being comic disasters.  Finally, he brings a trial robot made by his company to take care of his father.  The rest of the movie is a story of companionship between man and machine.        Generally, in movies, the suffering of the elderly is caused by children who are complete jerks.  Such people certainly exist and it is worthwhile to portray their story.  However, it is important to rea...

Kettiyollaanu Ente Maalakha is the story of Sleevachan (Asif Ali), a good-natured individual ignorant of the ways of romance and sex.  Although he had avoided marriage until 35, he decides to marry to care for his ageing mother.  The rest of the movie is about his struggles in the journey forward. I would like to get a bit into the story as some of it begs discussion.  Thus, there will be some spoilers, but I believe they would not really spoil anything. Soon after fixing the marriage, he starts panicking.  He even confesses to the local priest that he is feeling stressed because of his ignorance.  However, the priest casually dismisses these worries.  After marrying Rincy, he is unable to initiate a physical relationship, causing even more stress.  Sleevachan's struggles were cracking up people all around me, and I felt, perhaps that was the director's intention.  Those very same scenes were, however, making me extremely uncomfortable....

Helen is the story of a girl's struggle as she is accidentally trapped in a life or death situation.  I did not enjoy the film because the girl's struggle disturbed me, proving that the movie was well made.  Anna Ben's (Helen) act was very convincing.  The movie certainly could have been better.  Certain cliches like Jayshankar's (Manager, Chicken Hub) character could have been avoided, especially because it does not add any value to the story.  The over-dramatised father-daughter relationship also falls into the same category.  In general, the bubbly character played by Anna Ben, in the initial segment of the movie, did not feel natural/convincing to me.  Although S.I Ratheesh Kumar (Aju Varghese) is a somewhat common trope in modern films, Aju Varghese's acting made it worthwhile.  By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62280395

"Jack and Daniel" is a robber-cop story with absolutely nothing new to offer.  The "grand" crime scenes which are supposed to excite, failed to make any impact.  If you are a fan of Dileep's comedy ( like me ) and that is what took you to the theatre, then again you will be highly disappointed.  The action though choreographed by some of the best didn't feel right.  The cameo by Peter Hein was one of the lowest points of the film.    I was so bored during the film that I dozed off for a few minutes in between.  This seldom happens with me and can be taken as a testimony of the film's quality.  I watched the movie with my cousin, and he jested I failed to enjoy the film because I missed those scenes.  So, if you are watching, make sure you don't miss any scene!

Ittymaani is a loving son living with his mother but is notorious for doing anything for money.  His neighbour, a woman of his mother's age, has three children who are his opposites -  they are well-respected in society but has abandoned their mother.  One day the neighbour has a heart attack and is hospitalised by Ittymaani.  Even after being informed of this situation, they choose to go for a trip to Munnar than attend to their mother.  To teach them a lesson, Ittymaani fakes marriage with his neighbour.  This key idea is novel and semi-interesting.  However, everything else is disappointing.  The comedy is especially stale.

Bigil is the story of a rowdy neighbourhood that is reformed through sports. This transformation is shown through a gangster father (Rayappan) and his footballer son (Michael) both played by Vijay. Kids from this neighbourhood used to roam around with knives fighting each other. However, inspired by Michael (who uses the stage name Bigil) they have started playing football and are too busy to fight. Given this theme, it is unfortunate that the movie stressed the importance of winning - a recurrent dialogue by Rayappan to Michael being "Bigil, the cup is most important". I enjoyed watching the film and would recommend it to others. That said, most of my friends did not like the movie - especially those who watch and enjoy football. One of my friends was especially pissed by the fact that almost every other shot is a scissor cut.  As I dislike sports, the fact that the football portrayed in the film was unrealistic did not even strike me. If you are looking for a "mas...

Nakshatratharattu is a film having a very special place in my life, certainly a movie that deserves a place in my reflections on movies. I was an 11-year-old kid when the movie released and had watched it in the theatre with my family. The movie touched me so much that I was sobbing through a big chunk of the movie. When the movie was over, people around me were all pointing at me and murmuring "that is the sobber". To make matters worse, people in my circles had disliked the movie and thought the movie was anything but touching. Though I shared the feeling that the movie could have been better, I strongly felt there were some beautiful ideas in the movie. Nonetheless, I could not convince anyone. As an effect, I became very self-conscious whenever I watched a movie with others. In my own privacy, I still pour out my heart in tears. To the young me, the movie was about a couple adopting "parents". The pain of the couple as they did not have a family, an...

I was not impressed by Kumbalangi nights.  I don't mean to say it is a bad film.  It is certainly worth watching.  The cinematography is extraordinary.  Also, it has its moments - nice little dialogues.  But with all that, it is just an average film, or so I feel.  As I had explained in a post before , people expect explanations when you express dislike.  Actually, I wouldn't say I dislike, but I did not like it as much as others - the people I talked to.  And, in this case, I think I understand some of the reasons.  And I will be sharing those reasons with you. What do you feel when you hear someone saying "These impoverished people are so lucky.  Wish I had a skinny body like them"?  Movies like Kumbalangi nights elicit the same emotion in me.  The major problem poor people face is lack of money.  If you make a movie on the poor and completely take money out of the equation, that makes no sense.  Kumbalangi night...

I recently realized that the Malayalam movie Santhwanam (Consolation) is a remake of the Telugu film Seetharamaiah gaari manavaralu (Seetharamaiah's granddaughter).  The basic story is as follows.  After a love marriage, the relationship between a father and son goes bad and they never communicate afterward. Years later the granddaughter returns to meet her grandparents.  The movie is about the relationship between the granddaughter and her grandparents.   I confess I generally feel the Malayalam version is superior even when the original is not Malayalam.  This is especially the case with Priyadarshan films.  I feel he is a master at adapting films to Malayalam.  The comparison between these two films is however tricky.  I think they both have their merits, but the Telugu version is a bit better in my eyes.   To begin with, Seetharamaiah gaaru (the protagonist in Telugu) is a much deeper and laudable character than Rajash...

"Hey, Jude" is the story of a man with Asperger's syndrome. I do not know much about the condition to comment on how accurate the portrayal is, but nonetheless, I loved the film. Apparently, I have a thing for movies about mental conditions. That said, I believe it is not just my bias, but the film is indeed a very good attempt. So, I urge you to give it a shot. The story is pretty simple and not unlike other films of this genre. There is a guy with a lot of issues, but by the end of the film, he succeeds to cope up and leads a happier life. Even more, this change is brought by a woman (person of opposite gender). That said, there are many factors which put the film apart from the others. Now that I think about it, Mili is another movie which shared some of these features. To begin with, there is very little focus on romance. In both these films, love and affection though important are not the only cause for the change. The necessary guidance comes fro...

-----SPOILER ALERT----- Arrival was an amazing experience. Firstly, it is the first alien film I have seen, in which they are not here to kill us.  That itself is a breath of fresh air.  Given that it is not about killing each other, we need to communicate. This leads to several interesting ideas.  Would we be able to communicate with an alien species?  Many linguists believe that communication between people speaking different languages on earth was possible because there are a lot of basic similarities between any two languages.  Some also believe that this "Universal grammar" is wired in the brain.  Now a sentient species from another planet might have a very different brain.  So, it does not seem obvious that we might be able to communicate with each other.  In the movie, however, different the language might have looked, followed a "Universal grammar" similar to languages on earth.  Notice that the book written by Louise (...

Godavari is one of the first few Telugu movies I watched and I enjoyed it a lot. I think it is one of the best romantic movies. The love is so mutual. Most love stories are one sided. The guy or the girl is perfect (at least in the other person's eyes) and it is this perfection that they fall in love with. So much so that they are afraid to compare their loved ones with the moon, as even the moon is tainted! I think the use of "Shwetambara dhare devi" in the Malayalam movie Thattathin marayathu is the peak. In this film Godavari , neither are perfect. However, they fit each other well. Moreover, there is very little importance for the physical attraction between the two. The love develops slowly. I mean, as slow as possible in a film. And the film ends where their love story begins. So, it is a unique love story. The setting of the movie is even better. Most of the story happens during a pilgrimage on the Godavari from Rajahmundry to Bhadrachalam. And this...

Mili is a film about an introverted, insecure, and timid girl slowly gaining the strength to stand on her own legs.  In her childhood, she found it hard to meet the expectations people had from the daughter of a reputed Professor.  On top of it, due to the early demise of her mother and the sickness until then, she missed the support of a mother's care.  It is hinted that, her nature and lack of confidence can be attributed to her broken childhood.  Amala Paul played the role of Mili and did a wonderful job. Mili seeks the help of her father (Saikumar) or Nancy (Praveena) even for trivial issues.  Her father, concerned about her and her inability to survive in the real world, forces her to solve her issues on her own.  The dilemma whether to help her or not is shown wonderfully in the movie.  Often, he helps her indirectly through Nancy, his student and Mili's local guardian.  Nancy is very supportive and like an elder sister to Mili.  At ...

The new Jungle book movie showcases amazing graphics and spectacular visuals, but I was somewhat disappointed by the film.  It failed to create an impact in me, and I blame the script. The bond between Mowgli and the wolf pack was not developed well enough.  Thus, when Shere Khan kills Akela, which happens not long after the movie starts, I felt nothing.  I remember, this to be one of the most touching scenes when I watched Jungle Book as a kid.  For the same reason, if this movie is the first exposure to Jungle Book for someone, he/she will not get why Mowgli badly wants to avenge Akela.  This happened with one of my younger friends.  I feel, more time should have been spent on developing this bond.  I think it is a major flaw.   If you ignore this point, the movie had its moments.  I loved Bagheera and Baloo. By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46830494

Su.. Su... Sudhi Vathmeekam, is a simple movie about the life of a stammerer Sudhi (Jayasurya).  The movie deals with struggles Sudhi faces in his daily life. The movie is well made and Jayasurya has acted well.  This is noteworthy, as it is so easy to overdo the stammering. It is clear from the movie that Sudhi is a very smart individual with many skills, but years of mockery and ridicule killed his confidence.  Thus, he is forced to work like a slave for Kurup Sir.  Society's attitude towards an individual has deep impact in his ability to reach his potential.  This, I feel, is the reason why we need affirmative action. Sudhi is however blessed with some close friends and a very supportive family.  The dynamics of these relationships has a big role in making this film so enjoyable.  Greagon, Sudhi's friend played by Aju Vargese, is an exceptionally good character.  He is the antithesis of Sudhi, the ever confident individual always cha...

Snehaveedu, the 2011 movie from the duo Mohanlal and Sathyan Anthikad, though well received in theaters, was a big let down.  It takes a good 45 minutes in a 150 minute movie to even reach the main plot. This initial stretch is filled with overused village nostalgia pills with nothing new to boast.   In one of the scenes, Mohanlal boasts how he used to be a Casanova in  his youth. And the movie stops for the interval soon after the arrival of a young boy, who claims that he is Mohanlal’s son.  The interval is well timed and promises a good second half.  But, the main plot is complete nonsense, the truth behind the boy being the worst. (If you want to know, read the spoilers section in the end).  Mohanlal vehemently denies the fatherhood throughout the movie.  Sheela is shown as a doting mother in the first half, but her behaviour indicates that she does not believe Mohanlal.  Is not trust an essential aspect in love?  Whenever confront...

Last week when I was in theatre to watch Kali (a Malayalam movie) I saw the trailer of Ki&Ka.  Seeing it is about the concept of house-husband, I immediately decided to watch it first-day-first-show. It is a concept close to my heart and something I used to discuss often with my friends during my undergraduate days. They were also excited about the idea and we often jested that we will grow into house-husbands.  If (some) men feel women have it easier and (some)  women feel men have it easier, why can't they just exchange their gender roles?  I know it is easier said than done, but can't we atleast try?  With this motivation,  I kept my promise to myself and watched Ki&Ka today, the 11am show.  And,  the film didn't disappoint me at all. I recommend this film.  The film is about Kia, a highly ambitious girl who thinks marriage chains down a women's dreams and ambitions, and Kabir, who wants to lead a life away from this purs...

Natholi oru cheriya meenalla is a 2013 Malayalam film written by Shankar Ramakrishnan and directed by V. K. Prakash. Among the people I know, very few enjoyed the film. The general opinion is quite negative. IMDB rating is just 5.5/10. However, I loved the film. I have already watched the film 4 or 5 times. People are surprised by the fact that I loved the film. They often ask "How could you like it so much?". This is my answer! There are spoilers ahead. So, those who have not watched the film and hate knowing the story, please come back after you have watched the film. But, I would say, don't worry too much. In my opinion, knowing the story is not going to make the movie less enjoyable. In fact, I hope, my article will help you enjoy the film better. I also promise that I will reveal as little as possible. The movie is about Preman (Fahad Fazil) who is an aspiring writer. However, he becomes a caretaker in an apartment to meet daily needs. He develo...

Priyamanasam is a movie about renowned Malayalam poet Unnaayi Warrier, about whom very little is known. The film is a fictional presentation of his life, based on available information. It is interesting in many ways. Unnayi Warrier is famous for his Nalacharitham aattakatha - the story of Nala, from Mahabharatha, written for Kathakali. In the film, a parallel is drawn between Nala and Undayi Warrier. The story of Nala, is a sincere love story between Nala and his love, Damayathi. Even though they were both sincere, they get separated as Nala gets cursed. The curse disfigures Nala and he becomes unrecognisable. The rest of the story describes the ordeals they go through, to finally get united. Unnayi Warrier, who loses his love due to the curse of poverty, is similar to Nala. In the movie, the final union of Nala and Damayanthi is described as a manifestation of Unnayi Warrier's dream of getting united with his love. Through his work, he was living the li...

Naanu avanalla...avalu is a film about struggles of a transgender based on the life of Living smile Vidya.  The film is made really well and raises many important questions.  It is a cry to not discriminate those who are different from us -  at the very least treat them more kindly. Madesha (the protagonist) exhibits girly behaviour from childhood and is attracted by clothes "meant for" girls.  He believes he is a female trapped in a male's body.  When I saw this I was haunted by many questions - especially because this is based on real experience.  Is there really something called feminine dressing?  Is there something really called feminine?  What about all the people who attribute gender differences to social conditioning?  As asked by a person in the film - what does it mean to be female(trapped in a male's body)?  Note that, this is different from being a homosexual, which is much easier to understand. What I liked the most in ...