A riveting ride

Film Review: Neelakasham Pachakadal Chuvanna Bhoomi

Director: Sameer Thahir

Cast: Dulquer Salman, Sunny Wayne, Surja Bala, Dhritiman Chatterjee, Ena Saha

Neelakasham Pachakadal Chuvanna Bhoomi (Blue skies, green waters, red earth). There is something in the very title that connects. For when was the last time we really saw the wide firmaments, the deep waters and the picturesque world around? Stuck within the four walls of our mechanical existences, the title beckons you to go out there, on the road and explore. Explore the world outside and the more complex one inside.

In Jack Kerouac’s ‘On the Road’, protagonists Sal and Dean knew that they ought not to stop till they get “there”. Where they were unsure of, but they knew they must keep going. Their “life on the road” defined the Beat Generation of post-war America.

In Sameer Thahir’s latest directorial venture, Kasi (Dulquer Salman), along with friend Suni (Sunny Wayne), hits the road in search of answers. Unlike Kerouac’s characters, this is not a journey for the sake of one, but one in which the destination is more or less in sight.

Nevertheless, this journey of self-introspection that also touches upon politics, love, friendship, family, religion and revolution is one of the most intense coming-of-age movies in Malayalam. Unlike Bollywood’s Dil Chahta Hai or Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, the film does not celebrate breathtaking locales, but rather focuses on the ride.

This is one movie that delivers what it promises. On the road through and through, the film is a visual treat, with riveting music and minimalist dialogue. Kasi begins his journey from Kozhikode to the North-East, first to get over, and then to find his love Assi (Surja Bala). He is joined by his friend Suni and their camaraderie is beautifully depicted, not through tall claims of friendship, but knowing glances and friendly pats. The motorcycle, signboards, milestones and traffic signs too take on a character of their own in the movie.

Kasi and Suni meet many others on their trip — some who have lost their way and some in search of newer trajectories, but they all have their own destinations and must go their separate ways.

Dulquer Salman delivers an intense performance as Kasi who maintains a calm exterior even when torn apart by myriad inner conflicts.

His powerful narration sets the pace for the journey, and never once falters. All the actors — even the ones in minor roles — put up compelling performances. Sunny Wayne, Surja Bala, Ena Saha and Dhritiman Chatterjee deserve special mention.

But it is Hashir Mohamed’s well-crafted script with smart one-liners and casual yet deep observations; Gireesh Gangadharan’s stunning visuals and Sameer Thahir’s directorial mastery that make the ride worthwhile.

That said, this is no dream ride either. The movie loses steam in parts in the second half, and the climax could have been more powerful. It also cannot be overlooked that the film appeals to a very niche audience — the English-speaking, mall trotting, urban youth.

But given the youthful exuberance of the movie and its ability take you along on the ride, these cannot be listed as hurdles. Like you must hit the road to feel the real adrenaline rush, you must hit the theatres to truly experience this riveting ride. Bon voyage!

The review was first published in The Hindu, August 11, 2013

A forgettable trip

Film Review: Kadal Kadannu Oru Mathukutty

Director: Ranjith

Cast: Mammootty, Siddique, Nedumudi Venu, P. Balachandran, Muthumani, Alisha Mohammed

The non-resident Keralite’s celebrated nostalgia and his search for redemption in his homeland, garnished with ladles of camaraderie and pinches of bitter experiences is just the perfect recipe for a festival release. Add to that a superstar as the central character, an ensemble cast, a director whose name carries reverberations of box-office hits and it is almost a winning formula. Well, almost. There could, always, be exceptions. Ranjith’s Kadal Kadannu Oru Mathukutty is one such exception.

George Mathew aka Mathukutty (Mammootty) is a man on a mission. He has been entrusted by the Malayali association of Mettmann in Germany to rope in actor Mohanlal for their silver jubilee celebrations. Bullied by his wife (Muthumani), ignored by his children and eager to go home, Mathukutty grabs the opportunity and heads to Pathanamthitta, his hometown.

After rounds of the very predictable catching up with old friends and long-winding walks down memory lane later, events go out of control (as does the already tottering script) till the NRK’s rose-tinted view of God’s own country is smothered by ground realities. Strangely, it is only the viewers who feel that sense of déjà vu with a stale plot.

If you are wondering what’s new here, there is the setting in Germany (emphasised enough times to turn you off) and the fact that it is not just the protagonist’s expectations that come crashing down.

What director-scriptwriter Ranjith serves up for the much-awaited festival season is an insipid fare of leftovers, devoid of the ‘spirit’ of his previous outings. A patchwork of a script from a master scenarist with failed attempts at humour, satire and the absurd and a poor choice of actors (most of them versatile, but unsuited for their respective roles) leave the viewer disappointed. Dangling before the viewers, a glittering array of popular stars in cameos (Mohanlal, Dileep, Jayaram, et al.) is little compensation.

There is some talk of Gandhism accompanied by blaring background music (whatever happened to subtleties?), some on how money makes the world go round (think Pranchiyettan and the Saint andIndian Rupee), some on the vices of drinking (Spirit) and very little that is original or new.

Casting actors who have scripted recent successes or carved niches for themselves cannot salvage a movie that does not quite appeal to the sensibility or intelligence of the “average film-goer”. The director’s voiceover that booms at the end of the film almost seems like his excuse for letting his fans down.

Two strong points in the script are left unexplored: One: the character of Vidyadharan (Tini Tom) as the one-man media outfit that rakes up controversies. And two: the concept of NRIs switching on a mental calculator that is perpetually converting dollars/euros into rupee. Tiny strokes of brilliance lost in a confused plot.

Mammootty’s performance as the unassuming, submissive Mathukutty is that of a master at work. Let down by a weak script and not finding enough support in competent co-actors who are similarly tied down, the actor’s efforts are almost wasted. Mathukutty crossed the seas and arrived with a lot of expectations. He came, he saw, but did not conquer. And his trip remains largely forgettable.

The review was first published in The Hindu, August 11, 2013

Simple tale, deep echoes

Film Review: 101 Chodyangal

Director: Sidhartha Siva

Cast: Minon, Indrajith, Murugan, Lena

Standing on a hillock, gazing upon a beautiful twilight and stretches of greenery that lie down below, his teacher asks: Why does a blue sky turn reddish at dusk? Little Anilkumar Bokaro repeats the question. But as is the case with most of his questions, he receives no answer. In the distance, slogans of labour rights resound as workers take out a rally. Often, the answers lie nearby, within our grasp, but somehow tend to remain elusive.

Anilkumar Bokaro (Minon), named so by his father who dreams of his son becoming an industrialist, is so full of wonder and curiosity in a way children often are. His inquisitiveness is met with vague answers, reprimands, and most often, silences. When his teacher at school (Indrajith) seeks Anil’s help to frame 101 questions (101 Chodyangal of the title), it turns an obsession for the child. He grips his notebook, and goes about the verdant countryside of Kaviyoor, searching for questions.

Questions also stare at Anil’s father (Murugan) who has recently lost his job at a sugar factory and is at a loss to make ends meet. While the child embarks on his journey to find questions, his father is on a quest to find answers.

Actor-turned-director Sidhartha Siva blends soulfully the parallel quests, scripting to near perfection a simple tale with deep echoes. (The National Award for Best First Film of a Director was, no doubt, well-earned.) 

In a scene, the little boy is seated near the kerosene stove at home, watching the water boil in a pot. Hungry, he is waiting for his father to bring rice. Out of curiosity he moves the lids and watches the bubbles rise. He then opens his notebook, and writes, “Why do bubbles appear when water boils?” Each question he painstakingly gathers is, in fact, his very life.

101 Chodyangal is full of such instances, straight out of life, simple yet profound.  No, this is not just a children’s film. It is, instead, one of growing up, of the bond between parents and children, of teachers who take learning beyond classrooms, of fathers who have no worldly possessions but are their children’s heroes, of mothers who hide their tears to gift their children a smile, of children who are devoid of questions, of a struggling working class, of poverty that exists despite our best efforts to sweep it under the carpet, of all the little joys and pains of childhood. The film is also one of a world so sure of its answers, and a world that is full of questions, and the merging of the two. It is no feel-good movie, not all dollops of innocence and characters without a flaw. As the child realizes, it is not an ideal world out there.

Minon who won the National Award for Best Child Artiste for his portrayal of Anilkumar Bokaro had set expectations high and effortlessly lives up to it. Murugan as the man who quietly resigns to his circumstances puts up a stellar performance. So does Lena in another remarkable role as Anil’s mother. And long after you have walked out of the theatre, Prabhath E.K.’s fresh frames and Bijibal’s background score lingers in the mind.

After compiling more than half the questions, Anil realises that he might know a few answers but chooses not to know them. Does he manage to frame the remaining questions? Does he find answers to those? Where does his father’s quest take him? Will his mentally-retarded little sister be cured? Will the family manage to shift to a new house? In a world that has no easy answers, some questions are also best left unanswered. 

This is one movie you owe your children before they outgrow the wonder in them. But most of all, this is one movie you owe to the child in you.

The review was first published in The Hindu, July 28, 2013

This love story crawls

Film Review: Crocodile Love Story 

Director: Anoop Ramesh

Cast: Praveen Prem, Avanthika Mohan, Ashokan, Manikuttan, Kalabhavan Mani

The concept of the ‘interval’ is an irritant for some movies, but for some others it serves as a blessing. The Crocodile Love Story fits the latter category. You could saunter in half-way through the movie and not miss a thing. No exaggeration here.

Boy-meets-girl stories are the staple of our cinema, and it is often light strokes of brilliance that set one apart from the other. Debutant director Anoop Ramesh set out to add a twist in the “tale” by tossing in a crocodile and claiming to introduce ‘animatronics’ (inspired from Steven Spielberg’s classic Jurassic Park) for the first time in Malayalam cinema.

An hour into the movie you are left wondering why the movie was titled or marketed asCrocodile Love Story. The love story is insipid and the crocodile nowhere in sight. And when the reptile does surface, after an excruciating hour-and-a-half, and the slightest possibility of an adventure rears its head, the plot shifts to a supposed “satire” instead.

Kiran (Praveen Prem) and Nitya (Avanthika Mohan) have run away from home to spend time together. Marooned on an island, they are perched on a tree, with a menacing crocodile lying in wait below. But going by their reactions and their eagerness to grab the packet of chips and water bottle that lay beside the reptile, you’d be excused for thinking it could have been a dog in place of the crocodile. That, on a more serious note, would have saved the filmmakers some bucks and definitely evoked more laughs from the viewers.

Joining the misadventure are mediapersons who set up camp and begin live streaming, and ill-equipped police officers and fire and rescue personnel.

Well, if the makers had their eye on a comic satire of sorts, they should probably have looked up the 2010 Hindi film Peepli Live. Or the film with a man-eater as a central character should have been made on the lines of Hollywood thrillers or even I.V. Sasi’s Mrigaya nearer home.

Marketing the movie solely on the claim of using Hollywood-like animatronics and the character of a crocodile, with no scope for either, is inexcusable. And no crocodile can be expected to save a film that was in deep waters from the start.

A weak script, poor performance by lead actors and false marketing do the film in. Though Anoop Ramesh, who has served as assistant to leading directors such as Shyamaprasad and Shaji Kailas, wields technical control over the film, that does not make up for the squandering of a storyline that did have potential.

This love story crawls, through and through, at a snail’s pace and not that of a crocodile’s.

The review was first published in The Hindu, July 21, 2013

Worth a tour

Film Review: Tourist Home

Film: Tourist Home (Malayalam)

Director: Shebi

Cast: Rajath Menon, Sreejith Vijay, Maniyan Pilla Raju, Kalabhavan Mani, Nedumudi Venu, Lena, Meera Nandan

Linear narratives revolving around a central character are a passé and experimentation seems to be the buzzword in Malayalam cinema today. Into this changing cinemascape opens director Shebi’s Tourist Home with its tall claim of being the first Indian cinema to be canned in a single shot with 10 stories penned by 10 authors.

Set in different rooms of a decrepit lodge with discoloured walls and grimy washrooms are different sets of characters and their stories. How their lives change in a span of less than two hours, the duration of the movie, forms the plot.

A set of gamblers; an astrologer unsure of his own future; a woman who tries to raise money for her husband’s treatment; a grandfather awaiting his grandson’s medical diagnosis; a pair of lovers in trouble; a couple of thieves; a policeman and a prostitute; an unemployed youth and his friend; a mother trying to win her daughter a slot in a reality show, a pair of young, nervous lovers and two students with a hidden past people the lodge and set the drama rolling. Anticipation hangs heavy in most rooms.

There is no edge-of-the-seat drama, no adrenaline rushes, no entwining of plots, but a natural, and at times predictable, course of events set entirely within the confines of the ‘three walls’ of the lodge. Privileged to getting glimpses of the secret lives of the characters, the viewer almost feels like a voyeur.

The outside world trickles in through mobile phone conversations, some visitors and the ubiquitous 24x7 news channels.

Touching upon themes of lust, greed, infidelity, political influence, spirituality and crime, the film attempts to be a social commentary of the times. The done-to-death image of the ‘lodge’ as a den of immoral and anti-social activities comes as a downer, but an ensemble cast and some compelling performances make up for the shortcoming.

The single shot format with the camera moving across rooms takes time getting used to, but given the narrative pattern, never comes across as unnatural.

Each of the stories has been well-conceived and the well-crafted characters strike a chord with the viewer. Director Shebi and cinematographer Firoz Khan deserve praise, first for trying their hand at experimenting, and second for saving it from falling flat.

Save for a few clichés and stereotypes, the film catches your fancy and does not disappoint.

Tourist Home is no landmark, but nevertheless, worth a visit.

The review was first published in The Hindu, July 7, 2013