There was a time when Malayalam cinema was a factory for comedy films of great quality. These were the heydays of the famed Mohanlal-Srinivasan combo when clean comedy films of the slapstick genre used to regale us no end. Priyadarshan took many of these films to Bollywood with a lot of success until the predictability... Continue Reading →
Pachuvum Athbutha Vilakkum – My Flash Review!
With a title like that, your guess about the genre of the film is most likely that it is a comedy film. Pachuvum Athbutha Vilakkum (PAV) begins like a slice-of-life comedy affair. But along the way, it keeps shifting its genre to being a crime story and a love story and even a social drama... Continue Reading →
Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai – My Flash Review!
One can easily mistake this film for a typical masala action flick starring Salman Khan or Ajay Devgn. In reality, it is a courtroom drama made almost in documentary style with Manoj Bajpayee in the lead. The Bajpayee factor upped my interest to watch the film that dropped on OTT last week. The strange title... Continue Reading →
Maniyin Ponniyin Selvan: Cracking the Story telling Code for an epic:
The much-awaited sequel to Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan: I was released on April 28, and we finally have a complete view into how Kalki’s literary magnum opus has been adapted to the theatrical film format. Making the film version of Ponniyin Selvan, a five-part novel that first ran as a weekly serial for almost four years in the... Continue Reading →
Ponniyin Selvan 2 – My Flash Review!
Before reading this, it may be a good idea to re-visit my review of PS-1 (Read here) which will negate the need to repeat some of the common points regarding the format chosen for an epic like Ponniyin Selvan. After the sequel of Bahubali, this must be the most awaited sequel in this part of... Continue Reading →
Ela Veezha Poonchira – My Flash Review!
The 1st thing that strikes about this film is the title. Ela Veezha Poonchira means “A Floral Bund without leaves”. Apparently this is a name of a place in Kottayam district of Kerala where the film is mostly set. There is a mythical explanation by way of a casual conversation in the film as to... Continue Reading →
Gulmohar – My Flash Review!
Just the cast of some films piques your interest to watch them. With an ensemble cast of Sharmila Tagore, Amol Palekar, Manoj Bajpayee, Simran and even Ghazal singer Talat Aziz in a cameo, Gulmohar is one such. If ever you needed proof that Bollywood is flipping itself for the good after getting the rough end... Continue Reading →
Holi Hai…. in Tamil Films!
The iconic ‘Rang barse bheege chunarwali rang barse’ song from the Amitabh Bachchan starrer Silsila is usually on top of any playlist during Holi celebrations. Then there’s the ‘Holi ke din’ song from Sholay, which also rings loud on “Holi-Day”. And one cannot forget Gabbar Singh’s legendary “Holi kab hai?” line from the same film. Holi has been... Continue Reading →
Nanpagal Nerathu Mayakkam – My Flash Review!
You can mistake this for a Tamil film from the title. But it is a Malayalam film directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery whose reputation as a filmmaker of powerful cinema precedes him. Why is the title in Tamil or why most of the film is in Tamil is interesting to understand. How many of you... Continue Reading →
Morality in Malayalam Cinema – The Transition from White to Grey to Black!
Traditionally, the protagonists of most Indian films come in different shades of white. They tend to be morally upright, the films almost always on the ‘right’ side of morality. The established template is “the good people live happily ever after”, the corollary being that the ‘bad people’ will meet a bad end — if they... Continue Reading →
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