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 →
Malikappuram – My Flash Review!
The Malayalam film Malikappuram which had got a good theatrical response dropped on OTT this week. I had received quite a few nudges to watch the film and so I watched it with a lot of expectations. I had mixed feelings after watching the film. On the one hand, it is a feel-good film that... Continue Reading →
KAAPA (Malayalam) – My Flash Review!
KAAPA is yet another Malayalam movie that has Prithviraj Sukumaran in the lead. One wonders how he is able to churn movies in an assembly line fashion in quick succession these days. Or is it the pent-up films that were stuck due to Covid and now getting completed and released? In any case, Prithiviraj fans... Continue Reading →
Palthu Janwar (Malayalam film) Review!
This review was written for the news portal The News Minute and was published on 21st Oct, 2022. It can be read here: https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/palthu-janwar-delectably-sweet-malayalam-film-has-animals-its-centre-169094 Directed by Sangeeth P Rajan, Malayalam film Palthu Janwar does not have a ‘star’ at its heart but animals, that too livestock. It is only in Malayalam cinema that we can expect such... Continue Reading →
Nna Thaan Case Kodu (Malayalam)- My Flash Review!
Nna Thaan Case Kodu (NTCK) meaning “then, you file a case” is a film rooted in the nativity of Kerala. You can make this out from the title itself which is a very colloquial line in Malayalam challenging someone to “put” a case on you. The setting of the film which is a small town... Continue Reading →
CBI 5: The Brain – My Flash Review
In Malayalam cinema, if Mohanlal’s Drishyam franchise endeared itself to the millennial generation, for the Doordarshan generation, it is Mammootty’s “CBI” Franchise. What started way back in 1988 with ‘Oru CBI Diary Kurippu’, the first in the series, has now got into the 5th sequel with the latest release – CBI 5: The Brain. This... Continue Reading →
Pada – My Flash Review!
Close on the heels of The Kashmir Files, comes Pada a Malayalam film that is also based on a real life story that happened in Palakkad way back in 1996. Pada meaning “Army” is about how a small group of people called the “Ayyankali Pada” take the law into their hands to get justice for... Continue Reading →
Meppadiyan – My Flash Review
There are average or bad films with huge star cast backed by humungous budgets that get a lot of media attention. And there are some good films made with no big stars and with moderate budgets which don’t get much of media attention. Meppadiyan (“Above mentioned” in Malayalam) actually belongs to the above mentioned category.... Continue Reading →
Hridayam – My Flash Review!
If you were an Engineering student, now in your 30’s, lived in a hostel that too in Tamil Nadu, got ragged and ragged others, had your share of fun during student life but without studying, spent time participating in Cultural fests, eyed girls or boys and now sort of settled in life and in career, ... Continue Reading →