For a Gautam Vasudev Menon film, it is an odd title. But then, GVM, as he is fondly known, has been trying to reinvent himself and step out of his comfort zone for some time now. We saw that attempt in his earlier film Vendhu Thanindhathu Kaadu as well. Not just the title, Dominic and... Continue Reading →
Rekhachithram – My Flash Review!
Kathodu Kathoram is a 1985 Malayalam film directed by the ace film-maker Bharathan that had Mammootty in the lead. The film I remember was a hit those days. I had not watched the film but remember the songs very well. It had four songs composed by one of Kerala’s lead composers – Ouseppechan who made... Continue Reading →
Kaathal – The Core (Malayalam) – My Flash Review!
The first question that comes to your mind when you finish watching this film is – how do writers in Malayalam cinema manage to conceive subjects like this, that too consistently? The story doesn’t fit into any of the usual cinematic formulae we are all used to. It is interesting to see how a progressive... Continue Reading →
Kannur Squad – My Flash Review!
The title Kannur Squad sounds like a story of some crack covert team from Kerala but out on some mission of National and International consequence. This film is indeed about a crack team but from the Police that operated in real in Kannur to investigate and crack down on the rising crimes in North Kerala... 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 →
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 →
“One” (Malayalam film) – My Flash Review
In the initial sequences of the film, a young college student who put out a provocative post against the Chief Minister and his government on Facebook is on the run. The entire police machinery of the state is out to track this boy and eventually he is caught. In real life, the boy would be... Continue Reading →
20 years of Rajiv Menon’s ‘Kandukondain Kandukondain’: Time for a sequel?
(This piece was written for the news website thenewsminute.com and was first published on the 24th Mar, 2020 and can be read here: https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/20-years-rajiv-menon-s-kandukondain-kandukondain-time-sequel-123891 Another day, another anniversary of a film release and another hashtag. Amidst this clutter though, few films deserve to be remembered and celebrated. Rajiv Menon’s Kandukondain Kandukondain (KK), which completes 20 years today since its... Continue Reading →