Sathyan Anthkkad has been gambling with family dramas ever since he has stopped attempting movies like Naadodikkattu/kalikkalam and to this day he has managed it quite well.Except for movie soaps like Innathe chinthavishayam most of his films were watchable to good for me.Katha thudarunnu is the latest in the league of the so called Sathyan formula film making.
More of a heroine-centric story, katha thudarunnu starts impressively.The first fifteen minutes may wonder you if satyan is trying something different.A hindu-Muslim love story is climaxed to a marriage by the court intervention after this becoming a social issue.Mamta's character decides to live rest of her life with asifs(rithu fame)character despite protest from both their families.The result is that they end up losing all relations except for their friends.As expected a tragedy follows when asif gets chopped by a quotation team.With Asif leaving behind nothing other than memories for his wife and daughter,the movie then becomes all about a mom and her kid who gets abandoned by her parents and inlaws,finding her chances of survival very minimal.From here on the movie gets predictible and proceeds in the same lines of sathyan movies; with most of the supporting characters though has a tragic background ,tries to live up their lives enjoying their rare happy moments.Jayarams character enters the screen lending a helping hand to the sinking mom and daughter.
Script wise the movie promises in the begining but loses track there after.The humour element except for mamukoyas scenes and the KPAC crying scene is minimal.Direction/story telling follows sathyans recent films like vinodayatra,bhagyadevatha etc...Though this can be repititive,each time this looks apt for the family subjects opted by sathyan.It is his own script that lets most of his movies down from where it actually should have been.The songs by ilayaraja doesnt dissappoint, though not great.The picturization of the first song is commendable ,though i doubt requirement of a song there.Asif -the tragic hero impresses in his sort stint and is the character that might move you a bit.A cakewalk role for Jayaram,innocent,KPAC etc.Mamta,the kid has performed admirably.
On the whole.....The movie is almost sathyanic in the sense that it has lesser humour quotient and the 1st 15 minutes misleading you for something new......Would anyday prefer these sort of movies than stuufs like pokkiriraaaaja!!!!!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Sunday, May 9, 2010
POKKIRIRAAJA ---- For the Masses.....
Mass masalas have become a routine outing in Malayalam cinema which was once known for its realistic approach in the silver screen.Gone are the days you went to the theater expecting to carry back some memorable stuffs........its the age of formula movies with multi heros who try to pump up the adrenaline in the viewers....and pokkiri raja does qualify to be in the same league.
Pokkiri raja from debutant director vaishakh is a mix of comedy,dance and action flavoured with some romance.The story,i would rather say the movie, is all about two bros raja and surya.Raja the elder one is another of those mamootty role who has run off from his native for some act that he is not actually responsible for.His brother surya(prithviraj) grows up in the same lines as of his brother.The first half is mostly about suryas fights and dance, romance with shreya's character and a comedy plot starring salim kumar and suraj.Though stuffless it doesnt bore you and slowly u start realizing that the title character is yet to make it to the screen.
Finally about 10 minutes before the interval, raaja is forced to come to the scene to save his brother out of one of the routine issues that filmy brothers often jump into---falling in love with the commisioners daughter.Mammootys intro though was similar to many of his previous films was worth the wait as the theater went haywire.
Post interval Raaja comes to kochi to single handedly thwart the plans of the bad guys.
Despite lacking any storyline pokkiriraaja manages to entertain.Thanks to the towering screen presence of Mammootty.It is another of his Raaja avataar after pazhassi and Bellary raaja to create waves in the B.O..But it did seem to me that Raaja should have been more of a serious character and should have been devoid of the silly English speaking infection injected by uday-sibi to his character.Prithviraj repeats his looks and action styles from puthiya mukham which is apt enough for a movie like this.Suraj-Salim kumar combo works out decently except for some scenarios where they struggle make you laugh.Fights by 'the ghajini fame- kanal kannan' and mafia sasi will thrill you mostly but should admit that it goes over board at times.Songs and dances are a real eye reckoner in pokkiri, as even Mammooty manages to get the viewer appreciation for some of his steps like the moon walk in the pub song.Music by jassie gift matches to the moods created in the plot.Director Vaishakh should be praised just for the fact that he managed to churn out pokkiriraaja out of a nothing script.Thanks to his tamil style movie making.Seems that when tamilians winning hearts with their realistic movies Malayalam industry is trying to play safe with masala ventures.
The weakest element in pokkiriraaja is the script by Sibi-Uday.The writers of many Masala pot boilers including Twenty twenty,thurappugulan,Runway tries to repeat the same formats with bits and peices from former ventures in malayalam cinema and some peices even from their own movies....The result is a script with very few surprises in the storyline.These guys have always tried to use the void in malayalam cinema and yet again tries to exploit the audience's starvation of quality cinema.
However with movies like TD Daasan 4 b being trashed by the mallu viewers and theaters ,one feels that this is all we want,rather this is all we deserve.Viashakh is lucky enough that even though his first venture is stuff less,it entertains the mass audience.
Pokkiri raja from debutant director vaishakh is a mix of comedy,dance and action flavoured with some romance.The story,i would rather say the movie, is all about two bros raja and surya.Raja the elder one is another of those mamootty role who has run off from his native for some act that he is not actually responsible for.His brother surya(prithviraj) grows up in the same lines as of his brother.The first half is mostly about suryas fights and dance, romance with shreya's character and a comedy plot starring salim kumar and suraj.Though stuffless it doesnt bore you and slowly u start realizing that the title character is yet to make it to the screen.
Finally about 10 minutes before the interval, raaja is forced to come to the scene to save his brother out of one of the routine issues that filmy brothers often jump into---falling in love with the commisioners daughter.Mammootys intro though was similar to many of his previous films was worth the wait as the theater went haywire.
Post interval Raaja comes to kochi to single handedly thwart the plans of the bad guys.
Despite lacking any storyline pokkiriraaja manages to entertain.Thanks to the towering screen presence of Mammootty.It is another of his Raaja avataar after pazhassi and Bellary raaja to create waves in the B.O..But it did seem to me that Raaja should have been more of a serious character and should have been devoid of the silly English speaking infection injected by uday-sibi to his character.Prithviraj repeats his looks and action styles from puthiya mukham which is apt enough for a movie like this.Suraj-Salim kumar combo works out decently except for some scenarios where they struggle make you laugh.Fights by 'the ghajini fame- kanal kannan' and mafia sasi will thrill you mostly but should admit that it goes over board at times.Songs and dances are a real eye reckoner in pokkiri, as even Mammooty manages to get the viewer appreciation for some of his steps like the moon walk in the pub song.Music by jassie gift matches to the moods created in the plot.Director Vaishakh should be praised just for the fact that he managed to churn out pokkiriraaja out of a nothing script.Thanks to his tamil style movie making.Seems that when tamilians winning hearts with their realistic movies Malayalam industry is trying to play safe with masala ventures.
The weakest element in pokkiriraaja is the script by Sibi-Uday.The writers of many Masala pot boilers including Twenty twenty,thurappugulan,Runway tries to repeat the same formats with bits and peices from former ventures in malayalam cinema and some peices even from their own movies....The result is a script with very few surprises in the storyline.These guys have always tried to use the void in malayalam cinema and yet again tries to exploit the audience's starvation of quality cinema.
However with movies like TD Daasan 4 b being trashed by the mallu viewers and theaters ,one feels that this is all we want,rather this is all we deserve.Viashakh is lucky enough that even though his first venture is stuff less,it entertains the mass audience.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
PAPPY APPACHA --- Call it Time Pass
This is gonna be a short review....just a trigger to the broken lenses page.....
"Ingane oru Appanum Monum" --- How many times have heard this from the silver screen watching a malayalam movie?How many time have you heard it from the senior christian mamma enacted by KPAC lalitha?Whether it be Sphadikam/veendum chila veettu karyangal malayalees have been treated well with this one liner on the screen.Well Pappy appacha doesn't qualify to come anywhere near the above mentioned visual experiences,but one could say it might not bore you though/or would not bore your kids to say the least.Thanks to the Rafi mecartin style of story telling from their own associate MAMMAS....Right from the title slides to the climax he has tried present pappy appacha with a slapstick flair.He does succeed in most places but falters in other.Dileep tries to steady the ship all alone but looks wanting in many scenes like the drunk senti scenes and even in some of his safe zone comedy scenes.Kavya looks aged but puts up a neat performance though.Innocent performs well as expected of him....songs from vidyasagar doesn't impress.
On the whole Pappy appacha just manages to be in the list of the recent type "so called slapstick entertainers " in malluwood.
"Ingane oru Appanum Monum" --- How many times have heard this from the silver screen watching a malayalam movie?How many time have you heard it from the senior christian mamma enacted by KPAC lalitha?Whether it be Sphadikam/veendum chila veettu karyangal malayalees have been treated well with this one liner on the screen.Well Pappy appacha doesn't qualify to come anywhere near the above mentioned visual experiences,but one could say it might not bore you though/or would not bore your kids to say the least.Thanks to the Rafi mecartin style of story telling from their own associate MAMMAS....Right from the title slides to the climax he has tried present pappy appacha with a slapstick flair.He does succeed in most places but falters in other.Dileep tries to steady the ship all alone but looks wanting in many scenes like the drunk senti scenes and even in some of his safe zone comedy scenes.Kavya looks aged but puts up a neat performance though.Innocent performs well as expected of him....songs from vidyasagar doesn't impress.
On the whole Pappy appacha just manages to be in the list of the recent type "so called slapstick entertainers " in malluwood.
