Author: ToC

a lover of good things, & favourite things

Categories
2019 DQ Malayalam

Oru Yamandan Premakadha (2019) | DQ

A Malayalam language film |a DQ fan like me couldn’t sit thru. I re-watched with a determination when it was re-telecast on one of the channels a second time. Teaser

A different love story of two people who met “very briefly” once (think back to babies holding hands in Tamil/Hindi film Khushi) wait for each other all life long, never to meet again face to face, but are in love with that unknown to-arrive-lover Lallu (DQ) who is in search of that girl when the sparks will fly, violins will play a la SRK in Main Hoon Na. The story of the film lies somewhere in the middle of the search for this girl while he and his happy go lucky friends – Soubin is wasted, Salim Kumar has a slightly more responsible role than the prof in the Jimmiki Kammal film, Vishnu Unnikrishnan, also the co-scriptwriter, the blind man with a horrendous singing voice – go gallavanting after their daily contractual building painting jobs. (They have jobs, yes & they earn well.) This carefree life set in a picturesque Kadamakudy Islands is disrupted (no surprises there 😜) when Lallu finally finds his spark, but …

Most of the details during the first half become relevant by the end of the second, but they still do nothing to engage the audience watching a predictable story, motifs, stock characters indulging in cheap humour. DQ does choose to be a mass hero, however he hasn’t been able to sink into this character as effectively as he was Aju (Bangalore Days), Charlie (Charlie) and Adityan (Vikramadityan)

Yamandan means huge, it can also mean mass as in a mass film. Though it checked all its ‘mass’ elements, it failed to bring them cohesively into an arresting storyline.

Therefore, let’s run with the idea of Yamandan as unrealistically huge, as in “ethra manoharamaya nadakkatha swapnam” a dialogue from the Mohanlal-Srinivasan film Nadodikkttu.

Lallu (we see) & Diya (Nikhila Vimal) (we are told) are in search of that rare spark when they meet their partner as Madhuri Dixit’s character in Dil Toh Pagal Hai waits for the ishaara (a sign) from the upperwala. Therefore, they aren’t interested in anybody else, even when others are interested in them. The film is bildungsroman in genre to the extent of showing Lallu from pre-birth, birth, growing up & coming of age into a slightly more serious about life person, earning the support especially of his strict advocate father (Renji Panicaker and his many father roles is a post in itself) and his younger techie go getter brother (Arun Tharian of Aanandam fame). The scriptwriters – Bibin George (the villain) and Vishnu get meaty roles, so much so that, I thought this film was more a platform for their onscreen presence than for DQ to perform as a easy going rustic, school dropout with a good heart from an affluent family.

The better parts, the film nostalgia during a wedding eve mashing up popular songs. Highlight, that bit with Ashokan

Dileesh Pothan & Suraj Venjaramoodu

Watch at your own risk! I’d always say I told you so 😜

Categories
2017 2018 Hindi Jyotika Remake Tamil Vidya Balan

Tumhari Sulu (2017) & Kaatrin Mozhi (2018)| Vidya Balan _ Jyotika

Tumhari Sulu is the new late night show on Radio Wow. I don’t remember the crucial twists in the film, so I don’t know what brought about the end! 😏 I felt it was a little too sudden, the transformation .. (spoiler alert, if you thought the film was an original)
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a one time watch since I watched it once 😉, I left the theatre and didn’t carry the film with me type of .. ..Oh wait. I loved what she did with the matar (peas). Matar aloo ya matar paneer 😂😂. Certain anecdotes are just spot on beautiful, also the stereotyping……..The plot still sits within patriarchal tones about the usual complications which arises when the homemaker bags a job of a radio jockey for a late night show. When she isn’t available for her school going son and the husband like she used to be, awake at breakfast as she hosts a late night call in show at the radio station which demands of her to be on late night shifts (no surprises there) the people who initially ‘encouraged‘ her begins to blame her for the train wreck that follows….of course, we have seen that before in English Vinglish with Sridevi (Hindi), How old are you with Manju Warrier (Malayalam)….My entertainment was the people next to me who had a sarcastic say for everything on screen 😂

..Tumhari Sulu is a 2017 Hindi film with Vidhya Balan in the lead, with Manaav Kaur & Neha Dhupia beautifully supporting her. The Hawa Hawaiii song.. it is there in the background.

There is a tamil remake with Jyotika directed by Radha Mohan is called Kaatrin Mozhi (2018)Filed in #filmtales #talkingfilms

Categories
Uncategorized

Vazhikuzhiyille Kolapathakam (2019)

Vazhikuzhi is a trap to catch elephants. A hole is dug in the path they tread, covered loosely with leaves and sticks, so that the animal slips, falls & stays trapped until ..

Father Vincent Kombana (Amith Chakkalakkal) the hands on assisstant priest of a small parish of about 40 families in a panchayat on the banks of a lagoon in Kerala sets a trap to catch a killer, one of his own parishners, who has in turn smartly trapped him in the seal of confession after the priest had witnessed a murder (kolapathakam) on his daily vigil. The rest of the plot picks up speed as the Father sets out to find out the John/Jane Doe and proof to prove the killer guilty before the annual feast of his church.

A low budget film from Renjishh Midhila with a jovial but stern, much loved parish priest in the lead, an unofficial head of this community who takes care of their every problem in addition to their religious needs. He needs to resort to force, a habit he hasn’t forgotten from his police dreams, which makes him the biggest KD of the area.

The film has 3-4 sub plots which gives in sights into the daily lifestyle of its people, and their intra relations with each other setting the scene for before the murder investigation. Anything more I say would qualify as spoilers.

A Fun film, plus a few glitches, but overall Recommended! 😃 Streaming on Amazon Prime

Categories
2018 2019 Malayalam Nivin Pauly Telugu

Who is #HeyJude’s #DearComrade?

**a few spoilers, here & there**

All I could hear while I was watching Hey Jude (2018) was the word comrade echoing at the back of my head. Crystal (Trisha) being there for Jude (Nivin Pauly) to boost his self confidence, teaching him social skills, getting rid of his fear of the water & people, encouraging him to pursue his passion in life and finally, helping him to understand his peculiar condition related to Asperger’s Syndrome is as Bobby (Vijay Devarkonda) stands with Lily (Rashmika Madanna). In Dear Comrade (2019), Bobby tries to convince Lily to break free from the social shackles of fear to fight an established institution to acheive her life long dream of playing cricket for India.

Crystal like Bobby checked all traits of a comrade as a person’s support system in good times & bad, Lily had listed in her reply to the press at the end of her film.

The Malayalam film Hey Jude, and Dear Comrade (released parallely in 4 South Indian languages) set in entirely different contexts are primarily about friends who help and are there for each other. Released in subsequent years, they come together here as I happened to watch them one after the other over a period of a week. They are available on Amazon Prime if you wish to watch them, together, or/and separately 😀.

Hey Jude is Tamil lead actor Trisha’s entry into Malayalam films, Nivin Pauly’s second film with director, ShyamaPrasad. Siddique, as always is mind blowing, he and Vijay Menon bagged Kerala State Awards (2019) for their parts. Neena Kurup as Jude’s mother essays a full length role after long, brings in the remaining cast.

I watched Dear Comrade for Vijay Devarakonda. I turned his fan after his Arjun Reddy. He is brilliant in the film as well, his chemistry it Rashmika sizzles. Shruthi Ramachandran as Jaya holds fort. The music is addictive in the voice of Sid Sriram. There, your reasons to watch it, but the story drags, its run time could have been cut shot by at least half an hour, and may be a little more spotlight on Lily.

Fate brings Jude to Goa to meet Crystal, Lily to her cousin Jaya’s wedding to Bobby. They become friends, and comrades who are more supportive of their lives than their families could ever be. Jude’s lack of social and people skills make his problems more visible and tangible to the audience in comparison to Lily’s fear of the societal gossip and slurs. While Crystal has the task of gradually introducing Jude to a society that he can’t make sense of Bobby is up against Lily’s years of upbringing that stops her from fighting the bureacracy for their misbehaviour.

They are the best comrades, Lily and Jude could get to achieve their life goals.

Both the films begin and moves with the lives of their male leads for quite a bit until their women make their entry. In Lily’s case, the audience realizes she is a state level cricket player (a crucial piece of info to the plot) much later after she is introduced. It is clear from the epilogue that Lily’s fight with the cricket board is the crux of this film set in the larger canvas of an intense love story. However, the focus is slightly more on the Comrade in Bobby. As seen in the poster, his life changing physical & emotional experiences in at least 4 different looks is highlighted more than Lily’s ‘the problem.’ As Bobby is the one who instills in Lily the courage to fight, the film becomes an ode to Lily’s Dear Comrade, yeah?!

If this pattern is taken as a point of reference for camaradarie, Hey Jude would have provided enough screen space to Crystal’s trip to Shimla which is very similar to Bobby’s rides to Ladhak to rid him off his demons. Crystal is equally in need of help for her bipolar disorder which the script underscores through Dr Sebastian (Vijay Menon) her father and a psychologist. Nevertheless, the film is ultimately about Jude’s journey to being less of a misfit, excelling in his niche area of expertise (clue is in the poster) thereby finding recognition from the larger society. His transformation from being mocked to taking him seriously, by his family and colleagues. Therefore, his story is rightly named after him, Yeah?!

Which begs me to ask the question, what of the female Comrade Crystal, the first person to instil confidence in Jude to pursue his dreams. What of Lily’s transformation to stand up to her accusers on Bobby’s unwavering support? What is the significance of their roles as the helper/helped in their films ..

What if, Hey Jude was named Thank you Crystal on the lines of Dear Comrade, and Dear Comrade was titled, Hurrah! Lily after Hey Jude

Ponder ..

Categories
2017 English

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Mussouri (2017) ðŸĨ°ðŸĨ°

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Mussouri is a 2017 film as the title says is about a grieving mother’s public howler to her town’s police chief, Bill Willoughby & force.

Most of the rest of the film is a bunch of reactions to her this action. That said, this isn’t another crime thriller, or about a wailing mother who lost her daughter crying out for justice. It is about this unrelenting gritty woman (Frances McDormand) who has separated from her husband on reasons of abuse, wants to shake up the police force from their laid back routine. Three billboards puts this quiet town on prime time TV, and gets its people talking, enraged ..

As the content is serious, there are times when as an audience we’d wonder, what is that that made us laugh in certain scenes. And we do laugh out loud often, continue to laugh at the verbal and situational humour during a serious conversation.

“Did she say begets ..?” is one such point, that also encapsulates the theme of the film in one stroke!

A teenage girl is raped, burnt, and murdered in this town. Her mother is irritated that the police force in spite of a diligent officer in charge hasn’t caught the culprits responsible for her daughter’s cruel fate since 9 months. On a spur of the moment she decides to pay to paint her messages up on three billboards on a less frequently travelled road. That act makes her the target of the ire of the (almost) whole town. They, the parish priest, her ex husband, people of her town do everything — from giving her advice to hurling objects at her, her car, arresting her friend under false allegation, beating up the owner of the advertising co. who had leased the billboards, to setting the billboards on fire– but she stays determined. Along the way she finds she has new friends and well wishers for her cause.

Nevertheless, the story doesn’t end here. That’s for you to find out when you watch it. I’m tempted to share about the God narrative tool but then if I do that I’d have to add spoiler alert to this post! 😀 (some other day), but that narrative tactic speaks out loud, about every possible ending that could play in our minds about the direction of the film 😉

Verdict: I thoroughly enjoyed the film ðŸĨ°ðŸĨ° especially after a dampening Black Panther🙄. Saw these two films back to back one night, and went to sleep peacefully thereafter.

Streaming on Hotstar

Categories
2014 Hindi

Chef – skip the Bollywood remake ðŸ˜Ģ watch the Hollywood original ðŸĨ°ðŸĨ°

The Bollywood adaptation of the Hollywood film Chef has all the ingredients of a successful romcom! But it fails because it seems all plastic & lifeless in spite of the verdant arial shots, Padma Priya in a modern makeover (she looked good though :)) & Milind Soman.

Everything about this film — Roshan K’s (Saif Ali Khan) fight with the critical customer, his rage, frustration, the Skype hour with his son, the father-son bonding to the sarcasm of the Malayalee house helps, the impromtu song & dance from lungi wearing singer Raghu Dixit, discovering the Rotizza 🙄 the final chase, the refurbished bus seems to be put there for the sake of putting them there.

.. the stacato dialogue… 🙄🙄😏

You get it, I hope? I don’t want to go on .. it never ran for long after a very promising trailer. I had to rewind it thrice over as I fell asleep each time I tried to watch it as I was curious to know how the transformation occurred, so I did stay awake to for once in between breaks.

Verdict: Can give it a miss! A better time well spent would be to re-watch Jon Favreau carving out that portion of meat, and making that cheesy overload sandwich.. oooooooo! Yum.

No such drool worthy moments here with Saif! (Disappointed) ðŸ˜Ģ

Categories
English Uncategorized

Rizzoli & Isles (Book & Television Series)

“I hate endings. The truth is I hate beginnings, too. I like middles, the steady sameness, comfortable forever.” Korsak

Almost every other month, a member in my book group puts up the question, “What’s everyone reading today?” I stumbled upon Tess Gerristen in one of those threads. Curious me, googled her, and found her books. In a week’s time I was reading her third police procedural with Detective Jane Rizzoli and the Medical Examiner Maura Isles. As I warmed up to them Google hints at a tv series in their name.

S1E1 is based on the first book I read from the author. It grew on me – watching an episode a day after a day’s work, steadily, the actors becoming a part of my life. To the point where I was shocked to learn that the actor playing Detective Barry Frost was no more one day. We need to live with a character in a book or/and a film to go through the cycle of grief and loss of a fictional character & and actor essaying the role.

Season 6 & 7 are so so, but I enjoy watching an espisode or two once in a while.

“I like beginnings, and endings, and most often even though middles are comfortable, I kind of am bored soon” a line from the last episode of the series is one of my favourites.

Streaming on Prime.

Categories
2016 Tamil

Aruvi (2016) ðŸĨ°

**No spoilers**

By now everyone in Tamil Nadu & Kerala, even people with little knowledge of workable Tamil would have watched Aruvi. The film came highly recommended from a friend. And, I found in the first few minutes into it, it wasn’t the difficult Tamil I couldn’t understand but something I could without subtitles for most of the part. That was one barrier down!

I’d say watch Aruvi – Highly recommended

It tells the story of a girl, Aruvi, who grew up loving the rain, fresh springs, nature in its greenest in her littlest days until her family relocated to the concrete busy congested no visible nature city, setting up a contrast at a personal & public levels. It is bildungsroman in genre as it shows Aruvi growing up. Nevertheless, the narration is the highlight of the film as every review will tell you! The audience may figure out the core reason for her motives early on in the film, (she has a motive behind her actions) but the innocence with which she goes about with it is what makes Aruvi different. The film sends a poignant message across to the audience especially in the times we live in where we stop to ponder that our minds function/think unconsciously in a prescribed direction.

Tips: I did switch on the subtitles for two long set of dialogues, but otherwise, a non Tamil speaker like me, (I have minimal knowledge of the language) could understand..

Happy watching on Amazon Prime, sneak peak into the trailer here

Spoiler: there is a plenty to smile about.

A rating guide to films here …

  1. I loved it .. ðŸĨ°
  2. Watched it more than once. (I watched #Virus about 5 times) ðŸĨ°ðŸĨ°
  3. Had to watch another film to wear off the hangover 🙄
  4. Slept off in the middle of it ðŸ˜ī
  5. Didn’t like the first half, wanted to run away from the theatre. Post interval was superb ðŸĪŠðŸ˜ƒ
  6. Popular opinion vs mine ðŸĪ”
  7. Watch at your own risk. I didn’t enjoy the film 🙃😈
Categories
2019 Malayalam slapstick Uncategorized

Janamaithri (2019) 😀

Janamaithri follows the lives of 4 sets of people on the inaugural night of the “Oru chayakku oru jeevan” an initiative by the local Peerimedu police station of the land, to spread a positive image of the police force among the people in their jurisdiction. The idea is to distribute a cup of tea each to every citizen driving a vehicle/in a vehicle passing through their main junction to keep them from sleeping at the wheel to avoid accidents at night. Such a promising idea, thought the DYSP played by Irshad, who wants to make his “brilliant” initiative go viral statewide to fetch a name for himself in the police circles as part of the Janamaithri Day.

Such good intentions as we have seen before ought to go out of hand in this slapstick genre to make it comical 😜. But all the story threads are tied at the end.

Soon after Samyukthan (Saiju Kurup) finishes his supper at a roadside shop on his Kochi-Kannur trip, his tummy begins to bubble and rumble. As he is driving in the hope he can contain his urge to go to a loo until he reaches his destination, he is stopped by our friendly police force for his free cup of tea. He tries his best to decline the offer, but he is forced to drink it, pose with them for pictures as per orders from their DYSP. As one of them records the moment, the police tea threateningly increases the pressure in Samyukthan’s tummy dramatically spiralling his urge to reach out to a loo asap. Seeing his inability to drive further without taking a dump in the open, the Sub Inspector (Indrans) assigns Constable Ashraf (Sabumon) to him to find a toilet in a nearby house in this midnight hour to relieve himself. And thus begins the fun … of knocking at doors, sleeping people woken up, their valid doubts about people knocking at their door at a night hour, questions, explanations, requests in the backdrop of Samyukthan’s increasing discomfort in his tummy. Meanwhile, the police serve tea unknowningly to two sets of thieves, take pictures and videos with them, share them with their DYSP who in turn religiously posts them to his Facebook page in the hopes of being reposted on the main page of the Kerala Police.

I laughed a lot, the lol kinds at confusions and bloopers of the characters, and in anticipation of their actions and predicament further in the film. Be it Irshad, Indrans, Vijay Babu as the elder brother & upholder of his family business. Shit always brings in a weird kind of funny humour to the stories, taboo topics on civil tables, but they are part of our daily inevitable routines. Remember Piku?

One time watch 😀 laugh riot.

Directed by John Manthrickal, he co-wrote Ann Maria Kallippilanu & Alamara.

Aside:

  • The title, Janamaithri, in connection with a police station brought back memories of Jeethu Joseph’s Drishyam, a film centred around a Janamithri police station in that town.
  • Coming on the heels of Mammotty’s Unda, I’d love to make a comparison but other than the premise of the Kerala Police, the two films of different genres.

A rating guide to films here …

  1. I loved it .. ðŸĨ°
  2. Watched it more than once. (I watched #Virus about 5 times) ðŸĨ°ðŸĨ°
  3. Had to watch another film to wear off the hangover 🙄
  4. Slept off in the middle of it ðŸ˜ī
  5. Didn’t like the first half, wanted to run away from the theatre. Post interval was superb ðŸĪŠðŸ˜ƒ
  6. Popular opinion vs mine ðŸĪ”
  7. Watch at your own risk. I didn’t enjoy the film 🙃😈
Categories
2018 Chackochan Malayalam Nivin Pauly Shanti Krishna

Kuttanadan Marpappa (2018) ðŸ™ƒðŸ˜ˆ

Kuttanadan Marpappa is a lovable but horrible film, if I may so myself. Released over Easter of 2018, the film stars one of my fav actors, Kunjachacko Boban (KB), with the girl from Alamara, Aditi Ravi.

One of the reasons, most Malayalees would have gone to watch this film in the theatre is Shanti Krishna. Her second film in her come back after Njandukalude Nattil Oridavela (2017)

Dharmajan and Pisharody bring up the supporting cast.

John Paul (KB) nicknamed marpappa for obvious reaons is a wedding photographer in Kuttanad & parts. Therefore the title, therefore it revilves round him.

The film seems to work in scenes – an entry scene of the lead actors, the so called Villain, the stereotypical bragging newly rich NRI family, a strong willed widow, lousy comedy in most parts, and songs. There is a Tamil dance song, a dream sequence song, sad song, and many in between songs at every turn. Then there are people, Soubin comes in, Nadir Shah comes in, Salim Kumar comes in .. almost like the director had to give them scenes as they are his friends .. you know.. horrible enough?

But I wasn’t angry at the makers at all, I’m still trying to find out what the reason is, therefore, the lovable in the description.

The one joke about Google map was good! As most of us often experience!

Watch at your own risk, is all I can say!

A rating guide to films here …

  1. I loved it .. ðŸĨ°
  2. Watched it more than once. (I watched #Virus about 5 times) ðŸĨ°ðŸĨ°
  3. One time watch 😀
  4. Had to watch another film to wear off the hangover 🙄
  5. Slept off in the middle of it ðŸ˜ī
  6. Didn’t like the first half, wanted to run away from the theatre. Post interval was superb ðŸĪŠðŸ˜ƒ
  7. Popular opinion vs mine ðŸĪ”
  8. Watch at your own risk. I didn’t enjoy the film 🙃😈
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