Chanthupottu (2005) : A Controversy

                            Chanthupottu is a Malayalam movie directed by Lal Jose and released in 2005 . It tells the story of Radhakrishn...

Mar 29, 2015

Oru Vadakkan Selfie Malayalam Movie Review

Vineeth Sreenivasan's script and some cool performances from the lead actors stay as the backbone of Oru Vadakkan Selfie that has loads of fun and entertainment to offer. Right from the word go, there is lot of life, energy and humour to make this film a good one that is made by the youth for the youth. Having said that, OVS is not a movie just the youngsters only can enjoy. It is definitely targeted at a particular group but anyone can find a liking for this film if you love humour, fun and entertainment.
The main character here is Umesh who is miserably failing in B.Tech and his hope is always clearing the course by attempting the suuplementals. But things never goes his way. Unable to pass out, he and his friend Shaji along with couple of others decide to make a short film based on a story copied from a Korean film. Well this short film making is not the main story here. He goes to Chennai to meet a successful Tamil Director to earn fame and make a living. But without his knowledge he indirectly gets implicated in a case and from hereon OVS takes the form of a road movie and narrate the efforts of Umesh and Shaji to come out of their present hardships.
Friendship plays a pivotal part in OVS. Quite a lot of hilarious moments are there to keep you entertained and credit for that goes to the screenplay. And the combination of Nivin Pauly and Aju Varghese has boosted the film with lot of good and humorous situations creating a laugh riot inside cinema halls.
The first half is the main attraction that is filled up with comedy and the latter half is also good except for that finishing stage that had some tone of melodrama added eventhough the message they tried to pass on in the end is a genuine one that needs a look. Ending is on a safe zone except for the final twenty minutes or so before the real climax.
Nivin Pauly has an uncanny nack to be part of some good scripts by selecting roles that suit him well. Here in OVS too, he is in fine form and combine very well with Aju Varghese to make a fun ride for the audience. Vineeth Sreenivasan apart from his script has also acted and have a major presence in the latter half and his acting has definitely improved. Not that he is a bad actor but upon comparing with his last few flicks, there are signs of improvement. The weak link in the acting department was heroine Manjima. She was good initially but towards the latter stages, there was substance in the character but it did not evolve fully on screen. Neeraj Madhav was able to create a few laughs supported by Vijayaraghavan, Bhagath Manuel, Sreelakshmi, Shravan, Harikrishnan, Rajesh Sharma and few others.
G Prajith is the director and he has done total justice with a script that had everything in it. I am not taking any credit from Prajith's direction but with this script by his side, half his job was done. No need to say much about Jomon T John, the man who wielded the camera. He has maintained the standard he has already set. Shaan Rahman's music and background score is also a major contributor for the overall goodness of this movie.
Overall, I would say that here is a movie that is neatly packaged as an entertainer with tons of uninterrupted fun to make you laugh and the rating for G Prajith's Oru Vadakkan Selfie is three and a half out of five.
Rating - 3.5 / 5

Mar 21, 2015

FOCUS Movie review

"NEVER LOSE FOCUS". That's one of the tag line of the latest movie from Will Smith and the makers have tried their best to make sure the audience too never loose focus and interest on what's happening on screen. FOCUS written and directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa is an interesting con film with lots of uninterrupted fun and entertainment to provide. With quite a few surprises and twists happening to keep one engaged, Focus is a good entertainer and passes the litmus test to book a seat among movies that are classified under the "One time watchable" stuffs.
The film revolves around an expert conman Nicky played by Will Smith. He meets Jess who has the talent to con people but is not experienced enough to make it big. Nicky teach her the nuances of his "profession" but at a certain juncture, the duo had to split and meet later during a con operation. Their past romantic life becomes a thorn in the current operation and how the duo could overcome it and make this work successful is what rest of the movie try to show.
The film is good enough with smart dialogues especially one liners spoken by Smith's character. Also the suspense and twists at regular intervals keeps you "FOCUSSED" till the very end. Director duo have succeeded in evoking interest in the proceedings till the end though some of the stuffs like the gambling happening inside the football stadium was interesting but logicless and nonsense one.
Screenplay especially the dialogues helps the movie quite a lot. Also when the romance between Nicky and Jess reach a stage evoking boredom, the fun element helps to regain momentum. Add to it the surprising twists to take the plot forward.
Will Smith played the character of Nicky with smartness and stylishness to make it look good on screen. Same way Margot Robbie as Jess was equally good and she also made sure the character looked sexy enough when the situations demanded. Adrian Martinez playing Farhad and Nickey's associate did the humour side quite successfully while Gerald McRaney and Rodrigo Santoro appeared towards the latter stages of the film but still the two performed well doing justice to their respective characters.
Overall, Focus is a fun filled romantic con movie and with the surprises it has on offer makes it a decent one time watchable flick. The rating is three out of five.
Rating - 3 / 5

Mar 20, 2015

CHAPPiE Movie Review

Neill Blomkamp will have to think it differently and move out from this Robotic genre next time he thinks about making a movie. Seriously, its getting repetitive from the director of District 9 and Elysium as his third film CHAPPiE does not give much excitement except may be the final half hour of the film. Other than this portion, rest of the film is a disappointment that mostly run on borrowed ideas and stuffs seen many times in many other robotic movies.
The film is set in South Africa, Johannesburg to be specific where Robotic Police Unit is patrolling the city and looking after their security needs. Deon Wilson (Dev Patel) is the man who is behind these artificially created Intelligence and crime prevention robotic units.
Deon is trying his best to create a robot which is more humane in nature but he can't execute his plans due to some restrictions from the Technology company he works for. At the same a group of gangsters unable to run their business threaten Deon to create something similar for them to take advantage of this. This leads to the creation of CHAPPiE from a damaged robot, a robot that can think and act like a human being. In summary CHAPPiE is a robot more with human personality. Events that unfold in Johannesburg after the creation of CHAPPiE is what rest of the film showcase.
The writing seems a bit dragging especially in the middle portion and since the concept is a worn out one, there is nothing much to excite and keeps you engaged till the end. Some of the characters are also half baked especially the one played by Hugh Jackman. Occasional fun and action is there but in totality the film with all its cliches runs out of steam to end on a high.
On screen, Dev Patel enacted his role of the Intelligent Deon working in the technology company with ease while Hugh Jackman seems to be a wasted character in the antagonist role. The guys and one lady from the gangsters group of three was okay with rest of the supporting actors. Technically, i would say the visual effects were packaged well and camera work and edits were also fine but that doesn't make any big deal to lift the film overall and give a life to CHAPPie the movie.
I didn't find this movie anything close in the range of an average one and for an entertaining robotic experience, there are better Robotic movies that you can watch again and again. The rating is a disappointing two out of five for Neill Blomkamp's third movie that is more of a childish stuff in a bigger canvas.
Rating - 2 / 5

You Too Brutus Malayalam Movie Review

Eventhough Roopesh Peethambaran's Theevram didn't do a good business in theatres, I was very much impressed with that work. Roopesh is back with his second movie and from a crime thriller the director takes a complete U turn and present a humorous and fun movie. Don't ask me much about the storyline since the film is thin on that aspect but the fact is that the makers are successful in presenting this movie keeping the viewers engaged till the end. With a running time of just one hour and forty two minutes, there is no time for boredom in You Too Brutus that for me is a one time watchable above average film.
As I said the storyline is a wafer thin one and revolves around a group of people who at a particular juncture face some difficult situations and You Too Brutus focus on how they landed in that unfortunate incident, how they face it and how they overcome those odds. Moving on to the various characters, we have Abhi, owner of a recording studio, his brother Hari, Tovino a body builder staying with Hari, their cook Unni, Aparna who is Abhi's wife, Vicky a photographer and then there is Sherly who is an aspiring singer and Vicky's friend. Couple of other characters like the one played by Ahmed Siddhique are also part of the group which I am unable to recollect.
There is lot of energy and fun right through the entire running time. YTB is a typical new generation funda film that has some adult jokes that pop up here and there but everything is kept on a tolerable level without making things look bad. Running at a lively pace with a story that is difficult to put as a oneliner, there is something in You Too Brutus that makes you sit and watch the fun exploding on the screen.
Direction from Roopesh is a major highlight and there is definitely improvement from his first film and he has been successful in presenting this plot in a light hearted manner. The scene before the interval was an enjoyable one and a different one too and how they ended the first half was something that I liked very much. For that, all credit to the writing team and of course the director also.
On the acting side, Sreenivasan was humorous, Asif Ali was equally good. But there were some problems with him especially in acting out some humour scenes. Rachana and Honey Rose were funny and emoted well. Sudhy Koppa was nice to watch but the same cannot be said about Ahmed Siddhique as he was finding it tough to crack our funny bone. Anu Mohan was good but the surprise winner was Tovino Thomas appearing with the same name of Tovino. I wouldn't say he stole the show from the rest but he was the one who scored the maximum among all.
Cinematography gave the visual side a boost along with clean cuts. Same about the music and background score that was done matching with each and every scene. Dialogues never irritate us apart from those adult ones but as said earlier, it never crossed the decency line to make matters worse.
Overall I would say this film is not everyone's cup of tea but still if you are looking for some fun and entertainment with less importance on the story part, the movie would surely appeal to you. An above average one time watchable flick, the rating for Roopesh Peethambaran's You Too Brutus is three out of five.
Rating - 3 / 5

100 Days of Love Malayalam Movie Review

100 Days of Love directed by veteran director Kamal's son Jenuse Mohamed is a feel good romantic comedy mainly targeted at the youth audiences and more towards the urban youth. About the film, it is strictly average for me that runs at a leisurely pace. Though the title says 100 days of love and the songs along with the trailer promised a full length love story, the film has little romance to show on screen as major part of the running duration is focused on the search of the male protagonist for his lady love who he just saw but was beyond his reach after their first meeting or rather the first passing that happened in a night in the rain.
Set in Bangalore where BKN (shortened name of Balan K Nair) and Ummer who are thick friends living together. Balan who is a journalist and is recently dumbed by his girlfriend meet Sheela and cupid strike the very moment. The movie focus on the search of Balan and Ummer for Sheela and once they are able to tracks her, fate has something else in store for them. Whether Balan can walk away holding hands of Sheela just like any other cliched love story we have seen or is there a twist in the tale for the couples. Well you will have to watch it for yourself to know that.
As i said, it is the slowness of the film that drags things and gives a boring feel especially the major portion of the first half. The search for the girl modelled on video games with different levels and lifelines seemed an unconvincing and silly one. At the same time, the punch during the interval was well shown and it had something in store for the audience to cheer up.
Things begin well post intermission but overall slow nature of the movie literally drags the movie. Occasional moments are there that will excite you but that won't be enough to put things in the right place and makes the romance on screen look bright and sweet.
Being a debutant, Jenuse has showed the promise to come back better. Screenplay had its lagness and also the dialogues were artificial at times. The positive factor for me was the on screen chemistry of Dulquer and Nithya. Dulquer playing the character of Balan K Nair was doing a repeat of similar roles he has done before but it was good. Nithya looked beautiful and at the same time as the girl brought up from outside Kerala, she did justice to that character both in emoting as well as dialogue delivery. Shekhar Menon as Ummer and Rahul Madhav are also part of the cast and they were not bad either. Aju Varghese appeared in a cameo as BKN's friend and colleague. Vineeth and Praveena are part of the supporting casts but it was hard to imagine Vineeth as Nithya's father.
Technically cinematography was nice along with not so bad edits. Music is by Govind Menon and the songs with their visuals looked nice on screen. Overall, 100 Days of Love is an average rom-com for me and the rating for this Jenuse Mohamed film is two and a half out of five.
Rating - 2.5 / 5

Mar 13, 2015

NH10 Hindi Movie Review

Hard to digest how the young lady in NH10 reacted in the end but the need of the hour is definitely such acts of boldness and courage from women when pushed to the limits. Navdeep Singh directed NH10 is a gripping thriller narrated in a manner breaking the conventional Bollywood pattern. At a time when atrocities and crime against women are on the rise and when the country is still coming to terms with the banning of a documentary on a brutal crime that shocked the nation a year back, NH10 through a movie show the other side of a woman that she can react and react in the most extreme way when tortured.
Here is a road movie depicting a one night incident on the life of two young couples Meera and Arjun who are working professionals hailing from upper middle class family. They are a happily married fun loving youngsters who decided to getaway from the usual way of celebrating a birthday. The two decided to go on a long drive from Gurgaon through the highway to celebrate Meera's birthday in a private villa. On the way, they witness a shocking incident ( an honor killing) and become part of the mess. The crux of this movie is all about survival, running for cover and fighting back when someone is pushed to ultimate limits. Also on highlight is the attitude of the people of police in some parts of the country who are hand in hand with the criminals instead of giving protection to common man.
NH10 is neatly packaged as a gripping thriller though violence and blood shed is on a high. So the weak hearted better stay away. The content has relevance in the present day life and director Navdeep Singh deserves pat on his back for presenting the movie in the most realistic way. The film succeeded in creating the right dose of tension in our minds and the writing deserves full credit for that along with excellent performances to match the gripping story unfolding on screen.
From the look of things and how the story developed, Anushka Sharma was the perfect choice for the role bringing in varied emotions of fear, anxiety and everything one may go through in such a scenario. Neel Bhoopalam was also an ideal casting and he too was able to excel as Arjun. Darshan Kumar as the main antagonist was able to make his presence felt and same is the case with seasoned actress Deepti Navel in a cameo.
Moving to how the technical side performed, it was a good showing from this department as cinematography, edits and background music equally contributing to make it a smooth finish till the end for the movie. The choreography of fights though they looked very brutal on screen had the required feel to match the situations. Overall, the film with a shocking climax and all gripping events in two hours is a haunting one and something that you should see. The rating is three and a half out of five for Navdeep Singh's NH10.
Rating - 3.5 / 5

Mar 7, 2015

Onnaam Loka Mahayudham Malayalam Movie Review

So we have yet another suspense thriller on the block and this time its a road movie. The film is decently paced with a rocking background score from none other than Govind Menon from Thykoodam Bridge. But the script tried too much in the end making Onnaam Loka Mahayudham an average fare. The title is a catchy one but it was promising too much in it. Not a disappointing film but nevertheless nothing great either and end up between a bad and a good film.
There is Doctor Jacob played by Tovino Thomas who on the intention of making some quick money is on a suspicious medicine deal with a criminal group Chettiar Exports. Then a kidnapping saga emerge bringing in another criminal to the forefront who wants this special medicine and demands a ransom from Jacob for releasing his wife and daughter. The story is incomplete without a cop to spice up things. Enter Thara (Aparna Gopinath), a women ACP.
The movie has its moments and keeps you engaged with all the elements required for a thriller in the first half. Post intermission, the script goes out of the woods and bring in some unwanted characters and out of place humour.
Viewers expecting twists snd turns in a thriller won't be a disappointed lot as the film runs into such a situation but a better handling of the screenplay would have made the outcome of this movie a different one. As i said, there are fine moments in parts to engage and keep you on your toes in the pre interval session but thereafter till the end the running is not that smooth with a half baked attempt.
Coming to performances, though Aparna Gopinath have put in efforts, as the police officer she was not perfect in that role. Tovino Thomas as Dr Jacob was not impressive either. Chemban Vinod and Joju George did their part as usual. Balu appeared from nowhere and not sure what was the intention behind introduction of that character and his friends. May be to add some humour, to be specific in that firing scene but it was something that gave a feel of forcefully trying something and in this case it backfired.
Direction from Sreevarun is not bad but a suspense thriller demanded a much more serious approach in handling the screenplay. Cinematography by Papinu was good and edits by VT Sreejith was nice. The main highlight on the technical arena is definitely the background score from Govind of Thykoodam. It was rock and heavy but gave a different feel and momentum to the film when things started looking gloomy.
Overall I would say for people having a liking for suspense thrillers with some twists may find this movie a one time watchable flick. But again if you are the one who is experienced enough in this genre, you can very easily guess by half time where the twist is going to happen. The rating for SreeVarun's Onnaam Loka Mahayudham is two and a half out of five.
Rating - 2.5 / 5

Mar 5, 2015

Alif Malayalam Movie Review

Alif stands for boldness in the theme it showcases. A powerful women centric movie questioning a legitimate issue, the movie is a stand out one in terms of storyline as well as how the presentation goes. Already part of various film festivals, Alif is a must watch for pure quality in its content that truly deserves a serious thought and discussion among us.
The movie focus on a conservative Muslim family in Malabar. Fathima (Lena) whose good for nothing husband Abu (Irshad) gave her Thalaaq and she along with her two children are living with her mother Aatha (Zeenath) and ailing grandmother (Nilamboor Aisha). The sole bread earner of the family is Aatha who works as a housemaid and they are literally struggling to make both ends meet.
At a particular juncture in the movie, during a speech by a preacher, Fathima questions his interpretations of Quran. She disputes the Usthad citing that his viewpoint of Quran is biased and is predominantly in favour of male pleasures overlooking women. This create an outrage in the village as people could not accept a young women challenging them leading the village and elders to corner Fathima and her family. Even the little children had to face the brunt of the village. Situation reach a stage where Fathima had to come out of this mess and rest of the movie narrate how she fight against all the odds against her and her family for survival.
There is nothing for a controversy here as the screenplay has been written without hitting the sentiments of any community. Dialogues have been very realistic and the references made from Quran has been presented without any loopholes for questioning. That's the beauty of this script that makes Alif a movie to be watched.
On the acting side, it was actress Zeenath as Aatha who was the most impressive among the lot. One gets a feeling of under utilization of her acting skills by Mollywood after watching her performance in Alif. Lena was very much convincing as Fathima. Joy Mathew, Nedumudi Venu, Nilambur Aiysha, Kalabhavan Mani, Irshad and the two child artistes also complimented each other putting in memorable performances to make Alif a well executed film.
Direction has been done well with good cinematography and not so fine edits. Music was not bad and has been done matching the Malabar Muslim backdrop.
So overall, this is one movie that has very few drawbacks and stands out as a serious cinema, one that can be put under the category of a powerful film with a bold content. The rating for N.K.Muhammed Koya's Alif is three and a half out of five.

Rating - 3.5 / 5

Mar 3, 2015

Big Hero 6 Review

Big Hero 6 is an animation movie for all ages. Packed with lots of fun, action and adventure the film is this year's Academy Award winner for Best Animated Feature film. Beautifully crafted by Disney with all the entertaining elements we see in a non animated film, Big Hero 6 will go along with the entire family without any boredom. I am not a great fan of this genre but Big Hero 6 made me one and I am eagerly looking for more of such films especially from Disney.
The plot revolves around Hiro Hamada, a robotic nerd who finds an inflatable health care robot named Baymax that was developed by his brother. A devastating accident at one of the scientific facility leaves Hiro's brother dead and a super villain emerge from nowhere to destroy their city. Hiro and his friends join along with Baymax to save the city from the villain. Rest of the movie is all about how they do the saving act and also we get to see a special bond developed between Hiro and Baymax.
As said, Big Hero 6 has everything to entertain you. Irrespective of age, you can watch and enjoy the action, humour and adventure. Technically the film is one step ahead of many animated films. No wonder it was rightly recognised at the Oscars, an accolade it truly deserved.
The movie was released few months back which I missed but fortunately it was re-released last week and this time i grabbed it with both hands. So overall here is the best animated film of the year, a beautiful entertainer to have unlimited fun at the cinemas. I am going with three and a half out of five for Big Hero 6.
Rating - 3.5 / 5

Mar 2, 2015

Kaakki Sattai Tamil Movie Review

Tamil cinema these days is behind organ trade. Close on the heels of Yennai Arindhaal, we have another cop story with the organ racket in the backdrop. Though the background is repetitive, the social issue definitely needs as much awareness as possible to bring out this menace to the eyes of the public. So naturally a serious canvas was required which Kaakki Sattai do not have. The larger part of the screenplay is dedicated to boosting up the hero image through action, romance and songs.
Mathimaran is a police constable aspiring to become an Inspector one day. He always gets some petty cases to solve. Fed up of his superior's compromising attitude towards all the cases that comes before him, Mathimaran questions his superior but his senior officer ask him to get a case that will have a serious impact on the society.
R S Durai Senthilkumar with the sole purpose of giving actor Siva Karthikeyan a brand new outlook and profile has succeeded in that. With punch dialogues and action mixed comedy and songs, director comes out successful in that mission. But what has let him down here is the narration of the film that lacks clarity.
When the writing in certain critical juncture in the movie demanded a serious tone especially in the second half, an out of place comedy or song would spoil the mood. Romance between the hero and heroine who is a nurse by profession was a cliched attempt and not given much prominence beyond the first half.
On screen, Siva Karthikeyan was good in parts. The larger than life hero image given in the latter half was taking a toll on him. At the same time he was in his safe zone in the comic and romantic sequences. Sri Divya looked pretty on screen but she is more or less reduced to the sidelines in the latter half. Still the lead pair's on screen chemistry does went well. Vijay Raaz as Durai, the central protagonist was impressive among the actors. Prabhu, Kalpana and Imman are also part of the supporting casts who did their side quite well.
Direction was okay but the main focus being giving the main protagonist a makeover in terms of role, the other objective of presenting a serious plot backfired. Cinematography and cuts were done neatly while background score was a positive aspect in the movie. Songs by Anirudh were good but their placements especially a couple of them in the first half was a spoiler.
Overall, we might give a masala entertainer tag to Kaakki Sattai but not a convincing one in totality. This is a highly predictable film with a cliched screenplay that become too formulaic once it crosses the finish line. I am giving two and a half out of five for Durai Senthilkumar's Kaakki Sattai.
Rating - 2.5 / 5

Kingsman :The Secret Service Review

A movie that will blow you away with unbelievable action and engages you right from the word go. Thats Kingsman :The Secret Service for you. A smartly written screenplay with dialogues that appeal in every sense, Kingsman offer fun and entertainment throughout. One can call it a glamorised and stylish version of Indian masala films.
Kingsman is a spy agency. How they operate and who are behind this agency is a top secret. Their current assignment is to get into know more about suspicious businessman Richmond Valentine who is offering free stuffs like free sim card with no charges for calls and data usage to the common people. During a mission, Kingsman loose one among them and the movie show how a new recruit is selected and trained to face and deal any tough situation they land in. Also, the movie narrate how the spy agency face off with Valentine and his group.
It is the smartly written screenplay that keeps one on the toes for the most part. A pace that never makes a viewer sit and relax, Kingsman has also some fine dialogues especially one liners both serious and funny ones to make it a perfect Hollywood entertainer.
Director Matthew Vaughn has infused maximum energy into the script and at some point or the other one may get a feel of watching a successful Bond movie with all those cool gadgets and action. Even the movie has some references to 007 movie.
Colin Firth as Agent Harry was brilliant and stylish in emoting as well in doing all those high voltage action sequences. As Richmond Valentine the main antagonist, Samuel L Jackson comes up with another stellar performance and steal the show from the rest. Micheal Caine as head of the agency, Mark Strong as the trainer, Tarron Egerton as Eggsy and Sofia Boutella as Valentine's right hand are the other impressive actors. Cinematography, cuts, background score, action choreography and visual appeal all contributed in equal measure to take Kingsman to almost a perfect spy film.
Overall, I would say this is one of the highly engaging thriller to have graced Hollywood in the recent past. With such a fast pace and high energy on show Kingsman : The Secret Service is a slam-bang action movie with lot of fun on offer. And now to the ratings, I am compelled to go with four out five.
Rating - 4 / 5

Mar 1, 2015

Ab Tak Chappan 2 Review

What could have been a decent thriller gets spoiled by lack of a proper story and poor execution. Even with Nana Patekar with his trademark and inimitable style tries his best, Ab Tak Chappan 2 fails to engage at any point of time. There are moments and one liners on the dialogue side but a thriller demands certain basic requirements like proper story, suspense and above all some twists in the storyline to take the movie forward. ATC 2 lacks on all these fronts.

Taking off from the first part that happened way back in 2004 where Sadhu Agashe, an encounter cop is leading a quiet life in a remote village in Goa to protect his son from the enemies. He doesn't want his son to face the same fate as his wife who was killed that happened in the prequel. Increased presence of the underworld in Mumbai force Chief Minister and Home Minister to bring back Sadhu to counter Mumbai mafia operated by Rauf Lala and Rawale. Initially hesitant, Sadhu takes up the challenge but what he ultimately face is something that he never expected.

Sloppy direction is one area that let down the film. Add to it the disappointing work on the technical front and a proper screenplay. As said, the suspense part is not convincing and expecting some serious turn of events doesn't happen. The climax you can say has some sort of twists but it gave a feel of a forced happening unlike a natural turn of event that would have been a big surprise creating a bigger impact.

Nana Patekar deliver what he is at best but poor man even with his excellent screen presence and dialogue delivery could not raise the film. If at all the movie is watchable, it is only because of this actor. Ashutosh Rana was good in his role while Gul Panag doesn't have much to do here in a male dominated movie.

Cinematography was really poor and same is the case with editing. These two areas complimented well in creating an unpleasant viewing experience. Background score though initially was good, the same set of tunes were repeated which was disappointing.

Ab Tak Chappan 2 should be a pale shadow of its critically acclaimed predecessor. You can watch it only if you are a hardcore fan of Nana Patekar or else give it a skip. A very generous two out of five as my personal rating.

Rating - 2 / 5

Dum Laga Ke Haisha Review

Here is a love story. It doesn't end here as the story do have something different to tell unlike the usual Bollywood love dramas. Dum Laga Ke Haisha is not the typical love story that we see very often. It has something fresh to say. Had some more care been taken with the second half and also with the predictable climax, this film had everything in it to scale greater heights. Even then, this Sharat Kataria directed film is a decent entertainer, a small but beautiful film narrating a story that breaks the conventional love story mould and definitely one you should not miss.

The story revolves around Prem Prakaah and Sandhya hailing from a small town of Haridwar in North India. Prem much to his dislike and some extreme pressure and force from his parents marry Sandhya. The thing here is that Sandhya is overweight physically and Prem find it unable to accept her as well her physique. Sandhya on the other hand loves her hubby so much expecting the same from him in return which sadly do not happen. Ultimately they are on the verge of divorce. Will they separate ways or can the young couple sort their differences and reunite? That's what rest of the movie is all about.

The first half here is the real crux of the movie and is really exciting and entertaining. But the same level of energy is lacking post intermission and the story goes very predictable especially how things all end up. The film is very short in duration and less than two hours but even then some trimming of unwanted scenes in the second half would have done good for the film. All these doesn't make DLKH a bad film. It is a highly watchable and entertaining movie that has something different to tell.

Ayushman has delivered the results and as Prem he makes the character look natural and real. Sanjay Mishra, Seema Pahwa and Sheeba Chaddha are the notable actors who were spot on with their simple acting. But the one who really stole the show from the rest is Bhumi Pednekar portraying Sandhya. For a newcomer she was more than perfect in every sense and her onscreen chemistry with Ayushman really worked positively for the movie.

Beautiful cinematography and simple background score do help the film. Music play a very prominent part and Anu Malik has done a nice job. It was heartening to see Kumar Sanu making a comeback and singing few songs. He also makes a cameo appearance towards the end.

Overall, Dum Laga Ke Haisha is a well crafted film that show how relationship can get a change for the better. A good entertainer with its heart at the right place, I go with three and a half out of five and recommend it for your weekend movie masti.

Rating - 3.5 / 5

Compartment Malayalam Movie Review

This movie will surely bring down tears in our eyes. With lots of innocence and honesty written all over, Compartment directed by actor Salim Kumar will steal your heart and provide a touching experience for the audience. If you love to watch a good film that will entertain you in a different way, here is one that will provide an answer to that. Released only in twenty four cinemas in the state, there won't be many takers for the movie but at least make an effort to watch it somehow, either in cinemas or if it is shown in TV or grab the DVD when it is out.

The movie takes us to the world of the differently abled people (Intellectually
challenged) where we are shown how the society view and treat them in a different or rather bad way. At a point, the movie also show us to make changes in our attitude towards such people. Also Compartment show us there are people with lots of kindness and good heart who open their eyes to see the sufferings of those who do not have anyone to reach out in times of need.

The story is set in a school for the mentally challenged children where Anagha is a differently abled girl whose parents left her at a very young age. She is looked after by her grandmother and once she passes away, she is all alone with none among her close relatives coming to her help. But a motherly attitude from her neighbour was something that came to her at the right moment.

In fact, the story is wafer thin and more than acting it is the behaviour of the mentally challenged children that are captured and shown to us. But everything has a flow in it and never does the movie move in a documentary styled manner. Salim Kumar deserves a good round of applause for filming or capturing his screenplay in the best possible way and therby making us think and also feel for the people around whom the movie is centered around. The final half hour is too touching and the moments shared between Anegha and her neighbour women are golden moments in Compartment.

The area where i felt a slight disagreement is in the process of showing the bad side of certain people who doesn't value relationships has been slightly blown out of proportion. Not that those things are happening around us but it was too cinematic and dramatic.

On the acting side, Angel as Anegha, Arun as Rappayi and rest of the inmates of the school never acted. It was more of a behaviour that was brilliantly portrayed on screen and all of them with their sheer innocence touch our heart.

Now coming to the people who acted, Urmila Unni, Nilamboor Iysha, Kochu Preman, one of the teacher, the neighbour women have all done their part well. Salim Kumar himself act out an important role along with Kalabhavan Shajon. Suresh Gopi appear as himself while Kalabhavan Mani and KPAC Lalitha do good cameos.

Cinematography was well handled and editing was fine. Two songs are there. One sung by Madhu Balakrishnan and the other by Chitra. Both the songs were placed at the right moment in the film and conveyed the message intended. Background score was done matching each and every moment.

So all in all, Compartment as a movie is a sure must watch if you want to experience something touchy. It is pure cinema without all those gimmicks of entertainment. Entertainment has different meaning for different people and I hope the meaning is conveyed here. Some might say the ratings are a bit high but cannot close my eyes towards the innocence displayed by Anegha and the rest of the children. So it is four out of five as my personal rating for the movie.

Rating - 4 / 5