Sunday 24 April 2011

Dum Maaro Dum Hindi film Review


ACP Vishnu Kamat is given the assignment of cleaning up the serene Goan beaches from the clutches of drug mafia which involves not only Indian drug lords but also international ones.He forms a task force to take on the dreaded drug mafia.The film starts with a bang with an excellent title track which gives the indication of taut,high octane,high decibel entertainment ahead.But in the initial reels itself fissures are visible when you see not so young teenagers but passing for teenagers indulging in the cute teen talk.But the initial apprehensions aside,the film sorts of pick up steam where you see stereotypical fall of a straightforward middle class lad who for the sake of dollars try to be a mule only to be upstaged by super cop Kamath.The cop and robber drama starts, Kamath in his superman avatar trashes villains to pulp,pound their asses with chilli powder and guns, but still the big bad guy Michael Barbosa is missing.So the big chase starts and you get to meet a musician with a well toned gym body, an air hostess aspired turned drug addict with a fetish for wearing only white shirts and nothing else underneath, a middle class guy who feels that being middle class is a curse so goes in search for dollars and a drug lord who also runs drug rehabilitation center to wash off his sins.

The first issue with this film is style is given more importance than substance.There are some nice moments,the formation of task force,the banter of Mercy,the realistic stunt scenes,some nicely done exchanges between Kamath and Biscuit,suspense factor to some extend well maintained.But if you look beyond that it is just another action movie,excessive violence,crude and vulgar interrogation scenes just to show how tough our super cop is.But truth is Abhishek do not look the part of tough,super cop.As such he is a mediocre actor,but to give credit he shines in the parts where he don't have to shout or show any intensity.But once the scenes that require it we can see his limitation as an actor,dead eyes,lips that curl in weird angle when he shouts, not a welcome sight.The back story of the cop to milk emotional aspect of the audience falls flat,inspite of Vidya Balan. Prateik is just about OK and little bit of leeway can be given since he is a newcomer and hope that he improves in his future endeavors. Rana looks more like a Mr. Universe contestant than a musician. He has a good screen presence but unfortunately like most hunks it is indirectly proportional to acting talent. But time is on his side and ample opportunity to improve in future. Bipasha just sleep walks through the role and since she is a drug addict may be that was the intention.The only genuine actors in this film seems to be Govind Namdeo as Rane and Muzammil as Percy.

The film is technically sound.At least on that aspect Sippy should be given credit.Music is irritating and test your patience by jumping you at inappropriate times thereby elongating the boredom further.To add insult to the already fatigued audience, matchstick figure of Deepika gyrating to poorly choreographed Dum Maro Dum song is the last nail in the coffin.The second half keeps on dragging and by the time the big reveal about the master bad guy Barbosa is revealed, most will be in deep slumber.

My Rating : BELOW AVERAGE

Saturday 23 April 2011

Adikkurippu Malayalam film Review


The films that deal with legal issues are rare in Malayalam cinema.Adikurrippu is one such film which looks at the life of a castaway and the legal problems which arise for his acceptance into his homeland.

A ship with a castaway lands at Kochi Harbor. The captain wants the castaway Basheer to be handed over to his relatives. Basheer is unable to remember his past and no one comes forward to claim him.But an attempt is made on his life by some unknown assailants which proves that someone's feathers are ruffled by his presence. Captain contacts brilliant lawyer Bhaskar Pillai to find a solution to this problem.The film focuses on the efforts of Bhaskar to find relatives of Basheer as well as the mystery behind the attack on Basheer.

Even though there is not much of a mystery aspect to the film,K Madhu has to be applauded for going for a different theme which is not much explored in Malayalam cinema. Mammootty is brilliant as a lawyer and the legal strategies to release Basheer is well thought out.The film's weakness is the stereotypical villains and  standard fight scenes. Even though primarily a comic actor,Jagathy has won laurels in serious roles also but here as the castaway Basheer, he is not impressive.The fake beard and overacting spoils the character which had lot of potential on the emoting front. Lalu Alex,Sreenath,Urvasi do justice to their roles.

My Rating : AVERAGE

Tuesday 19 April 2011

Detective Malayalam Film review


Detective is a well crafted mystery/investigative thriller. Reshmi,wife of an young,upcoming politician is murdered by administration of rat poison.Initial investigation by police  assumed it was a suicide,but political pressure forces investigation to be handed over to Shyamaprasad, a high ranking police official who also happens to be half brother of Mohan,who reaches the conclusion that it was a murder. The film focuses on the investigation by Shyamaprasad and eventual capture of a wily and cunning killer.

Director Jithu Joseph has succeeded in making an edge of the seat thriller.Unlike other films of this genre,there is not a wide pool of suspects and the usual shock value when finally the killer is revealed,still film is entertaining for the fact that how Shyamaprasad tracks down the killer.The investigation seems realistic.The film fortunately concentrates mainly on this aspect rather than the side story of the two brothers which would have been a distraction. Even though this film also has its share of bombastic English dialogues for which Gopi is famous(infamous), fortunately it is toned down and do not get on the nerves unlike his other films  There are minor irritations like showing of heroism of Suresh Gopi in the form of slow motion walk and unnecessary fight scene. On the mystery aspect it is not on par with the iconic CBI series, still Jithu Joseph has to be applauded for keeping a fair pace and able to keep audience hooked to the proceedings.

On the acting front Suresh Gopi is in his elements as the stylish Shyamaprasad and the ideal,honest but hapless half brother.He does justice to both the roles.Jagathy is wasted in a small role, which even though intended for comic relief has failed in its objective. Rest of the actors are all adequate in their roles.Background music is apt and is in tune with this genre type film.

My Rating : GOOD

Saturday 16 April 2011

The Thriller Malayalam film review


An young,rich businessman Simon is killed in a brutal knife attack.The last moments of Simon before death is witnessed by DCP Niranjan.Niranjan is mystified by the strange uttering by Simon before his death. The film focuses on this murder investigation by Niranjan to unmask the murderer.

It seems that this film is made to project Prithviraj as a some sort of Superhero rather than concentrating on the murder investigation.You get to see Prithvi walking in slow motion beating many villains to pulp and also mouth English dialogues that rival Suresh Gopi. Even though the premise was pretty much explosive and had great potential to be made into an engrossing fare,Unnikrishnan completely botches it with stereotype police characters and a typical villain.It also had the advantage of being inspired by a real event there by raising the curiosity factor to a high level but it seems director wants to only take advantage of this factor rather than come up with a credible,engaging film.I had a doubt whether I was watching a Malayalam movie,since most of the characters were conversing in English and to rub salt to wound,villain character in Tamil .An example of how filmmaker is hell bent on murdering English language is where Lalu Alex blurts out an English expression which I am sure native speakers of English may not be using in their daily life. The only redeemable feature of this completely forgettable film is the interesting twist towards the end, which takes you by surprise.

On the acting front Prithviraj is trying to ape Suresh Gopi and falls flat in this attempt. He is a capable actor,but here he looks completely out of sorts and cuts a pathetic figure.None of the actors impress and everyone seems to outdo one another to bring as much superficiality to their roles as possible.Background  music is irritating and only serves the purpose of shattering hapless viewers eardrums already battered  by  Prithvi's English dialogues. Unnikrishnan has proved in his previous attempts that he is a good director,but unfortunately here he is completely out of form.

My Rating : BELOW AVERAGE 

Monday 11 April 2011

Mukham Malayalam Film Review


When three women are killed,a  police squad led by Assistant commissioner of police is formed to investigate the murders.He finds that all women die due to a single gunshot fired by an expert sniper.The film looks at the investigation by this police officer and his efforts to catch the cold blooded killer.

This film starts off well with an excellent  film title music by Johnson.The initial scenes and investigation put you in anticipation of a taut,psychological thriller since killer targets only married women.But as film progresses the initial impact wears of .Even though there is a justification on the part of killer for these murders,director fails to keep this interesting enough to keep the viewers on the edge of the seat.There is enough red herrings to throw viewers off the track,but an astute viewer can easily guess the outcome.Even then also it doesn't matter if only the confrontation between pursuer and pursued were more interestingly picturized. In spite of the flaws Mohan has to be applauded for attempting a  different type of film which is quite unusual in Malayalam films.

Among the actors Mohanlal,Nasser,Ranjini give good performances.Mala Aravindan and Innocent with his Thrissur slang leave impact with their impeccable comic acts in their brief roles.

My Rating : AVERAGE

Saturday 9 April 2011

Akkare Ninnoru Maran Malayalam Film Review


Achuthan is an unemployed youth who is trying to make both ends meet.His uncle Thankappan Nair is a rich man who is cunning,wily and a miser who cheated Achuthan's mother from her share of property and who shows no inclination in helping him in his time of distress.Achuthan's objective is to reclaim the land snatched by his uncle and marry his daughter.He along with his friends decides to hoodwink Thankappan Nair by devising a scheme whereby Nair is given the impression that Achuthan got a job in gulf and he is rich.

A comedy with many laughout moments, this film is a winner all the way.All the actors have given great performances from Mukesh,Jagadish,Innocent, Mala to Srinivasan.Mala steals many scenes with his trademark mannerisms which make him such a lovable comic actor.This film shows the period when the gulf craze was at its peak and the satire here is of high class.A noteworthy scene is the one where Mala gets the job of conductor using MLA's letter.Srinivasan in different get ups especially in the Arab role brings the house down with his impeccable comic acts.Nedumudi Venu has to be applauded for playing the cunning,crafty Thankappan Nair to perfection.There is little bit of slapstick type comedy,but rather than being forced, it actually jells with the wacky nature of the film and is quite enjoyable.

My RATING : GOOD

Thursday 7 April 2011

Flash Malayalam film Review


Dhwani a college student leads the normal life of an youngster till some incident at her ancestral house makes her mentally unhinged. She is referred to a psychologist Mithun by her relative Priyan who is in love with her.How Mithun finds out the reason behind the abnormal,volatile behaviour of Dhwani forms the basis of the movie.It also looks at how he tries to extricate her out of some murders which she seems to have committed and thereby the prime suspect in the eyes of police.

This is a film in which you need tons of patience to sit through.It has its moments where there is a certain level of anticipation from the audience,but unfortunately towards the end everything evaporates into thin air by the lame story and even lamer execution.The end where the psychologist unravels the troubled mind of Dhwani is not at all convincing and to some extend blame should go to the poor execution so that there is no impact as far as the big reveal is concerned.As a director Sibi Malayil is at complete loss here. The introductory scene of Mohanlal is one example of poor direction, it is painful to watch the antics of Lal in that scene.Audience is told that Mithun is a man of many hats and the scene where he proclaims his genius by flashing cards is an unintentionally comic scene,a really ridiculous one. Parvathy,who played the role of Dhwani seems to equate acting with facial contortions rather than any real acting.Jagathy in a weird get up is relegated to dust bin after a few scenes.In the role of grandfather you have an actor who seems to be schooled in the school of over acting.Sai Kumar,Suresh Krishna being the good actors they are do justice to their roles.

My Rating : POOR

Tuesday 5 April 2011

Utharam Malayalam Film Review


Utharam is one of the finest movies in malayalam in mystery genre.It is not a plain vanilla whodunit mystery with tons of suspects,but a well crafted whydunit which looks at the psychological aspect of the victim in her death.

Selina is a 27 year old talented poetess who is destined for greater glory when she suddenly commits suicide.Her supportive and loving husband is shattered.He is mystified that why she committed suicide since she had a stable life and as far as he can see he loved her and not cheated her on any way.To get at the bottom of this mystery he enlists the help of his best friend Balu who is a journalist.The film focuses on this investigation by Balu where he meets various people associated with past life of Selina which opens a can of worms.Balu came to realize that Selina had a painful past which she concealed from her husband.He had to look into Selina's school life,her childhood friends and acquaintances to unravel the real persona of Selina.These facts lead to a surprising conclusion where Balu eventually gets the answer to his quest .

Mammootty as the journalist,Sukumaran as the husband and Parvathy as childhood friend of Selina give impressive performances.Unlike other films of this genre,there is no overt heroism,rather the investigation is steeped in realism.The way journalist tries to acquire facts is depicted realistically. Pavithran as a director is in fine form and the screenplay is taut and the suspense is well maintained.Johnson's background score suits the tone of the film.

My Rating : GOOD

Again Kasargod Khader Bhai Malayalam Film Review


To celebrate sixtieth birthday of Fr.Tharakkandam,former artist Unni and his friends arrive at kaladarshana.They agree to do a programme at Viyyoor jail for jail inmates where their old enemy Kasim Bhai is lodged.Unfortunately for these artists Kasim Bhai is murdered and they become prime suspects.The film concentrates on this murder investigation with elements of humor.

This film is one example of a film where comedy is created just for the sake of it.Even though this film boasts of a huge cast of talented comic artists like Jagadish,Salim Kumar,Suraj,Innocent,none of them is impressive and film just drags and the murder investigation led by a police officer(a wooden,pathetic actor) seems juvenile and irritating.Even the reliable Suraj falling flat with his imitation of popular actors.Only one scene where he is impressive is the one where he imitates superstars singing film songs with him getting their mannerisms right.The new mimicry artists are also not impressive and not able to generate any impact.To add to the misery of audience,not only one has to endure low standard slapstick comedy,but also there is vulgar comedy for the sake of it.Thulasidas thoroughly disappoints as a director.This film seems to be made just to encash on the original movie which was a moderate success at the time of release.

My Rating : POOR

Saturday 2 April 2011

Saath Khoon Maaf Hindi Film Review


This movie is about Susanna, a beautiful woman who kills her 6 husbands.Why she kills them is being explored here. Director Vishal Bhardwaj uses Susanna as a medium to look into the dark corners of human mind and about the evil that lurks behind it.This film is not just about a wronged woman's revenge,rather about the evil that lurks behind a human being who takes advantage of person who is dependent on him.The message is that they should be exterminated at any cost,rather forgiving them leads to further exploitation of weak.Susanna is no psychopath who kills for pleasure,rather a strong hearted woman who stands by her faithful associates at the time of need,who has taken the path of violence so eventually the world is more peaceful by getting rid of the evil.But in this zeal to terminate evil,we see gradual destruction of Susanna where there comes a time when her human side with its full frailty is exposed.But this film is not so dark and it is heartening to see that in a surprise twist towards end,Susanna finds happiness and true love in the form which she has been searching all along.

Her first husband, a wounded soldier who has won laurels for his country but insecure due to his handicap and inability to have children,subjects Susanna his object of frustration.Things reach a boiling point when he seriously injures a loyal associate of Susanna by his cruel act,which prompts her to take necessary action .Neil Nithin Mukesh does justice to this selfish,cruel,possessive soldier's role.

Second husband a handsome musician,who wins her heart turns out to be a copycat and a drug addict who in spite of best efforts of Susanna,do not mend his ways and so pays the price.John Abraham is a mediocre actor,but fortunately he is just a blink and miss character here,so his inadequacies are not noticeable.

Third husband a poet,who won the heart of legions of followers with his heartrending poetry,turns out to be an animal with no control on his primitive instincts rather than the soft hearted poet,physically abusing Susanna to the extend that she had no option other than to cut short his life on earth. Irrfan Khan plays the role of chameleon like poet convincingly who hides a cruel streak behind his soft poetry.

Fourth husband a handsome Russian wins her over by his charm and wit ,but in reality was a double crosser who leads another life in Russia,which becomes the reason for his eventual demise.Russian who played this role is a revelation,he is at his charming best when he blurts out Hindi film dialogues to woo Susanna.

Fifth husband a police officer,takes advantage of his ability to pinpoint Susanna's role in previous murders,by embarking on a relationship with Susanna which is purely based on lust on the part of officer.The obsession of this lecherous officer reaches a flash point where taking out his life seems to be the only option before Susanna.Annu Kapoor is perfectly cast in this role which has shades of dark humor.

Sixth husband an Ayurvedic doctor,who tries to poison her and kills her faithful associate instead gets his own medicine when Susanna decides to avenge his death. For an actor of the calibre of Naseeruddin Shah,this role is cake walk and he does justice to it.

These incidents are narrated by Arun,whom Susanna gives shelter,nurtures and helps him to become a doctor who in turn of fate helps in eventual redemption of Susanna.Vivaan Shah impresses.

As a director Vishal Bharadwaj is in fine form.He is able to extract a competent performance from Priyanka who played central character and all other actors.The film's pace is sluggish at some points,but overall the screenplay holds together.Music didn't rise to the expectation we have of a Vishal Bharadwaj soundtrack.

My Rating : ABOVE AVERAGE