Kariyilakattu Pole Malayalam Film Review

Eventhough most people dismiss a murder mystery quite easily terming it as frivolous and below their standard,truth is it is one of the most difficult genres to attempt in films.Not only the suspense has to to be well maintained,also film has to make sense logically.But this is not a run of the mill whodunit since it being directed by Padmarajan whose films have characters with depth than stock ones which one can find in other commercial potboilers.

A successful but eccentric film director,Harikrishnan is murdered and investigation is done by inspector Achuthankutty to unravel the murderer.Since the director was generally considered a womanizer and famous for his volatile temperament he had no dearth of enemies.As Achuthankutty investigates further he understands that the reason for this murder lies in the past of Harikrishnan.He came to understand the real person behind Harikrishnan which was different from his public persona.He finds that jealousy seems to be the emotion behind this murder and this leads to a surprising conclusion.

Mammooty plays the role of volatile and eccentric character of Harikrishnan with shades of gray convincingly.Mohanlal and Rehman do justice to their roles.Johnson's background score is excellent and in tune with the theme of the movie.

My Rating : GOOD

Namukku Parkkan Munthiri Thoppukal Malayalam Film Review

Without doubt I will say this movie to be the best romantic movie in Malayalam film history.Of course love is the most used theme explored by almost all film makers from commercial masala makers to art house film makers.But this film is so different from all those attempts to glorify the emotion of love,manipulate the audience and make money out of it.Padmarajan in this movie shows his class by exploiting the tenderness of love rather than vulgarizing it.

The blossoming of love between Solomon and Sofia is handled brilliantly by Padmarajan.Here there is no hero who fumbles or  sweats when he is expressing his love,rather a passage from Bible gives indication to Sofia regarding the love of Solomon.The realization on Sofia's face after reading this passage is one of the poignant moment in the movie.Even though I claim it to be the best romantic movie,I do not intend it to be in a pejorative way since romantic films have this notion of being taken lightly.That's why I have to say it is not just a love story,rather a film in which love is part of the film but which also look at the life of a middle class Syrian Christian life with the realism one can expect from a Padmarajan film.Even though all actors do justice to their roles,the standout performance is by Thilakan.As Sofia's stepfather he epitomises the pinnacle of villainy ever one can see in a human being,by the act which he does to Sofia.The ending of the movie also challenged the societal norms when rightly the emotion of love overrode all the stigma associated with dishonor and Solomon proves that he is a real hero.

Johnson's music is another highlight of the film.The feelings of romance reaches a crescendo when accompanied by music which touches your heart.Background music achieves exactly that effect.The songs are also well tuned.

My Rating : EXCELLENT