Which Malayalam film did you watch recently ?

[Murali Srinivas]

innum yaarum Pazhassi Raja paarkaliyA?
Am I the only hubber to have seen it yet?

Plum,

Film getting released here in Chennai tomorrow. Only Tamil version is getting released. It seems that they have trimmed 30 minutes of the film making it as 2hrs 45 mins. Not sure how that is going to shape out. Let's see.

Regards

[Plum]

From IR forums, aalamadangala song is getting cut, which is not a problem, though even in the oiginal I would have loved it if the moplahs had been given more than the bit piece role they get here.

Shouldn't they have released the mallu version earlier - because non-mallus are unlikely to go for the mallu version even if it is released first whereas those who want to watch in mallu might go for the tamil version because of impatience?

[Murali Srinivas]

Plum,

Pazhasi Raja release got postponed by one week. It is expected on 20th only. Testing the patience.

Meanwhile Mammoootty's two other films have also not come here so far. Jayaraj'a critically acclaimed Loud Speaker and Kerala Cafe [10 short movies in one film] are the ones.

He is having two more releases this year. Next week Ranjit directed "Paleri Manickam - Pathiraa Kolabaathakam" is hitting the screens.[Paleri is the name of the village and Manickam is a woman's name]. Based on a real incident, this was the first case of crime against woman in first communist ruled state that took place in 1957, but which was hushed up. Now a person working for Special Investigating Team who is settled in Delhi but who has roots in the same village comes to investigate it in 2009, after 52 years. Mammootty not only plays the SIT officer but also as a old man in flash back for which he had shaved his mush after so many years. This old man get up has not been given to Press so far. Surprising for an industry where the the story writer and director narrate the entire story of every film even before it goes to floors.

The second one is "Chattambi Nadu" which is being directed by Shafi. Though a masala flick, here Mammooty plays a role called Vijayendra Mallaiyaa, a Don by profession. Here he speaks Malayalam with a Kannada accent. Set for release during Christmas, they call it as Festival mood film implying it would be a mass entertainer.

It is amazing and worth emulating that how even within the commercial framework they try different genres.

After completing the above film and also finishing his Tamil Malayalam bilingual Vande Maataram, Mammootty has started shooting for Shaji Kailas directed "Drona" where he again plays a very different character. More of it later.

Plum, you were telling NOV that NT fans would love Mammootty's style and you had quoted me there. Absolutely true and one more reason is, see he is not worried about the no of releases, proper gap between two releases and doesn't interfere in the release dates etc. Any actor who had given a such a mammooth film like Pazhasi Raja would have put a big break on his next release. But he is having two releases even before the film rus 35 days. Great !

Regards

[Plum]

Murali, I had all these things in mind when I said that. Not only that, I guess shooting for pazhassi raja might have been juxtaposed with all these films' shooting. This is another NT trait, isn't it? I was flabbergasted when you mentioned a few movies of nt that were simultaneously shot - one historical, and others a range of characters - don't remember which ones but it was unimaginable. Methad acting blah blah - what do you call this? Kaalaila kattabomman, madhiyam paasa mala, nightla galatta kalyanam(movies given fo example sake not as a real life example) - is this even thinkable by aallywood stalwarts ?

[Murali Srinivas]

Plum,

Loud Speaker has released in Mumbai. Try to catch it. You would like it. The schedule is

Big Cinemas city mall - for 5 days from this Friday
Big Cinemas wadala - for 6 days from this Friday
Big Cinemas vashi - for 5 days from this Friday
Big Cinemas chinchwad - for 5 days from this Friday
Big Cinemas khargar - for 6 days from this Friday
Big Cinemas Goregaon - this Friday, Saturday, Sunday.

Regards

[Plum]

Murali, Thanks for the information. Looks like I missed it. Impossible during weekdays. And the coming weekend, I'll probably be in Chennai on work.

[Murali Srinivas]

He is having two more releases this year. Next week Ranjit directed "Paleri Manickam - Pathiraa Kolabaathakam" is hitting the screens.[Paleri is the name of the village and Manickam is a woman's name]. Based on a real incident, this was the first case of crime against woman in first communist ruled state that took place in 1957, but which was hushed up. Now a person working for Special Investigating Team who is settled in Delhi but who has roots in the same village comes to investigate it in 2009, after 52 years. Mammootty not only plays the SIT officer but also as a old man in flash back for which he had shaved his mush after so many years.

Here are some snaps from this movie which is getting released next week.

http://www.mammootty.com/web/photos/...7f2e6d7c17.jpg

http://www.mammootty.com/web/photos/...7ef60d27a4.jpg

http://www.mammootty.com/web/photos/...d3a51b381d.jpg

Regards

[raagadevan]

Kutty Srank:

http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/11/27/s...2750980100.htm


Pazhassi Raja:

http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/11/27/s...2750580200.htm

[Murali Srinivas]

.

The second one is "Chattambi Nadu" which is being directed by Shafi. Though a masala flick, here Mammooty plays a role called Vijayendra Mallaiyaa, a Don by profession. Here he speaks Malayalam with a Kannada accent. Set for release during Christmas, they call it as Festival mood film implying it would be a mass entertainer.

Snaps and posters of the above mentioned movie to be released on Dec 24th.

http://i47.tinypic.com/50pam9.jpg

http://metromatinee.com/movies/image...binadu3968.jpg

http://www.mammootty.com/web/photos/...84c9877ff8.jpg

http://i37.tinypic.com/mt3rm8.jpg

http://i34.tinypic.com/10gae4g.jpg

Regards

[Murali Srinivas]

He is having two more releases this year. Next week Ranjit directed "Paleri Manickam - Pathiraa Kolabaathakam" is hitting the screens.[Paleri is the name of the village and Manickam is a woman's name]. Based on a real incident, this was the first case of crime against woman in first communist ruled state that took place in 1957, but which was hushed up. Now a person working for Special Investigating Team who is settled in Delhi but who has roots in the same village comes to investigate it in 2009, after 52 years. Mammootty not only plays the SIT officer but also as a old man in flash back for which he had shaved his mush after so many years.

The film has been released and has earned a very good report. Pasting here some of the reviews.

Palery Maanikyam - Renjith proves dependable in ‘Palery…’
IndiaGlitz [Tuesday, December 08, 2009]

After directing some good films like Thirakkatha and Kaiyoppu, and conceiving a world class project like ‘Kerala Café’, Ranjith is back with yet another film with a niche subject titled ‘Palery Maanikyam:Ouu Pathira Kolapathakathinte Katha’. A movie that hardly have any prototype in India, this extremely rare kind of movie is structured to be an intriguing, textured, moody and exceedingly well crafted suspense drama.

The movie that thrills and amuse a learned audience also showcase the passion for intense acting of its superstar lead actor Mammootty, and off course, a bunch of freshers and theater artists who debut through the film. Easily providing what the serious fans of the quirky actor had requested, the movie also succeeds in preserving the quintessential Mammootty in another role.

The movie with a narrative that spans for around fifty years, have a fable like tenderness that runs through the whole narratives. Based on writer T P Rajeevan’s celebrated novel, this investigative thriller (a closest of the name of the genre, that we can attribute) has Mammootty as Haridas, a Delhi based private detective who with his closest friend Sarayu (Gowri Munjal) comes to Palery to clear off the mystery behind the murder of Maanikyam (Mythili), that happened in 1957. Apart from being the first organised murder of a woman in newly formed state of Kerala, it also had certain links with the investigator, which if unveiled now will act as a spoilsport.

Maanikyam was killed on the eleventh day of her marriage with Pokkan, the only dumb son of Cheeru. (Swetha Menon). Major suspicion fell on Murikkumkunnath Ahamed Haji (Mammootty again) a rich, landlord who ruled the area with the help of locally powerful communists and his henchmen. A staunch womanizer who hardly cared for anyone's emotions, Haji was cruel to his poor peasants who worked for him. Haridas who ran far and wide assembling parts of the whole incident, still finds that some curious missing links were still there to fill the actual story.

The movie is narrated through the viewpoint of Haridas. There are many turns in this carefully laid out mature narratives that emerge in subtle fashion, as the film progresses smoothly, even if a tad slowly in the middle. Interspersed with flashbacks depicting periodic backdrops, the film is languorously paced but is still gripping, with some good writing and superb, sharp dialogues from Renjith. Some of the lines, especially the ones mouthed by the Haji are extremely witty and elicit chuckles.

The other highlights of the movie are the awesome and neatly framed cinematography by Manoj Pillai capturing the greenery and brownish tones of the period. The historical recreation by Murugan Kattakada creates a whole world of its own and gives the film much of its great character. The background score by Biji Pal and Sharath, the off repeated title song of the movie and seamless editing by Vijay Shankar are also perfectly complement to the mood of the film.

Mammootty shines in what is another brave acting choice by the veteran actor, who gives a meticulous appearance in all the characters that he depicts in the flick. After some good work in ‘Pazhassi Raja’ this film allows Mammootty to truly come into his own strengths. Restrained, real and totally in the skin of his various characters, the movie will be showcased in his list of the bests. Swetha Menon as Cheeru also display the immense talent of the actress who was mostly seen as a glamour gal in the industry, till recently. A bunch of fresh faces act their heart out in most of the scenes, though very few shots still shows their inclination into dramatic proceedings. Mythily and Gowri Munjal appear pretty and just remain to the demands of their roles.

After ‘Pazhassi Raja’ and ‘Neelathamara’, ‘Palery Maanikyam:Oru Pathira Kolapathakathinte Katha’ is one movie that is sure to enter the best list of connoisseurs of good cinema. Definitely advised for all, who love good, meaningful cinema

REDIFF REVIEW BY PARESH C PALICHA

Very rarely does a film satisfy our expectations. But director Ranjith's latest Malayalam film Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathira Kolapathakathinte Katha does.

The film is near perfect with minor ignorable blemishes. It is based on T P Rajeevan's novel of the same name. It tells the story of a private detective, who returns to his birthplace to solve a murder mystery that occurred on the same night he was born.

Dectective Haridas (Mammootty) takes up a case just to satisfy his curiosity, not to find or punish the culprit, as all the suspects in the case are dead. His purpose, which seems vague in the beginning, achieves clarity only halfway through the story.

He brings along a criminologist Sarayu (Gowri Munjal to assist him, and they have an extra-marital affair. So even his motive is suspect in the beginning; it seems as if he is only interested in having a good time with his mistress in the verdant locales of Paleri. But he peals the mystery layer by layer, fighting roadblocks at every turn.

A plethora of characters make their entries and exits without giving the viewer any inkling as to where the story is headed. But every loose end is perfectly tied up in the end.

Even if the story does not incite you, the bewitching visuals will -- the faded look of the flashbacks and bright greenery of the present. Cinematographer Manoj Pillai proves that he is one of best young talents of the country.

Mammootty's performance in multiple getups may seem to be ego massaging for the star. But by the climax, we understand that it's an absolute necessity.

Among the other cast, Sreenivasan -- in a small role -- leaves a strong impact on the minds of the viewers. Siddique is his usual self, who does not have anything to experiment with.

Shweta Menon is oomphy while newcomer Mythili does not have enough screen time but she leaves an impression.

On the whole, Ranjith's take on the first recorded case of sexual harassment in the state is rich visually as well as in content.
Rediff Rating: 3.5/5

NOWRUNNING REVIEW ...........


By VN Mon, 07 Dec 2009
There are not many instances when a meaningful work in literature gains a greater magnitude when it traverses across art forms. The challenges that T P Rajeevan's novel Palery Manickyam: Oru Pathirakolapathakathinte Katha poses before a film maker who endeavours to adapt it to the silver screen are tremendous.

The year is 1957 and with the state witness to a political upheaval, a twenty year old girl is found hanging in front of her hut in a small hamlet by the name of Palery in North Kerala. Several decades after the accused have been let off scot-free by a local court, a private detective (Mammootty) and a crime analyst (Gauri Manjal) join hands to probe into the crime again.

Palery Manickyam offers an extremely complex narrative and time and again the writer forcefully drags us back to where we had started off. The entire process is as cumbersome to the reader or in this particular case the viewer, as it is for the chief protagonist. However the desire to get to the bottom of it all outweighs the lingering pessimism and we hang on right till the end, with certainly no hope that the answers that we seek are round the corner or that the mystery that perplexes us beyond our wits would unfurl ever so gradually before us.

Ranjith is a dynamic director in that he has continually broken down the rusty conventions that have almost corroded the core of Malayalam cinema. For one, the frankness that pervades this film of his is almost foreign to the average viewer. I am sure this candour might be interpreted in several ways by the torch bearers of morality; perhaps as brazenness, or as apathy, as an imposed disregard for norms or even as pseudo intellectualism. Alternatively it could plainly mean a refreshing audacity that never for a moment bows down before conformist expectations.

Haridas for instance, shares a few days of his life and a bed with Sarayu, and they together embark on this strange expedition to get to the bottom of the Manickyam murder. It doesn't really impede them that they happen to lead distinct lives or that they have been apart for a while. Hari does talk about his family, and so does Sarayu who talks of Gautham who has almost vanished from her life. Yet, they are together for the moment for a purpose, with no questions raised and no answers demanded.

The air permeates with the smell of raw sex throughout. In easily one of the most striking scenes of seduction in recent times, Cheeru (Shwetha Menon) lets go of her hesitation and succumbs before Ahmed Haji (Mammootty), hopelessly charmed by his authority. She soon has the village men dancing to her whims after her husband passes away. Years later, Haji roams about with an insatiable libido, Cheeru stands on the threshold of a new life beyond sex. And Manickyam with dreams writ large on her eyes gets brutally raped and murdered.

Or there is S K Pallippuram, that remarkable actor who had staged a drama the night Manickyam was murdered. We see him in a drunken stupor the first time, vehemently verbal and downright blunt. The second time though, he has mellowed down a bit, and almost offers an apology for all that he had said.

Rajeevan is at his best when he cautiously crafts each of his characters paying utmost attention to the finest details, whether it be K P Hamsa, the Communist leader who refuses to reveal that dark secret that he houses within, or Keshavan who loudly proclaims that he is neither a believer nor a communist, but just a hairdresser. The writer fuses a crisp social commentary with several sub levels of multi character analyses in this dark tale.

The episodic and not always linear script effortlessly merges with the visual sense of the director to create a magical imagery of sorts. The night of the murder as the whole village scurries to watch the drama being staged, Haridas walks towards us brushing shoulders with them, talking to us about Manickyam who has been left alone. A few scenes later, as Manickyam's corpse is being carried away across the river for autopsy, we get to see another canoe heading towards the shore, with a beaming Manickyam beside her groom all eager to start her new life at Palery, barely ten days back.

Palery Manickyam could easily boast of its remarkable cast that has none of the big names in business, barring a few. The film brings to the forefront a bevy of real talented actors from theatre, and resourcefully draws out astonishing performances from all of them. Leading this cast is none other than Mammootty himself who puts in a hypnotic act as Ahmed Haji, yet another pitch perfect feat from the actor this year. Equally proficient is the incomparable Shwetha Menon who is gradually carving a niche for herself with daring performances in markedly different films.

Ranjith's Manickyam is a rarity of a film that exceeds expectations and offers a psychedelic high for the viewer. There would be no surprise if it ignites some sort of a controversy for the boldness that it displays. For the discerning viewer though, this might perhaps be one of the best films to have come out this year.

I would refuse to attribute the art house flavour to it. Rather, it's an uncompromising film that grabs you by your throat and simply refuses to let go.

Seems to be very interesting.

Regards