Ithu Nammude Katha - a genuine story of Tamil film Nadodikal

Director: Rajesh Kannankara

Music: Mohan Sithara

Cast: Asif Ali, Nishaan, Ananya

Vinod (Asif Ali), Santosh (Nishaan) and Kochumon (Abhishek) are close friends, living in a sleepy village, dreaming to make it big someday. Santosh is in love with Vinod’s sister, played by Nimisha. Meanwhile Vinod is in love with his bubbly murappennu (Ananya sleepwalking through the role which she did brilliantly in the Tamil version), but he has to fetch a government job before marrying her! Kochumon’s dad loves him but doesn’t have the courage to show it in front of his step-mother.

Sometime later, Vinod’s friend Mahesh (Vineetkumar) comes to see them. The friends decide to help him in getting married to his girlfriend (played by Amala Paul, who has become a sensation in Tamil after Mynaa), as both their families are at loggerheads. They succeeding in uniting the love birds but are brutally attacked in the process and their lives changes forever.

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Ithu Nammude Katha - a genuine story of Tamil film Nadodikal

Ithu Nammude Katha tells how true friendships are important in our lives. There is a genuine story here that the viewer can relate to and the honesty of some young men shakes you up as well. But then, the question is, when the original is available why waste time on this ordinary looking copy?

Arjunan Saakshi - certainly in a different league

Director: Ranjith Sankar

Music: Biji Bal

Cast: Prithviraj, Ann Augustine

Roy Mathew (Prithviraj) is an architect, who has lived outside Kerala for most of his life, but has come back to his home-town to join a real estate firm. Meanwhile, a journalist Anjali Menon (Ann Augustine) gets into trouble when she publishes a letter from an unknown person called Arjunan, who has some crucial clues concerning the murder of the former district collector Firoze Mooppan (Mukesh). Soon after, Roy starts hogging the limelight as he is mistaken for ‘Arjunan’. The young man is totally shaken up by the sudden happenings as he has no real idea about the dramatic turnaround of events and he is soon targeted by some goons.

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Arjunan Saakshi - certainly in a different league

No two ways about it, Arjunan Saakshi is certainly in a different league, when compared to the usual crop of films that we see in Malayalam nowadays. Still, one gets the feeling that the film is more inclined to the social issues which are being focused rather than on a gripping, cinematic experience. It makes you think about the state of affairs around you, which may be an achievement in itself.

Achan - a stagy feel

Cast: Thilakan

Producer: Louisiama

Director: Ali Akbar

Music Director: Aleena Akbar

The veteran actor plays a retired Major in the film who leads a solitary life in a flat, and for whom the only contact with the outer world is a male nurse Rahithan. His sons have migrated to countries far away, and the most they can do at the moment is to appear on pre-scheduled online chat sessions.

The 'Achan' in the film is old, frail and neglected. He moves about the walls of his apartment and along with Rahithan contemplates suicide. The latter talks about getting a better job elsewhere, but maintains that he wouldn't dream of leaving the old man alone in his misery. What juts out of place in a scenario as this is the talk about senior actors boogying with young girls.

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Achan - a stagy feel

'Achan' tries hard to take a look at relationships that have turned corrosive in an ever changing world, but the airless and stagy feel that it carries through out doesn't let it leave a mark.

Kudumbasree Travels - Is a fun ride

Cast: Jayaram, Bhavana, Jagathy Sreekumar

Direction: Kiran

Music: Biji Bal

Kiran who is also is in charge of the script lines takes you to the village of chithirapuram with its share of assorted caricatured characters.The protagonist of the movie, Aravindan is a chakiyarkoothu artist hailing from a tharavadu of koothu artists. He is in the lookout for a girl to marry, but in one condition. She must be a Nangiarkoothu artist. After much search Aravindan finds one in Aswathy, a city girl hailing from Mullassery family and the marriage is fixed. Aravindan's uncle Chachu is prepared to go to any extent to get his daughter Vasumathy, married to Aravindan and makes plans to somehow make this a no deal. The marriage crew sets off for the function in a bus named 'Kudumbashree Travels', which thereafter is a prominent figure in the entire story.Adding more twists to the tale and travel is the entry of Hemalatha (Radhika) into the same bus with a bomb set in her suitcase. The rest of the movie mostly happens in the bus.

Kiran and Thomas Tthoppilkody have been able to interestingly weave a story around simple incidents which keeps your interest alive in most parts.They inject quality humour in every situation relying on humorous lines and one-liners and the dialogues are enjoyable at most times. Serious moments?. Don't look for it here. The highlight of the flick is that it's not heavy on your mind, even though there's ample drama happening every now and then. But everything is presented without going overboard.

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Kudumbasree Travels - Is a fun ride

'Kudumbasree Travels' is a time-pass fare which offers an interesting watch. Expect no glitz-n-glam or serious logic here, but if you want to spent a few relentless hours without taxing your brain ,then this may well be your film for the weekend.

The Metro - This 'metro' may not make it big

Cast: Sarath Kumar, Rima Kallingal, Suraj Venjaramood

Direction: Vyasan Edavanakakd

Production: Dileep

Music: Shan Rehman

The movie after a short introduction by Dileep and a very lengthy detailing of Kochi's current status as a hub of goondas (shown as a TV programme FIR, together with movie credits ,which extent to ten minutes) goes on with its three dissimilar stories- One about the daring C I Jacob Alexander's attempts to book the big goonda leader Shaji paruthikkadan (Suresh Krissna), and the second dealing with InfoPark employee Anupama (Bhavana) followed by a gang of Goondas and the third about a young gang of five lead by Hari (Nivin Pauly) who is on a tour from Thiruvilyamala to Pala to deliver a package.

The third story is the sunny part with the five some including Usman (Bhagath) and Sujathan (Suraj Venjaramoodu) taking much of the time in the proceedings. On their return from Pala after a short visit to wagamon in their old Tempo trax, they had to enter into fisticuffs with Freddy, the younger brother of Shaji. Within no time they are followed by the goonda group which force them to take refuge in the darkness of the metro city, which they don't know well. A number of twists follows, after which they are to join sides with the C I, in his fight against the baddies.

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The Metro - This 'metro' may not make it big

'The Metro' fails to hook your attention. At the box-office, despite the presence of star-names, the fizz would be missing. It's strictly for those in a mood to catch a differently attempted thriller.

Note Out - This Note Out is ‘OUT’

Banner: Thekkadayil Films

Cast: Nishan, Mithra Kurian, Suraj Venjaramood, Jagathy Sreekumar, Bijukkuttan, Anoop Chandran

Direction: Kutty Naduvil

Production: Joseph George

The movie has ‘Rithu’ fame Nishan as Pavithran who hang around with his gang of four friends, practically doing nothing. Pavi dreams of becoming a film director some day but his gang are regular shirkers of their jobs to play folly around the protagonist. After several traumas of badly executed scenes, they are given the final 30 days of freedom by their parents following which they must start doing some work. Enters the heroine Maya (Mithra Kurien) whom Pavi finds on a tree top and there starts the fights between them, which finally lead into Pavithran announcing his love to Maya in front of her family on the day of her betrothal with the intention to teach her a lesson. But to Pavi’s surprise, Maya walks out of her home with Pavi. Into this mayhem lands the villain, that too in a double role, that makes the proceedings hardest to digest. To add to the chaos is a group of petty villains Mr Black, Red and White just meant to add more fun, if anyone can take more…..

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Note Out - This Note Out is ‘OUT’

‘Note Out’ qualifies as the first movie of the year which can definitely be kept away from any sort of inspection, as it is sure to hurt you badly.

Kayam - fails to take off

Director: Anil

Music: Mohan Sithara

Cast: Swetha Menon, Manoj K Jayan, Bala

The voluptuous beauty Thaamara (Swetha Menon) starts living with a mute and ugly looking Choonda (Manoj K Jayan) in a remote village. She doesn't love him but still, the two gets married soon after. Sometime later, the local baddie Raghu (Anil Murali) brings a team to play 'kabaddi' against Choonda's team, of which the ace player was, Saji (Bala). But Saji realizes that actually 'Choonda' was his long lost elder brother, Divakaran.

Some unexciting twists and turns later, Choonda gets killed and Thaamara sets her eye on Saji, who was in love with Muthu Lakshmi (Aparna Nair). With no definite direction, the story moves along, mostly in an uninteresting way.

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Kayam - fails to take off

Kayam reminds of some of the yesteryear classics like Thazhvaram with its tone and settings, but is no way in the vicinity of those gems. The film has its moments but gives the feeling that things could have been better if it was handled well.

Chaverppada - is so silly

Director: T S Jespal

Music: Alex Paul

Cast: Bala, Manikkuttan, Arun, Muktha

Four daredevil engineering students, in between their stunts with the baddies in the campus and the song ‘n’ dance exercises with their girlfriends, disrupt the city’s traffic system and even the FM radio signals with the gadgets that they created. The cops nab them but after an inspiring speech by the college principal, they are allowed to go scot-free.

But the students soon fall into the hands of some dreaded terrorists. Heavy duty dialogues, slow motion shots, fights and all that you have seen in such stories (including believe it or faint, an item dance by one of the female terrorists) follow. More action is in store as top commando Vishal Sabhapathi (Bala) appears on the scene to take on the terrorists.

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Chaverppada - is so silly

Chaverppada makes us wonder why films like these are being made, without any passion, homework or commitment. What it finally achieves is to make even those viewers who take the pains of watching films at the theatres, lose interest in the proceedings. Is anyone listening?

Traffic - This is a 'Traffic' of change

Banner: Magic Frame

Cast: Sreenivasan, Vineeth Sreenivasan, Kunchacko Bobban, Sandhya, Remya Nambisan, Roma, Asif Ali

Direction: Rajesh R Pillai

Production: Lisle Stephen

It all takes place on the 16th of September, when a few men and women, going on with their distinct lives in diverse worlds, find their paths crossing each other at a traffic island. Rehan (Vineeth Sreenivasan) is all excited about joining Indiavision as a journalist and sets out with his best friend Rajeev (Asif Ali). Aditi (Sandhya), getting over a divorce, sees him off and looks forward to something more. Dr. Abel (Kunchacko Boban) has plans to surprise his wife Shwetha (Remya Nambeesan) with a brand new car on their wedding anniversary.

Sudevan (Sreenivasan) is back at work as a police constable, after a brief stint of suspension for having accepted bribes. Superstar Siddharth (Rahman) has a new release on the day, while his wife (Lena) is worried about their young daughter's failing health. Miriam (Roma), Manager at an FM Radio station gets an alarming text message on her mobile. And all this in a matter of twelve hours on the same day.

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Traffic - This is a 'Traffic' of change

Young star Remya Nambeeshan and veteran actor Jose Jose Prakash is back to screen in impressive short roles. The cinematography by Shyju Khalid and works by other technical departments are also topnotch. Hats off, to the crew to make such a terrific viewing experience in Traffic'.The film has a riveting plot, great performances, soulful music, a gripping story and skilful direction to make the viewer entangled in it. It is now for the viewers to go for it and say a big yes' to ensure that Malayalam cinema never gets 'all out 'in that sea of mediocre 'lock-your-brains-at-home' films.Definitely a must see.

Karayilekku Oru Kadal Dooram - struggling to make an impact

Cast: Indrajith, Jagadeesh, Mamtha Mohandas, Dhanya Mary Varghese, Lakshmi Sharma, Sarayu, Geetha Vijayan

Director: Vinod Mankara

Music Director: M Jayachandran

In Karayailekku Oru Kadal Dooram, Indrajith plays Anoop Chandran, a young writer who is torn between a fast crumbling marriage with Meera (Sarayu) on one side, and a rejuvenating relationship with a celebrated dancer Gaadha (Mamta Mohandas) on the other. Memories of his college sweetheart Bhama (Dhanya Mary) continue to haunt him and along with Gaadha, he sets out to find out where she had vanished.

Anoop strikes us an entirely confused man, and the reasons behind his bewilderment would never be known to us. Perhaps it's intended that way, and there is nothing wrong in it either, since there needn't be a rationale behind every act. There is the doctor played by Jagadeesh who suggests something called Temporal lobe epilepsy (or something of the sort), but none of my limited attempts to dig out something from it bore fruit.

The bottom line is that after a while, Gaadha seems to be more obsessed with her lover's past, and with the woman living in it, than Anoop himself. She almost revels in taking up a shovel and digging up heaps of truths that she hopes are lying buried within him. She even travels to Kerala with him, hoping to meet Bhama in person.

The three women characters in the film compete with each other in hollowness. Meera is the typical nagging housewife, who complains that her husbands smells of another woman. She stops only after the proverbial slap in Malayalam films is delivered in tact. Bhama on the other hand roams empty college corridors and sees flashes of a withered romance here and there. And Gaatha busies herself with portraying Hidimbi in her latest dance feat and shops for saris for her lover's wife when she is not hunting around for his lost love.

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Karayilekku Oru Kadal Dooram - struggling to make an impact

The final disclosure that is intended to send shock waves does nothing of the sort, since you are suddenly left with the feeling that these characters truly deserve what they get in the end. The reason behind such an apathetic feeling is indeed the sea; the sea that lies between the film and its viewers stranded on some other shore.