In Ghost House

Cast: Mukesh, Jagadeesh, Siddique, Ashokan, Nedumudi Venu, Kochu Preman, Harisree Ashokan, Mohini, Lena, Radhika, Reena Basheer and Kakka Ravi

Direction: Lal

Music: Alex Paul

In the third part of the series, the three friends Mahadevan, Appukuttan and Govindankutty are invited to the ''Dorothy Bunglow'' by Thomaskutty, their most mischievous friend who has bought it with the heavy sum that the latter got at the end of the first sequel. Thomaskutty is planning to convert the bungalow into a Hotel resort, and for that it is inevitable to prove to the public that no spirits or mysteries are still attached to the bunglow where some murders are said to have happened decades ago.

It is for that he is inviting his friends to stay at the Bunglow with their family. Though a bit frightened, all the friends and their wives take it as a challenge to help Thomaskutty. What follows is a new combination of horror comedy.

Bottom Line

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In Ghost House Inn - Is not very funny

The most lovable four characters and their heavy camaraderie had been the most saleable USP, when anyone thinks of another sequel to the famous ‘Harihar Nagar’.

Yes, the characters are very much there, but what is missing is that inspiring twists that could have avoided the predictability that follows everywhere in this third part of ‘Harihar Nagar'-'In Ghost House Inn’.

Nayakan

Banner: Eluminato

Cast: Indrajith, Dhanya, Siddhique, Thilkan, Jagathy, Lalu Alex, Sreejith Ravi,Vijay Menon, Rekha Pillai, Sumi

Direction: Lijo Jose Pellisserry

Production: Anoop Johnson Karedan

Music: Prashant Pillai

The narrative style of the movie is a novice to Malayalam cinema, with some fine performances coming from the entire cast. Indrajith as Varadanunni is undoubtedly his best in his short career .The actor has taken pains to tone up his body to suit the maneuvers of a Kathakali artist who turn into a gang man. Thilakan once again proves why he can’t be sidelined in such a demanding industry and is unmatchable as Vincent Karanavar. Siddique as J S with his cateyes and abnormal mannerisms is a treat to watch. The heroine, Dhanya Mary, plays to the demands of the role and appear graceful throughout.

Bottom Line

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Nayakan - Breathes fresh air to Mollywood

In an decade of flashy filmmaking, with fast cuts and tagline driven plots, it’s refreshing to see a film with deliberate pacing, a character driven plot, taking a bow to master filmmakers of past times. Though in a story revolving around feverish revenge and gang wars, the young director is really at the helm making a near perfect thriller with an intense sincerity that show of in every frames.

Thanthonny

Cast: Prithviraj, Sheela, Kalabhavan Mani, Jagathy Sreekumar, Saikumar, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Captain Raju, Vijayaraghavan

Direction: George Varghese

Production: Shahul Hameed Marikar

Music: Tej Mervin

The movie has Prithviraj as a rebel hero, even in his own big joint patriarchal family named Valiyaveettil which boasts of a current generation of IAS officers, IPS officer and even a state minister. Prithvi is 'Kochukunju', who is the spoilt grandson of Kochousepph and only son of Kathrina, whose three big brothers are in control of the family affairs.

He has a mysterious past when he was thrown out of his home to roam around in the north, and to return home only after a decade. Within an hour into the proceedings we are let known that Kochukunju is not a spoilt brat but a dogooder who holds a big secret, which makes him behave like that in the open.

Bottom Line

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Thanthonny - Is not up to the hype

Imitation and recreation had been definitely one of the ways to emerge into better creative results. Believing in this notion, the creators of the mass masala movie ‘Thanthonny’ have did their very best to indulge in copy pasting many sequences of the hit movies of the past to create a potpourri, reminding us of many bigger hits like Basha, Usthad to Devasuram. Even with this shortcomings that boost predictability factors, the movie has its moments, which may qualify it into an above average run at the Box Office.

Sufi Paranja Kadha

Cast: Prakash Bhare,Thambi Antony,Sharbhani Mukerji,Renjusha,Ria

Direction: Priyanandanan

The movie has Sharbani Mukherji, whom you had seen before in movies like J P Dutta’s Border and Priyadarshan’s Rakkilippaattu. Karthy, a beautiful girl born into the prestigious Meleppullara Tharavadu, she shared a more than curious relationship with her Uncle Shankunni Menon. Later when she gets attracted to a handsome Muslim trader Mammootty, they decide to elope to his place. Karthy converts to Islam and their happy married life often gets into problems as she finds it tough to renounce her original beliefs. With the consent of her husband, she builds a temple near their home. But gradually this became the talk of the area igniting communal issues.

Bottom Line

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Sufi Paranja Kadha - A brilliant Sufi

With his new movie ‘Sufi Paranja Katha’, Director Priyanandanan has once again proved that why he is at the helm of award ceremonies in the previous years. Continuing with his characteristic ease in selecting and presenting themes with maturity, the movie is a simple poignant story based on writer K P Ramanunni’s award winning novel.

Neelathamara

Banner: Revathy Kalamandhir

Cast: Archana, Suresh Nair, Kalesh, Samvrutha, Reema Kallingal, Parvathy

Direction: Lal Jose

Production: Sureshkumar

Music: Vidyasagar

Lal Jose has managed to etch out the best from almost all in the frame. But definitely it is Archana Kavi, as Kunjimalu who holds the movie with her cute sincere smile and timid subtle mannerisms of innocence and helplessness. A definite addition to the best heroines list of Mollywood, Lal Jose has offered her the best of the shots to make her emoting smooth and genuine. And Kailas as Haridas too impress, with his confident performances.

Samvritha Sunil has a role of difference, and her impressive run as Ratnam, a straight forward bold girl is a treat to watch. The seniors including Parvathi and Jayamenon who plays the later ages of Kunjimalu and Ratnam, also shows consistency in their acting manoeuvres. Popular television presenter Parvathi is such a suit for a later ages of Kunjimalu that in the dimly lit and shadowy scenes and closeups, we often doubt whether we are in flashback mode or in current age of narratives. The fresh voice of Sreedevi R Krishna who successfully and meticulously dubs for both of them is also a relevation and is a voice to look for in the future. Reema Kallingal though in small role proves that she is equally competent even in that traditional looks Sreedevi Unni, and a lot of fresher name in smaller roles also have done graceful justice to their respective roles.

Bottom Line

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Neelathamara - is good

‘Neelathamara’ is all about the traditional beliefs about an extraordinary flower, which blooms in a temple pond as a sign of God’s will on the life of his devotees. Whoever offers a coin at the sacred step of this temple’s sanctum sanatorium and pray to the ‘Thevar’ to lead them out of a confusion, this legendary flower will bloom as a sign for the devotee to go forward with their plans, or else to drop them. People who come from far and near, vouch that this belief has not failed its devotees. Deeply believing in this, Kunjimaalu (Archana Kavi), the naive village maiden brought to the rich family tries to sort out her confusion about what to do, when Haridas, the heir of the family tries to woo her. Haridas has just returned from the town after completing his law studies and from the day one he meets Kunjimalu, he is all after her with a playful romance, taking the advantages of the large and solitary spaces of the house. The movie follows the blooming relation and its aftermath as the ‘Neelathamara’ in the temple pond blooms in Kunjimalu’s favour.

Gulumal

Banner: Trendz Ad Film Makers

Cast: Jayasuriya, Kunchakko Boban, Mithra Kurian, Bijukuttan, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Manian Pilai Raju, Salim Kumar, Devan

Direction: V K Prakash

Production: Sajitha Prakash

Music: Manu Rameshan

A cat and mouse game about two conman Ravi Varma (Kunchakko Boban) and Jerry (Jayasuriya), the movie offers surprising twists in regular intervals that are highly engaging. As Ravi Varma needs a few lakhs of money in a short notice, to get his father out of the jail, he befriends Jerry – a bigger criminal and adorns him as his guru. They accidentally get into a big deal about selling a fake copy of the drawings of Raja Ravi Varma, to an immensely rich NRI Emir (Devan), making him believe that it is original. Getting an offer of a three crores for the painting, they are now into anything to push off the deal and thus make easy money. There is a funny parallel track of Suraj Venjaramoodu and Bijukuttan, playing cops from Anti Terrorist Squad, now running stupidly after the pranksters to create some slapstick, which is utilized wisely in between.

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Gulumal The Escape - V K P has a winner, in ‘Gulumal’

V K Prakash is the one director who with his all technical finesse couldn’t make one big hit in Mollywood, mainly due to the inane scripts that was offered to him. But this time in ‘Gulumal-The Esacape’, he seems to have opted for a safer route. He faithfully remaked the Argentinean movie by Fabian Bielinsky ‘Nueve Reinas’(Nine Queens),a comedy caper, thereby offering a rollercoaster ride in all its richness and quality and even sticking to the original in its acting credentials. And the result is an entertaining stuff, with stylish and crazy entertainment that won’t give you much time to think in its 140 minutes ride.

Ivide Swargamanu

Cast: Mohanlal, Thilakan, Sreenivasan, Lakshmi Rai, Priyanka

Direction: Roshan Andrews

Production: Aashirwad films

Music: Mohan Sithara

Going back to the theme of love for land and labour, the movie has Superstar Mohanlal as Mathews, a self taught agriculturist and a farm house owner, who with the help of his family is maintaining a highly productive farmland, named after his father Jermias (Thilakan). Into their peaceful life arrives Aluva Chandy, (Lalu Alex) a wealthy scheming but idiotic businessman, who is hell bend to grab this beautiful piece of land in the banks of Periyar, as he has got heavy advances from an industrialist from the north eyeing to develop it into a big resort. Chandy and the big land mafia operating under him, goes by the routine, advertises their plans to develop the serene hamlet into a township, pushing up land prices, offering the local men big jobs, acquiring their pieces of land and pressurising Mathews to sell his farmland which is in the centre of the proposed project. He also uses the government machinery to create new troubles for Mathews in the form of pollution control boards, State financial corporation’s loan debts and so on. The movie goes on to tell how the simpleton Mathews finds ways to fight this 'land mafia' and to survive the impending pressures to maintain his land for ever.

Bottom Line

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Ivide Swargamaanu - is worth a watch

The movie makes an ordinary start but gradually builds up tensions and curiosity and the final hour of the movie is a scream, 'the best' in the offering with finely worked out scenes, few good wits and one liners. Though some sequences remind you of scenes of Midhunam to the recent 'Khosla Ka Ghosla', James Albert’s story lines had got that sincerity in every dialogues and the protagonist also maintains his 'agrarian' directness in all his proceedings. Mohanlal as usual, has a cakewalk through the role of Mathews, who is never projected as a superhero, but as a helpless ordinary man with right dose of emotions and strains. But it is to Lalu Alex, the film rightly belongs to. Portraying the villainous Aluva Chandy in a peculiar manner that is characteristic to his own style, he has his best role of the decade, in the movie. The three lead ladies presented by Priyanka Nair who appear as Betsy, the Television journalist, Lakshmi Gopalaswamy, in negative shades of the SFC manager, and Lakshmi Rai, who appear as Sumathy, the lawyer, does their parts well. The director has been able to bring out the best from every one in the cast lines including Thilakan, Sukumari, Kaviyoor Ponnamma, Raju and Shankar.