Pranchiyettan and the Saint - Renjith with a new experience

Cast: Mammootty, Priyamani, Innocent

Direction: Renjith

Production: Renjith

Music: Ouseppachan

Basically the movie is the story of Chirammal Eanashu Francis, a self made affluent rice merchant, who is always insecure about his societal status due to his low education and nickname ‘Aripraanchy’ that followed him throughout his life.

He makes a number of blunders in his life to see whether his large earned money can get him the status that he yearns for, thus erasing his branded nickname. Following his trusted aides including Vasu Menon, Bahuleyan, Subrahmani, Uthuppu and Co, he makes attempts on this by buying a 'Padmashree' for himself, starting a jewellery shop, contesting the elections for the president-ship of an aristocratic club, and even sponsoring every local events where he can show off his splendour.

It is after a lot of failed attempts on making it big that he meets Padmashree, an interior designer and Poly, a 15 year old, who makes a valuable turns in his life.

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Pranchiyettan and the Saint - Renjith with a new experience

'Pranchiyettan and the Saint' is definitely prescribed for everyone who likes fresher themes and initiatives in Mollywood.

Elsamma Enna Aankutty - Lal Jose in his elements for ‘Elsamma’

Cast: Kunchakko Boban, Indrajith, Janardhanan, Jagathy, K P A C Lalitha

Direction: Lal Jose

Music: Rajamani

The movie tells the story of Elsamma, the most popular young girl of the ninth ward of a sleepy, high range village, centered around Balanpillai city. Forced to take up the job of newspaper boy of the village following the death of his father Pookkula Varkey, she also works as a local reporter of the most popular daily. She is like a foster daughter to Kunnel Pappan (Nedumudi Venu), who is deserted by his only son residing in the city. Elsamma has three younger sisters studying for various courses, but she is more like a strict father to them always leading them away from troubles. Soon dubbed more as a ‘boy’', in the way she approach things, all the other characters of the village like ward member Remanan, hooch dealer Karipalli Soman, the hotel owner Balanpillai, and many others are wound around the episodes of Elsamma's spirit and hard work.

Elsamma's best friend in the village is Palunni, (Kunchakko Boban) the local milkman. Though he loves Elsamma, he doesn't have the courage to tell her about his emotions. The movie takes a turn as the grandson of Pappen, Eby (Indrajith) and his sister arrives into the village to stay with Pappan, after the untimely death of their mother. The arrival of three mischievous friends of Aby from the city with some dangerous intentions, also pose new threats to Elsamma and her family.

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Elsamma Enna Aankutty - Lal Jose in his elements for ‘Elsamma’

The movie puts forward the fundamental message of love and family, in a brilliantly elevating good natured settings. All in all, ‘Elsamma Enna Aankutty’ will be surely applauded by all Lal Jose regulars of Mollywood. A kind of film that should work instantly with the ladies. Recommended.

Shikaar - Lal hits right in 'Shikaar'

Banner: Sreeraj Productions

Cast: Mohanlal, Padmapriya, Ananya

Direction: Padmakumar

Production: K K Rajagopal

Music: M Jayachandran, Gireesh Puthenchery

Playing a lorry driver named Balaraman who is in the run from a forgettable past events, the movie is entirely shouldered by the versatile actor. And whenever it goes on to other petty off-stories out from the lead track, the feel of uneasiness is there. Anyhow, 'Shikaar’ with a plot about a man destined to escape from the revenge of his past deeds is a different thought and a better product for Padmakumar , the talented young director to end up his long wait for a hit.

Balaraman (Mohanlal) a lorry driver, operating in the forest area called Chittazha, transporting bamboos is the leader of all good men of the high ranges, fighting with every outsiders who come up to create havoc in the region. Constantly supported and followed buy Maniappan, his trusted aide, all his hopes are on his foster-daughter Ganga, who is all set to join a medical course securing a second rank in the entrance exams. But his haunting past follows him to this forest den, clearly making him over protective about his daughter and himself, to the extent of psychosis. With a group ready to make a miserable life for the protagonist for deeds that he had never committed, Balaraman now has to take the biggest risks of his life to save everything.

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Shikaar - Lal hits right in 'Shikaar'

M Padmakumar will manage to make a name of his own as a hit director through 'Shikaar', though in a slippery terrain of a non-conventional theme. The movie may end up well for him and Lal, if marketed well.

Ammanilavu - a dreary movie that is never able to hit its marks

Cast: Sasi Ayyanchira, Aparna, Mallika, Abhinay, Vijith, Jagathy Sreekumar, Mala Aravindan, Balachandran Chullikkadu, Sreejith Ravi, Anoop, Manu Mohith, Harishanth, Kochupreman, Sathi, Thara Kalyan

Producer: Sasi Ayyanchira

Director: M.D.Rajendran

Music Director: M.D.Rajendran

Sasi plays an honest cop Adiram in the film. Mallika plays his wife Neeraja. Adiram's life goes for a toss when he has to murder his own wife.

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Ammanilavu - a dreary movie that is never able to hit its marks

The film suffers from a dramatic overdose that eventually kills it. It also has a deficiency of real thrills that leaves us with very little to be excited about. It totally collapses under its own overweight, and takes itself unbelievably seriously.

Fiddle - cold as a wet towel

Cast: Varun J.Thilak, Ayilya, Jagathy Sreekumar, Salim Kumar, Jagadeesh, Premkumar, Vettoor Purushan, Vishnu Prakash, Sabu Thiruvalla, Mily, Subin, Prajusha, Sonia, Lakshmi Priya, Ranjusha, Bindu Panicker, Urmila Unni, Kulappulli Leela, Vinayan, Kaloor Ummer, Biju, Sudha Nair

Producer: Nissam Vettoor , Noushad Anchal

Director: Prabhakaran Muthana

Music Director: S. Jayan , Ramesh Balakrishna

Fiddle tells the story of a music troupe that comprises of ten amazing singers. The singers are actuallly tudents belonging to a local music college.

This music troupe is very different from the usual troupes that you get to see. The youngsters have a high sense of social responsibility. They hence conduct programmes and from the money amassed, they help the poor, the disabled and the needy.

On one such tour, they happen to stay at an old bungalow, where a series of incidents occur that would turn their lives upside down.

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Fiddle - cold as a wet towel

Fiddle' is one of those films that mainly falters because of the failing of its central premise. This is why even though it comes along with minimum fanfare, it still leaves you as cold as a wet towel.

Nirakazhcha - A lame attempt in film making

Cast: Vincenzo Bocciaralli, Mamtha Mohandas, Manoj K Jayan, Jagathy, Nedumudi Venu, Thilakan, Bijukuttan

Direction: Anish J Karinad

The movie is about an Italian painter Lorenzo Fabri,(Vincenzo Bocciarelli) who is on a task to recreate Ravi Varma paintings. He falls in love with his model Shilpa, who is already in love with the Chenda artist Sreekuttan (Manoj K Jayan). Gradually Shilpa also starts loving and possessing the Italian, which leads into other twist in tales. To fill the gaps there are C I Marthandan (Jagathy Sreekumar), a local cop who is into a tuition centre run by Mamukoya to learn Italian, a Poovar Pookutty (Suraj Venjarammoodu) the music teacher, an Aksharavalli (Kalpana) the Malayalam tutor and a character by Bijukuttan, who pledges all his property and gold to stay in an Ayurvedic resort to find a German tourist to marry and ultimately fly to Germany. Add to these pathetic caricatures is the director Aneesh J Karrinad who himself appears as photographer Moonnar Mathai with a song pictured on him.

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Nirakazhcha - A lame attempt in film making

Nirakazhcha could have ended up as engrossing characters but the writing and execution fails to the extremes, to give you one of the most avoidable movies of the year.

Athma Kadha - an extremely moving tale of a dad - daughter duo

Cast: Sreenivasan, Sharbani Mukherjee, Jagathy, Shafna, Babu Nampoothiri, Bindu Panicker, Munshi Venu, Chempil Asokan

Producer: Santhosh Pavithram & Shafeer Sait

Director: Premlal

Music Director: Alphonse

Sreenivasan plays the role of a blind man Kochubaby in the film 'Atmakatha'. Sharbani Mukerjee dons the role of his wife Mary.

Kochubaby has a very unique ability to grasp the life and behaviour of people around him. He is an employee of local a candle prodution company.

It is there that he meets Mary and becomes friends with her. They decide to get married and are soon blessed with a child.

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Athma Kadha - an extremely moving tale of a dad - daughter duo

Premlal's directorial debut 'Athmakatha' reinstates your faith in good cinema. Narrating an extremely moving tale of a dad - daughter duo, Premlal displays a remarkable mellowness in his direction that very few debutantes possess.