Director Mahesh Narayanan’s C U Soon was conceived entirely in the COVID19 lockdown period. However, it is not a pandemic story. Set in mid-2019, it is a love story which soon transforms into a bona fide thriller with a strong element of suspense. Unfolding through constant chat messages and video […]
Read Time : 12 Minutes
‘Maniyarayile Ashokan’ review – Simplicity powers this breezy village comedy with endearing characters
The most fascinating side of 2020 Onam release Maniyarayile Ashokan is the ecosystem it is centred in. Imagine a picture of Kerala countryside that you would see in tourism booklets. One such village exists in the film which is Shamsu Zayba’s directorial debut. Named Valayalathadi, the film opens with an […]
Read Time : 14 Minutes
When Alphonse Puthren’s ‘Premam’ Made History in Malayalam Cinema
Nostalgia in cinema has evolved into a formula. It sells easier than sanitizer in this COVID-struck planet as a good chunk of moviegoers being millennials who cultivate fond memories of the ‘90s and 2000s. Is there a thing around nostalgia from the ‘80s or ‘70s? Not many I am aware […]
Read Time : 10 Minutes
‘Trance’ review – Anwar Rasheed’s audacious film takes on the business of religion
Anwar Rasheed is back after a hiatus of seven years. His bold, immersive style of filmmaking is original to an extent that it completely justifies the hype around his latest release Trance. As I planted myself in a cinema to experience his newest labour of love, flashes of his celebrated […]
Read Time : 10 Minutes
‘Varane Avashyamund’ review – when engrossing characters remain emotionally distant
Believe it or not, Malayali millennials are significantly lucky as far as cinema and culture are concerned. They have had the good fortune to grow up on some of the finest films from the ‘80s and ‘90s conceived by the likes of Priyadarshan, Sathyan Anthikkad, Padmarajan, Fazil, Sibi Malayil, Siddique-Lal, […]
Read Time : 8 Minutes
‘Jallikattu’ review – a visually overwhelming spectacle from the master of mayhem
If there’s a genre called ‘non-vegetarian cinema’, Malayalam filmmaker Lijo Jose Pellissery possesses all merits to own that space. After serving us pork in his smashing crime caper Angamaly Diaries in 2017, the director is back in 2019 with a story around buffalo meat, or rather a buffalo which had […]
Read Time : 7 Minutes
‘Bhayanakam’ review – an anti-war masterpiece high on implied violence
Director Jayaraj’s famed navarasa series has always been of great intrigue. Some were a class apart (Shantam), some middling (Bhibhatsa) and some wholly unremarkable (Veeram). In his 2018 film Bhayanakam, the filmmaker attempts to depict the air of mammoth fear which prevailed in Kerala during the terrifying period of World […]
Read Time : 7 Minutes
‘Ambili’ review – Soubin Shahir shines in a sweet-natured travel film
Lovable, do-gooder characters in cinema forever find takers. It does not matter that if the film they inhabit fails to nurture an exact sense of belonging. Our audiences are often ready to keep liberties at bay because there’s always a sweet taste when a weakling emerges a winner. Director Johnpaul […]
Read Time : 12 Minutes
‘Thanneer Mathan Dinangal’ review – a flavourful rewind to high school bustle
It is amusing how director Girish A D chose to title his debut feature as Thanneer Mathan Dinangal. One that translates to ‘Days of Watermelon’, the title, indeed, is not necessarily a misfit. Then again, the filmmaker deliberately throws in watermelon motifs throughout to legitimize this connection. That makes us […]
Read Time : 8 Minutes
‘Virus’ review – a masterful survival thriller that celebrates everyday heroes
What happens when a comparatively well-equipped Indian state known for its excellence in healthcare sector gets afflicted by a deadly virus against which there is no known treatment? Director Aashiq Abu in his medical thriller Virus retreads the dark days of Nipah outbreak in Kerala which occurred in May-June 2018. […]