Pacha Malayalam Short Film
Daivathinte Swantham Cleetus Review
Daivathinte Swantham Cleetus Review
Producer- Faisal Latheef
Director– G Marthandan
Cast- Mammootty, Siddique, Honey Rose, Suraaj Venjaramoodu, P Balachandran, Aju Verghese
Music- Bijibal
Cinematography – Pradeep Nair
Written by -Benny P Nayarambalam
‘Deivathinte Swantham Cleetus’ is an apt gift for Mammootty fans this Onam, a treat for all ardent admirers of the mega-star.
Raphael Vadakkumthala (P Balachandran) and his brother Sunny Vadakkumthala (Siddique), who is a priest, are all set to get ready a light and sound show on the life of Jesus Christ. They need someone to play Jesus Christ. Father Sunny Vadakkumthala and Kunjachan (Suraaj Venjaramoodu), who is Raphael’s son-in-law, set out to find someone who’s apt to play Jesus Christ. It’s thus that they come across Cleetus (Mammootty), who greatly resembles Jesus Christ. They bring in Cleetus and set up a rehearsal camp. It’s later only that they realize that Cleetus is in fact a goonda, but there is nothing they could do about it. Father Sunny believes that they could even reform Cleetus. The rehearsal commences and goes on. From here develops the plot…
The film is an entertainer wherein Mammootty performs to satisfy his fans in all ways possible. There is enough of drama, there is humour and there are fights. The makers have also brought in Suraaj Venjaramoodu and Aju Verghese to work out the humour part.
There is also a romance track, which is worked out as a sub-plot and which is interesting. Honey Rose appears as Lakshmi, a young widow who lives by stitching and into whose life Cleetus makes an entry at a particular stage.
‘Deivathinte Swantham Cleetus’ is colourful, interesting and fun. It’s the perfect film to watch during the festive season of Onam.
Performance
The film belongs to Mammootty, who plays the role of Cleetus quite convincingly. He does everything possible to satisfy his fans, ranging from humour to fights. All the others do justice to their respective roles. Honey Rose looks good as Lakshmi. P Balachandran, Siddique, Suraaj etc are good.
Technical aspects
Pradeep Nair has done a good job of the cinematography while Joseph Nellickal impresses with his art-work.
Music
Bijibal takes care of the music department with utmost care and delivers the kind of background score that suits the subject and gives us songs that syncs well with the theme and the plot.
Script
Benny P Nayarambalam, who has scripted many colourful hits, once again delivers up to expectations and packs his script with all necessary ingredients.
Direction
Debutant director Marthandan has done a neat job and has delivered a good entertainer in ‘Deivathinte Swantham Cleetus’.
Verdict– Colourful entertainer, treat for Mammootty fans…
Rating: 3/5
Daivathinte Swantham Cleetus Movie Song – Kizhakku
Daivathinte Swantham Cleetus Movie Song – Kizhakku
Artist Malayalam Movie Review
Artist Malayalam Movie Review
Producer– M Mani
Director- Shyamaprasad
Cast- Fahadh Faasil, Ann Augustine, Sreeram Ramachandran, Srinda Ashab etc.
Music- Bijibal
Editing by: Vinod Sukumaran
Review By : Unni R Nair (Kerala9.com )
“Saw ‘Artist’…abstract, awesome…both performed well”- this was the text message I received from Rahul Narasimh, my friend and photographer.
After seeing ‘Artist’ I cannot but agree to this view. This Shyamaprasad film is just brilliant. I just don’t feel like counting negatives here; am just bowled over. The film is well written, well made and in7 all respects impressive.
Michael Agnelo (Fahadh Faasil) is an artist. While at the Fine Arts College, he had fallen in love with Gayathry (Ann Augustine), a junior. Facing stiff opposition from parents, they decide to live together. They decide to drop out of college. While Gayathry’s parents oppose her decision to move in with Michael, Michael’s rich father simply stops supporting him when he learns that he has decided to stop studying and won’t do business like him. Michael and Gayathry thus go for a live-in kind of arrangement. Love is very much in the air and they are both happy. But Michael is a born artist. He want to do nothing but paint and expects Gayathry to go out, work and earn money to run the family and also to suffice to buy stuff for his painting related activities. This is exactly what happens, but after a point, when Michael starts being indifferent to Gayathry’s requests to come meet people for painting related jobs and assignments, she gets desperate. Then, before something else could be done, an accident happens and Michael is rendered blind. This is from where the story takes off, on a totally different note…
Based on Paritosh Uttam’s novel ‘Dreams in Prussian Blue’, ‘Artist’ explores the life of an artist from a different perspective and at the same time delves on much more sensitive issues, pertaining to relationships. The characterization, the scripting, the performances, the music, the cinematography and all other aspects of the film tend to be impressive, on all counts. The way the film ends, supplying us food for real profound thinking, is really appreciable. Don’t want to go on and on, just go watch the film…
Kudos Shyamaprasad and team for such a wonderful movie…Good work indeed!!
Performance
Fahadh once again proves his mettle, as Michael. He in fact lives as Michael on screen and portray all shades of the character’s moods quite convincingly. Ann Augustine comes up with a scintillating performance- her very best till date- as Gayathry. All others have put in commendable performances, but there is no denying the fact that the film belongs basically to Fahadh and Ann.
Technical aspects
Cinematographer Shamdut, editor Vinod Sukumaran and art-director Biju Chinnathil have contributed greatly towards making ‘Artist’ a wonderful movie. Every other technical guy teaming up with these key people them too deserve appreciation.
Music
Bijibal takes care of the music department with élan and the songs too suit the mood and the tempo, though you may at times feel like you have heard this kind of tunes in the director’s earlier films. But still, the music is good and supports the total mood of the film…
Script
Shyamaprasad has done a brilliant job of the screenplay, with excellent characterisation being one of the highlights of the movie. Paritosh Uttam, on whose novel the film is based, too deserves mention.
Direction
Shyamaprasad is in full form as the director of ‘Artist’, which perhaps is his best film, after ‘Agnisakshi’. Excellent job indeed. He makes sure it’s all restrained to an extent and nothing more is there than is needed, to make the story come alive on screen. This restraint, this frugality of sorts makes ‘Artist’ a wonderful experience…
Verdict– Awesome!!! Just go for it….
Rating: 4/5
Dileep and Boban Samuvel to Kashmir
Kashmir is again going to be the back ground of the Malayalam film after ‘Salam Kashmir’. Director Boban Samuvel is doing the new film in the background of Kashmir. Dileep is doing the hero role of the film. The movie depicts the story of young man who is coming to North India and his acquaintance with a Muslim girl and their romance. The name of the film has not yet fixed. The heroin will be North Indian actress. Kashmir and Darjling will be the main locations of the film. The script and dialogues of the film by Y.V. Rajesh.
Kunjananthante Kada Review
Kunjananthante Kada Review
Producer- Salim Ahamed
Director– Salim Ahamed
Cast- Mammootty, Nyla Usha, Siddique, Balachandra Menon etc.
Music- M Jayachandran
Background Music- Issac Thomas Kottukapally
Review By : Unni R Nair (Kerala9.com )
‘Kunjananthante Kada’ had lots of expectations pinned on it, especially because the man behind the film, the director, was none other than Salim Ahamed, who had given us the very brilliant ‘Adaminte Makan Abu’. Moreover Salim Ahamed was teaming up with an ace performer like Mammootty. That justified the expectations doubly enough… But, I feel sorry to say that ‘Kunjananthante Kada’, though it discusses something really important and relevant in today’s scenario, doesn’t impress much as a film. It just fizzles out…
Kunjananthante Kada (Kunjananthan’s shop) is a point of reference, a landmark for the people of Vattipuram, a small village in Northern Kerala. Kunjananthan (Mammootty) has a strong attachment to the shop that he had inherited from his father, but the owner of the building, Balakrishnan Nambiar (Siddique), who has been a friend to Kunjananthan’s late father, wants him to vacate it. Kunjananthan, who leads a very unhappy married life, has a small family comprising of his wife Chithira (Nyla Usha) and their two kids. He is an idealist of sorts, though he could even be seen as a misfit in today’s fast changing world. But he sticks to his own ways. He talks of ideals in a world where it’s all seen as mere empty talk and he even dares to question injustice at times. At night, after closing his shop, he sticks a few notices on walls around his shop, on issues and matters of social concern. Life goes on thus for Kunjananthan, his family and of course others too in the village when all of a sudden, like a bolt from the blue, Kunjananthan and other shop owners are asked by the government authorities to vacate their shops for a road development project.
The second half of the film has its focus on this issue and pits Kunjananthan and team against the government authorities and policies, but ends on a very different and unexpected note…
I wouldn’t say anything, either for or against, what Salim Ahamed strives to say through the film. But the way he treats the theme, especially in the latter half of the film, is what has to be discussed here, in this review.
The movie begins to appeal to us in its opening sequences, but slowly, this appeal wanes away and by the time we are into the second half, it fails to hold our interest. It seems to drag on and we even feel exhausted at times. The backdrop against which the story is set, the way Kunjananthan and the other characters are portrayed and the way the story is introduced- all seem good and promising. But then, somewhere down the line, the script goes all wrong and the film fails to make an impact…
So, to those of us who expected to find something better than or at least at par with ‘Adaminte Makan Abu’, ‘Kunjananthante Kada’ is no doubt a disappointment…
Performance
Mammootty lives up to expectations; he is really good as Kunjananthan. Nyla Usha is good as Chithira while the rest of the cast lends able support. Siddique is good while Balachandra Menon doesn’t have much to do.
Technical aspects
Ace cinematographer Madhu Ambat has done a splendid job of the camera-work. The frames, no doubt, are a treat to watch.
Music
Background score, by Issac Thomas Kottukapally, is very much in tune with the mood and the tempo. The song ‘Shararanthal…” is a typical M.Jayachandran number and may not last long in our minds…
Script
Well, this is perhaps the only area where things have gone utterly wrong for ‘Kunjananthante Kada’. Salim Ahamed perhaps forgot that a good script is what makes a movie perfect. The story idea, the thought behind it is good, but the script plays foil to a great extent and I am sure the film won’t make much of an impact even at the box office.
Direction
Sorry, am at a loss of words. Don’t know what to say about this effort of Salim Ahamed. I would want to appreciate his choice of subject, but the way he has treated it, at the writer’s level and also at the director’s level, has perhaps rendered the film ineffectual. Better luck next time!
Verdict- Begins on a good note, but fizzles out after half time. Doesn’t make an impact!
Rating: 2.5/5