New Delhi: VLC player reportedly banned in India VLC, developed by the Video LAN Project, is the most trusted video viewer in India. It is reported that the VLC media player was banned two months ago, but those who installed it earlier will not have any problem.
VLC was banned in India after it was discovered that the Chinese-backed hacking group Cicada was likely to carry out cyber attacks on VLC.
Since the current ban is a soft ban, neither the VLC authorities nor the central government has responded or officially announced it.
•ONE WORD: ‘Thallumaala’ is a one-time watchable flick with terrific action.
•STORY IDEA:
Thallumaala unfolds the life of Waseem and the fights he used to get into. Due to the numerous fights, he is faced with many troubles and also some of his fights helps him to gain some good friends. One day Wassem and his gang will get into a conflict and fight with the gang of Regi Mathew which will make his life upside down. Soon Wassem will get engaged to Beepathu but the enmity between Regi and his previous enemies will cause many unexpected events at his wedding. How Waseem and his gang will solve all the issues is the rest of the story and it is also filled with many flashbacks.
•ANALYSIS OF THE DIRECTION, STORY, SCREENPLAY AND DIALOGUES:
The film Thallumaala is directed by Khalid Rahman. The story for the film is written by Muhsin Parari and along with Ashraf Hamza, the script writer Muhsin Parari writes the screenplay for the film. The movie is produced by Ashiq Usman under
Ashiq Usman Productions and Plan B Entertainments had also joined the production. The movie is distributed by Central Pictures and with a running time of 149 minutes, the movie is currently in theatres with a U/A censor certificate.
The direction by Khalid Rahman was good but still, his making was having flaws. The prior issue is the nonlinear way of filmmaking, the first half of the film followed the making of a nonlinear style and the ultimate theatre experience was not that impressive. His efforts to make the film look colourful had worked out, and the frames and the premise of the story looked intriguing and brighter because of the appealing rich youth culture of Malappuram. But it doesn’t save the whole first half, the lagging scenes, the complex way of storytelling, numerous events and confusing connections made the entire first half uninteresting. Both the writers and director failed to create an impact, sadly the starting doesn’t take off well. As the scriptwriters Muhsin Parari and Ashraf Hamza’s writing style had lost the flow in many places, the screenplay was scattered in the middle portion of the first half and felt the film was struggling to engage us, because of the continuity issues the boring scenes in the first half was testing my patience.
The first half of the film didn’t satisfy me, the story and the screenplay were average. The beginning of the film did not have enough elements to entertain, and the time taken to establish the various connecting events to the climax was not giving a proper engaging experience. So I felt lag in the first half, the incidents were stretched and the nonlinear way of making style was not effective and didn’t offer anything impressive. How the various flashback scenes make a connection to the present scenario was told in a confusing and complicated way. Here the director followed the nonlinear way of filmmaking and the numerous events were not having a proper connection to the present scenario. The screenplay in the first half was dull, the writers could have concentrated more on bringing some entertaining situations. The fight is an important element in this film so the circumstances which led to the fight sequence were lacking with sufficient depth, the reason was ok but how it connects to the future events didn’t impress me. The theatre fight was the only scene which I enjoyed in the first half, the actions and the way of fighting were amazing.
The main positive thing about this film is the fight sequences, how they choreographed the action sequences and how the makers exhibited the fights between the characters will blow your mind. There are many fight scenes in the film and the title of the film itself indicates to us that the film is all about a chain of fights. All the action sequences were terrific, the way of fighting, the camera movements, and the premise of the fight sequences will surely hook us. Due to the wonderful choreography, the action sequences are a treat to watch, the theatre fight in the first half and the marriage fight in the second half were fabulous. Here the director had made sure to give the best entertaining fight sequences. Also, the new generation swag style implemented for the characters and the traditional speaking style of Malappuram culture was brought with the proper standard. The Malabar culture with the Muslim living style given to the characters was adequately matching the atmosphere of the story. The efforts of Khalid Rahman were passionate, he had perfectly overthrown the flaws of the first half in the second part. The entire second half was fully entertaining, when the story touches on the main core plot the film was getting a sufficient grip to hold and engage, so I enjoyed the whole second half and it was fun and energetic to watch. The last thirty minutes of the film were funny and thrilling at the same point, the climax was crammed with interesting situations and was creating a curiosity to know the ultimate end. The fight scenes at the end were outstanding and the climax was satisfying, the combination scenes of Tovino Thomas and Shine Tom Chacko were filled with many good exciting moments. Also, a convincing way of storytelling was brought in the whole second half so after completing the film a satisfying feel of an entertaining film will be felt.
Another drawback was the love track in the film, the romance between Tovino Thomas and Kalyani Priyadarshan was mediocre. How they fall in love, their in-between relationship issues, their romance and conflicts surrounded with their wedding didn’t surprise me. All their combination scenes were portrayed simply and as an audience, I couldn’t connect with their chemistry and also with their love track. Here the way of writing was below average, and their combination scene in the first half was also boring. Next, the friendship between the central characters was ordinary, how they meet each other and how they become friends were directed and written nicely. But till the end of the first half, the friendship was not having enough affectionate connection, a thick friendship was not properly seen. But the second half was balanced rightly with the friendship, proper depth and emotional connection of good best friends was seen in everyone. Shine Tom Chacko scored brilliantly in the second half but I felt the makers could have given more screen space for him in the first half, his appearance in the first half was a big relief for avoiding the lagging.
•PERFORMANCE OF ACTORS:
The movie has the casting of Tovino Thomas, Kalyani Priyadarshan, Shine Tom Chacko, Chemban Vinod Jose, Lukman Avaran and many more. Tovino Thomas played the character called Waseem and his performance was excellent. Tovino Thomas as Wassem was superb, his energy and the way he performed were entertaining to watch. His action sequences were massive, and the expressions and the style he portrayed during the fight sequences will impress anyone. The Malabar culture in his character was handled properly and the speaking style of the Malappuram accent also came out authentically. His stylish costumes and his attitude matched the qualities of the character and he maintained it accurately till the end. Shine Tom Chacko’s entire performance was fantastic, his attitude and personality were awesome. The way he fights, his dialogue delivery and the intense way of having facial expressions were nice. His screen presence in the second half and at the climax was entertaining with many good moments. The combination of Tovino Thomas and Shine Tom Chacko is thrilling also at the same time their terrific action sequences will engage us. Kalyani Priyadarshan as Beepathu was fine, she did her role decently. Her modern outlook and costumes were gorgeous and the overall performance was not bad. Lukman Lukku, Austin Dan, Adhri Joe and Swathi Das Prabhu as best friends did a great job. Their friendship and their chemistry was fun to watch, it was filled with many interesting scenes and their combined fight sequences and comedies had made sure to amuse. Johnny Antony and Binu Pappu also scored well with their respective supporting roles and the cameo appearance of Chemban Vinod Jose was also favourable for the situation.
•MUSIC AND BACKGROUND SCORE:
The musical composition for the film is tuned by Vishnu Vijay which includes the background score. The soundtrack of Thallumaala consists of four songs and the songs felt good but not great. The track called “Thallumaala Paattu” sung by Hrithik Jayakish, Neha Girish, Eshaan Sanil, Thejas Krishna and Vishnu Vijay is my favourite among the four songs. The vocals of the all singers and the voice of the various children had given extra energy to the song. The beats in the song and the energetic feel that the song gives draws my mind to hear the song again and again. The song is also used in the trailer and when I heard it for the first time it made an impression. Also the lyrics of Muhsin Parari made the song more vibrant. The second song called “Kannil Pettole” is already on the hit chart and I found the song different. The social media stuff, modern outlooks and colourful visuals in the song will attract anyone, with the visuals the song was good for me but without visuals, I don’t think I will go for it. Another song called “Ndaakkippaattu” was superb, the dance of Tovino Thomas and the chilling celebration mood had given a nice feel. The fourth song called “Ole Melody” sung by Haricharan, Benny Dayal, Salim Kumar and Vishnu Vijay was ok, not bad. The tunes felt average but the voice of the singers was good. The background score was wonderful, for all the fight sequences the background score stood higher to make an impact. The background score helped to give a mass energetic feel, and the style of Tovino Thomas and Shine Tom Chacko in the fight sequences was enriched with some right background scores. Also, the last thirty minutes of the film was creating some curiosity and thrilling moments so to exhilarate it more convincingly the background score was helping to make the proper momentum. The climax fight and the theatre fight in the film were superb and those two important scenes were also nicely crammed with stylish tunes of the background score.
•TECHNICAL DIVISION:
The cinematography by Jimshi Khalid was spectacular, he had given many good shots and notable frames and the whole movie looked colourful from the very beginning. The eye-catchy visuals of Dubai were amazingly shot, and the richness of the land of Dubai was captured appropriately according to the script. The lighting techniques were also impressive, there were many shots of night shots and indoor sequences so the method of lighting used by the cinematographer Jimshi Khalid was striking to set the premise of the film. The action sequences are plenty and it’s an important element in the film so knowing the importance of it Jimshi Khalid shot those fight sequences steadily in a stylish way with many good camera movements. The placement of the camera, the camera shift, and the sudden camera movements come out well for the action sequences so the fights in the film were entertaining to watch. The stylish look of Tovino Thomas and Kalyani Priyadarshan was undertaken beautifully, also the close-up frames of Tovino Thomas and Shine Tom Chacko exhibited their intense expression of various facial expressions. So the overall camera work and the visuals shot by Jimshi Khalid was attractive and his work is one of the major plus factors for this film. The editing of Nishadh Yusuf was fine, mismatches were never felt in the cuts and the transition of scenes from one to another had the perfect synching. The only overall duration was a right and the neat cut and trimming had given suitable length, never felt dragged or stretched. The colour grading was outstanding, the colourful frames were balanced equally with appropriate colour grading. So the visuals on the big screen were attractive and 4K protection made the overall output more glossy. The action choreographers had done a splendid job, every fight sequence looked thrilling, also the fight sequences never felt exaggerated and they matched rightly for the situations.
•CONCLUSION:
So to conclude the film Thallumaala had given me a mixed kind of experience, the first half was ineffective and it was dragging with many boring scenes and mild situations. But the second half was entertaining, the climax was thrilling and the second half was packed with proper making and writing. All the fight sequences in the film are a treat to watch also the combination scene of Tovino Thomas and Shine Tom Chacko is filled with many engaging moments. The movie is rich when it comes to the technical aspects, the brilliant cinematography and editing will fascinate everyone. So overall I felt the film as a one-time watch entertainer and the movie got all the components to entertain the youth audience. If you love to watch a time pass action film then you can grab the tickets for ‘Thallumalla’ but still better to watch with fewer expectations.
Kozhikode: Anticipatory bail to writer Civic Chandran in sexual assault complaint of young writer. The anticipatory bail was granted on the second harassment complaint registered by the Koyilandy police.
The case was considered by the Kozhikode District Principal Sessions Court. On February 8, 2020, the young writer complained that she was sexually assaulted by Civic Chandran when she came to the poetry camp held at Koyalandi Nandi beach. In another complaint, Civic Chandran was granted anticipatory bail. In the case, the court had directed that Civic Chandran should not be arrested till Friday. The arrest was stopped after the police report was not presented to the court yet.
Thiruvananthapuram: Onam Kit distribution in the state will start next week. This was announced by Food Minister GR Anil. The minister said that all the preparations for the distribution of the kit have been completed.
Distribution of the Onam kit will start in the state on the 17th of this month. The packing of the food items to be included in the Onamkit is in progress. This time coconut oil will be distributed separately. The kit will be distributed first to AAY card holders. Later it will be distributed to users with other cards. Anil also stated that 14 items including cloth bags will be available in the Onam kit this time.
There were reports that the distribution of kits in the state would be delayed. It was in this context that the minister informed us that the Onam kits will be distributed from next week.
Idukki: Postmortem report says the death of the newborn in Idukki was murder. According to the postmortem report, water was found inside the baby’s body. The police say that the mother drowned the child in water immediately after giving birth. A murder case filed against the mother.
The incident happened in Thodupuzha Udumbannoor last day. The police say that the mother drowned the child in the bucket of water. At the same time, it is yet to be clarified why the mother killed the child. A police investigation is in progress.
The statement received by the police was that the husband did not know that his wife was pregnant. The police said that the two were not on good terms for the past few days. The woman is being treated at the hospital due to excessive bleeding. The police say that the woman will be arrested as soon as she is discharged from the hospital.
New Delhi: The central government is exploring the possibility of implementing a unified charger for electronic devices including smartphones and tablets across the country.
One charger policy will be implemented in Europe in 2024. Following this, the central government is looking at the possibility of implementing common chargers in India as well. As part of this, the central government called a high-level meeting on Wednesday.
Currently, different chargers are used for different smartphones, laptops, and tablets. The charger is also different depending on the phone of each company. The government is exploring the possibility of ending the use of multiple chargers and allowing all smartphones and tablets to use the same charger. As part of this, the government has invited representatives of various smartphone companies for discussion.
The government estimates that e-waste can be reduced by stopping the use of multiple chargers. Smartphones running on Android and iOS platforms have different chargers. If it is consolidated, only one charger will be enough. In Europe, the companies have been instructed to implement the reform so that they can use Type C chargers to charge all electronic devices, including mobile phones and laptops.
Thiruvananthapuram: Southern Railway has allowed six trains to reduce the rush during the Onam season. Six trains and 10 services have been sanctioned.
Allegations have been raised that this is the first time in Ona season that railways are running such short service.
The train was allotted to Chennai and Bangalore. There are no special trains from Mumbai, Delhi, and Kolkata where there are many Malayalis. Railway authorities have indicated that they are considering allowing more trains.
Special trains have been announced from Ernakulam and Thiruvananthapuram to Velankanni. Ernakulam Junction- Velankanni train will start service next week. The train will leave at noon on August 15 and reach Velankanni at 8.15 am the next day.
The train runs every Monday till September 5. Service via Kottayam. The return train will leave Velankanni at 5.30 pm on August 16 and reach Ernakulam at noon the next day. The service is on every Tuesday till September 6.
The Thiruvananthapuram-Velankanni train will leave Thiruvananthapuram at 3.25 pm on August 17 and reach Velankanni at 4 am the next day. This train will run every Wednesday till September 7. The return train will leave Velankanni at 11.50 pm on August 18 and reach Thiruvananthapuram the next day at 1 pm. The service will be available every Thursday till September 8.
New York: American pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson has stopped selling baby talcum powder.
The company has announced that it will stop selling baby talcum powder globally by 2023. The action comes in the context of thousands of pending cases against baby talcum powder related to safety.
The company said it has decided to switch to a cornstarch-based baby powder with added corn flours. Cornstarch is safer than talcum powder. Talcum powder contains chemicals. The company also announced that the sale of cornstarch-based children’s powder has started worldwide.
In 2020, Johnson & Johnson stopped selling children’s talcum powder in the United States and Canada. The move came against the backdrop of a huge drop in demand. The company explains that sales have plummeted due to false news regarding the product’s safety.
Currently, the company is facing 38000 cases. Consumers have filed a case against the company claiming that talcum powder causes cancer. The complaints state that talcum powder contains asbestos. Experts say that it is harmful to the body. But Johnson & Johnson denied the allegations. The company claims that the product is safe and free of asbestos after decades of testing.
Srinagar: Encounter between security forces and terrorists in Rajouri, Jammu & Kashmir. 3 troops were martyred in the attack. The encounter took place after terrorists tried to infiltrate the army camp at Pargal, 25 km from Rajouri.
Two terrorists were gunned down by the army in an encounter between security forces and terrorists. Five jawans were injured. The Indian Army has confirmed that the operation has now ended. At around 3:30 am, the terrorists attacked the military base located at Pargal in the Darhal area of Rajouri district.
The security forces foiled an attempt to attack by jumping over the wall of the military center. The terrorists and the army exchanged fire. Those who tried to infiltrate were shot dead by the soldiers.
Security forces cordoned off the area where the army base is located and began a detailed search for more terrorists. The army killed two terrorists in an encounter in Badgaon last day.
New Delhi: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued new norms and rules regarding digital lending transactions through apps and others. RBI has decided to issue norms to ensure the advancement of digital services by considering the demands from various sectors. “These norms are based on the principle that only institutions regulated by the Reserve Bank or institutions authorized to grant loans under any other law can carry on lending business,” the RBI said in a notification.
Digital lenders are divided into three groups. i) Institutions regulated by RBI and permitted to carry on lending business, ii) Institutions not regulated by RBI but authorized to lend under other statutory/regulatory provisions, iii) Institutions lending outside the purview of any statutory/regulatory provisions.
The norms have been set based on input from a working group set up by the RBI to assess institutions involved in lending through online platforms and mobile applications. According to the new rules, all transactions and repayments related to loans should take place directly between the borrower’s bank account and the lending service provider. Fees and charges payable to the servicer as part of the loan-related process are to be paid by the regulatory body and not by the borrower, the notification said.
The order also clarified that the loan limit should not be increased without the consent of the borrowers. As per the norms, a standardized key fact statement (KFS) must be provided to the borrower before securing the loan agreement. The Annual Percentage Rate (APR) of all charges incurred in a year in respect of the digital loan must be recorded in the KFS.
The regulatory body should ensure that there is a nodal grievance redressal officer to address complaints related to digital lending. Details related to this officer should be provided on the website. Complaints should be resolved within 30 days. Only necessary information should be collected from the borrower. The RBI norms state that prior approval is also required for this. The final decision regarding the granting of permission for the provision of the information rests with the Borrower.
Samir Agarwal, CEO, and founder of EV financing company Revfin said he welcomes the recommendations of the RBI’s working group on digital loans. He added that the recommendations would bring transparency and credibility to digital lending while protecting consumer interests.
