Mohanlal film titled 'Specialist'

Cochin, Mar. 1 (NR): Mohanlal has signed up for a new film titled 'Specialist' that would be produced by Joy Thomas Shakthikulangara.

'Specialist' would be directed by P. Balachandrakumar. The director is currently busy wrapping up his film 'Cowboy' that stars Asif Ali in the title role.

Joy Thomas Shakthikulangara had earlier produced films like 'Mummy and Me' and 'Dr.Love'. Mohanlal would start shooting for this new project after completing Ranjith's 'Spirit'.

ORDINARY

Sugeeth's 'Ordinary' starts off with Iravikuttan Pillai (Kunchacko Boban) joining duty as a bus conductor on a KSRTC bus that shuttles between Pathanamthitta and the hill station of Gavi. He is quick to establish a rapport with the driver, Suku (Biju Menon) as well as the regular commuters aboard the bus. In no time, Iravi finds more than enough reason to make Gavi his home, when he meets Kalyani (Sritha Sreenivas).

The brilliant on-screen chemistry between the two lead actors in the film - Biju Menon and Kunchacko Boban - works in its favor big time. Of course there are some other very adorable characters as well, like the drunkard Vavachan (Baburaj) or the local school master Jose (Jishnu), and together they do come up with some mirth and easily consumable entertainment during the first hour. 

'Ordinary' also has one of the most beautifully executed Interval shots in recent times. There is a rare combination at work here, and there is a whole lot of tension being built up even as the camera moves down over a window pane that's all moist with the heavy mist outside. You get to see Anna drawing her fingers down the panes, with a gentle smile lighting up her lips.

It's been some time since we have had a movie that was set somewhere up in the hills, and its Gavi where Sugeeth and his team leads us to. It's a small village where the fog never even thinks of taking leave; the kind of place where you know love tales are bound to bloom. 

So what is it then that punctures this vehicle's tyres? With about fifty percent of the movie almost in tact, all that the writers needed to do was to carry the characters on forward with equal momentum. And its here that they have failed. The film tries way too hard to get real serious in the latter half, and the more it tries, the more it stands in sharp contrast with the very enjoyable first half.

Biju Menon has been busy throwing one surprise on our face after the other, and in 'Ordinary' he towers over the rest of the cast with a superb performance that's sprightly. He brings in a very special genuineness to the character that he plays by dubbing a Palakkadan accent to perfection. Baburaj seems to be getting better with each film, and in 'Ordinary', he is a riot. Kunchacko Boban, Ann Augustine, Jishnu and newcomer Sritha Sivadas leave a mark.

Perhaps its might seem strange that a bus gets mentioned along with the actors, but how could one possibly forget the fascinating KSRTC bus without which it would all have seemed quite parched? She's a beauty really, and painted in red and yellow and with the 'Ordinary' board hung across her waist, I should admit that I never thought of how beautiful these vehicles could be. Not until I cast my eyes on her.

Leading the disappointment front is none other than Asif Ali, who for the last few films has taken to shouting at the top of his voice irrespective of the role that he gets to essay in them. In 'Ordinary' he goes way overboard, and combines the shriek with some real hysterical acting. 

Faisal Ali's camera ensures that it all looks stunning on screen, and Vidyasagar's lilting melodies in particular have been remarkably picturised. Sugeeth is a man to watch out for, and as much as his directorial debut remains a mixed bag, the man has proven that he has arrived in a big way.

'Ordinary' stops short of rising above its title into something totally extraordinary, despite having a few good moments as it starts off. With an enterprising first half that fizzles out into a mediocre second half, this film could have turned out into something way above the ordinary with a tauter script. 

Hero Trailer - 2 - Malayalam Movie Trailers & Promos

Hero Trailer - 2 - Malayalam Movie Trailers & Promos: Hero Trailer - 2 - Malayalam Movie Trailers & Promos

MASTERS

'Masters' begins off by showcasing the camaraderie shared by ASP Sriramakrishnan (Prithviraj) and Milan (Sasikumar) a journalist - college mates and friends who have stuck with each other through thick and thin. The police officer is entrusted with the investigation of a murder that involved a suicide bomber, and in no time he realizes that there is much more to it than what meets the eye.

The real hero of 'Masters' is neither Prithviraj nor Sasikumar, but Jinu Abraham, who has penned one of the most absorbing scripts that I have come across in Malayalam films in recent times. There has been no dearth of crime thrillers in Malayalam, and if 'Masters' doesn't fall into the customary mystery category its thanks to an enterprising writer at its helm. The true mastery lies in the way this story is told. 

It might seem almost implausible to craft a murder mystery around a known culprit, and its here that 'Masters' stands apart. The ploy and the motive of the person committing the crime is what has been brought under focus, and as such 'Masters' provides more of an exhaustive study on the criminal psyche than on the crime itself. 

Its interesting how one thing adds to another, gradually making up a sensible whole, with little ambiguity regarding the proceedings whatsoever. A neatly ingenious idea that is almost impeccably executed into an exciting script, Jinu proves unquestionably with 'Masters' that there is plenty of hope left for writing in Malayalam cinema. 

When you take into account the superb buildup of the plot, the climax might come across as a bit tame in comparison. I only have some objection to the way it stretched on for a bit, even after the plug was pulled off the suspense dynamite in the climax, but I guess it's too little a flaw for all the entertainment that it provided till then.

Prithviraj fits the role to the 'T' and is admirably impressive as the police officer who would stop at nothing until the truth is found out. In sharp contrast, Sasikumar comes up with a timid performance that is further hampered by the dubbing. Certainly surprising, since the actor is such a natural artiste in Tamil films. Ananya is incredibly good in a very brief role, and Pia Bajpai does a commendable job as well.

The film has all the makings of a commercial potboiler that should see it sailing smoothly through the box office seas for a while. Way too superior to the generic thrillers being churned out by the dozen, 'Masters' is a cool chiller for this summer, that delivers its jolt moments with aplomb.

22 female kottayam

Aashiq Abu's '22 F Kottayam' is a bitter, raw confrontation of a truth; a truth that we have turned our faces away from, a truth that we have pretended to be non-existent, a truth that we have kept wrapped beneath shrouds and shrouds of (pseudo) morality. The confrontation over, this truth wedges itself into your psyche with such ferocity, that you leave the theatres with a bleeding conscience, writhing in discomfort.

Tessa K Abraham (Rima Kallingal), one among the thousands of hopeful Malayali nurses in Bangalore who dream of flying abroad some day, comes across Cyril (Fahad Fazil), a Visa consultant who promises to have her flying to Canada in no time. Hailing from Kottayam, Tessa is one those girls who has got used to the ways of life in a metropolis, who reveals to Cyril that she doesn't think of nursing as a thankless profession. She's in love with her job and admits that she's the kind who was born to be a nurse. The tips are good too, she shrugs with a smile. 

Oh, it's beautiful how these two souls fall in love in a city that goes about busily leading its own life, unmindful of the tiny beings that live in it. 'Tessa Visa' and 'Cyril Visa' eventually do get rid of the 'Visa' bits on their mobile contact lists, and embark on a process of discovering each other amidst hastily exchanged text messages and sms beeps, with the neon lights of the city standing witness to it all. They get drunk and fervently make love at his abode, before she decides to move in with him. 

It's on this very same bed that she gets brutally raped weeks later. Rape has probably been never as painfully depicted in Malayalam films, and when it's repeated, it almost makes you nauseous. It isn't really an effortless task to sit through the ordeal that Tessa goes through, and the post-traumatic pain does not sadly limit itself to psychological strain alone. She finds herself literally torn apart, with her skull broken, fingers fractured and bite marks all over her battered body. 

This is a relentless film that doesn't let you off that easily. The crime scene remains a callous reminder of the sordidness of the act. Back home with a bruised body and a shaken mind, Tessa tries to pick up the bits of her life that lie all over the place. The soiled carpets, blood stained bed sheets and broken flower pots are enough to drive Cyril insane, but Tessa looks all determined to start all over again. She wonders though if the equations between them have changed after her being raped, and when Cyril hugs her in reassurance, groans that he is hurting her with his crushing grasp.

It would be a gross injustice to label '22 F Kottayam' as a feminist film, nor does it fall into the category of a cult classic like 'Baise Moi', where there is an absolute glorification of the blood being splattered, with vengeance as a justification. It's more of an individual that is wronged in '22 F Kottayam', and that she is a woman makes her torment even worse. But there are singular issues that a woman has to deal with being discussed on a much deeper level, from seemingly trivial ones as the male stare to grave ones as sexual assault.

There are very few men in the film, and they clearly fall into the black or white categories. There is Hegde (Prathap Pothan) who has the most courteous look on his face when he asks if he can have sex with a woman. It's only later that you realize that the criminal act that he commits was not one that was done in isolation. He's a gross sexual offender who has been accused of raping an eight year old girl! There is DK (Sathar) on the other hand, who is a gentleman who admits that nothing in the world comes for free. He accepts favors from the women he love, and ensures that they have no regrets. Perhaps at the other end of the spectrum is Ravi uncle (T G Ravi), the flirtatious old man with a heart of gold, who takes a special liking for Tessa. "I think I'll miss me when I'm gone," says the septuagenarian with a smile. 

The writing by Abhilash Kumar and Syam Pushkaran is undoubtedly top-notch. There is an outstanding scene in the film where the perpetrator of the crime looks Tessa straight in her face and says "Fuck You!" "Not any more...," she retorts with a smirk. I loved that scene, which however made me think of another one when she uses the term 'male organ', which stands in striking contrast to the aforementioned scene. It's one of the few plastic scenes in the film, where you wonder if Tessa, being the person that she has eventually turned out to be, would ever have thought of sophistication when using a word as that. In all probability you expect her to shout out a Malayalam expletive with a beep sound blurring it away. And I talk of these, only because this is a film that tries to tear up those conventions into shreds and show them the winds, and very rightly so.

While discussing '22 F Kottayam', I also need to mention a very special movie that I had seen last year, 'Nakharam', that was directed by Deepesh. Not many of us got to see the film in theatres, but there is a striking semblance in the climax of these two films. The respective women protagonists in these films belong to diverse cultural milieu, but the injustice that has been meted out to them is the same. Their ploys of vengeance are very much alike and both of them make mince meat (literally) of the men that had ruined their lives. More than a shock tactic at work, this is an expression (and a fierce one at that) of a repressed sense of being wronged, that surges out in all strength.

Arguments that the film turns out to be sexist at the end of it all, wouldn't really hold ground. When Tessa lands up in jail, it almost seems like the film goes off tangent for a while, but it's here that she meets the heavily pregnant Subaida, who tells her that women are born with the ultimate weapon in their hands, which is at once a boon and a curse. Wanting to kill, Tessa has no qualms of making use of that only weapon she has, and out in the real world approaches DK for help. She murmurs as she offers herself to him, that he shouldn't expect her to be Jincy, his much preferred female escort, on bed. She reminds him that she's a woman who has been raped twice, and who has spent several months in jail, accused of a crime that she never did commit.

Rima, has over the last couple of years, evolved to be an actress of exceptional caliber, and '22 F Kottayam' is undoubtedly the best we have seen from her, as yet. It's not just the intensity that she has managed to infuse into her performance that matters here. The courage that she has shown as an actor to take up a role that doesn't conform to traditions is highly commendable. That she has done absolute justice to it, is a bonus. This is an absolutely woman oriented film, and if Fahad Fazil holds ground with Rima in almost every scene in which we get to see them together, it speaks volumes of the performer that this young man is. His twitched eye brows as he corrects her faulty Malayalam pronunciation would vouchsafe this fact. Almost every other actor in the film has been perfectly cast, and their contributions praiseworthy. 

Rex Vijayan and Bijibal come up with a musical score that is simply out of this world. And Shyju Khalid's fantastic frames make sure that it's a film that throws a challenge before you; one that gnaws its way right up your soul.

Big hugs, Mr. Abu for gifting us with this fighter female, 22 years old, from Kottayam. And an extra big hug for not parading her as a virgin.

GRANDMASTER

mohanlal's upcoming movie.............
It seem's to be a action film.film is directed by b.unnikrishnan.UTV is bringing this film towards you.Mohanlal is doing the title role.young actor narane is also doing am important role.His fans are waiting for this film and it seems to be the next upcoming hit!!!!

dileep's MAYAMOHINI

MAYMOHINI

Trivandrum, April 10 (TruthDive): In the Malayalam movie Mayamohini, Dileep plays as Biju Menon’s wife, a lady role. The film was released on Saturday, April 7th. The film is doing well in the BoxOffice, as the movie is considered as Dileep’s best film till date.

Mayamohini is directed by Jose Thomas and Dileep plays the role of Mayamohini, a Mumbai girl and with Biju Menon and Baburaj in the lead roles. On seeing the box office collection , the movie is considered undoubtedly as one of the biggest hits in the Malayalam film industry so far.

Mayamohini was screened on 70 screens on Saturday and the movie got a massive opening with a box office collection Rs. 90 lakh on the opening day. The movie got a huge response from the masses.

Further latest reports say the first weekend collection of the movie has gone up to 1.80 crore gross, that is the collection within 2 days of its release. The movie is also expected to garner more collection in the coming days.

On seeing the tremendous response from the public, many theatres have increased their number of shows. There wasn’t much promotion for the movie by the makers, yet the movie has been popularized just from the mouth words of the puplic.

The highlight of the film is the lady make-up of Dileep. The girl make-up was done on Dileep by Roshan. The concentration for Dileep’s make-up was also done on bindis, chappals and nail polish, apart from the facial make-up.

Dileep concentrated not only in his make-up, he spared his hardwork in the acting part too. He was keen in all aspects of the character, such as looks, acting, body language and gesture. Dileep made sure he was convincing enough as a woman. The actor said acting as a lady was quite challenging to him.