P.K.Rajagopal Nair

The 2hrs 36 min. movie "KURUP" telling viewers , the real life story of Gopala Krishna Kurup , bears all the character of a crime thriller , with Kurup's stylish looks and his crooked nature making forays in the minds of viewers. Right from the beginning of the movie, the dishonest nature of Kurup is evident and it becomes more clear at the IAF Training Camp where he followed his own life style an his own way of making money. Kurup wanted to live a stylish life and the kind of flamboyancy in him has made way for Kurup to commit the gruesome crime forcing him to go in hiding. Director Srinath Rajendran took full advantage of the character hiding in Kurup, as he succeeded well to portray Kurup as an exuberant and confident person in the fictional part of the movie , as viewers enjoyed it to the full. Kurup's mannerisms , his habits and way of behaviour all have been brought well by Srinath , leaving viewers spellbound.The manner in which Kurup find escape routes and giving the police the slip was indeed a thrill to watch . It was interesting to watch the manner in which Kurup hoodwinked the police when he was about to be caught. Dulquer Salman as Kurup turned out to be the right pick for the right kind of job. He has done his job with lot of perfection , his body language, his dialogue delivery, stylish looks , chain smoking habits and above all, his high level performance stands tall, as Dulquer lives in the hearts of viewers as the real Sukumara Kurup. Dulquer has proved his mettle and viewers have accepted it. Indrajit Sukumaran , as an honest and upstanding police officer surprises viewers with his" police look", as his character Krishnadas sparkles , leaving impressive impressions in the minds of viewers. One really feels that police dept. should have an officer of the calibre of Krisnadas at the helm. Indrajit's very look and his well- built body makes criminals to spill the truth. Other actors were also performed well , particularly Shine Tom Chacko, appearing as Kurup's brother-in-law , the drunkard and the executioner. A must watch movie the "Kurup" has turned out to be.Dulquer Salman and Indrajit topping the list with their brilliant acting prowess. Other actors looking overshadowed by the brilliancy of these two actors. A great team effort fetching rich dividends.

"Varane Avasyamundu" has turned out to be a spectacular family drama ,which brought along with it plenty of anecdotel events that are being witnessed in one's life and brought before the audience quite impressively by the debutant director Anoop Satyan, who has succeeded well in stealing the hearts of viewers. Actress Shobana makes a strong come back, as she has portrayed well her character , who have been left by her husband and who is having a girl of marriageable age , who is in hunt for a decent boy to whom she can get married. The big turn around happening in her life was indeed worth watchable and in the end things started moving in her way, giving the much needed sigh of relief for audience. Suresh Gopi as Major Unnikrishnan, who is a chronic bachelor having peculiar characteristics has impressed the audience extremely well with his acting prowess. Suresh , probably has not taken such kind of roles in the past, but he managed well to deal with the difficult role. A special mention has to be made here with regard to the confrontation between him and Shobana and the manner in which she takes total control of the situation by winning the heart of the Major as the Major decides to live with her for the rest of his life, which brought cheers in the minds of audience. Kalyani Priyadarshan, the young girl, who is in search for a suitable man as her partner, had to face enormous amount of problems, but finally succeeds in her mission. It was nice to watch Kalyani sparkles on the screen with her wonderful piece of acting. It was good to listen to the music which was nicely composed. " Groom Wanted" is indeed a great movie which brings along with it the message of love and affection. Audience are seen greatly satisfied while emerging out of the theatre after watching the movie.

The movie "Mamangam" is a war drama which deals with the life style of the Valluvandu community and has been brought on to the celluloid quite magnificently by the makers of this movie. It is a revenge story by Chandroth family, against Zamorins , in order to take back their land forcibly acquired by them , for which the Chandroth family is dispatching their younger generation warriors as "Chaver Pada"(Suicide Squad) in the form of Panikker and Chathunni , but only to die after valiantly fighting against the most powerful Zamorins. It was super star Mammooty who shined well as a fearless warrior as his role leave an indelible image in the minds of viewers. His maturity as a fine actor is clearly reflecting when ever he appears on the screen. Unni Mukundan and Achuthan deserves accolades for their superlative performances as Panikker and Chathunni respectively. The most glamorous Prachi Tehlan and Anu Sitara as dancers tempting every one to dance to their tune. Music director M. Jayachandran's music and the couple of songs as composed by him was worth listening. The martial art "Kalari-payattu" and the manner in which it is shown in the movie was breath taking and spine chilling. The director Mr. M. Padma kumar can take the credit of handling a bold subject and has succeeded well in creating an impact in the minds of viewers. They have definitely accepted it with both their hands. " Mamangam" is a movie worth to be watched, especially on the big screen.

The movie "Lucifer" begins with the sudden and sad death of the leader of the party in power P.K.Ramdas , who was considered to be an up-right and highly respected politician and was widely accepted by his party men and acclaimed as a leader of the masses. Ramdas was closely connected to Stephen Nedumpally, who was rumoured to be his own son, a character being portrayed by Mohanlal. The leader's death came as a shocker for party leaders , who were frantically in search for a person who can take the postion of the late leader, and it came in the form of Bobby , the son- in- law of late Ram das, who is a notorious character having close connections with people involved in illegal drug trade. Infact, Bobby's attempt to raise finance for the party through drug trafficking, which has been foiled by Stephen, who turned out to become a headache for Bobby and his associates. The arrival of Bobby in to the scene also brought along with it a series of upheavels and turbulance that witnessed turn of events in the form of physical and verbal violence , murders and other kind of criminalities. There was a total mess which was prevailing in the party and the political unrest was evident among party workers, who turned out to be a disappointed lot with Bobby at the helm of affairs of the party. Mohanlal as Stephen Nedumpally alias Lucifer stands tall among all other characters as he executed the role superbly well. Indeed it was a strong performance on the part of the great actor as he has carried out Stephen's role quite effortlessly and in the liking of every one. Vivek Oberoi as Bobby looks smart and refreshing, as he steals the hearts of viewers with his fine show. He suits extremely well for the role he has been entrusted with. His inclusion in the movie has turned out to be a surprise pick , which has been paid with rich dividends. One can not keep aside the portryal of characters of Priya and Father Nedumpally as carried out by Manju Warrier and Fazil respectively, who did a fine job, as they left an image which is not delible, in the minds of viewers. Prithviraj Sukumaran as the debutant director has proved himself to be an asset for the Malayalam Film Industry as he has turned out to be a director to be watched for. It was a brave attempt by him to take up this kind of a subject as he has succeeded incredibly well, in his very first attempt itself, as a director. "Lucifer" is a watchable movie. One should definitely watch it for Mohanlal and Vivek Oberoi. The speciality of this movie is that, each one of the characters have contributed handsomely as the individual perfornmace of each of the actors has turned out to be outstanding, much beyond the expectations of audience. This has turned out to be the prime factor behind the success of the movie.

The movie “Odiyan” begins with the footages being grabbed in the holy city of Varanasi , where Odiyan Manickyan had spent some of his time and now he returns to his native village Thenkurissi after 15 years of self exile, as he decides to spent the rest of his life in his own village where he has taken birth and spent major part of his life. He also wanted to settle scores with one of his old rival by name Ravunni Nair. But things did not work the way he expected. Manickyan finds himself in dire-straits , as he faced the ire from villagers, who plan to take revenge on him for his past misdeeds. Manickyan had been forced to flee his village earlier because he had been falsely implicated by Ravunni, in to the killings of two of his relatives, as the villagers thought it was Manickyan who is behind the crime, when these killings are actually been done by Ravunni himself. Manickyan’s adolescent days in his village and how he learned “Odi Vidya” and his transformation to a full-fledged Odiyan Manickyan , the manner in which he carries out his attack on his rivals and his confrontation with the most despicable Ravunni, his close proximity with Prabha , the woman he likes the most- all these have turned out to be the part and parcel of the movie. The manner in which Manickyan appears on the screen – both as young and old- were worth to watch. A role quite suiting to the man in action—Mohanlal. His body-language and his physique appears to be well suiting to the Manickyan’s role. Mohanlal is taking such kind of a role for the first time in his film career and he has succeeded to impress upon the audience with his stellar performance. Prakash Raj as the stone-hearted Ravunni Nair makes deep impressions in the minds of the audience, a heart- less person that he turned out to be-- his eyes, dark complexion , venomous glance – speaks of the dirty man in him. The manner in which he executes his dialogues and his face expressions were highly impressive. Along with this, comes the story of the woman Prabha, who is spectating what ever good and bad happening around her, a role being handled by Manju Warrier,has turned out to be the most cardinal part of the movie . She lives on the silver screen as a sister, as a widow and as a responsible home- maker , who looks after house chorus and sincerely takes care of her blind sister. Manju’s on-screen charm speaks volumes about her ability and talent. Prabha’s close encounters with Ravunni and the way she manages to keep him under check was interesting to watch. Manickyan’s and Prabha's heart-to-heart meeting after a gap of 15 years and the happy moments and communications they share each other, came as a feast for the eyes. The musical fete as presented by composer M.Jayachandran freshen the movie to a great extend. Such was the magic created by M. J., as songs in the like of “Kondoram” and “Manam Thudukkanu” leaves audience mesmerised . The picturisation of the song “Kondoram” involving Manickyan and Prabha, brings to the fore the depthness of their holistic love , has turned out to be visually stimulating The best use of CGI in action shots created a lot of impact. All fight sequences especially the one at the climax stages of the movie becomes a thrilling experience for the audience. Shreekumar Menon, who makes his maiden appearance as a director of a feature film, can take pride of presenting a movie, which moves largely towards the audience way. As a director, he has performed exceedingly well and this is being reflected in the manner in which he has presented Odiyan Manickyan , before the audience , with the last man of the Odiyan clan shining on the silver screen. The movie “Odiyan” must have brought a warm fuzzy feeling in the audience , as they just can not erase from their minds the stunning performance of Mohanlal, Prakash Raj and Manju Warrier . "Odiyan" undoubtedly is a worth watching movie.

The movie "Drama" begins with the footage of a grand funeral procession, passing through the streets of a London suburb, and one wonders here why the Director went for such a lengthy funeral shot , but later on, the audience realise its relevance, as the story- line of the movie has a strong linkage with the sequences being witnessed by them , at the very outset of the film. It was Mrs. Rosamma John Chacko's last desire that after her death, her body has to be buried in her village in Kattapana in Kerala, by the side of her late husband's grave. Rosamma died abruptly at her daughter's home in London , the news of which was communicated to her NRI , daughter and sons and it was decided to conduct the funeral in London itself, much against the wishes of their dead Mother. They are all settled elsewhere and expected to arrive in London to attend to the funeral. It is here, the movie takes the turn. It is interesting to watch their immediate reactions , as they were cursing the dead mother, for bringing disruption and discomforts to them and were deeply concerned about the dead mother's property, rather than any thing else. A stark reality, which is being witnessed in today's materialistic world ! In the mean time, it has been decided to hand over the responsibilities concerning the funeral to a Funeral Event- Management Company and here the audience witness the arrival of its partner and funeral director Rajagopal , a role which has been handled immaculately by Mohanlal. It is he and his men , who makes the things floating as they take over the charge of the dead body, guarding it and making arrangements for its disposal. The circumstances which led to the shifting of the body from one place to another, brought along with it lot of fun, making audience to laugh along with the scenes. It was nice to watch Mohanlal in an inebriated state, as he feels himself by the side of dead Rosamma, and communicating with her, even though it appeared to be some what lengthy. It was Raju (Mohanlal) , who makes others to dance with his tune, as all his plans and tricks works very well in his favour, paving way for Rosamma' s body to be repatriated to Kerala for performing her last rites. Along with it, came the wish fulfillment of a dead woman ! Mohanlal shines in his role as the Funeral director. His experience comes handy for the role. He is well suited to handle such kind of a role with utmost perfection. Arundatha Nag, as Rosamma makes her presence felt as she did well in her cameo role. Even though, the mother is dead and her mortal remains lying closeby, her NRI children , who are grown up, and with the exception of the two, appears to be busy with their own problems as they are least concerned about their mother's death. This film uncovers the real mind-set of such people who are living in their ivory towers, who do not even bothered to fulfil the last wishes of their dead mother. The chain of events that are happening around, accompanied by hilarious dialogues, provoke laughter and provide amusement for audience. There is real love, fake love, greed for money, and we are living in a materialistic world , where people are highly self-centric, as they are concerned only with their own physical comforts and wealth rather than human values and relations. The film brings well before the audience those realities existent in modern society and succeeds in making an impact in their minds. For audiences saturated with love stories and thriller movies , this film "Drama" offers an unforgettable entertainment experience. Director Ranjit Balakrishnan can take the credit of presenting a movie which is delectable and watchable. "Drama" will drag you to the theatre. A movie which is worth to be watched , and never to be missed. Go and experience the beauty of it .

What a wonderful movie it has turned out to be. One of the best movies of Sathyan which was beautifully picturised and directed by the veteran Sethumadhavan. I have seen this movie few times but each time when I saw it , the various scenes it appeared before me touched by heart as it had become part of my heart. It is the story of a man , who had migrated to hilly regions of Waynad, to make a living along with his family, but had to struggle right from day one but he tried his best to cope up the various challenges he had confronted , but failed to succeed and had to return to the same place from where he & and his family had once left, to make a living. Besides Sathyan, Madhu and Jayabharathi also shines in this movie, leaving an indelible image in the minds of viewers. The movie is worth to watch even now. " Karakanakadal" really makes us feel emotional as it has all the ingredients in it to take us so close to the realities of life.

1996..........2018 Still keep very much alive in the hearts of millions of viewers. A span of 22 years does not matter much for this spectacular Priyadarshan movie , which can even today entice and enthuse the viewers as they must be craving to watch the movie time and again. A big budget movie of its times , fell under the block buster category had all the ingredients in it to magnatise viewers at large as they fell in love with its magical spell which remains so green in their memories even today. Very few movies can boast of achieving such rare feats. That is why "Kalapani" still remains at the top and can compete with many big budget movies of today. The combo of Mohanlal and Priyadarshan worked exceedingly well even during those years.