Gokul Manohar – Google

മലയാള സിനിമ ചരിത്രത്തിലെ ഏറ്റവും മികച്ച ക്ലൈമാസ്സ്‌കളിൽ ഒന്ന്. സമൂഹം ഒരു മനുഷ്യനെ എങ്ങനെ സ്വാധിനിക്കുന്നു എന്നതിന് ഉത്തമ ഉദാഹരണം. സിനിമ പ്രേമികൾ തീർച്ചയായും ഈ സിനിമ കാണണം. കൂടുതൽ ഒന്നും പറയാനില്ല. വേറിട്ട ഒരു അനുഭവം തന്നെ.

Left baffled with the ending not going to lie. But I just decided to watch an ending explained video on YouTube. After that I literally came here and gave it 5 stars. I am a huge fan of the practice of telling a story, by not telling much. And the film is a perfect example of this. We as viewers have the freedom to think what is the ending. This film is filled with foreshadowing and director brilliance. The names of the cast (for instance Justin who eventually speaks up and serves justice) and the method of beginning and ending the film with paintings are very well thought of. You have to have knowledge about the paintings shown throughout the film to understand the ending fully (or you can watch the explanation video like I did). [Spoiler] It is unfortunate what happened to Catherine, but as women unite and become strong, they can warn the next potential buyer of the house.

It's really poor. This is evident from the start. Appukuttan is being portrayed as a joker, and it's not even funny. The first film had viewers laughing their heart out with subtle comedy and dialogue delivery. But it fails to even reach 50% of the original. Every scene feels like it is trying to be serious but comes out cringy. Not having a strong emotional backline doesn't help either. Overall its boring.

Iconic Malayalam film. No wonder of the 97% google rating. Miles ahead of its sequels. Some hilarious jokes thrown where its necessary. Story has a very firm backbone, and it is executed surprisingly well. Only when you watch its sequels you come to appreciate how good the first film was. Appukuttan wasn't portrayed as a joker (like its sequels) and every character has its part to play. Overall it's a gem.

A rather flat half rescued by a thick second half. A noteworthy thing that caught my attention was the way which director portraits of the clash between cultures. I find it quite honest. But there is no getting away from the dismal first half of the film. Simply too cringy. The second half manages to capture more human emotions. Songs weren't particularly interesting (I found it boring TBH). Locations were good. Yes it is a road film and has good moments scattered here and there. Sunny Wayne makes a nice impression as well. But you know this film could have been so much better. Girls here falls in love in instantly. I don't know how? (It adds to the cringy felling that I said at the beginning). Overall it's a good watch and makes as want to hit the roads... [Oh no! Corona is on its 137th wave]

Absolute surreal experience! Every scene build up to the final reveal. For a film done in early 2000s in Malayalam industry, this is a masterpiece. This is a major milestone in our film history, not only for its unique way of story telling (with lots of foreshadowing), but also for its visual experience. The location (Ooty) couldn't be more perfect. Nothing more to tell, just experience the tale of this forbidden love.

For me this is not a serious entertainer by any means. Have seen many better movies from Mohanlal and Venu Nagavally. But the main essence of the movie is not lost and adheres to a realistic theme towards the end. Sometimes some scenes gives a surreal experience (or is it just for me?) with all its imagery and portraying Lal as an ideal and likeable character. Overall this is a simple and plain movie. Not famous for its songs, characters etc. After watching I was anticipating some more punch given the talent of the actors.