KISHKINDHA KAANDAM (MALAYALAM) (2024)

Ajay (Asif Ali), a forest officer, lives with his father Appu Pillai (Vijayaraghavan), a retired army officer, in their family villa deep in the verdant jungles of Wayanad. The movie begins with hints of a missing pistol belonging to Appu Pillai that is required to be surrendered in the police station due to the forthcoming elections. This is intercut with the scene of Ajay getting married to Aparna (Aparna Balamurali) in a simple court marriage where the couple appear to be going through the motions unemotionally.

As the search for the missing gun intensifies, Aparna and us - the viewers - are hooked to the the gently unpeeling layers of this household including details about Ajay's earlier marriage, his deceased wife who succumbed to cancer, their 10-year old son who has been missing for 3 years, as well as the apparent eccentricities of Appu Pillai. What happens to the missing gun and the missing son ? The narrative adopts a gentle and measured pace that nevertheless, keeps us engaged till its culmination in an emotional and gripping finale. Even the dramatic reveals of the climax are delivered with a measured tone which ironically land like a sucker punch.

Director Dinjith Ayyathan along with the cinematographer Bahul Ramesh who has also written the story, screenplay and dialogues have crafted a narrative that builds gradually to a crescendo without resorting to any gimmickry or loud melodrama. It is like watching a blank canvas coming alive at the hands of a brilliant artist who transforms into a masterpiece - one assured brushstroke after another - all the while keeping us guessing till the very end.

The narrative expertly focusses on the nature of memories which are central to our survival and existence as they are the basic building blocks of our life. Our memories are the filter through which we see and understand the world. We perceive and live our everyday experience of reality through what we have remembered thus far. Yet, our memories remain fallible as they are seldom an accurate record of events and also continue to diminish as we age. Nevertheless, we continue our valiant, albeit vain, efforts to clutch at the straws of this fast-fading scaffolding that is central to our constructs of self as well as our social connections.

The writer-director duo weave their storyline to explore these dimensions without missing out on the mystery that captivates our attention as we continuously search for answers. The central cast comprising of Asif Ali, Aparna Balamurali, and Vijayaraghavan ace their respective parts with just the right dose of pathos, mystery, curiosity, madness and vulnerability. The score by Mujeeb Majeed subtly underlines the unfolding drama without drawing too much attention to itself.

The movie serves a perfect cocktail of an intelligent drama dense with emotions and multi-faceted mystery that lingers with you long after the viewing.

ANOTHER GEM FROM GOD'S OWN COUNTRY !

RATING - 4.5/5

PS - Streaming on Disney+HotStar

AMARAN (TAMIL) (2024)

Biopics, especially of army veterans, are an unexplored genre in Tamil cinema. Director Rajkumar Periasamy takes this road less traveled as he narrates the story of Major Mukund Varadarajan who was martyred in Kashmir shortly after celebrating his 31st birthday. 

The unusual casting of leads - Siva Karthikeyan (SK) and Sai Pallavi - has worked exceptionally well as both provide stellar performances. SK undergoes a spectacular transformation in his muscular physicality as well as a controlled performance that is as distant from his usual casual self as snowy Kashmir is from sunny shores of Kanyakumari. Sai Pallavi is once again phenomenal as the emotional anchor to this film. 

Amaran is a fine attempt as it blends the personal life comprising of an affecting love story along with a valorous life of a professional army man with exemplary leadership skills. The director deserves credit for steering clear of the usual pitfalls of loud jingoism and teary melodrama that mire most movies of this genre. 

RATING - 3.5/5

A VERY GOOD WATCH !

PS - Streaming on Netflix

RIFLE CLUB (MALAYALAM) (2024)

Two love birds on the run from predatory gangsters seek refuge in a rifle club nestled in the verdant Western ghats. The club traces its lineage to Tipu and colonials with its proud members transcending age or gender stereotypes. When the gangsters in pursuit land at the gates of the club, all hell breaks loose.

Director Ashiq Abu orchestrates a mayhem manufactured in malevolent Malyali gunslinger heaven set to a thumping score from Rex Vijayan.

The stellar cast including Dileesh Pothan, Anurag Kashyap, Varni Vishwanath, Vijaya Raghavan, Surabhi Lakshmi, Dharshana Rajendran and many more hit the bulls-eye delivering their roles with comic panache.

Overall, this is a stylish thriller mounted on a wafer thin premise where the count of bullets matter much more than the body count.

A DOUBLE-BARRELLED DELIGHT !

RATING - 3.5/5

VIDUTHALAI PART 2 (TAMIL) (2024)

The first part of Viduthalai that was released last year was a fascinating exploration of politics and  hierarchical structures (class, caste, etc). The story unfolded from the perspective of an impressionable rookie cop Kumaresan played by Soori in a career-defining turn with Vijay Sethupathi playing a cameo as Perumal Vaathiyaar - a charismatic mentor of a ruthless revolutionary force.

The sequel sees a role reversal as it dwells on the life and times of Perumaal Vaathiyaar, his evolution from a humble school teacher, his own schooling on left ideology, labour leader and thereafter to become a revolutionary. The role of Kumaresan is relegated to a cameo and an occasional voice over, except for a few scenes.

Most of the movie which is structured as episodic recounting of the life of Perumaal Vaathiyaar ends up as an unending and verbose monologue of political commentary and ideological propaganda - logical and lofty. Yet, these ideas lack a strong rooting in an engaging story or relatable character arcs and consequently, sink without striking an emotional chord. None of the the events linger long enough to make an impression and as a result, even some of the decently staged action set-pieces fail to make a mark as there is little emotional pay-off.

Vijay Sethupathi is phenomenal and is supported well  by the star-studded supporting cast including Soori who continues to breathe Kumaresan, an ever-dependable Manju Warrier, Gautam Menon,  Rajiv Menon, Chethan, Ilavarasu, Kishore and Ken Karunaas. 

Director Vetrimaaran's sequel is too dense - it delivers a semester load of political, socio-economic discourse and much more in the span of almost three hours of runtime. If only, the strands of the story and characters were explored in as much detail as the ideas that he transmits, this could have been a far superior movie in terms of engaging the audience.   

However,  while the first part could keep us engrossed as we followed Kumaresan's hesitant footsteps in an unfamiliar and difficult terrain (in literal as well as figurative sense), in the second part, we often miss following the narrative trail as we struggle to keep up with the more certain Perumaal Vaathiyaar who is a veteran of this treacherous terrain.

Nevertheless, this is an important movie from one of our most outspoken auteurs as he amplifies those frequently forgotten voices which are often crushed under the cacophony of the commercial narratives which serve as convenient entertainment of the masses.  

A NECESSARY & GOOD WATCH !  

RATING - 3/5

VIDUTHALAI PART 1 (TAMIL) (2023)

I revisited the movie before watching the sequel that has arrived on the silver screen this past week.

After a commercially successful outing with Asuran which also received a fair share of critical acclaim, ace director Vetrimaaran returns with the story of an underdog cop. Kumaresan (Soori), a rookie cop with a strong moral compass is thrust into the thick of things in a battle front drawn between a stubborn State and a relentless revolutionary force. The revolutionaries are keen to obstruct the proposed mining project in a densely forested area as they see it is exploitative to the people as well as nature while the State views the same as a tool for development of the area. 

While the template story of development and its aftermath unfolds at the surface level, the primary narrative strand focuses on the story of Kumaresan - how he finds his feet in the rough grind between an indifferent system and a seemingly ruthless revolutionary band. 

It does not take long for him to note that if a system could be so cruel and inhumane to its own foot soldiers, there is hardly any hope for the meek, voiceless and underprivileged lot who routinely get crushed under the giant developmental wheels of the System. Nevertheless, he marches on dutifully as a foot soldier even as he finds solace in the affections of a forest dweller who might be connected to the foes.

Soori who has been playing comical roles so far, submits himself completely to his first lead role. He is earnest in every frame as he grapples with each situation with his innate vulnerability. It would not be an understatement to say that this is a reincarnation for him as he lives through every facet of this challenging role. Vijay Sethupathy plays  -  Perumaal Vaathiyaar - a minor cameo as the mentor of the revolutionary force and is likely to gain more prominence in the sequel. Bhavani Sre, Gautam Vasudev Menon, Rajeev Menon and Chethan are apt in their supporting roles. 

DoP Velraj excels in framing the verdant, albeit, very challenging terrain as is evident from the early unbroken long shot of a train accident as well as several others including one of Soori scaling a mountain with a senior colleague. Maestro's songs as well as BGM accentuate and add poignancy to the proceedings.

The narrative paints in broad strokes of black & white, good & bad and bypasses exploring any granularity or grey zones. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that director Vetrimaaran is able to engage and engross the attention of viewers during the entire duration of the movie. What's more...? He whets our appetite for the sequel which could be explosive in its intensity, especially given the incendiary glimpses that punctuate the end of this movie. 

A SATISFYING WATCH (that could have easily been so much more) !!

RATING - 4/5

PS - Streaming on ZEE5

OFFSIDE (PERSIAN) (2006)

In Iran, women are not allowed as audience in sporting events which is preserved as exclusive domain of men. A group of soccer loving girls, dressed as boys,  try to sneak into a football stadium to witness a match of their national team. The movie captures the events that unfold when they are caught by the police.

A sports comedy centered on women in Iran is something that could well be in the realm of the impossible. Yet, noted director Jafar Panahi presents a sharp and layered snapshot of the contemporary Iranian society, condition of their women wallowing under the strict controls placed on them by the theocracy and the multiple - often ridiculous - ironies of such edicts, laced with oodles of humour. 

This movie benefits immensely from the fact that it was shot in real settings of the stadium with Iran playing Bahrain in a World Cup qualifier. Consequently, the entire movie has a festive and electric spirit which is matched by the sheer spunk of some of the girls who are diehard fans of the game. 

Just like a tense football match between two evenly matched sides, the movie grabs attention from the first minute and does not let go till its very last as Panahi mines comic gold at almost every turn of events and crafts a narrative with a natural, yet unpredictable flow. 

It won a silver bear in Berlinale besides many other laurels.

RATING - 4/5

AN EL CLASSICO INDEED !

PS - Streaming on Prime Video

BAWAAL (HINDI) (2023)

In Bawaal, starring Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor, Nitesh Tiwari (Dangal) directs a drama about a young couple set in modern Lucknow. The story written by his spouse and writer-director Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari (who made the excellent Nil Battey Sannaataa) interestingly juxtaposes the personal as well as inter-personal conflicts in their lives with a wider canvas of the world war.

Varun plays Ajay Dikshit aka Ajju Bhai, sporting a macho image to the outside world while trying to cloak his insecurities arising from being a mediocre all along, including what he cribs as a drab job of being a history teacher. Janhvi plays a much more competent and grounded Nisha, albeit having to struggle with challenges of her own. What begins as a normal marriage soon descends into discord when Ajju fails to face the reality. A series of events result in the couple embarking on a journey across Europe, visiting locations connected with the second world war. 

What unfolds is a pretty good drama as the trip thaws a frosty relationship and pushes Ajju to face his deep seated anxieties. Helped with a good dose of humour, scenic vistas and intelligent interplay between the history and contemporary, the narrative keeps it simple as it chugs along briskly with minimal melodrama and even its contrivances are not too jarring. Both Varun and Janhvi turn in convincing performances and. are supported well by artists playing cameos.

AN ENGAGING WATCH !

RATING - 3/5

PS - Streaming on Amazon Prime