Nambootiri Yuvav @ 43 Reviews from NowRunning!

Folks, let me tell you that Mahesh Sharman's 'Namboothiri Yuvavu @ 43' is no 'Paavam Paavam Rajakumaran'. It isn't even a pale shadow of the Sreenivasan film that talked of an almost middle aged bachelor, desperate to tie the knot. 

Jayanthan (Maniyanpillai Raju) works as a priest at a local temple, and has almost given up on his plans to get married. Which is why he is taken by surprise when Sangeetha (Tanusree), an eighteen year old girl at an orphanage expresses her willingness to spend the rest of her life with him.

Nambootiri Yuvavu @ 43 Pictures   85 Pictures

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Post-marriage however, Jayanthan is in for a couple of severe shocks as Sangeetha seems scared of him. Pretty much soon, he realizes that his wife is suffering from a post-traumatic stress disorder, and sets out to find out more about her past.

For one, this is a tale that hassomewhere along the years, lost its significance. So, it becomes extremely difficult to retain the viewer interest in an account in which you know exactly what lies around the corner.

So when the girl looks like she has a story to tell, you sit up, all perked up, hoping thatthis will turn the tables around for an otherwise humdrum film. And along comes the flashback, that is quite uninspiring, and you watch as the last straw of hope floats downstream and away.

The characterization too leaves pretty much a lot to the imagination, and it has these chestnut characters that fit every bill. For instance there is the character played by Nandu, who is an elderly Muslim, who seems to have been planted right opposite the Brahmin who marries a girl from a church. Things couldn't probably get any more specific, perhaps. 

For most of its part, it does stick to reality, though on two instances, it makes a considerable deviation. Jayanthan decides to go chic all on a sudden at the insistence of a friend, and tries out even some low waist jeans in the process. The antics that he indulges in makes you wonder if the man has not really mellowed with age.

His interactions with a youngster (Sraavan) who has a very special wily way with women is the other occasion that almost misfires. When the association finally ends in a brawl, you realize that all this beating around the bush has eventually served little purpose.

I should add that 'Namboothiri Yuvavu @ 43' is not really a film that merits a detailed analysis, and try hard as it may, it is a formulaic piece of cinema, that does not have the potential to rise above the bery minimal standards that it has set for itself.

Maniyanpillai Raju makes a decent middle aged guy who is caught in the doldrums of life, courtesy a late marriage. Tanusree makes a confident debut, though her performance borders on the theatrical at times. 

'Namboothiri Yuvavu @ 43' is thus a futile exercise in film making that is a bit of astretch, since it's neither emotional nor funny. It's a bland adaptation of a theme that we have already seen before, delivered with less charm and even lesser appeal.

Rating:*1/2
http://www.nowrunning.com/movie/12707/malayalam/nambootiri-yuvavu-@-43/4487/review.htm 

Silence Movie Review by NowRunning!

V K Prakash's 'Silence' has Mammootty playing Aravind, a vibrant lawyer who is all set to take office as a judge. The celebrations are on in full swing, when Aravind starts receiving phone calls from a stalker, who seems to know everything about him. Whenhis family is threatened, Aravind has no other option but to track the caller down and seek out his intent.

Y V Rajesh's script has a few thrilling moments in the first half and the film has a striking interval punch that sets the ball rolling on a thriller field. However, we see the script toppling down in the latter half, with a few loose ends hanging about here and there. 

Silence Pictures   12 Pictures

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'Silence', to be fair to the makers, does have its share of thrills, is slickly shot and keeps you perched on the edge of your seat - at least for the most part. Its collapse lies in the fact that the surprise comes perhaps a bit too early, and once the revelation is made, there is nothing much sturdy enough to hold the rest of the film together.

It has become almost customary these days, for every thriller film to have a psychotic character who would wreak havoc in someone's life, and 'Silence's is no exception. Psychosis seems to be the key factor here as well, and everything from a troubled childhood to a history of schizophrenia are dwelled on, but we have all seen it before. 

The shock moments that are so imperative for a film as this to get its moves right, are sadly what are missing here. The buildup is quite fine, and you get all perked up and excited, and when the final disclosure does not match up to the setting, the effects are catastrophic.

It's a shame really, since the film does show signs of immense potential during its initial few moments. A golden thriller premise is what it has on offer, and hence when you watch it tumble down like a pack of cards, you are disappointed and wish that things were indeed better.

One does wonder if it's at all possible to deliver a real exciting thriller any more, with almost all the possibilities explored by film makers across the world. And yet, films continue to be made; the ones that excite us, and which make our hearts skip a beat or two. 

The underwater scenes at the climax have been captured on camera remarkably well, and Mammootty does deserve an ovation for having done the action sequences on his own. Manoj Kumar's cinematography is slick, and suits the mood of the film to the 'T'.

Mammootty looks incredibly handsome with the salt 'n pepper look, and though the role does not throw any fresh challenges to him as an actor, slips into the portrayal of the troubled lawyer with remarkable ease. Basil does a neat job as well, and perhaps this should open up a vista of new opportunities before the young actor. Anoop Menon and Pallavi Purohit lend ample support in their respective roles.

I would still say this Y V Rajesh's best script till date, and with a bit more polish, he could have had a real winner in his hands. As of now, things are pretty much silent over here. So much so that you wish someone would at least let out a scream.

Rating:**
http://www.nowrunning.com/movie/14416/malayalam/silence/4500/review.htm

Ivan Veera Mathiri review by NowRunning!

Usually, the rise of a common man against evil always results in violence and the immediate formation of an overnight leader. But our common man, played by Vikram Prabhu, is well read, comes from a decent middle class family, is currently job hunting and prefers to use brains over brawn when he has to handle a situation.

This common man is aware of the repercussions he might have to face for his actions and therefore always operates alone and in disguise. This is the story of an intelligent common man, someone you seldom see in society but are aware of his existence.

Ivan Veramathiri Pictures   27 Pictures

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A barbaric act in a law college provoked by a local minister makes headlines which catch the attention of our hero, Guna, who at first hardly pays any attention and instead laughs at the comments posted on the video from the incident on his friend's Facebook wall.

Guna is constantly reminded of the incident over the next few days, forcing him to do the unthinkable, and results in the inevitable. He kidnaps the local minister's brother, Eeswaran, who has come out on parole and instigates the opposition party to accuse the minister of hiding his own brother. Following the disappearance of his brother, the minister is forced to resign and is arrested.

Having succeeded in putting the minister behind bars, Guna lets go of Eeswaran who sets out to seek revenge.

We have seen several stories of the common man turning into a hero and a leader in Tamil cinema, but this film, although confining itself to commercialism, tries something different. "Ivan Vera Mathiri" literally translates into "He is Different", and the film indeed is different. Sadly however, not to a great degree. As initially pointed out, it's intelligent but also has instances that make it look dumb.

The entire episode of Guna taking Eeswaran captive is intelligently executed, is engaging and makes you almost empathise with the latter's predicament. It's another story of good versus evil that's spared the cliched treatment but somewhere towards the end it gets sabotaged by a disturbing climax, especially scenes featuring Surabhi being kicked in the face and gut.

I wish the climax wasn't handled so recklessly.

Director Sarvanan uses some key characters aptly to push our protagonist to rise to the occasion following the incident in the opening scene. But what I fail to understand is how can just another average common man turn out to be a good fighter who could pull off some extremely dangerous stunt sequences with ease.

Here, the film's stunt choreographer Raja Sekhar deserves a special mention. The stunt atop an incomplete building definitely stands out and some road chasesequences also draw equal attention. The fights draw more attention than the music and acting put together while the cinematography at some junctures is good.

I don't know if Vikram Prabhu was forced to use the same expression from start to finish but his acting didn't quite convince. It's alright if it was done deliberately but if not, then I suggest he start working on his expressions because he hardly displays any variations in his performance. Vamsi Krishna as the baddie is aggressive and acts well while debutant Surabhi can be impressive with some guidance.

Ganesh's cameo is powerful but he has more talking than action in the role of a cop. I still don't understand why cops always have to yap about being good citizens? It's so cliched and yet our filmmakers fancy that idea.

"Ivan Vera Mathiri" is a fairly different tale of a common man.

Rating:***
http://www.nowrunning.com/movie/12699/tamil/ivan-veramathiri/4499/review.htm

Drishyam Review From NowRunning!

With 'Drishyam', Jeethu Joseph emerges as a proficient film maker who skillfully blends words with visuals to craft a chillingly thrilling portrait of a man's struggle to prevent his much adored family from falling apart. Jeethu attempts a stunning mix of the real with the imaginary, and the result is an unpredictable cinematic artichoke that takes you by surprise at every turn. 

Georgekutty (Mohanlal) runs a cable TV business in a sleepy village called Rajakkad, that lies a few miles away from Thodupuzha. His dreams are minimal, and he is all content with the blissful family that he has been blessed with. His wife Rani (Meena) and his daughters Anju (Ansiba) and Anu (Esther), make fun of his tight fisted ways, and Georgekutty often willingly relents to their modest demands. When Varun (Roshan) walks in abruptly into their lives, the four of them and their togetherness are put to extreme test, in terrifying ways they have experienced never before.

Drishyam Pictures   93 Pictures

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Jeethu Joseph lets the tale stay on a steady, slow simmer, before raising the flame and letting it on to a high boil. For one, the core thought is terrific, and there is something riveting about the purposeful recreation of a life scene. Questions as to how much believable things that we see and hear around us are, arise, and all on a sudden they seem as incredible as the scenes that you watch on screen. 

The psychological cat-and-mouse game that ensues between Georgekutty and the lady IPS officer Geetha Prabhakaran (Asha Sarath) has several moments that thriller buffs will dig into with delight. What is appreciable however is the adversary's acceptance of defeat, and the eventual respect that the two develop for each other.

The film's single most resonant image of a terrified Anu in the interrogation room, her eyes all aghast at the sheer horror that she is witness to, will remain with us for long. A few scenes later, as she rushes into Georgekutty's open arms, she asks if she had let them down. Hugging her close to his chest, Georgekutty assures the child that she never did.

There are these jolts that are delivered now and then, and in no time you realize that the movie has stealthily slipped under your skin. Ah, and then the final scene sashays in, and it's a whopper without doubt; perhaps the very best climax that I have seen this year!

'Dirshyam' could very well boast of Mohanlal's best performance in recent times, and the actor seems to be at remarkable ease playing the affable man, who would stop at nothing until he sees that his family is safe. Meena is back, and how, and she delivers a bravura performance, along with the two young girls Ansiba and Esther who are sheer bundles of talent. A very special word of appreciation is due to Kalabhavan Shajon as well, who breaks away from the conventional comic mould that we had got used to seeing him in. 

Sujith Vasudev makes sure that the visuals are indeed deceiving and the camera moves in, out and around stuffy rooms, liberally hurling revelations at us, one after the other. The musical score by Anil Johnson and Vinu Thomas have a refreshingly delightful tenor to them that deserve an applause for certain. 

'Drishyam' is a stellar spectacle that prompts an animated watch, without even as much as a blinking of an eye. I wouldn't be surprised if you eat away your nails while watching this highly unsettling and yet gripping film, that is a celebration of the power of exceptional storytelling.

Rating:***
http://www.nowrunning.com/movie/13828/malayalam/drishyam/4502/review.htm