The Books I loved in 2021: Part II

 

In this second part of the year-ender post, I will be crowing about the five other books that got me swooned over in the year gone by.

6. Neuro Area (Sivan Edamana, DC Books):

Writing a Paisa Vasool Crime Thriller that doesn't belittle your sensibilities is no mean task. Sivan Edamana's 'Neuro Area' is a delectable mix of medical mumbo jumbo, modern-day tech wizardry, and page-turning fun.

Set in a futuristic corporate hospital, Neuro Area begins with Dr. Rahul Sivasankar, the C.EO of the hospital, getting into a coma after getting critically injured in a road accident. The doctor is shifted to a highly protected state-of-the-art Neuro ICU of the hospital (Neuro Area), which Robots entirely man. In a bizarre turn of events, a junior doctor of the hospital, Dr. Meenakshy, gets assigned as the duty doctor in the entry restricted Neuro Area, but little did she realize what was in store for her!

Though it has its share of minor flaws, this one is a super fun read!

7. Guest List (Lucy Foley, Harper Collins)

This creepy, claustrophobic whodunit is an intelligent blend of old-school Agatha Christie and modern psychological Suspense. Set on a remote island somewhere off the coast of  Ireland, Lucy Foley's follow-up to her highly successful 'Hunting Party' tells the story of the wedding of a superstar couple (a rising TV star and an ambitious digital magazine publisher). Friends and relatives have been invited, and the stage is set for the grand gala wedding. But soon, bodies start piling up, and nothing is what it seems.

With an ambit of characters and narrated through multiple perspectives,  Guest List is a slow-burning, character-driven thriller worth your time and money!

8. Adiyor Mishiha Enna Novel (Vinoy Thomas, D.C.Books):

I picked up this book, thinking it to be a novel but was pleasantly surprised to find it to be an anthology of short stories. I must confess that I am not a great fan of Malayalam short stories as often; I find them too abstract to my liking. But Vinoy Thomas proved me wrong with his delectable collection, which is witty, dark, and poignant. This collection is an absolute winner, replete with sarcasm, satire, and black humor!

9. Maidens (Alex Michaelides, W&N ):

Maidens is the author's follow-up work to his international bestseller, 'The Silent Patient.' I must say that the love I felt towards this book is as much as I hate it. Maidens is the story of a group therapist named Marianna, mourning the loss of her beloved husband, Sebastian. She gets to know that her niece, Zoe, a student at Cambridge, has just lost her best friend. Without wasting time, she leaves for Cambridge only to find that the police have arrested someone she thinks is innocent. Will Marianna manage to find out the truth? The book essentially tries to unravel this mystery.

 While 'The Silent Patient' had a novel premise, 'The Maidens' is a generic thriller, at best. The writer has tried to put some novelty in the narrative by throwing Greek mythology in between(which also saves this one from being a complete downer!). I liked the way Alex ended the book by bringing in characters from his previous work. I wish the rest of the book were also that much fun!

 10. Indian Poocha (Sunu A.V, D.C. Books), Onnaam Forensic Adhyaayam (Rajad R, Green Books) Njaana Bharam (E.Santhosh Kumar, Mathrubhumi Books):

While the former is a collection of short stories which got me enthralled sometime in early 2021, the latter is the book that has kept me hooked currently. In Indian Poocha, Sunu manages to weave stories around real people, the kind we meet in real life. That's perhaps the reason why Imran, with a dark past, and Aboobakker, who has intelligent observations about life, are still fresh in my mind. This one is a genuinely readable collection with its heart in the right place. Sunu A.V's stories do transcend boundaries, just like the cat who doesn't bother crossing the same!

Onnaam Forensic Adhyaayam by Rajad R, though marketed as a crime thriller, is much more than your average generic template thriller. One of the best literary crime novels to have come out of Malayalam in recent years, Onnnaam Forensic narrates the story of a missing politician and the investigation with pursues. The author's progressive ideas about life and death give a philosophical tone to the narrative. I must say that I didn't see the climax twist coming! This one is a  genuinely enjoyable read!

I am just halfway through E Santhosh Kumar's Njaanabhaaram, but I must confess that I have already fallen in love with this poignant tale. I must write a detailed review once I am done with this one!)

A delicious read indeed!

-nikhimenon

 (The first part of this post can be read here)

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The Books I Loved in 2021: Part 1

It’s that time of the year where we reminisce about the best and the worst of the year gone by. Keeping up with our tradition, we are compiling the best and worst of the year gone by. Here is the R.T. year-ender list of the best reads of 2021. (The post will be in two parts, and this list is not in any particular order)

                        

1. Kadalinte Manam (P.F.Mathews, DC Books):

‘Kadalinte Manam’ is the fourth Novel (and perhaps the ‘lightest one’) from the master storyteller, P.F.Mathews.  ‘Kadalinte..’ which tells the story of a middle-aged Government employee named Sachidanandhan and his muse Safiya, is also incidentally the first Novel to hit the bookstores after the writer won the coveted Kerala Sahithya Academy Award through Adiyalapretham (Green Books).

Populated with tangible yet believable characters like Maya, Safiya, Santhosh Babu, Kariya Sir, Bhaskara Menon, ‘Kadalinte Manam delves with strong themes like sexual frustration, mid-life crisis, fake morality, corruption, love, longing, and helplessness. Though the writer has painted his characters with broad strokes of grey, at no point in time does he take a moral stand or make them feel apologetic for their actions as each one of them is nothing but a victim of their circumstances. Tremendous work of literature indeed!

A must-read!

2. Coma (Anver Abdulla, Deecee Upmarket Fiction):

Anver Abdulla is one of those rare writers who could successfully create a bonafide Malayali detective in Perumal when crime thrillers weren’t such a fad in Malayalam. Through Coma (not to be mistaken with the Novel of the same time by Robin Cook, which came out sometime in the 1970 s), he introduces a new detective in Jibrieel., an anarchist detective who is disciplinarily self-developed, artistically trained, technically creative, and uniquely humane!

The story is about a high-flying lawyer named Paul who slips into a coma after handling a sensational case. Though the Novel is a tad long at 260+ pages or so, with intelligent plotting, exciting twists and turns, and a logical climax, Coma succeeds in being a page-turner.

3. Mudritha (Jisa Jose, Mathrubhumi Books):

Jisa Jose’s Mudritha starts like an investigative thriller and soon metamorphoses into something entirely different. The story of a tour operator named Anirudhan and the ten women he encounters as part of his job, Mudritha, is a deliciously warm novel on female bonding and aspirations. Perhaps, after Anitha Nair’s ‘Ladies Coupe,’ Mudritha is undoubtedly one of the most heartwarming take-ups on women’s lives in contemporary India. After reading the blurb, I picked up this one, mistaking it to be a murder mystery but was pleasantly surprised to figure out that there was much more to it.

A delicious read indeed!

4. New Comer (Kiego Higashino, Abacus):

Kiego Higashino is one of the most respected detective novelists of the decade. His books have not only sold millions of copies worldwide but have also got onscreen adaptations in multiple languages. Newcomer is an intricately plotted, absorbing mystery about a forty-something divorcee found dead in a Tokyo apartment.

Detective Kyochiro Kaga, who appeared in Higashino’s earlier work,’ Malice’ is the investigator here who tries to unravel the secrets behind a complicated life with his calm demeanor and sharp intuitions.A classic detective story with multiple layers narrated in a highly inventive manner; New Comer is not one of those regular run-of-the-mill pulp thrillers which hit the bookstore every two weeks or so.

Newcomer is vintage Higashino. Period!

5. Kappithaante Bharya (Bipin Chandran, Mathrubhumi Books):

At a time when Malayalam Popular fiction was getting overdosed with serial killers and psychopaths, Bipin Chandran’s ‘Kappithaan’ came as a breath of fresh air. In this hilarious, cute little Novel, Bipin packs in as much nostalgia and references as the reader is swept into the world of Rosily Aunty, Captain, Annieyamma, and Thomassukutty. The book is as much about them as it is about the world they live in.

An absolute gem of a Novel, this one should be devoured for its lightheartedness, nostalgia, and humor!   

 -nikhimenon

 (The second part of this post will be published tomorrow)

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Book Review: The Girl In Room No 105 by Chetan Bhagat

             

              Well, Chetan Bhagats books are like Salman Khan films. They are obviously immune to any kind of reviews or criticism. No matter what you write or think about their works, they will invariably rake in the moola.

              First things first- The girl in Room No 105 (TGIR) is neither a  parody nor a rip off of Ruth Ware's "The Woman in ..."(which was no masterpiece by any stretch of imagination), infact the only similarity between the two works ends with the title. To be very frank, TGIR is far better than Bhagat's last two outings. Though it has all his usual cliches' in place (the loser IIT alumni hero, the ''liberal, super sexy heroine and their chance meeting at the IIT , to name a few ), this one is more of a crime thriller (pretty half baked one at that) with a few genuinely funny conversations thrown in between.

          Our protagonist is Keshav, the loser IIT guy who is now employed with 'Chandan classes', an IIT JEE tuition centre. His best buddy is Saurabh aka Golu who is also his colleague at ''Chandan'.One night, Keshav gets a call from his ex- girl friend inviting him to visit her at her hostel room. Keshav turns up there only to find her murdered.How Keshav along with his Watson (Saurabh) finds the mystery behind her murder is what the book is all about.

        As I mentioned before, TGIR is far better than any of Bhagat's recent works. Chetan has tried his hand in a new genre and has been able to come up with something half decent.The book undoubdtedly is a time pass read with the typical Chetan Bhagat elements in place. But that doesn't mean that it breaks any new grounds as far as the mystery thriller genre is concerned. If Bhagat's earlier protagonists were used to globe trotting for finding his (their) estranged girl friend(s),here Keshav is doing the same for finding her murderer.The suspense is pretty much predictable and the mystery is the 'kindergarten' variety and obviously there isn't much space for sense and logic in Bhagat's universe!

       Coming to the characters, Golu comes aross as a genuinely funny guy and is the sole source of the occassional one-liners in the story.The other characters are Captain Fyaiz and Raghu (Zara's fiance).The writing and language are typical Chetan Bhagat.

Verdict: I'm going with a 2.75 out of 5.The book is a time-pass read for Chetan Bhagat Fans!


-nikhimenon

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The Worst Malayalam Films of 2018 (so far)

Okay, this post is a bit too early . 2018 is not over yet and  we are a good couple of months away from 2019. The state had witnessed it's worst floods in it's recent history and film industry was in slumber for almost two months.The success of 'Theevandi' has definitely brought some cheers to the industry and we hope the success of 'Kaayamkulam Kochunni' and Odiyan will give the industry it's much needed impetus. Meanwhile we will look at those super awful films of the year, so far!

10.Kuttanadan Blog (Sethu,Sep 2018)

This Mammootty starrer was Sethu's foray into direction.With a couple of lacklustre films to his credit ever since he turned a solo screen writer, no one expected miracles from this 'Cousins' ,'Achayans' writer. Even a half decent flick would have done the trick for him. But unfortunately with a nauseating moth-eaten script meddled with illegitimate pregnancies and the 90 s style do - gooder Principal character ,Kuttanadan Blog ended up as one of the most boring films of recent times!

9.My Story (Roshni Dinaker,July 2018)

The director would have liked to believe that the controversies surrounding Parvathy was the sole reason behind the film's failure at the box-office. But truth to be told, My story was a pretty dated story told in the most. Agreed, the production values were top notch, the music by Shaan Rahman was soothing and melodious but it couldn't overcome the potholes in the script and it's shoddy execution.The final twist in the tale was straight out of those run-of-the mill candy floss Bollywood films of the 90 s and the movie on the whole reminded me of those boring Suneel Darshan films of the last decade!

8.Rosapoo (Vinu Joseph,Feb)

What was the talented Biju Menon thinking when he signed up for this boring misadventure? Ofcourse, the core idea was interesting and the initial fifteen minutes or so was genuinely entertaining but after that the movie was a snooze fest!The 'motta' song also failed to create the intended buzz around the movie!

7.Parole (Sharrath Sannidh, April)

Another one of those turkeys of the year, Parole was neither entertaining nor classy. May be the director wanted to make a social drama which could go down well with the family crowd, but there were hardly any takers for this pointless old fashioned melo-drama!

6.Panchavarna Thatha (Ramesh Pisarody, April)

Perhaps the only commercially successful movie in this list, Panchavarna thatha too had a basic thread which was interesting. Infact the 'Noone is insignificant' life lesson has been conveyed effectively.But apart from that this thatha had nothing else for the discerning viewer.This Ramesh Pisharody movie failed to provide the ample laughs which it promised! Kunchakko Boban gave an earnest performance overshadowing Jayaram's  hammy act, but the flick fortunately gave him the much needed hit!

5.Mohanlal (Sajid Yahiya, April)

Mohanlal is a classic case of celebrity worshipping being stretched to intolerant levels.This migraine inducing mess of a movie was successful enough in earning more haters for Manju warrier, her over the top 'Meeenooty' being the single most irritating thing about this movie.It's sad that an excellent performer like Indrajith has to get contended with utterly pointless roles/movies like this!

The second part of this post will be published in the last week of December

-nikhimenon

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The Great Indian 'Law' Story !

                  
                Judiciary as the ‘saviour’ of democracy- a lot of noise is being made on this regard these days. A Nation without a robust judicial system will definitely face mayhem and turmoil. Agreed, Judiciary is one of the most pivotal limbs of democracy, but to bestow upon the guardianship of democracy solely on the Indian Judiciary is something which is not only over- ambitious but also outright ridiculous. Democracy is defined as the Government of the people, by the people and for the people. Judiciary and Democracy should complement each other so that the absolute interests of the state are upheld.

                India has been fortunate enough to have a sturdy judicial system. The efficiency of the courts in India is something which even the world has acknowledged and appreciated. From H.J kania to Deepak Mishra , we have had many CJIs who were renowned for their honesty and professionalism. And being the world’s largest democracy,we,as a nation cannot afford  to have a  half-baked legal system. It also should be remembered that the courts function on public money which necessitates the need of accountability pertaining to their work.Openness in the court procedures and lucidity in decision making can facilitate parity between the nation’s security and the civil rights of the people.

                 Judiciary is widely perceived to be the common man’s last ‘ray of hope’.Infact the responsibilities of the judiciary are many. It not only has to apply and interpret the law as per the constitution and exercise  the rule of the law but also act as a player in state politics.

              Having said that, it is also true that the legal system of the Nation has so many issues plaguing it. The huge back-log of cases and the time-lag which happens between hearing and the final judgement is indeed a stark reality. Also,of late,the courts seem to develop cold-feet when coming to giving judgements pertaining to extremely sensitive issues ala a ‘Babry’ Case or an ‘Abaya’ Case.

            There are many other matters worth pondering on.The country has got enough and more number of ‘attention seekers’ and ‘potential head line grabbers’ who resort to litigations and ‘PIL’ s to achieve social and political gains. Unwanted litigations like these waste the precious time of the honourable courts and only serve to ‘delay justice’ for the genuine aggrievers.

             A couple of days back, the Nation witnessed an unprecedented spat between a couple of sitting SC judges and the honourable CJI. In the present context, if an average citizen gets the idea that the ego-conflicts and power wars among the sitting SC judges and the honourable CJI has resulted in this present judicial crisis, he can’t be blamed. This situation of ‘it’s a matter of (the ‘rituous’ and ‘holy’) us v/s (the ‘crooked’ and ‘unholy’) him could have been easily averted had the grieving judges not resorted to washing the dirty linen in public. The recent developments have only served to tarnish the image of the highest court of the country among the general public. When four of the 25 judges of SC gang up and hold a press meet only to declare an open War on the CJI, there will indeed be repercussions and the message that it sends out to the general public and to the world  is not at all pleasant. After all, it’s not reality television that we are talking about! But sadly, the attempts to milk this episode for political capital has begun and it is anybody’s guess that this will go on till 2019!

            The role of judiciary in the maintenance and prosperity of an evolving democractic society cannot be under estimated and if done so, it will have alarming consequences which will be detrimental to the society and the country as a whole.

-nikhimenon

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Malayalam Cinema 2017:The Most Disappointing Malayalam Movies Of the Year, So Far!

2017 has rather been a disappointing year for the Malayalam Movie Industry so far.One of it's leading men is behind bars for an alleged crime done against his own colleague,many of the much hyped movies got universally panned and bit the dust at the kerala box-office. There has been no big successes like a PuliMurugan/ Premam/Ennu Ninte Moidheen so far.With mediocre content,the Onam releases have also failed to really set the box-office on fire.Here,we have a look at those movies of the year which offered a lot prior to their release but turned out to be lacklustre affairs at the end.

10.Fukri(Siddique)- Hit maker Siddique's first outing with Jayasurya turned out to be a rehash of various yesteryear hits like 'Udayapuram Sulthan'.With silly jokes and over the top performances,Fukri was yet another case of bad writing spoiling the party!

9.Jomonte Suvisheshangal(Satyan Anthikkad)-Sathyettan's loyal family audience might have helped the movie to scrape through at the kerala boxoffice but there is no denying the fact that 'Jomonte..' was nothing other than a bargain basement version of last year's 'Jaobinte Swargarajyam'.The only silver lining in this otherwise mediocre affair was the sincere performance from the father son duo played by Dulquer Salman-Mukesh.

8.Honeybee 2(Lal Jr)-Well, the prequel was no great cinematic gem.But the sequel was widely expected to repeat the former movie's box-office success.Though replete with sexual innuendos and crass jokes,HB2 failed to please even the front benchers and turned out to be a turkey at the ticket windows!

7.1971:Beyond Borders(Major Ravi)-well, nothing more to be said about this one.This wannabe war movie couldn't even satisfy Lalettan's devoted fans.We wish Major sir comes up with a better script next time!

6.Georgettan's Pooram(Biju Arookkutty)-Expected to be the year's festival entertainer from Dileep,this pooram ended up as a celebration of mediocricity.Neither a critical nor a commercial success,this movie didn't generate the opening which Dileep movies used to take during a vacation season.

5.The Great Father(Haneef Adeni)-Mammookka looked uber cool as ever but this misguided family thriller suffered due to bad writing.Perhaps the most profitable venture in this list,The Great Father was a disappointment from an aesthetic point of view.

4.Pullikkaran S(t)aara(Syamdhar)-When a relatively new director tries to cash in on Mamooka's super cool looks overlooking the mamooth sized holes and the pointlessness in the script,we can confidently say that the megastar should be more careful in choosing his projects.

3.Tiyaan(Jeeyen Krishnakumar)-The promos were extra ordinary and the production values were top notch but when you cannot back it up with a solid script,all the efforts go in vain.Tiyaan was one of the most disppointing films of the year both critically and commercially.

2.Achayans(Kannan Thamarakkulam) and Puthenpanam(Ranjith)-A mindless comedy entertainer was what was widely expected out of this flick.But 'Achayans' failed to entertain!With a rather muddling script,in Puthenpanam Ranjith tried to take solace in the Kasargode slang,but the majority of the viewers found it confusing and mildly amusing!

1.Velipaadinte Pusthakam(Lal Jose)-Benny P Nayarambalam-Lal Jose-Mohanlal.The names were big,the expectations sky high,'Jimmikki Kammal' became Kerala's 'why this Kolaveri',but alas,the content was too weak to speak for itself!

-nikhimenon

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Movie Review:Georgettan's Pooram

                        I stopped reviewing movies a long time back.Way back in 2007,when I started writing in this blog,there were very few people who used to review Malayalam movies online.Times have changed and now every random guy who can type a couple of lines at a stretch is a movie critic!On top of that you have fans of actors who flood the social media and online forums with their 'own take' on their favourite stars'(or the opposite one's) latest movie.So,in many ways,I believe writing a review these days is pointless.Yet,I couldn't resist writing the review of Georgettan's Pooram which I managed to catch on it's first day of release.

                      Writing a review for a Dileep movie is as pointless as writing one for a Salman flick. No matter whatever you write, the fans and the family audience will throng to the theatres in large numbers to catch a glimpse of their favourite star! But I strongly believe that it's high time our Janapriyanagan stopped taking viewers for granted and started thinking seriously about the kind of scripts which he green-lights!

                      George is the son of a priest (played by Ranji Panicker)and is basically fooling around with his gang of friends(Vinay Fort,Sharafudeen,Thiru) with the sole intention of providing some 'fun' for the hapless viewers.So they pass lewd comments on their tuition teacher,try to 'get a glimpse' of her when she is having bath,stalks a girl(Rajisha Vijayan) whom George meets at a funeral, pick up random fights with some 'freak boys'(who might bring a bad name to Thrissur also as it happened to Kochi),breaks into the house of a girl whom Vinay Fort was supposed to marry, to name a few during the entire duration of first half. In the second half, the gang suddenly transforms themselves to 'responsible citizens' and takes up the 'mission' of saving the local play ground (a 'Kochi' ground masquerading as 'Mathai Prambu') from a land shark(incidentally Mathai's son,played by Chemban Vinod) by defeating them in a Kabadi Match(Lagaan,Gilly,Karinkunnam Sixes,anyone?)!

                     The main fault with the movie lies in it's writing.With a script all over the place,K Biju and co have dished out a typical 'thattikoottu' fare which is solely aimed at the vacation family crowd. The sexist jokes are nothing new,even if you are a fan of these kind of jokes, it's very unlikely that you will find them amusing as each of them is plain predictable and you yourselves might have heard all that umpteen times before. At the heart of it, there is a genuine sports drama which sadly doesn't get it's due as the writer and the director  seem to be in a dilemma whether to treat the movie as a typical Dileep-tainer or a sports film. So in the end,it ends up as a poorly made film.

                   Dileep tries his best but his Thrissur accent sounds forced and at times he goes overboard.Rajisha doesn't even have many lines to mouth and ends up as a mere prop. Sharafudeen and Vinay Fort entertains at times, so is Kanaran Hareesh.T.G Ravi is fine, but it is a routine role for him.Chemban Vinod does it part well.The 'Joliyum Kooliyum' song is peppy and the cinematography is also okay.The editing could have been better as the first half seemed never ending.The over-use of slo-mo during the kabady scenes was unwarranted,but to give credit where it's due,the Kabadi sequences were the best portions in the entire film.

On the whole,with a poorly written script 'Georgettan's Pooram' is the kind of movie which does no justice to Dileep's talent. It's as good as a Villaliveeran! I'm giving it a 2 out of 5.

-nikhimenon

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Hobbies: On Travelling cheap and some gyan!

Image:shutterstock.com

                       Quite often people ask me about my Hobbies. Frankly speaking, I still don't get the idea of terming/dubbing something a 'Hobby'. Oxford defines Hobby as something which is typically done during one's leisure time for pleasure. It also gives reading as a typical example for it. But then if you ask me, I totally love reading and make sure that I spend atleast an hour or so every day in reading. I make sure that I get time to read every day and it doesn't necessary mean 'leisure time' in the conventional sense. Again, travelling is something which I love in equal measure and in this age, where there are awesome websites which give goibibo coupons, which offer discount coupons, travelling is not a really expensive affair. One can fly and stay at affordable rates at holiday destinations without really digging a big hole in one's pockets! The other day, one of my friends was telling me how cheap it has become to travel to exotic locations which was once considered a privilege of the rich and the super rich. Whatever we may call it, activities like travelling and  reading definitely help in refreshing ourselves and breaking ourselves from the routine and mundane activities of day to day life.

                       In a way, if we look at it, both travelling and reading have many things in common.Travelling helps in exploring and experiencing  hitherto unfamiliar geographies while reading is a sort of travel through the minds of vivid characters.Eminent psychologists are of the opinion that travelling and the experiences acquired thereby inturn helps in building and refining one's own personality. A couple of days back when I was browsing the net, I chanced upon this quote-

“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.” – Saint Augustine

Quite true,indeed?! I think,travelling has a lot of benefits.

1.It helps in discovering new places,food and culture
2.Helps in making new friends (and obviously foes!)
3.Helps in realizing one's true potential.
4.Enables one to think 'big'
5.Helps to let go petty things from 0ur minds and focus on bigger goals
6.Helps in realizing how deep you love your home and your near and dear ones!
7.Helps in creating financial discipline!

What say you?

-nikhimenon

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Malayalam Cinema 2016: The Worst Malayalam Films, so far

Agreed, 2017 is a good 3 months away.But we have had our own share of terrible movies already. Here is a look at those Malayalam films which ended up as a pure waste of time and money of cinephiles.

1.White (Udhay Ananthan, Eros)- 

Udhay Ananthan's Mammooty starrer was shot abroad,had a talented lead pair,good production values and a couple of melodious tracks.Still,the movie turned out to be a boring affair,thanks to it's mediocre script.The movie was produced by Eros International and was Udhay Ananthan's third outing after a decent Pranayakalam and an okay short in the Kerala Cafe anthology.

2.Hello Namasthe (Jayan Nair,Freedia Entertainment)-

A shoddy script was the villain,once again.This Miya George-Bhavana-Vinay Fort-Sanju starrer was a colourful production,but again,good writing cannot be replaced by colourful visuals all the time!

3.Vallem Thetty Pulleem Thetty (Rishi S, Achappu Movies)-

This movie had tremendous hype prior to it's release, thanks to the peppy tracks by Suraj Kurup and the brilliant visuals by Kunjunni S Kumar. But what can Kunchakko Boban do without a good script?

4.Monsoon Mangoes(Abi Varghese,Kayal Films)-

Fahad Fazil was sincere and gave a brilliant performance in this flick directed by Akkara Kazchakal fame Abi Varghese.The lethargic pace,uninspiring execution,bland writing and poor release strategy determined the box office fate of the film. Fahad bounced back with 'Maheshinte Prathikaram',a few weeks later.

5.Malgudy Days (Visakh,Vivek,Vinod, V creations)

This Anoop Menon starrer had nothing to do with the R.K Narayan classic.Distributed by Murali films, this movie was one of the early releases of the year and was supposedly based on a real life incident.The movie definitely had it's heart in the right place!

The movies which almost made into this list include Manoj P's 'Ithu Thaanda Police',Nithin Ranji Panicker's Hit 'Kasaba' and Lal's 'King Liar'.

-nikhimenon

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10 Malayalam Movies That Had The Same Story Line

In the last post, we had a look at those twin Malayalam films that released around the same time. In this post, we discuss about those Malayalam flicks with similar story lines that released years apart.

1.Chanchattam(1991),Onnum Mindathe(2014)-

Sugeeth's take on extra-marital relationship and it's aftermath  had embarassingly the same story line as that of yesteryear flop, 'Chanchattam'. Incidentally, both the movies had the same hero, Jayaram!

2.Udayapuram Sulthan(1999),Mylanchi Monchulla Veedu(2014)

Jayaram's 2014 festival entertainer,'Mylanchi Monchulla..' was nothing but a rehashed version of the 1999 Dileep starrer 'Udhayapuram Sulthan'.The old formula of fake identities,inter-religious relationship,elopement et al was reworked by Udhayakrishna and Siby K Thomas yet again,but 'Mylanchi..' , except for the couple of melodious songs didn't have the same charm as that of Udhayapuram Sulthan.

3.Samoohyapadam(1996),Mallu Singh(2012)-

Now,this entry might take atleast a few of you out there.But it can't be denied that the basic idea of Mallu Singh (the 'hero- assuming the fake identity of a stranger whom he had met during a journey') was borrowed from the 1996 Dileep-Premkumar film directed by Kareem.

4.Makkal Mahatmyam(1992),Kabbadi Kabbadi(2008)

Makkal Mahatmyam was a fun film.It told the story of two youngsters who had the same biological father.The film,written by Siddique-Lal had Mukesh and Saikumar playing the warring step-brothers.Kabbadi Kabbadi released in 2008 was a poor rehash of the former film.

5.Prajapathy, Ashwaroodan (2005-2006)-

Well,both these movies had similar story lines and were directed by veteran directors.While the former starred Mega star Mammooty, the latter had Suresh Gopi playing the title role.

-nikhimenon


-nikhimenon

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Malayalam Movies with Similar Plots/Story lines released around the same time

                    Kerala has a small film industry (with limited market outside)and obviously, it can ill afford multiple films which have the same plot releasing around the same time. Yet, we have had atleast half a dozen movies which featured similar story lines. Here is a look at those films and their performance at the ticket windows.

1.Madambi,Parunthu (2008)-

Both the movies had ruthless money lenders with shades of grey as their protagonists and released around the same time.While the former turned out to be a big commercial success,the Mammootty starrer had few takers at the box-office and was also panned by the critics.

2.Vairam,Janakan(2009-10)- 

Both these movies probably not only had the same source material (Krishna Priya murder case),but also shared actors(Suresh Gopi featuring in both the films).At the box-office,both the films had similar collections with none being able to become big commercial success.

3.Vimanam,Aby(2016)-

Probably, you might have heard about the on-going legal tussle between the makers of both these films.The movies are supposedly based on the life of Saji Thomas who built an air plane on his own.Now, we don't know which version will come out first, but it's going to be an interesting affair , for sure.

4.Cocktail,Race(2010-11)-

Now,this one is actually interesting.Both these Malayalam Movies were actually un-authorized re-makes of a celebrated foreign language film.Cocktail hit the screens first forcing the makers of the Kunchakko Boban-Indrajith starrer tamper with their script.Ultimately,both the flicks failed at the Kerala Box-office.

5.Premam(2015),Happy Wedding(2015-16)-

It's too far fetched to claim that a 'Happy Wedding' is a copy of a cult-film like 'Premam'. But,if you look at it,the basic story idea of both the movies are the same.While Premam traces three love stories in the life of George(Nivin Pauly),in Happy Wedding, we are told about the love life of an engineering graduate played by Siju Wilson.Happy Wedding turned out to be the surprise hit of the year.

(...the next part of the post can be read here )

-nikhimenon

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"What to do after 12 th?"

                             

Image Courtesy-collegedunia

             It was a lazy Sunday morning and I was dozing all the way to glory when my 17 year old nephew, Arun (who had come from Kolkata to celebrate Onam with his grandparents and cousins) came running to me with a baffled expression on his face-“Chetta, I need your help, Chetta get up”.Obviously,I was irritated. But then, it didn’t take long for me to realize that Arun was a bit worried.

“Chetta, tell me what should I do after 12?”

“What…? We will have Onam Sadya (Lunch) by 12.30 or something.Tell Aunty..”

“No Chetta,stop kidding.I am asking what course should I choose after 12th.”

My initial reaction was quite obvious. In this age when everyone (from this part of the world) had either Medicine or Engineering as their first choice and other courses only as their back up option, a query like this (that too from a school topper like Arun) didn’t warrant that much of an attention.

“What’s there to think in that?It depends on your CET marks,right?” - I retorted not trying much to hide the irritation in my voice.

“No Chetta, I’m asking you this since you are a doctor. I want you to know your opinion. I have taken WBJEE. My rank is quite good.I might get a Medicine seat this year.But…”

That was surprising. I never knew that Arun had passed his Medical Entrance test with flying colours. Then why his hesitation? What was there to ponder much about this? He would choose a seat in a West Bengal Medical College nearest to his house. Was he making fun of me?-My mind started working in the true Malayalee fashion.

“Congrats. But then,what’s there to think about it? Choose a seat in the College nearest to your house..”

“No,Chetta,I know that.But then,I am in a dilemma….”

“What? Arun,there are millions out there who crave for a medical seat in a Government Medical college. Here you have grabbed a medical seat on merit and still pondering about what to do next.Are you making fun of me?”

“No Chetta. I am serious.I have a dream”.

“What?” I asked trying hard to remember the great speech by  Martin Luther King Jr.

“I want to become a screen-writer”.

A shiver ran through my spine. Suddenly, I could see myself in him. My half-written movie scripts and failed attempts at film making had become some kind of a running joke in our family. Many producers had said yes to my scripts and had assured me that they had quality and blockbuster written all over it but then all my attempts at making a movie had come cropper at the last moment due to some reason or the other.I didn’t know what to tell him.Finally, Igathered courage and told-

“Arun, I appreciate your talent. You can fulfill your dreams. But first complete your education. Cinema is something which doesn’t have any age barrier.You can still write scripts after completing your Medical degree (or even while pursuing it). It is a field full of uncertainties.You might have written a really brilliant script but still there is a chance of it not really getting made….”- I couldn’t complete my sentence but that feeling of fresh tears running down my cheeks was something which I couldn’t miss. Perhaps,sensing my discomfort, Arun didn’t ask me anything more.

After two days, Arun went back to his home in Kolkata. I heard from my relatives that he joined for Medicine in Kolkata Medical College.

The next day, I got a call from Shibu, a well-known Malayalam Film Producer-

“Hello, Dr.Nikhilesh, I want to meet you tomorrow at my office”.

“What is it regarding?”

-nikhimenon

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Best Malayalam Songs of 2015

                               Malayalam Cinema gave us many soulful melodies to cherish last year. This is my list of the best songs of 2015.You may have your own,please do comment about them.

1

Mukkathe Penne-Ennu Ninte Moideen

2

Malare-Premam

3

Kannodu Chollanu-Ennu Ninte Moideen

4

Aluva Puzhayude Theerathu-Premam

5

Mele Mele-Life of Josutty

6

Vaanam Chaayum-Anarkali

7

Aa Oruthi -Anarkali

8

En Janalarikil- Su Su Sudhivalmeekam

9

Hemanthamen -Kohinoor

10

Manjormakal-Picket 43




-nikhimenon

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