Tuesday, September 28, 2010

What's ailing Malayalam Cinema?

That is one topic every Keralite likes to discuss, other than Politics :) This a series of blog posts (or so I plan of), about the reasons I see and the possible solutions that come to my mind.

Problem #1: Pathetic situation of Entertainment centers
I can only talk of those cinema theatres in Trivandrum (Kerala, India), my home town,  and some outside Trivandrum. I can say with 100% certainty that none of the theatres in Trivandrum are welcoming!!! Yes, that are three exclamations, and that was with purspose. :)

On our recent visit to Trivandrum, we went to watch Pazhassiraja, with much enthusiasm. Let me say, the experience (not the movie) disappointed me! I could not watch the movie with complete satisfaction. The ambience of the theatre was of very low class. The theatre had its own special effects, turning the lights on and off, and what nots!

Recently, one of my friends rented the DVD of the movie and we watched it in his home theater. Wow, I had missed the entire movie the first time! So, you imagine!

Solution: This is an easy one. Make it up! Make it trendy so that it attracts more people.

UPDATE: It seems its not only in Trivandrum. http://www.cinemajalakam.in/2010/10/blog-post_7183.html

Problem #2: The approach of movie making.
Some months back, I stumbled (yes, I never intended to watch) upon this movie called One Way Ticket. After watching the whole movie, I cursed myself of wasting 2 hours of valuable time! The director/screenplay writer did not have a clue what they were doing, for sure! That was very evident from the movie.

OK, bad movies come and go, and why am I so obsessed with this one alone? The one thing which was frustrating to me was the cast - this movie had Prithviraj, Mammootty and Thilakan.

What more could a director ask for? He just wasted lots of money, thats all!!

Recently saw Agathan, with lots of curiosity, after watching Dileep talk about it as it was the best movie ever made (in Students Only in Kairali TV). Very disappointed! It was directed by Kamal, for God's sake! What's happening???

Solution: It is time for the film makers to take a step back and think straight for a moment. They need to redefine the approach of movie making. Its not the money which makes the movie, its the movie which makes the money! :)

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Movies I wish to watch

Pranjiyettan and The Saint  (Malayalam)
Brain child of ace director, Ranjith, this movie is already making waves in Kerala. Mammookka's different mannerisms has hit the hearts of Malayalees. Ranjith, who takes up different movies with different treatment, has not disappointed the masses it seems.
I was right (sometimes I do get right, honey! :))!  Ranjith did not disappoint me. Mammokka's subtle acting did not surprise me, but did put a smile on my face. One of the (few) best movies I have seen this season! Kudos, Ranjiyetta!


Urumi (Malayalam)
As of this writing, this movie is under production. Being directed by Santosh Sivan, this movie is co-produced by the young and dynamic Prithviraj. He is also playing the lead role of Kelu Nayanar, who planned to kill Vasco Da' Gama. I have been following the lion heart in twitter for some time. The crew is now in Malshej Ghats near Pune, shooting some romantic song sequences and some fight sequences involving Portugese martial artists and Kalari Payattu (a martial art in Kerala, India) dudes.
Well, the DVD has not reached me yet. I have been watching whatever I could from YouTube (except for that theatre print which has been floating around). So many clippings past, and I am not feeling the urgency to watch this flick. The dialogues (whatever I have seen till now) are not mature enough! It seemed as if they are mimicking Oru Vadakkan Veeragaadha. In some scenes even  Prithviraj gave out over-dramatic acting sequences. As of now, I would say I am not that happy with the movie. Well, at least  it didn't deserve the hype which was created.


 
Anwar (Malayalam)
Amal Neerad really disappointed me in Sagar Alias Jacky (Reloaded), wasting the much talented Mohanlal (Lalettan). Very much! I hope this is his comeback, starring Prithviraj.
I watched this movie with much skepticism. But I was very happy with this movie. The making was much better than Big B and Sagar Alias Jacky. Amal sure did learn from his mistakes. The action sequences are a must watch! This is a movie to be watched in big screen and quality sound effects (do we have such cinema centers in Kerala? :))

Shikkar (Malayalam)
Lalettan is back in action, with ace director Padmakumar (Ammakkilikoodu fame), with lot of adventure and thriller sequences.
Well, I must admit (proudly) that I am a Lalettan fan. And that too a hard-core one! And I wouldn't want to admit that any of his movies are bad ones - ever! This is one of those movies I wanted to give 9/10. But Papetta, you could not maintain the honesty you showed in Ammakkilikkoodu in this movie! Very disappointing. Lalettan was superb - no doubt. But, but, why was Balaraman's (character played by Lalettan) truck named "Shikkar"? And what is significance of Ananya's character being portrayed as Balaraman's brother's daughter? Why not Balaraman's daughter herself?  Grow up, guys! Question to the director: Were you trying to challenge my intellect? Come on! I am done with these histrionics! Time's up!

Debaangg (Hindi)
Salman Khan starrer! Making waves in India.
Should I take a chance? :)
I took the chance, alright! And it was worth it. It was an out-and-out entertainer indeed. Even though it is not a must-watch, you would enjoy it! I did.

The American (English)
I have been a fan of George Clooney for a long long time. His close-to-life acting sense has attracted me since I saw his One Fine Day. Who can forget the subtle shock he displays towards the climax of  Up in the air?
A beautiful movie. This is not an action movie. The silence is very much haunting in this movie. The whole movie has this mood of solitude as depicted by the main character, played by Mr. Clooney. He has excelled in his characterisation and he should be adored for his acting capabilities.

Inception (English)
I have not seen Nolan's much acclaimed Momento. But I am gonna watch Inception, once it lands on the DVD aisles. Mr. Caprio is one of those actors who improvises with every role he gets. He has come a long way from the chocolate boy of Titanic.
What a movie! It did confuse me for a while, but I got my grip, and I should pat on the director shoulder for his attempt. The actors were superb.... yeah just that... a must watch!


Enthiran (Tamil)
Saw the trailers in YouTube. Overwhelming. Director Sankar needs applause for sure. I think this one would be worth a trip to DC or Philadelphia when it arrives here in US.
We did not have to go to DC or Phila. The Regal cinemas in Harrisburg was showing this movie. And was that a treat! Shankar did entertain us. It was a Shankar movie than a Rajni one. Marvellous, indeed!