Hey Jude-A feel good entertainer that talks about accepting people for who they are

‘Hey Jude’ is a Malayalam romantic tale that does not fit into the regular template of love stories. Directed by Shyamaprasad and based on script written by Nirmal Sahadev and George Kanatt, ‘Hey Jude’ carries a sensitive message on Asperger’s Syndrome.

Jude (Nivin Pauly), a young software professional loves crunching numbers and leaves his father speechless when he mentally multiplies two five digit numbers-faster than his father’s calculator.
His other love is studying fishes. Jude can spend hours observing them. Finicky about his diet-he loves really crisp dosas and will not eat beans; Jude follows his eating schedule with a military regimen. There are times when child like he stomps angrily into his room. At work his boss considers Jude an intelligent worker. Jude’s candid nature and honesty- traits not at all appreciated by his father, Dominique (Siddique)-is what makes him lovable.

Dominique manages an antique- goods store and has no scruples about telling his customers-“This is the only piece available in India. There might be another one in London museum,” when actually he has several more inside. 

Jude’s mother Maria (Neena Kurup) is a homemaker spending time in prayers. Jude’s younger sister, the street smart Andrea finds delight in making her brother the butt of jokes. 

Following the demise of his aunt, Dominique arrives in Goa with Maria and Jude. And, the miser, who counts every penny, cannot contain his joy on learning that his aunt has bequeathed her property to him and Jude.
However, his happiness is short-lived after he learns about the tenant living in the outhouse, - a retired psychiatrist Sebastian (Vijay Menon) and his daughter Crystal (Trisha). Dominique cannot evict them now since their rental lease expires only after two years. Dominique’s problem is compounded further when he sees that Jude is spending more  time at the Sebastian home and with Crystal. Get the drift.

The writing is fantastic. Every character is  distinctly carved with their own quirks. Crystal who runs a café on the beaches of Goa is an antithesis to Jude. A fun loving party-animal, this vocalist of a music band enjoys swimming while the socially -awkward Jude  is petrified of water.

The actors completely own their roles-Nivin Pauly in Jude’s shoes has gained weight. His nerdy appearance with glasses, shirt buttoned to the top and that perpetual anxious look on his face makes Jude real.
I loved Jude’s daily ritual of recording his diary into a video camera.
The scene between Jude and Crystal in an intimate moment is cute, with Jude running away when Crystal wants to kiss him. That was a class act by Pauly.

Trisha brings Crystal with an attitude that only she is capable of. If Siddique was the understanding father in ‘Aadhi’ his Dominique is a contrast to Aadhi’s father. Vijay Menon’s Sebastian is a nice surprise. Neat humour is woven into the story especially scenes involving Dominique and his one -upmanship with Sebastian. Aju Verghese also entertains in a cameo role.
DOP Gangadharan takes viewers on a visually appealing journey from Kerala to Goa.  

Drawing awareness to Asperger’s Syndrome and bi-polar disorder in the most sensitive manner without subjecting the characters to ridicule, ‘Hey Jude’ is a fun ride and not a story of pity and melodrama-rather a story of self-discovery by Jude and Crystal.

Ivide’ a crime thriller also carries an emotional story

Watch Malayalam’s fine talents, Prithviraj and Nivin Pauly lock horns ivide, sorry here

By Mythily Ramachandran

‘Ivide’ opens with a murder of an Indian techie, Nageshwar Rao. It happens in Atlanta. Following another techie’s murder, this time of Sunny Singh, Investigating Officer, Varun Blake (Prithviraj) believes that a serial killer is on the prowl.
Varun as his first name suggests is an Indian by birth who grew up in an orphanage but is later adopted by an American lady and her hippie boy- friend.
Raised in the US, Blake feels that his brown skin alienates him from the others. Consequently there is a deep seated anger that he is never able to let go.
Many a times, his anger gets the better of him. And, at one instance he is pointing his revolver at his wife, Roshini (Bhavana). That triggers the break of their marriage. Roshini leaves him taking along with her, their daughter, Trisha.
She takes up work at Infotech, an IT company where she meets her school mate Krish Hebbar (Nivin Pauly), a team leader much respected. Krish hailing from a middle-class home is an ambitious young man and his goal is the top post in the company. And, to achieve that, Krish will go to any length, even if it means manipulating situations.
Love blossoms between Krish and Roshini. While the main story probes the murders of Indian techies, underlying this is an emotional tale of three people, that of Varun, Krish and Roshini.
Ajayan Venugopalan’s script explores the lives of the Indian expatriates and the repercussions of outsourcing work to Indian companies. Naturally a greater part of the story is in English. Venugopalan’s crisp dialogues are the strength of the story. Shyamaprasad’s craftsmanship evident in every frame is well matched by cinematographer Eric Dickinson visuals.
The lead characters come with their own flaws and are more real. Prithviraj’s salt and pepper cool dude look will set many a heart flutter. The actor reinforces his talent once again with a brilliant performance. Bringing to the fore Varun’s insecurities and his cockiness, Prithviraj plays a caring father too. 
Matching step with him and playing the perfect tango is Nivin Pauly. Krish is a typical middle-class boy and a dutiful son who skypes regularly with his mom, but he does succumb to moments driven by ambition. Bhavana as a young mother brings out the independent streak in Roshini. Gopi Sundar’s music blends well into this tale of human emotions.
‘Ivide,’ takes viewers on a journey to the US where life is not as rosy as it appears.

Rating: 3/5