Sufiyum Sujatayum’: A story told from the heart

Marked with terrific performances and visuals, this love story remains true to its genre

Since time immemorial, parental pressure and religion has kept lovers from uniting. Debutant director Naranipuzha Shanavas’s ‘Sufiyum Sujatayum’ follows the life of Sujata (Aditi Rao Hydari)-a speech impaired young woman and her love for a Sufi (Dev Mohan).

The film opens with Sujata (Aditi Rao Hydari) and her family-husband Rajeev (Jayasurya) and daughter- living in the middle-east. The following morning Rajeev receives a message. His wife’s former lover is dead and the burial is planned that evening. Rajeev does something not many men will do. He flies to India with Sujata so that she can pay her last respects to her Sufi. Rajeev hopes that it will bring a closure to a past that has been intruding into his present.

Shifting between the past and the present Shanavas stays true to the genre while resisting temptations to making it a melodrama. Neither is he keen on biting the bait of a communal line lying underneath.  

‘Sufiyum Sujatyum’ opens with promise, falters midway but finds its feet ultimately to usher in a dawn filled with love. While the narrative is told from Sujata’s perspective, the Sufi remains an enigma. What inner turmoil does he go through when in love? ‘Sufiyum Sujatayum’ could have reached its full potential if more focus had been given to the Sufi.

You can’t help remembering another Malayalam story- ‘Ennum Ninte Moideen’- where religion came in the way of love. ‘Ennum Ninte Moideen’ found its rightful place solely due to its brilliant writing and pathos filled scenes executed perfectly by Prithviraj and Parvathy.

Yet, Shanavas’s maiden film deserves praise on several counts. There are aspects in his screenplay and staging that indicate he is a talent to look out for. The town where the story is placed is in harmony with Hindus and Muslims living together. Sujata often visits Aboob-Sufi’s mentor- and her father (Siddique) is fine with it until she falls in love. 

Small details make many scenes real. The burial scene is shot in a methodical manner. When Rajeevan tosses a handful of soil in the grave, he is burying a past. For a moment he almost slips into the grave but is pulled back by someone. A simple touch added there. 

Siddique’s emotional outburst in a scene left me with goose bumps. The veteran was spot on as Sujata’s father.  Kalaranjini complements Siddique well. You can’t help smiling at this naïve woman. In one scene she brings a cap that she stitched for her grand-daughter and gives it to Rajeev. When he remarks that it was a bigger size, she has an answer-‘a safety pin will correct that.’

Shanavas sprinkles humour during tense moments-the cab driver when  intercepted by the police for speaking on his mobile, blabbers about his wife being suddenly pregnant instead of ‘pregnant wife had to be suddenly rushed to hospital.’ The driver made me smile in another scene where Rajeev calls him up to check for his lost passport. The driver says that the passport was not in his car, but before calling off, he shares news of his wife’s delivery.  Who comes up with situations that mirror life?

Aditi Rao Hydari brings in the vulnerability of a woman hindered by speech yet fearless in love. Looking beautiful with barely there make up, Hydari lights up every frame. Remarkable is the scene where she breaks down following a close family member’s death.   
Dev Mohan is earnest in his role and impresses on debut. As the Sufi, he carries a warm glow. Manikandan Pattambi whose character turns the course of the story is a spontaneous performer. The graveyard scenes involving a search for something lost keeps the adrenalin going with a dread-‘What if? 

When curtains fall, it is Rajeev who lingers long. Jayasurya’s subtle body language conveys well Rajeev’s relationship with Sujata. Though frustrated with his wife’s past and bristling with anger inside, Rajeev’s love for Sujata surpasses everything. Jayasurya is fantastic. 

M.Jayachandran’s music is soulful melody. The song, ‘Alhamdulillah’ is divine while the lyrics of Hindi song ‘Kya Karoon’ beautiful. DOP Anu Moothedath’s frames are spectacular from the word go-every frame   created with care- and some are surreal.

‘Sufiyum Sujatayum’ is not about love only but in understanding the one you love.

Captain: Jayasurya carries this poignant tale of an unsung hero on his shoulders-a tribute to late V.P. Satyan

By Mythily Ramachandran              

‘Captain’ is the story of a man who loved football beyond himself- so intense was his love for the game, that unheeding his coach’s advice, V.P. Satyan of Kerala Police continued playing in a match despite an injured foot. And, dismissing the agony of his foot, Satyan brought glory to Kerala with the Santosh Trophy- a cup that had been eluding the state for the past nineteen years. Journalist turned director Prajesh Sen scores a goal on his maiden attempt.

‘Captain’ is told in a non-linear narration. Sen takes viewers back and forth  through Satyan’s life. Beginning with a match in 1999 in Kathmandu, where Satyan missed a penalty shot, Sen  brings us back to Pallavaram station in Chennai where Satyan met his end on the railway tracks. The outstanding football player who led India nine times became a depressed man when unable to play football-his first love as he claimed always to wife Anitha.
Satyan grew up in Kannur where he found his first love-he picked up a pair of discarded shoes to play football. An injury during his childhood days never healed, accompanying him through life. From a much  feared key player in the local clubs, Satyan’s rise in the football arena is laid out.  

‘Captain’ is also the story of Anitha, Satyan’s wife. She never wanted to marry a football player in the first place and disliked policemen too. After declining his proposal initially, Anitha finds love in Satyan and the devoted wife quits her engineering studies to support his passion for football.

Jayasurya throws himself completely into the role and in the gifted actor’s hands, Satyan is an ordinary man with his own weaknesses. Anu Sithara is pitch perfect, complementing Jayasurya’s performance. And you feel for the man who battled suicidal tendencies. More so for the widow and the daughter, who are left behind. Did football kill Satyan?

Mention must be made of the good performance by the supporting actors-Siddique as a crazy football lover and Satyan’s well-wisher; Renji Panicker as Satyan’s coach; Janardhanan as the Chief Minister whose encouragement went a long way for Satyan and Saiju Kurup as the arrogant senior police officer who humiliates Satyan.

 

Pranav Mohan Lal’s ‘Aadhi’ a gripping thriller

Director  Jeethu Joseph takes viewers on a roller coaster ride as he follows the life of Aadhi- an aspiring musician falsely implicated in a murder    

Directed and scripted by Jeethu Joseph (of ‘Drishyam’ fame), ‘Aadhi’ brings Pranav Mohan Lal back into cinema.
Lal Jr.  made his beginning as a child actor in 2002 with ‘Onnaman.’ With his second film, ‘Punarjani’ he won the Kerala State award for Best Child Artiste.
‘Aadhi’ marks his debut in the lead role- a film that he will look back with fondness. Lal Jr. with his performance proves his acting genes.

‘Aadhi’s plot is simple though not new.
Aditya Mohan, (Pranav Mohan Lal) the only child of his parents, (played by Siddique and Lena) is an aspiring music composer looking for that big break into films.
At the suggestion of a friend, he gets an opportunity to perform inside an elite club of Bangalore- a place frequented by Tamil and Telugu music directors. Aadhi as he is fondly called hopes to impress one of them. There he bumps into Anjana, (Aditi Ravi) an old school mate and it’s the regular catching up with her.

An unwarranted incident at the hotel overturns his life there. Aadhi finds himself falsely implicated in a murder-Arjun Reddy, son of Reddy, a notorious business magnate meets his end from the roof of the hotel.

With Reddy (Jagapathi Babu) out to avenge his son’s death  Aadhi goes on the run. 
Does Aadhi prove his innocence and escape from Reddy’s clutches?

Joseph’s neat writing rolls out a screenplay that is slickly executed and keeps viewers fixed on the screen.
Pranav Mohan Lal’s  Aadhi is the boy next door without the trappings of a super hero image.
Aadhi shares a close and informal equation with his parents- mother Rosy (Lena) is a Christian who eloped with Mohan, his father ( Siddique) a Hindu.
Unlike Mohan, Rosy believes in Aadhi’s choice of career and supports him.  When Mohan expresses his anxiety to Aadhi, telling him that he has no knowledge about the cinema industry he probably spoke for many parents out there.  Yet he gives Aadhi two years to pursue his ambition. Moments shared between Aadhi and his parents are beautifully portrayed by Lena and Siddique-the two natural  performers make their characters real.      

With Reddy’s goons on his heels, Aadhi finds shelter in a stranger’s home. Sharath (Sharafuddin), a Malayali, living in Bangalore sees a common enemy in Narayana Reddy. He is all out to help Aadhi.

Aadhi’s parkour training comes to his rescue while on the run. Giving an adrenalin rush are well choreographed action scenes as Aadhi races through alleys, leaps over walls and jumps across roof-tops. You watch mesmerized. Mohan Lal surprises with a cameo appearance. That’s an amusing scene actually.

Joseph’s supporting characters have are well created. Sharafuddin’s  Sharath is someone you trust wholly. His elder sister, Jaya is all bark with no bite-the sharp tongued chechi, who slowly warms up to Aadhi. Joseph’s little details are visible. Consider the scene where Jaya walks into the room, to find Aadhi tending to her bedridden mother. Anusree, the versatile actress, beautifully conveys Jaya’s gratitude through her eyes.

Jagapathi Babu easily slides into the villain’s shoes-it’s not a new role for him, but here it’s less loud and subdued.
 Siju Wilson  and Meghanathan (as Mani Anna who helps Aadhi) lend ample support.

Satheesh Kurup’s cinematography complements Joseph’s story and as curtain fall, the splendid climax is captured brilliantly.

Mr. Fraud’ an out and out Mohan Lal show, yet entertains

Bhaiji (Mohan Lal) is a professional thief known for easily duping his targets and robbing them of their wealth. But that is not his real name. And no one knows what his real name is either. All he shares is a professional relationship with his clients and it ends there.
Bhaiji is known to mastermind his heists smoothly. On one such project Bhaiji poses as a stage singer and performs at a wedding ceremony. (Don’t miss the Jamaican look that Lal sports). While the audience is still in raptures over his music, Bhaiji pulls wool over his hosts’ eyes and walks off with crores of cash. Helping him in his operations are his two accomplices, Abbas (Vijay Babu) and Priya (Manjari Fadnis).
Bhaiji now wants to quit his profession. But before that he is hired to rob a royal treasure that has been kept locked under court’s orders for  four decades and more.
Bhaiji prefers to execute this last project alone. But Abbas and Priya insist on joining him in this heist. They are fond of their mentor and wish to spend some more time with him. And they are not even looking at a share in the profits.
So the trio lands up at this family mansion in Kerala, where the treasure will be unlocked under government supervision. Bhaiji poses as an evaluator, Sivaram who has been appointed by the family to assess the treasure.
Mind you, the treasure is well guarded. Besides gun toting guards keeping vigil round the clock, the security system here boasts of the latest technology.
How will Bhaiji pull off this one successfully?  Not to forget the prying eyes of family members and a police officer, Sajan, who are studiously watching him.

This is Unnikrishnan’s third film with Mohan Lal. From the word go, it is a Lal show all the way. Bhaiji in his salt and pepper looks is quite a stealer and a far cry from George Kutty of ‘Drishyam.’ Lal, the versatile actor that he is, pushes away the hangover of George Kutty from viewers’ minds.
Other actors also deliver a commendable performance. My count begins with Sai Kumar as the corrupt policeman and Siddique as a communist activist. Playing Siddique’s adopted daughter, Saraswati is Mia George, who comes thumbs up too.
After playing mother to two children in the Mammotty starrer, ‘Silence,’ television actress, Pallavi Chandran proves that she can slip into the garb of a sensuous role too. As Damini Varma, a member of the royal family Chandran , in the little time that she is onscreen,  will not be easily forgotten. Her one liner when she meets Bhaiji the first time had viewers hooting.
Manjari Fadnis and Vijay Babu complement Bhaiji’s character well.
There are flash backs into Bhaiji’s  childhood but nothing is clear as to why he chose this path.
Well with a mass entertainer, you don’t ask questions. Predictable? Yes. High action scenes to match Lal's larger than life image? Yes.
But one thing you can be sure of Mr. Fraud,' he does not cheat you of fun and laughter.

‘Deivathante Swantham Cleetus’ is just another entertainer

In a small village of Kerala, a priest, Father Sunny (Siddique) plans on a sound and light show depicting the life of Jesus Christ.
While searching for an actor to play the Lord, he comes across Cleetus (Mammootty) and is impressed with his calm demeanour and physical looks. He finds in Cleetus a striking resemblance to Christ. After much persuasion Cleetus agrees to play Jesus Christ.
Trouble starts during the rehearsals when the true colour of Cleetus is revealed. While the rest of the cast members are shocked to learn that Cleetus is a local criminal, Father Sunny believes in giving him a chance to reform. He hopes that in essaying the character of Christ, Cleetus might turn over a new leaf.
Does Cleetus live up to the image he essays on stage?
Marthandan, as associate director in the Malayalam industry for several years makes his directorial debut with this film.

Yes, with Mammootty in the central role of Cleetus, the story is predictable. And of course there is a villain who has a score to settle with Cleetus. Expect fist fights too.
Honey Rose, who is best remembered for her role in ‘Trivandrum Lodge,’ plays a character in total contrast to Dhwani, the divorcee. As Lakshmi, a single mother with a little boy, Rose portrays a demure yet a bold woman.
There is good humour to keep you chuckling. And I am not referring to Suraj Venjaramoodu’s comic antics that have become so repetitive but are supposed to make viewers laugh. Hilarious moments revolve around P. Balachandran playing an aging dramatist in this film, but who is keen on playing Jesus Christ, much to Father Sunny’s annoyance. Aju Verghese as Cleetus’ side kick impresses with his comedy too. Mammootty does not disappoint his fans either. Siddique is at his usual best.
The spectacular visuals captured by cinematographer Pradeep Nair are a treat for your eyes.   
‘Deivathinte Swantham Cleetus,’ entertains, nothing more.