‘To-Let’- a captivating tale of a family’s search for a rented house

By Mythily Ramachandran

This national award winner directed by Chezhiyan has been globe- trotting and winning acclaim

Cinematographer turned director Chezhiyan’s debut film ‘To-Let’ is a realistic portrayal of the predicament of a family of three who go house hunting after their landlady issues them a month’s notice to vacate.  

Winner of 32 awards including India’s national award for ‘Best Tamil Film’ last year, ‘To-Let’ is marked with evocative moments, eloquent visuals and standout performances by the lead cast.   

At the film’s outset, we meet this family of three-Ilango (Santosh Sreeram), Amudha (Sheela Rajkumar) and Siddharth (child actor Dharun) who have returned home after an evening at the beach. Amudha quickly changes into her home gown, tunes in the radio and gets dinner ready. Ilango also changes into his lungi and clears the clogged Indian styled toilet. Siddharth fondly called Siddhu baits his father into a game-he mimics a lion out to devour a rat-his father. That picture of contentment inside this dimly lit ordinary house with walls marked by the child’s crayon art is a beautiful portrait not easily forgotten. Life looks good until Amudha is summoned upstairs by the landlady. When she returns home seething with anger, it finds its outlet on Ilango-whom she had asked to keep a watch on her cooking-Ilango has left the dosa to burn on the stove. We soon learn that the landlady- a rude woman who treats Amudha shabbily- has asked them to vacate.  

Ilango, an aspiring director is yet to make his first film. He works as a writer in an ad company. It’s tough making ends meet. Amudha who cautiously manages household accounts suggests they go house hunting on their own instead of relying on a broker. They can cut down the broker’s fees. 

Every morning the family sets out on Ilango’s rickety scooter -that frequently has a starting trouble. Thus begins an ordeal of meeting house owners-some questioning them on their religion, some preferring ‘only vegetarians’ and if everything else is good, the quoted rent –with the IT boom in Chennai-exceeds their budget.  

Tiny details and poignant moments enhance Chezhiyan’s narrative and through his telling frames shot often in natural light, he has you invested in the lives of Ilango and Amudha. You feel their pain when the landlady without prior notice brings in prospective tenants disregarding their privacy; you feel sorry for Amudha when she describes her dream home; you are relieved when they finally find a suitable house; and you laugh with them when Dhruv asks his parents to join in his game of ‘house hunting,’ where he plays landlord. Like a fly on the wall, you can’t help but eves-drop on their life.

Chezhiyan proved that a story can be told sincerely without the trappings of cinematic frills and the tropes of commercial cinema. Lead actors Santosh Sreeram and Sheela Rajkumar share a lovely chemistry as Ilango and Amudha-bonding over intimate moments with an Ilayaraja song in the background and holding differences just like any married couple.

Sreeram, an accidental actor assisted Chezhiyan for ten years as cameraman. And, on his acting debut he reveals immense potential.  Sheela a stage actor slips into Amudha’s shoes with great ease. Child actor Dharun is a natural-his Siddhu is adorable. Moments touching your heart include a scene where Siddhu is trying to erase his drawings on the wall-his mother is angry and has asked him to clean it up before they vacate. And, when the child picks up his drawing sheet crumpled and thrown by the landlady, it leaves a knot in the throat.  

‘To-Let’ is a film that speaks from the heart. 

‘Sarvam Thaalam Mayam’ a beautiful musical drama

By Mythily Ramachandran

Is music the privilege of a select few?

Rajiv Menon’s musical drama ‘Sarva Thaalam Mayam’ while raising this valid question takes viewers through the life of Peter Johnson-son of a Dalit mridangam maker-who aspires to learn music from none other but the renowned percussionist Palakkad Vembu Iyer.

Inspired by the life of Carnatic mridangam vidwan Umayalpuram K Shivaraman, STM is beautifully narrated and complemented by spectacular performances, especially by the two lead actors-music director cum actor-GV Prakash and the Malayalam veteran Nedumudi Venu.

Peter (GV Prakash) is a crazy fan of Tamil actor Vijay. This easy going young man prefers skipping his examination so that he can play the drums during the release of a new Vijay film. His father Johnson (Kumaravel) is probably the last in the family to continue with the profession of making a mridangam. Peter is certainly not keen on following the mridangam, but is fascinated by its beats. When he delivers a mridangam to Vembu Iyer (Nedumudi Venu) for a concert, he happens to watch the live show from close quarters and from then on, his  heart beats for the mridangam. He is adamant about learning mridangam under Vembu Iyer. Will Vembu Iyer accept a Dalit as his student?

Rajiv Menon- known for his earlier two romantic dramas, ‘Minsara Kanavu’ and ‘Kandukondein Kandukondein’-found the spark for this story while making ‘Overtone’ –a documentary on the life of mridangam artiste U.K. Sivaraman.

GV Prakash training in mridangam under Sivaraman for a year prior to shooting has clearly paid. Prakash just lets himself go onscreen as he brings out Peter’s passion for beats and his perseverance to learn mridangam. It’s a delight watching him match every step with the spontaneous actor Nedumudi Venu.

A romantic angle is woven into the tale with Malayalam actress Aparna Balamurali as Sarah, a Malayali nurse who attends to Peter’s injury following a scuffle. 

‘Sarva Thaala Mayam’ a feel good entertainer that without making a loud noise makes a social statement-Music is a universal language that crosses boundaries of sect, religion, culture and language.

'Sigai’ a Tamil whodunit thriller

By Mythily Ramachandran

The first original Tamil feature film on ZEE5 directed by Jagadeesan Subbu has actor Kathir in a never before seen role

With theaters unable to meet the increasing number of films clamouring for space, digital space is opening new doors. Tamil film ‘Sigai’ released online in January 2019. 

‘Sigai’ follows the life of Nimmi, a call-girl, whose sudden disappearance at a client’s home sends Prasad, her pimp investigating.  

Directed by debutant Jagadeesan Subbu, this crime thriller carries within its narrative, a sensitive tale about inclusion of every human being irrespective of who they are.  

Prasad (Raj Bharath) is not the regular pimp portrayed in cinema. His language is neither crass nor humiliating of the women, he sends out on work. And his prostitutes are not garishly dressed. Surprisingly Prasad comes across as a compassionate human being who feels for his women team. So when Nimmi (Meera Nair) fails to report at her client’s place the next day, after visiting Prasad’s client the night before, he decides to enquire about her whereabouts. And, he stumbles upon a murder. Revealing beyond will be a spoiler.

‘Sigai’ takes a while in the first half, introducing us to its different characters. Post interval, with the entry of the London returned Mathivanan-the dead man’s friend-the story gets intriguing. Kathir, a good performer and still basking in the success of his last film-‘Pariyerum Perumal’lends a poignancy to his life as Mathivanan. It’s a subtle performance there.  

Director Subbu is to be hailed for choosing a story that embraces a social message like this one on his debut. I only wish he had invested some more on telling Mathivanan’s background story. Navin Kumar camera work is remarkable.

'Drama’ unoriginal and shoddy

By Mythily Ramachandran

Despite a good cast, this movie is disappointing due to bad writing

The premise of 'Drama' — about respecting a mother’s last wish — is heart warming, but it soon turns its focus on the lead actor, Mohanlal, thus becoming a tragedy of errors.

The film opens in Dubai, where Jomon is on the phone with his mother, Rosamma (Arundhati Nag), now in London with her youngest daughter, Mercy (Kaniha). She tells him that whenever she dies she would like to be buried next to her husband in Kattapana, Kerala.

In London, Rosamma is happy spending time with Mercy and her children. It’s a bright morning when her end comes.

The scene preceding her demise is beautiful. Wearing a fine sari, Rosamma is ready to take on the day. Her son-in-law (Shyamaprasad) compliments her. After waving her grandchildren off to school, she picks a bunch of fresh flowers and goes to her bedroom. She lies down, cross in hand and prayers on her lips. Slumber takes over and a peaceful Rosamma departs still holding the flowers.

The funeral will take place in London and Rosamma’s four other children, living in different parts of the world, arrive at Mercy’s home. There is nothing new in the characterization of Rosamma’s children — a stingy and bossy elder brother, a greedy son-in-law and a manipulative older sister. Why is the youngest always the under-achiever who ultimately cares for the parents?

Dixon Lopez Funeral Services, an undertaker agency, is entrusted with the funeral arrangements. But Jomon is not happy. Remembering his mother’s last conversation, he wants to take her body home to Kattapana to be laid next to his father’s grave.

Intended to be a satire around Rosamma’s funeral, the story veers off track with the arrival of Rajagopal (Mohanlal), the other partner of Lopez. The drama now shifts from Rosamma’s family politics to Rajagopal, who is trying to win his wife (Asha Sharath) back and find his way home. There is enough drama, though it’s of little significance. Mohanlal entertains audiences, no doubt, especially the scene where he shares his drink and chocolate bar with Rosamma lying in the coffin box.

Drama suffers from patchy writing. Despite a formidable cast — Dileesh Pothen, whose Lopez keeps you chuckling as he tries to make the most of this business opportunity; Asha Sharath as Rajagopal’s wife in a role that does little justice to her potential and Renji Panicker as the local political leader — Drama disappoints. The sexist jokes thrown in are old hash and barely tickle. Neither can the splendid visuals of London save the sagging script.

Ottamuri Velicham- (Light in the Room)

Directed by Rahul Riji Nair, this Kerala state award winning film is centred around marital rape

Light carries a positive connotation, but the light glowing in Sudha’s bedroom is an intrusion and an intrinsic part of her dark story in ‘Ottamuri Velicham.’

Chandran (Deepak Parambol) brings his new wife Sudha (Vineeta Koshy) to his home, a small dwelling on the mountains of Bonakkadu (near Trivandrum, Kerala). Separating the bedroom and the room outside is a flimsy curtain hanging over the doorway and Sudha notices that the window in her bedroom cannot be closed. She also can’t switch off the glowing light above, a crude structure made of bottles. When she tells Chandran about fixing a switch to it, he harshly retorts that she keep her hands off his lamp.

If Sudha could resist Chandran’s advances on the first night, few days later, she realizes that she has married a ruthless man, who does not care for her feelings at all. Chandran coerces her into sex, not just by forcing himself on her but through physical violence.  

Yet, Sudha makes efforts to understand Chandran. She wakes up early to make him coffee before he leaves for his work. Another day she carries lunch to his work-place only to be rudely admonished for venturing out on her own. Chandran has no qualms about disrespecting her in front of his boss- the man who believes in Chandran’s creative inventions-the glowing bulb in the bedroom is one of them.

It’s a regular ritual as Sudha waits in dread every night for Chandran- her screams of pain heard silently by her mother-in-law and brother-in-law sleeping outside the room. Sudha is trapped in a relationship from which there seems no escape. The only balm is the care of her mother-in-law, (Pauly Valsan) who nurses her in the morning after the brutality of the night.



Nair’s narration is sensitive. Under the glare of the glowing lamp he reveals the marital rape conveyed through Sudha’s screams and not by resorting to unpleasant graphic visuals. The focus is on Sudha’s agony and abuse by a sadistic husband.

Both the lead actors, Koshy and Parambol are in great form as they bring alive their characters. Parambol’s Chandran is completely detestable with his psychotic behaviour and you wish him dead just like Sudha. Every night, when Chandran returns home, you dread the minutes that will follow, almost feeling Sudha’s pain, such is the intensity of Koshy’s performance. There is no loud melodrama. Sudha speaks little and her agony is conveyed well through Koshy’s expressions. Koshy received the Kerala state award for Best Actress.

What really made Chandran this way? You wonder. He is an  intelligent man with a knack of working with electrical appliances and devising  ingenious practical inventions by recycling stuff. A wild boar that visits their garden every night to ravage on the tapioca plants becomes a metaphor for Chandran’s behavior. Sudha and her mother-in-law lay a trap for the animal. 

His mother excuses his behavior when she tells Sudha that she too suffered a similar fate under her husband and Chandran has grown up seeing that. She even tells Sudha that her son is actually good at heart, unlike his younger brother. Male domination is an accepted thing for her when she reminds her daughter-in-law that she is a woman. But unlike the regular mothers in law, she empathises with Sudha and tries to alleviate her pain.   

Cinematographer Luke Jose’s frames are spectacular. The environment around shows Nature at her pristine beauty yet carries an intimidating feel through out when seen through Sudha’s eyes. As she gazes out of the open window in the stillness of the night it brings in an eerie feel; the uncertainty in the wilderness as Sudha tries to escape from home, scrambling down the mountain side lined with thorny bushes and wading through gushing streams-the camera follows her sending a shiver down the spine.

Director Nair scores with his telling-a gradual flow of events. From the terrified young bride who has no control over her life to emerge strong and bold, hardened by pain and sorrow, yet cannot be cowed down by any man. And when she finally does fix a switch to the lamp, you tip your hat to her.

‘Ottamuri Velicham’ won four Kerala state awards-Best Film, Best Editing, Best Actress and Best Second Supporting Actress (Pauly Valsan). 

Without star power this is a tale that speaks from the heart.

‘Neerali’ review: Mohan Lal impressive in gripping thriller

The survival story loses momentum in its second half, but keeps viewers’ interest with stunning visuals and great performances

By Mythily Ramachandran

In the middle of a jungle, where the only sound of human life is a priest’s sermon coming over the speaker of a church in the ravines below, gemmologist Sunny George (Mohanlal) is injured inside a van that hangs precariously from the tip of a precipice. Any slight move can tip the van into the valley below. Sunny’s life now dangles on a thread, along with that of his unconscious and injured driver, Veerappan (Suraj Venjaramodu).

Directed by Ajoy Varma and based on Saju Thomas’ story, Neerali is about survival. All the odds are against Sunny as he tries different ways of seeking help. Outgoing calls on his mobile are blocked for not having paid the bill and his office secretary, despite instructions, has failed to do so.

If Veerappan’s phone lying at his feet seemed like a glimmer of hope for Sunny, he soon realises that he can’t reach it past his unconscious driver without sending the van below.

The story shuttles between the jungle and life outside, gradually taking us into the lives of Sunny and Veerapan. Sunny’s pregnant wife Mollykutty (Nadiya) has been rushed into hospital with labour pains. His colleague Naina (Parvathy Nair) is in love with him and believes that he loves her too. She is angry about her transfer to Delhi. Veerappan’s financial woes has affected his relationship with his only child — a sports loving teenager proud of her medals.

Neerali begins with promise. The way the accident has been orchestrated is believable as the van swerves off track down an incline to eventually perch itself on the brink of a cliff.

Mohanlal is brilliant as he battles through diverse emotions with Sunny trapped inside the van’s seat. The star is not given a larger than life image but is an ordinary man with his weaknesses and vulnerability.

While Nadiya has little to do besides the trauma of a delivery, it is Nair who impresses as Naina — a possessive young woman. 

While the story loses its momentum in the second half, the holes in the plot are made up by cinematographer Santosh Thundiyal’s visuals, he aura of the jungle under a star lit sky is captured magnificently, while a lone monkey watches Sunny’s ordeal.

‘Joseph’ a medical thriller that leaves you stunned

By Mythily Ramachandran

Director M. Padmakumar reveals a different facet of actor Joju 

George in this family drama

 

Joju George in the titular role is unforgettable. The actor-producer who has until now played comic roles and characters with negative shades proves that a good story does not need a star or a larger than life character to hold it up. With his understated performance, George is terrific.

Joseph (Joju George) may have retired from the police service yet is often called back for consultation by his seniors to crack a difficult case. As soon as the film begins, we learn about his Sherlock Holmes observation skills. Joseph despite downing a few drinks is alert as he surveys the scene of crime-a double murder in this case of an elderly couple-and solves the case in a surprisingly short time and without much fuss.

But his personal life is a tragedy. Joseph’s life is empty just like his home. His wife Stella and their only child, Diana are no longer with him. Written by Shahi Kabir and directed by M. Padmakumar, the story shifts between the past and the present.

Joseph’s tragedy is compounded further by the accidental death of a close one. Joseph discerning eye pushes him onto another investigative journey that brings to opens up a medical scam.

‘Joseph’ is a well written narrative with a screenplay that keeps you engrossed. It’s neatly sketched ordinary characters brought onscreen with natural performances by the actors leave you feeling sad when curtains come down. 

George dominates the story with his understated acting. This policeman is a far cry from the cruel policeman of ‘Nyan Mary Kutty’ or the friendly cop of ‘Poomaram.’ His two portrayal of Joseph is laudable-the young Joseph in love and the man drowned in sorrow are poles apart. George as the retired officer who finds refuge in the bottle carries a lazy swagger and a disinterested gaze in his eyes.

Another surprise is actor-director Dileesh Pothan. He is Peter, whom Stella marries after leaving Joseph. Pothan who was last seen in ‘Drama,’ as the loud talking funeral agent Dixon takes on a character who barely speaks.  The relationship shared by George and Peter is awkard-the two men love Stella- yet they show a maturity and understanding that is so beautiful. You don’t see this kind of acceptance either in life or on  screen. Kabir scores with his writing. 

The supporting actors playing Joseph’s friends deserve mention. So too the actresses- Athmiya, Madhuri Braganza and Malavika Mohan- playing the women in Joseph’s lives. They all prop up the story well.  

Another big strength is the  spectacular camera work by Manesh Madhavan. Right from the go, his frames are stunning. When we are introduced to Joseph, he is lying drunk in his chair caught between the streaming rays of the morning sun. A hungry cat mews persistently in the background but is not visible, you are left to your imagination. I loved that visual. Madhavan’s camera is intrinsic to the story, very much alive and following the characters totally. 

‘Joseph’ while bringing to light a medical scam leaves you feeling quite sad.