‘Enna Satham Indha Neram’ a damp squib

Can a film survive on hype only without a proper script? That’s a question that comes to mind after watching ‘Enna Satham Indha Neram,’ a film that grabbed headlines as being the first Indian film to feature quadruplets.
With a title that piques your curiosity ‘Enna Satham Indha Neram,’ touted as an emotional thriller failed to live up to its expectations.
Four speech and hearing challenged children get lost in a zoo while on a school excursion. As their teacher searches for them frantically, the zoo watchman informs her that a huge snake has gone missing from the cage. With this basic plot, the story could have grown into an interesting thriller, but director Guru Ramesh probably got lost in the idea itself.
How do you expect viewers to react when they are anxiously following the search for the kids to be interrupted by silly humour. Zoo keeper Kathir (Nithin Sathya) comes up with comedy lines at the most inappropriate times and they do nothing to tickle your funny bone. As if that was not enough, you have comedian Mano Bala and his friend, attired outrageously, (for laughs supposedly) who are petty thieves in this story and are planning to kidnap the quadruplets.   Their jokes fell flat on their faces. Probably it has to do with the ready-made mould established for commercial stories in Tamil cinema that are dictated by the number of must have comedy tracks.
The snake with graphics looks magnified but least menacing. And viewers have the last laugh when the snake is put to sleep by a large dose of sleeping tablets. Completely lacking in conviction, ‘Enna Satham Indha Neram’ did make a lot of noise but is a case of empty cans.

‘Bangalore Days,’ a complete entertainer

When cousins get together, inevitably it’s a riot.
And that’s exactly what happens when childhood playmates and cousins Divya, Kuttan and Arjun, meet up in Bangalore.  There is loads of fun.
Divya (Nazriya Nazim) arrives in Bangalore following her marriage to Das, (Fahad Faasil) a corporate executive. Kuttan, (Nivin Pauly) an IT professional works there.  So does the other cousin, Arjun, (Dulquer Salman) a graffiti artist and a motor bike racer.
Living in a new city with her husband, who barely talks and is mostly away on official tours, Divya’s companions are her two cousins.  And the trio has a blast together. But once the picnic is over, they return to their own lives where they confront reality.    
Divya's vivacity is a contrast to Das’ aloofness and that comes in the way of their building a new relationship.  Her curiosity is piqued when Das pointing to a room in their apartment that he keeps locked all the time, tells her, “It’s all old stuff.” 
Arjun’s anger is directed at his divorced parents and the pain of loneliness is a constant thorn hurting him. Crazy over bikes, he has pinned his ambitions on the race track.
Kuttan is the typical Malayali rooted to his native soil and very traditional in outlook. When his father is seriously ill, he takes a flight home and on board he falls in love with an air-hostess (Isha Talwar).  It’s amusing to watch the love smitten Kuttan going through a make-over with spiked hair and a wardrobe change as he tries to fit in with the glamorous and beautiful air-hostess.
Anjali Menon narration is simple and straight. The bonhomie of the cousins is believable.  Nazriya, Nivin and Dulquer share a great comfort level together onscreen. Menon’s little touches add freshness to the story.  My favourite is the scene where Das meets Divya at her home the first time. It is the traditional boy meeting girl ceremony.  After the family introductions are done with they are left alone to chat. Das tells Divya that he wants her to know that there has been another woman in his life. And he would understand if she was not keen on the marriage. Did she have anything to share, he then asks her. Looking bewildered, Divya reveals to him that the sweets placed on the table were not prepared by her as claimed by her mother, a while ago. As the duo break into a laugh, Divya’s puppy runs in and the next scene shows the two bonding over the dog, much to the delight of the parents who enter the room at that moment.
With a multi-cast, who fit snug into their roles, Menon presents a story that will appeal to viewers of all ages. Every actor has put in a commendable performance. Yet one pair that remains with you for long is that of Arjun and Sarah, the physically challenged RJ, whose ebullience on air wins the heart of the ‘I don’t care a damn,’ Arjun.
Dulquer’s rugged charm matches his performance and Parvathy Menon is just brilliant. She is one actress whose eyes express before the words tumble out. Kalpana as Kuttan’s mom will have you in splits. Nithya Menon is a beautiful surprise. I even liked the bit about the Tamilian maid who does not seem to approve of Divya as Das’ wife.
Go for ‘Bangalore Days,’ a light hearted entertainer with family and friends. And if your cousins are around, don’t forget to take them along. 

‘How Old Are You’ inspires women to dream again

Manju Warrier returns with a bang after fourteen years, reinforcing herself as an actor of great calibre in How Old Are You.

Warrier is subtle and a natural as Nirupama Rajeev, an upper division clerk in the revenue department of the government. Her husband, Rajeev, is a news announcer at All India Radio station. They have a teenaged daughter, Lachu, who is doing well academically.

Nirupama’s story reflects the lives of those Indian women who are taken for granted and often find themselves on the receiving end of a blame game.

When Rajeev is told he must move to Ireland on work, Nirupama hopes to accompany him there. “But that is not possible,” Rajeev tells his wife, “due to the high cost of living in Ireland.”

So unless Nirupama finds a job there, she and Lachu will have to stay in India.

Nirupama attends an interview for a job in Ireland but is rejected because of her age. She is 36 years old, one year more than the prescribed cut off age limit. Lachu is upset having nurtured dreams of studying in Ireland. Holding her mother responsible, she asks her, “don’t you have any dreams?” And with that she cuts off all communication with her mother.

The same morning, while driving to work, Rajeev accidentally hits someone on the road. A case is registered against him. Since this accident could jeopardise his visa process, he asks Nirupama to tell the police that she was the one who drove the car that morning. Nirupama agrees but at the police station Rajeev and Nirupama are in for a shock when the officer points out that Nirupama ’s driving licence has long expired. Rajeev now accuses her of deliberately thwarting his travel plans to Ireland.

Things take a different spin when Nirupama is invited by the President of India on his visit to her town, Kochi, for breakfast with him the following day.

Why me? It’s a question that not only baffles this 36-year-old mother, but her family members and friends too.

There are several amusing moments leading to her meeting with the President. The clean and good humour will leave you chuckling.

Scriptwriting brothers Sanjay and Bobby take a dig at our obsession with Facebook and the influence this social networking site wields over our lives. Director, Rosshan Andrews, adds another feather to his cap after Mumbai Police.

Great care has been taken to give individuality to the characters: Busting stereotypes, Nirupama’s father-in law (Kunchan) understands her better than his son Rajeev. Another well-etched character is her office colleague, Rani, played perfectly by Thesni Khan.

You can’t help remembering an old film, Mitr My Friend, (in Hindi, directed by Revathy Menon) starring Shobana, in which a homemaker is sidelined by her husband and teenage daughter.

Sreedevi’s English Vinglish also comes to mind.

How Old Are You is about Nirupama ’s search for her forgotten self. Egging her on is her school mate, Susan David, (Kanika).

“Who decides the expiry date for a woman’s dreams?” And does age really matter?,” asks Nirupama. “You can still dream,” she tells the women in her neighbourhood as she launches a small business, supplying organic vegetables that are grown on their rooftops.

The best surprise comes from Kunchako Boban. Stepping into the shoes of a married man with a teenage daughter, Kunchako’s mature acting emphasises that he can go beyond playing lover-boys and action heroes. As Rajeev, the egotistic husband, he is just wonderful.

Amritha Anil shows great promise. She becomes Lachu, that teenager we all have to deal with.

How Old Are You will connect with Indian women, especially homemakers who are disregarded by their spouses and children for not being independent and confident.

But then, as Nirupama points out, women put their dreams on the back-burner for the sake of their families.

‘God’s Own Country’ takes you on an emotional roller coaster ride

What begins as another normal day in the lives of Manu, Mathew Tharakkan and Muhammed turns into an emotional roller coaster ride.
Manu (Fahad Faasil) is an NRI from Dubai who arrives in Kochi with his toddler daughter. His mission is to collect Rs. 75 lakhs that he has transferred through hawala services, so that he can pay off the blood money and free his jailed wife (Isha Talwar) for an accidental death in Dubai. Helping him in Kochi is his friend Abhirami, (Mythily) a writer and a local resident.
That same morning, Public Prosecutor, Mathew Tharakkan (Srinivasan) proceeds to court in his car and he is escorting an important witness Zarina (Lena) for a scandal involving a state minister. Zarina’s life is at threat and Mathew is determined to reach Zarina safely to court for the hearing.
At a hospital in Kochi,  Mohammed (Lal) and his wife are in a quandary. They need Rs. six lakhs for their daughter’s operation. How will this taxi driver arrange such a large sum?
The three stories are told in multiple narrative style and as new characters are introduced, their lives get intertwined.  Scriptwriters, Praveen Kumar, Arun Gopinath and Anish Francis have carved each  character with care. The screenplay holds viewers’ attention throughout and there is never a boring moment. 

Veteran actor Sreenivasan plays his role with an elan that reflects his  long innings in the industry. Cool and casual just like the Public Prosecutor, he is in the story. Lal’s subdued performance impresses and is unlike his other roles. 
With this film, Fahad Faasil pushes his boundaries further, as a father of a little girl and he is brilliant.  Baiju’s role is small yet significant to the story and on debut he clearly leaves a mark. His role of a lottery ticket vendor character remains in your mind even after the credits roll.  Kudos to Mythily who has performed few action scenes without a dupe.
As you travel on this road trip, there are moments to chuckle upon.  It’s quite an amusing journey that Manu’s missing cash bag undertakes as it switches hands. The question often cropping up in the mind is ‘How will it reach Manu? 
When the film opens, you stare at a jigsaw puzzle in disarray and as the scenes unspool you are left guessing. Look out for a terrific climax that reinforces the simplicity of those human beings who live on the lower rung of society. 

Directed by Vasudev Sanal, ‘God’s Own Country,’ is a film you would not want to miss. Go with family and friends.                                                              

Prithviraj’s ‘7^th Day’ is a good thriller that keeps viewers engaged

Prithiviraj steps into another cop’s shoes, this time as David Abraham, a suspended IPS officer in ‘7^th Day.’
The film opens on Christmas evening in a disco club where David is sipping  drinks and watching the night go by. On his drive home in his jeep, he accidently knocks a motor-bike. While the rider Shon is not hurt, Vino, his friend on the pillion suffers bruises.
On David’s suggestion, they get into David’s vehicle and reach a hospital for treatment. Vino is taken inside for dressing his bruises.  David and Shon wait outside. A little later, the nurse runs out to inform them that Vino had left the hospital from the rear entrance. Despite searching the neighbourhood, they are unable to find Vino.
After dropping Shon home, David returns to his van, where he notices a wallet on the seat. It belongs to Vino and has his id card inside. David drives to Vino’s house to return the wallet. To his shock, he finds the family mourning. Vino had committed suicide.
This sets rolling a series of investigations for David Abraham.
Who is Vino and why did he take his own life? Divulging beyond this would be a spoiler.
 Debutant director Syam Dhar works on Akhil Paul’s script, another newcomer to Malayalam films and the result is an interesting thriller.
Prithviraj takes measured steps as he plays David Abraham. Soft spoken and his subtle acting lends a cool appeal to his role, besides sustaining the suspense of the story.
Woven in this script is a story of a group of young friends and their bond, of failed love and deceit and how one man’s greed to make quick money lands everyone’s lives in peril.
‘7^th Day’ entertains.

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.

‘Gangster’ barely leaves an impact

By Mythily Ramachandran

You kind of know what to expect from a title like this. As far as gore and bullets are concerned they rain in plenty, right from the word go. 
Mammooty plays Akbar Ali, the son of a don who slips into his father’s shoes with ease. 
As a little boy growing in Mumbai, where his father is the undisputed don, Akbar has seen power tussle and the consequences that follow, his father’s murder.
His life is saved thanks to an old faithful servant who rescues him out of Mumbai. Akbar grows into a man and returns to Mumbai to avenge his father’s death. He then settles in Mangalore to head an empire, calling the shots along with two other kingpins, Mani Menon (Kunchan) and Uncle Sam (John Paul). Nothing moves in Mangalapuram without the joint consent of this trio.
Trouble arrives in the form of Anto, Uncle Sam’s nephew, an ambitious young man returned from the US and harbouring dreams of making big money and that too at jet speed. He runs a pharmaceutical company and wants to venture into shipping medicines to India, particularly those that have been rejected abroad.
When he approaches Akbar with this proposal, it is rejected. But Anto is keen on seeing his plans work and the only way to execute that is to wipe off Akbar from the radar. So does Anto succeed in his plan?
‘Gangster’s is all about that.
Director Aashiq Abu relies on a plot that has been done to death several times, especially with a super star and his larger than life image forming the crux of the story. Obviously it couldn’t get more predictable right?  
Mammootty fans probably will love Akbar with his quiet demeanour and few words and of course the slow swagger. Dubai resident and RJ Nyla Usha plays Akbar’s wife, Sana and for the short while that she is around makes her presence felt. One person you will not forget even after you leave the hall is Anto.
Our first introduction to Anto is a towering obese figure under the shower and you can’t miss the tattoo ‘Obey’ on the back of his bald head.  Soon you learn of his sadistic games with women whom he buys for pleasure and you detest the creep.  Shekar Menon as Anto does it really well enough for viewers to hate the character. 
Well, the silver lining of this don tale is cinematographer Alby’s camera that treats you to some unusual frames.