Koothara : Real But Fun: Film Review (Malayalam)

Koothara : Real But Fun: Film Review (Malayalam)

The movie does not have anything extraordinary compared to our lives but it is fun to watch| Dinesh Kumar

Some people never learn. They make mistakes one after another. But the extraordinary thing about the heroes of this movie is that they rise again. There is something natural about this movie since all of us have our ups and downs.

The movie got its name from the names of the three friends-Koobrin, Tharun and Ram. But there is another message from the title. The society has dumped these friends as ‘Kootharas’. It is their story which is being told.

The director Srinath Rajendran has done a good job. The performance of the three heroes - Sunny Wayne, Bharath and Tovino Thomas – is average. They just survive in the movie. Mohanlal, who did a cameo in the movie, was enchanting. He is perhaps the only one in the present 

Read Full Review

The Edge Of Tomorrow: Watch. Love. Repeat

The Edge Of Tomorrow: Watch. Love. Repeat : Film Review (English)

A neatly packaged- science fiction film, The Edge Of Tomorrow is definitely a repeat-watch film this season. Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt- ‘lives, dies and repeats’ a hundred dozen times, and charms every single time.|Chinnu Nair, Yentha.com

Edge of Tomorrow, is a true science fiction film, set sometime in the near future in the aftermath of an invention by an alien clan known as Mimics. The mimics are controlled by the Omega, which has the ability to reset time.

Tom Cruise, plays Major William Cage, an Army public relations officer. Cage is the last figure of a hero you’d want in a war like this. He has never been in the battle front, yet is thrown into the middle of a fierce battle that will decide the future of the war.

The film begins with Cage arriving in London, at a point when the world is shaken by the war against the mimics and millions have already died. Cage meets the general in charge of the allied army- United Defense Force that is planning a top-secret mission called Operation Downfall, to re-conquer the world from the invading creatures. Cage, being one of the most recognizable faces of the army, is ordered to be at the war front in order to sell the war to the public. Cage tries to blackmail his way out of the arrangement, and even tries to flee- but nothing seems to fall in favor of the hapless coward that he is. Cage is captured and when he wakes up, he realizes that he is at the base.

Read Full Review

Bangalore Days Film Review: Malayalam

Bangalore Days is a perfect festive film with all ingredients in the right mix, says Subhash Sabu, Yentha.com

Bangalore Days,the Anjali Menon film is finally here. Anjali Menon, Anwar Rasheed, Sameer Thahir...Can you boast of any better people out there at the helm, oozing more credibility? It is a certain no for me, atleast in recent times. Some doubts still bestrewed in my mind, thanks to the multiple postponements of the film actually sceduled for a May 9 release. 

You will further doubt the initial reports when the duration of the film on the censor certificate reads about 3 hours. The film has a racy plot that gels well with the youth and must say that the director got the casting almost perfect. The movie has been peppered with fun, humour, adventure, sentiments and that x factor that hooks you to the seats.  

Read Full Review

X-Men:Days Of Future Past: Film Review (English)

Bryan Singer's X-Men:Days Of Future Past is a time-travel based thriller, combining the cast of the X-men trilogy and the X-men First Class.|Prajith John, Yentha.com

The movie begins in the distant dark future where mutants are hunted by soldier robots called Sentinels. The mutant rebels are incapable of victory but they survive by outrunning the robots through portals in the space-time continuum.

Professor X is determined to save the mutant race by travelling back in time to the year 1973 a crucial year in their lives and stop Raven aka Mystique from assassinating Dr Trask an anti mutant scientist who put forward the Sentinel program. As he is physically incapable of travelling that far back in time, Wolverine who is the only one who has the ability to heal is 

sent in his place to convince the then young Professor X and Magneto to join forces to avert the assassination that later causes their destruction. Here going back in time means Wolverine's mind is sent back to his much younger body.

Professor X of the 70's is able to walk to our viewers surprise with the help of a serum produced by Beast aka Hank MCcoy, but he had to pay it's price- as long as he took the serum he would not have access to his powers. Magneto meanwhile is held up in a metal-free prison inside the Pentagon. 

Read Full Review

Kochadaiiyaan: The Legend – Movie With A Plot: (Tamil) Film Review

The movie attracts you with the plot and the performance of the cast | Dinesh Kumar, Yentha.com

Kochadaiiyaan (the king with a long curly mane) composes its plot with fiction and reality from books. Rajini movies never leave you in doubt on who will win in the end but the story has its own twists. This Tamil motion capture 3D computer animated period film is directed by Soundarya R Ashwin, the daughter of superstar Rajinikanth.

The movie takes inspiration from Pandya King Kochadaiyaan Ranadheeran and adds a fictional element to it. It is a story which revolves around two kingdoms. Rana (Rajinikanth) is the leader of the army of Kalingapuri. He makes his army invincible. He, with his king’s permission, wages war on Kottaipattinam, another kingdom which is supposed to be invincible. But something surprising happens in the beginning of the war. How this relates to Kochadaiiyaan is the crux of the movie.

Read Full Review

How Old Are You- Manju Warrier Is Back: (Malayalam) Film Review

Manju Warrier is a vision and a treat to your senses. She is back and she is all that we have loved her for.|Chinnu Nair, Yentha.com

How old are you? Honestly, this is one question I’d love to ask Manju Warrier herself. The woman is ‘timeless’.  I walked into an already filled theatre, anticipating the film starring the very same Manju Warrier whose films I grew up watching. And there she was on the silver screen in all her glory.  

‘How old are you’, follows the life of Nirupama Rajeev (Manju Warrier), a UD clerk. Along with her husband Rajeev (Kunchacko Boban) who works with All India Radio, and her high school daughter Lekshmi (Amritha Anil), Nirupama leads a very middle class life that in her husband’s words is very ‘boring’. Life changes for Nirupama, when the President of India sends her an invitation to have breakfast with him (Why he does that, is one of the spoilers I’d rather not be making). The outcome of the incident, makes Nirupama a household name, and often times an object of ridicule too. Bad times hit Nirupamas comfort zone, when her husband Rajeev decides to pursue his job offer in Ireland and takes along their daughter too. She promises herself that she will soon join her husband and daughter, by securing a job in Ireland. Meanwhile the vegetables from her terrace farm brings her a huge order for organic vegetables. Susan (Kaniha), Nirupama’s best friend from college comes in search of her, and helps bring out the old zeal and zest and convince her to chase her dreams.

Read Full Review

God's Own Country: Check It Out. It Won't Harm. (Malayalam) Film Review

Hardly any glitz around this movie, yet the box office has not disappointed ... give it a shot says Neil Xavier, Yentha.com

I didn't even realise God's Own Country (GOC) was released till a friend called me. Even though it had a fairly big star cast the movie had a very low profile release. Since there was no big marketing behind this, I asked the "right" person to give me a review. I messaged Fahad Fazil (well, he's known to me, thanks to my work) and asked his opinion. He replied 'Check it out. It won't harm I hope'. His exact words. And in no time I was at the cinema hall. To my surprise the cinema hall was packed! 

Initially planned to be named as a 'Rare Emotional Day - RED ' the movie was renamed later as GOC keeping the latter name as the tag. GOC is directed by Vasu Dev Sanal who has given movies like Priyam, Iruvattom Manavaatti and Players.And unlike his other movies GOC will have a good time at the box office for sure.

Read Full Review

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 : Multiple Story Lines; Must Watch (English): Film Review

What’s amazing beyond the humor and VFX, is the emotional aspect of the film and the sizzling on screen chemistry between Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone says Chinnu Nair, Yentha.com

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 finally hit cinemas across the world. The entire kingdom of Spidey fans were super excited at director Marc Webb’s second offering for Sony’s Columbia Pictures, after the Amazing Spider-Man last year.  More so as the trailers and teasers of the film, had hard core fans guessing the outcome of the movie, even from the last details of the dress Gwen Stacy wears that mirrors from an iconic scene in the comic book to the Exosuits on display in the Oscorp laboratory.

This time director Marc Webb and his writers, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, and Jeff Pinkner decided to intercept multiple storylines from the spider-man story and bring together the second part of the four film franchise.

The film opens with Spider-man (Andrew Garfield) webbing his way across town, playing his part along with NYPD forces, in a high speed chase, following which, he manages to save the day. Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) calls him up to remind him to be present at their high-school graduation. That’s just the beginning of a long journey. 

Read Full Review

Mosayile Kuthirameenukal: A Genuine, Watchable Flick! (Malayalam) : Film Review

This is a film saved by the sincere efforts of the crew rather than the lead cast says Subash Sabu, Yentha.com

A totally sloshed Asif Ali plays a happy go lucky youngster in a film that has a familiar 'all is well' climax. Mosayile Kuthirameenukal has some familiar scenes. But Ajith Pillai ultimately proves that the story does matter. Plus cinematographer Abhinandan of Aamen fame is back! This is a film saved by the sincere efforts of the crew rather than the lead cast.

Mosayile Kuthirameenukal is an adventure-love story by genre, and debutant Ajith Pillai almost succeeded in pulling it off. The film is held together by this Director's fresh style aided by the young genius Abhinandan Ramanujam in good measure!!

Read Full Review

Law Point (Malayalam): Film Review

An out of the court law-less journey of mind games, tiresomely progressing but delivering a strong punch in the end | Chinnu Nair, Yentha.com

Right after his much acclaimed debut film ‘Firday’, Director Lijin Jose is back with his second innings, ‘Law Point’. The David Kachappilly produced movie, is a thriller that leans heavily on the mind games played by its characters. Kunchacko Boban and Namitha Pramod team up to play the lead roles.

Law Point sees Kunchacko Boban don the role of Advocate Satya, a much in demand, cunning and sly lawyer who would go out to any lengths to bring victory to his clients, while Namitha Pramod plays the female lead Maya, a graduation student who tries to commit suicide after her boyfriend breaks up with her.

Read Full Review

Masala Republic - Watch It At Your Risk (Malayalam) : Film Review

It is dull, confused drama that tests the patience of sane viewers | Subash Sabu, Yentha.com

2014 was the release of more than 50 films in Malayalam. Apart from 1983, Om Shanthi Osana, and probably 7th Day, the other 40-odd films have bitten the dust at the box office. Of course, there are some critically appreciated ones like Swapaanam and Chayilyam that will make it into the list.

Leaving apart all the promise that the industry showcased during the last 3-4 years, this year the graph has shown a steep downward slope. If my intuitions don't go wrong, this Indrajith starrer is bound to join that 50 member club soon!

Read Full Review

Lucky The Racer – Nothing But Pure Entertainment (Malayalam) : Film Review

Allu Arjun dons the role of a stylish hero while Shruti Hassan plays her character well | Dinesh Kumar, Yentha.com

Newton will not approve of the action sequences in this movie since it defies all the laws of gravity. But if you are looking for a pure Allu Arjun entertainer then this is a movie you should not miss. The songs are also pure entertainers. Though it is supposed to be a thriller drama, comedy is no doubt one of the highlights of the movie. This is one of the few movies which packed both humour as well as action during its last shots.

Lucky The Racer is the Malayalam dubbed version of the popular Telugu movie Race Gurram. The movie was directed by Surender Reddy and the script was written by Vakkantham Vamsi. It is produced by Nallamalapu Srinivas (Bujji) and Dr. Venkateswara Rao under the banner of Lakshmi Narasimha production.

Read Full Review

Brick Mansions

Brick Mansions

Paul Walker’s last ever completed film proves to be more than just an action flick

The last thing I expected out of the action-packed flick Brick Mansions — Paul Walker’s last completed film — was a political statement.

Picture this: in 2018 Detroit, run-down mansions now house criminals. They litter a corrupt area abandoned by the government, stripped of schools and hospitals and sectioned off with a containment wall. Tremaine Alexander (RZA) is the unofficial leader of desolate Brick Mansions, an ex-soldier who turned to drug dealing to ease the pain of those left behind.

Enter Damian Collier (Walker), an undercover detective seeking revenge, and his unlikely partner, ex-convict Lino (David Belle), who is trying to restore normalcy to Brick Mansions.

The film features an abundance of dramatic parkour — Belle is one of the eight founders of the building-jumping sport, and it definitely shows — and semi-gory brawls. But there’s a surprising underlying message about gentrification, i.e., the replacement of lower class neighbourhoods with middle class ones, as the film tackles corrupt governments that neglect underprivileged communities.

In a nutshell, the movie is about class warfare and the things it encompasses — such as racism. (It was no mistake that Brick Mansions housed mostly people of colour.) The lines between good and evil are challenged and those characters who were villainised at first became heroes, while faux champions fall from grace.


Of course, having Walker’s character as the protagonist tinges the film with a white industrial saviour complex, but he seems less like the catalyst for change and more like an oblivious vessel through which it occurs. Another cliche is the damsel in distress storyline once Lino’s girlfriend is kidnapped, making her one of two women in the film — frustratingly typical for a male-centric action flick.


Read Full Review

2 States - A Watchable, Above Average Fare!!

2 States - A Watchable, Above Average Fare!! (Hindi) : Film Review
Chances are high for this film to be liked by the ones who didn't read the novel than the ones who read it! | Subash Sabu, Yentha.com

I must confess that Chetan Bhagat's latest big-screen adaptation after 3 Idiots, Hello and Kai Po Che, 2 States is just nowhere near those. Perhaps the debutant director Abhishek Varman missed a trick by adapting the novel as such,very much unlike the other two.

2 States, Chetan Bhagat's autobiographical novel, narrates the cross cultural romance between a Punjabi lad Krish Malhothra and a Tamilian Brahmin girl Ananya Swaminathan, which blossomed at IIM, Ahmedabad. Arjun Kapoor and Alia Bhat enacts those respective protagonists.

The story is all about the pair seeking their parents' consent and blessings for their wedding. Ronit Roy and Amritha Singh gives life to Krish's parents Vikram Malhothra and Kavitha Malhothra, while Shiv Kumar Subramanium and Revathy portray Ananya's parents, the Swaminathans.

       

The bubbly and gorgeous Alia Bhatt has gone miles in terms of histrionics considering her performance in 'Student of the year'. The mother roles having different cultures, attires and attitudes were safe in the hands of Revathy and Amritha Singh. I bet you can't find a better actor to play the loving yet strict and adamant dad Vikram Malhothra than Ronit Roy.(Remember the Dad role in 'Udaan', who just frightened you with a mere stare!).

Read Full Review

One By Two-A Sincere Experiment

One By Two-A Sincere Experiment (Malayalam) : Film Review

Arun kumar's One By Two is a daring psychological thriller, that may test the patience of conventional mass masala lovers, but please film lovers seeking freshness!| Subhash Sabu, Yentha.com

Plagiarism charges,an unproclaimed, informal ban,criticisms from political circles...The iconoclastic Arun kumar's brief career has been eventful so far. But whatever the charges are,you cant deny the fact that each of his films has been better than the best in their respective genres,atleast for a section of audience. As expected,One by two is a daring attempt. Whether he succeeded in that is a question I asked myself after I left the theatre. A few questions and confusions apart,I will say that it did please me as an film lover seeking freshness! An experiment that satisfied me,though not to the core,but as an experiment, and by the sincere efforts of the cast and crew.

Storyline:Hari and Ravi,two identical twins,are close but have varied demeanour.Things are cockeyed when one of them gets killed in a road mishap. An eye-witness to this accidental death,Yousuf Marikkar,a Karnataka police officer,traces it,sniffing some money gushing in! The story narrates the confusion concerning the accident,and the identity of the deceased twin brother. 

 Arun kumar's ONE BY TWO is a daring psychological thriller that may test the patience of conventional mass masala lovers.The first half started with some spicy scenes,paving way for some gripping moments,starting with Yousuf Marikkar's indulgence in the case. It proceeded forward posing questions and proffered some food for thought. The stage was set perfectly for the second half to unravel all the mystery. But it is exactly here where Jayamohan fails as the scriptwriter! Also it fizzles out in the early second half as a thriller,as the suspense element is lost right there!

Read Full Review

Ringmaster

Ringmaster - Let Sleeping Dogs Lie (Malayalam) : Film Review

Those who love quality films should stay away from such films opines Subash Sabu, Yentha.com

Everything is fixed for Dileep now-a-days - target audience, quality of films, directors, scriptwriters, support cast and crucially the collection.

As far as the collection is on the rise, such products keep coming ceaselessly. Moreover, there should be a supply where there is demand. At the end of the day, everyone is happy but down goes the quality of Malayalam films and you can proclaim with your heads down that these are the sort of films that hits your box-office by storm. This is a crisis considering cinema as an art form; meanwhile it triumphs as an industry, when such shoddy work become hot cakes. Even writing reviews for such films are as futile as sketching on water.

For someone who usually skips Dileep's holiday flicks, the name Rafi who was associated with many quality products in the past, lured me in. Ringmaster is Dileep's Vishu offering, scripted and directed by Rafi of the Rafi-Mecartin duo. This is his maiden venture after he broke ties with his long time partner.


Read Full Review

Polytechnic - A Strict No-No!

Polytechnic - A Strict No-No! (Malayalam) : Film Review

A very normal film till a death happens in the family but the film hardly stirs anyone says Neil Xavier, Yentha.com

The first thing that one saw about Polytechnic was a song in which Kunchacko Boban and Vijayaraghavan were seen in a verbal dispute. It was more than enough to decide on what not to expect from the movie Polytechnic. Did the techniques of Poly eventually work? 

The cinema hall was almost vacant, quite surprisingly for a first day first show movie. The Padmakumar movie started well but it just went on and on without saying much.

Boban plays Poly who is a true Communist activist and fights against the evils in society - ones we have seen ages ago. Bhavana is Poly's lady love and plays the character Aswathy, a police officer. 

Read Full Review

7th Day-A Watchable Thriller

7th Day-A Watchable Thriller (Malayalam) : Film Review

Shyamdhar directed and penned by Akhil Paul travails the investigation story of an unregistered case in 7 days | Subhash Sabu, Yentha.com

Prithviraj on his Facebook page said that no other film of his has garnered so much exhilaration among the online community than this. That too for a movie helmed by debutants is quite baffling. 

Such has been the adroitness he exhibited in choosing his roles for the past two years. Prithviraj's dialogue in that teaser in his deep, majestic, baritone did give goosebumps to many. 

But today as the film hits the theatres, after the festival of democracy that the state witnessed, it's up to the movie buffs to decide the festival winner at the theatres.

The Shyamdhar directorial 7th Day, penned by Akhil Paul travails the investigation story of an unregistered case by David Abraham (Prithviraj) in 7 days, which commences on Christmas day and culminates on the New Year's eve. 

Read Full Review

Gangster

Gangster (Malayalam) : Film Review

Shoddily made, this could be Aashiq Abu's worst till date says Subhash Sabu, Yentha.com

Prior to the release, Gangster had it all. Fans and haters eagerly waiting for a mass hit from the megastar, akin to a hornbill awaiting the monsoon! 

Aashiq Abu, the so called father of new generation films in Malayalam, trying every trick out of his kitty to woo the audience. Hype and marketing soared high and so did the expectations. Such was the festive ambience in the hall that even the ones who came to howl seemed to be clapping for a festive hit! All excitement was short-lived. 

The Aashiq Abu cinema called Gangster narrates the story of Akbar Ali Khan, with truckloads of clichés. The cast comprises Nyla Usha, Kunchan, John Paul, Aparna Gopinath, Harish Perady, T G Ravi, Dileesh Pothan and others.

Read Full Review

Konthayum Poonoolum

Konthayum Poonoolum; (Malayalam) Film Review

A suspense filled story backed by a star studded cast, let down only by a loose script.|Yentha.com

Hyperlink narrative format became a rage after the phenomenal success of Traffic. In the 'post-Traffic era', it is simultaneously adopted by film-makers to transfer the same confusion in their minds to the viewer's, as well as to solve all the confusion like a jig-saw puzzle, at the climax. What happens in 'Konthayum Poonoolum', is that uncertainty gets into the minds of the audience, regarding what the director Jijo Antony actually conveyed. It is an average, yet novel attempt, but what he actually meant by all those incidents remains blurred in terms of clarity. He might have possibly intended that the majority of spirits and ghosts are just results of momentary hallucinations, illusions or human interventions, while some do remain as such.

Konthayum Poonoolum is a horror-flick,which questions the very existence of ghosts/spirits through an amalgam of connected short stories. Ingredient wise, the film looks good, with cemetery, Ouija board, spirits, hallucinations and all those familiar elements that feature in typical horror flicks. Vinod Sreekumar's story features a parallel narration of many sub-plots;some of which ultimately converges. The cast consists of Kunchacko Boban, Shine Tom Chacko, Bhama, Janardhanan, his granddaughter Anju Aravind, Kalabhavan Mani, Kavitha Nair, Joy Mathew, Manoj K Jayan, Sobha Mohan, Sarayu and Pooja, among many others, without providing much screen space for any of them.

Read Full Review

Need for Speed (2014)

by Roger Edwards

The EA logo features in the opening credits of Need for Speed. It is a pertinent reminder that you are watching a movie based upon a popular video game franchise. Although the games in their various incarnations have always offered entertaining driving action they have never been known for the depth of their narrative. Bear this in mind if you go and see Need for Speed. If you’ve seen the trailer then you have pretty much become acquainted with the lion’s share of the story line. However I’m pretty sure that the target audience will not be going to see Need for Speed for its dense plot. The movies appeal is based upon its set pieces and vehicular stunts. Fans will expect everything to be turned up to eleven. Well the bad news is that its not and it shows.

It was decided during the production of Need for Speed that physical stunt work would be used instead of CGI. Therefore what you see on the big screen is genuine, much to the credit of the cast and the stunt team. However the movie lumbers on for a arduous two hours and ten minutes. The running time to action sequence ratio is surprisingly low, leaving Need for Speed distinctly underwhelming. I found myself in the curious situation where I wanted more explosions, noise, mayhem and pointless destruction. Furthermore in the screening I attended, the audience (mainly teenage males) seemed distinctly restless. When I left the theatre I heard several conversations that made inevitable comparisons to The Fast and the Furious franchise.

Read Full Review

Queen

Queen - A Film Not To Be Missed (Hindi): Film Review

Easily trumping the much hyped Gulaab Gang, Queen and Kangana Ranaut steal hearts this women’s day | Chinnu Nair, Yentha.com

I seem to have made the right decision on a Women’s day- deciding to watch Kangana Ranaut’s Queen. Not in the near future has Bollywood delivered such a well rounded, entertaining and uplifting, female oriented film. 

Rani (Kangana Ranaut) a girl brought up in a well-to-do middle class family is dumped by her fiancé Vijay (Rajkumar Rao), a day before their wedding. After initially locking herself up in her room in shock, Rani decides to go on the pre-booked honeymoon trip to Paris and Amsterdam alone. An overtly supportive grand mom and a worried set of parents allow the heartbroken Rani to make the trip. 

Read Full Review

300: Rise of an Empire (2014)

by Roger Edwards

300: Rise of an Empire is a curious beast, being neither a sequel or a prequel, but rather a tale of  events that took place simultaneously to the original movie. While Gerard Butler is busy making a last stand at the Battle of Thermopylae, warrior and politician Themistokles, played by that household name Sullivan Stapleton, leads a similar army of buffed  Greeks against the Persian fleet. Once again we have a movie that is the epitome of style over substance, complete with a sound design that challenges what can physically be endured by human hearing. They say the first casualty of war is innocence but in movies it’s closely followed by historical accuracy along with authentic ethnicity.
Since the release of the original 300 back in 2007, the visual aesthetic used by Zack Snyder has been heavily replicated elsewhere. Although it was quite innovative at the time, reflecting the original style of Frank Miller’s graphic novel, it is now a somewhat tired visual effect. The market is somewhat saturated by big budget spectacles these days and Hollywood’s overall aesthetic style is becoming increasingly homogeneous and self plagiarising. The only major difference this time round is that director by Noam Murro has added 3D to the mix. The stylised violence is still a major element of the proceedings and still happily ignores the realities of basic human anatomy.

Read Full Review

300: Rise Of An Empire - Indian Review

300 Rise Of An Empire – Eva Green Steals The Show: (English) Film Review

The movie tells you that freedom does not come with a price tag | Dinesh Kumar, Yentha.com

One may or may not agree with Themistokles of Athens ( Sullivan Stapleton) but we know for sure, what he believes in, and what he is willing to pay for that cause. He believes in freedom and democracy. This idea, it seems, makes his country superior than Persia ruled by a God-king.

This is a sequel to the action movie ‘300’ which provided a fictionalised account of the ‘Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC’. The ‘300 Rise of an Empire’ also portrays war as its main content. This time it is the Greco – Persian Battle of Artemisium with a story concurrent with that on the earlier movie ‘300’. Perhaps, action is much more enhanced in the sequel, portraying far more imbrued hands than the earlier installment.

Read Full Review

Gulaab Gang

Gulaab Gang: Hits And Misses (Hindi): Film Review

The Madhuri-Juhi starrer is loud, colorful and action packed, but fails to live up to expectations | Chinnu Nair, Yentha.com

When word was out about debutant director Soumik Sen’s film Gulaab Gang starring Madhuri Dixit Nene and Juhi Chawla, expectations were sky high. The film also stars a string of other highly talented women including Divya Jagdale, Tannishtha Chatterjee and Priyanka Bose.

Hitting the cinemas right on the eve of Women’s day, seemed the perfect timing to watch a female oriented film of epic proportions. However, the film certainly couldn’t live up to the tremendous hype it built up.

The movie opens with a disclaimer that it has nothing to do with Sampat Pal, a real life woman who formed a group of women vigilantes called Gulabi Gang in Bundelkhand. However, Sen liberally lifts from the life and times of the Gulabi Gang, all from their pink saris to their sticks, for his highly fictionalised work.

Read Full Review

Shaadi Ke Side Effects

‘Shaadi Ke Side Effects’ – Surely Delivers Some Side Effects: (Hindi) Film Review

Saket Chaudhary relies on the acting chops of Farhan Akthar and Vidya Balan and their sizzling onscreen chemistry and almost nothing more to create a fun watchable entertainer (with some side effects for sure) says Chinnu Nair, Yentha.com

Farhan Akthar and Vidya Balan, two of Bollywood’s finest actors - when they pair up on screen what one naturally expects, is a sizzling, clever and mature film. Sizzling it is, whether the movie is clever and mature are highly disputable. 

The film opens with Siddharth Roy (Farhan Akhtar) and Trisha Mallik (Vidya Balan), total strangers, all over each other after having met at a night club. After an entire night of role playing it’s revealed that the two are indeed husband and wife. Sid is a struggling musician, who has taken up the job of composing jingles for ad films, while Trisha is a successful professional.

Their happy and often action-packed marriage life suddenly faces a speed bump when after tons of passion and liquor when Trisha ends up pregnant. The couple goes through a lot of humorous and not-so-humorous moments of decision making, before Sid agrees, for all the wrong reasons, to become a father.

Read Full Review

Swapaanam

Swapaanam: The Chenda Rolls On (Mal) - Film Review

If you enjoy Shaji N Karun's typical slow-paced films, this one is watchable. Kudos to Jayaram and Siddique | Subhash Sabu, Yentha.com

Here it is finally. Jayaram's best bet for that elusive national/state award - Swapaanam.

Swapaanam is nowhere near Shaji N Karun's best works, Piravi or Vaanaprastham. Even when he manages to weave the cobwebs around a chenda artist's life with panache, the story remains clichéd, with some incidents reminding about Vaanaprastham, Nadan and Bharatham. Here too the artist in Unnikrishnan Maraar (Jayaram) falls into an extra-marital affair, something which is not alien to the industry.

       

Swaaanam tracks the life of the schizophrenic chenda artist Unnikrishnan maraar, his tryst with love, lust, jealousy, society, profession and his self - flying around like a kite out of control! Several conflicts, be it the one between him and his mother, that with his life, lover, guru, and astrologer competes to overpower the rest.

Read Full Review

Happy Journey

Happy Journey - Another Cricket Story (Mal): Movie Review
The film has its moments, sparsely scattered here and there. But at the end you are left confused feels Subhash Sabu, Yentha.com

There was a time when Mollywood focussed all its filmy lenses towards the darker side of the disabled, blind and handicapped. Featuring stories full of misery and sorrow.


Once the industry was flooded with such formulaic films, the trend fizzled out. As the industry rejuvenated itself within the last 3-4 years, films featuring the positive thinking paraplegics and handicapped also came to the fore, like 'Beautiful' for instance. Happy Journey is one such attempt which narrates the story of a blind yet vibrant cricketer Aaron, given life by the versatile Jayasurya.

Boban Samuel managed to make two hits out of his first two outings at the box-office. Jayasurya too on a high after the critical and commercial success of his last two films has joined hands with Boban for a film which has gone awry in spite of having a novel theme.

Read Full Review

Highway(Hindi, 2014)

Highway – A Journey Worth Taking (Hindi): Movie Review
What will you do if you get to escape from your normal life and you do not have to ‘act’ anymore?

A similar story may have been told before but this movie mesmerizes you with adventure, romance and attitude. It shows why someone from one of the most prestigious and influential families would prefer a dacoit's life. Why that dacoit is better than her sophisticated would-be? Perhaps it tells you what is real life and love.

A Highway is something that seems to never end. Similarly this film is more about the journey rather than its end or beginning. Director Imitiaz Ali has done a wonderful job. There was nothing exaggerated about the movie, but it had a continuous flow, never leaving you bored. 

Read Full Review