Ee Adutha Kaalathu

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Movie - Ee Adutha Kaalathu (Malayalam)
Editor, Director - Arun Kumar Aravind
Producer - Raju Malliath
Story, Screenplay, Dialogues - Murali Gopi
Cast - Indrajith, Anoop Menon, Murali Gopi, Nishan, Mythili, Tanushree Ghosh, Lena, Baiju, Manikandan, Indrans, Krishnaprabha AND Jagathy Sreekumar.
Cinematography - Shehnad Jalal
Music & Background Score - Gopi Sunder
Art Director - Jyothish
Release Date - 24th February 2012

Cocktail was a much-talked about movie in 2010. Even though it received a lot of flak of being an adaptation of Butterfly on a Wheel, it was a well-made film and Arun Kumar Aravind was noticed as a director. Murali Gopi couldnt do wonders with his first script Rasikan with Lal Jose even though it had sparks of intelligence here and there. And the both of them have come together to give their next flick - Ee Adutha Kaalathu. From the photoshoot to the trailers and song promos, this movie generated a lot of intrigue among the youth. Going with the recent trend of hyperlinked narratives, this film tells the story of a bunch of characters as different as chalk and cheese, in the city of Thiruvananthapuram. 

Vishnu (Indrajith) is a poverty stricken young man with an ill mother, a wife who's a housemaid and 2 daughters. He picks up random stuff from the city's biggest waste dump and converts them into interesting toys and sells them on the beach, and also plays cricket matches with kids to make a little money. Ajay Kurien (Murali Gopi) is a frustrated man who's extremely insecure and sadistic towards his wife Madhuri (Tanushree), a former B-movie actress in Bombay. The reasons for his frustration are slowly revealed in the movie in an interesting manner. Tom Cherian (Anoop Menon), who'd received special training in Scotland Yard is under scrutiny for not being able to solve a series of murders happening in the city and is the butt of all jokes among his colleagues. Rupa (Lena) is a feminist journalist who's covering this murder and whom Tom has a soft-spot for. Then there's Rustam (Nishan) who's trying to lure Madhuri into a special relationship with him, with other plans at the back of his mind. And finally, the yellow journalist Thee Ramachandran (Jagathy Sreekumar) who also serves as the narrator of the film. Then there's a serial killer, a gangster, a broker, a home nurse, a bedridden mother, an oversmart kid, a foolish Brahmin landlord and loads of other characters making the narrative rich. 

Murali Gopi has weaved together important current events and so many day to day activities superbly in his very well crafted screenplay. The issues addressed include the huge and messy waste-dumps in the city, old couples living alone without any security, influx of North Indian workers whom nobody has any idea about, the quotation groups in the city, the super-successful 'mallu aunty porn' industry, etc. and they actually act as plot-points propelling the story forward at key points. It's definitely a tough task, and Murali has done that in style. Each and every character has his/her own individuality and are not like the regular characters we see in Malayalam movies. They all look alive on screen, something that's missing in many other screenplays these days. A beauty-conscious Police Commissioner who's actually sleepy when called on to a murder spot in the middle of the night; a home-nurse who's always on the phone;  a frustrated husband who's trying by all means to prove that he's having a fantastic sex life to his wife whom he feels insecure about; a simpleton who decides to do a crime and then ends up helping his victim and so many more interesting characters with their own unique quirks and traits. Another interesting fact is that there is no hero-heroine (like it is usually in such scripts) and every character has shades of good and bad. And when we've really gotten sick of all the Fort Kochi movies with every nook and corner of Kochi being captured on camera for some movie or the other, it is quite refreshing to see a true-blue 'Thironthoram' movie shot authentically in the city. The characters and their spaces give us the feeling of the city it is, rather than being just a mere backdrop. And the dialogue and slang used is not the cheap one which was made famous by a certain guy from Venjarammoodu, but the actual accent which Thironthoram people have which is authentically reproduced in the movie. We've had a bunch of Thironthoram movies back in the 80s made by Priyadarshan, Venu Nagavalli, et al. This one would probably be the first modern Thironthoram movie. :) 

Arun Kumar Aravind has matured into a fantastic director in his second film. That can be seen in his super-effective handling of Murali Gopi's fantastic script. Throwing in visual references of Bible Quotes, book names, movie posters, television show sound-cues to even an Angry Birds game, were intelligent touches from Arun. And since he is also the editor of the movie, he knows when to spice up the narrative and when to keep it slow and give enough stay. The first half builds up slowly and steadily into a shocker of an interval point and then builds up to an intriguing second half where everything comes together like a Rubik's Cube at the end of it all. Adding to the Thironthoram flavour of the script, he shoots it in areas specific to Trivandrum like the Brahmin agrahara-theruvu's, RSS camps, construction sites for IT companies, silent colonies, etc. There are some other very smart touches in the movie like when Indrans tells Prithviraj's brother Indrajith on how to make some 'Indian Rupee'; a couple of smart digs at Mammootty & Mohanlal which are not offensive; a total insult of a certain budget car; casting a certain actress as the wife of the editor of a yellow magazine which actually refers to the magazine which had carried a news item about her and so on. Coming from the Priyadarshan school, he has an amazing frame sense and gives us some captivating frames during the initial montages and later at various instances in the movie. 

Coming to the performances, the masterstroke from the directorial team, was getting the cast right. Each character is cast perfectly and almost all of them pitch in splendid performances. Indrajith in a career best performance, leads the pack. He is so effectively natural, subtle and effortless in his performance. His subtle Trivandrum accent, body language and ability to pull off minute expressions shows us the incredible talent he has inside. Its a surprise that this guy is not considered a star yet! Mythili, who is paired opposite him, is a revelation. I hadnt found her to be a good actress so far, but in this one she is damn good, playing the strong wife to a soft-spoken Indrajith. She looks convincing as a mother of two, and by dubbing herself in her hoarse voice, she has made her character more authentic. Murali Gopi as the eccentric, frustrated husband (a regular role for his late, legendary father in many films) is fantastic. And yes, we are reminded of his legacy many a times when we watch him perform, bringing out all the complexities of his character in awkwardly hilarious situations. 

Tanushree Ghosh, as his wife is not a bad actress, but her bad lip-sync does affect her performance, especially in emotional scenes. She makes up for it with her last shot during the tail end of the movie, where even she gets her share of applause from the audience. Anoop Menon is hilarious as the beauty-conscious, Scotlandyard trained officer and is again very natural. The Mohanlal hangover creeps in here and there, but then again, even an actual Police Commissioner can have a Mohanlal hangover, so it aint a bad thing at all. He has established himself as a brand for good Malayalam cinema by being an important part of many such films. Lena in her most meaty role (after Traffic) is excellent and shows us that she has the capacity to do a wide range of roles. And again, opting for dubbing in her own voice, she brings authenticity to her Mumbai-based journalist character.

Nishan also performs very well, maybe for the first time after his debut Rithu where he showed some promise and casting him as a North Indian speaking in broken Malayalam in his own voice, was again a smart move and helps Nishan to behave naturally in his very interesting role. Baiju as the gangster was fantastic and it was great to see him on screen after a long time. Manikandan as the nosey Brahmin landlord was decent, but his Tamil didnt sound right. Krishna Prabha as the home nurse was perfect! Indrans was effective in a small role and so was the smart alec kid who played Murali Gopi's son (except for his poor English). And yes, finally Jagathy Sreekumar. What can we say more about this amazing man, that we havent said in all these decades. Watch him in a scene with Murali Gopi behind a glass door without dialogues and you'll know why he's THE best, always!! 

Shahnad Jalal, the State Award winning cinematographer painstakingly captures Thiruvananthapuram in a very raw and rugged manner, in a never-seen-before style. No gimmicks, no show-offs, but straight-forward and effective camerawork. Arun Kumar as an editor knows how he wants his film to be like and he has kept the rythm of the narrative accordingly. The scene where Indrajith makes a box for his mother which is very well cut and there are some other very fine cuts in the movie too. Gopi Sunder has given a fantastic music score and its impossible to get the theme music of the film out of your head once you've seen the film, or even its trailer. The songs are also melodious and shot very well. Jyothish's art direction is authentic and very imaginative, especially how Indrajith's house is done up with innovative objects created out of trash. 

The film is a little too bold for Malayali audiences and might not be advisable for so-called family viewing (It is another fact that those so-called family movies have much worse stuff in them). Sexual insecurities, frustrations and incompetencies are discussed very well in the movie in one of the tracks bringing out many humorous situations as well. There are abusive words here and there but they're beeped out, but those beeps sound much more cooler than not having those words at all. Kudos to Murali Gopi for taking the boldness to the next step with his writing and to Arun Kumar for executing it so well. It shows the finger many-a-times to the Malayali double standards when it comes to morality. And thats something worth applauding. Let the naysayers keep on barking, but our cinema is getting bolder and better. :) 

And ultimately with a brilliant tail end tying up all the loose ends and the Rubik's cube getting solved, the movie comes to an end, not before we see another North Indian sales-rep talking in Hindi to Murali Gopi's character(Not a spoiler, but those who've seen the movie would get the significance) and also a great line from Jagathy Sreekumar about women and secrets. So yes, Ee Adutha Kaalathu is a must watch, if you havent realized that from this extremely long post already. Arun Kumar Aravind has turned into an ace director & Murali Gopi, into an ace writer-actor (Competition for Anoop Menon?) Go watch, the very next show!! 

Bottomline - Ee Adutha Kaalathu kanda ettavum nalla cinema!! പിന്നല്ല!! 

Best Performances of 2011 - Malayalam

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This is another one of those year end lists. And here I try to compile the best performances I've seen in Malayalam in 2011, in no particular order. So please dont treat this as a top 10 list. 

Thilakan - Indian Rupee

After a whole lot of controversies, tussles and drama, Malayalam Cinema's pride Thilakan returned to mainstream cinema with Ranjith's Indian Rupee, and we were more than happy to welcome him. He was the backbone of Ranjith's satire on the real estate mafia in Kerala. The shrewd old man who is the mastermind behind Prithviraj's deals in the movie is safe in Thilakan's hands. The dialogue which won the most applause in movie halls was when Prithviraj asks Thilakan, 'Ithrayum kaalam evideyaayirunnu?' and Thilakan's smile to that is the answer to all those people who've been ignoring him for so long until Ranjith showed the courage to cast him again. He proved yet again why he is one of the greatest actors we've seen, just by keeping his performance simple and powerful. 

Sai Kumar - Traffic

Another actor who doesnt need many scenes to prove his mettle. Sai Kumar is hardly there in 4 or 5 scenes in Traffic, but it is on his character's decision that the whole movie is built. And what an impact he makes in such a short role. Almost every single person's eyes became moist when he explains to the collector why he cant let his son be operated on. His voice modulation and emoting was perfect making it the best performance in the ensemble cast movie, which also turned out to be the best Malayalam movie of 2011. 

Jagathy Sreekumar - Urumi 

How can this man not be featured on the list of best performers. He has been stunning us for decades now and still keeps reinventing himself. As the effeminate minister Chenicheri Kuruppu, a sinister and scheming politician in the times of kings, Jagathy stole the show from the huge star cast of Urumi. It is always a delight to watch him in roles with negative shades and its a cherry on the cake when he adds his own trademark humour to them.

Vineeth Sreenivasan - Chaappa Kurishu

This was a complete surprise. Vineeth Sreenivasan was always considered a below average actor who didnt have a great range in acting. But he shocked everyone with his portrayal of the department store sweeper Ansari whose life goes for a 360 degree when he gets his hand on a mobile phone. He portrayed an array of emotions, bewilderment and frustration in this experimental flick and shut the mouths of his critics. It was a tough role to play and Vineeth did that with conviction. The final stunt sequence is raw action unlike what we usually see in our films and that is one of the highlights of the film. How an ordinary poor man turns into a wicked mind when he feels that  he has some sort of a power in his hands was what his character was about, and Vineeth portrayed that brilliantly. 

Parvathy - City of God

This filmfare winning actress disappeared from the Malayalam industry after a disaster called Flash and reappeared as a Tamil labourer in Lijo Jose's City of God. Her performance was very raw which made her vulnerable as well as aggressive at the same time. She shared excellent chemistry with Indrajith in the movie and her Tamil diction was perfect. We need to see more of this actress in Malayalam. 

Biju Menon - Seniors

This dude singlehandedly salvaged this movie from being yet another usual masala comedy, with his newly discovered effortless comic timing. Biju Menon as the rich, lazy, uncouth, alcoholic middle aged stud in Seniors was worth every penny spent. His style of comedy was a new experience for Malayalis and they loved it making the movie into one of the biggest hits of the year. He was ably supported by Manoj K Jayan who was also good, but it was Biju Menon's lazy man act that won laurels from everyone. He should do more such roles which explores his comic talent. 

Mukesh - Arabiyum Ottakavum P Madhavan Nairum

Another fantastic comic performance. Mukesh, when teamed up with Mohanlal and Priyadarshan, is unstoppable. As always, he steals the show in the film with his one-liners, expressions and chemistry with friend and co-star Mohanlal. The movie becomes exciting only when Mukesh steps in, after having a dull start and he makes even the poorest jokes work due to sheer timing. And Priyadarshan has a particular talent to use the chemistry of these two actors to the fullest, which is doing wonders for the movie. 

Baburaj - Salt n Pepper

This guy was simply fabulous. Undergoing a revolutionary transformation from playing the goonda who gets beaten up in every single movie to a fantastic comic character like the cook Babu, Baburaj won everyone's hearts through Salt n Pepper. A huge Kudos to Aashiq Abu for realizing his talent and casting him perfectly. His scenes with Lal were brilliant, out of which the most 'epic' one was the 'pennu kaanal' scene where Lal meets Baburaj for the first time. Following Salt n Pepper, Baburaj is now flooded with offers to play comic and character roles. 

Anoop Menon - Beautiful, Pranayam, Traffic

Anoop Menon got to be a part of three important films of the year which were widely appreciated. And his performances in these three movies were also brilliant. In his own script and VK Prakash's direction in Beautiful, Anoop brought out a hitherto unknown comic side and played it out perfectly, sharing excellent chemistry with his co-star and friend Jayasurya. In Pranayam, he played the loving son to Anupam Kher one one side and a son who couldnt accept his mother Jaya Prada on the other side. And his performance in the climax where he accepts his mother and begs forgiveness was truly brilliant. In a movie where giants like Mohanlal and Anupam Kher were acting, he made a standout performance. And of course, the commissioner in Traffic was another great role. Staying within the confines of one room, he represented the audience in Traffic and went through the excitement, tension and fear the audience went through while watching the movie. His tension during the interval scene and the joy of an accomplished mission in the climax, were the best parts of his performance in Traffic. 

Rima Kallingal - City of God

Again, a complete surprise. After an impressive debut in Rithu, Rima had been doing silly roles until this one came her way. Lijo Jose brought out the immense potential she had in her, and made her emote as a complete natural. She gave as matured performance as an actress who goes a terrible turmoil in her personal life. Rima made everyone sit up and notice her performance for the first time, through this role and now we're looking forward to seeing more such challenging performances from her. 

Fahadh Faasil - Chaappa Kurishu

People could not believe it is the same guy who made a debut in the disastrous Kaiyethum Doorathu. Fahadh has come a long way from that movie and is now the most promising young actor we have. His extraordinary performance in Chaappa Kurishu stands proof for that. Playing a spoilt rich brat whose life is screwed when his phone and an mms clip in it gets lost, Fahadh was simply outstanding. His good looks, excellent body language and fab dialogue delivery makes him a star to look forward to. Like Vineeth, he was also so bloody raw in the climactic fight in the film. The negative shades of the role was also very well played out. He also gave a brilliant performance in the festival circuit film Akam, which is yet to release. 

Lal - Salt n Pepper

Aah. This one was an absolute treat. Lal playing Kalidasan with  a rugged, indifferent and tough outer cover and soft, romantic and insecure inner side was one of the best things we saw on screen this year. His comic timing, laid back acting and tough looks worked wonders for the role and the movie. And the writers & the director designed a special tribute to him through a dialogue in the climax of the movie, which was received with the loudest applause. Lal proved once again that, given the right roles, he can give our superstars a run for their money. 

Shwetha Menon - Salt n Pepper

When we talk about Kalidasan, how can we not talk about his partner Maya. Shwetha Menon, after a lot of heavy duty roles (both glam and deglam) sprang a complete surprise when she came as the very simple Maya who has a lot of insecurities within her. Her phone-romance with Kalidasan and their bonding over food was the soul of the film. And she kept it simple and sweet. In the second half of film she shines where she displays Maya's insecurities and vulnerabilities and finally reunites with Kalidasan. Bhagyalakshmi's dubbing also played a significant part in the character's appeal. The scene where she craves for a dosa itself is enough to understand that this lady is a wonderful actress. She also gave a very good performance in City of God and had a bumper opening almost equaling superstar films when she played the seductress Rathi chechi in the Rathinirvedam remake. 

Kunchacko Boban - Traffic

After proving that he has much more potential than just being a chocolate boy through Elsamma Enna Aankutty last year, Kunchacko Boban took up the challenging part of Dr.Abel in Traffic early this year. His performance as a doctor guilty of his own conscience is brilliant and was one among the most noted performances in the ensemble movie. Through Traffic, he proved that he could handle serious roles very well. He did well in the comic turned negative role in Seniors also. 

Remya Nambeeshan - Traffic, Chaappa Kurishu

Remya Nambeeshan used to be this cute young girl who used to play sister to the hero or friend to the heroine some years back. But her complete makeover made her into this hot young lady who shocked everyone by acting in a lip-lock scene for the first time in Malayalam. She dared to do it and she did that very well, and gave a really good performance throughout the film. She was fab as the girlfriend who feels cheated by her two-timing boyfriend Fahadh. She did very well as Kunchacko Boban's wife who cheats on him with his best friend in Traffic as well. And it also helped that the girl looked gorgeous in both the movies. 

Prabhu Deva - Urumi

Prabhu Deva stole the thunder from Prithviraj in Urumi playing his sidekick and buddy Vavvali. His screen presence is amazing and he scores in every department, be it comedy, action, romance or dance; while the film's lead actor Prithviraj just walks around with his beefed up physique. In fact Prabhu Deva was so good that people lost interest in what would happen in the climax, once Prabhu Deva died in the film. His Tamil mixed Malayalam diction was very cute. 

Lena - Traffic

Lena also had a very small but brilliant part to play in Traffic. If it was Sai Kumar on the other side, it was Lena on this side as the mother of the dying child. Nobody had bothered to tap the potential that this actress had so far. Her break-down scene in the second half over the phone to Kunchacko Boban leaves you stunned and disturbed at the same time. That scene alone can make our top-line actresses put their head down in shame. 

Prithviraj - Indian Rupee, City of God

2011 was a landmark year for Prithviraj. He got abused the most and appreciated the most in the same year. If the actor found himself in a soup over a controversial interview, the internet rampage against him and the worst movie ever made called Tejabhai & Family; he also gave his career best performance in the same year in Indian Rupee. The character in Indian Rupee was perfect for the Mohanlal of the 80s and Prithviraj almost lives up to that demand and gave his all for that role. He is effortless in the movie thanks to Ranjith's able direction and for the first time in his career, comedy didnt seem bad coming from him. And he could behave as an ordinary man very naturally. His tough hitman act in City of God was also very good. And he can be proud that he produced one of the year's best movies Indian Rupee and also the ambitious Urumi. 

Mohanlal - Pranayam, Snehaveedu

It had become fashionable to talk about how Mohanlal was wasting his talent and when this talk was at its peak, the man gave us this performance which left everyone stunned. The film couldnt reach the level that he achieved through his acting, but to watch Mohanlal alone, the film is worth a watch. As a paralyzed old man stuck in a wheelchair for the entire movie, Mohanlal showed us why he is still the best actor this country has ever had. Even an actor like Anupam Kher could not do anything when he came opposite Mohanlal in the same frame. Thanks to Blessy for bringing back the performer in Mohanlal, even though the film wasnt as great as his performance. And for fans craving for the Lalettan of yesteryears, he gave a treat called Snehaveedu teaming up with buddy Sathyan Anthikkad. The scene in Snehaveedu where he explains his escapades with women to his friends is alone worth spending the money of your ticket on. He was also great in Priyadarshan's Arabiyum Ottakavum P Madhavan Nairum letting Mukesh take the spotlight for most of the time. 

Jayasurya - Beautiful, Janapriyan

From one paralyzed character to another. Jayasurya is an actor who hasnt got the respect he deserves. He is the one who dares to experiment, takes a whole lot of effort in every single performance of his. Playing a paraplegic with a positive attitude towards life, just because he is filthy rich, Jayasurya was brilliant in Beautiful. Strapped away of any body language and left with just his face to emote, Jayasurya does a killer job in Beautiful and his chemistry with Anoop Menon was excellent as well. And he was completely charming as the simpleton Priyadarshan in Janapriyan, a movie which became good majorly because of Jayasurya's wonderful performance. He was a delight to watch in that movie and I would recommed people who havent seen it yet to watch it immediately. 

Salimkumar  - Adaminte Makan Abu

This one was a shocker. Yes, we realized Salimkumar could perform very well when we saw Achanurangaathu Veedu, but Adaminte Makan Abu was something else. A comedian who has done everything from delivering some of the most iconic dialogues in Malayalam to jumping into cow dung pits just to evoke laughter, winning a National Award for a best actor was something unimaginable until Salimkumar did it. His glorious performance as the poor and righteous Abu whose wish is to go for Hajj along with his wife was the backbone of this small and poignant film. 100 marks for Salimkumar for taking up this role in between all the mindless bullshit he was doing and giving his all for it. This one surely deserves all the laurels it achieved. 

Phew!! That was quite a lot. 2011 has been a great year for Malayalam Cinema as it witnessed a whole lot of changes and new actors and actresses began to be accepted by the not-so-change-friendly audiences giving confidence to a lot more producers and directors to attempt films with younger actors. A strong performance from Mammootty was sorely missed as the actor chose to do only bad and below average movies this year. (I havent seen Bombay March 12)