Spoilers ahead…
When they announced a Tamil remake of Anjali Menon’s Bangalore Days, I wondered how they’d pull it off. Because the biggest strength of the film is its warm embrace of the polarities that make urban Indians tick. The fact that we slip easily between local tongues and English. The fact that we like sambar as well as pizza. The fact that we listen to Indian film songs on radio shows hosted by English-speaking RJs. The fact that we have MBA degrees and work in multinationals and also watch first-day-first-shows of films of our “local” heroes. The fact that we like tradition and also speak of freedom and personal space. The fact that we love our parents and yet find times we’d rather not have them around. Agreed, this is a very small segment of urban India, but I suspect this is the India that proved aspirational to the audiences that made the Malayalam original such a blockbuster. This, really, was the “2 states” Chetan Bhagat wrote about, not just 2 physical states but 2 states of being.
And I wondered if the necessities of the Tamil market would make Bangalore Naatkal a 1-state movie. I wondered if they’d “mass-ify” it, in order to make it palatable to the interiors. This isn’t a reflection on whether the audiences in the B- and C-centre markets are open to movies like Bangalore Naatkal, which has been directed by Bommarillu Bhaskar. This is more about the fear that’s usually the most marked characteristic in Tamil filmmakers attempting to make an upper-class urban-centric movie. Films like O Kadhal Kanmani are the exception. The rule is the film where perfectly ordinary occurrences like, say, hanging out at a Café Coffee Day, are enclosed in quotation marks. These characters aren’t included in a “we.” They’re isolated as a “them.” And Bangalore Days was very much a “we” movie.
Surprisingly, Bangalore Naatkal is too. It works because it follows the original template pretty faithfully. (You may just need to give it a little time to erase memories of the earlier actors and see the new ones in their place.) Give or take some casting choices, a few scenes added or let go, it’s practically the same film, the same story woven around the lives and loves of cousins Ammu (Sri Divya), Ajju (Arya) and Kutty (Bobby Simha). I smiled at the same scenes. My eyes went moist at the same scenes. I wondered, as I did while watching Bangalore Days, how something that’s so much fun is making me so emotional at times. Maybe it’s because there’s so much here from our long-ago lives – the rebellions, the compromises, the fights, the reconciliations. It’s like sitting down with an album of college photographs and finding that the pictures may be yellowing but the memories are as technicoloured as ever.
You realise what a marvel Anjali Menon’s screenplay is – the scenes are short; they don’t linger on any emotion for long, and slip effortlessly between comedy and drama (often within the same episode) – when even the actors who don’t come off as strongly as their Malayalam counterparts (Bobby Simha is no patch on Nivin Pauly) don’t derail this smooth-running contraption. It’s not just the spirit of the writing that’s preserved. It’s also the enormous affection for the characters (who are mocked but never judged), the energy in the cuts, the aesthetics and mood in the staging and cinematography, the awesomely in-sync songs and background score (by Gopi Sunder, who retains the hit Mangalyam number), the overall youngness of it all. Rana Daggubati, Sri Divya, Saranya, and especially Parvathy – they make the clichés work. The situations are nothing new (divorced parents, distant husbands), but the actors and the way they are put through the motions, the way their scenes are handled (and timed), blows the cobwebs away. I’m genuinely curious how Bangalore Naatkal will perform at the box-office, but how refreshing to find a film whose first priority is preserving the spirit of the original and not pandering to the presumed “taste” of the audience.
KEY:
- Bangalore Naatkal = Bangalore days
Copyright ©2016 Baradwaj Rangan. This article may not be reproduced in its entirety without permission. A link to this URL, instead, would be appreciated.
neabs
February 6, 2016
I was very curious to read your review. To be honest never expected a positive reaction. But it is nice to read the justifying closing line.
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arvindaha
February 6, 2016
Brangan, What do you think are Bobby Simha’s strengths and where does he have a long way to go? (not just in bangalore naatkal but in his career till now)
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Rohit Sathish Nair
February 6, 2016
So, Arya did match up to DQ?
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neabs
February 6, 2016
Rangan sir one curious doubt, this movie largely has almost same dialog, same settings and similar costumes, also the Mangalyam Tamil lyrics was like literal translation from the original.
Almost all same, with cast changed, why they choose to remake instead of dubbing and releasing.
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Sutheesh Kumar. P. S.
February 6, 2016
Bangalore days runtime 171 mins, Bangalore naatkal’s 156 mins, faithful despite losing 15 mins, guess I got to watch and find out for myself.
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Destination Infinity
February 7, 2016
I thought the movie was a bit long at certain places in the second half. And the movie conveniently ends ideally, which is very rare in real-life. Otherwise I liked it.
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brangan
February 7, 2016
arvindaha: About Bobby Simha, I can’t say yet. Not enough of a body of work. And the only film in which he was properly “directed” was probably Jigarthanda, so it’s really tough to say. But I think we can say his natural instincts aren’t great — at least, not yet.
neabs: I suppose they just wanted to avoid the “dubbed film” tag?
Destination Infinity: And the movie conveniently ends ideally, which is very rare in real-life.
As opposed to an axe-murderer landing up and hacking everyone’s head off in a bloodbath? Ever heard of the term “feel-good cinema”? 🙂
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Chanakya
February 7, 2016
Bommarillu Bhaskar is actually a good filmmaker. He made his debut with a film called ‘Bommarillu’ which was a huge success in Telugu. More importantly, the movie was well written and directed. His career tanked with his third film ‘Orange’ which failed at the box office, but actually a good film. I suggest you watch Bommarillu and Orange if you’re interested.
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brangan
February 7, 2016
Chanakya: Oh dear lord, I hate Santhosh Subramaniam 🙂 Is Bommarillu very different?
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Filistine
February 7, 2016
Baddy, bommarillu is quite a good movie. I enjoyed it despite some bad subtitling ( I don’t understand Telugu). I suspect the Tamil version suffered from a combination of bad acting, bad direction and the dreaded ‘nativity’ changes.
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Honest Raj (formerly 'V'enkatesh)
February 7, 2016
Oh dear lord, I hate Santhosh Subramaniam 🙂 Is Bommarillu very different?
And you ask this even after knowing that the Tamil remake was directed by ‘Jayam’ Raja!
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S. Jay Shankar
February 7, 2016
I finished watching Bangalore Days a few hours back (re-run nth time Asianet HD)
Yes Sir BR, it sure is going to take time to erase memories of the actors in the original. I started tasting Malayalam films quiet accidentally. One of the free HD channel (Asianet HD) crept into my served “dish” package.
Just because it is HD, I have been savoring the beautiful locations, greenery, and the rich sound of music in some of the movies.
I had watched Bangalore Days at least three times (the channel does many re-runs thankfully). Perhaps the first time I watched it was before I knew it as a hit. Sweet movie with the right dose of flavors to make it pretty satisfying and wholesome.
I have not seen the re-make and may not go out and pay to see the Tamil version.
Will the Tamil version Divya be as spontaneous in my favorite scenes ? In the scene when a sad looking Nazriya switches to a beautiful happy smile when Das says “Shall we go for dinner ?”
The switching in one snap… in one continuous shot… fantastic.
In another scene, Das stops her bike ride and drags her into his cab. She looks pretty miffed. The next moment when she hears the phone ring and identifies it to be from Arjun, you see a fantastic childish giggle as she picks up the phone. And a switch into a sad face, or was it a face of a toffee snatched kid, when Das plucks the phone from her and throws it out of the moving cab.
Sometimes watching a movie more than once makes you notice more. Many people “contribute” to bring out a scene, in some cases, the actor excels, in some cases the camera man excels, in some the costume designer does. The list is long, many deserve credit, but I guess the most visible one takes the cup.
Casting of Fahadh and Nazria perfect. Not to leave out Nivin and Dulquer, Mr.Pratap pothen, Kalpana madam RIP
I dont fully understand the language of Malayalam, but Nivins lines sounded so sweet. When he hopes the charming smile and beautiful face of Meenakshi belong to a Malayalee. Something like “Among these clouds…etc” (I guess)
Nice to see that you liked the original, a few notches more.. 🙂
PS:- I hope the Fahadh and Amala Paul – Oru Indian pranayakadha gets picked up next, such a signature subtle Malayalee fare.
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Anu Warrier
February 8, 2016
Am I the only Malayali who hated Bangalore Days and thought it trite fare? 😦
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brangan
February 8, 2016
Anu Warrier: Shoo. Go back to your Mani Kaul now :-p
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badri
February 8, 2016
@ Anu : And, I was waiting for some malayalee to write this ! Phew ! I didnt like it too; felt it way too looong, predictable and wannabe. Mallus are used to looong movies, so the length isnt actually the issue. I guess, one reason could be because of the hype it created and the second one would be that we have had better movies in the past. I would pick Anjali’s Manjadikuru anytime to Bangalore Days.
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tonks
February 8, 2016
I dont fully understand the language of Malayalam, but Nivins lines sounded so sweet. When he hopes the charming smile and beautiful face of Meenakshi belong to a Malayalee. Something like “Among these clouds…etc” (I guess)
I think the dialogue you’re referring to here is the same from another Nivin Pauly hit called ‘Thattathin Marayathu’. That had become a classic and they re-used it in this movie for humour.
I agree totally about the acting skills of all the people mentioned. That would be a very tough act to emulate.
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tonks
February 8, 2016
Today, earlier while driving, my heart did a double take, because I thought my fm station ( which never plays English songs) was playing ‘Summer of 69’. It turned out to be this song 🙂 :
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Shreyasi Ghosh (@gshreyasi)
February 8, 2016
I watched it yesterday with English subtitles so a lot of the local humor, exchanges, idiosyncrasies were lost in translation . Haven’t seen Bangalore Days yet. Liked this one immensely. Haven’t followed the actors’ individual works except Rana Daggubati’s & Bobby Simha’s in Jigarthanda. Such amazing chemistry among the cousins. I especially liked Sri Divya & Parvathy-so confident, warm & natural (for the lack of a better word). Parvathy’s RJ Sarah act was delightful. The Thodakkam Mangalayam song is so much fun-music, choreography & all. Liked most of the other songs too but this one stands out in its joyfulness. Overall a very likable film.
Also I was wondering if the story should have let Prasad-Divya go through with the divorce, Sarah to leave Arjun etc for the sake of ‘keeping it real’ (horribly put) but I am very very glad it had such a nice, feel-good ending. Only I couldn’t help but wish that Kutty had stayed unmarried. I don’t know, maybe he could have learnt to find happiness in his own company, pick up a hobby, traveled etc. But I’m of course nitpicking. l Now I need to watch the original but it’s so difficult to get proper subtitles.
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Vanya
February 8, 2016
@Anu Warrier, I didn’t hate it, but strongly agree that it was trite and predictable. Also, the motorbike racing portions? cringe Maybe our expectations were raised sky high thanks to manjadikuru. But like others have mentioned, the overall casting plus chemistry between the lead trio did wonders for the viewing experience!
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JPhil
February 8, 2016
It s nice to see your positive comments about Anjali Menoj in a post or two. Pratap Pothen is currently directing a Malayalam movie scripted by her with Dluquer in the lead . Here’s to another classy movie .
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Gayathri
February 8, 2016
I watched Bangalore Naatkal and one thing I noticed was that the malayalam original lingered in some moments that made the emotion stick. One example is in the reconciliation scene between fahadh and nazriya – a few sec more showing him cry and then they reconcile. In tamizh, the cuts were a little short and I felt they took away from the movie. In terms of casting, didn’t like bobby simha and if rana daggupati had acted in the malayalam original that would have been swoon-worthy casting 🙂
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MANK
February 8, 2016
ee Anu chechikkentha banglore days inodu ithrakku deshyam? 🙂 munpum parayunnathu kettallo, eniyum mariyille? 😛
speaking for myself, i wouldn’t say i loved BD unequivocally. there were portions were i found it meandering and could have been tightly edited. – i mean , it wasnt like premam which was this 170 mins of exhilarating high on all accounts and which i watched some 10 times in the theaters, Even though that might not be a fair comparison. Premam was more rock n roll to BD’s opera- but overall i loved it. for the performances, the technical values – it was superb craft wise. The photography, the music, a fresh well crafted screenplay. what was great about the screenplay was that it avoided many of the cliches – inherent in both plot and characterization- that is typical of romcoms and coming of age tales – like these- and by that itself it became fresh.
And it was strewn with so many connecting links and mirror images. It was great to see Anjali’s directon and screenplay working in tandem. If any film truly resonate with the written and directed by the same person tag, then this is it. Fahadh’s past -lost love and racing – mirroring in Nivin’s and Dulquer’s present. I like the way Fahadh’s and Dulquer’s characters are set up from the beginning. they are always like opposites and even framed like that much of the early film. but it is by the end that we realise that they are mirror images of each other. Dulquer’s past of abandonment and loneliness mirroring in Nazriya’s present. Nazriya’s revolt and quest for self worth mirrored in Kalpana transformation from traditional to modernity with a vengeance. even nivin’s father escaping the confines of the strict keralite family tradition in to wild & exotic Goa is echoed in the final scene of Nivin – giving up his dream of thani malayali penkutty- and finding true love and marriage with a french girl. it encompasses all- romcom,coming of age, generational saga,… it was one of the best written screenplays and the best directed films in recent mainstream commercial cinema for me.
But I absolutely agree with Tonks ammamma 😛 it was an all round superb turn by the cast that made it so entertaining with Nivin pauly being the standout for me and the fact that i am crazy about Nazriya also helped 🙂
it will be a tough act to follow, which is why i am not much looking forward to watching any other version of it.
And would just put the superb marriage song out there from the original
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tonks
February 8, 2016
Vanya, I think Anu didnt like Manjaadikkuru that much either 🙂 . She should go back to Adoor Gopalakrishnan. Or Mani Kaul 😉
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Anu Warrier
February 8, 2016
BR, Tonks, Mani Kaul? Adoor? When I’m such a masala fan, having cut my eye-teeth on Amitabh Bachchan? :-p (This is me sticking my tongue out at both of you!)
To tonks, particularly, po-di! 🙂
Vanya, badri, phew! I’m glad to find I’m not alone. And Vanya, yes, the motor cycle race… sigh.
MANK – I grew up in Bangalore. I have many happy memories of my Bangalore Days. Let me clarify – I think the hype killed the film for me. I liked parts of it very much, and yes, the acting raised it above the script. And I like Dulquer Salman. (Not so much Nivin Pauly, though he’s the flavour du jour.)
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Ram Murali
February 8, 2016
Bangalore Days (yet to watch “…naatkal”) was a beautiful movie. There were two things that really stood out – the understatement and the lovely writing. First, the understatement – the director knew when to push the emotional envelope and when to just stop short. There is something to be said about the confidence of a director that lingers on silences instead of emotional upheavals. The understatement also helped bring out the vulnerability of even the chirpy characters such as Dulquer’s. So many moments that stood out because of this ‘treatment’ – one of my picks would be the “thank you for the morning colors” note; just a perfect little gesture given Fahaad’s character. I also loved the way Nivin re-read the letter (the changes in tone with the exact wording from before, was a BRILLIANT touch) after realizing the location of his dad.
And, the writing – it was splendid. My fav scene as far as writing is concerned is the one with prathap pothen. It was sweet the way Nazriya held his hand and said, “I am his wife.” I was almost in tears seeing Prathap and his wife ‘forgive’ Fahaad without a word spoken.
I will watch “…Naatkal” just to see how well it stacks up to its illustrious original.
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tonks
February 8, 2016
Eda MANKey : ‘ammamma’ nindey #@&# 😉
Seriously though, agree with Premam was more rock n roll to BD’s opera 🙂 . Bits of Premam were literally pure rock. I love this one as much as I ever did any of Freddie Mercury’s compositions :
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Vanya
February 8, 2016
@Anu (via Tonks): What, no love for manjadikuru? Sad day. 😦
Btw, I had seriously underestimated the size of the mallu contingent here! I’ve heard from a couple of people that Anjali Menon’s dialogues are Aktharesque, i.e., they sound like they’ve been translated from English. My own Malayalam skills lie firmly in the mallu-VJ-circa-2000 category, so I’m not qualified to assess the truth in these observations. Can someone else chime in on this?
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tonks
February 8, 2016
Not so much Nivin Pauly, though he’s the flavour du jour.
Surely you liked him in Premam, Anu? I thought it was amazing how believable he is in each of his three ages.
Also, havent watched it yet, but my newsfeed is filled with gushings of how wonderful his latest movie “Action hero Biju”, is.
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Rishikesh
February 8, 2016
Surprised, you enjoyed BD so much. It works finely till intermission. But then when the individul love strroes of each of the protagonists came into focus, I felt it dragged big time. the 3 hour length was a pain. Nivin – Isha relation (was it just for comic relief) and also Fahad’s changeover wasn’t much convincing.. I never for a moment felt he had a rider in him.. it was damn contrived.. also Kalpana track… just seemed to add to the length of the film…
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Rishikesh
February 8, 2016
Wonder whether she suffers from the so-called Akthar syndrome,but she sure does pen her scripts in English. Many new age writers do that, though.
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MANK
February 8, 2016
tonks chechi, kshamikku chechi, onnu thamashichathane 😉 jeevichu pokkotte chhoodayengil thanupikkan eni tonks mole tonks mole ennu suraj vennaramud stylelil vilikkam 😀
Actually Tonks chechi, tonks chechi has a nice rhythm to it. enthoru sangeethathmakam. aishwarythinte siren muzhangunna polundu 🙂
seriously yeah the kalippu song is the height of rock. i love the way the song sets up the entire second act, how it resonates in the third act when he goes back in to his college mode to beat up celine’s fiancee. But the beauty of that film is that the second half begins with rocking kalippu and ends with the soulful malare. how the director so superbly works out the development of the plot and Nivin’s character so organically to cover that arc. And of course Nivin’s performance is superb. the way he moves through the 3 stages of the character so effortlessly and spontaneously without using any method acting tricks. But in spite of the rock n roll feel of the flm, the song malare is my favorite. it moves me like nothing else in the film. it is both the lyrics, the azhage-malare combo and the presence\performance of sai pallavi that gives the song as well as the film that extra dimension.
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Iswarya
February 8, 2016
Vanya: I’ve never asked anyone personal questions here before, but like Alice now I’m growing “curiouser and curiouser” about your name. Is that your real name? If so, are you connected with IIT-M in any way?
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MANK
February 8, 2016
Anu, it is easy to like Dulqar. it is a flashy part and those angst ridden characters connect with the audience much more easily. he plays that part very well. He is also much more – how we put it- conventionally good looking. But it is Nivin who is the star of the show for me. effortlessly moving through humor and pathos. how his initial exuberance for the first love turns to disenchantment after her betrayal.As i said about his performance in premam, there is a looseness, a naturalism an ability to make it look so easy that i love about him- something that was there was in early mohanlal
Vanya, let us say that LHHE aktharesque problem is there in the new gen malayalam cinema. But it is relatively much less in BD. Since the characters themselves are more uber city bred types, it did not stick out for me. of course The days when great writers like MT and Lohithadas used to write heart thumping, heart wrenching dialogues – even in mainstream commercial films in pristine malayalam – that becomes part of pop culture and vocabulary are long gone
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MANK
February 8, 2016
Ram Murali, that is a superb observation about Nivin reading the letter. First time it was all pathos, but when he reads the letter for the final time, it gives him a liberating feeling, just the kind his father expresses in the letter. You can sense his character changing. he develops the attitude and will power to give the royal eff off to isha at the end
And no Nivin Isha romace is not comic relief. it was an integral part of the big picture that Anjali is creating here IMO.
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brangan
February 8, 2016
Iswarya: I’ve always thought the name was something to do with Chekhov.
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Vanya
February 8, 2016
@Iswarya: No exciting story behind the name, I’m afraid, and no IIT connection either. I lived in Pune for college, and Maharashtrian friends would add the “-ya” suffix to my name, Vani. I liked the sound of it and adopted that moniker for online forums. However, I’m a huge AiW fan and own a pendant that says “curioser and curioser”!
@BR: It’s deeply unsettling that I’m giving off Chekhov-loving vibes. I need to reconsider my life choices.
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Gradwolf
February 9, 2016
Count me in on the Bangalore Days is overrated team. I don’t think it is trite (!) though! I enjoyed it and I wish a section of the Tamil filmmakers followed these aesthetics for similar subjects but such a cult following?! Not so sure. I am firmly in the Premam bandwagon. Now that’s some solid filmmaking! BD, I liked it for what it is. Don’t think I’ll ever revisit.
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Iswarya
February 9, 2016
BR: Yes, I know Uncle Vanya 🙂 I also happen to (vaguely) know a real girl named Vanya who studied in IIT-M and who once helped me on a graduate project. I was putting pieces together about her (she being a young half-Malayali, IIRC) and wondering if this was her! 🙂
If this person does turn out to be that acquaintance, I’ve already quizzed her brother enough on why they have given her the name of a Chekhovian male character. 😀
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tonks
February 9, 2016
MANK : Yes, in Malare, both the lyrics ( the beauty of
“Njan ente athmavinazhathinullil
Athilolamarorumariyathe
Sookshicha
Thaalangal raagangal eenangalayi
Ororo varnangalaay
Edarunnorente
Eda nenjinullil
Pranayathinmazhayaay nee
Pozhiyunneenaalil” )
and the music, are out of this world. I cannot recall another recent Malayalam song I liked so much. Malare, Kalippu , Scene Contra (I love how much fun and contemporary it is) and Pathivaayi njan the songs I like best from Premam. Like AR Rahman, Rajesh Murugesan seems to draw heavily from western genres in his music. I loved his Pistah from Neram too.
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Anu Warrier
February 9, 2016
tonks, the only film I really liked Nivin Pauly so far, is in 1984. I haven’t yet watched Premam. Mea culpa! Shall revert to you when I do. (All the DVDs I bought that day are still in their cellophane wrapping.)
MANK, my liking for Dulquer has nothing to do with how conventionally good looking he is, or the flashiness of his role – considering that all my ‘crushes’, with the exception of Shammi and Dev, have had unconventional looks – in some cases, they cannot even be called ‘handsome’. 🙂
Dulquer has the sort of looks that, in my college days, would have been termed ‘kunja. Not my ‘type’ at all. But yes, I do like him – a lot. The same way I liked Mohanlal, who by no stretch of imagination can be called good looking. Or Amitabh, who became ‘dashing’ only when he achieved success. (A heroine once likened him to a camel.)
Vanya, I do find that Anjali’s writing is more English-turned-into-Malayalam, but I will not fault her for that. Most young people today do the same mental calisthenics, even if they are fluent in their native tongue.
As far as Manjadikkuru is concerned, I think, for me, that was another film that was killed by the hype. I was told (by multiple people) that it was the greatest thing since cinema began. It’s not that I didn’t like it. I just didn’t like it enough. I’m not sure why, but I find something lacking in Anjali Menon’s films – I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I always walk away a tad unsatisfied. What can I say? 🙂
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brangan
February 9, 2016
Hype is always there. Every film is over-hyped these days. It’s up to us to see the film for what it is and not for the hype that surrounds it.
Here’s a piece I wrote on Bangalore Days.
Bangalore Days isn’t as wonderful as Menon’s first film, Manjadikkuru, which was an exquisite realisation of a particular age – both in the sense of the child protagonists and the period the film was set in. Bangalore Days doesn’t have the delicacy of that earlier film, plus it abounds with clichés. The tragic flashback, the last-minute effort to prevent a loved one from going away to another country, the impetuous youth tamed by an unlikely love, the broken marriage that slowly begins to heal itself – it’s all there. And yet, the film feels fresh, and it’s thoroughly enjoyable. It’s so well-cast, well-written and well-staged (Menon is incapable of framing a bad shot) that we don’t notice how familiar it is. And how long it is: 172 minutes.
Had it been just the writing, I agree, it’s all one cliche after another. But even there, the cliches are only in the overall sense. How they’re handled, that’s still very admirable. Every funny scene has a sad kicker. Every sad scene has a funny twist. I was constantly surprised. It’s VERY difficult to write this sort of thing — overdo the “fun”, and you’re cheapening the emotion; overdo the emotion, and you’re veering into melodrama. It’s a really tough tightrope walk.
Plus, even the most banal moments were elevated by the cast and ESPECIALLY the direction. I would happily settle for mainstream cinema of this caliber 🙂
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NiK
February 9, 2016
referring to aravindha’s comment, why are soodhu kavvum or neram movies where simha hasnt been “directed properly”
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MANK
February 9, 2016
Anu, make that 1983 🙂 but i wonder how you enjoy any movie these days. every film is hyped up to the skies.
Vanya, i thought it was something wild, you know vanyamaya shakthi, not that vani-ya is bad 😀
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Deepak
February 9, 2016
aaha ee forest muzhuvan malayalis aanallo 😉 I loved Bangalore Days as well and it was just a day or 2 after I saw Nazriya in “Om Shanti Oshana” and just fell in love with her, and it’s not that she’s cute and bubbly – but she’s got decent acting chops as well. As someone above had commented, the way her expression can just flip on a coin so naturally – not everyone can pull this off. I cannot imagine seeing the same story play out without her playing the Kunju/Ammu role.
I’ve been quite impressed by Nivin Pauly in the 3 movies that I’ve seen of him. Maybe it’s time to finally watch Premam, seeing the near universal praise I’m seeing here for the movie?
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apex
February 9, 2016
@ Vanee–“No exciting story behind the name, I’m afraid, and no IIT connection either. I lived in Pune for college, and Maharashtrian friends would add the “-ya” suffix to my name, Vani.”
Unsure bout ur name/moniker but your pic/gravatar is suuupeerrr cute…
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Naveen
February 9, 2016
Bangalore days and Premam are both emotionally charged films which can connect to the same emotions inside us – be it child hood cousins/friends in BD or crushes in Premam. while BD was a bit forced upon and jarring at some points to reach certain milestones/conclusions, Premam was more free flowing and natural except for George’s hurry to settle down in the last story. music and performance were awesome and lingering with you forever. no wonder it is running for over 250 days in Chennai as we type
btw, saw Action Hero Biju out of curiosity and found it needing on many aspects. not worth watching for the sake of Nivin. not in the same league of the other movies in the this paragraph. well, Nivin cannot have a dream run forever. he needs to pick up scripts carefully.
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sravishanker1401gmailcom
February 9, 2016
“And I wondered if the necessities of the Tamil market would make Bangalore Naatkal a 1-state movie.”
This one line is a classic, killer summing up – the angle from which the remake would be viewed.
Great review !
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Anu Warrier
February 9, 2016
BR, MANK, I’m not talking about the media hype. I’m talking about my friends/family who come gushing to me about this film and that, and how it’s the best thing since… and then I watch it, and it doesn’t come anywhere close to what I expected. Media hype, I mostly discount.
However, let me clarify one thing – I enjoyed watching both the films, and neither bored me. (Which is the low bar I set these days for my film viewing.) However, like Gradwolf, I cannot really understand how BD has become such a cult film.
And yes, 1983. Sorry!
I’m obviously beyond redemption. 🙂
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KayKay
February 10, 2016
It may be a perfectly decent remake, but like a lot of the “BD Lovers” here, the original is too firmly etched in my mind to accept different actors (Nivin, Nazriya, DS, Fahad were pitch perfect in their roles) performing essentially the same story in a different language. Oh, plus I hate Arya! Jesus, that voice!!! Practically mandates he be dubbed in every film by a different voice actor.
The “BD Hate/Dislike/Underwhelmed” brigade: Oh, the horror! But this is where guys like me who hardly watch Malayalam movies have an advantage (I average about 5 a year). The ones I do watch are, yes, heavily hyped by friends and relatives who practically shove the disc in my player commanding me to watch it and usually, the films have warranted the hype. BD was no different.
“But even there, the cliches are only in the overall sense. How they’re handled, that’s still very admirable”
“First, the understatement – the director knew when to push the emotional envelope and when to just stop short.”
B & Ram Murali: That, in a nutshell, is PRECISELY why I love Malayalam movies (once again, pulling out the caveat, that I don’t watch a whole lot, so these are observations culled from the meager quantities I have seen).
Somehow the writers and directors know precisely when to dial it up and when to let the performances and scenes play out naturally (to, you know, cater for that section of the audience who DON’T reside in the Emotional Spectrum demanded by soap operas and ’70s era melodrama). Not to mention the scripts and the writing which give even supporting roles a refreshing depth.
Take the example of 2 movies I watched recently: Om Shanthi Oshana (OSO) and Annayum Rasoolom (AR). Both your standard love stories, with outcomes you could accurately predict 30 minutes in. But it’s the journey these movies take getting there that make it such a delight. In the case of AR, Kochi becomes a living breathing character very much an integral part of the story.For OSO, it’s the delightful supporting characters (the indulgent father, wine mixing aunt, wastrel cousin) not to mention a sensitively written and handled arc for the heroine.
You could easily remake them (they are generic love stories after all) but the shading in of those additional nuances is something I don’t have a lot of confidence the remakes in other languages could handle.
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KayKay
February 10, 2016
“And no Nivin Isha romace is not comic relief.”
MANK, Exactly! It would have been so easy to rehash the Nivin-Isha romance of Thatthin Marayathu, instead in BD, they give it a more bittersweet, subversive tone.
And Nivin’s arc is my fav too. I had a hard time liking Fahad’s character (if you’re working through that much angst, why the fuck marry a girl and make her life miserable?) and Dulquer’s biker rebel would have been cooler had I not seen a far better version of it in “Neelakasham, Chuvanna Bhoomi, Pachakkadal”.
And the whole Kalpana/Vijay Raghavan arc: Pure Gold! It would have been so easy to trot out the “grief-stricken abandoned wife” angle so beloved of numerous films, instead the mother discovers a new found and cherished freedom while the dad is ostensibly getting high on a Goa beach, enjoying a release of another kind. I wonder if this was carried over to the Tamil version.
S. Jaya Shanker”: Kalpana madam RIP… am totally shocked! Hdd no idea until I read your comment about the passing of this amazingly versatile actress. She and Urvashi (incidentally Bhagyaraj “discoveries” in Tamil) have acting talent oozing out of every pore. RIP.
Ok, as anybody with half a brain would have figured out by now: I just love the crap outta BD 🙂
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MANK
February 10, 2016
KayKay, man as always, your views and the manner in which you put across those views command my admiration 🙂 Hardly anything to add or subtract 😀 Bravooo!
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Bayta
February 10, 2016
Add me to the “yeah, I agree it wasn’t ground-breaking, but I still really enjoyed Bangalore Days” team. Totally agree with everyone who pointed out how it was the treatment and the cast that really made the movie stand out.
Speaking of the cast, Nivin Pauly and Nazriya both quickly shot up to my favourite actors list after watching BD and Om Shanti Oshana back to back. What I love about these two is how intuitive they seem to be in their performances. They have a very effortless way of simply becoming the characters they’re playing. Makes it really easy to get into the movie, especially with naturalistic, underplayed, non-loud type of movies (most Malayalam movies I’ve seen – very few admittedly).
I probably won’t bother seeking out this remake for the same reasons as KayKay (that Arya voice thing is so true!) I wonder who this remake is meant for tbh. If they’ve stayed true to the original (which it sounds like they have), it will primarily appeal to the urban audience who would’ve already watched the original, no? Maybe it’s meant for those in that segment who, for whatever reasons, dislike subtitles? Still, it’s nice to know that they didn’t cave to the usual pressures of making a one-size-fits-all-centers film. Now if only they’d do this with original scripts.
Oh, and since a few people have mentioned Om Shanti Oshana, can anyone point me to other female-centric coming-of-age films (in any language)? I rewatched OSO recently and realized that relatability played a big part in my enjoyment of the film. Something that was lacking for me in Premam (male protagonist who I couldn’t entirely relate to) and BD (cousinship of a kind which I never enjoyed growing up), though I did really like both. They’re both also better films overall, but OSO made me smile way more than either of those. So would love to watch more such movies.
MANK – Malare is my favourite from Premam as well, and in big part because of Sai Pallavi’s presence. That whole second act is a winner imo. So was delighted to read that she’s been roped in for Mani Ratnam’s next (and there I’ve done my part in bringing in a mention of MR into this thread – all comments threads need at least one in BR’s blog, right? 😛 )
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MANK
February 10, 2016
Bayta, oh Om Shanti Oshana is the film where i fell in love with Nazriya 🙂 there is a tenderness and a sense of nostalgia to the whole film and especially to her performance. i usually dont like chick flics , but this one transcends those cliches with a more rooted in reality kind of story telling. but of course the star cast that pulled it up several notches. Nazriya looks and acts like a dream It is a pity that she gave up films after marriage. she was really hitting her peak form when she retired.
Reg: Premam,Sai pallavi ofcourse. it is hard to believe it is her first film. or rather this was the first film of several actors in the film. that is what gave the the film a fresh feel.
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Bayta
February 10, 2016
MANK – Wait, what? She gave up acting? That makes me sad. She’s such a gifted performer! I hope she changes her mind.
Hmm I never thought about OSO as a chick flick, but I guess it does fit that template in a broad sense. But like you say, there’s a sense of truth to it thanks to the tender handling that neither glosses over nor condescends when it comes to this girl’s feelings. People always tout Kahani as a victory for women-centric films, but it’s easy to see the appeal of a thriller like that to a wider audience. That a film like Om Shanti Oshana, which is simply a coming of age story of a girl, was successful says a lot about the Malayalam film audience. Can’t imagine a movie like that getting an audience in Tamil.
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Anu Warrier
February 10, 2016
Bayta – don’t be sad. 🙂 Nazriya is returning to films. (Just read the report this morning.) She’s in talks with film makers. According to Fahd, they were just taking some time to settle in after marriage.
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Bayta
February 10, 2016
Yay! Thanks for telling me that, Anu. I can now go to bed happy and content. 🙂
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sai16vicky
February 13, 2016
Seeing BR’s interesting review, I decided to give it a try. At first, I thought I liked the movie a lot. Then I realized it was because the original was running in my mind for most of the scenes. Thanks to “Bangalore Naatkal” for making me understand how much I love “Bangalore Days”.
On a related note, I wasn’t reminded much of the original while watching “Papanasam”. Now that I come to think of it, I think I was more busy watching one of my most favorite actors on screen 😀
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Vinshy
February 20, 2016
@Anu Warrier: How could you ever say that Mohanlal was not good looking!!!!!! Unbeleivable!!
Yes surely I can understand if you meant his present shape (although at an age of 56,good-looks is more of an exception than norm).
But Lal of 80s,early 90s, was surely a heart throb.I think atleast 90 percentage of women/girls were devoted fans of him in that era. Just imagine him in films like Kilukkam, Yodha, Irupatham Nootandu, etc. Its not just for acting chops, but even his looks were nothing short of sensational. 🙂
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Sutheesh Kumar. P. S.
February 21, 2016
Tonks: Action hero Biju is fantastic, so different from a lot of other police action movies, though the title is a misnomer.
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Anu Warrier
February 23, 2016
How could you ever say that Mohanlal was not good looking!!!!!! /i>
Because, to me, he was not. ‘Beauty’ is a very subjective thing. It is definitely in the eyes of the beholder. But I can’t ever see Mohanlal winning the ‘beauty’ sweepstakes. Not when he was young, not now. It has nothing to do with his avoir dupois.
I’m not ashamed to say I find a lot of 50-60-(even seventy) year-olds extremely good looking. Cary Grant, for instance, our very own Naseer. Shashi Kapoor when he was that age. Harrison Ford. Prannoy Roy. Amitabh Bachchan. Sean Connery. Pierce Brosnan. Daniel Autiel. James Stewart…. examples are legion.
But then, I’ve never found age to be a drawback in terms of looks. Not everyone wants a young cardboard cutout with smooth skin and six-pack abs. 🙂
But Lal of 80s,early 90s, was surely a heart throb.
Really? Excellent actor, had a whole lot of fans including me, but he didn’t make my heat throb. Not at all.
In any case, just because someone else finds him ‘handsome’ doesn’t mean I have to, as well. But my liking for a person is not based on how he or she looks, either.
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tonks
February 23, 2016
I absolutely agree, Anu. When I was in school we lived outside Kerala and those days we did not have cable TV, so the only major exposure to Malayalam movies would be during the summer holidays and I’m afraid for a long time I was utterly bewildered by the lack of physical (especially their physique but also the face) looks (in my opinion) of Kerala’s heroes. I’d be stunned to hear them referred to as “handsome”. I also had trouble understanding the dialogues because they would have many different dialects and slang which was then unfamiliar to me. Later, partly through living in Kerala and growing to love their acting skills and movies, I advanced to a stage of not finding them repulsive and even understanding how they could be thought of as handsome by some.
Its partly I think because different cultures have different ideas of what is considered physically attractive, social conditioning playing a role here and of course the subjectivity of individual tastes.
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MANK
February 23, 2016
Mohanlal in his prime – in the late 80’s and early 90’s – had quite a glow on his face . an omanatham , if you will . he had a style and attitude that Rajesh Khanna had in his prime – that used to knock the girls over without being Conventionally good looking.- he was quite a contrast to the Macho larger than life looking Mammootty who could be called the more conventionally handsome – god he still is-.and whom the men modeled themselves after. Lal used to play the more playful,tender romantic characters that ingratiated him with the female audience.
And reg: keralite conception of male beauty, it is very different from the rest of the world :), that is before the globalisation boom & the internet age , Lal and Mmmootty were lucky enough to establish themselves before that. A pot belly or a round face was not considered a hindrance to attaining stardom, mainly bcoz the regular kerala men were like that and the characters that the actors were playing were much more of the regular guys rather than the larger than life variety.But as you see nowadays, the heroes are more physically fit and conform much more the conventional concepts of male beauty.
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MANK
February 23, 2016
Later, partly through living in Kerala and growing to love their acting skills and movies, I advanced to a stage of not finding them repulsive and even understanding how they could be thought of as handsome by some.
Tonks, Just not repulsive , seriously 🙂
well i do find lalettan’s looks and acting pretty repulsive these days .Last year’s Laila o laila was the nadir. seeing him trying to look and act half his age was embarassing to say the least. reminded me of the days when he is used to perform like this. i have seen several actors doing scenes of characters facing tragedy. but this is something else. not only the fact that it is totally internalized and spontaneous, he does’nt break character even for a moment
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tonks
February 23, 2016
Yes MANK, I’m sorry, but most definitely repulsive (I see the Sukumaran of my childhood in my mind’s eye with his pot belly and his prematurely middle aged looks). Many of my friends think its blasphemy but I wouldnt rate any of the older Malayalam heroes handsome. Not even Mammootty or Mohanlal in their youth. But that’s just me. And looks do not matter. Not much.
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Vanya
February 23, 2016
Seconding (thirding?) Anu’s and Tonks’ comments about Mohanlal and other mallu stars from previous generations, and I say this as a huge fan of Mohanlal’s talent. I’m not sure it’s an NRI thing because I can’t remember any of my Kerala-residential female friends or family members commenting favorably on Mohanlal’s looks. Come to think of it, my mom will often wax lyrical about Dharmendra or Vinod Khanna, but I’ve never heard her refer to a mallu actor as handsome.
Btw, if not having a potbelly is conforming to conventional beauty standards, I for one am glad we’re doing it. Given that excessive fat in the abdominal region is a marker of risk for type 2 diabetes, and that Kerala has a frightening incidence of this disease, it’s high time we began aspiring to something different. 😛
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apex
February 23, 2016
“I’m sorry, but most definitely repulsive (I see the Sukumaran of my childhood in my mind’s eye with his pot belly and his prematurely middle aged looks). Many of my friends think its blasphemy…”
Haha well said Tonks & Anu… there’s nothin ‘blasphemous’…
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MANK
February 23, 2016
Chechimare, to quote lalettan, kaivitta ayudham vaa vitta vaaku, thirichedukkan pattilla. Orkkanam orthal nannu 😀
Tonks,sukumaran is not the ideal person to recollect at this moment. The speed at which he lost his stardom and became a supporting player is proof that even Malayalam cinema couldn’t tolerate him. You should have thought of jayan 🙂
I am not saying that Lal was conventionally good looking, but he had an aura that was attractive to the ladies
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Anu Warrier
February 23, 2016
an omanatham , if you will .
MANK! Grooooaaaan! No! Omanatham, my foot! 🙂 And you compare him to Rajeshwa! (Not one of my favourites, but definitely more appealing to look at.) Like Tonks, my initial introduction to Mohanlal came through movies watched in my summer holidays. Nope. Can’t see him being a ‘heart throb’ ever.
Brilliant actor, though. Or was. Now, he’s too busy chasing the illusion of youth. And I’ll only watch a Mohanlal film today if people I trust tell me it’s damn good. (Because the man can still act, when he wants to.)
Again, this bit about ‘conventional good looks’ doesn’t really matter to me – none of my crushes (filmi or otherwise) were known to be good looking – not conventionally, anyway.
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MANK
February 23, 2016
Anu , that’s cruel . you mean your foot is more lovely than Lalettan’S face. oooouuch! 😀
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Ram Murali
February 23, 2016
This discussion makes me think of those actors whose appeal stems not necessarily from just how they look but also how they project themselves in the movies. It’s got to do with what they do with their eyes, expressions and even their voice sometimes. My favorites in this category are Raghuvaran, the mustachioed Prakash Raj of the 90s and Rajni of the early 80s (with NO make-up on in movies like “Mullum Malarum” & “Johnny”). I also thought that NizhalgaL Ravi had a very interesting face. It’s just a pity that he rarely found directors who could rein him and get the best out of him. I thought he was stupendous in movies like “Nayagan” and “Sigaram” where the Directors knew how to utilize his talent.
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olemisstarana
February 23, 2016
I never started out finding Mohanlal and Mamooty attractive, but as I grow older, I see the appeal. It’s a little bit like Nick Offerman. Something about unvarnished, unapologetic, Old fashioned masculinity. I don’t get Sean Connery, for instance… but I do know the matte-carpet chest hair, the casually unsculpted muscles, the receding hair, the sour stink of unwashed misogyny (okay, that’s where I draw the line…) seems to appeal to some demographic. Is it possible that men find these traits more attractive than women do, just because they don’t have to try so hard. (Of course, each of these actors has a je ne sais quoi, a certain unattainable appeal that is very hard to replicate).
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Anu Warrier
February 23, 2016
MANK, I do have pretty feet. 🙂
Olemisstarana, I don’t find Mohanlal attractive at all. 🙂 And if you want the stink of misogyny, you don’t have to go further than him in Malayalam movies. I think the heroines in his films are there just to get a) slapped b) put in their place c) apologise to him. (Other offenders in this set are: Dileep, Jayaram, and Balachandra Menon.) Mammootty’s films weren’t usually that regressive. (Though he’s been an offender as well.)
Sean Connery as Bond – definitely misogynistic. But then James Bond is both misogynist and sexist. But Connery in other films? Love him. Especially loved him when he took a turn as Harrison Ford’s father in The Last Crusade.
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Ram Murali
February 24, 2016
je ne sais quoi
–>This is the kind of thing that makes me completely addicted to this blog! What a choice of a word to describe this quality! Hats off, olemisstarana 🙂 Now I will have to contrive an opportunity to use this word in a conversation so that I never forget this!
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olemisstarana
February 24, 2016
I have a question.
I remember vaguely, watching a movie maybe 20 or so years ago on DD that revolved around a few friends who went on a road trip. One of the guys was named Adi (maybe short for Aditya). These were students, middle class, educated, not your Dil Chahta Hai moneyed elite. I can’t remember much of the plot, just loving the casual reality, the banter, the coming of age, and iirc some incredible locales as well.
There is one scene that stands out perfectly in my mind, however. While traveling down south, they come upon a farmhouse and one of the boys goes out to take some pictures. He gets chased by a dog and takes off, clambering onto a car (maybe Ambassador) to save himself. Mammootty walks out, goes up to him and sternly demands his camera. The boy protests but gives in and Mammootty then takes a couple of pictures, saying “Something for you to remember,” calls off his dog and invites the group to hang out for a while.
Is this something that rings a bell?
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Anu Warrier
February 24, 2016
I’ve a recollection of the film but for the life of me, can’t remember its name. 😦
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Vanya
February 24, 2016
@Anu: I generally agree about misogyny in many of Mohanlal et al.’s films, but with Lal, this was not as apparent until he hit escape velocity, around 1990. His Sathyan Anthikad movies, for example, featured heroines who could give as good as they got. And then there’s thuvanathumbikal, where the two female protagonists are strong-willed and decisive enough to chip away significantly at Jayakrishnan’s autonomy.
Olemisstarana: I really hope someone has the answer because now I’m dying to know more about this movie you describe. (Btw, I just realized I’ve probably been reading the “olemiss” part of your nickname wrong all this time; is it more a reference to U Mississippi and less “olé miss” like I’d assumed? :-D)
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Sutheesh Kumar. P. S.
February 24, 2016
Now that’s a job for Mank.
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Honest Raj (formerly 'V'enkatesh)
February 24, 2016
Ram Murali: Thanks for remembering the eternal voices of Tamil cinema – Raghuvaran and ‘Nizhalgal’ Ravi. But when you talk about Raghuvaran and Prakash Raj in the same breath, I feel the former was grossly underrated (or, perhaps the latter is being overrated?) ‘Nizhalgal’ Ravi worked with the biggest directors of his time – Bharathiraaja, Mani Ratnam, KB, Balu Mahendra – but still couldn’t carve a niche for himself. His voice is impeccable, especially when he dubs for others. Nana Patekar’s voice in Bommalaattam would qualify as the best among Bharathiraaja’s films. And I say this inspite of knowing that Nana’s voice (real) is no where close to Ravi’s!
_/_ En iniya Malayala makkalae _/_: I feel Mammootty has aged (quite exceptionally) well!
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MANK
February 24, 2016
Sutheesh Kumar. you place a heavy burden on my shoulder :). the film is triyatri
http://cfsindia.org/triyatri-the-three-travellers/
Some more interesting trivia about Mammootty
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/malayalam/movies/Mammootty-Lesser-known-facts/photostory/48651371.cms
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MANK
February 24, 2016
Anu, i believe you about your feet. aap ke pair zameen pe mat rakhiyegaaa……………:)
As for Mohanlal’s looks and being a heartthrob,i respect your POV , but as you – or the case of Tonks or Vanya- said *you were living outside and your introduction to Mohanlal came through movies watched in your summer holidays. *, so you are not the right person to judge his looks or his popularity :).we have paractically grown up with them. Mammootty and mohanlal were the first actors we saw, then Rajni,Kamal,chiranjeevi,Bachcchan, the khans, after that came Stallone and Shwarzennegger and cruise :). that is how our psyche has developed . there is a world of difference in the way i perceive him and you do.so let us just end it on that note ok you have your version, I have the truth 😀
Reg: Misogyny and lal – well as Vanya said -it was only in the later stages of his career that it started picking up. in his earlier to mid career it wasnt like that. actually he was one of the actors who wouldnt mind acting in womencentric films or bothered about the heroine stealing the show from him Eg: Panchagni,desadanakkili karayarilla,namukkan parkan munthirithoppukal,nokkatha doorathu kannum nattu , … etc etc and of course thuvanathumbikal – one of the most beautiful films i have ever seen.
even as far as the late 90’s he was doing films like Kanmadan,ayal katha ezhuthukayanu,… where the heroine had substantial roles.
But i agree that Jayaram and Dileep are the worst offenders
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MANK
February 24, 2016
Ram Murali, i agree with Honest Raj about ‘Nizhalgal’ Ravi. i don’t think he had it in him to be a full fledged hero. i like him more in supporting parts. even in the 2 scene appearance in Iruvar. he was exceptionally creepy as gauthami’s lecherous uncle. .And i too feel that Raghuvaran was a better actor than Prakashraj. i think he did so many things at the the same time playing hero, supporting hero,villain that he just couldnt find a solid footing for himself. he seemed to have had quite a tumultuous personal life as well , which always stopped him from achieving his full potential
En iniya Malayala makkalae /: I feel Mammootty has aged (quite exceptionally) well!
appadi ‘honest’aaa solli kodukkungo saar 🙂
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Vanya
February 24, 2016
@MANK: Panchagni — definitely! Lal serves only to emotionally support Geetha’s character and to chronicle her extra-ordinary experiences and actions; this completely inverted the standard gender roles in cinema. I love Namukku parkkan munthiri thoppukal, but it follows the classic template (almost literally) of a knight in shining armor rescuing the damsel in distress and riding away with her.
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Anu Warrier
February 24, 2016
MANK – Tip of the tinfoil for the Pakeezah reference. I was wondering if you would. 🙂
‘Growing up with him’ doesn’t make Mohanlal any more attractive, in my opinion. I can’t think of him as being ‘handsome’, really.
ok you have your version, I have the truth 😀
Heh, heh. Good one, that. Laal salaam, sakhaave!
As for his acting in small, but significant roles – I think he and Mammootty were both good in that way – neither cared about the length of their role and both have propped up other actors/actresses in stronger roles than them. That’s one of the things I like about them.
Just because I don’t find Mohanlal handsome doesn’t mean I don’t like him as an actor. Both Mohanlal and Mammootty have exceptional talent, and Malayalam cinema has only been the richer for their presence.
I do wish they hadn’t got caught in the ‘superstar’ trap. That was their downfall, particularly Mohanlal’s. With Mammootty, I think that his wife has a strong influence over him. I know that after a spate of ‘paynkili films, his wife told him off so strongly that he took a sabbatical, coming back with a vengeance with strong scripts and author-backed roles – Thaniyavarthanam (a film I cannot bear to watch again, it affected me so much!), New Delhi, Anantaram, etc.
And hey, I do find Mammootty good looking, though he doesn’t make my heart throb 🙂 🙂
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Ram Murali
February 24, 2016
MANK & Honest Raj – oh, of course. I thought that Raghuvaran was a FAR better actor than Prakash Raj. I just mentioned all of them including ‘Shadows’ (!) in the same breath just in terms of what I thought were unconventional looks that had a… “je ne sais quoi.” (Thanks, olemisstarana!)
I particularly liked Raghuvaran in the non-villainous roles. Not just the impossibly-good-person roles in movies like Anjali & Mugavari but the ones with more shades and depth like Thotta Chinungi and Aaha. T C was such an underrated movie. I thought that save the Nagendra Prasad-Devyani (yes, Devyani!) track, Raghuvaran just held you spell bound with his performance. There’s this one scene in the middle of the night where he lists to Revathi why he doesn’t feel loved or cared for and he just nails the difficult scene. A must-see for those that liked him.
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MANK
February 24, 2016
Vanya, agree with the knight in shining armor template of NPMT.But you see where padmarajan’s brilliance comes in. the knight always saves the damsel unharmed, pure, virginal. but here she is abused and raped by her own stepfather and still the heroes does not flinches- nor does he murder the evil villain- he just kick him away and takes her with him.this was the time when whole indian cinema was obsessed about the virginal women. she may be living in a kotha – like pakeezah- or a brothel – like in sadak- , the attempt was to protect the heoine’s virginity at all cost – and keep her unharmed and unspoiled- for the hero.the more ridiculous contrivances for raped women were in films like pudiya padhai – where the rape victim marries the rapist and reforms him (oh the horror!). so it was quite courageous of Lal to play that character
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olemisstarana
February 24, 2016
MANK: Thank you!!! I have spent so many hours on google, typing in as many combinations of variables as I could think, to no avail! You wouldn’t happen to know where I could watch this, would you? I remember really enjoying it…
Vanya: Yes, it’s Ole Miss, or U of MS… though it has been about 2 years since I left and in all reality, I am not that crazy about MS.So I might change my handle to reflect where I am right now… Steelcitytarana was taken, so I have to keep thinking 🙂
Anu: Sean Connery may be a good actor, but he is a genuinely misogynistic creep. Just google him and “slapping women.”
I haven’t seen any Malayali cinema, so I am only coming to this from a very peripheral pov. I looooooved Mammootty in Kandukondain Kandukondain, Mohanlal in Iruvar (actually, add Prakash Raj to the mix of actors I find puzzlingly appealing – he was painfully good in Kanchivaram).
I trust you on the misogyny though. The last Telugu movie I saw (years ago, now) had Venkatesh, who, in a very heated moment, corners the heroine and threatens to rape her in order to discipline her. It was a throw away line, like a parent telling a kid, “I’ll pull over the car!” and shocked the bejeezus out of me. This was the Venkatesh from Kshanakshanam that I loved watching. 😦
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MANK
February 24, 2016
Anu, Tip of the tinfoil appreciated 🙂 and kudos to all your views expressed on lalettan(except the only one, come on you know the one :)) and mammookka
the superstar thing not only affected mohanlal badly, but malayalam cinema on the whole. just look at the films of the M’S that came out after 1998. look at the big hits, narasimham,valiyettan, ravanaprabhu- horrible,just horrible. not just plain bad, but misogynistic,racist, casteist, you just name it.
And it wasnt just his wife’s influence you know , Mammootty was almost finished by 87. he had 10 or 15 flops in a row because of those painkili movies. he had almost become like soman and sukumaran who were playing hero one day and suddenly become villains and bit players the next day. but he bounced back by being selective and working on his weakness as an actor to reemerge with renewed vigor. you are right about .thaniyavarthanam, god it is like one of those wonderful films – like Bergman’s The virgin spring or Cries and whispers- which you know is brilliant but can’t bring yourself to watch again. the same goes for bhoothakannadi the mohanlal film in that category would be Sadayam. i love that film and i think it is one of his greatest performances,
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Sutheesh Kumar. P. S.
February 24, 2016
Mank, I knew it would only be you and you delivered. Take a bow.
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MANK
February 24, 2016
olemisstarana, you are welcome. No, i think the film has gone out of public view. it is not there on youtube. not even a clip. hell it doesnt even have a wikipedia entry. i think doordarshan vaults might be the only option 🙂
And thanks for clearing the mystery of your name . i was always intrigued , but was too shy to ask you 🙂
As for telugu cinema and misogyny , well threatens to rape her in order to discipline her is just the tip of the iceberg. thank god you havent seen more 🙂
And i got it when you referred to the misogyny of Sean connery. i know you were not referring to james Bond. the Barbara walters interview is legend. i fished this out specially for Anu, Only the good bits enjoy 😀
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Honest Raj (formerly 'V'enkatesh)
February 25, 2016
MANK: I like Raghuvaran’s performance very much in Bommukutty Ammavukku. After seeing the Malayalam original, I can definitely say the role suited him very much (he was better than Mohanlal in that particular role). Many years ago, I saw this offbeat film called ‘Thyagu’, where he played an alcoholic. He was good in this film. The scene where his wife keeps talking about her ‘atthimber’ was the only comic relief in the otherwise tragic movie. Luckily, I found the clip on YT:
Ram Murali: ‘Nizhalgal’ was handsome in some films!
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Anu Warrier
February 25, 2016
MANK, Sadayam gave me nightmares. It was one of the most chilling films I’ve ever watched.
About the other big M – yes, I agree. He had a whole lot of flops. But he had given an interview where he said it was his wife who told him to take stock of what he really wanted to do, and to be more selective in his choices. She was apparently sick of the silly films he was doing. She was the one who gave him the New Delhi script and asked him to read it. He seems to have a genuine respect for her choices – he’d once said that she was his first filter.
I agree about their films from recent years. There have been very few 2M films that I’ve been able to stomach. And it’s such a shame, considering their combined talent.
Thanks for the Sean Connery clip – will watch it tomorrow. I have a migraine right now, and shouldn’t actually be on this machine either. 🙂
Olemisstarana – didn’t know that about Connery. 😦 I’m absolutely verklemmt.
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Rahini David
February 25, 2016
MANK: As for telugu cinema and misogyny [….] is just the tip of the iceberg. thank god you havent seen more
May I personally invite you to the official slap thread?
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Honest Raj (formerly 'V'enkatesh)
February 25, 2016
the more ridiculous contrivances for raped women were in films like pudiya padhai – where the rape victim marries the rapist and reforms him (oh the horror!).
Ram Murali: It’s time to bend your Sharanga. 😛
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MANK
February 25, 2016
Sutheesh Kumar. , thanks man. i hope that i never let you down 🙂
Honest Raj , Yes Raghuvaran was better. there are 2 major reasons for it
1. It was Mohanlal in his very early years of his career. he was just picking up the ropes
2. He was too young for the role. i think he was only 23 or so
Raghuvaran is perfect in that role. yes he had a talent for playing alcoholic roles.
And to add to what Ram Murali said about thotta chinugi, you can realise Raghuvaran’s real gift if you have seen the hindi version – Hum tumhare hain sanam- of the same scene by SRK. Srk made a mess , or rather just gave the typical shivering , stammering SRK performance in the scene with Madhuri. your sympathies actually go to Madhuri in that scene as opposed to tamil version – so beautifully played by Raghuvaran -were in that moment you see things from his POV.
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MANK
February 25, 2016
Anu, yes watching sadayam is a gut wrenching experience.the scene where mohanlal kill the kids is both brilliant and disturbing in equal measure.
Mammootty is much more closer to his family than Lal i think. .Lal, i am afraid has fallen in to lot of bad company. even though his friends have been instrumental in his success,but now they have become a bane for his career. he has honestly confessed that much of the bad films he made were for his friends.he has surrounded himself with lot of yes men and bad advisors.
He has lost the hunger for doing something different , unlike Mammootty who still turns out great performances in good films like Munnariyippu or Pathemari, now and then
Ok it is no good to be in front of the machine when you have a migraine. so get a good night’s sleep, watch connery speak on why it is not a bad idea to slap women now and then and we will continue with our pow wow 🙂
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MANK
February 25, 2016
Rahini, Been there read it.
Ok , i have to correct you on mannan slap. she marries him because she wants to take revenge. the best way to take revenge on a guy who slapped you right 😀
You forgot another kind of slap. the slap to calm down or make the lady unconscious when she gets too hysterical. you know the one i mean 🙂
I would like to make my contributions to slap scenes,- especially from malayalam films- but just don’t have time to dig up youtube videos.
oh btw , why the profile pic change?. is it like a big F U to that moron who praised your beautiful eyes and then was dissapointed that he wasnt the first one to notice. you know the one i mean 🙂
Btw , i just noticed something, all the ladies commenting here has changed their profile pic recently. was it just coincidence or has Brangan’s blog just become unsafe for women 😀
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olemisstarana
February 25, 2016
Rahini: “Veiled BDSM in Tamil movies…” Not words I would imagine seen strung together in a sentence. Thanks for the link… too true, too sadly true.
MANK: Thanks for the link. That Barbara Walters stink eye is a work of art.
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olemisstarana
February 25, 2016
Uhhhh MANK… if you look into the mirror and say Bloody Mary 3 times you know what happens. So….hush?
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Sutheesh Kumar. P. S.
February 25, 2016
Watched Maheshinte Prathikaram, what a charmingly beautiful movie and I’m beginning to like Soubin Shahir, what a nuanced artist. I feel Dileesh Pothen is an exciting new talent to look out for.
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MANK
February 26, 2016
Olemisstarana, youre welcome again. And Barbara Walters stink eye is a work of art is a nice way of putting it 🙂
Ok no more bloody mary chants alright, may be i shouldn’t have typed it in the first place. from now on my lips are sealed tight on any chants of evil tidings 🙂
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Rahini David
February 26, 2016
olemisstarana That topic came up in the Papanasam Thread. It might interest you. It is one of my most favourite threads of last year 🙂
MANK
1) Sending a big FU to a guy who isn’t reading this blog or mine? Oh come on. Even passive agressive behaviour needs to make a reasonable extent of sense. 😛
2) You don’t have to fish out youtube videos and pinpoint the second at which it occured. I am asking you because you seem to have a larger pool to fish from and also the memory to go with it. But admit it. It is your embarrasment about commenting in pink-colored blogs, isn’t it? 😀
3) Currently only BR, Ram Murali and I seem to have our own faces in the display picture. Yes, the sudden change to neutral images by a few female commenters here made me uncomfortable. So I kind of did the opposite.
Not that keeping a moniker and not showing your face is in any way wrong. Far from it. This blog is about what you think, not what you look like. Even A-S-L doesn’t matter here. I know very little about you apart from you being a guy and a cinephile and you being very comfortable with more languages than I can ever hope for. But since this happened so quickly and after a particularly unceremonious brawl, I somehow started to feel that I wanted my most favourite selfie to be my profile picture. 🙂
Apex Now you know. 🙂
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Srihari N
February 26, 2016
Nice to see some good discussions on malayalam films..Of the 2 Ms, I feel Mohanlal seems to have lost the magical sheen of yore and has been off late content on playing to the galleries. I guess that’s the reason we yearn for his earlier acting prowess every now and then..In the case of Mammootty, he has always been reinventing himself in between his otherwise commercials duds.
On another note,2016 has already started on a good note.. With Action hero Biju and Maheshinte prathikaram pushing the envelope.. I checked out Maheshinte Pratikaram last week in Chennai..I dont remember any film in recent times that has been so organic..the performances, music, screenplay and cinematography blending with the landscape also playing a important part. Fahad proves that form is temporary but class is permanent..Alencier, Soubin, Aparna, Anusree et al are proving to be a fresh breed of acting talents who will scorch the screen in the coming years.The detailing be in the songs, casting or in the most casual scenes speaks high of the craft and grip over the medium by Dileesh.
The final showdown is as realistic as it can get with Shyju Khalid’s voyeuristic frame making it edge of the seat kind.
Brangan, Try to check this one..The one in Chennai had sub titles so it should be easy for you.
Also a interesting article on the same
http://www.rediff.com/movies/special/the-photographer-who-wanted-revenge/20160222.htm
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MANK
February 26, 2016
But admit it. It is your embarrasment about commenting in pink-colored blogs, isn’t it?*
Rahini,ummmmmmmm…. not exactly :). i will post a detailed reply for this on your blog , ok 🙂
I know very little about you apart from you being a guy and a cinephile and you being very comfortable with more languages than I can ever hope for.
There you go. now you know everything about me. there is nothing more to me than that. not even a nice enough pair of eyes that i can put on a moniker :). And dont take my comfort ability with so many languages at face value. it is like what Kamalahaasan says, i am an illiterate in 6 languages 😀
But since this happened so quickly and after a particularly unceremonious brawl I somehow started to feel that I wanted my most favourite selfie to be my profile picture
Now that’s more like the Rahini we admire. You go sister. Let nothing put you down you are the blog superstar (minus the misogyny of course) 🙂
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brangan
February 26, 2016
MANK: Ippidi Rahini-ya aniyayama ‘sister’ nu sollitteengale.
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MANK
February 26, 2016
Brangan, appo nyayama eppadi sollanum saar, amma thaaye nu solluttumma ? 😀
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Sutheesh Kumar. P. S.
February 27, 2016
Srihari N, your writeup has done complete justice to this beautiful piece of work. I was transported to Idukki for the whole duration of the movie, the sights and sounds so immersive and pure, just marvelous! And what an excellent score by Bijibal, the concoction he brewed with the string section, flute, sitar, chenda etc., was sheer magic. Fahad Fasil, Anushree, Soubin Shahir and a slew of newcomers just inhabited their roles to perfection. Take a bow Dileesh Pothen and Shyam Pushkaran. Never felt this good watching a movie in a long time.
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bubblegumananda
February 28, 2016
Brangan – Boss, Idhu ungalukke gnyayama irukka? Indha bongu pudicha remake-u ippadi oru review-va? Line by line, shot angle – ellaam ditto. OK, Anjali’s script is flawless. Aana indha padatha pathutta neenga ippadi oru review kuduthirukkeenga? Was it a bot that reviewed this? Bbot review? Illa, you gave your blog password to Arya or Bobby Simha?
The original was like a masterpiece. What acting by every single actor! Yes, it’s wrong to compare but the comparison was invevitable. And the dialogues and their tamizh was… don’t ask. But it was a good change to see Arya ‘try’ acting. I’ve never seen him this decent.
I still can’t believe you wrote quite a glorious review for this remake. Edho aayiduchu ungalukku. Idhukku prayachithama please write a review about the original. Please erase this ‘china’ copy and see the original and review the movie, screenplay and the actors.
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Honest Raj (formerly 'V'enkatesh)
February 29, 2016
bubblegumananda: I haven’t seen both. I cannot talk about screenplay, editing, et al. Having made these disclaimers, I think ‘Bangalore Days’ was a hit because of its cast. It’s for the very same reason that it became a huge sensation in TN – the leads are well-known faces here. On a related note, do you wonder why the Tamil remake of ‘Happy Days’ didn’t click here?
But it was a good change to see Arya ‘try’ acting. I’ve never seen him this decent.
Neenga innum ‘Naan Kadavul’ paakala dhana? 🙂
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bubblegumananda
March 2, 2016
Honest Raj: Illeenga. Not seen Naan Kadavul. Was Arya good in that? If so, will watch.
Happy Days-um pakkala. I don’t understand why you want to remake a movie if you don’t have something better to offer. Appadiye vittirukkalaam. The dilaogues and everything fell flat. The Sarah – Ajju arc, which was a treat to watch in Malayalam, was also a letdown.
Arya got movies like Irandam ulagam. In very small portions of it he delivered. Those are movies where you can show your acting chops, so am a little apprehensive about his acting though I love his persona and sense of humour.
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Honest Raj (formerly 'V'enkatesh)
March 2, 2016
I don’t understand why you want to remake a movie if you don’t have something better to offer.
I don’t have a definite answer for this, but imagine the fate of directors like Priyadarshan and ‘Jayam’ Raja!
That said, I feel there is no harm in remaking films from other languages. Take Drishyam for instance, there are North Indian folks who immensely praise the film (the Hindi version), without even knowing that it was a remake. Remakes (regardless of being good or bad) often give better visibility to the original ones. One cannot deny that films like Kuruthipunal and Papanasam were faithful to their originals – I think the former was even more acclaimed than Drohkaal.
I don’t watch Malayalam films, but there have been numerous Malayalam-to-Tamil remakes in the past. Not saying you, but most of our people would’ve seen only two Malayalam films – Bangalore days and Premam. I openly challenge those lovers of art to watch Aravindan’s films.
Lastly, I disagree with your opinion on Arya’s ‘sense of humour’. 🙂
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Vinshy
March 23, 2016
Hi, Anu Warrier, I don’t intent to question your preference, each to her own.
By “heartthrob”, I actually meant he was the most loved actor of that era with a mass hysterical fan following all over Kerala. Of course it was his peerless acting that was the reason, but even his looks (late 80s,early90s) were admired or liked by most, during the times.
[P.S: I too were a fan of his looks only upto about 1995. Then 95-2000, were so so. After 2000, less said the better.]
For people who know little of Mohanlal (especially in his prime), and wondering what this fuss is all about, please watch these below videos of Lal songs from some famous films. I think/hope that you might agree it’s not for nothing I vouched for Lal’s charm. 🙂
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Milon
March 24, 2016
Interesting discussion on Malayalam films and actors.
I disagree with some people’s opinion here that some malayalam actors of the past were not good looking. Individuals may have different tastes but on a macro level Malayalees had no qualms about the looks of their heroes ( atleast their pre millennium looks). The looks of the superstars, be it Mohanlal, Mammooty, Suresh Gopi , in their 1980s and till about mid 90s, were in no way second to today’s heroes or heroes of other film industries (Unless hero looks just means flaunting toned muscles n six packs).
Though later esp by 2000, most of them got seriously out of shape, still there exists no doubts in the minds of people who have seen them in their earlier avatars in 80, 90s about their appearance/looks then.
Also saw some always combine Mohanlal n Mammooty together when they comment regarding their perfomances. Though there is nothing wrong, and both are great actors in their own regards, however Mohanlal is in a different league as compared to Mammooty, perfomance wise or popularity wise.
Comparing them is slightly odd like comparing Sachin Tendulkar with Ganguly, or say a Messi with an Iniesta. All greats, but belong to slightly different leagues.
Mohanlal is a born actor who has a midas touch perfecting any kind of roles and he can elevate even an ordinary movie into something extraordinary. Whereas Mam is more of a trained actor, who has shown his skills (mainly in serious roles) when given author backed roles under excellent scriptwriters/directors.
Popularity wise too there was a big difference between the two, especially in the late 80s and 90s. After 2000, when mallu films quality dropped off from a cliff, then that difference has got less pronounced, but this phase can only be considered as a tail part of their huge volume of works.
But for a major part of 90s, if you look at the film magazines then, one would find even Suresh Gopi, the 3rd superstar was more popular than Mammooty.
From mid 2000’s, Mammoty’s selection of films have been slightly better than Lal’s, but still not by much, and the quality of either’s films these days cannot even hold a candle to their works or for that matter to any classics of Malyalam in the 80s/90s.
But thankfully the present n future of mallu cinema looks somewhat promising given the emergence of quite a few sensible n creative new directors.
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tonks
March 26, 2016
Sutheesh Kumar. P. S. said Tonks: Action hero Biju is fantastic, so different from a lot of other police action movies, though the title is a misnomer
I watched Action hero Biju only today. It’s astounding that the theatre was nearly house full so many days after its release. While it was good, it didn’t quite live up to all the hype, for me. I had some problems with the script. (Spoiler alert) I didn’t like the gay stereotyping. For every rare ‘Kapoor and sons’ that treats homosexualty as a normal variant, you have ten regressive movies stereotying gay people (as feminine disgusting perverts). I didn’t like the way he supported corporal punishment in schools. I didn’t like the way he poked fun of the human rights people, supporting policemen man-handling suspects. I didnt like the way they derived humour out of making fun of a woman (the auto driver’s muse) just because she is dark and fat. But at least there was no (other) misogyny.
I suppose the argument to all this is that it’s just Biju : this character is portrayed as supporting corporeal punishment and bashing up of goons by policemen, that’s all. But with so much hero glorification, surely it comes across as the movie supporting these too?
But that said, there were many laughs, it was very fast paced, well directed (some helicopter shots I really liked) and was a refreshingly new take on a cop movie. And Nivin Pauly has, as usual, acted exceptionally well.
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