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Browsing All Posts filed under »Cinema: Malayalam«
Interview: Will OTT Platforms penetrate the south , like in Bollywood?
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Halal Love Story on Amazon Prime Video: An entertaining mix of faith and filmmaking
October 24, 2020
https://www.filmcompanion.in/reviews/malayalam-review/halal-love-story-movie-review-baradwaj-rangan-amazon-prime-video-parvathy-soubin-joju-an-entertaining-mix-of-faith-and-filmmaking-malayalam-movies/ This is a very funny film. And yet, the subtext is always serious, always linked to halal/haram, and what it means to be a Muslim. For a country where religion is such a part of the fabric, it’s surprising we don’t have what the Americans call the “faith-based film”. We’ve had the pure mythological. […]
Don Palathara’s ‘Shavam’, ‘Vith’ and ‘1956, Central Travancore’ are observational tracts filled with gorgeous “human landscapes”
October 13, 2020
https://www.filmcompanion.in/features/malayalam-features/malayalam-movies-don-palathara-moscow-international-film-festival-shavam-vith-and-1956-central-travancore-are-observational-tracts-filled-with-gorgeous-human-landscapes-baradwaj-rangan/ ‘1956, Central Travancore’ (2019) premiered on October 5, at the Moscow International Film Festival. It is about the power of stories and storytelling The Malayalam director Don Palathara has made three films: Shavam (2015), Vith (2017), and 1956, Central Travancore (2019), which premiered on October 5, at the Moscow International Film Festival. All these […]
Silencer on Amazon Prime Video, with Lal: There are good ideas, but this drama needed more depth
September 26, 2020
We are in a story that’s all Christian/Communist allegory. But it’s too talky. Director Priyanandan relies too much on exposition. Spoilers ahead… What’s the worst thing that could happen if your father were both a Gandhi-ian and a communist, and had raised you with those beliefs? You’d be lost today. That’s literally what happens to […]
The best scene in Drishyam, as performed by Mohanlal, Kamal Haasan, Ajay Devgn, Venkatesh and Ravichandran
September 25, 2020
With Jeethu Joseph’s sequel in progress, here’s a flashback to how five different actors tackled the emotional confrontation at the end of the story. When they announced Drishyam 2, with the same team from the blockbuster original (director Jeethu Joseph, actors Mohanlal and Meena), I wondered where it would take the story of Georgekutty. Because […]
Mammootty, Mohanlal and their long-delayed journey to ‘mass’
September 18, 2020
When did two award-winning performers turn mass heroes and what was the trigger? And, who among the younger lot will take their place? BR: We started this series about a Telugu star (Prabhas) and we went on to discuss Tamil stardom (the Vijay/Ajith phenomenon), so this time I thought it would be interesting to visit the big heroes […]
Interview: Mahesh Narayanan (a deep dive into the making of ‘c u soon’)
September 7, 2020
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c u soon on Amazon Prime Video, with Fahadh Faasil, Roshan Mathew, Darshana Rajendran: A solid mystery that unfolds entirely on a set of screens
September 1, 2020
The last half-hour is a cracker. The excitement is manufactured simply out of a man trying to get at the bottom of a mystery by staring at his computer screen. Spoilers ahead… It’s inevitable that c u soon takes you back to Aneesh Chaganty’s Searching, for the films share a USP. Both are a “missing-persons […]
Maniyarayile Ashokan, on Netflix: A sweet-natured romance that needed to be sharper, quirkier
August 31, 2020
In trying to make the proceedings “entertaining”, the film cheats its protagonist, who remains a flat line from start to finish. Spoilers ahead… Shamzu Zayba’s Maniyarayile Ashokan is set in a village where the scent of love fills the air. The opening credits appear over an object of love (Unnimaya, played by Anu Sithara), who […]
Interview: Govind Vasantha (Masterclass on scoring background music)
August 21, 2020
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Is Prabhas India’s first legit PAN Indian star?
August 20, 2020
Baradwaj Rangan and Vishal Menon speak about Prabhas, his three big-ticket announcements, and the changing landscape for stars from The South. Excerpts VM: Yesterday, they announced Adipurush, another big Prabhas film, his third during the lockdown after Radhe Shyam and that film with Deepika Padukone. This one seems even bigger, that too in 3D, and it will be directed by Om Raut, who made Tanhaji. At […]
Sanal Kumar Sasidharan’s Unmadiyude Maranam on MUBI: An experimental story about dreams that says we are living in a nightmare
August 17, 2020
The events depicted are those that evoke sadness and rage: the kiss of love protest in Kozhikode, the agitation over the ‘S Durga’ screening, the Gauri Lankesh murder, Sunny Leone’s visit to Kochi… Spoilers ahead… In Sanal Kumar Sasidharan’s Unmadiyude Maranam (Death of Insane), dreams aren’t just the things you experience at night and remember […]
Kalla Nottam at New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF): Rahul Riji Nair’s interesting, immersive drama sees only what a GoPro camera sees
July 30, 2020
A regular film tells us a story that has been recorded on a camera, and then edited in a way that (usually) gives the audience knowledge that the characters themselves may not have. Here, we travel only with the camera. Spoilers ahead… This film can be viewed at: https://nyiff.moviesaints.com/bundle/nyiff2020 The owner of a small provisions […]
Run Kalyani at New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF): J Geetha’s Malayalam drama transforms the unremarkable life of a cook into everyday poetry
July 28, 2020
The music is like a bolero, where a theme is endlessly repeated. The tiny variations in each repetition mirror the tiny variations in each day Kalyani wakes up to face. Spoilers ahead… This film can be viewed at: https://nyiff.moviesaints.com/bundle/nyiff2020 In the morning, before leaving for work, Kalyani (Garggi Ananthan) tends to her aged, bedridden aunt. […]
Sufiyum Sujathayum on Amazon Prime, with Aditi Rao Hydari and Dev Mohan: A classy romance that’s too restrained, and keeps us at an arm’s length
July 7, 2020
The film keeps giving us “touches”. What it doesn’t give us is a sense of the “madness” in this love, which makes it very hard to feel for these lovers. Spoilers ahead… The romance begins on a bus. Sufi (Dev Mohan) makes way for Sujatha (Aditi Rao Hydari): as she enters, he rises and moves […]
Chat Masala #4: Fahadh Faasil interview
July 6, 2020
On this episode of FC Chat Masala, Fahadh Faasil tells us about his acting process, how he approaches stardom and whether he’d do a Hindi film. He also shares anecdotes about marrying his BANGALORE DAYS co-actor Nazriya Nazim Fahadh, and what he learnt from his break from cinema. For more, subscribe to FILM COMPANION SOUTH: […]
Interview: Aditi Rao Hydari (Parts 1 and 2)
July 1, 2020
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Kappela on Netflix, with Anna Ben, Roshan Mathew and Sreenath Bhasi: A SPOILER-filled rewind of this tale filled with twists
June 30, 2020
With these actors, the film is certainly watchable. But looking back, I felt cheated at the end, by the very obvious attempts at misdirection. Spoilers ahead… Kappela begins with a misdial and proceeds on misdirection. The former is initiated by Jessy (Anna Ben), a simple girl-next-door in your standard village-next-door in the Wayanad area. Her […]
Chat Masala #3: Will the star system be replaced? (Taapsee / Parvathy)
June 29, 2020
On this episode of FC Chat Masala, Anupama Chopra and Baradwaj Rangan are joined by Taapsee and Parvathy, who talk about how OTT will affect the star system and how it could enable more female-oriented content. For more, subscribe to FILM COMPANION SOUTH: http://bit.ly/2xoNult Copyright ©2020 Film Companion.
Interview: A chat with fellow blog-era critic, Jai Arjun Singh
June 25, 2020
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October 26, 2020
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