Empuran - Not a review

 Reviewing Empuraan is difficult. Though I won’t care to admit it, I had high expectations for the movie. Lucifer, though intended to be a commercial superstar film—usually high on style and low on substance—was a reasonably well-made movie. It had a solid story, its highs, and a good balance overall. The re-watchability of Lucifer is still high, you can sit through the entire movie without a problem. Since Empuraan is the next chapter in that universe, I was looking forward to it.

The first half mostly focused on building new characters, narrating Zyed’s backstory, and giving us insight into AK’s world. Some movies take a while to get into the groove and pull you in, but that never really happened for me, to be honest. I was constantly analyzing it rather than being immersed in it. Zyed’s backstory was well-made, but it felt like something I’ve seen too many times in the past decade.

Did you notice that foreign actors of Western ethnicity all look the same in Indian movies? With dead expressions, just delivering their out-of-place dialogues, they never seem to fit the role. Maybe we don’t have the budget to afford better actors from the West.

"The best trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist." But why is he trying to make others believe he is dead? So that Interpol, MI6, and other intelligence agencies stop hunting him? Maybe in the short run, that makes sense, but in the long run, what benefit does it serve? He won’t stop his operations, right? He will still continue to be Abram Khureshi. Now, every intelligence agency knows his face. So what was the point of it all? If it was about the Stephen angle, that still doesn’t make sense either—no one knew Stephen was AK. They could have simply convinced the world that Stephen was dead.

The second half worked better for me than the first. I felt more connected to it. However, my fellow moviegoers felt the opposite. The climax action sequence wasn’t impressive—it felt like a direct lift from a typical Telugu action movie. Nothing against Telugu movies! :-)

The background music was a letdown in most parts.

Lucifer felt more rooted. In Empuran if Mohanlal had more screen time as Stephen and less as AK, I would have liked it better. The scale is different this time—the movie is bigger and more expensive, catering to the needs of a Pan-India film. But somewhere in the process, they lost the soul of the first movie.

In the end, Empuraan was just a revenge story for Zyed. It didn’t feel like a true next chapter for Lucifer.

New Year Resolutions

First week of January. It is that time of the year, right? Have resolutions, then have selective amnesia, only to remember them by the start of the next year and repeat the cycle all over again.

I have a friend who paid for an annual gym subscription at the start of every year for three consecutive years, only to visit the gym half a dozen times. You could even say he went there only to pay the subscription fee if you’re willing to round it off. From my learning about his approach and experiences in the first year, I did foretell and warn him not to make further investments when he was going to renew his membership for the next couple of years. Apparently, gyms thrive on such subscriptions. I am sure they can hardly accommodate all the New Year resolution joinees if they actually became regulars.

But he did understand all of that. His theory was that once the payment was made, the idea of not wasting money would motivate him to make regular visits to the gym. Making the payment was his first step toward that commitment. Each year, this became a familiar ritual: pay the fee, visit occasionally, and repeat. Now he has switched to more practical and economically viable options like walking and controlling his food intake—calorie intake, to be more technical. And he is benefiting from it.

The idea of resolutions is like that, right? Have sensible ones that you can continue and improve upon over the following years. So let’s not say no to resolutions just yet.

What about you? Have you made any resolutions this year?

As for me, one of mine is to restart scribbling. 

Happy new year :-)

Kishkindha Kanda

 What does Kishkindha Kanda mean?

It is a section or chapter in Kishkindha, the mythical kingdom of monkeys, in the journey of Rama in search of Sita—his journey towards self-realization and truth. In this movie as well, people living in a kingdom surrounded by monkeys are on a never-ending journey towards self-realization and truth, or what they perceive to be the truth.

Throughout the movie, there is an underlying theme of a quest: a quest for a lost gun, a quest for a lost child, and a quest for lost memory. Interestingly, neither the gun nor the child was ever lost—nor was the memory, if we look at it that way. Appu Pillai repeatedly finds ways to retrieve his lost memory but prefers to literally burn it and repeat the journey all over again. We easily notice that the character Appu Pillai goes through this cycle repeatedly. But aren't the other two lead characters doing the same? Both are on a quest to find the child, though they take different journeys. One knows the truth, while the other eventually learns it but still chooses to follow the same path.

Is this the connection with the Ramayana? Forsaking what they were searching for in the end?

Bramayugam

 A friend of mine recently asked, why it is that no one is able to dethrone big Ms of the industry. Though I don't agree to a throne concept, there is no denying the fact that they have been a part of our collective consciousness for the past four decades or so. As to why part, it has got to do with the body of their work. Diverse characters and genres of movies they had done so far. And when it comes to choice of characters, none recently has done it better than Mr Mammooty. Bramayugam is one such movie. It is a tale from folklores, and it is in black and white. 

Movies that encapsulate legends from yesteryears is always a captivating watch. Thevan, fleeing from war, unwittingly walks into a ruined house owned by Kudamon Potti, the last surviving member of a bloodline known for dark magic. Trapped within, Thevan's attempt to escape and the supernatural elements he encounters form the crux of the movie. The narrative is also about the hardships faced by the underprivileged and the sufferings they endure at the hands of people in power. Punishments meted out aren't always for wrongdoing but often on whims, as those in power derive pleasure from the sufferings of the underlings. Thevan, who enters the mana, is already submissive; he knows only fear.

There are only minimal set of characters in the movie. Mammooty as Kodumon Potti is excellent. Arjun Ashokan, in the role of Thevan, Sidharth Bharathan as second inhabitant of mana have done a good job. The lack of a backstory for the Yakshi disappointed quite a few viewers.

Bramayugam isn't the kind of movie I expected to draw huge crowds into the theatre. I guess the success has a lot to do with Mammooty. He has shed the stardom, opting for character roles, and people are wholeheartedly accepting the experiments and bold choices he is making. The film is enjoying an excellent run at the theaters. But I do have a feeling it has punched above its weight. Opinions can be biased, often conforming to the popular trends. Don't get me wrong; it's a good movie. However, it might not be the classic some are claiming it to be.

Anveshippin kandethum

 It's relatively easy to write a review on bad movies. Good movies are often hard to write about. The more difficult ones to write about are those that sit somewhere in between, the kind of movies that neither disappoint nor particularly excite. Anveshippin Kandethum falls into that category for me. 

The film feels like the sum of two separate parts. The story of the first half doesn't have much to do with story of the second. They could have both existed on their own. At the end of the first half, I was wondering what's left to investigate. Actually there was none, the second half was totally a new investigation altogether. Movie is about two different investigations done by same team in different circumstances. Connected only by the fact that they were never able to catch the culprit alive. Possibly a first of its kind in that regard. 

As one character (a policeman by profession and chef by hobby) rightly observes, in real life an investigator would probably find the first case easier to solve than the second, were it not for the vested interests of senior officials. Yet, within the film, it is the first half that feels sharper, tighter, and more engaging than the second. 

Other than the one decoy placed in each half, Anveshippin kandethum is lower in the scale of suspenseful elements added, unlike the movies of this genre. One could argue that real life investigations are possibly like this, devoid of cinematic elements. But the movie is not without cinematic moments so to speak. So somewhere I felt it was not consistent. Maybe I have a wrong reference for comparison, Kuttavum Shikshayum. Tone remained consistent throughout that movie. It was non-cinematic from start to end. 

Anveshippin isn't a kind of movie that demands nuanced performances. And most of the actors have done a decent job. 

The movie was good. Just that I would prefer watching it on tv in the comfort of my sofa. And I possibly would have liked it better then.

Valiban

 It has its moments, but Valiban isn't everyone's cup of tea.

Following a string of mediocre movies, there was considerable anticipation for an LJP-Mohanlal collaboration, with expectations running high for the actor to stage a strong comeback. Statements made during the promotions set expectations even higher. It weighed the movie down. People possibly went to the theater expecting a swashbuckling Valiban but didn't get it in adequate quantity. Movies worse than this have garnered better numbers. I am not saying the movie is without its flaws, but it has to be said it received more flak than it deserves.

The movie tells the story of a warrior, drifting from place to place, looking for worthy opponents to fight for both thrill and money. It carries the flavors of old folklore stories we all grew up listening to. The story unfolds in an unknown place and time, vivid with colorful characters, with a blend of Western and Japanese samurai influences, paying homage to those genres. The background music is quite reminiscent of that.

Movies like this, or any movie for that matter, require strong characters, not just the titular character. Each of them should have a character arc, enacted by good performers. It makes the story more convincing. I didn't like a few of the cast choices. Rangapattinam Rangarani and Chamathakan would have done better with fluent Malayalam. Danish Sait, the joker wannabe Chamathakan, both the character and the actor felt equally obnoxious. For Valiban, who ties up a behemoth of a man with a scarf without batting an eyelid, the fighter he encounters next, a supposedly threatening kalaripayattu expert on whom Chamathakan risked half his facial hair, looked hardly an opponent.

The whole sequence in Malaikotta, the fort on top of the hill, has contributed heavily to the criticism the movie received. It was unintentionally comical. Why did the oppressors have to be Portuguese? Mr. and Mrs. Macaulay looked cartoonish. Fight sequences in the fort were subpar. Scenes where people shoot with a rail gun-like device have already reached the saturation point. Arnold did it first (maybe not, just that it is more popular). Kaithi brought it to Indian cinema recently. Animal overdid it. Here, it is a custom-made cannon with arms resembling an octopus, and Mrs. Macaulay is firing aimlessly in all directions, showing no concern whether her shots hit a friend, a foe, or even her husband.

Towards the end, the movie regained some momentum.

Positives: Mohanlal looked every bit the Valiban from Malakottai. Visually beautiful.

Food

 Food is a memory. I am not sure it is the right usage. But food do have some connection with creating good memorable moments in life. Good food or having food with right set up of people is always memorable. Certain foods evoke memories as well. 

I recently had neypathiri and beef stew from Sona restaurant in MG road Cochin. Food was good. it was with right set of people. And it did revoke a sweet childhood memory. 

When I was young, we hardly frequented restaurants like we do these days. It was mostly on occasions like festivals or celebrations. Having food from restaurants was always enjoyable. 

My father and I, normally walked back to our home after buying groceries. On one such occasion, as we were returning home, a sweet aroma from a restaurant made me stop in my tracks. My father noticed me standing infront of the restaurant. Slight tilt of the head and flared nostrils possibly indicated what I wanted. With a smile he took me inside the restaurant. And we continued our journey with an additional purchase of neypathiri and chicken curry. It still remains one of the best dish I had and a fond memory as well.