If you are unhappy with the lack of women-centric themes in Malayalam cinema, here’s a reprieve. This movie belongs to Kavya Madhavan, who has brilliantly delivered the role portraying the hardships of a Malayalee maid in a Sheikh’s house in Saudi Arabia.

Traffic has 6 main characters -an aspiring journalist (Vineeth), his friend(Asif), a superstar(Rahman) and his family, a young cardiac surgeon(Kunchakko), his friend(Krishna), a police commissioner(Anup Menon) and a traffic police constable(Srinivasan). An accident changes their lives forever and how they tackle with it is what the story is about.(As I don’t believe in giving out the story line completely in the review, I am not going in further into it; find it for yourself at a theater near you!)

The good thing about the movie is it’s script which hooks you in completely. The better thing is that unlike it’s most recent counterpart (Cocktail) it’s genuine and not a frame to frame copy of some Canadian/Latin American flick which fakes as an original one. Almost all the characters have been etched out really well and the script writers have tried to give justification for almost all of their acts and deeds. The events unfold in a brisk manner, gives you a surprise every now and then, manages to tickle your funny bone (the interview sequence/the ‘politician’ scene) occasionally yet doesn’t end up as a big joke once it? is over (remember ‘Tournament’?).The interval punch is brilliant and keeps you guessing about the different probabilities that can happen.

Though the movie doesn’t have a hero or a heroine as such that hasn’t deterred the lead actors/actresses in delivering competent performances. All of them have performed brilliantly and the pick of the lot is Saikumar, playing the anguished father. Rahman, ?Anoop Menon, Asif Ali were also good. Kunchakko Boban was OK. Among the females it was Lena who had a meaty role though at times her dialogue was too silly and artificial.

Coming to the technical department you can’t find much flaw there with almost all the departments faring well. Special mention must be given to the brilliant bgm by Mejo Joseph and the cinematography by Shyju Khalid which matches the mood and tone of the film entirely. The editing is also tight with no unwanted scenes or unnecessary fights.

On the downside there are a few instances in the movie(especially towards the end) which defies logic(the colony scene for instance).Likewise it’s not clear why Dr Abel behaves in that manner once he realizes that the car has hit her(it’s pretty clear that she has no idea about the one who has hit her, from the previous scene).Similarly the whole idea of covering that much distance within a span of two hours also lacked believability.

All these flaws apart, ‘Traffic’ is the perfect entertainer for the season. It is the kind of cinema that thrills you, amuses you, frightens you and even makes you stand up and applaud once the show is over.

Renjith is on a roll, and 2009 seems to be good year for Malayalam cinema.  As per the reviews, what makes Palery Manikyam: Oru Pathirakkolapathakathinte Katha a winner is Mammootty, screenplay and direction. Movie got released in just 40 centers, which is half the number of usual super star guerrilla attack releases. We’ll have to wait for some more time to see if good cinema translates to good collections.

Vibe Talkies reviews:

On the whole, Palery Manikyam: Oru Pathirakkolapathakathinte Katha is a very intriguing watch. It might not be liked by the common mass audience. But for people who like watching interesting stories and ideas and good cinema, without the trappings of usual commercial cinema, this film would be very interesting. Ranjith is slowly turning into a new-age Padmarajan of sorts. He is trying bold, mature and interesting themes (Thirakkatha, Kaiyyoppu) and daring experiments (Kerala Cafe) and his storytelling skill is intact in this new movie also. The movie is not suitable for children as it handles an adult theme and has certain scenes which may not be suitable for children to watch, even though they are done very aesthetically and effectively. Mammootty gives some neat performances in his different roles. It is great to have the actor in him back through movies like Loudspeaker, Pazhassiraja and this one now after a series of duds. Ranjith has delivered a fine film with a minor hiccup in the climax (not that it was bad, just that it didnt come up to the standard set by the whole movie). The movie has taken a good opening and it was great to see all kinds of people, including a lot of ladies, watching the movie on second day.  With the help of some good marketing, this movie should end up being a success.

Berlytharangal says:

NowRunning.com reviews:

Palery Manickyam could easily boast of its remarkable cast that has none of the big names in business, barring a few. The film brings to the forefront a bevy of real talented actors from theatre, and resourcefully draws out astonishing performances from all of them. Leading this cast is none other than Mammootty himself who puts in a hypnotic act as Ahmed Haji, yet another pitch perfect feat from the actor this year. Equally proficient is the incomparable Shwetha Menon who is gradually carving a niche for herself with daring performances in markedly different films.

Ranjith’s Manickyam is a rarity of a film that exceeds expectations and offers a psychedelic high for the viewer. There would be no surprise if it ignites some sort of a controversy for the boldness that it displays. For the discerning viewer though, this might perhaps be one of the best films to have come out this year.

I would refuse to attribute the art house flavour to it. Rather, it’s an uncompromising film that grabs you by your throat and simply refuses to let go.

Sify.com comments:

It is with absolute awe that one would come out of the theatres, especially for Ranjith, who has made perhaps one of the finest films in Malayalam history, based on Rajeevan’s brilliant novel. There are flaws and scope for further improvement for sure, but the writer-director’s ability to handle such an intricate tale needs to be appreciated wholeheartedly.

With a spectacular performance that can leave you spellbound, Mammootty underlines why he is easily regarded among the best actors in the country. His charisma, screen presence and style give an altogether different meaning to the characters and his portrayal of Ahmed Haji will remain as one of the best to have happened in Malayalam films, ever.

Rediff.com

Very rarely does a film satisfy our expectations. But director Ranjith’s latest Malayalam film Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathira Kolapathakathinte Katha does.

The film is near perfect with minor ignorable blemishes. It is based on T P Rajeevan’s novel of the same name. It tells the story of a private detective, who returns to his birthplace to solve a murder mystery that occurred on the same night he was born.

Dectective Haridas (Mammootty) takes up a case just to satisfy his curiosity, not to find or punish the culprit, as all the suspects in the case are dead. His purpose, which seems vague in the beginning, achieves clarity only halfway through the story.

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Ram writes

The problem with Pachamarathanalil is its script- there is no cohesiveness to it and it meanders aimlessly between characters. The direction is equally lacklustre. Add to that, the kind of dialogues which you dont even hear in serials these days, you start cringing in your seat.Sreenivasan looks dull and disinterested. Padmapriya has been whitewashed to look good, but she ends up looking horrible. Lalu Alex repeats himself for the umpteenth time. Nazar is impressive. Lal and Meera Vasudevan in their cameos do not hold interest.The worst part of casting is in selecting the child actor who has a critical role to play. The kid overacts to its heart’s content and honestly, there is nothing attractive about the kid that would force someone to cast her in an ad film.

NowRunning.com writes

Pachamarathanalil might initially strike you as a kids’ flick, all loud and noisy. An odd half an hour later, it suddenly does a revamping of its background score into a spooky one and claims to be a thriller mystery. The unraveling of it doesn’t take up much time, and the latter half has a different story to tell. And before you realize it, you are in the midst of a riot and there’s religion and there are morals and there are victims.

For a moment I did wonder if Pachamarathanalil was inspired from the Ben Affleck directed Gone Baby Gone. Perhaps it isn’t, and Affleck wouldn’t look at it as a flattering inspiration either. Unlike the Hollywood flick, the missing-baby-mystery here refuses to gape at facts straight, and since it moves about with its eyes snapped shut, misses out on internal logic and a critical sense of judgment. The film’s major weakness lies in its transparency more than in its implementation.

[Srinivasan says the truth ]

While analyzing Mohanlal’s flops of the year we identified scripting or the lack of it as the major reason for the flop and it is heartening to see one of the best script writers in Malayalam agreeing with us. In fact the whole article is worth reading. There is a limit to what star power can do we found that even one of the best actors in India could not save stupid scripts.

All the good scriptwriters have lost their mojo, example : Ranjith, Lohitadas. There are flickers of talent here and there like Babu Janardhanan(Achanurangatha Veedu), James Albert(Class Mates). Other than Srini and MT, there are no other quality bankable script writers. When the only criteria for a movie is an actors dates, a climate of mediocrity gets cultivated. A good script policy need to be enforced by directors and producers. Writing good scripts is hard work, but unless that is done, there is no way out.

“Scripts must not be considered as the backseat element to star value”, says the star of 2007, Sreenivasan.

“A good script is a fundamental element contributing to the success of a film. Instead of giving importance to get better scripts, obsession with star value has reduced the significance of the script in a film”, says the actor who has turned producer with his latest film ‘Katha Parayumpol’.[The scripts must take the front seat- Sreenivasan]

Srinivasan once again proved what an excellent script can do with Katha Parayumbol, one of the best Malayalam movies of 2007. He played the lead role and Mammotty did a guest appearance which made a good impact. All the reviewers agree that even though the story is wafer thin, Srinivasan has done a great job in pulling it of.

With the news that this movie will be remade in Tamil with Pasupathy playing Srinivasan’s role and Rajnikanth playing Mammotty’s role, there are lot of searches for this movie on this site. We have to see if this movie will be murdered like Chandramukhi or will it be able to retain the same spirit.

Unni Nair writes

Sreenivasan, who has done the script and debutante director M. Mohanan deserve to be appreciated for having come up with a film that touches certain chords in our hearts. A simple story narrated in a simple style. Though there is a lag in the first half, the climax saves it all. The film could have been made a bit crisper, but this flaw could be overlooked considering the director is a debutante.
The film is definitely worth a watch, especially for ordinary, ‘non-intellectual’ kind of people who would like to go and see films without intellectual presumptions and towering expectations. A good, touching film, told in a simple manner.

Movie Buzz says

The writer Sreenivasan and his director Mohanan has skillfully caricatured the characters you meet in a remote village- the moneylender and local ‘blade’ Eapacchan Muthalali (Innocent), Das Kattumantha(Salim Kumar), the boring village bard, guy(Mukesh) who runs the local tutorial college, rival hair stylist(Jagadish) tea shop owner(Mamookoya), self centered local politician who always talks about his connections(Augustine). Sreenivasan has also explored the craze among ordinary people for getting close or seen with a superstar. There is also a message that stars become superstars only because of their script writers who have given them memorable roles. The comedy laced satirical song ‘Vyathyasthanaaya…. tuned by M.Jayachandran is a rocker. P.Sukumaran camera has beautifully etched out the Thodupuzha countryside.

The film with a wafer thin story line works big time due to its climax, which has been worked out very well by Sreenivasan and a riveting performance by Mammootty.

Parashuram writes

The ultimate clincher for this film is its script. Authored by Sreenivasan, it is so layered that every frame has a comment to make about the world and every line of the dialogue on the mores of the society. The craze for celebrities and the problems of leading a principled life are discussed without being preachy or in-your-face.

Mammootty has the dignified presence of a real star and his aura and the mythical persona that surrounds him give a lifelike feel to the character of Ashok Raj.

India Glitz says

The film, skillfully repeats the representative characters, from every layer of the rural villages, (reminiscent of Sathyan films) with which the writer makes a lot of careful observations and clarifications about the phenomenon of super stardom and lives of people living in the lower strata of the society. Mostly represented by local professional actors in these roles, the film also gives an authentic feel with all sorts of storyline surprises and political criticisms in spite of its simple exterior. In the scripts, Sreeni seems to repeat some of his earlier sarcastic attributes like dark skin and heightlessness, but more commendable is that he has easily stretched a wafer thin plot to two hours and ten minutes with out much space for idleness.

Story telling is an art in itself – one that has as its prerequisites three imperative traits; characters with potential, a decisive plot and cautious attention to detail. A good narrator does not use these in isolation; rather he spectacularly weaves them together in a vibrant fabric of creativity and comes up with a mind boggling story in which they are indistinguishable to the rapt audience.

Balan (Sreenivasan) is the local barber at Melukavu, who leads an uneventful and almost passive existence, and except for the occupational haphazards that have been eating into his life, his worries remain minimal. Until Ashok Raj, the reigning superstar, (Mammootty) arrives for a film shoot amidst much aplomb, and the village gets to know of an alleged camaraderie that once existed between these alarmingly dissimilar souls.

Katha Parayumbol is indisputably one of Sreenivasan’s best compositions of late, in that it manages to redeem a few facets of the writer whom we have sorely missed over the years. The writer wages a battle with the actor and comes up trumps; the story that he dares to tell is one that is told with a whole lot of heart, and hence remains absorbing throughout. The benchmarks of the yesteryear Sreeni scripts are for once, discernible yet again; the remarkable simplicity and the witty structuring of affairs, the pleasant laughs on offer and the distinctive illustrations. And they’re conveyed with such conviction that you’ll catch yourself believing every outlandish detail.

Sreenivasan as Balan is apt; yet another extension of his self-hypnotic persona that is fitfully funny in his usual way. He makes the simplest off the cuff lines burst into life, and we find ourselves laughing at observations that might, in the hands of a lesser actor, land with a thud. Mammootty gets to play Santa Claus this Christmas, and wades in fabulously with a climactic surprise. He is bright and blustery and is a revelation, a supreme sweet froth of poise, bravura and unstoppable confidence.

The cultural slice that Sreeni puts up on a salver deserves all the consideration that an impeccable delicacy demands. Beneath the flimsy decorative toppings lie the sturdy pieces of analogies that are playfully arranged along the margins of a society under scrutiny. Every guffaw that it offers is invariably coupled with a moment of introspection, the result of which is as astounding as it is totally fulfilling. Sreeni does something different with Katha Parayumbol; he sets the story as his focal point, the human drama, and the passion of it all. Rather than attempt a colossal sociopolitical declaration based on a notion that does not require to be further examined, he watchfully links his inventive images with a potent exploration of human life and the vital desire to be remembered. The story does succumb to an over dosage of dramatics in the end, but not in a repellent manner. I find the outlook of it all, and the fundamental message of love and family, to be brilliantly elevating, for this is a thoroughly enjoyable, good-natured movie.

Katha Parayumbol is beautiful in the way it looks, but more importantly, it’s beautiful in the way it resonates. It’s a rewarding unique film that is well worth the time it claims for its earnestness and inspirational candor that is vividly brought to life. And above everything else it abundantly displays the calm urgency of a story that so badly wants to be told.

(Crossposted at MovieMazaa)