Kamal pointed out that in the Ernakulam theater where his film is running, people in large numbers come and start hooting when the titles appear! This “hoot brigade” continues to hoot throughout the film as though they were paid money by certain people to run down the film! The needle of suspicion of those behind the “hoot brigade”, according to industry veterans is the superstar’s fan clubs. Kamal in his press conference hinted that these fans associations were targeting his films. He also said they were the bane of the industry and has damaged the edifice of Malayalam cinema.[Kamal lashes out at superstar fan clubs! ]

Thus, very proudly we can say that the common Malayalee has created a new profession which does not exist in any other state. Like mercenaries, we go theaters, hoot on behalf on rich superstars and get satisfaction out of it. Then we blog about the lack of alternatives. In the animal world, wolves, foxes and dogs do it, but just for fun.

That said, Minnaminikootam is not Classmates to attract a huge audience. Maybe people are hooting because the movie is terrible. Most of our reviewers agreed that the movie is boring, cliched and is disconnected. Maybe it is the pain of those people which found an outlet through hoots.

So we end with more questions than we started!

• When a non superstar movie releases, which superstar’s fan go and hoot? Mammootty’s or Mohanlal’s? Who among the two feels insecure.
  
• Or is it  Dileep who has not had a hit since Manmohan Singh Govt. took office.
  
• Like MACTA will AMMA too split – to AMMA and Randanamma?
  
• Have Superstars have outsourced this to a rent-a-crowd business?
  
• Pritviraj is not there in Minnaminikootam, still why are they hooting?
  
• Who are they afraid of?  Jayasurya ? Or is it Meera they are after?

I don’t have absolutely anything against mindless entertainers.After all, cinema is an escapist fare and as long as they manage to entertain the audience it doesn’t matter how good or bad the story is..But what will you do if a movie (which is scripted and directed by one of the cinematic geniuses whom you admire the most) is at the same time mindless and fails to entertain you? That is exactly what Minnaminnikootam is.It is such a trash that makes you cringe to your seat and put you in deep slumber!

Minnaminnikootam starts the ‘classmates’ way,goes to the flash back mode and then comes to the present in the climax scene.Ya…right from the beginning it sounds clichéd no?This is the main flaw of Minnaminni.. it is clichéd,predictable and except for a few gags from Jayasurya and Roma is plain boring. Kamal’s intentions are clear,to make a movie about a group of friends who are I.T.professionals (who quite often behave like teenage boys and girls, and their main job is to sit and chat in the Office ‘Canteen during working hours!) and their woes in life.But what Kamal lacks is a strong story line which keeps the viewers hooked to the movie.

Coming to the performances…The movie has a dozen of stars from the youth brigade though the story revolves round the lead pair of Narein and Meera which infact is the biggest blow as far as the audience is concerned!While the supporting cast of Jayasurya,Roma,Indrajith,Samvrutha have done their roles effectively both Meera and Narein seems to be miscast in their respective roles.Narein lacks screen presence ,his acting is pretty bad (at times amateurish, esp in the ‘drunken’ scene!).Meera’s role is nothing but an extension of what she did in Vinodayathra,Calcutta News and a dozen of other recent films.She over emotes at times and becomes irritating often..Anoop Chandran and Radhika have nothing much to do except to look pretty in the posters designed for the movie!

The songs by Biji Bal and Anil Panachooran is a big let down.Technically also the movie is weak.Cinamatography by Manoj Pillai is just ordinary.

Bottom Line: This Minnaminni is not worth your time and Money!

I spoke to him and he said if he withdraws now it would be considered as an act of cowardice. There is certainly an element of risk in this (act). As the president (of the association) and in my personal opinion, ,he should withdraw. If not, we will take action against him”.[Mohanlal wilts under pressure, withdraws from stunt act]

So there are enough people to take action against one human being who wants to do one magic trick. In fact, the high profile stunt by Mohanlal would have given a big boost to the magic show, but the magicians are worried that if every Tom, Dick and Mohanlal did magic stunts it would lose its charm. We agree with Mohanlal when he said, “It is a person’s choice to learn and practise an art and it is up to no one to stop them.” But finally he gave into pressure and instead did a new magic trick – the Vanishing act.

So the lives of superstars are no different from the lives of ordinary people. Our lives are messed up by eunuchs from various political parties and the lives of stars are upset by dust particles. The next one at the receiving end of an ideologically motivated group is Mammootty. The superstar was in discussions with Microsoft to launch an e-literacy program and it has upset the Free Software Community in the state. They wrote a letter saying, “People of Kerala will be bewildered to see that you are lending your name and fame to support a devastatingly nefarious techno-monopolistic campaign unleashed by Microsoft in our State,” It is just a matter of time before the Communist part tells the Chairman of Kairali Channel what rights he has.

Blogger MKT wrote about this recently.

A mallu ardently believes that his is the right opinion. He thinks rest of the opinions are junk. It does not stop there. As he believes he has the right opinion he is busy convincing the next guy to accept his opinion. We would have been one of the richest nations if they were paying to watch us argue.

AMMA has an opinion on Meera’s life. Magicians have an opinion on what arts Mohanlal should learn. Free Software folks have an opinion on what Mammootty should promote. Having disagreements is fine, but using various techniques to pressurize the other person from preventing doing what he thinks is right, is like the Achyutanandan with the vetti-nirathal mentality. It is time we moved out of this cave man attitude and accepted that even though we may disagree with others, they have the freedom to do what they like.

What India got on August 15, 1947 was political freedom, sadly economic freedom and the freedom to do as you please are still a dream. While economic freedom is stifled by the goverment, which is hell bent on sustaining poverty, personal freedom is limited by various organizations, which for lack of better word can be called only mafia.

Vyapari Vyavasayi Association which is a perfect example of such mafias. There are many others such as that of movie producers, movie technicians, etc. etc. The idea is to prevent new entrants in the field. Consider for example, the group called GTEC in technopark. GTEC is a group for the IT companies in Kerala. Their main aim is to restrict employee freedom by having an understanding that no one will hire another company’s employee! It is against constitution of India, but hey who cares?[The magic controversy - why we malayalees never learn!]

We have always maintained that organizations like AMMA which invent arbitrary rules for Malayalam cinema are unhelpful. Right now they are making a movie, Twenty 20, starring almost everyone in the Malayalam cinema. Meera Jasmine was supposed to star in this movie, but now has expressed her inability due to other commitments.

AMMA has reacted, as expected, by putting a ban on her. She is not to be cast in any Malayalam movie till AMMA lifts this ban. For getting this ban lifted, she would have to please the AMMA bosses and get humiliated.

Few years back Nayantara walked out Joshi’s set and much noise was made over it. But when Nayantara landed in Kochi recently, all the AMMA bosses were doing everything they could to make her happy thus proving that if you make more money than the AMMA members, they will do anything for you.

We have one advice for Meera. Don’t apologize. This is a great opportunity for you to get out of the hands of this mafia. Also realize that the superstars need you in their movies more than you need them.

We’ll know soon if the hit drought for Mohanlal end with this release. The reviewers response is varied, some said Innathe Chintha vishayam is bad , some said it’s an average soap opera. This is definitely not an indication of a blockbuster in making. Notat all encouraging for last year’s best actor and best scriptwriter.

BVN writes

Entertainer: Its a “word of the mouth” movie and a clear family entertainer. Even while you see through it, the movie doesn’t bore you except for one song (where Mohanlal tries to play a ten year old).

Mohanlal: Our man should do a High school teacher now. In the first half you wonder where Lal is, and in the second half he teaches us loving, appreciating bio-diversity, mending broken relationships etc without leaving the frame. The same tired dialogue delivery from the actor who won the best actor award again last week. It is not that Lal is a bad actor, but it is time Lal defines where he belongs. In this movie, rest all are characters and Mohanlal tries to play God.

NowRunning.com says:

It’s indeed true when they say that it doesn’t rain, but it pours. Here is a director who has been toying around for the past few years with more than a few fraught strategies to recreate the yesteryear magic that has been waning with time. With Innathe Chinthavishayam, Sathyan Anthicaud has hit the bottom, and misses the mark by a mile at his attempts to convincingly convey the ‘deliberation’ across. It seems more plausible that a story or something that resembles it was forcibly woven around an iota of an idea, a passing remark or perhaps a fleeting comment.

It would forever remain mysterious as to why Mohanlal gives the nod to a script as the one in question. GK offers him little scope to be the actor we so much love; the mediator role is merely a flawed extension of the innumerable guy-next-door roles that he has donned to perfection. Supposedly the female lead, Meera Jasmine has nothing much to do expect mouth a few idealistic lines and look sober and silly at once. Kamla should be an amusing coffee break for the actress from the grave stuff that she has been grappling with, lately. The supporting cast does a competent job as well, despite being caught up in embarrassingly tricky and illogical sequences.

IndiaGlitz.com comments:

Mohanlal as G K don’t have anything exceptional and is repeating the Good Samaritan act for the umpteenth time, but still it is a pleasure watching him in a role that seldom goes larger than life. There may seem to be some exaggeration in the portrayal of the idealist Gopakumar, but Lal is effortless in presenting the character convincing, with least obvious loopholes. The director who is also credited with writing the script integrates many topical issues in the story, but this time he is consciously making them the centre of our attention in every now and then sequences. The idealistic lines goes up to the level of preaching in the later half, which partially destroys the charm of narratives.

And then there is Meera Jasmine as Kamala with a precious little to do. She says her lines, flutters those eyelashes and looks ravishing. Her repeat act of ‘Rasathanthram’ and ‘Vinodhayathra’ as a girl with a sad past are not inspiring as the original. In terms of chemistry, none of the couples from Mukesh, – Sukanya, Vijayaraghavan – Mohini and Ashokam – Muthmani share any vibes. But all have taken care to do a competent job to display them with no visible warmth.

At times, you do feel the film, almost two and a half hours long, is bit stretched and that it loses pace in the second half after a rollicking first part. In fact is one of those films, that aren’t as much about the happy finale, as it is about the insightful journey about relationships, which is at times, hilarious. And definitely the director falters in getting it around for a more logical climax, which seems forced and infantile with every weak male counterparts mercifully turning up to realize what they have been in their life -chauvinists, freaks and psychos.

Sify.com comments:

Sathyan Anthikad, the biggest brand name in Malayalam cinema after the superstars, is certainly in no mood to take chances. If you are Malayalam cinema’s “ladies and family specialist” who has his own following among the audiences, you can’t afford to move away from your basic formula that has survived for nearly 30 years.

Once again in Innathe Chinthavishayam, Sathyan’s 2008 Vishukaineetam, he caters to his core audiences. There is nothing new story wise or in presentation and it’s the same old Kadumanga (tender mango pickle) in tetra pack, which has its own unique taste. And Mohanlal the greatest entertainer in Malayalam cinema does his “do-gooder” act, along with Meera. Does the Sathyan- Mohanlal combo succeed? “Yes” to a certain extent, as they have come out with another feel-good family entertainer with a topical message.

Picture courtesy:sify.com

The importance of the opening weekend is here to stay and increase. About 10 years ago, Mumbai’s Dreamland cinema was an important theatre and ran about 21 shows a week. But when Race released, Cinemax alone was screening 26 shows a day! In Andheri, between Cinemax, Fun Republic and Fame Adlabs [Get Quote], there were 50 shows of the film held in a single day. The mantra now is to get as much money as you can in the opening weekend and then forget about it. Golden and silver jubilees are a thing of the past. It’s better to get Rs 30 crores in a few days rather than over many weeks.[Why OSO worked, and Jodhaa Akbar didn't ]

In fact this has been a popular Malayalam cinema strategy too. New films are carpet bombed all over the state trapping people in the first few days. Before public opinion about the movie turns sour, the producer has made his money. Then the public are wiser. With advent of cell phones and SMS texting people are able to message others about movies like Hallo and Flash, advising them to stay away. So the producers too have wised. They have decided to release new movies in both B & C centers (an artificial notation created by film industry).

Thus by increasing supply, the producers hope that the demand will also increase – at least on the opening days. Thus even if damaging reviews go out via text messages, they hope that the recipient would be in a movie theater watching this movie. One of the first movies to make us of this new rule of loot and run is Annan Thampi, which is getting released all over Kerala, in 75 centers.

While conventional wisdom would say that follow the trend, Mohanlal’s personal producer Antony Perumbavoor has decided not to follow the pack. His latest production, Innathe Chintha Vishayam, scripted and directed by Sathyan Anthikkad will only be releasing in 48 centers. So if you want to see the latest work of last year’s best script writer, you will have to watch it in one of the “A” class theaters.

By adopting this strategy, Antony is going against the trends in not just Malayalam, but also Tamil and Telugu. He is hoping that people will trek to “A” class theaters to watch Meera kiss Mohanlal and we are waiting eagerly to see which strategy will pay off.

Blessy was willing to tolerate her tantrums to finish Kolkotta News. Shyamaprasad could not think of any one else in Ore Kadal. When it comes to movies with substance, Meera Jasmine stands above the rest in Malayalam. The question then is how come a girl who had family problems, gossip published regularly associating her with Lohithadas, S J Surya, and every other male, able to reach this level where Sathyan Anthikkad is willing to pay any amount to get her to star against Mohanlal?

That’s when you see how smart this girl really is. At a time when Kavya, Meera, Navya and Bhavana were all doing the same kind of movies, she made some decisions which paid of well. First she stopped acting in C.I.D Moosa, Inspector Garuda type movies which itself moved her one step away from the crowd. Second, she had no qualms in acting with superstars, but not in the Shafi/Anwar Rasheed type movies, but ones with serious directors. In those movies she proved that she can match anyone with her acting skills and that was idea was cemented by movies like Achuvinte Amma , Padom Onnu: Oru Vilapam and Kasthuriman where she alone held the film together.

Movies like Ore Kadal are not made often and it takes courage to act as an adulteress wife in this stage of the career. While rest of the crowd are trying to preserve their goody images, Meera was bold enough to try characters which exploit her range. She has learned very early on that she is an actress who has to portray different characters, instead of doing cookie cutter images of the same character in different movies.

Meera has also bagged a crucial role in Shaji N. Karun’s forthcoming film Kutty Sranku, where she is pitted against the one and only Mammootty. The film is expected to start rolling in April.[Meera- The Busy bee]

There are lessons which Kavya and Navya can adopt before it is too late.

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