When Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s Oru Pennum Randanum got the Best Film award from Kerala State, T V Chandran was upset. You can read that saga here. At that time we proposed the following.
Both these two are great directors and it becomes a problem when both have movies together. To resolve this, we should change laws so that they alternate each year. When Adoor makes a movie, TV Chandran takes a break and vice versa. If they don’t listen, we think, whatever movie Vinayan makes that year should be given the best picture award. That should teach everyone a lesson.
We wrote that tongue-in-cheek. But such a situation has come. Both T V Chandran and Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s movies were candidates for this years National Awards and Shaji Karun was the chairman. Guess who won the award? You can check our comprehensive list of Malayalam award winners for 2009 National Awards.
And if you think with Adoor and TV Chandran not getting award, things are hunky dory, read this.
“Bala is unique in many ways. The way he changed Tamil cinema’s character was commendable. Awards are not just reflections on the cinematic qualities but also the ability to change other filmmakers’ thoughts and actions,” says top Malayalam director Shaji N Karun, who headed the 2008 National Awards panel.
Shaji, usually reticent, was effusive on Bala. “Tamil was always rich in literature and music,” he added. “But its cinema always mostly meant only for entertainment. There were many who tried for a change. Among the new generation of filmmakers, Bala leads the pack in bringing a change in Tamil cinema’s outlook and approach. He is trying hard to give a new thought to Tamil cinema. That is a remarkable achievement itself.”
But we are really pissed at Shaji for this statement: “Frankly, I never expected a film like Naan Kadavul from Tamil.” For this any Tamilian can say, we never expected a movie like Black Stallion from Malayalam.
Cochin Haneefa is no more. A popular actor who started out in villain roles, graduated into character roles and later found his niche in comedy roles. Besides acting Haneefa had proven his mettle as a Writer and Director. Critically acclaimed Vatsalyam was on of the last movies he had directed. Cochin Haneefa had a strong presence in Tamil cinema too and had acted in many hit movies including Sivaji the Boss. He has won many awards in his career including the one for 2nd best actor by Kerala state for his rule in Suthradharan.
Haneefa was admitted to Ramachandra Hospital in Chennai due to Liver problems. He died this morning following a massive Heart attack. He was 59.
In the past decade, he specialized in playing the village idiot. Most of his roles were clones of the Party Youth Wing Secretary he played in Meesha Madhavan. He excelled in that and played it with great monotony. That became his brand.
We will miss the village idiot and we say that with affection.
Tags: Cochin Haneefa
No surprises here, Shaji Kailas’ recent track record is intact. Do the actors read script before they commit?
NowRunning.com comments:
They say, without a striking clincher, the spectacular build up simply isn’t worth much. Shaji Kailas’ Drona talks a lot about what is to take place, and much to our chagrin, not a thing happens.
It has to be accepted that Drona is one of the best attempts by Shaji Kailas in recent times. This is unlikely to work in the film’s favor though, because the last few of his cinematic outings have been anything but comparable. But the director who had flashed those sparks of brilliance some years back, and who had since disappeared into the shadows is out again in Drona. The film accentuates that all is not lost and the man still has got it in him.
When a film’s title is chosen based on some weird superstition; what more can we say about it? It is believed that the makers of the Malayalam film Drona 2010 added the numerals to the title because a film with the same name had failed in other languages.
The movie directed by Shaji Kailas, written by Sajan A K and starring Mammootty, is supposed to be a spook fest but is anything but.
As for the story, it is about two wealthy families involved in a feud for generations. One side is always trying to get even all the time but fails. You get a sense of déjà vu as you have seen at least half a dozen films with the same premise every year.
Even after an array of flops, it seems that director Shaji Kailas has not yet figured that style and substance alone cannot make a good, commercial potboiler. What essentially needed is a promising story that can make the viewers sing-to its tunes and wonder at its narratives. Shaji’s latest product ‘Drona 2010’ also seems to a confused product, which hardly will appeal too much of the masses.
The highlight of the movie is definitely its lead star Mammootty, this time in twin roles as the young Kunjunni and his brother Pattazhy Madhavan. Kunjunni, the younger Mammootty is basically an atheist who lives a flamboyant life. Not believing much in the stories about the ghosts in Nelloore Mana, he comes up to buy the ancestral house. But inside the Mana he gets the real taste of the unusual and even after a tough fight to escape, he fails. And now arrives Patatzhi Madhavan, his elder brother who lives like a sanyasi, to clear off the mystery that is surrounding the house of horror. He succeeds in driving out the screaming ghost from the house but there was much more which intrigued him and make him realise that the whole revenge story happening there is dated back to generations.
Tags: Drona, Drona 2010, Drona Mammootty, Drona Shaji Kailas, Drona2010
Fazil is known as minimum guarantee director, even if you ignore atrocities like the one he made with his son. Then he wrote a movie for Dileep and even the mice and cat went into hiding. Lal Jose has given blockbusters like Meesha Madhavan with Dileep, then he made Mulla. Siddique similarly is the man with the golden touch. He never had a flop in his life. Then he wrote a movie for Dileep. Even though the movie is terrible according to the reviewers, Siddique’s magic is working both in Malayalam market and the remake market.
It’s quite early in the year and the turkey has gobbled. Siddiq’s Bodyguard is bafflingly boring and could best be enjoyed with a blindfold on. Keep a real sturdy bullet proof vest with special trauma pads tucked in handy to confront the several misfires that this Bodyguard lets off.
Dileep too seems to be lost after the initial burst of energy. His characterisation is half baked and though he tries hard, we’re just not interested. Nayanthara’s famed comeback to Malayalam films is lacklustre. Agreed, she looks chic but the supposed meaty part she had conjured up is not happening. The script leaves no scope for any of the other actors to get noticed.
Bodyguard is the hit machine Siddhique’s ninth go into the Mollywood Box Office and this time too, he doesn’t falter much in creating a good drama. Though in a not much inspiring storylines, he had managed to shape it as a decent entertainer, which may click with the masses, if promoted with grandeur
Tags: Bodyguard Dileep, Bodyguard Nayantara, Bodyguard review
Recently we made a post criticising Mohanlal on his statement that while he and his producers should have the financial freedom to do whatever they like, while theater owners should be subject to artifical restrictions. According to the proposed restriction, the theater owners should give preference to Malayalam movies during the Holiday season and delay the release of English, Tamil and Hindi movies.
Speaking at the promotional tour of his Ivide Swargamaanu, Mohanlal said: Some kind of regulation has to be put on other language films in Kerala otherwise our industry will crash. Atleast during the holiday season like Christmas, priority should be given to Malayalam releases. The other states are protecting their industry, but in Kerala today we have to compete with Avatar, 3 Idiots and a Vettaikaran.
You might think, this is done for purely selfish reasons like minting money for his movie. But that is not so. He has the interest of Malayalam movies in mind. For example, if instead of showing Vettaikkaran in three theaters, they could have shown Paleri Manikyam in one or Chattambi Naadu in another. Now if the theaters are showing only other language movies, what will happen to good Malayalam cinema? Won’t it die? If this trend continues won’t we be all wearing Vijay t-shirts and singing “daddy mummy veetil illa, thada poda yarum illa, vilayaduvoma ulle villalla?”
Take a look at his career graph in 2009, out of six releases- Red Chillies, Sagar alias Jacky, Bhagavan, Brahmaram, Angel John, Ividum Swargamanu only two will break even Sagar alias Jacky and Ividam Swargamanu and that too only through revenue from television and DVD rights. Earlier, a Mohanlal film used to recover its cost from Kerala theatrical rights alone, but last year none of his films could sustain in the theatres.[2009- Nightmare year for Mohanlal at the box-office!]
There was no Avatar, 3 Idiots or Vettaikaran to give competition to all his other movies. Yet they flopped.
Now another question. Let us say if there were a few more theaters showing Paleri Manikyam. Would people have gone and seen it? The facts say other wise. When Paleri Manikyam was released there was no Avatar, Vettaikaran or 3 Idiots either. Still the film did not find an audience because of one fault of the producer. The lack of proper advertising. We are not saying it. The producer himself realized the mistake and tried to correct it, but it was too late.
Once upon a time we used to more than a 100 releases/year. In 2009 it was 78. Out of that 78, 68 flopped. So if a theater owner says, he has to show other language movies to keep the business going, who can fault him?
Blaming few other language films is an easy trick to hide the mistakes of Malayalam film makers: in scripting, in planning, in understanding the role of proper advertising and the effect of globalization. As Shyam Benegal said, the only way small movies can succeed is if we have multiplexes. The only way we will have multiplexes is if business men like Mohanlal put money where their mouth is and build theaters instead of blaming various external causes which are here to stay.
- January 24,2009: Casanova Pooja held in Bangalore. A lavish party and celebration by producers – Confident Group. Billed as costliest Malalyalam movie ever with Rs. 10 crores to burn(Pazhassi Raja was in production then).
- Arya is fascinated by the script, Arya in Casanova.
- Roshan Andrews wants the film to be shot in Vienna.
- Sagar Alias Jacky bombs, Confident group loses confidence in the project.
- September, 2009 – Project revived. Vysakh Pictures is the new producer.
- Meanwhile Roshan Andrews tours foreign lands for finding suitable locale for the movie.
- Producers association tightens the noose around big budget movies.
- Antony Perumbavoor pooh poohs that and says Mohanlal gets what Mohanlal wants.
- Between various poojas, parties and foreign location hunts, 3.5 Crore would have gotten over by now.
- Roshan’s Vienna dreams shelved, settles for Dubai as location.
- Dec 2009 – Sameera Reddy in, fans buoyed. To add spice there is Roma and Lakshmi Rai.
- Dec 2009 – Arya out, Ganesh Venkatraman in.
- Meanwhile Mohanlal prepares himself to become Casanova
- January 2010 – Producer Vysakha pictures abandons the project.
- Now Antony Perumbavoor owns this baby, shooting postponed indefinitely.
- Very traumatic for fans, had it been Tamilnadu, thousands would have self immolated.
We are planning to write a script for a malayalam movie based on the above series of events. We are sure that it will be a sub 3.5 crore movie as we need only a bunch of guest actors as people walk in and out. No, we don’t plan to include Roshan’s foreign trips in the script.
PS: Do not think for a moment that we are in a Mohanlal bashing spree. Dileep and Suresh Gopi’s movies are bombing in monotonous regularity. Prithvi continues the cycle of – falls, gets up, falls . Mammootty acts in 4 good movies and 4 bad movies every year. Mohanlal and Producers are the only ones bowling full tosses.
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