Dear Friend - Not Everyone's cup of Tea

 

Classmates, Notebook, Friends, Mumbai Police, NPCB etc. Malayalam cinema has seen different types of friendship movies and Dear Friend is just another experience.

 

 

The film is directed by actor Vineeth Kumar and scripted by Sharafu, Suhas and Thanmatra actor Arjun Lal(what a comeback, hope he stays) who also plays an important role in the movie.Shaiju Khalid's impossible frames which didnt seem to be a Malayalam movie, and Justin Varghese's background music that went with the story remained excellent.

The film introduces us to a group of 6 friends living in Bangalore who are very close to each other and spend most of their evenings together. The guys of the group work out their ways to find a proper investment for their start-up idea. One fine day, a member of the gang goes missing which leaves the remaining 5 friends in confusion and tension.  

It has an interesting storyline about friendship presented with a mystery. The first half gives a feel good experience, where the second half will take you through a personal emotion which most of us have experienced.

Tovino Thomas showcases an impressive performance playing Vinod who could be part of one's life as a friend who touches their souls and become an unforgettable human.The character Vinod will definitely be in the top 5 roles of his career.

 

Everyone did their job pretty well. Basil Joseph was a comic relief, Darshana Rajendran was impressive(as usual), Arjun Radhakrishnan's performance as Shyam seemed very convincing.

 I must say Cinema rarely portrays the grey side of friendship and Dear Friend definitely succeeded in doing that. Its slow (and thats the beauty of it), its not a nail biting even though the team tried a few a thriller effects here and there.

Friendships might fade away as we grow older with time and we'll be okay without them. There is no cheating or intentional cut off because we all get busy living and we change. But here in the film, Vinod ain't a person like that. He is a mysterious conman who just wants a temporary shelter for the time being. But from his POV, he says that he hasnt hurt anyone or cheated anyone for money. Instead he was there with them when they needed them the most, gluing them together, touching their souls and spreading happiness.The climax that didn't take us anywhere will be remembered and regretted.And that is what excited me as it broke all stereotypes.A special thanks for ending the movie without making it a cliche, giving the audience a space to think.You cannot show reality more realistically. Because reality is neither good nor bad.. its neither black nor white..Thats Life!!!

If you enjoy movies that leave you stuck for a while after the end credits roll, movies that make you read between the lines, solve some puzzles on your own and don't spoon feed every single thing to you. Movies that do not give you the ending that you expect and if you are ready to take that then do miss this one.

 

Dear Friend is an interesting take on friendship which unfortunately might not find a lot of takers since it's a rather unorthodox film. But its team deserves kudos for creating a movie that feels very real and is not designed to feed its audience with feel-good stuff!!!

 

 

Also Read:

Malayalam Movies I want the World to Watch! 

 

 

Are you Single? - she asked

I boarded the train, shifted my luggage bag underneath the seat and made myself comfortable. Neighbouring family of four were still figuring out the solution to squeeze in more luggage in the small space below the seat. Twenty minutes into it and they were free and easy.

“Ok, yes,yes,ok ok I'll have dinner on time, I'll take care of mobile, luggages….”, I said to my mom before I hung up the call.

Time - 7:00pm.

Train halted at Shoranur Junction, a pretty girl  pretty of about my age came into view as she had the  upper berth reserved next to mine.

How to start a conversation?? How to introduce?? What's her destination city?? her course of study?? All imaginary questions were running in my head.

The best way to start a conversation during train journeys is to ask your co-passenger just one question- “where are you heading ?” yes just start with this question and conversation will continue for decades.

Study, job, sports, relatives, friends, hobbies,love etc..  all this topics will come up after that one question during Indian train journeys.

So I gathered all the courage I had, to ask that one question to the  girl, “To which city are you heading ?”

No sooner did I turn my head to start a conversation than I noticed she was already staring at me. I was completely blank for a second and I forgot the lines, I mean I forgot the question which I was about to ask….

Within no time she said- “Are you single?”. Yes, she said exactly those words loud and clear.

I was totally dumbstruck, shocked, flabbergasted, stunned, frozen, everything…

This question was out of syllabus I wasn't prepared for it, I mean I wasn't prepared to answer this directly.

You could have started with hii, hello, …, or start with nice journey ,nice weather..

The boy who was with family of four paused his game and was eagerly awaiting for my reply.

I was still figuring out the way to hide my face and avoid the question but I was already frozen with mouth wide open from which words were trotting out but couldn't!!

“ooh I meant are you travelling alone or with someone else?" -she said finally.

A sight of relief ran down my spine and I finally answered “yes I'm travelling alone"

“ok; it would really be helpful if you could exchange your seat with my uncle whose seat is next  block away, seat no. 55”-she asked with cute smile on her face.

With that smile she can even melt rock, so those imaginary conversations which I planned with her after asking about destination, slowly started fading away making me glum and tearful.

“yes, sure I'll exchange the seat, not a problem”- I said painfully.

Next step, I took my belongings and shifted to her uncle's seat.

Finally uncle was satisfied, she was  happy and I was………….well you know it.



My Other Train Stories :        A Second Class Journey 
                                             The Harthal Punk
                                             EKM to PUNE TRAIN TRAVEL
                                            The Missed Train Part - 1

Comrde In America Movie Review

         *** SPOILER FREE WITH SPOILER WARNING***

There are only a few instances where people wait for a director's movie more than the actor.This is one of them.

Comrade in America (CIA) is a Malayalam movie directed and produced by Amal Neerad starring  Dulquer Salmaan, Karthika Muralidharan, Chandini Sreedharan, Siddique, Dileesh Pothen, Soubin Shahir and the screenplay is done by Shibin Francis.

Amal Neerad certainly has a different style of filmmaking. All his movies Big B, Sagar Alias Jacky, Anwar, Bachelor Party although average grossers made a cult among the industry. His next movies Kulante Bharya (5 Sundarikal) and Iyobinte Pushtakham are his one of best works.After almost a 3 year long break he is back with a communism theme movie.

The story of CIA is set in in Pala, Kottayam, where the lead character Aji Matthew (Dulquer Salmaan), is a young communist whereas his father (Siddique) is a Congress supporter. Both are from opposite worlds but love each other.Aji's lady love Sarah unexpectedly is forced to go back to the US. The rest of the movie shows Aji’s journey to find his love crossing borders, taking the most dangerous route, hence the tagline, "How far will you go for Love?"

The three cameos which I am so much excited to reveal but will not. Lal Salaam, to the person who casted those three gentlemen actors.😉

The music is composed by Gopi Sundar or some like to call it Copy Sundar😂 was among the best. The background music adds so much to the film. Look out for the portion where Dulquer unfolds his mundu.

Cinematographer Ranadive has done his best to capture some splendid visuals. But I wished Amal Neerad himself should have handled the camera as he did in his previous movies.

The scenes of  Dulquer with Soubin Shahir and Dileesh Pothan are funny with clever use of humor.

Although with good humour, drama, great visuals,  good soundtracks the film lacks a better screenplay. It was a brilliant plot but I guess a better writer was needed to expand the screenplay.
So to conclude this makes it as a unmemorable movie for few. 

A few images where only who have watched the movie will understand😅

Things Non-Keralites can't Experirence !

Had plans to post this after Tu Madrasi Hai Na ? but it is hard to pinpoint, especially because there are so many! With the world becoming a smaller place day by day, a lot of things unique to Kerala are more accessible to everyone. So the world can experience things like typical Kerala food, tourism or art.  However, there are some things that really define the essence of being a Malayalee.

If you approach Kerala from beach side it looks like some tropical island but it's not if you approach to Kerala from the other side it's high range and hill stations.  Though you can enjoy Kerala's nature by being a tourist you will never enjoy it like a native.

The first thing our beautiful language - Malayalam! Very few non-Malayalees can speak the language correctly, but Malayalees are actually pretty good at learning and speaking other languages.Probably the numbers and varieties of sounds used in speaking Malayalam helps to adapt easily to other languages.

Natural Beauty

God's own country - granted the name for the rich and natural beauty, Green lush and peaceful.

100%  greenery during monsoon

The Snake Boat Race
Around 30 boats participate in Annual Kerala Boat Race.The feeling is truly exhilarating as you watch teams of hundred oarsmen row their boats.

A train ride
A train ride from Ernakulam to Trivandrum via Kollam to get a beautiful overview of the state. Along the journey, you will come across the marvellous lakes, the sparkling backwaters of Kerala, the coconut trees, the wide plantations. It is a quick, cheap and easy way of knowing God’s own country, Kerala.

The paddy fields 
Walking through the very heart of the paddy fields. Watching the native folks working on the fields, striking  a conversation,having a great walking experience!

Blend of all kind of harmony you can find in KSBC (Kerala State Beverages Corporation) queue. Learn from their discipline.😂 🤣

 The chit-chat at the local tea shop. 
The daily chit-chat at the local tea shop is something not to be missed.If you thought they are talking about the most trivial things,you couldn't be more wrong.They discuss a wide variety of topics including, but not limited to,national and international politics.Although,it must be said that with increasing urbanisation such tea-shops might soon disappear.

A ride in the "aana vandi"
Most of us keralites refer to the state run KSRTC buses as aana-vandi.A ride in one of these buses is considered essential for being a complete Malayali!

Festivals, A lot of Festivals
We celebrate almost eveery festival, irrespective of the religion. We share almost all religious celebrations.

Toddy Shops 
A toddy shop is a drinking establishment particularly seen in Kerala where palm toddy, a mildly alcoholic beverage made from the sap of palm trees, is served along with food.The food served with toddy is very spicy and hot with chilies. The main dish is tapioca with red fish curry.

Kerala Traditional Clothes 
Some North Indains think its madrasi, no its not!It's purely a malayali thing.

Malayalam Movies
You get to see the original version of a film before Bollywood reamkes them.Movies with low budget and great stories go on to be high grossers after a remakes in other languages.If you truly want to know the class of actors like Mohanlal and Mamootty, then you must know the language.And it is real fun in getting the ticket for their movies for FDFS(First Day First Show).

 Guess should make a different post on the remakes from Malayalam movies.🤔

Unexpected holidays
Thanks to the political parties, strikes are common.So many trade unions and strikes in Kerala. Our favorite holiday is actually hartal.

 

These Khakhi clad Auto Drivers. Start arguing with them regarding the fare, they respond by citing words like 'Inflation' 'Economic Recession'. Step outside Kerala, the only response you get is "No!"

 Kerala Cuisine
There is no restrictions on our food items and you wont get this much spicy dishes. There are some special items that you can find only in Kerala.

 The immense craze for Football
FIFA World Cup is almost celebrated as a festival in Kerala. You can really witness the craziness during these times in every corner of Kerala in the form of flex boards, posters, paintings etc. 

Vintage comedies and its frequent quoting in real life - Some jokes like "Polandine kurichu oraksharam mindaruth" (Don't talk about Poland!)

Rare combination of communism and democracy.

Free imported perfumes and dates from Gulf 
Atleast one of our family member will be working there 😇😜


#BengaliLaboursEverywhere
While asking a route on the road side you might sometimes get a reply "Malayalam maalum nai". ( I don't know Malayalam!)

Because of this huge migration of Bengali workers, the buses have started writing the names of places in Hindi too! I dont think any of the other Indian state would do that. 

Visit Kerala if you get a chance , there's a reason it's called the God's Own Country!

 

Angamaly Diaries - Movie Review

 *** SPOILER FREE WITH SPOILER WARNING***

 Angamaly Diaries is a Malayalam Movie directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery written by actor Chemban Vinod Jose, starring 86 Newcomers!!!

I am still in shock like  how did all the 86 newcomers held everyones attention for straight 2 hours without even a single mistake from anyone.

The movie is about a gang  based in Angamaly(town in Kerala), the formation of a gang called PalliPady group, forming rivalry with another gang lead by Appani Ravi, their business into pig slaughtering, things getting worse when they involve in a serious crime, the consequences forms the crux of the story.

Even though the movie has a very simple story but Chemban Vinod's screenplay is a total winner  There are few things that would really make you fond about his writing.There is enough humor even during the tensed scenes. For instance the scene where two guys lose their patience during a cremation ceremony brings the house down. So was when  Vincent Pepe's first fight scene when he uses Babuji's advise on how to beat one guy after another.

  
Antony Varghese who plays Vincent Pepe has to be the great find. He has a great screen presence.Sarath Kumar as Appani Ravi was brilliant.The scene where he gets angry with his wife and his brother in law is one of his best performances. The actress who played Lichi was cute and she made sure the men don't take all the credits.

Music by Prashant Pillai's music is enjoyable,use of the sreeching sounds during the tense scenes made it more impactful.

And coming to the most important and my favorite part.Cinematagraphy!
Handled by Girish Gangadharan(a fan since his very first film Neelakasham Pachakadal Chuvanna Bhoomi ).He walks with his camera when actors walk, he runs when they run.And the standout moment was the last 10-12 minutes of the movie where he doesn't keep the camera down and follows the actors

for one single shot.Yes!The climax scene is one single shot, no cuts, no change in camera angles whatsoever.And the end results are pretty satisfying as it offers a never before seen visual experience in Malayalam Cinema.The camera shots during the opening credits not only made me nostalgic but also my stomach growl.

The director had also experimented the single shot in one of his previous movies Amen for the song, Pampara Pa Pa which interestingly was also played in this movie during the bar sequence. 

With this all exceptional storytelling and strong cast, Angamaly Diaries is one exciting movie to watch.I am sure your mind might be fulfilled at the end of it, but your stomach will be left growling. 😉😋

Trailer : Angamaly Diaries Official Trailer || Film by Lijo Jose Pellissery

Ezra Movie Review

 *** SPOILER FREE WITH SPOILER WARNING***

For a movie review some kind of reference of the movie is inevitable,hence, this review might contain some kind of spoilers,so please excuse reading if you want to watch the movie afresh..

Ezra is a Malayalam movie starring Prithviraj Sukhumaran,Priya Anand,Tovino Thomas,Sudev Nair directed by debutant Jay K.

Ezra is a horror movie which follows the basic structure of this genre(horror), reason for the possession, a spooky house, flashback about the ghost and exorcism etc.The back drop of the movie about the Jewish things was s a good thought out and it was researched very well.

Hours after the movie release people started posting the climax in social media.That really annoyed me more than when I came to know about John Snow in GoT.Sigh! I some kind of lost interest to watch the movie but was still curious to know how the film leads to that sort of climax.

Few Strong points about the movie whch I liked...

Cinematography by Sujith Vaassudev was top notch.He has taken amazing shots and framing, the aerial shorts has grabbed the beauty of kochi and color tone was nice which captured the scary moment very well.The flash back portion of1940 period was well shot.

BGM is another important aspect for an horror movie.Sushin Shyam(a huge fan) has played some interesting tones which makes you seated at edge of your seats.

Casting was perfect and Acting as well.Prithviraj acted well but apart from the climax scenes he did not have much of opportunities for it so was with Priya Anand.Tovino Thomas as the A.C.P did not have a meaty role butv makes his presence felt.But the person who stands out in the movie according to me is  Sujith Shanker(Maheshinte Prathikaaram Fame ) as Rabbi Marques, he acted exceptionally well.Sudev Nair as Abraham Ezra,also had a small part but was really apt for thatrole.Love his acting since Not Fit(Hindi) a web series written and directed by himself,do watch it.

And coming to the some points which I didnt like... 

The film would have been the same even if they had excluded the indecent scenes.

I really think the maid character was misfit one.Maybe it was included just to create confusion and some scary moments.

I expected a lot more after the seeing the trailer. It lacks serious scary occasions in the second half but the one related to dog was really good.

And to conclude,

Ezra is a film which  is going through a different atmosphere never seen before in Malayalam films. The director Jay proved his talent in his very first film.With in the budget constraints of the Malayalam movie this movie maintains the quality and it has the standards of a well made world class horror flick!
DONT MISS IT!!!

Trailer with English Subtitles: Ezra Malayalam Movie Trailer

Aanandham Movie - Review

Most campus related movies have a beautiful girl and a handsome boy who are suffering from uncooperative parents,misunderstandings. These kind of  movies have a predictive story- boy falls for girl,follows her,girl rejects and then accepts,conflicts which seperate them and later the couple unites.

But Aanandam written and directed by Ganesh Raj comes as a pleasant surprise.
The movie has seven new faces - four men and three women and each of them has a story going on.

Varun by Arun Kurian is an angry young man.He's always serious and a leader which  everyone looks upto.Akshay by Thomas Mathew is shy,not sure of himself, lives under the shadow of his elder brother(Nivin Pauly - cameo).Gautham by Roshan Mathew pretends to be a rockstar because his girlfriend might break up if she knew he actually listens to Yesudas.Kuppi by Vishak Nair an extrovert who discovers he has feeling too.

Devooty by Annu Anthony is Gautham's girlfriend who is a tough girl.Dia by Siddhi Mahajankatti (new crush😍)  is an open minded person who comes from a troubled family.Darshana by Anarkali Marikar prefers to draw than talk and doesnt opens up to anyone.

All of them study in the same college and go on their first trip together - college industrial visit.There are no major conflicts or any suspense in the movie.The characters are neither one of a kind nor unpredictable but the movie somehow makes us care about them.

In collge romances it is all about who gets the girl and mostly its the dominant boy in the class who everyone looks up withn respect.That is Varun in the movie.But suprisingly not only does Dia rejects him but she chooses the shy Akshay over him.I was expecting that Akshay would fall over a cliff and die because these type guys never win anything in cinema.

As that didnt happen I thought Varun would end his life by run over a bus so Dia could weep over his body and realise that she DID love him.But that didnt happened either. :P
Crazily,Varun accepts Dia's rejection!!! Yup,you read that right.He accepts it and gives up.How often do you see the dominant lead giving up?

Devooty's character reminds me of Kalki Koechin's character in Zindagi na Milegi DObara.
Darshana remains quiet and is in her own world.The movie never explians why she is weird.
Kuppi was annoying in the beginning but later after his little lecture on "racism"(BTW he meant sexism) gained my attention.

The film also focuses on identity issues that young people face at this age.It doesnt get deep into them but the way they deal with them is refreshing.(immature as they be).
On the othere hand Dia is also upset because her parents arer going through a divorce.Her father tells her that he married her mother at 30 while she was just 18 the same age Dia is.He goes on to explain their incompatability and that the divorce wasnt the end of the world.Another male handling a rejection in a mature way!!
The most heartwarming scene for me was when Kuppi breaks down in front of his friends saying he came to the tour only to have a good time with them.Next scene they procced and pose for the 'Dil Chahta Hai" click  at the Chapora fort ,an item that is in the bucketlist of all who visit Goa.

Aanandam might not be the best I have seen this year.It doesnt make you think for days later as Sairat did (can't think of any other movie as of now :P ).Its a story determined to be pleasant all through,like a boat ride in a calm river, but for some, even that may not be enough.
Aanandam is a mature film on young love that you dont get to see often.

Trailer with English Subtitles - Aanandam Official Trailer | Malayalam Movie | 4K | 2016

The Harthal Punk

Another journey post but doesnt have any shades of my previous one,A Second Class Journey.
This time due to unavailability of tickets I couldnt book a direct train to Chengannur(Kerala).Hence I decided to book a ticket till Ernakulam(Kerala) and then catch a passenger train to Chengannur.I don't know why but I love travelling in trains.

I feel train journeys are slow for longer distances,but it gives enough time to think,pause your thoughts,rest your mind,enjoy the beauty around you,listening to the noise of the wheels of the train hitting the stones beneath and much more.There are countless moments like these on my train journeys lasting more than 30 hours.

 I reached Ernakulam at 5 in the morning and the connecting train was around 6.
Had a cup of tea with Pazham Pori(Banana Fritters) and waited on the platform listening to train sounds,announcements and the chaos.The train arrived early I got in quick so that I could grab a window seat.Meanwhile, I got a call from home that there is a Harthal(strike) in Chengannur and there will be no transportation until 5p.m.So they insisted me to stay back in Chengannur station upto 5p.m, to which I agreed.
There are two things that I am very jealous of Kerala- Harthals and the beautiful girls :P
Harthals - there are atleast one strike in a month. And all the schools and colleges get holiday.How joyous it is when you wake up in the morning and you know there is no school/college today!
 The train starts moving and by the time the bogie gets crowded,filled with office-goers,college students etc.
All were busy in newspapers,mobiles wondered why arent they enjoying the green beauty outside like me,then thought they might be bored seeing the same everyday.
Reached Chengannur and as said there was no buses outside the station.

 

Had made up my mind to stay till 5 because I had no other options. But then thought it would not take more than an hour to reach the next town so why not set out by foot.
 I have seen in few Malayalam Movies that people travel in an ambulance during Harthal days because its the only vehicle which wont be stopped, was waiting for such an occasion but none came.There was this uncle with me who advised me to take a boat from nearby riverside and would reach Kozhencherry easily.
I reached the riverside, saw the boat but there was no one around it.

 Image for representation purpose only

 "Enthuvade nokuune"
 (What are you upto?) said a lungi clad man with a bidi in his hand..
"Chetta akkareku ponam" 
 (I need to go to the opposite shore)
"Ithu njaan meenu pidikyuna vellam aa kadathuvellam alla!" 
 (I use this boat to catch fish not for passengers)
"Vere vazhi illa chetta, please" 
(I dont have any other options)
"Vaa keru"
 (Get in then)
"Evdunna Varrune?Malayalam keetitu ivadthe alla en thonnunu"
 (The way you speak in malayalam doesnt seem you stay here)
 "Pune il aa thamasam" 
(Stay in Pune)
"Avde Joli aano?" 
(Working?)
"illa padikyua"
 (No,studying)
 As said the boat had a pungent smell of fish.Reach the shore.
"Ividuunu nere nadanu poya madhi main road ezthum" 
(Walk straight and you will reach the main road)
"Appo sheri Thank you "
"O aayikyotte"

Had to walk a bit again, reached the main road took an auto.
While walking to home I get this weird looks from passers by because they dont see me often.
Saw Grandfather sitting at the verandah with the newspaper.
Surprised to see me so early
"Nee engane ethi?" (How did you reach?)
to which I replied 
"Enikku Veshakunnu" ( I am hungry)



  Inspired from : North 24 Kaatham