Ayalum Njanum Thammil

 

Ayalum Njanum Thammil (Malayalam: അയാളും ഞാനും തമ്മിൽ) is a 2012 Malayalam romantic thriller film directed by Lal Jose, produced by Prem Prakash and distributed by Century Films. Written by brothers Bobby and Sanjay, and starring Prithviraj, Narain, Samvrutha Sunil, Rima Kallingal, Pratap Pothen and Remya Nambeesan in the lead roles.

Ayalum Njanum Thammil is a candid and honest story of a committed senior doctor and an irresponsible junior doctor and through their relationship, a picture of the medical profession is drawn vividly. The soundtrack and background score are composed by Ouseppachan while Vayalar Sarath Chandra Varma pens the lyrics for the songs. The film released on 19 October 2012 to widespread critical acclaim. The movie got a great opening at the Box office and turned out to be a large commercial success.

Story

The film radiates a grace that gently switches between the past and the present to reveal the life of Dr Ravi Tharakan (Prithviraj). Right from the moment, the tired face of Ravi Tharakan emerges from the dark; Prithviraj seems to be absolutely certain about his character. It is as though he willingly indulges in a process of redemption.

In the film he looks so very human and makes it work with a restraint. Even the playful abandon he lends to his impulsive medical student period suits his character. His polished face, which remains stony for quite some time, is touchingly expressive in some scenes where he does nothing but stare. Sometimes he's teary-eyed, sometimes angry.

But never before has his stare seemed more meaningful and in the process Ravi Tharakan becomes one of the most brilliant portrayals done by the actor. He does not flinch even in the presence of Prathap Pothan (Dr Samuel) who at times overpowers Ravi.

Both actors strike an instant rapport and they just fly along with the narrative. Two scenes are strikingly moving. Ravi refuses to treat a little girl and she waits till Dr Samuel arrives. He treats her and takes a step towards Ravi. It seems a volcano is about to erupt and Samuel slaps him.

In another scene, Ravi is at his mentor's grave. His face is calm, save a tear trickling down his face. He glances down at the grave meditatively and sighs. He does not break down, slowly turns around and walks back. The scene testifies what Prithviraj has got within him to whip out a stirring moment even from perfect silence.

Hits Songs 

• "Januvariyil"  

BoxOffice Result

The film got strong positive reports from the audience as well the critics. The performances of Prithviraj and Prathap Pothen were appreciated by most critics.

• Malayalam Net gave a positive rating of 3.25/5  and said that "Ayalum Njanum Thammil will definitely catch a place in your heart."
• Kerala Films  rated the filim and added "With a scintillating execution of a brilliantly carved out cliche free script, Lal Jose, the ace Malayalam movie director continues his good run with this movie.
• Theaterbalcony.com too comes up with a very positive review by giving an 87% rating and also said that "With a superb direction, a good story, magical visuals, and some of the best performances, offers a good feel good watch."
• Rediff.com gave and said Ayalum Njanum Thammil is yet another must watch film from director Lal Jose, and Prithviraj is an added bonus. "Prithviraj has given his career's best performance.
• Times of India gave and said Lal Jose makes Ayalum Njanum Thammil highly lovable with his discreet choice of locale, interiors and an array of characters who make the film endearing.
• Kerala9.com giving and added its a good film; good-intentioned and with a clean message.

Overall Rating : 3.5/5

Verdict : Very Good

Jawan of Vellimala

Jawan of Vellimala (English: The Soldier of Vellimala) is a 2012 Malayalam film written by James Albert and directed by debutant Anoop Kannan. It stars Mammootty, Sreenivasan, Mamta Mohandas and Asif Ali in pivotal roles.
Release date: 19 October 2012

Story

The plot of the movie Jawan of Vellimala is a high-range village called Vellimala , a dam in this village and the people living near to dam. The villagers of Vellimala are considering the dam as a the sign of their pride and prestige. The central character Gopi Krishnan done by Mammootty, who took voluntary retirement from military service, reaches Vellimala as a labourer. The characters Varghese is a government employee at the Dam site and Koshi Oommen, another character reaches there for some personal need. These three play the main three male characters in the film. The movie progresses with the issues between these people and villagers. Mamta Mohandas plays the role of a project officer at the Dam site and she works for the development of the society.

Hit Songs

• "Pora neranjoru pathira"

BoxOffice Result

Upon release the movie got  mixed reviews from critics.

• Metromatinee.com gave a positive review saying that "Jawan of vellimala is simple ,Mammootty's acting is striking and the film is a sincere effort to present a good stuff to the audience."
• Theaterbalcony.com gave a positive review with 74% and said that "Film can be a good watch with out much expectations!!".
• Sify gave the movie as AVERAGE  adding "Jawan of Vellimala is a messy tale that can surprise you with its hollowness.
• kerala9.com gave the movie  rating of 2.5 out of 5 stars.
• Rediff.com gave the movie a  rating of 2.5/ 5 stars and said "Nothing new in Jawan of Vellimala"
• The Times of India gave the movie a rating of 2 out of 5 stars and said "Jawan of Vellimala lacks appeal not because it is predictable, but because of the shocking manner in which it ruins what could have been a promising plot."
• Indiaglitz gave the movie a rating of 6/10 adding "the movie will be fine for a onetime watch"

Overall Rating: 2/5

Verdict : Average(Watchable)

  

 

 

Trivandrum Lodge

Trivandrum Lodge (2012) is a Malayalam drama film written by Anoop Menon and directed by V. K. Prakash. It stars Jayasurya,Honey Rose and Anoop Menon in the lead roles. The film is produced by P. A. Sebastian under the banner of Time Ads Entertainment and features music composed by M. Jayachandran, whilst cinematography is handled by Pradeep Nair and is edited by Mahesh Narayanan.
The film released on 20 September. It received notably mixed reviews from critics with some critics praising the film for its bold plot, unconventional way of characterisation while others criticising it for being offensive and for frequently crossing the limit of decency under the guise of bold experiments. The changing sexual mores depicted in the film also received wide criticism from the cultural and literary circles of Kerala.

Story

Trivandrum Lodge, situated in Kochi and its inmates form the backdrop of the film. Abdu (Jayasurya) is a man who does odd jobs for living including being masseur at a spa and being the driver of a wealthy businessman. He is also obsessed about sex, being sex-starved. Shibu Vellayani (Saiju Kurup) is a cinema reporter who works with a not-so-well-known film magazine. Kora (P. Balachandran) is a retired clerk from the secretariat who boasts about having had sex with 999 women in his life and who wishes to have a policewoman as his 1000th. Satheeshan (Arun), wants to be an actor. Shibu promises to help him and has even given Satheeshan a new name, Sagar. Arthur Relton (Janardhanan) and Peggy Aunty (Sukumari) are the oldest inmates. Relton teaches piano and lives in the world of music while Peggy Aunty runs a canteen inside the lodge.

The owner of the lodge is Ravisankar (Anoop Menon), a rich widower who has a son Arjun (Master Dhananjay). Ravisankar's mother was a concubine to many rich men and all his wealth basically comes from her earnings. This caused Ravisankar's father Narayanan (P. Jayachandran) to move away from the family years before. He runs a small hotel, away from his son's world.

It is into this world of Ravi, Narayanan and all the inmates of Trivandrum Lodge that Dhwani (Honey Rose) makes her entry. She is divorced, wants to be free, eat good food and as she herself says, "fornicate with abandon". Herein she gets in touch with Zarina { Devi Ajith } her best friend who guides her to the Lodge. { Devi Ajith } is portrayed as the wife of a less educated Sea food magnate, a life she chose. Dhwani comes to stay at Trivandrum Lodge, aiming to write a novel with Kochi as the backdrop. Her intentions not so honourable, the sexually-repressed souls of Trivandrum lodge go into a tizzy. Then on Dhwani and Abdu have a deep affectionate love, the story develops based on all this. The film also discusses in detail the adolescent romance between Arjun and his classmate Amala, the unconditional romance between Ravisankar and his wife Malavika, and the broken love story of Relton and Peggy.

Hit Songs

  "Kanninullil Nee Kanmani" 

BoxOffice Result

The film opened to mixed to positive responses from the critics.

• Deccan Chronicle Rated 3\5 and said "While the director-scriptwriter duo succeeds in creating lively and well-developed characters, the plot fails to be gripping as it enters the most dramatic phase."
• Kerala9.com rated the film  and concluded his review calling the film, "Different, bold, well-scripted, well-directed and with good performances."
• Sify.com gave a verdict of "average" and went on to tell "A disturbingly offensive film, which frequently crosses every limit of decency under the guise of bold experiments"
• Theaterbalcony gave 85% and said that "Movie is boosted with a good performance, screenplay an execution though adult dialogues could have been avoided".

Overall Rating : 3\5

Verdict : GOOD

Husbands in Goa

Husbands in Goa is a 2012 Malayalam-language comedy film directed by Saji Surendran and written by Krishna Poojapura, starring Jayasurya, Indrajith, Lal, Asif Ali, Rima Kallingal, Bhama, Remya Nambeesan and Praveena.

The film follows the journey of three young men, who flee from their wives, for a vacation to the international tourist-destination Goa. During the trip, they become friends with a immature youthful older man, who is on the verge of a divorce. The film explores their time in Goa, the people they meet and a turn of events occur when they encounter their wives. The film is the second production of UTV Motion Pictures in Malayalam cinema. It features music composed by M. G. Sreekumar, whilst cinematography is handled by Anil Nair and is edited by Manoj.

Husbands in Goa takes an excellent opening at Kerala Boxoffice with a gross collection of Rs 3.07 Crores in first 3 days.

Release date: September 21, 2012

Story

Three husbands (Indrajith, Jayasurya and Asif Ali) are on a trip to Goa to take a break from their messy married lives with their dominating wives (Rima Kallingal, Bhama and Remya Nambeesan). During the trip, they meet a husband (Lal) who is on the verge of a divorce, which becomes a turning point in their lives. Things get more interesting when their wives join them in Goa and from then on, it is a cat and mouse game.

Hit Songs

   "Pichakapoo"

BoxOffice Result

The movie opened to mixed response from both critics and audiences.

• Theatre Balcony gave an overall rating of 66% and praised the comedy scenes and the performances while disliking the not so engaging story and script.
• Times Of India gave a very positive review and rated 3 stars out of 5. But added that "The film evokes hilarity, but the humour fails to generate the rip-roaring laugh one associates with a comedy."
• Kerala Films welcomed the movie giving 2.5 stars out of 5 and said "Husbands in Goa really deserves a one time watch, especially for the exceptional lead performances, great comedy scenes, racy direction, and the song 'Pichakal poomkavukal'."
• Metromatinee gave a positive review and said " If you are one of those who watch mimicry and comedy shows on TV, this movie will help you relive those moments that you spent in front of TV."
• However, the film also got some negative reviews from the critics. Chithravishesham gave the movie a rating of 3 stars out of 10.
• Rediff.com rated 2/5 said that Husbands in Goa is a typical 'husbands escaping from their wives' attempt at comedy which elicits a few laughs.
• Sify gave a negative review and gave 2 stars out of 5 and added "You need real skills to find humour in ‘Husbands in Goa’. Go for this one, if you are ready to take such pains."

Overall Rating : 2.5/5

Verdict : Entertainer

Molly Aunty Rocks

Molly Aunty Rocks! is a 2012 Malayalam film directed by Ranjith Sankar, starring Revathi in the title role along with Prithviraj. It has been released on 14th September, 2012 to positive reviews from critics and audience alike. The positive energy that is maintained throughout is the highlight of this movie, opined Audience.

Story
Molly Aunty (Revathy) is a bank clerk working in a remote village in Palakkad and managing things on her own. She has just rejoined the bank, after living in the US for almost twenty years and hopes to take a retirement soon, to go back to her family.
Her husband Benny (Lalu Alex) hails from a wealthy family from Thrissur and lives in the US with the couple’s two daughters. Molly Aunty’s distinct style, the love-hate relationship with her mom-in-law and her disciplined ways at the office are quite a delight to watch.
Writer-director Ranjith Sankar, who made the excellent movie Passenger and a rather disappointing Arjunan Sakshi, dares to tread through some simple but often ignored areas with this story of an eminently likeable woman, who should be somewhere around the fifties in her age.
The story takes a rather interesting turn when Molly Aunty has a showdown with an arrogant and egoistic IRS officer named Pranav Roy (Prithviraj). It’s quite refreshing that the relationship between a man and a woman goes beyond love or lust, on the screen.
With a storyline that is inherently sincere, the director succeeds in presenting a story, which can be related to by most of the viewers. Though the story is unveiled in a leisurely pace at times, this is one script that needs a pat on the back for its sincerity and merits. The characters presented in the film are real and the situations are indeed natural. Sujith Vasudev’s visuals and Anand Madhusoodanan’s music have helped the film tremendously for sure.
But then, this is Revathy’s film. In a performance that will leave a smile on the viewers’ face most of the time, Revathy makes Molly Aunty convincing and charming. In his brief role, Prithviraj makes his presence felt quite effortlessly. And the supporting characters all gets an identity of their own, be it Lalu Alex’s loving husband, KPAC Lalitha’s mom-in-law, Mamukkoya’s lawyer, Sunil Sukhada’s IT official, Sharath’s priest or Shivaji Guruvayur’s bank manager.

Hit Songs

      "Puthari Punchakal"

BoxOffice Result

The film released on September 14th 2012 got a positive reception.

• Sify rated the film as very good and praised Revathy for her performance.

• Theater balcony came up with a positive review by giving 78%, and also praised the performances and direction.

• Rediff rated the filim 3/5 and said that " Its a good entetainer".

• However, IBNLive termed the movie as Average.

Overall Rating : 3/5 

Verdict : GOOD 

 

 

Run Baby Run (2012 film)

Run Baby Run is a 2012 Malayalam action/comedy/thriller film directed by Joshiy, produced by Milan Jaleel and distributed by Galaxy Films. Written by Sachi of the Sachi-Sethu duo, the film stars Mohanlal and Amala Paul in the lead roles. The film which has news media as the backdrop, has Mohanlal essaying the role of a channel cameraman and Amala Paul that of a senior editor. The film traces their relationship and professional conflicts. The film was released worldwide on 29th August, 2012 on Thiruvonamday and got mixed response from critics.

Story

Run Baby Run has the media as its background. Mohanlal (Venu) is a high profile cameraman, and is a regular on the panels of international giants like Reuters. He comes back to his hometown in Kochi after five years. His ex-fiancée Renuka (Amala Paul), who works for a well known TV channel, had cheated on him earlier for a costly sting story. However, situations demand both of them to work together for a particular project. That story also throws light on the political aspirations of Bharathan Pillai (Sai Kumar) and industrialist Rajan Kartha (Siddique).
Lot of plots unfolds and the two are pulled into a sting activity to expose a real time assassination of a politician and land up in a lot of trouble. How they manage to clear the confusion, forms the rest of a story.

Hit Songs

    

"Aattumanal Payayil"

BoxOffice Result

Run Baby Run received  mixed response from critics.

• Sify rated the film as "Entertainer" and also said that "Run Baby Run may be far from perfect".
• Oneindia rated the film as 3/5 and said that "Run Baby Run is good movie only for see once.
• Theater Balcony gave a rating of 3/5 and said that "All and all nice, but Run Babby Run didn't come up to the expectations.
• IndiaGlitz gave the movie 3.5/5, commenting that "For the lovers of relatively well made movie".
• Kerala9 rated movie 2.5/5 and said that "RBR is a predictable but just watchable.
• Metro Matinee concluded that "RBR entertains, but in parts!".And gave the movie a rating of 2.5/5.
• Rediff gave the movie 3/5, saying that "Run Baby Run is a comic caper and is watchable for its cast."
• Now Running rated the movie 2/5, saying that "RBR suffers from a plot that recycles bits and pieces from former thrillers, throwing them this time against a media backdrop".

Overall Rating : 3/5

Verdict : Mass Entertainer (Above Average)

Thappana

Thappana is a 2012 Malayalam film directed by Johny Antony, and starring Mammootty, Charmy and Murali Gopy. The film is about two convicts, Samson (Mammootty) and Mallika (Charmy), who are released from jail on the same day and their travel together to unknown destinations. The story is based on a work by Ashapoorna Devi. The film released on 19 August 2012, with mixed to positive reviews.

Story

Samson (Mammootty) and Mallika (Charmy) have just been released from jail. Samson is a small time thief to whom prison is a second home while Mallika went to prison for murdering someone to save her husband from being killed. Samson falls in love with Mallika at first sight. He decides to accompany her on the journey back home, but during the entire journey, Mallika is absolutely quiet and refuses to utter a word to him. She seems depressed and lonely. Shocking things await her when she reaches her home in Karippa to meet her husband Manikuttan aka Kannukuttan (Murali Gopy). Kannukuttan was having an affair with their neighbour's wife, and it was the jealous husband who had wanted to kill Kannukuttan.

Hit Songs

• " Oorum Perum Parayathe"

BoxOffice Result

Thappana upon release received mixed to positive response from the critics and audience.

• Theater Balcony gave the movie 7.2/10 stars, stating that "A pretty straight forward cute story, which is boosted with great performances of the lead and a good direction.
• IndiaGlitz gave the movie 6.5/10 stars, saying that "'Thaappana' is not an unique work, but offers an ordinary watch that may please you for this festival season.
• The Times of India gave the movie 3/5 stars.
• Malayalam Net gave the movie 3/5 stars, concluding that "Johny may be getting another hit through Thappana. A genuine comeback for The Megastar is on the way. 
• Metro Matinee gave the movie a verdict of "Entertainer", saying that "Thappana is an extremely simple movie, with its raw humour and earthy wise cracks. 
• Rediff gave the movie 3/5 stars, concluding that "Thappana has the flavour of a typical star film like Rajamanikyam or Mayavi.
• Moviebuzz of Sify gave the movie a verdict of "Average",rated it 2.5/5.
• Kerla Films reviewed the movie as Nice Entertainer and gave it a rating of 3.5/5 stars, Thappana is a good family entertainer with some good comedy sequences, and racy action scenes.

Overall Rating : 3/5

Verdict : Mass Entertainer