Mechilpuram

The year is 1999. The last step to a new millennium and a new population label. But amidst the global excitement for Y2K and the turn of the century, something unusual was happening in Malayalam cinema. A film was set to release, but it had no name. The Contest That Made History in Mollywood As the film hit theaters, viewers were encouraged to send in their title suggestions. The makers promised to select the best name from the entries and officially rename the film. This interactive approach was unheard of in Malayalam cinema at the time and turned out to be a brilliant strategy to engage the audience even before they stepped into the theater. After receiving numerous suggestions, the team finally selected Tokyo Nagarile Visheshangal (translated as Events in Tokyo City ).  NOTE - Due to lack of documentation owing to various constraints, the method used to announce and run the contest remains undocumented. I have checked sources like newspapers.com and archive.org for any potenti...

They say that "cinema is a reflection of society", and I'm of a particular notion that stories from different strata of society, whether morally righteous or morally grey deserve to be documented.  Trivandrum Lodge was one such film that provided a window to glance over, at how humans, just like us are perceived from the lens of reality. How they go to lengths to make ends meet, while grappling with their inner demons and explore themselves. Within the film, where taboo subjects and thoughts are commented on, where in general they would be frowned upon in the public, Malayalam Cinema did well to keep up with the times, taking the liberal street in the process. A U-turn from the conservative approach, that embraced storytelling in it's rawest form. A story of people with their quirks. A story, woven around stories, woven around a lodge waiting to tell a tale.  Welcome to the world of Trivandrum Lodge Character Sketch Dhwani  Breaking away from a failed marriage, ...

Rosapoo Movie Poster Source: IMBD Being an avid fan of films that handle quirky subjects, Rosapoo is one such effort from Malayalam Cinema, that remains unexplored by many. Handling the subject of the adult film industry that's set on the backdrop of the late nineties and early noughties, and it's impact on churning films that reigned supreme in the cinema kottakas (theaters) at that time .  It provides a curious snapshot of those forgotten and indecorous days of old, in the Malayalam Film Industry. Days that the Malayalam Film Industry would like to forget, memories that are stowed away into a silent and forgotten shutter in the attic of our minds. Director Writer Release Date Genre Vinu Joseph Vinu Joseph 9 February 2018 🖤🎭 Dark Comedy Random Musings - Turning back time Le...

Musings Nestled within the forested tops of the Western Ghats, a Rifle Club lays await - to celebrate life and the thrill of a hunt, dispersed with a flair to lay waste. Rifle Club surely marks Aashiq Abu's small win from the setback of Neelavelicham and the man can make a living out of cinematography, if he can't lay hands on a good script during the offseason. However, a visual treat can't make up for a lacking screenplay or fitting dialogues to create an aura around a movie. Co-written by Syam Pushkaran , Sharfu ( of the  Suhas-Sharfu duo), Dileesh Karunakaran and Aashiq (the first two whose body of work speak for themselves), this screenplay may not be up there as a best piece of work, because of a lack of impactful dialogues, unnecessary elevation of Anurag Kasyhap's villain character and a overall sense of pretentiousness hanging about in the air. Despite the second half being a letdown - the fun vibe, a sense of thrill and the drip maintained throughout the f...

                                                                        Random Musings The ambiguity of life and fate, is intertwined and is such, which drives the course of an individual’s timeline on Earth. Lazily we often term fate as God's mischievous play. A walk through a rope bridge, if you will. The ends of the bridge are anchored to firm objects, which remain intact and unchanged. The middle of the bridge can sway, fray, or even break, but as long as the ends stay fixed, the bridge's (now remains) and the state of falling apart, stand as a monument to witness. Onlooker of the reel of a life that was lived  Introspection can be a great way for a attain a temporary state of escapism, dwelling upon those memorable, downright cringe and unforgettable memories, which...

Say the word Bangalore and the first thing that comes to my mind is the film 'Vandanam'. Vandanam is a movie that's pretty close to my heart. More of a comfort movie, if you will.  Inspired from the 1987 flick Stakeout , Priyadarshan has that knack to craft movie remakes that Malayalis can relate to, and end up embracing, as one of their own. Early 20's me got attracted to everything Vandanam had to offer - the allure of a new Southern City, iconic comedy scenes that still makes me chuckle to this day, great soundtrack and a nice storyline that kept me hooked. As mentioned earlier in my Black blog entry , words wont be enough to express my admiration for the movie. However, I will try. The portrayal of storytelling is so simple and comedy is so effective, that small nuanced gestures or looks are enough to bring a smile, with the thought that something pretty baffling is around the corner. A typical Priyadarshan film with all factors. ...