Rani Padmini

Dear Ashiq Abu,

are you trying to win the award for honorary feminist?

Rani Padmini is like a charming, goofy, Malayali version of Thelma and Louise. The Rani-Padmini duo could well be the new Dasan-Vijayan (from Nadodikattu) of Mayalayalam cinema.

Neither Manju Warrier nor Reema Kalingal are particularly good in their roles. Reema is quite inept at comedy, her over the top role was ill conceived. Manju Warrier is overtly goofy and there are too many scenes to remind us that she is a homely and innocent Malayali girl. But the film is filled with clever jokes and directorial flourishes to keep you entertained.

However, your film does have an interesting structure with lots of flashbacks and side stories. Though some of the stories that Manju and Reema tell each other during their trip together were rather trite.

When the movie got over, I was thinking you could have done a lot more with the material. Too much space was given to Manju Warrier's husband (played by the mediocre stone faced Jinu Joseph). The racing scenes were well done but they served as a distraction from the more interesting main plot.

And Aashiq, like Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, your film does have the tourism advertisement aspect to it. You tried to compensate for the lack of an interesting script by setting the film in an extremely beautiful place. Frankly, the overtly feel good paragliding scenes were quite cringe worthy.

Best Regards, Pimpin.

(5/10)

There are many factors which make this movie one of my favourites- basically a woman centric movie-nice locations,humour, emotions everything is there in this movie, Reema Kallingal has given full justice to her role...

Saw it yesterday on DVD, movie is so so - maybe a one time watch if you are sucker for chick flicks, Good Things - Rima and Manju are excellent in their characters. That villain guy "Raja" is also good. Bad - Too many useless characters and parallel story lines which don't contribute to central theme. The story kind of seems like rambling on at times... At times the movie looked like an advertisement of Himachal Pradesh Tourism. Songs are o.k, the first song is good. Rima Kallingal's portrayal of Rani is very good and realistic. It is quite easy to go over the board while portraying such a character, But Rima balances it very well. Manju Warrier's character is more like familiar territory - she's portraying the married/single mother damsel in distress ever since her comeback - so nothing new there. Also this is more of a bilingual film than an out an out Malayalam film. So if you are not comfortable with speaking Hindi then you might struggle with the story. The DVD has subtitles but still just a warning.

"Road has the answer for everything",Indeed !! A director's film in all means,Aashiq Abu's 'Rani Padmini' is a delightful feel-good flick that celebrates womanhood without letting down men.Catering to all the sections of the audience alike,the well-conceived tale about reinventing oneself can boast of neat performances,technical integrality and directorial brilliance stuck together.Blessed with power-packed performances from both Rima Kalingal and Manju Warrier,this sweet tale is undeniably the most impressively narrated film to come out this year from mollywood that's sure to find a place in your heart for its genuinity and warmheartedness in presenting the adventurous ride that the lead ladies embark upon The inventiveness in narration by Aashiq lifted the simple,but well-written screenplay by Shyam Pushkaran and Ravi Sankar a class apart of run of the mill entertainers that we get to see in abundance these days.I'm surprised by the mild response from a good share of the common audience for this beautifully narrated movie which could have won numerous accolades if made in Bollywood or some other languages.

The magnificent visuals of the extreme north by Madhu Neelakandan were insanely beautiful and will instantly make one fall in love with landscape and prompt for an adventure ride through the path unexplored,the same way as Sameer Thahir's Neelakasam Pachakadal Chuvanna Bhoomi.The visuals,apart from assuring the movie is a visual treat for the viewers,play an important role in the effectiveness of narration that's basically aimed at spreading the essence of life and the true meaning of where we belong to.

The brilliance of Aashiq in experimenting with the narration was evident in multiple occasions may it be the marriage video sequence or the two spoof stories that Rani and Padmini recount,for instance.All the characters manages to make an impact and credit must be given to Aashiq and the writer duo for taking due care in developing different characters with perfection.

The fearsome but funny gang of villains headed by Harish Jain along with the funny reporters played by Dileesh Pothen and Soubin Shahir ensures that there is abundance of comic relief through out the narration,particularly the second half.

Coming to the performances,I am unable to point out who among the lead ladies performed better as both Rima Kallingal and Manju Warru were at their best portraying the role of Rani and Padmini respectively.The sugary chemistry that both shared was remarkable and strengthened by the detailed characterization in the screenplay.Soubin Shahir and Dileesh Pathen were hilarious.Harish Jain and the gang played their part really well.Among others Sreenath Bhasi,Srinda Ashab,Binu Pappu etc were notable.

Bijibal ensures that the music go in consonance with the narration with all the songs being soulful and qualified for looping.'Varoo Pokam',blessed with meaningful lyrics by Rafeeq Ahammed in particular was extremely soothing and among my personal favorites this year.

Overall,Rani Padmini is a brilliantly narrated feel good movie that deserves a watch from the big screens.

The film Rani Padmini is a cinematic work belonging to the adventure drama genre, directed by Aashiq Abu.

The narrative chronicles the lives of two young women. One of the protagonists is Rani, who was brought up in an environment of strict control by her parents in an urban setting. Consequently, her behaviour exhibits some divergence from the norm. The second character is Padmini. She was raised in a rural setting under the supervision of her grandparents. Consequently, she has gained a wealth of experience in the local culture. Padmini was married by Giri, whose family had settled in Delhi. Giri was an accomplished motorsport competitor, having amassed numerous accolades in the field of adventure racing. Following her marriage, Padmini's autonomy was curtailed by her mother-in-law. Her mother-in-law forbade her from pursuing any other employment, instead requiring her to assume the role of caretaker for her mother-in-law and grandmother. Nevertheless, Padmini was able to secure employment. Prior to participating in a significant racing event, Giri's mother encouraged him to sign a mutual divorce document. However, Padmini was not informed of this until Giri had departed. She subsequently fled from the house to meet Giri. En route, Padmini encountered Rani, who was also experiencing difficulties. They proceeded together, continuing their journey. During this journey, a number of incidents occurred. Some were humorous, while others were thought-provoking and enjoyable. Ultimately, they were able to locate Giri, who had already realised the error of his ways.

The film's narrative and direction are satisfactory, and the performances are commendable. The musical scores and visual placements are excellent. However, some scenes seem incongruous and could have been avoided. The film is suitable for single viewing.