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Reviews
Varathan (2018)
VARATHAN is a brilliant commercial film and a really good film!
VARATHAN is a brilliant commercial film and a really good film!
VARATHAN is layered and political and the characters have been well-etched!
VARATHAN has got excellent cinematography by Littil Swayamp. The shots and angles were very well used to evoke tension and discomfort. One or two jump-scare attempts felt deliberate though. Thank god, the yellow filter portions were very less and were in the beginning of the film. The frames were picked not for its beauty, but for its ability to convey the mood of the film.
VARATHAN has got really good writing and dialogues especially between the two lead characters. Well done Suhas and Sharfu!
VARATHAN's background score is top notch and apt in a commercial cinema point of view. But it was a bit too much for a classic cinema. Yeah I understand that the director must have wanted the film to stand tall as a commercial flick too. Great job Sushin Shyam! Though the songs were forgettable, the score held the film together.
VARATHAN is blessed with brilliant performances. Aishwarya Lekshmi excelled again after her career-changing Mayaanadhi. She was brilliant as Priya and brought all the nuances on to screen. Sharaf U Dheen was bloody brilliant! He proved that he can create magic if the script, direction everything falls in place. Arjun Ashokan, Vijilesh, Nisthar Sait, Dileesh Pothan all were excellent. Perfect casting! And Fahadh Faasil as Varathan was as usual at his best! The way he shows the various shades of Abi with ease was a treat to watch.
VARATHAN will make you feel like a VARATHAN in an unknown (yet not unusual) territory! Definitely worth your time and money!
Monsoon Mangoes (2016)
Very unique, visually stunning, fun-filled, feel good film!
There were way too many reasons to watch this film on the first day. Darling Fahad, Abi Varghese, George ichayan, Girigiri, Rincy chechi and the one super awesome trailer it has got! The film was quite entertaining, natural in its own way, very engaging, fun filled and very very unique. The film reminded me of Wes Anderson films in its framing, sets and all. But Abi created his own style with his debut feature itself, a style which Malayalam cinema has never seen before.
The film was very fresh in its way of story telling too. Every scene was picture perfect with apt dialogues and controlled performances by almost every actor who showed up. Vijay Raaz did a commendable job. So did Vinay Forrt. Sanju Sivram and Tovino Thomas though their screen time were less, did what is needed for the film. Iswarya Menon was very adorable on screen. George ichayan's mass intro had Akkara Kazhchakal background score to accompany (goosebumps). His comfort in working with Abi and team was evident as he was in really good form. Nandu as DP Pallickal's father excelled as usual. The only flaw the film had was its not-so-convincing climax. After getting a super cool start and a super awesome progress till midway, the film somehow didn't quite excite me with its climax. But that's nothing compared to the hardwork Abi and his team has put to make the film this special and it has paid off really well. The artwork, costumes by Monica Mayorga, frames by Lukasz Pruchink and the music and score by Jakes Bejoy all complemented the film well. The song in Raag Jog was really good. Some of the props and quotes the director used in some shots shows his brilliance. Abi is here to stay! :)
Now the only thing left to mention is the most important thing. The biggest plus of Monsoon Mangoes. Do I need to say?? Fahad was beyond extraordinary on screen. Some of the expressions he did were just, I'm sorry I'm out of words! Monsoon Mangoes is another evidence of the impeccable comedy timing this man has got. He'll go places and will take Malayalam cinema to heights. I hope more fresh and unique projects come to you.
Don't set the destination, Let the destination find you! :)