Who was Navodaya Appachan?

When comparing with other prominent Indian film industries,Malayalam cinema industry is much smaller and it used to depend on low budget movies.But in 1984, this fact couldn't stop Navodaya Appachan from producing India's first 3D movie-'My dear kuttichathan'.He was not a new face in Malayalam cinema.According to director Fazil,when Malayalam cinema alomost died, a much younger Appachan came forward and produced a Malayalam movie 'Umma' in the year 1960 and made it a success, thus giving Malayalam cinema, a breath.
Navodaya Appachan
Navodaya Appachan (courtesy Google images)

Navodaya Appachan was the man behind south India's first cinemascope 'Thacholi Ambu' starring Prem Nazir,Sivaji Ganeshan and Jayan. 'Padayottam' was the first 70MM movie produced in Malayalam. 'My dear kuttichathan' was not a movie produced just for the sake of 3D.The film also showed the glimpses of a talented director,Jijo. The movie was a huge success and it was released in many other Indian languages.In hindi,it was 'Chotta chathan'.The movie also re-released many times with some changes in the cast.

'Manjil virinja pookkal' was one of the movies which Malayalees never forget,because it was the movie which showed the face of an acting legend of Indian cinema for the first time-Mohanlal!.
My dear kuttichathan(Malayalam)-The first 3D film produced in India(courtesy:Google images)

 The famous Navodaya studio was founded by Appachan.This studio produced several films which can be counted as the milestones of Malayalam cinema.Appachan was the producer of 'Chanakyan' in which Malayalees saw Kamal Hasan as a Malayalee hero for the last time.

Navodaya Appachan was honored  with  J C Daniel award for his achievements in Cinema by Government of Kerala.


22 Female Kottayam-My thought

Movie : 22 Female Kottayam
Director: Ashique Abu
Written By : Abhilash Kumar,Shyam Pushkaran
Cast :Rima kallingal,Fahad Fazil,Prathap Pothan.


Tessa (Rima Kallingal) is a nursing student in Bangalore with aspiring plans of traveling to Canada for a career. She meets Cyril (Fahad Fazil) from a travel consultancy while working with the agency for setting up her Visa. They soon fall in love and starts living together. One day they go to a pub, from there the story takes a different route. The story is all about unexpected happenings a nurse from Kottayam has to face in her life. In the end, Tessa performs an 'operation' on Cyril!.
22 Female Kottayam-Malayalm movie poster
Ashique Abu's latest film was able to catch the attention even before release with it's promos in Youtube. The film also said to be making a good business in the box office.I was curious to see the movie and today I got a chance.For the first time i saw the leading actress' name appears in the starting credit as the first entry!

 The movie is all about a fighter girl(or female as in title). She is fighting with her enemies.Not using muscles,then how? The director has an answer for that. Woman has a dangerous weapon with her-which is her power and weakness at the same time.  It's evident that the influence of 'woman fighting movies' (as shown in the end credit) in 22 female Kottayam. How a girl paying her revenge to those villains(who raped her)? 

Looks like new generation movies should be shot in a metro or a slum.Here the metro Bangalore background helps to bring the feeling of 'abandoned' in an unknown world.I,however felt that the 'revenge plan' is the basic idea of the whole movie.That particular 'revenge' action needs our 'hero', Tessa as someone from medical profession. They conveniently chose the nursing field.Then they created the 'villains' for the revenge.But why should she pay revenge to some other people in this manner? They created the reason also.But overall i felt a lack of depth,though it deals with a serious issue(woman safety).

Rima Kallingal as Tessa was refreshing from our usual heroines.Usually female oriented movies would have at least on song sequence where the heroine sings and runs here and there in the green paddy field.Ashique Abu avoids all that.Of course,it's a 'new generation' Malayalam movie!

Fahad Fazil as Cyril was also good.He should be appreciated for choosing a character like this.He joins the club of new generation versatile actors including Indrajith,Jayasury,Anoop Menon etc.

Prathap Pothan had nothing much to do besides delivering dialogs in his style.

The director, Ashique Abu should have looked for more depth in the story.I felt that suddenly the emotional movie turned as a revenge saga.Cinematography by Shyju Khalid looked good.Editing by Vivek Harshan was ok, The crew also obeyed the 'beep' theory of  'new generation movies'(the media calls so)!.

Ultimate thought : i felt like lacking some depth in some parts.I would have been happy if they had tried to show the emotions of a fighting girl rather than compelling her to speak dialogs just for claps.Of course I enjoyed the movie.

Mayamohini-my thought

A few days ago,I've written a post about the Malayalam movie 'Mayamohini'. Hits on that particular told several others are interested in 'Mohini'!. When I first heard actor Dileep is going to do a female character in a film,I was less surprised. Because it is Dileep who is doing that. Dileep is an actor who always tried different roles in commercial movies. But being a movie enthusiastic, i had a doubt.Is it a full length female role? Or is it just a Malayalam version of Avvai Shanmukhi? I don't have a vast idea about the world film industry.So I don't know whether a male actor played a full length female role in any movie(I recently saw the poster of Jack and Jill), and I don't want a google search on this topic.

Kamal Hassan's 'Avvai Shanmukhi' was not  a full length female role.It was more like a fancy dress, and it was inspired from a Hollywood movie(remember I don't want a google search!). Many other Indian heroes in South,North,West and East India tried a female makeup in movies just for fun. I don't remember Mammootty or Mohanlal doing that even for fun!.But I do remember watching an old Malayalam movie in which Adoor Bhasi acting three roles, one of them was a lady.A full length female character!.Some may ask what is the need for that when we had a plenty of talented actors here.But the three characters were a mother and her twin children.So mother,brother and sister,all of them played by one man-Adoor Bhasi!

Movie : Mayamohini
Director: Jose Thomas
Cast: Dileep,Bijumenon and Baburaj
Script: Udaykrishna-Sibi K Thomas
Dileep as Mayamohini
Dileep in Mayamohini-Malayalam movie


So, when I saw the first promo of  'Mayamohini', I thought it is a full length female role.But poor me,it is not! It was clear from Dileep's channel interviews after releasing the movie,it was made as a family entertainer!. But ,whatever the genre ,comedy or action,'mayamohini' failed to keep the expectation(Film makers always say that don't come to the theater with expectations,but i won't obey that!).

The opening scenes with Biju Menon and Baburaj was interesting .But the story of that 'Chothy' thing has nothing to do with the story.It is very clear that the makers of the film only had one thing in mind."Dileep doing a female character".later they added 'head and tail' to that character. The result was a disappointing movie.

First half has a fast moving story.Second half was slow and moreover it was boring! Though some action scenes are there, it is not an action movie.Some fight sequences don't put a movie in action genre.

Dileep is an actor who can pull family audience to the theater.Most of his movies are intended for families. You may say that everybody belong to a family.But saying 'family', I just mean that a husband,wife and their children(can add grandfather,grandmother etc) who are coming to theater to watch a genuine entertainment.
Considering that ,the makers should have avoided dialogs with double meanings.Because, the parents would be having a tough time while explaining the 'comedies' to their children!!

But, Dileep  impressed with new avatar.He looked like a real girl(of course not a 'Mayamohini').Moreover, he was talking like a girl, his eye movements,hand movements, all of them are like a girl( which is contradictory to the story).You can never see a Dileep there,only Mohini,mayamohini!! Other actors like Biju Menon,Baburaj,Vijayaraghavan etc did well.Sphadikam George's comedy attempt didn't impress me..sorry..The real ladies like Lakshmi Rai and Mythili, don't have anything to do.

As i said, Mayamohini is not an action thriller.Not a suspense thriller( suspenses can be easily guessed!).If it is being touted as a comedy entertainer, for me it lacks comedy. Songs are not bad.If you have a curiosity to know how is Dileep's acting like a girl, or how did he dub for the film, go and see(like me).

Ultimate feeling : disappointed...sorry..But appreciating Dileep's effort.

Mammootty,Johny Antony and Thappana!

Yes,director Johny Antony is back with Megastar Mamootty after 'Thuruppu Gulan' and 'Ee pattanathil bhootham'. The movie which is now in making is titled as 'Thappana'. Both above mentioned movies, 'Thuruppu Gulan' and 'Ee pattanathil bhootham' were a horror experience for me as a viewer! The film directed by Johny Antony , 'CID Moosa' was a watchable film when considering what type of movie they had tried to make.This was followed by three below average movies(I'm not talking about box office performances.If any of these movies had became a success, then it's a mistake of our people!) Kochi Rajavu,Thuruppu Gulan and Inspector Garud. The third one at least had a story,but Johny Antony spoiled it. in 2008, he came again with a movie with a fresh story packed with some young actors like Vinu Mohan and Vineeth Sreenivasan. I don't know whether it was success or failure.But it was different from earlier 'Johny Antony movies'.


Johny Antony-Malayalam director
 Johny Antony joined again with Mammootty for 'Ee pattanathil bhootham'. I(like most of you!) still don't have a clue why on this earth did Mammootty accept that movie! His latest movie,'masters' which was released this April, is doing a good job.'Masters' has Prithviraj and Sasikumar in the lead roles.Actually it was low on my priority list,but now I want to watch it.


Thappana Malayalam movie poster
 Johny Antony says 'Thappana' is all about two strangers  released from prison on the same day. One from men's prison and the other from women's section.Is it a female centric story with Mammootty as the male lead?.Well I don't mind.But if Johny Antony is going to compel that poor Charmy(actress who is going to do the female lead) to say "I'm Thappana's girl....I'm Thappana's girl" in almost every scenes,let me warn you director,a 60+ Mammootty is not that much good in romance scenes. Moreover it irritates me!!

Edited
Thappana trailer
After releasing 'Masters', Prithviraj who played the lead, said in an interview that,' Masters' is not the regular movie that one would expect from the director Johny Antony. Johny Antony, who was sitting next to him, had a smile on his face.Hope he won't try for a 'Thuruppu Gulan 2'..  

Mayamohini,can we expect something?

This April 7th,Dileep's latest movie 'titled' Mayamohini is going to hit the silver screens in Kerala. Dileep is the heroine of the film.Who is the hero then? well,I don't know.In Mayamohini,Dileep plays the title role,a girl/lady.For those who still didn't get amused, Dileep plays the role of Biju Menon's wife!

Poster of Dileep's new movie Mayamohini.


As a lead actor, Dileep didn't have a good time in recent times.Most of his movies were flops or averages.But 'Malaravadi Arts club',the one he produced is believed as a hit,another one 'The metro' is a flop.The first one had new faces directed by Vineeth Sreenivasan and second movie had Tamil star Sarath Kumar in a crucial role with some new comers. Apart from this, Dileep produced several movies including 'twenty-20'.In most of them,he was the hero.

For the last years, we could see Dileep desperately trying for a super duper hit in his account.He didn't do an don again.He went back to his comic route.But didn't help.His Fazil directed movie 'Mose n cat' was a flop. Even the hit director of Malayalam, Siddique with his Dileep starrer 'Bodyguard' failed in the boxoffice!. All those so called hits were multi-starrers.These flms had Mohan Lal and Jayaram besides him.His best buddy-directed 'Spanish Masala' was a disappointment.

In the end of 2011,we saw a 'something' different film, 'Vellaripravinte changathi',but it didn't become a big hit.But some movie critics rated the movie as one of the best in 2011 for its sincere approach.But 2012 starts with a hope for the fans of Dileep and comedy movies.The reason is 'mayamohini'.

It's not the first time Dileep experimenting with physical appearence in movies.He has Ezharakoottam,Kunjikoonan,Chakkaramuthu,Chanthupottu in his account.

Dileep in Kunjikoonan.
We have seen Kamal Hasan experimenting with his physique in Tamil movies.If I can say this, Dileep is a little kamal in Malayalam in that manner.None of his experimenting roles are super human.They were simple and natural.In Chanthupottu,he acted as Radha(krishnan), a transgender. His Vimal Kumar or Kunjan from Kunjikoonan is the one i liked most.

Dileep in Chanthupott


Now he is back as Mayamohini.It's not the first time a male actor playing a female role in Malayalam cinema.Adoor Bhasi, the yesteryear comedian/character artist of Malayalam did these kind of roles in those days.Kalabhavan Mani had done a female/transgender role in 'Nalacharitham nalam khandam' Indian cinema have seen many male actors playing female roles several times. But here the difference is ,Mayamohini is the lead character.According to the promos,Dileep acting as real girl!(have to see the movie to know the truth).But it's more than just a fancy dress.I hope so and wish Dileep all success for his latest film.