Ustad Hotel

I have ignored this blog for a long time. Reasons both actual and imaginary had me convinced I didn’t have enough time to do this. Well, what to say, I miss this and there’s always time J

After my long hiatus, the first movie I saw was something I had been waiting to see for quite a while – “Ustad Hotel” starring Thilakan, Dulquer Salmaan and Nithya Menen in the lead.

I haven’t really seen any other Indian movie about food, and I love all the English ones I have seen, from Chocolat to Chef, No reservations and even Woman on Top (with the long-lost Penelope Cruz). So naturally, I was quite excited to see Ustad Hotel. It’s a story of a young guy “Faizi” who wants to be a chef dishonouring his father’s long standing dream to see him do an MBA and run a five-star hotel in Dubai (Awww so many clichés in one sentence).

Born to Abdul Razzaq, who migrated to Dubai, leaving his pregnant wife with four daughters only to find out that the fifth child was a much-awaited boy (and they keep on coming, them clichés). The wife dies and the father brings the four girls to run his kitchen and to bring up the boy (aint that the only thing girls are born to do) to Dubai. Well the kid grows up and is only passionate about one thing in life “food”, so skilfully depicted in the film as he twirls the ladle, rolls the dough and flips some cutlets all while his loving sisters cut vegetables and give him soulful approving looks. And now, our hero has a choice of colleges and countries (UK or US) to choose for his MBA. Lo behold, he discovers a third country called Switzerland and dupes his father to go to a cookery school. Trust me, his father never saw the name of the school even while paying the college dues.

The prodigal son returns, to be informed that he is gonna get married off to finalize a business deal. Our naïve “swiss trained”, “job in London” chef goes on to meet the girl even while his firang girlfriend back in London is waiting to put a down payment on a London apartment. The girl (sensibly so) turns down the proposal on discovering, he is a chef or cook.

Father is mad, takes away his passport, uncle smuggles him back to India to his grandfather who owns the best Biryani restaurant aka hotel in Kozhikode. Grand pa wants to teach the kid humility or business or God knows what but makes him run around carrying rice sacks, cleaning tables, making deliveries etc. Finally, he gramps shows some pity and gets Faizi a job at the adjacent five-star hotel.

The story is now how he impresses the fusion food toting Paris chef, charms the staff at ustad hotel and rekindles the friendship with the same girl from Dubai his father wanted him to marry. It’s just gulf, we don’t need an explanation of how the girl turns up India and becomes a rock chic.

Anyways, Faizi turns around the hotel, saving it from the clutches of an evil banker and hotel tycoon.

And now, the final lesson awaits.

This swiss trained chef has learnt how to cook but now needs to learn why he cooks…dah. Gramps in a dramatic turn of events is in the hospital with a mild attack and sends Faizi to Madurai. There he meets up with another chef who was once with “Taj”. Now, he runs his own kitchen to feed the needy and the old. Just like that Faizi gets inspired and drops his plan for a job abroad, to manage and run the Ustad Hotel.

All's well that ends well.

I know, I know, I write reviews, not rant for the lack of any creativity is some movies I have seen recently.

But unfortunately for Ustad hotel, I saw it on the heels of Jolly LLB 2 (that’s a saga-esque rant for another day). For once, I was hoping Ustad Hotel will turn out to be a movie extolling the younger generation for believing their dreams and taking up their passions even those involving being a world class chef. But the scriptwriter, director, producer just couldn’t let that happen, could they?

There is a moral to be told. Some lesson to be learnt. Everything is not about money or being the best at what you do. Nah nah nah…unless you are saving the humanity, getting rid of hunger and (wait for it….) world peace….

Dulquer Salmaan, has no expression…movie begins and ends and I am not even sure I registered him. Had to google multiple times before figuring out who he is (and to my surprise he is in O Kadhal Kanmani). Nithya Mennon hardly had any screen time. Thilakan is the only one who did justice to his role. A man who has been there, done that and figured life. No wonder every time he looked soulful there was a trio of Sufi dancers in the background. Seriously, the director needs to know (Anwar Rasheed), the audience really doesn’t need to be spoon fed to that level. (This reminds me, I must write about La La Land)

So in short, movie begins with a promise, however clichéd, but fails miserable in the second half.

Don’t waste your time.

Do skip.

(On a separate note, if any Bollywood wallahs want to adapt this, with minor modifications, and a better cast, it can be an entertainer.)

Pranchiyettan & the Saint

I have been a little disillusioned with movies in the recent times. Nothing worthwhile to watch... I mean every time I switch on the TV, I can just somehow manage to watch a record breaking ten minutes of “Chennai Express” before I switch the channel and that is the biggest hit of the year. And so while I have all the time in the world yet no will to watch any movie.

So after long I picked up this Mammootty movie and I must say it was an excellent movie to watch. There is no one like Ranjith to take the simplest of tales (he does that to complex ones as well ;)) and transform them into a story which tugs all you the strings of your heart, Nandanam being a classic example.

But not to divert - Pranchiyettan & the Saint is a beautiful tale of an uneducated, highly successful businessman with a golden heart. His only wish is that people should look at him with the same respect as they would give to an educated person. Even though he donates to all kinds of causes, he never gets the social status he so desires. He tries all tactics from running for presidency of a local club to donating to political parties and temple festivals but most outrageous of all, tries to buy Padma Sri for himself as he is conned into thinking, it is up for sale - all with hilarious outcomes.

Then enter Padmashri (Priyamani) and a boy who is failing in exams and with a tragic life and everything changes.

While the story might seem ordinary, what makes this story extraordinary is superlative acting of Mammootty and beautiful direction by Ranjith.

The movie has its comic moments and is very light hearted but still keeps you glued to the screen. I personally don’t think great stories or movies have to be necessarily complex tales with tragedy and complex emotions. Some of the best movies are simplest characters played honestly and the most mundane of tales told well.

Mammotty is par excellence and great storytelling by Ranjith.

Do Watch.

4 The People

Well! let me first talk about the story before I write the actual review.

It is a story about four young college students who come together to start a revolution of sorts in the country. They start a website where people can post complaints about corrupt officials, crimes and other unlawful activities and these young men take action against them by cutting off the criminal’s hand.

So, of course the police and politicians are up in arms against them and a young officer is brought in to nab these guys. He after a lot of hits and misses finally manages to nab them.

Now there is a girlfriend of one of the guys, some vague story about their families which tries to explain their inspiration for this venture etc.

There are some movies where the plot has some potential, unfortunately there are way too many gaping holes in this movie. Story is shoddy, background score even worse. I did not like the music at all and it was out of place in the movie, but I understand it was a hit when the movie was released. There is no logic to the script and the script writer forgot that he needs to establish some strong characters before telling a powerful story. I don’t think this can even be called a story because it is way too disjointed.

The only decent job acting-wise was done by the Narain (as Rajan Mathew, IPS). Rest of the cast don’t deserve a mention.

I literally saw the movie in fast forward.

Don’t waste your time with this one.

The movie is available with subtitles with AP International and it was dubbed in Tamil and Telugu as well. 

Do skip.

Nerariyan CBI

(An unnatural story told in a natural way)

I am always nervous when I write a review for a mystery. You have to tell a story without actually telling it. This movie is murder mystery, fourth in the sequence of investigative thrillers starring Mammootty as a CBI officer.

The story starts with four friends spending a day at the ancestral estate of one of the friends. The estate has a worship room which has been locked and is considered cursed. During the night one of the girls not related to the family is found dead outside her bedroom near a staircase. Her death is written off as supernatural and the case is frozen. Four years later a young IPS officer, fiancé of one of the girls contacts his superior Sethurama Iyer (Mammoottyy) to solve this case which has been troubling him.

Sethurama Iyer, relooks at the fundamentals which the police at the time of enquiry ignored. His investigation reveals a story about almost all the family members, all of whom could have had a motive for killing the girl.

What I liked about the movie is that like a typical “Agatha Christie” novel it has you guessing till the end. The movie is sufficiently fast paced without being melodramatic (except the background music every time Mammootty comes onscreen). It has enough twists and turns to confuse you and keep you riveted.

I personally love murder mysteries and all sort of detective thrillers.

Direction and editing are crisp and Mammoottyy plays the suave, persuasive yet firm CBI officer brilliantly.

A pleasant break from dull romances and run of the mill stories.

The movie is available with Moser Baer with subtitles.

Do Watch.

Sallapam

While many people might classify this movie as a love story, I would say that this is a woman’s story, who in spite of very adverse circumstances knows how to live life and fight for it too.

Radha (Manju Warrier) is a young girl who has been working as a servant maid cum companion to Padmini (Bindu Panicker) and her two kids. Padmini’s husband works in some Arab country and sends money regularly. Radha’s father is a drunkard who went chasing some actress, while her mother committed suicide on rail tracks. She was brought up by her aunt and her son Divakaran (Manoj K Jayan). Divakaran is a railway employee and sort of a rowdy whom the people fear. It is understood that Radha will marry Divakaran when time comes.

Radha is very fond of music but never gets a chance to learn and sing because the upper class land lady and her daughter keep her out of the school. A village fest is being organized and Sasikumar aka junior Yesudas (Dileep) is being called to perform. While still very young, he is a beautiful singer and needs a female voice to accompany him on stage. As luck would have it, he hears Radha and chooses her. Later Radha discovers that Sasi is actually a carpenter who along with his uncle is doing some repairs at Padmini’s house. They start talking and get closer.

Meanwhile, Padmini’s husband comes back from “The Arab” and desires Radha. Padmini on discovering that tells Divakaran to take Radha with him and arrange for their marriage quickly. Divakaran and Padmini are unaware of Radha’s affection for Sasi.

Radha declares her love for Sasi and runs away to his house only to discover that Sasi and his family live in abject poverty and Sasi could never support her. She also runs to Padmini for help who knowing her husband’s character is unable to help Radha. Completely distressed, Radha contemplates suicide but Divakaran stops her telling that he will take care of her no matter what.

While the story may not be great there are a couple of points I feel need to be highlighted here especially in light of the current debate on women’s portrayal in Indian cinema. 

• There are no black and whites in the world. Fighting is not always the right path. Survival is.
• While Padmini is a housewife completely dependent on her husband, on learning his evil intentions for Radha, she is mature enough to not blame that innocent girl but take measures to ensure her safety. Also leaving the man, while bold decision, might not have been feasible for her and her children, but she has not been shown weak even for a second. She makes her displeasure apparent to her husband.
•  Radha, an innocent village belle who constantly looks over her shoulder while walking on desolate roads for eve teasers, does not fail to destroy a ruffian’s cycle but has the sense to run away on sensing danger. While dependent on Divakaran, she also has the courage to stand up for her love and not give in to forcibly marrying him.

All in all, a woman’s strength is not in pretending that the streets are safe and men are angels, but knowing when to stand up for one’s rights and dignity and when to flow with circumstances. Not every battle has to be fought. The trick is to know which one to fight.

I would say “Do Watch” for sensible portrayal of women in seemingly simple day-to-day stories.

Kudos to Manju Warrier for a simple yet stunning performance.

The DVD is available with Moser Baer with subtitles. 

Hallo

Hallo is to Mohanlal, what Dabangg2 is to Salman Khan…story that could have been…moments that could have been…bad music…wasted actors…relying solely on out of place antics of a star…

I do know Dabangg2 will break a lot of box office records this year and from what I understand Hallo did as well.

Anyways here goes…

Shivaraman (Mohanlal), a lawyer by profession is now an unabashed alcoholic blaming his parents and brother, a police officer for the untimely demise of his lover.

Parvathi (Parvathi Menon) is the daughter of an extremely wealthy Marwari. Her family members apparently are after her life and she is trying to escape their clutches. Unfortunately she is kidnapped, but somehow manages a phone call which connects her to Shivaraman. He figures out the hideout by recognizing the ‘bar’ sign Parvathi describes and rescues the damsel in distress. Rest of the movie is a tussle between Shivaraman and Parvathi’s family. I can now write about tons of loopholes in the plot and absolutely silly story…but I am not going to waste my time doing it.

Music is as bad as it can get. Direction and editing don’t deserve a mention. Mohanlal looks ridiculous doing those antics and Parvathi Menon looks like a bimbo and acts like one for good measure.

DVD is available with Moser Baer with subtitles - Hallo

Do Skip.

Kanmadam

Another Mohanlal movie...Vishwam (Mohanlal) is a reformed thug living in Mumbai with his close friend Johnny (Lal). Though Vishwam earns an honest living, the police don't leave him alone and keep on troubling him. Johnny on the other hand is still true to the old ways and works as a pimp.

One day while waiting for Johnny, a guy gets into Vishwam's taxi and forces him and Johnny to drive on. A fight ensues, and the guy ends up dead. Vishwam and Johnny flee from the scene. Vishwam realizes that the guy left a bag in the car and goes through its contents. Along with some money and gold he discovers some letters from Damu's (the dead guy) sister Bhanu (Manju Warrier), imploring him o come home quickly as they are under severe debt and bank is threatening to take away their land. He also learns that Damu was cheated by a visa guy.

Feeling morally obligated, Vishwam, decides to go to the native village of Damu and help his family. On reaching there, he realizes that Damu’s three sisters and grandparents are living in abject poverty with some nasty villagers teasing the girls and making there life miserable. The second sister, Bhanu is carrying the burden of the family on her shoulders and thus is very harsh and bitter.

Vishwam slowly mingles with them and repays all their debts. Going is good till his good-for-nothing friend Johnny comes from Mumbai in search of him.

A slow paced, very non melodramatic movie. Mohanlal has of course done a good job but kudos to Manju Warrier as well. At times, I could feel the helplessness, the doomed existence, the cynicism that she portrayed on screen.

Definitely not everyone’s cup of tea.

The DVD is available with subtitles with MoserBaer.

Can Watch.

Kerala Varma Pazhassiraja

This movie is a historical biopic. Since I don't really know about this historic character, I will just review the movie as a story, though I understand it will be limiting and not really do full justice to the movie.

It's the story of a prince who stood against the Britishers to save parts of modern day Kerala from their enslavement. To defend Kottayam and surrounding areas against Tipu Sultan, Pazhassiraja joins army with Britishers while his fellow kings run away. After the victory, britishers levy ncreasingly higher taxes in farmers resulting in social uproar. the taxman appointed by Britishers is a former aide of Pazhassiraja and he (Chandu) commits atrocities under Pazhassiraja's name. Britishers attack Pazhassiraja's palace, seize his property and wealth forcing him to run away.

Pazhassiraja along with his trusted army chief starts gathering army to fight against the britishers. He is joined by the tribal chief and his wife along with their armies. The rest of the movie is Pazhassiraja's resistance against Britishers and Chandu's evil plans to defeat him.

While I am not a great fan of period movies, I must say that this movie is quite commendable. Remember Jodha Akbar with super ornate and glamorous sets, melodrama by everyone at the drop of a hat - this movie is exact opposite. Extremely simple and realistic sets depicting the era.And of course Mammoottywith his superb performance. With every movie that I watch, I realize the finesse with which Mammootty acts. Rest of the cast is also good except maybe for the actors playing the Englishmen. They are slightly clueless and abrupt.

Slightly slow, but then it is expected of a period movie. It is M T Vasudevan Nair's script and thus worth watching just for that.

Even if you dont know this part of history, it is worth a watch and I would say that bollywood contemporaries can definitely take a page or two (actually the whole book with a version for dummies) from Hariharan (Director) and the rest of the crew on how to make period movies.

The DVD is available with subtitles with MoserBaer - Kerala Varma Pazhassiraja

Do Watch.

Naan Ee (Tamil) / Eega (Telugu)

Literally meaning " I am a fly", Naan Ee or Eega is nothing you would have seen ever before.

Sudeep, a wealthy businessman who is also a womanizer, has his eyes set on a girl who came to him for donation for her charity. Bindu is a simple girl who runs a school and does micro-art, i.e. carving rice, pencil tips etc. Nani is the boy next door who is completely in love with her for two years now. Bindu while playing hard to get also likes him.

When Sudeep realizes that Bindu is completely oblivious to his advances because of Nani, he kills Nani. Now comes the most exciting part. In a Harry Potter-esque turn of events, Nani's soul latches onto the living object in sight, which happens to be fly eggs. And Nani is reborn as a fly...

He ends up with Sudeep and instantly recognizes him as the killer. Rest of the story is his revenge against Sudeep and his bid to protect Bindu from his amorous advances.

I would say its a feat for Indian cinema for the absolutely fantastic execution of this fantasy drama. The animation is superb. The way it's woven with the rest of the story is remarkable. There are literally no loose ends and after the first twenty minutes the movie is very fast past paced. Compared to other recent sci-fi / fantasy stories like Ra.One, 7th Aum Arivu etc.  Eega is ahead by miles both in story, creativity and execution.

Sudeep (Sudeep) and Samantha (Bindu) have both done a good job. Sudeep especially plays the villain tormented by a fly without much melodrama. though the true hero of the story, needless to say is the "Eega" ;)

I saw the movie without subtitles and really enjoyed.

Must Watch.

Spatikam (Prism)

Finally Two years after I bought the movie I finally saw it.

The movie is a story of a real life rowdy called "Aadu Thomas", played by Mohanlal. Let me first start with the name of the movie, I absolutely love the fact that many Malayalam movies have well thought out names ( contrast that too the barrage of names with pyar mohabbat dil etc. in Bollywood ). It's a simple story with no shenanigans. Son of an acclaimed Math teacher, Thomas runs away from home at an early age, unable to bear the atrocities of his strict father who wants him to become a math scholar. He returns many years later, still unaccepted by his father, ends up becoming a rowdy almost revered by the people he helps. A corrupt police officer makes life miserable for Thomas and most of the movie is his rebellion against the system.

What's interesting about the movie is the way it weaves the friction between the father and the son as a backdrop amidst all the action.

While the story is simple, the storytelling is fast paced and interesting. Without much melodrama, Mohanlal gives a superbly restrained performance and carries the entire movie on his shoulder. And of course it stars the original Silk Smitha ;)

Watch it like you are reading a short story.

The DVD is available with Moser baer with subtitles - Moserbaer - Spatikam

Can Watch.

Nivedyam

The movie traces the life of Mohana Krishnan (Vinu Mohan), who inspite of being a high caste “Namboodiri”, does carpentry.  He is sent by a lyricist who was his deceased father’s (a famous literary) to learn music to Kovilakom. There Mohana starts working in the temple while learning music from Thampuram. All the girls who are studying there also like Mohan. There is an orphan Satyabhama (Bhama) who also learns music there and she also falls in love with Mohan.

After this it’s the regular filmi story – boy meets girl...they fall in love...girl is betrothed to the villain...boy fights villain...society opposes boy and girl...boy is forced to kill the villain...Boy is jailed...girl vows to wait for him forever.

The only saving grace of the movie is Bhama whoes innocence steals your heart. She plays the character of an effervescent village belle who smiles with mischief inspite of all her trubles with aplomb.

Vinu Mohan looks like a foolish tongue in cheek rebel without a cause. No one else even deserves a mention. Music is below average. The story is all over the place. Very frankly I couldn’t sit through the movie.


The movie is available with Moser baer with subtitles - Moserbaer - Nivedyam

Do skip.