Review: Neram is an average entertainer

Paresh C Palicha says Mumbai Police is good suspense thriller which willl be enjoyed for its interesting story. The success of a suspense thriller depends on whether the viewer can put together the clues scattered in the narrative when the suspense is revealed in the end. Mumbai Police, the new film directed by Rosshan Andrrews, does just that. Written by the duo Bobby and Sanjay, this movie has a lot going for it apart from the mystery. The performances of the leading trio, of Prithviraj, ...

Paresh C Palicha says Bharya Athra Pora is loud and regressive but the family audiences might enjoy it. Families are considered to be Jayaram's fan base and once in a while he comes up with a story that makes families flock to the theatres. His latest film Bharya Athra Pora is one such effort. Directed by Akku Akbar and written by Gireesh Kumar (the same team that was behind Veruthe Oru Bharya around five years back, though this is not a sequel), it treads familiar terrain. The film ...

Paresh C Palicha says Hotel California has no plot and look like a half baked effort from director Ali John. A question one often asks after watching some films is: “Why was this film made?” It’s a question one definitely asks of Hotel California, directed by Aji John. The script is by Anoop Menon, who also stars in the film together with Jayasurya. They duo were success in their last outing when they they put up a good performance in Beautiful ...

Paresh C Palicha says that it is hard to believe that Ladies and Genleman is the work of the director Siddique who has given some good films in the past. The festive season is considered auspicious by the film industry as family audiences splurge on movie tickets. The industry keeps its biggest and finest offerings for these periods. And what can be bigger than Mohanlal in the Malayalam film industry? Especially if he joins hands with Siddique, the writer-director, who recently joined the ...

Malayalam film Akam has some exciting moments, writes Paresh C Palicha.In Manichitrathazhu (1993), Fazil had made the point that someone who believes in supernatural horror stories needs psychiatric help. His son, Fahadh Faasil takes the point further in Akam, a psychological thriller adapted from Malayatoor Ramakrishnan's seminal novel, Yakshi.  Directed by Shalini Usha Nair, the film tells the distressing story of a young man whose life changes after a road accident.Srinivas ...

Malayalam film August Club Since 1969 could have been much better, writes Paresh C Palicha.There is tendency among us to term a film bold if it revolves around a female character, it does really matter what the story is or what it is trying to convey. August Club Since 1969 is one such effort directed by K B Venu based on Venalinte Kalaneekkangal, a short story by P Ananthapadmanabhan, son of legendary director P Padmarajan.It tells the story of Savithri (Rima Kallingal), a vibrant young lady ...

Climax is slow paced and uninteresting says Paresh C Palicha Climax, directed by Anil, tells the story of a bold starlet of yore who could carry a film on her slender shoulders just by appearing in a song or showing some oomph. No, it’s not the life story of Silk Smitha, and the disclaimer in the beginning says so. This is the rags-to-riches story of Ponkudi (Sana Khan), a housemaid whose luck changes after she decides to be a screen actress. In time, she virtually rules the South Indian ...

Paresh C Palicha says Amen as a film excels in all departments of filmmaking. Amen, directed by Lijo Jose Pelllissery, who has made Nayakan (2010), and City of God (2011), is one of the first films to adopt the so-called 'New Gen' formula of multiple narratives and parallel storytelling. It also has Fahadh Faasil, the flavour of the season. Amen is a humorous film staying true to its tag line 'a divine comedy'. The film can be seen from many angles: as a love story in the classical mould, or ...

Paresh C Palicha says Red Wine may not be a gripping muder mystery but should be watched for the performances by the lead actors. The experimentation in Malayalam cinema is on full throttle with new directors bringing in new narrative techniques and telling old stories with new perspectives. Red Wine, directed by Salam Bappu (who has been assisting Lal Jose for the last decade or so) is one such experiment, with a subject that looks like a pure whodunnit on the surface. But if you dig a ...