The story of things

It’s not common that horror or supernatural dramas offer surprise package to the audience. SonyLiv original Tamil anthology series ‘The story of things’ contains 5 short about how old or replaced things communicates with a person.

First episode ‘Weighing scale’ highlights the journey of a struggling actor and problems happening after an incident.Writer really well portrays the conflict between success and guilt.Background score along with the compelling performance of Bharath helps in building tense moments. The only concern was the unnecessary focus on horror part of the episode title though some of them works well.

Second episode ‘Cellular phone’ revolves around Vannamayil (or VM) and her bonding with her mother. Writer initially establishes the conservative nature of mother character and how Vannamayil got adapted to a scheduled life. Dialogues including a story narration in different scenes smartly adds nuances to the narration. For instance: the tale of a dog fallen in a well. Though the horror element is not very nerve chilling, the director maintains the supernatural ambience really well. The Final emotional breakdown was really touching. Aditi balan did justice to her role as the overthinking ‘VM’.

Probably weaker compared to the others, third episode ‘Compressor’ is about the weird incidents happening for a couple when they buy an old model AC. Director maintains the supernatural element throughout by utilizing silence and the sound of the AC as required. Background score manages to create scary moments and effectively bring in the conflict between the interactions of the couple.Main drawback was that the writer never tried to explain those weird incidents unlike the previous 2. Climax remained wanting more for a finish. Slow burning style may not be acceptable for everyone.

Fourth episode ‘Car’ focuses on ‘Brito’ who experiences incidents similar to his childhood memories and shows why travels back to his old house after years. The main similarity of 2nd and this story is that both portray wrong parenting.Siddique nails his role as the strict and abusive father. Shanthanu Bhagyaraj lends equally good support as Britto who carries the trauma and is scared of cars because of his daunting past His performance adds authenticity to the transformation of the character.Unlike the 3rd one, the Director manages to make a clear indication of the hallucination and supernatural elements in the narration.Climax revelation was smart enough and unexpected.

As we say ‘Save the best for the last’, fifth episode ‘Mirror’ is the best of the lot.Sethu, a guy with suicidal tendency witnesses a life inside an old mirror in his new house.Background score maintains the pleasant feel mostly. Interaction scenes of protagonist and girl are joy to watch and refreshment from the dark mood set by the other stories. Anshitha Anand and Vinoth Kishan share a sweet chemistry between them and that makes the short more enjoyable.Climax, particularly the last 5 min turn around seems a bit confusing but the uniqueness complements the unusual ending.
Final revelation will make viewers wonder how this was actually written and that makes this one an engaging watch.

Watch link: https://www.sonyliv.com/shows/story-of-things-tamil-1700001109/weighing-scale-1000203234

Most underrated movies of 2022

2022 witnessed a lot of quality cinema on OTT and big screen.It includes movies with less expectations making a big impact (For example: Love Today,Jaya jaya jaya jaya he),
big budget movies like PS-1,Karthikeya-2,Kantara etc.. and more. Bringing the most underrated top movies of an year is not an easy task just because
2022 was such a delightful year for a cinephile. Below is the list of top 5 underrated movies of 2022.
Note that I have excluded the movies I reviewed earlier this year.

1. Ela Veezha Poonchira (Soorya Festival- Malayalam): We often use ‘Slow-burning thriller’ to mention thriller movies with slow pace. Ela veezha poonchira
is one much movie set in a hilltop backdrop and follows a cop doing his duty. After the initial setup, the narrative moves to a crime thriller and
keeps the viewer engaged. Special mention to the sound design and performances.I don’t know when it will be available on OTT. Try not to miss it
when it is available.

2. Badhaai Do (Netflix-Hindi): Choosing an important subject for a comedy movie and narrating it without reducing the importance of the subject is not at all an easy task. That’s where
Badhaai Do stands apart. This movie asks the viewer to forget those controversies around bollywood and just enjoy the humour scenes.Most importantly,
Director maintains the perfect balance of Humour and emotional scenes.

3. Kaun Pravin Tambe (Hotstar-Hindi): Though sports drama genre is very common in Hindi, 2022 witnessed many top class movies including Jhund and Toolsidas junior. Kaun praveen Tambe is another addition to the list. The way this movie progresses and inspires the viewer makes this movie a class apart from other
sports dramas released recently. Tha main point is that the protagonist kept trying even after age and family problems affected him.
Ashish Vidyarthi’s memorable performance gives the optimal support to the lead actor.

4. Natchathiram Nagargiradhu (Netflix-Tamil): Normally, Pa Ranjith’s movies gain popularity among the viewers. But this movie got the least(Length may be the reason)and that’s why I added
this movie to my list. This movie starts with Iniyan (Kalidas) and his lover Rene (Dushara Vijayan) working in a Drama troupe. But things around him change
when Kalayarasan’s character is introduced to their play practice. Pa Ranjith succeeded in portraying the transformation of Kalayairasan’s
character very effectively. It’s surely a bold attempt in highlighting the problems of people in different sections of society. Watch out for the
scene depicting honour killing.

5. Matto Ki Saikil (Prime video-Hindi): Ths movie revolves around Matto, a daily wage labourer and his relationship with his cycle. Though this slice-of-life rural drama revolves around these 2,
We see various characters around them (Including Pradhanji who addresses the problems of the villagers, caste system, financial issues and more), this movie revolves around the sorrow and ecstasy of Matto and his family. After the Zee5 original ‘Pareeksha’, Prakash Jha comes up with yet another standout performance as Matto.This movie may not have surprising moments,
may feel a bit lagging or slow for a section of viewers. But try to watch it for the story it tries to narrate and lead performance.(Try to watch subtitled version)

Last film show

Recently, I watched lot of top quality movies including Ela Veezha Poonchira, Monika O my darling and Dollu. But I can’t refrain myself from recommending Gujarathi movie ‘Chhello show’ or ‘Last film show’ which was named as the official entry for Oscars.

This movie follows Samay, a 9 year old boy from a poor family trying to explore the world of cinema and shows how the changes in cinema affected him.

Starting set up reminded me of ‘Village rockstars’ movie. Writer slowly takes us to the village and shows the progression of the children’s passion towards cinema. Initially, they watch around visuals with glass, show curiosity to see the light and then get mesmerized on big screen. Samay keep facing challenges but he is not ready to give up exploring the world of movies. He keep expressing himself without thinking about the consequences of what he is doing. Children put several attempts to recreate the magic they saw in the big screen. The first attempt is to start visualizing their passion. (At times, their curiosity is crossing the limit). The way the children try to recreate various types of sounds is so heartening to watch.

Director maintains the minimalism in portraying the problems of Samay’s parents. Addition of local flavor adds beauty to the scenes. Tiffin box packing scenes are example for that. Background score caries the pleasant feel when required and lends the support for the viewer to understand the pain of Samay towards the end. Cuts shows transition between the scenes with the optimal flow. For instance: Transition from Samay enjoying the light of the projector to the owners taking him away was so organic.

As Samay, Bhavin Rabari really nails his character with reactions and helplessness towards the end, also with minimal dialogues. Along with Samay, writer parallelly explores the life of Fazal, a projectionist who doesn’t know English. Special mention to the actor as well.

The main drawback I found was the believability of the climax. Climax was the least satisfactory for me. Keeping the drawbacks apart, This movie is an endearing ode to the beautiful art called cinema. I’m sure that genuine movie goers will love it more than others.

Movie watch link: https://www.netflix.com/in/title/81496006

Toolsidas Junior

Toolsidas junior may be yet another addition to the list of predictable sports drama following a common template. But where this movie works is that deviates from the usual path and it connects well with the viewers.

Toolsidas, a snooker player in a club and an alchohol addict has a bad habit of losing to Jimmy Tandon in Finals. Will he be able to overcome it ? Or is there any twist in the tale?.

The most important positive of this movie is the path chosen by writer (Also the director and the boy in real life) to reach the destination. We never see the rise of Tulsidas senior. We see him play fantastic shots, love and show care to his little son ( For instance: Asking him to wear a full Pant saying that he is a man). We also see how alchohol plays villain in his life. But this movie is more about the rise of Tulsidas junior and the siblings relationship with love and fight. Midi- Goti (brothers) scenes are delight to watch.

Then comes the mass entry of Salam Bhai (Sanjay Dutt). He rarely talks to anyone and carries a pain of his own past. Initial buildup helps the viewers to keep invested. Writer gives the required technical detailing of the game in a simple way. Core story may remind us of other underdog sports drama (may be Jhund) but writer makes the journey more enjoyable with his detailing.

Though enters late, Sanjay dutt carries the rough and tough Salam bhai with an impactful performance. Look out for the scene after walkover match and his conversation scene with Toolsidas junior’s mother. Rajiv kapoor puts up measured performance with minimal dialogues and facial expressions that speak volumes. The boy who played the title character too made the transformation of the character look authentic.

Background score played a major role in uplifting the impact of many scenes, especially Humour scenes. Cuts were pretty decent. The only letdown was the climax. It seems that writer ignored the conflict towards the end.

Despite the predictability and not that convincing climax portion, Toolsidas junior works primarily because of the light hearted narration and the fantastic performances. This movie deserve better viewership for sure.

Watch link: https://www.netflix.com/in/title/81107547?preventIntent=true

King Richard

There is a normal template for a sports drama: Finding out the talent, training, overcoming the nerves in domestic matches and then the final success. King Richard initially traverse through the template basically but the most important positive is that it manages to move away from majority elements in the template and think out of the box.
Richard, an athlete cum business man dreams about 2 of his 5 daughters: Venus and Serena. But he had to overcome many hurdles to help them reach the stage. Will they be able to achieve it? That forms the crux of the story.

One line may feel similar to a normal predictable sports drama but it’s not. We see the support of whole family in this movie. We see the support given by the mother in different instances: She trains Serena because they can’t afford to pay fees for both. She raises her voice when cops came for enquiry corresponding to the complaint given by their neighbors. She fights with Richard when he is stubborn to take every decision related to Venus on his own. Siblings helps Venus to keep the positive atmosphere within the family.

Last but not at all the least , it’s the stubborn but not so strict father,Richard Williams who proves others wrong when others told that window for his plan is very small and very unlikely to happen. Script succeeded in adding scenes showing the confidence and self belief of the characters along with their hardwork to bring the motivation factor.

Director managed to add more detailing to the narrative. For example: the writing on the wall in a scene , ‘If you fail to plan, then you are planning to fail’. Also Director made sure that character of Serena never gets overshadowed when narrative shifts to the growth of Venus Williams.

Background score aided a great support to build the tension during the match portions and in emotional scenes.
Will smith really gets into the pitch of the character. Watch out for the emotional scene in which he talks about his past. Ellis lends ample support as the wife character.Saniyya Sidney puts up a top performance ras Venus Williams. Watch out for the conversation scenes with her father character and the way she reacts to the ups and downs during match scenes. Special mention to the dialogue as well throughout the movie and the actor who did the role of main coach. Cuts were pretty good enough to maintain the flow, thrill and anxiety in the viewers especially in match portions.

I’m not that follower of Tennis. So I’m happy to get to know few names like Vicario, Jennifer Capirati, Rick Macci.
The only drawback was the way Richard responded in very few situations. I felt some of his reactions as weird. Slowness in the narrative may be an issue for some, but not for me.
To sum it up, King Richard is an out of the box movie as its climax. Just watch it.

Watch link: https://www.primevideo.com/splash/t/getTheApp/ref=atv_cf_strg_ad

Writer

We have seen many cop thrillers in different type: Action Hero Biju, in which a central character resolves all small issues, Visaranai and Kavalthurai ungal nanban, that explores the police atrocities. Writer differs from these in the core theme and the way of portrayal of few characters and their backstories.

Thangaraj is an experienced cop and he worked as a writer in writing crime scenes. As he says to a character, he barely hits anyone or uses gun. He gets the duty to look after a guy named Devakumar in a lodge. Who is devakumar and how will Devakumar’s case change the life of Thangaraj? That forms the crux of the story.

The main positive of this movie is that it neglects the usual elements in a cop story. Initially, we are shown the family dilemma of Thangaraj. Then we move to police station where Thankaraj explains to a rookie about case file details and the ‘adjustments’ to resolve cases. Then comes the core issue of the necessity of police union and Thankaraj’s fight for it.

Writing of meaty characters and their sub plots is yet another merit for this movie. For instance: Thankaraj’s companion Raja shares his story with Thankaraj where he wanted to change his life but the cops never let him to do it. The way of writing that scene and the narration that creates an emotional connect with the character elevates that scene with limited time.

Along with police atrocities, this movie highlights the importance of mental health of cops: How their indefinite work time affects their lives and their families.

Special mention to dialogues as well. For instance: Thangaraj says to the rookie in a scene:”Policele adhikarathile illatha ellarume adiyal than”. Such strong dialogues strike the right chord.

Samudrakani fits pitch perfect to Thangaraj. He portrayed the helplessness, fight and the final fierce attack with atmost conviction. Iniya was fine as Saranya in the impactful flashback portions. Special mention to background score in the chase sequences. Cuts could have been better in Devakumar’s flashback portion. The flashback seems to be stretched a bit and loses the steam.

Writer deserves a watch for the core topic it tries to discuss, Samudrakani’s intense performance and technical fineness. Do try it.

Most underrated movies of 2021

As it’s wrap up for 2021, we have seen more in the year. In correspondence with OTT growth due to the global pandemic, OTT platforms concentrated more on regional language content, more specifically south indian content (Addition of SonyLiv to the competition of better quality South Indian content).

Let’s look back to the most underrated and less discussed 5 movies of 2021. Do note that I haven’t included the popular and most discussed movies like Karnan, Jai Bhim, Joji, Drishyam 2, Maanadu, Home, Nayattu etc…

5. Nail polish (Hindi- Zee5):- Nail polish never follows a template or take sides throughout the court proceedings. With Manav Kaul’s unbelievable performance and intriguing non-linear narration, this one deserves to be in my underrated top 5.

4. Aarkariyam (Malayalam- Amazon prime video):- Aakariyam gets to the list with its slow burning narration, detailing given to the characters, initial setup of beginning stage of covid. Though the slowness is bit beyond limit at times, it keeps the viewers eager to know the proceedings of the movie.

3. Sivaranjiniyum innum sila pengalum (Tamil-SonyLiv):- It’s all about the progress of lives of multiple women in different periods. Director highlights the aspirations of women to become independent in society and shows patriarchy in multiple instances with minimal dialogues and background score. Only negative was that last story wasn’t that much convincing as the other 2.

2. Sherni (Hindi- Amazon prime video):- It’s strange that a Vidya Balan starrer is included in this list. Sherni tells the story of an officer trying her way best to serve justice for the villagers and the tigress in a flawed system. Dialogs and satire were spot on.Do watch it for the message it conveys.

1. Kadaseela Biryani (Tamil-Netflix):- Check out my previous review for the summary of Kadaseela biriyani.

Special mention:

Richer scale 7.6 (Malayalam- Roots OTT)
Cinema bandi (Telugu- Netflix)
Eeb Allay Ooo! (Hindi – Netflix)
Madhuram (Malayalam- SonyLiv)

Kadaseela biryani

There are few movies having cliche one liner but seems to be a totally different movie after converting the one liner to a full length movie.Kadaseela biriyani is one such.

Three brothers, Periya Pandit, Ilaya pandi and Chikku pandi are planning to murder a rubber estate owner as revenge for their father’s death. Could they complete it and return back to their home?

If anyone reading the above paragraph asks, ‘What is so fresh in it?. It’s a usual revenge story’, the answer is ‘Just watch the movie’.The way director Nishant narrates the story is the key highlight.

Kadaseela biriyani starts with the voice over of Vijay Sethupathi. Soon, we got to see their planning and their grit and determination to complete the revenge. They give vulgar names to their targets and reach the house of the main villain.

Nishant’s storytelling somewhere reminds the style of Lijo Jose pellisery. For instance: top angle shot of the house to denote the mystery, chase sequences and foul languages to show the rawness of the characters.

Another important positive is the way of defining the characters. Be it the elder brothers, who take initiative of the mission , Chikku pandi, mostly shown as not interested in the mission and dream of a simple better life or cops, who had to bear the burden of ‘Karia’. Karia is the only character without enough clarity. Though shown as a psychopath, some of his actions aren’t explained enough.

Another important positive is the situation based humour and its placement. Some are LOL moments (For instance: Lemon soda scene). Vijay Sethupathi’s cameo appearance as Kadavul also seemed interesting.

Background score wasn’t too loud and follow a folk style at times. Background and visuals provided the required ambience of the forest. Though length never went above required (1 hr 45 min), cuts could have been better so that few scenes could have provided much more impact (For instance: conversation scenes of the 3 main characters in the forest).

I don’t know much about the names of the actors. Actor who did the role of ‘Karia’ was menacing and he portrayed the uncertainty in the behavior of the character really well. Special mention to the elder brothers and Chikku pandi.

Kadaseela biryani is the product when a very passionate director chooses a simple revenge saga and makes it an engaging survival drama, with well written subplots. There are flaws for sure, but I believe Nishant is talented enough to deliver even better in his next outing. Ingredients are familiar enough but the flavor is a different one.( Not everyone’s cup of tea).

Watch link: https://www.netflix.com/in/title/81488264?preventIntent=true

Thinkalazcha nischayam

Blending humour, emotion and fight within the family movie structure isn’t an easy task. What Tinkalazcha nischayam does is adding hidden details and social commentary to it.That’s where this movie works for me.

Suja the engagement of younger daughter of Kuwait Vijayan(Manoj) is getting engaged and the complete family is in for a celebration. But is there a twist in the tale? Do watch and find out.

The biggest positivity is the way director Senna Hegde creates his world of characters. Senna portrays patriarchy through the character of Vijayan. He is someone who is cool when things go his way. But if it’s not, he loses his cool and shows his real character. It’s clearly shown in the dining table scene. Vijayan’s wife says in a scene how she got into the arranged marriage. We have Surabhi, elder daughter of Vijayan, who doesn’t have that good past.

Senna effectively managed to build and place subplots alongside the main plot. Be it the friends of Vijayan’s son and Gireeshettan who loves Suja.

Background score played an important role in shaping those punch lines to memorable instances. Cuts made sure that main plot and sub plots never got stretched and keep its stay to the point.

The only drawback I found was that it takes a bit time for the viewer to get into the groove. But Just forget the drawbacks and watch Thinkalazcha nischayam for the way of portrayal of the family. It’s heartening that movies like Thinkalazcha nischayam and Richer scale 7.6 prove that familiar stars aren’t mandatory to watch and love a movie.

Watch link: https://www.sonyliv.com/movies/thinkalazhcha-nishchayam-1000141569?watch=true

Kathmandu connection

Hindi web series, Kathmandu connection is about the personal and professional journey of DGP Samarth Kaushik and his efforts to find the relation of Sunny sharma with Bombay blast 1993.

It takes us first to the busy life of Shivani, a famous journalist. Shivani gets concerned when she gets anonymous calls back to back. She informs it to Samarth. Samarth starts his investigation on and off his duty and it leads him to more trouble.

After finishing the second episode, viewer would expect a cat and mouse game between Samarth kaushik and Sunny. The writing felt flat and plain without much exciting elements. Execution focuses more on the emotional angle without focusing more on investigation thriller angle. For instance: execution of Samarth’s breakdown scene in the hospital carries a lot of intensity and that makes it memorable in the end .

The real turnaround in this series reveals in the final episode and the twist that shifts the perspective was really amazing. It answers few of the questions regarding the previous episodes. For instance: the Sunny- Shivani romance felt a bit long initially but made sense in the end. Songs and background score were fine enough.
Amit Sial really puts up a strong performance as the grey shaded Samarth who is a dedicated cop but vulnerable father and husband. Shivani is yet another neatly written character, who leads a solo life. Aksha did a decent job as Shivani. Others too were fine with their role. Special mention to the actors who played Samarth’s companion officer Shravan, Shravan’s wife and CBI officer Hitesh.

Though Kathmandu connection isn’t without drawbacks, it is underrated in terms of its quality.(It looks like much of the SonyLiv contents are underrated because they aren’t great in marketing). Just watch it on SonyLiv. It won’t be a waste of time for sure.

Watch link: https://www.sonyliv.com/shows/kathmandu-connection-1700000716

Other recommendations in SonyLiv: Ram singh Charlie, Welcome home (Hindi), Dithee (Marathi), Thaen (Tamil- emotional drama), Kasada tabara (Tamil- hyperlinked stories).