Money Ratnam Malayalam Movie Review

‘Money Rathnam’ is an enjoyable fun-ride for those who are on the look-out for some entertainment. It’s a comedy thriller that’s OK for a one-time watch and mixes humour, some action and some human element too.

Neil John Samuel (Fahadh Faasil), who is a sales manager working at a Benz showroom in Ernakulam, is going back home after a car launch and a couple of successful sales. He misses his bus and as he is waiting for the next bus, sees a bar near the bus stand. He goes to have a drink, but on the way out things go a bit wrong and a bunch of goons, led by the very notorious Makudi Das (Joju George), is on his trail....

A bunch of locals, lead by Jaleel (Sasi Kalinga) and Joppan (Chembil Ashokan) are out to sell a precious stone to the very rich Isaac (Renji Panicker). Isaac, accompanied by the astrologer (Sunil Sukhada) who had advised him to posses the stone and carrying one crore rupees in a bag, which is entrusted with his assistant (Kochupreman), who is sitting in the back seat of the car, is out to fix the deal and buy the gem. But then, something goes terribly wrong; the bag goes missing and lands up in the hands of Neil, who happens to reach Tamil Nadu without knowing that he is in possession of a fortune...

Neil’s lover Piya (Niveda Thomas), who runs a charity organisation, is out on a mission to save a bunch of kids, who need urgent medical care and who are in want of money. She goes about hunting for sources of money to manage an event which she has planned to launch her initiative.

A pair of lovers from Tamil Nadu, who had eloped with plans to get married, get kidnapped and are dumped in a deserted building somewhere near Udumalpet in Tamil Nadu, only to be saved by Neil and a couple of other guys whom Neil meets on the way.

All these are blended together to form a light-veined entertainer that of course conveys some good, positive messages too. The film is handled well by everyone involved, on screen and off screen and with a run-time of just over 2 hours, the film is time-pass stuff and would appeal mostly to youngsters.

Performance 

Fahadh is good as Neil; accomplished actor that he has proved himself to be, Fahadh proves that he is very much at ease with such roles too which demands some song n’ dancing, some fights etc and he has handled them all with ease. Niveda lends able support as Piya while Renji Panicker and Joju are convincing in their respective roles. All the others do justice to their respective roles.

Technical aspects 

                                                                                           

Cinematography by Neil D’Cunha is excellent and suits the mood and tempo of the film. All others, editor Manoj, art-director Biju Chandran etc have lent able support.

Music

The background score is good and suits the mood of the film. The songs too jell well with the plot and the mood.

Script

Anil Narayanan and Ajith.C.Lokesh have done a balanced work of the script, bringing in every element that needs to be there for a comedy thriller to work out and not overdoing things as some of our writers nowadays are wont to do...Good job!

Direction

Debutante Santhosh Nair needs to be appreciated for delivering a watchable time-pass movie and handling all aspects with the deftness of a seasoned director.

Verdict- Expect nothing serious or great; an enjoyable fun-ride for those who are on the look-out for some entertainment...

Rating: 2.5/5

Review by : Unni R Nair

'Njan' Malayalam Movie Review: Watch it for Some Prodigious Performances

"Njan" goes through the chronological, casual, nonlinear and historical take on Kottur's life. The film goes through emotional and perceptive struggles of Kottur who lived in the village (name of the village is also Kottur) in the northern Malabar during the emergence of communism in Kerala. Though brought up under strong influences and political ideologies of a congressman, Kottur was pointed out as a radical by most of his political counterparts and his enemies.

"Njan" is not only the reflection of Kottur's political graph, but the director has also successfully managed to bring out the human behavioural aspect of the social reformer.

The film also gives a deep insight of the social, political and cultural life of northern Malabar during the pre–independence era.

Ranjith has come up with an excellent narrative style, which is rarely used in Malayalam cinema and "Njan" must be watched for his directorial and scripting excellence. The director has also made an effort to bring out the best of the medium of cinema by using visuals as narratives and by demanding the best performances from the actors.

Njan PosterFacebook/ Njan Malayalam Movie

The most important aspect of this film is some prodigious performances by the actors.

It would be unfair to credit few actors as best, but few performances make this film a worthy one to watch.

Dulquer had given out a mature performance, which will surprise few of his critics. He has not only managed to break the stereotype image of an urban youth, but has carried the film on his shoulder with his superlative performance.

Another performance that stands out in the film is by Renji Panicker who plays the devious and villainous character of Nambiar in the film. He has again proved that he possesses some innate qualities as an actor, other than his directorial skills.

Suresh Krishna who played the role of Kunjappan Nair, father of Kottur gave an effortless performance with his histrionics. Hareesh Perady made the character of Nakulan a believable one with his realistic approach to acting.

Another important aspects of the film are its women characters, who have shaped the personal space and emotions of Kottur. Out of all the women characters, it was Muthumani Somasundaram's performance as Kottur's aunt that stands out. The actress has perfected her role with such skills and techniques, and is her best performance till now.

The rest of the woman characters in the film played by Anumol, Jyothi Krishna, Shruthy Ramachandran and Pearly Maaney are also commendable.

Saiju Kurup, Irshad, Saadiq and Joy Mathew have also made their characters memorable with their performances.

'Njan' PosterFacebook/ Njan Malayalam Movie

Review of "Njan" would be complete only if we mention the excellent creative works by the art, make up and costume department, who have given the identity to the narration and the characters of the film.

The art direction of the film is done by Santhosh Raman, make up is by Ranjith Ambady and the costumes were handled by S. B. Satheesh. "Njan" might fetch them some of the prestigious awards of this year.

The music of Bijibal has managed to set the mood of the film. The songs were more of poetic renditions with some excellent lyrics, which went well with the situations.

If there is a drawback, which could be pointed for this film, it would be the lag that was felt towards the end of the first half. The film might not be comprehended by all as it gives a feel of high art that is more suited for academic discourse. Otherwise, Ranjith and his crew have managed to bring out a class film, which would be discussed in the critics' circle.

"Njan" is definitely not a typical filmy entertainer with lots of twist, turns or gripping moments but is a reflection of an individual's culture, attitudes, emotions, values, ethics, genetics, perceptions and social space.

My tree challenge : Mammootty, Surya, Vijay etc......

Mohanlal.... Lailaa O Lailaa Started Rolling

Mohanlal starrer Lailaa O Lailaa, directed by hit maker Joshiy, started rolling. Amala Paulis playing the female role opposite Mohanlal. Tamil actor Sathyaraj will appear in an important role in the movie.

Lailaa O Lailaa is penned by Suresh Nair, who earned a huge critical acclaim with the Bollywood movie Kahaani. The movie marks the trio Joshiy-Mohanlal-Amala Paul joining hands, after the huge success of Run Baby Run.

Ammakkoru Tharattu…the Thampi’s 500th song with Yesudas

Sreekumaran Thmapi adorns the honour that he is the only lyricist who has penned 500 songs sung by K.J.Yesudas. The 500th song is “ Ammakkoru tharattu…Kanneeril Anandathil neerattu” from the movie Ammakkoru Tharattu directed by Thampi himself. Music is also by Thampi.

Yesudas has sung 444 songs penned by Vayalar and 415 songs penned by P.Bhaskaran.