Review of 'Newton' - India's official entry to the Oscars

Rajkummar Rao is brilliant as 'Newton Kumar' in Newton.

Newton leaves you with many open questions, who is right/wrong is left to the viewer. Newton Kumar, a law-abiding and honest government official part of the electorial reserve staff is given the burdensome task of conducting election in a naxal infected forest area of Chattisgarh. Newton faces hurdle after hurdle at his election booth to get his 76 tribal voters to vote, This forms the plot of India's official entry to the Oscars this year. 

The fact that Newton Kumar has high regard for the constitution and elections is justified by the poster of Ambedkar in his room. The film throws light on the problems faced by Scheduled Tribes in India, often harrassed by the men of power and authority, they have little faith in the government. They often find themselves between the government and the naxals. The film succeeds in showing the might of the Indian elections as well as it's downfalls. One of the most striking scenes of the film is a tribal shaking his head and saying nothing will change for them no matter who comes to power.

Rajkumar Rao is brilliant as the often eccentric Newton Kumar, adding his touch of mannerisms to the character. Newton is not a film that would appeal to all, but is a definite must watch for people looking for good cinema.  

Althaf Salim's 'Njandukalude Naatil oru Idavela' - Review

Althaf Salim in Premam.

'ഇവനെ പാലത്തുമെന്നു തള്ളി ഇട്ടാലോ..' is what Nivin says about Althaf Salim's character in the 'Pathivayi' song in Premam. We are glad that he didn't have to come to it. We watched Althaf's directorial debut the aptly titled 'ഞണ്ടുകളുടെ നാട്ടിൽ  ഒരു ഇടവേള' and loved it. A film that you can watch and enjoy along with your family and friends. 

While many debut film makers fall prey to stardom and mass masala subjects(read 'Kasaba'), Althaf chose to do a different theme, one on the struggles in the life of a Cancer patient and their family(read middle class). Which is something that deserves mention and applause. Not only has he highlighted the struggles, he has sketched the topic and thoughts in a humorous way, taking occasional hard hitting digs at the society we live in and the stigma that surrounds cancer. The plus of the film ultimately is the humor laid narrative and the optimism that it carries. 

Njandukalude Naatil oru Idavela promotional poster.

The film starts off with a day in the life of Sheela (Shanthi Krishna), a bold women, lecturer,  wife, mother of three living a peaceful life with her family somewhere in Kochi. Things take a twist as she doubts symptoms of breast cancer, she soon shares the news with her husband Chacko who immediately goes panic mode 'on'. The plot unveils as she calls up her only son Kurian from London to Kerala, who believes his parents has arranged for his marriage. The film then goes on to discuss all the events in a cancer patient's life, from breaking the news to your dear ones to different stages of chemo, hair loss, waiting for results and ultimately recovery. All these events are presented in a mature yet humorous narrative. There are often digs at the society who are often rude and compassion less to cancer patients and their family. 

The beautiful and talented Shanti Krishna makes a comeback with 'Sheela Chacko'

Coming to casting, Shanti Krishna steals the show as Sheela Chacko, the bold and strong protagonist of the film. It would be hard to imagine someone else essaying the role once you have finished the film. Then there is Lal, for whom this is yet another casual role. Nivin Pauly plays a character similar to the one in Jacobinte Swargarajyam here and plays his part well. Ahaana Krishna gets some spotlight after the much loved 'Njan Steve Lopez' and lives up to her role. The rest of the cast has also played their parts well.

There are some beautiful songs in the film, with 'Nanavere' being our favorite. Then there is the 'Enthavo' song. The music is by we believe a debutant Justin Varghese who has done some great work for the film. Mukesh Muraleedharan's cinematography is also something that adds to the value of the film. My wife loved the way his frames captured the beautiful 'Chacko' house with all it's plants and flowers. What we also liked about the film is the fact it doesn't revolve around one character, everyone in the Chacko family has an almost equal screen space. Lastly we should thank 'Pauly jr' productions for welcoming yet another talented director to our Industry. 

To summarize, The film is a family entertainer that discusses a much relevant issue in Kerala at the moment in a way that is refreshingly new and everything but depressing. Take a break in the land of crabs and watch it with your family and friends.  

'The Grownup' by 'Gone Girl' author Gillian Flynn

Ever since watching 'Gone Girl', I wanted to grab a Gillian Flynn book and read it. It was on Amazon that I came across 'The Grownup'. The deal was a steal and I bought it. The book took me around an hour and half to read.

The protagonist is a street smart young women who earns a living by giving hand-jobs and doubling up as an 'Aura' expert. The story soon takes a turn as she meets Susan Burke, who wants help with her troubled step-son Miles and the 'haunted' house she believes she lives in. The rest is for you to read on. I wouldn't say it is one of the best thrillers out there, but for a story this short to keep you engaged is some gift. 

The author towards the end of the book leaves you with two stories to choose from, leaves you puzzled and thinking. Gillian Flynn has the uncanny ability of creating a mystery surrounding the main characters, the pattern is followed here as well. 

I am not an avid reader and I love reading books that are short and good. 'The Grownup' is one such book, Keep your expectations in check and this book just might end up surprising you. I will definitely read more of Gillian, 'The Gone Girl' is next. Happy reading. 

Rahul Dravid and the Pull Shot

There are a plethora of articles on the Internet about Sachin Tendulkar and his classic straight drive. As straight drive is to the maestro is the 'Pull' shot to Rahul Dravid. How elegantly he plays it and deserves as much if not more praise than his square cuts, cover drives and leg glances. The balance and control over the shot is amazing, as if he has pulled a million times already. The beauty of the signature Dravid pull shot is that he rarely pulls it in the air, the shots are angled down minimizing risk of being caught. 

Here I came across a youtube video titled 'Bowling machine firing bouncers at team india'. The thumbnail had Suresh Raina standing against a bowling machine waiting, little did I expect Dravid to be in the video. While Suresh Raina struggles against the shortball, Gambhir does Ok. Next walks in the Wall himself and shows them how it's done. This video is a classic example separating the legends from the men.

  Raina, Gambhir and Rahul Dravid face the bouncer against a bowling machine.

Here is another one from Youtube where he pulls the legendary 'Lance Klusener' to the fence. 


Rahul Dravid pulls Lance Klusener delivery for four. 
Most players who play the pull shot to perfection are legends, my favorite being Ricky Ponting. Ponting seems effortless pulling deliveries up and over the fence. He does it with such ease and 


Let us know who plays the best Pull shots in comments. :)

Dulquer, 'Charlie' and Mohanlal

I belong to that category of people who were shocked to hear that Dulquer had won the state award for his performance in Charlie. The same award that has been graced by legends like Sathyan, Bharat Gopi, Mammootty, Mohanlal, Thilakan and many others. 

Dulquer Salmaan in and as 'Charlie'

Having got the DVD and having watched it a few times again, I see how Duluqer has done justice and more to the Happy-go-lucky character of 'Charlie'. The energy and small nuances he has put into the role is amazing. From the current crop of lead actors in Malayalam Cinema, I can't imagine someone else suited for the role. There are a few scenes in the movie worth mentioning that Dulquer has acted out with grace. An example would be the scene with Ranji Panicker's character Asi and Charlie having an argument over the death prank by Charlie. Charlie then explains about the thrill he got from doing the same, the dialogue delivery and nuances were brilliant in this one. 

   Dulquer's emotional scene from 'Charlie'.

But there are definite shades of Mohanlal in Dulquer's portrayal. How I wished Mohanlal had done 'Charlie' at his prime, no disrespect meant to Dulquer, but 'Charlie' seems to be tailor made for Mohanlal, The happy-go-lucky nomadic daring central character.  I have already wrote about the same in a previous blog post. 

Where is the Hydrofoil boat service of Kerala ?

Hydrofoil Boats

This was one of the most anticipated projects in Travel and Transportation sector of the state last year. Everything happened in quick time, the announcement, the delivery of hydrofoil boats. This was big news back in July 2016, which was 8 months back. Many leading newspapers reported the same and touted it would be a big boost to the tourism and transportation industry. Owned by a private establishment, the Cochin Port Trust had announced they would charge a nominal fee as rent and government also announced a subsidy of Rs 1/KM in the travel fare for each person, encouraging more investments on this sector. Announced for launch in September last year, there is still no news on the project or the boats.

Newspaper clipping on Hydrofoil Boats in Malayala Manorama

The highlight of the project was that it could carry up to 130 people from Trivandrum to Calicut via Cochin in around 5 hours. Trivandrum to Kochi in 2 hours and from Kochi to Kozhikode in 3 hours, which would other wise would take around 4 hours each in minimal traffic. Though fares are a little on the higher side(1000rs - 1200), people travelling could have had the advantage of time. The boats, which are fully air-conditioned also have pantries on board.

So where are the two Hydrofoil boats, that reached Cochin from Athens, Greece. Have they been rusting to death all this time ?. The project was announced by a private establishment ‘Safe Boat Trip’ ( https://www.facebook.com/safeboattrip/ ). You can write to them asking for a speedy yet safe implementation of this project. We are not quite sure how government would be able to help in this regard.

The shades of Mohanlal in Dulquer's 'Charlie'

Dulquer and Soubin from 'Charlie'

Some people call Charlie, a modern day version of 'Unnikale or Kadha Parayam'. Many comparisons have been drawn over time about Dulquer Salman's character in Charlie and Mohanlal. No offence to DQ, but how I wished Mohanlal had done this script at his prime. The character seems to be tailor made for Mohanlal, eccentric and unpredictable characters have always been a cake walk for him. 

I was watching this particular scene from Charlie when Soubin's character 'Suni' breaks into Charlie's house. The scene soon breaks into a dialogue sequence over some alcohol. This scene and the mannerisms of Dulquer reminded me of Mohanlal and I am sure that I have seen this scene many times before, especially when he says the dialogue below and the body language that goes with it, 

പേരായാൽ ഒരു മജ്ജ വേണം.. കാൾ മാർക്സ്.. റോസാ ലക്സമ്പർഗ്.. വി എസ് അച്യുതാനന്ദൻ.. വി എസ് ഒപി..  ഇത് ചുമ്മാ സുനികുട്ടൻ ..

  The house break-in scene from Charlie.

I remember reading this article where B Unnikrishnan compared Dulquer's character in Charlie and Mohanlal during the time of release. 

Utharam - Another Investigate thriller classic from the late 80's

Another lazy Saturday evening at our bachelor flat in Kochi when I stumbled across an old film, Utharam.

Utharam - 1988

The film was born at a time when Mammootty and investigative thrillers were a thing. The premise of the film is interesting and puzzling. A mishap kills Selina Joseph(Suparna), a budding and talented poet at her house. Planter Joseph played by Sukumaran is depressed after having lost his wife. Joseph and Selina has had a happy life together and there is little reason to suspect a suicide. Joseph is restless to know if it's a mishap or a suicide, This is when Mammotty's character Balachandran comes to the scene. A journalist and close friend of the couple, Balachandran is equally puzzled with the affairs. Joseph asks Balachandran to dig deep and solve the mystery, if any. The story of Balachandran solving the mystery of Selina's death forms the plot of this thriller. 

What makes this film special is it's screenplay by MT Vasudevan Nair. A screenplay that is reminiscent of Hitchcock thrillers and a lead character that has shades of a mini Sherlock. The film is directed by V.K. Pavithran.  Shankaradi, Sukumari, Parvathy and Innocent are also part of this film. This would go down easily to the list of best investigative thrillers in Malayalam cinema. 

The beauty of Trophic Cascades

It was on Youtube that I came across this video of a Trophic cascade, after a pack of wolves were introduced to the Yellowstone National Park in the United States. A trophic cascade is a chain of events that starts at the top of a food chain and cascades down to the bottom. Watch the two videos below to know more,

  The wolves and Yellowstone National Park.

The video is amazingly beautiful and intriguing. This particular Youtube channel Sustainable Human also has a few other videos on the same topic and also on nature. There was one more that caught my attention on how Whale population is critical for Oceans.

  The whales and the ocean.
The video dismisses the claim that killing whales are good for fish population of the sea. The beauty of Trophic cascades are amazing. I have also read similar stories on Shark Population etc. It is amazing to read and know how nature works and rejuvenates itself.

Do have a read on Trophic cascades if you love nature and our planet.