Thalappavu

Constable Ravindran Pillai's (Lal) idyllic life hits a rocky crossroad when he is forced to shoot naxal Joseph (Prithviraj) in cold blood. Memories rush in of his encounters with the naxalite as he starts to slide down a self destructive slope.  Based on the killing of Naxal Verghese who was killed by the Kerala police in the 70s, the film is shot in non linear fashions with vestiges of past and present overlapping each other. An excellent directorial venture by actor, Madhupal, giving a ray of hope for the Malayalam film industry.

Rating: * * *

Thirakkatha

A screenplay being written within the movie takes its author deep into the lives of its characters. Akbar's (Prithviraj) journey to unearth the truth behind the sudden disappearance of a budding cinema star starts off well. But it makes a drastic turn for the worse and dissolves in to pathetic melodrama.

Rating: * +

Daivanamathil

A film showing a young Muslim, Anwar's (Prithwiraj), path to becoming a terrorist in the name of religion. His young wife, Sameera (Bhavana) struggles to get him to see the error of his ways. Director Jayaraaj who is famous for making depressing movies for the sake of seeing the tears of his audience does not fail.

Rating: * +

Meerayude Dukhavum Muthuvinte Swapnavum

I now realize that the presence of Prithwiraj does not alway guarantee a decent flick. Couldn't take more than 30 minutes of this tripe.

Rating: +

Chocolate

I am not sure what chocolates have to do with this movie. Shyam (Prithwiraj) prances into an all girl's college with the usual furor. Ann (Roma) and her friends oppose the new entry with great vengeance. But then of course hate turns to love and so the story goes. An entertainer with a few hilarious sequences. Other than that there is not much to write home about this flick.

Rating: * +

Nandanam

The age old story of a boy from a rich family falling in love with the household help. But something about the way the film is directed and how the story unfolds lends freshness to it. Impressive performances from Prithwiraj, Navya Nair, Innocent and Jagathi also helped. The film is really a throwback to the melodramatic and melancholic Mallu movies of the 80s and 90s. A breath of fresh air among the stale krap that passes off as Malayalam movie these days.

Rating: * * +

Akale

Supposedly an adaptation of a Tennessee Williams play. Whatever, its a rather moving, but simple, story of an anglo-indian family in kerala. The story's being told by a man, whose present is slowly being eaten away by his guilt of the past. Excellent performances; reminds me of the malayalam movies of many years ago - in its performances, dialogues and realism.

Rating: * * *

Classmates

The low quality of the mallu movies in the last 5 years makes this film stand out. A reunion of classmates that turns into a murder mystery. Prithviraaj plays the lead and Balachandra Menon does a fine job of being the professor / detective. If only the screenplay had been better...

Rating: * +