Meesa Madhavan

In the spirit of Kayamkulam Kochunni comes a comedy starring Dilip about a benevolent small town thief. Well loved by the town folk and only viewed as a minor irritant, his only enemy is the stingy moneylender Bhageerathan Pillai (Jagathi). The film basically follows the hilarious cat and mouse game between the two as they try to one up each other. Weak on the story line but the comedy is stellar. However it is not a throw back to the classic Malayalam comedies from the 80s and 90s but it at least attempts to go back to that era.

Rating: * * + 

Passenger

What happens when a common man is presented with a complex situation. One fraught with peril, danger and of no personal gain. Most men would walk away without feeling a tiny prick to their conscience. Then there are those who like to sleep undisturbed at night. The situation here is a tad improbable but then again in today's world it is definitely a possibility.

Sathyanathan (Srinivasan) is one of those regular train travelers you would have seen if you have ever taken a train to Ernakulam. Riding the train every working day between the "suburbs" of Cochin to the city for work. His trips are usually filled with card games, gossip and gentle abuse. However, one fateful night he finds himself embroiled in a situation that involves the media, politics and the plight of the common people. A refreshing throwback to the days when mainstream Malayalam cinema ruled the roost.

Ranjith Sankar has definitely burst on to the scene with this venture. No doubt having Srinivasan and Dilip at the helm and Nedumudi Venu as support helped but the script and direction is what carried the film through.

Rating: * * *