Kaattukuthira

Kochuvava's (Thilakan) earliest memory is that of the body of his father, brutally slaughtered by the local Nambudiris for sexual transgression with one of the daughters from the tharavadu. Growing up, he works hard and ruthlessly makes himself in to a rich man of the village. Now his only aim is to bring shame and suffering to the already crumbling Nambudiri illam. Considered to be one of Thilakan's finest roles, I came away feeling he has played better parts in films that have even finer story lines.

Rating: * *

Varavelppu

A walk down the Mallu film lane of the 80s with a classic from Sathyan Anthikad and Sreenivasan. Like many films from that era it is a comedy drama infused with a streak of realism. Murali (Mohanlal) returns to his hometown after seven years in the gulf. His relatives clamor for his attention and money to invest in their nefarious schemes. But he takes matters in his own hands and buys a rural bus route along with a vehicle. What follows highlights the plight of most small business owners in the communist state of Kerala. Issues with government officials, workers and union leaders bring Murali to his knees in frustration. A situation that has not changed even today!

Rating: * * *

Rasathantharam

Mohanlal dons a realistic throwback role for a change in this film. He plays a simple down to Earth carpenter, Prem, who does not throw villians to moon after spouting idiotic dialogues. He leads an idyllic life with his father (Kodiyetam Gopi) which is rudely shaken by a wave of sympathy and pity for a servant girl, Kanmani (Meera Jasmine). Kanmani is practically a slave in a household and her sorry plight moves Prem to help her out. But we all know that most people are punished for their kindness though it is with a dose of cunning humor in this case. The only gripe I have with the film which was moving down a lighthearted path is the rude infusion of melodrama and sentiment.

It is heartening to see that an albeit overweight Mohanlal can still act. Meera Jasmine is very impressive and I hope to see more of her. Kodiyetam Gopi too has done a stunning job in spite of the stroke that has affected his left side. Malayalam cinema needs more films of this nature to take it back to its glory days.

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: * * +