Ustad Hotel

Young privileged Gulf boy's dreams of being a chef in London with a white woman for a wife are shattered by his father who wants him to settle down with a good Indian woman and run a 5 star hotel. The boy rebels and ends up working for his estranged grandfather at Ustad Hotel, a dingy seaside biriyani restaurant. A film that engages you for the first 30 minutes starts to loosen its grip as it meanders down a cloying melodramatic path that makes you want to throw up at the television.

Rating: * +

Poster licensed via Wikipedia.

Spirit

Raghunandan (Mohanlal) is a journalist and the host of a TV talk show called "Show the spirit". The spirit of his life though is alcohol. The film is a chronicle of his fatal addiction and the effect it has on his life and those around him. The first half of the movie is tightly scripted but as the film proceeds it tends to loosen. Coupled with the length of the film, you are left feeling a little drained at the end. But given the poor quality of Malayalam cinema this past decade, the movie does stand out with a fine performance from Mohanlal and the courage of Ranjith in attacking a tough topic.

Rating: * * +

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: * *

Before the Rains

Henry (Linus Roache) oversees a tea estate in South Kerala in the late 1930s with the help of his able manservant, T. K. Neelam (Rahul Bose), who is influential with the workers from the nearby village. He hopes to expand into spices and build a road to help transport the crop before the monsoon rains. Life is looking good for Henry and the icing on the cake is Sajani (Nandita Das), a sultry maid servant with whom he is having a clandestine affair. But his dream like existence is ruptured when his wife returns from England. To make matters worse Sajani is seen by a couple of village children in the throes of her passion. Slowly but surely Henry's dream turns in to a nightmare.

Santosh Sivan does a masterful job behind the lenses but his directorial skill is a work in progress. His casting choices are mysterious. Casting Thilakan and Lakshmi Krishnamurthy (who happened to be my class teacher in 3rd standard) as TK's parents are masterful but then gives them a miniscule role in the plot. So we are left watching a wooden Rahul Bose who can never play a convincing Keralite in this lifetime. Plus the use of English among the villagers is grating. So in the end Sivan throws away a decent script and storyline for reasons only he knows.

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: * * *

Kannezhuthi Pottum Thottu

Manju Warrier's final film before her marriage to the comedian (even in reality) Dilip. Badhra (Manju Warrier) returns to her village like a Kali on a war path seeking retribution against the lanlord father (Thilakan) and son duo who destroyed her life. The fine acting cannot save this film thanks to a trite, lifeless and often repeated storyline.

Rating: *