Premam - Love in its various hues!

"Love is like a butterfly.. It comes when you least expect it". The colorful butterflies, the magical moments, the touch of nostalgia, the rain - If all this signifies love, "Premam' the movie takes us through these and a journey beyond.

Premam is a story of love coming of age - George, the protagonist played by Nivin portrays the journey of love through the stages of life flawlessly. Post the movie, you end up wondering as to what is it that Nivin cannot do as an actor... Be it the teenager who is desperate for the girl's love or the angry college guy transitioning into a responsible adult, Nivin Pauly carries these roles effortlessly and seems to be evolving into an actor that can handle any role with ease.

The actresses have done complete justice to their roles as well. Anupama and Madonna carry Mary and Celine well but Sai Pallavi lives as Malar. Malar's character lingers in your mind for long like how her name stays etched on the wooden frame in the movie.

The support cast has performed at their best as well adding laughter and the elements of friendships through a brilliant screenplay.

The story, the script and the cinematography - More than the actor's performances, Alphonse Puthran deserves huge credit for a movie well made and a story well conceived. The story weaves magic around you and does take you on the journey of love. Well crafted scenes adds magic to the frames and builds the backdrop for the story. Be it the lovely locations, the butterflies that flutter around, the rain, the dialogues - it casts a spell of love on you. Very rarely do you see so much of thought going into making a movie in the recent era of new age movies and this is a welcome change. It's made so well that even a dark black frame with no actors make the audience erupt into laughter.

Anand C Chandran's cinematography is a huge plus to the movie and Rajesh Murugeshan's music adds to the feel. Though some scenes could have been avoided through crisp editing, that in no way impacts the overall feel.

Go watch Premam - Laugh a lot, fall in love, feel those butterflies, enjoy the nostalgia, swim through the blissful waves of emotions.

And Alphonse Puthren - Thanks for this magic.. Kudos for a movie very well made.

Om Shanthi Oshana - Fresh and Lively!!!

There are some movies that makes you think, there are some that lives a lump in your heart.. And then there are movies like Om Shanthi Oshana that makes you smile and leave you refreshed. 

A simple yet beautifully narrated story. A movie where it appears like all the characters come together to make a beautiful dream come true.

Here is a movie that takes you back to the 90's and then gets you into the early 2000 - And well narrated by the Protagonist in the movie - Played by Nazriya. You will see it all - those good old Mohanlal posters, the famous dialogues, the only channel that existed then - Doordarshan and a dawn of a romantic era propelled by the movie Niram.

The movie revolves around Nazriya who carries the film on her shoulder. Her boyish acts, her bike riding, her love for the hero, her tears, her disappointments - It just flows around flawlessly and makes you believe in what she does. Here's where Nazriya's acting skills perfectly work to turn what seems illogical into something that's enjoyable and acceptable. Her transition from a tomboyish girl to a girl who is in love is commendable. Made me remember the Kajol transition in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai  - Not an apples to apples comparison though.

Nivin as Giri does perfect justice to the role. His mannerisms, his pain, his anger, his maturity, his secrets - He demonstrates them all well. With every movie he gives us a feeling that he is ready to step into bigger roles than the college guy we know him as... No one else could have done justice to this role. 

Renji Panicker as the dream dad shows how a director has an actor always in him. He adds quality into every frame he is in. 

Aju Varghese as David Kanjani is enjoyable. His timing is perfect and does exude laughter amongst the audience. The character was well placed in his hands. (The fake beard does stand out though.  Maybe something for the makeup team to look into).

Vineeth Srinivasan has handled a pivotal guest appearance very well. Be it the frustration he has when a groundnut isn't edible or to the seriousness he has when he advises - Another instance of directorial talent and acting talent coming together.

Guest Appearances by other key players like Lal Jose, Vijayaraghavan - It all makes sense and adds value. 

Shaan Rahman's music is magical - Its amazing to see consistency in a music director to a level that's enjoyable by the audience. Be it the upbeat "Mandarame" song or "Kaattu Mooliyo" that makes you smile, Shaan has got the rhythm right. The chinese version of Omana Thingal Kidavo was splendid and rightly timed. (I would love to have it as my ring tone now).

Cinematography by Vinod does justice to the movie and some scenes are breathtaking.

As Midhun who wrote the story for this movie along with Jude says "With the birth of this movie, a writer in me is born too" - Welcome Home Midhun - A story well written!

Editing could have been a little crispier - But definitely not a let down.

Here's one of those movies with a cliche'd story that still exudes freshness - And to create a magic like this, one would need an extraordinary sense of what works for the audience. Its good to see that in Jude Anthany Joseph's first movie - A dream start that's well deserved! May his tribe increase!

If you want to laugh, believe in magic and feel fresh - Watch this movie - Highly recommended.