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Munnariyippu (2014)
A must watch for movie lovers!!!
Rather than sit here and type out a review, I would fain go watch 'Munnariyippu' once again. A movie that I had been eagerly waiting for, 'Munnariyippu' is cinematographer-turned-director Venu's second film, his first being 'Daya', which was released long back in 1998. I must say my wait has been justified; the film is mesmerizingly brilliant and excels in almost all departments.
Let me begin with a word of caution. Those fed on typical, formulaic box office fare and those who look for a conventional plot structure and a conventional kind of climax may end up being disappointed with 'Munnariyippu'
'Munnariyippu' begins as the story of Anjali Arakkal (Aparna Gopinath), a young freelance journalist who, in a bid to earn some money, agrees to do ghost writing for Jail Superintendent Ramamurthy (Nedumudi Venu). During her talks with Ramamurthy, she gets introduced to Raghavan (Mammootty), a rather silent, meek kind of guy. Ramamurthy tells her that Raghavan has served his term for having committed double homicide and now continues to be there in jail, even after having completed his term a few years back. Anjali's curiosity is aroused when Raghavan later tells her, in a low, whisper-like voice, that he has not killed anyone. She talks to him too and eventually publishes, in a leading magazine, a story on him, focusing on the philosophical jottings that Raghavan had done while in jail. Raghavan, who is least bothered about publicity or getting out of jail, thus becomes sort of a celebrity. It's from here that the story develops.
The main highlight of 'Munnariyippu' is that it's powerful, with a gripping narrative at its best. Characterization, especially when it comes to the key players in the story, also happens to be among the strong points of the movie.
'Munnariyippu' raises some very relevant questions, as regards life, as regards freedom and presents a new perspective at times. There's a philosophical undertone all through, especially after the character of Raghavan is introduced. The climax just leaves us stunned; yes, it may be a bit predictable for some, but it's stunning and indeed makes us think all the way back home. And, I feel, watching the film once again would be best; it may help you comprehend the whole thing better and maybe in a new way.
Mammootty gives an excellent and convincing performance as Raghavan and once again proves that complicated characters like Raghavan would always remain safe with him. Aparna Gopinath gives her career best till date and shines as Anjali. The others do their respective roles convincingly well, it's just that some of the characters seem typical and thereby don't offer scope for much performance to the respective players.
Hats off to Venu the ace cinematographer who gives us real brilliant frames all through the film. Seems like he is weaving up the plot using his camera as well. Bina gives ample support at the editing table while art-work by Jythoish Shankar too deserves mention.
Bijibal delivers the kind of music that the plot demands. Rewind the film and you'd find that the music is almost unnoticeable. It doesn't blare out unnecessarily or go unwarrantedly loud and is a perfect sync with the mood and the theme.
Unni R has come out with a brilliant script, based on story by Venu. Plot-development, characterization, dialogue-writing and every other aspect of the narrative has been handled deftly and it's perhaps his best script till date and one of the best ever in malayalam as well.
Venu proves that being prolific is of least importance. It's after a gap of 16 years that Venu is delivering his second film, as director. Why should he strive to be prolific, when the two films that he has delivered till date outweigh the scores of films delivered by many prolific contemporaries of his? 'Munnariyippu' is definitely a film with master strokes on the directorial side and would stand at par with international standards of filmmaking.
Verdict- Brilliant, unconventional, intriguing, thought-inducing and one of the best films to come out in recent times, not just in Malayalam!!!