Thalapathi | Karna-Duryodhan Friendship | The Critique

A Tamil movie based on Mahabharatha directed by Mani Ratnam, camera work by Santosh Sivan, score by Ilaiyaraaja and starring Rajnikanth, Mammootty, Shobhana, Arvind Swamy and Amrish Puri won't be anything less than an epic. Thalapathi is an epic... in all measures. This movie is memorable for intense performances and deep dialogues.

Thalapathi is based on friendship between Karna and Duryodhana. Surya, dumped by a unwed mother, grows into a strong personality. In interesting course of events, he earns friendship of a local muscleman, Devraj. Slowly, Surya and Devraj start ruling the city and at their pinnacle are countered by an honest IAS officer, Arjun. In a sub-plot, there is a love story between Surya and Subbulaxmi who eventually marries Arjun. While, Arjun and Surya are taking on each other the secret is revealed. Will they fight and annihilate each other?

Rajni as Surya commands an amazing screen presence however, Mammootty as Devraj takes away the most of the scene. He underplays his character but still overwhelms with a stellar performance. Arvind as Arjun comes up as the third pillar of the story and matches the scale of other two legends. Music and cinematography both makes a mark on your soul. Direction, as usual, is awesome and can be rated as one of the best by Mani.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

The Secret In Their Eyes And Paleri Manikyam | Same Feel Same Class | Cine Talk

*Based on conversation with my friend Arun Purushothaman*

The Secret In Their Eyes is an Argentine movie speaking Spanish and Paleri Manikyam is an Indian movie speaking Malayalam. Both have a similar plot: An investigator turned writer (and the other way round) investigating a case in past unfolding some hidden truths. In The Secret... the lead actor is writing about a murder he investigated and in course of his research of people involved, he finds something totally unexpected. In Paleri... the lead actor is investigating and writing about a closed case and finds his relationship with the deceased. To the core, both stories have similar story lines.

Just like Mammootty, Darin is also a very capable actor. His charisma lies in subtle hints he drops rather than saying/acting loudly, which is a very common problem with usual cinema. Both tend to act with their eyes and body language. Their characters in Paleri... and The Secret... demanded the same. In some scenes, when their personal attachment with the deceased surfaces, their eyes speaks volumes. Dialogues though good, fail to take the forte. There individual performances take the experience beyond the script. Pretty ironically, both characters are very astute in their personal dealings and are in complicated relationships with a woman who become an important part of their journey. Now about the victims. Paleri...'s Manikyam and The Secret...'s Liliana Coloto, both are very similar caricatures. Both are young brides and in love with their husbands. Both are being brutally raped and murdered.

Both the movies can boast of fine script, fine direction, brilliant performances and convincing presentation. Both the movies have somewhat out-of-box way of presentation and demands some intellectual audience. Both can turn off people looking for some masala thriller.

Arun's Choice: The Secret In Their Eyes

My Choice: Paleri Manikyam

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Paleri Manikyam | Malayalam | Critique

Kerala got a communist regime. Three things happen that fortunate/unfortunate morning in a quintessential village of Paleri. A kid was born. A young man died by drowning in river. A girl committed suicide. Her name was Manikyam. The first two events went unnoticed but the last one being mysterious, became a part of folk-lore. The kid grows up as a detective cum writer Haridas and since childhood suffered a trauma of sharing a moment with such tragic incidents. At the age of 52, he decides to probe the event. The lead role of Haridas is being played by Mammootty.

Paler Manikyam is an amazing movie. Driven by the motivation of finding the truth of death of Paleri, Haridas starts with material evidence present. He relies on documentary evidence and the hints in folklore to establish a strong doubt that Manikyam was probably brutally raped and killed by a local landlord Ahmed Haji (also played by Mammootty) who is Haridas’ illegitimate father. But there is no strong proof against him. With the help of people who were there when this crime happened, his doubt got more push. However, he was wrong. Ahmed Haji was a criminal of many charges but this one. However, with power and money he escaped the way to prison. If not him, then who has killed Manikyam. In last 15 minutes the suspense unfolds… and that too in an epic fashion.

Three things drive this movie: exceptional performance by Mammooty, Shweta Menon and Mythili, beauty of Paleri of 50s and strong script. Based on a novel by the same name, Paleri Manikyam comes alive in beautiful narration of Mammootty well aided by amazing cinematography and strong plot. Though in the first half a lot is made public and one might wonder how they will tell story for another hour, you will be pleasantly surprised by the second half. Ranjith set a new standard in direction. Bravo.

This movie has a strong impact on viewers and you might have a major hangover for next few days. I am still not over it.

My Rating: 4.5/5

Written By; Sujoy Ghosh