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

Mehmood | The Champion Of Comedy | Statesmen

‘Mehmood’, the Arabic word means ‘praiseworthy’ and that’s so true for the beloved comedian of hindi film industry.  He was the King of Comedy and in the 60s made the comedian’s role an integral part of the story line so much that it proved more interesting than even the hero’s romance.

He was not just a jester, he was an Actor. There were many other comedians before him, but they merely functioned to take the audience’s mind off the melodramatic plot for a few minutes. But he had a creative style to blend the comic and the tragic with innovative idealism.  None can forget his performance in “Padosan” and the Tamil-coated Hindi accent that sent everyone rolling with laughter. But you can also not miss out his emotional best in “Kunwaara Baap” where he successfully made the audience to come down with tears. He also became a sterling director with “Bombay to Goa”. This is sheer versatility!!

What is more, many of his starrers nearly always eclipsed the so-called lead characters, and a time came when main stars hesitated to act in a film that had Mehmood. Also, as the hits poured in, he began to command a price that was sometimes rumored to be much higher than some of the then lesser hero’s. This caused a lot of insecurity and anxiety in Bollywood acting circles. He was accused by many of downgrading the quality of comedy in Hindi films, which turned out to be one of the reasons for his premature decline.

But Mehmood knew his responsibilities towards film industry and had a strong touch of humanness in him that saw him encourage newcomers. He turned producer and director, and gave Amitabh Bachchan his first break as a hero in "Bombay to Goa". Bachchan remembers his days of struggle when Mehmood offered him even shelter. R.D. Burman and Aruna Irani were also given their first break by him.

By the time the 90s set in, Mehmood had played his entire hand -- as actor, director, storywriter and producer. Like all other contemporaries he had not made wise investments and his financial prosperity began to decline. He was now keeping indifferent health too. Death came to him silently in his sleep in 2004 in Pennsylvania, US, where he had gone for treatment of heart disease. The roars of laughter were no more, and his fans shed tears at Mehboob Studio in Bandra, Mumbai.

Written By: Neha Jain

VOTE PLEASE | Between Breaths

Watch these shorts at: http://www.thereelmag.in/2011/04/entries-between-breaths.html

Make The Short After A Thought | Candid Krishnan

First think if you can make it. If it’s a YES, then make it. If it’s a NO… forget everything else and give in your all to make it. You will realise how wrong you were… Shorts can also surprise the makers.


A good short is like a good sex tape. You don’t need celebrities/professional to make it perfect. You don’t need extra visual effect. You don’t need to invest a lot. A handy-cam is enough. All you need is to get the theme correct and everything else will fall into place. Now, before you jump into conclusions, I must warn you about two things… First, short is LIKE a sex tape but both are two different poles of creativity. Keep this in mind while hiring the actors. Second, short might have a smaller audience base and even fewer people to appreciate the details you worked hard upon. So, keep your expectations low.

I guess we have the context right.

Before jotting down the names of actors you might want to act with, get the script done. Once the script is written, sleep over it for a weekend. Like a wine it will mature and you will be able to shun your initial naïve thoughts about actors. You might change a few scenes or add some shades in the characters as well.

Once you are done with script and cast, do a small workshop with everyone on-board including your technical team. Discuss each character and each sequence, unless you intentionally want to keep things under wraps. Make it a point to discuss your story thoroughly with editor and cameraman. They are the most important people in your team.

Get a camera but don’t let the lack of resources become a show-stopper. If you don’t have a great camera, don’t bother. Many extremely popular videos on Youtube were made on mobile. Once you have a cam… say, action.

Post production work might consume upto 60% of entire span. It’s not about just cutting from rough cuts and adding them. It’s about getting each frame correct. Each second will have a minimum of 25 frames. So, you know how serious job editing is. If you are planning to go for dubbing, I will say ‘Go For It…’ but be ready for many problems ahead. Getting background score correct, getting the mood and flow of dialogs right and lip sync. Unless you can afford a specialist, dubbing is not a million dollar idea.

Now when everything is done… put the video on Youtube or social networking sites… or send to contests. And never forget, nothing beats word of mouth… coz… Short is just like a *******

Written By: Candy Krishnan

Intro To Entries | Between Breaths

Avatars: Ranjan is a smart IT guy whose work pressures are adversely affecting his relationship with Jo. As a desperate measure to make their relationship work, they plan a trip together. But Ranjan has an important client meeting that day. Thanks to a last minute breakthrough, their trip suddenly becomes possible. But Ranjan barely has any time left. All he has at his disposal are a few gadgets that are windows to his online identities. Will he make it? [Arun, Maker's Note]

Zakhm: The movie ‘Zakhm’ serves as a companion piece and extension, to the much acclaimed novel “the Kite Runner” by Khalid Hosseini. Zakhm is set after the ending of the Novel, where Amir tends to ailing Sohrab and confesses his guilt. [Ali, Jury Member's Note]

End: An interesting watch. Has bits of brilliance in concept and treatment of brilliance. [TRM's Note]

Vitesse: Life is all about speed. The best example of speed is the city and its daily chores, which symbolizes life is all about moving ahead, speeding ahead. However, there are people who in their lifespan never enjoy the thrill of speed on their own feet. This film is dedicated to them. [Shubhankar, Maker's Note]

Amaranth: Starts like a hard-hitting crime movie which opens itself to a very positiveambience of a part. As the story unfolds, you realise why its titled... Amaranth. [Sujoy, Third Person's Note]

Watch these shorts at: http://www.thereelmag.in/2011/04/entries-between-breaths.html