Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathirakolapathakathinte Katha (2009)

Country: India

Language: Malayalam

Actors: Mamootty, Shweta Menon, Mythili, Sreenivasan

Director: Ranjith

Story: T P Rajeevan

This is a crime drama based on a Malayalam novel of the same name by T P Rajeevan. This story is supposed to be based on the first recorded murder case in Kerala (after the state was formed following the linguistic carving out of states in the 1950’s). This is yet another movie where Mamootty plays a detective and cracks a previously unsolved case. But it doesn’t just stop there, we get to see Mamootty in 3 different characters and you get to see a different him in each of those.

A young woman, Manikyam is raped and murdered in the village of Paleri. There is another death on the same day, of a young priest which passes off as a case of drowning. After prolonged investigation and court procedures the accused are acquitted for lack of evidence thanks to a weak prosecution case.

Around 52 years after that, the protagonist Haridas a detective from New Delhi comes to Paleri to solve this case. The reason, he was born on the same day the murder happened and happens to be the illegitimate son of a powerful landlord in the village. Who incidentally was accused by a few to have played a part in the murder.

The movie is gripping as it traverses the length and breadth of feudalism, money, cronyism, power and politics. The director very subtly shows how the two major political parties, the Communists who have just come to power and Congress who have just lost play to the galleries for political one-upmanship. This battle is eventually won by the comrades at the expense of humanity & justice for the oppressed.

The way Ranjith has treated this film is fantastic and is worth a special mention. For many of us who remember Kamalhassan’s Virumandi as the Indian tribute to Kurosawa’s Rashoman should watch this movie, the way Ranjith cobbles up the story through the different points of view (although in the strictest sense this is slightly different from Rashoman). There are also many characters who come in and go out, telling what they know about the Manikyam murder case. But each one of them serves a purpose in the whole scheme of things.

Sreenivasan appears in a small but a superbly crafted role, of that of an aged renegade barber. A person who always suspected his top comrades to be hand in glove with the rich & powerful murderer. His character is sure to stay etched in the viewers mind for a while. And so are all 3 of Mamootty and Shweta Menon who does superbly well as Manikyam’s mother in law who is also the village prostitute. Cinematographer Manoj Pillai makes the movie come alive with his pleasing visuals.

I wonder why this wasn’t India’s submission for the foreign movie Academy awards in 2010 (Peepli Live !!).

A great movie, highly recommended.

A History of Violence (2005)

Language: English

Actors: Viggo Mortensen, William Hurt, Ed Harris, Maria Bello

Director: David Cronenberg

Screenplay (Adaptation): Josh Olson

An adaptation of the novel of the same name written by John Wagner & Vince Locke. As the name suggests it is a crime thriller.

The story works on a simple premise, the tried and tested "once a bad man who tries to be a good man is pulled back to his bad ways by circumstances". The one subtle difference here is that the man is pulled into the crime muddle inadvertently, when he kills two robbers in self-defence, he becomes the small town’s hero overnight. The new found fame gets his old pals back to him and then the bloody drama unfolds.

While the premise might look similar, the storyline and the treatment are refreshingly different from the “once a baddie, now a goodie, pulled back into badness stories” we are familiar with.

William Hurt appears for less than 9 minutes in the movie, he was nominated for the best supporting actor Oscars in the 78th edition. Though I personally liked Viggo Mortensen’s portrayal of the protagonist, Tom Stall / Joey Cusack. A docile family man from a small town in a frame and the bloodthirsty, ruthless mobster in the second.

The one thing I didn’t like / understand is the need for a full frontal exposure in a scene (the heroine does it, if that interests you and would spur you to watch this movie !!). That particular scene for me is like the foreign location dream sequences in Indian cinema, meaningless.

Good movie to watch.

Love in the time of Cholera (2007)

Language: English

Actors: Javier Bardem, Benjamin Bratt, Giovanna Mezzogiorno & Fernanda Montenegro

Director: Mike Newell

Cinematography: Affonso Beato

Based on a book by Nobel winner Gabriel García Márquez, At the end of the movie we get all the usual questions we have when a screenplay is adapted from a famed book.

1. Has the director done justice to the amazing book ?

2. Has he overtly tampered the original to get to his screenplay ?

3. Is it good when people make movies out of great books ?

4. What would have been Gabriel García Márquez’s reaction when he saw this movie first ?

5. Will this movie make the people who have not read the book run to the bookstore to get their copy ?

And we know the answers well. Never before have we been satisfied in unanimity with any movie that has been adapted from a book. If that were an overstatement, then I would sweeten it by adding “Most of the times”, if that would satisfy you !!

The same is the case of this movie. Unfortunately I still can’t say 100% that the movie didn’t do justice to the great book. Because I’m only halfway into the book. But till where ever my bookmark has gone, I’m only semi-satisfied.

As any movie, this one has its plus points. In my opinion almost all the actors are fantastic in their roles. Javier Bardem & Fernanda Montenegro (who plays Tránsito Ariza) are just fantastic, not to take away the credit from the other actors. The visuals are pleasing, one should definitely credit Affonso Beato who has manned the camera in this movie. The music is fantastic, it is pretty unfortunate that we know Shakira only for a “Waka Waka”. This movie is one example that there is a musician called Shakira who’s beyond just one anthem.

Overall I personally liked the film although I would have expected that I would love it.

Now, let us continue with our debate on the merits of making a film out of a great book.

PS: Legend has it that Gabriel García Márquez said "Bravo" at the end of the screening of the (unreleased) movie