It’s a real pleasure to begin this blog by writing about a movie like ‘Neelathamara’.
There may be ‘erudite’ critics and reviewers who’d like to point out where Lal Jose has gone wrong or where he has committed ‘sacrilege’ in the name of movie making. But for me, a movie is to be viewed setting aside all preconceptions and with a free mind, as an average viewer.
So, to be honest, I liked Lal Jose’s ‘Neelathamara’ and I’d like to use this blog to congratulate and with all heart appreciate all those who dared to remake the original ‘Neelathamara’, which was made three decades back and was directed by Yusuf Ali Kechery. Director Lal Jose, producer Suresh Kumar and scenarist M.T.Vasudevan Nair, the three men who made it all happen, deserve the most of appreciation. Kudos to the team who stood beside them to make the film a reality!
It was heartening to see that Padma, the theatre in Ernakulam where the film was being shown, had all shows going full. It was heartening to see youngsters, families and all sections of the film-viewing public of Kochi being there to see this ‘remake’. It was heartening to hear the audience applaud loudly when the film’s name and the names of M.T and Lal Jose appeared on the screen. But what followed immediately afterwards made me sad and resentful too.
Sitting beside us (I was accompanied by a friend) were two young guys who were among those who greeted the titles with applause. But the remarks they made immediately afterwards as the key characters, mainly women started appearing on screen, made me wonder if they were the same guys who seemed to be admirers of MT and Lal Jose. The way they retorted to some of the on-screen dialogues, uttering lewd comments too at times, made me think, with vehemence, why these morons never give a consideration to others, who like them, have paid for their tickets out of their pockets.
Well, the movie went on and the unwarranted utterances of these guys and some others too in the hall went on.
Coming on to the movie, ‘Neelathamara’ has as its plot a very simple story. The main attraction of the movie is that this simple story is narrated in a rather simple manner.
I however wouldn’t like to say much about the story, because those who have seen it or the old ‘Neelathamara’ at least know the story and those who haven’t seen both can find it out for themselves. The narration, the characterisation, the performance by the key players (most of them debutants), the song visualisation, the technical aspects –all have been handled in a very sensitive manner. The cinematography, art-work, costume designing etc stand out. The sound-designing too is impressive, but since it’s not Resul Pookutty who has done it, people may not notice it.
For the average viewer, the main highlight of the movie should be that it’s all very much simple and realistic. There is nothing complicated or complex about ‘Neelathamara’. It touches chords in the hearts of viewers.
‘Neelathamara’, which narrates a story set in the late 1970’s (1979) and does it credibly and sensibly, is a film that you should not miss out on. The film ventures to link the past with the present and makes comments on many things that concern our lives, but all in a subtle manner.
‘Neelathamara’ is one such film that should be viewed, enjoyed and encouraged, all with a very open and unprejudiced mind.
There may be ‘erudite’ critics and reviewers who’d like to point out where Lal Jose has gone wrong or where he has committed ‘sacrilege’ in the name of movie making. But for me, a movie is to be viewed setting aside all preconceptions and with a free mind, as an average viewer.
So, to be honest, I liked Lal Jose’s ‘Neelathamara’ and I’d like to use this blog to congratulate and with all heart appreciate all those who dared to remake the original ‘Neelathamara’, which was made three decades back and was directed by Yusuf Ali Kechery. Director Lal Jose, producer Suresh Kumar and scenarist M.T.Vasudevan Nair, the three men who made it all happen, deserve the most of appreciation. Kudos to the team who stood beside them to make the film a reality!
It was heartening to see that Padma, the theatre in Ernakulam where the film was being shown, had all shows going full. It was heartening to see youngsters, families and all sections of the film-viewing public of Kochi being there to see this ‘remake’. It was heartening to hear the audience applaud loudly when the film’s name and the names of M.T and Lal Jose appeared on the screen. But what followed immediately afterwards made me sad and resentful too.
Sitting beside us (I was accompanied by a friend) were two young guys who were among those who greeted the titles with applause. But the remarks they made immediately afterwards as the key characters, mainly women started appearing on screen, made me wonder if they were the same guys who seemed to be admirers of MT and Lal Jose. The way they retorted to some of the on-screen dialogues, uttering lewd comments too at times, made me think, with vehemence, why these morons never give a consideration to others, who like them, have paid for their tickets out of their pockets.
Well, the movie went on and the unwarranted utterances of these guys and some others too in the hall went on.
Coming on to the movie, ‘Neelathamara’ has as its plot a very simple story. The main attraction of the movie is that this simple story is narrated in a rather simple manner.
I however wouldn’t like to say much about the story, because those who have seen it or the old ‘Neelathamara’ at least know the story and those who haven’t seen both can find it out for themselves. The narration, the characterisation, the performance by the key players (most of them debutants), the song visualisation, the technical aspects –all have been handled in a very sensitive manner. The cinematography, art-work, costume designing etc stand out. The sound-designing too is impressive, but since it’s not Resul Pookutty who has done it, people may not notice it.
For the average viewer, the main highlight of the movie should be that it’s all very much simple and realistic. There is nothing complicated or complex about ‘Neelathamara’. It touches chords in the hearts of viewers.
‘Neelathamara’, which narrates a story set in the late 1970’s (1979) and does it credibly and sensibly, is a film that you should not miss out on. The film ventures to link the past with the present and makes comments on many things that concern our lives, but all in a subtle manner.
‘Neelathamara’ is one such film that should be viewed, enjoyed and encouraged, all with a very open and unprejudiced mind.
