All the questions which people had before the release have vanished now. What were they cooking for more than two years- Hariharan, MT and Mammootty? Now, we know- The most classical most commercial most unbelievable Indian film of the century (As Mammookka himself said). Although everyone contributed well in this film, most technicians are passengers safely traveling with Hariharan in the driver's seat and MT beside him.To call Hariharan's contribution "the greatest effort by a Malayalam director ever" would be an understatement. The care he has taken to make it a classic, the power to control the actors & background, the conviction to make a film which no one would dare and his undeniable directorial brilliance is what primarily elevates the film. To think creatively while controlling a project like this for such a long time is not easy and he made it seem like a cakewalk. A special thank you to him for proving that silence CAN also get the attention of the people. There was pin drop silence in the theaters during some emotional scenes without dialogs. That's the power of cinema. NOT a hero,heroine, villain and comedian who keep speaking from start to finish in one frame (Like so many Malayalam films these days). Hariharan's craft is unparalleled.
So many accusations came for the film while it was being made and you have to hand it over to the crew for having faith in the film. MT Vasudevan Nair is undeniably one of the greatest living writers in India. There are people criticizing him for the film, but it is because they really just don't have anything bad to say about it, so they say something. We should remember that compared to any other Malayalam cinema, Pazhassi is miles ahead in terms of content and budget, and it has been possible because the script travels easily from one scene to the next. The second half just sails and I didn't feel a lag at any point. He deserves credit for making pazhassi's presence felt even in the scenes without him. Gokulam gopalan, what to say?. Considering the size of our industry, He is the bravest producer of ALL TIME in the history of world Cinema. I can only imagine how many people would have told him he is making a big mistake. He should thank hariharan and MT for being able to walk with his chin up. I doubt if he would have spent so much if it wasn't them in the movie. This movie is a testimony of all of their sincerity.
Mammuka! Nothing to say! He is the King! Purely majestic! He is magic! This is probably the only movie where he has acted the most with his eyes. Be it-the sandhi scene or the whole of second half. After getting disappointed with so many recent films, it was heavenly to see him in this. He should thank his gurus for this chance. At the same time, the fact is, this movie would never have happened if it wasn't for mammootty., who else will play the role? Padmapriya was the second hero in my opinion. FINALLY! A FEMALE CHARACTER IN A SERIOUS ROCKING ROLE! Phew! The way Malayalam cinema has been treating women in the past years has been disgraceful to say the least. All stereo typed roles of wives and underplayed sex objects! Kudos to hariharan & MT for bringing back woman power. (Panchagni is one of my favorites) I am happy Mt has nothing explicitly bad to say about women in this movie unlike OVV. Really I don't understand what his issue is sometimes. He almost bordered on it once in a scene with mammootty and kanihaa. The rest of the cast were top notch: Sarath (WOW), Manoj and kanihaa rocked! Jagathy and suresh and rest of the cast also! But really, this is a technicians film. All these actors have acted in a lot of other films, but could never get this reaction from us, that's purely because of the director. The other technicians were splendid too. Raman shetty, Resul, Ilaiyaraaja, Sreekar Prasad, art design and whole crew! Was fantastic. I don't know if Im eligible to criticize an Oscar winner, his sounds were great but sometimes there was too much in wars. There was no clarity overall. It was tough to separate the music and sound. I don't really care if there are other negatives. After such an effort, it is sinful to comment on the bad aspects. This is the best Malayalam film of all time so far (Especially considering the current situation of the industry). And the Malayalam audience can take pride in the fact that they have made it a success. This proves that we love good cinema more than just any star. One thing is for sure. Like OVVG, Pazhassi will live forever. Gopalan can take pride in the fact that he has made an investment that will live forever. He has to thank two people for it:
Heart of the movie: Hariharan Brain: MT
Gokulam gopalan and mammuka can take a bow.
LAST NOTE: This is a once in a lifetime Malayalam movie. No matter how optimistic we be, the truth is our generation will not witness such crowds and excitement again.
