Guruvayoor Ambalanadayil

"Guruvayoor Ambalanadayil," and I must say, it was a delightful surprise! I initially went in with some reservations, fearing it might be a flop, but the movie turned out to be an absolute entertainer that surpassed all my expectations.

From start to finish, "Guruvayoor Ambalanadayil" keeps the audience engaged with its perfect blend of humor and heartwarming moments. The film's comedic elements are well-crafted, ensuring laughter for people of all ages. The script is peppered with witty dialogues and hilarious situations that had the entire theater roaring with laughter.

The performances are top-notch, with each actor bringing their unique charm to the screen. The characters are relatable and endearing, making it easy for the audience to connect with their journeys. The chemistry between the cast members adds an extra layer of enjoyment to the film.

The direction is commendable, as it maintains a steady pace and ensures that the humor never feels forced or over-the-top. Overall, "Guruvayoor Ambalanadayil" is a must-watch for anyone looking for a good laugh and a wholesome movie experience. It's a feel-good entertainer that guarantees a fun time for audiences of all ages. Don't miss out on this gem - it's a guaranteed mood-lifter!

Guruvayoor Ambalanadayil" is a well-blended comedy-drama that delivers a hearty mix of situational humor, family sentiments, and unexpected twists, wrapped in a marriage-themed narrative rooted in Kerala's culture.

Vipin Das (known for Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey) keeps the tone light but meaningful. The screenplay by Deepu Pradeep is tight, with witty dialogues and engaging sequences.

Humor: The film doesn't rely on slapstick but rather thrives on situational comedy and clever writing. The family drama adds layers to the humor without going overboard.

Music & Visuals: The background score complements the story well, and the temple-town visuals of Guruvayoor add authenticity and charm.

I watched Aavesham just before watching this movie, so half my review might be rant on that garbage-fest (Aavesham) - hence I apologize for sounding elitist beforehand. But I consider being able to be especially good at detecting subtlety in humour a great quality in a person and I adore comedy movies that try to engage that subtlety-detection radar... and add in a nice dose of sarcasm and satire for good measure.

This, while not perfect by any means, is a far better movie than that crapfest "Aavesham", and while I see the raving reviews for that crapfest, I don't find the same enthusiasm in the reviews for this movie, which in my opinion, had genuine charm and humour. I re-emphasize my earlier apology for sounding elitist, but it is what it is. Aavesham was crap, this is not. This is an actual good movie.

Prithviraj was great, but Basil is a star. He can make you laugh with the silliest of expressions. The supporting cast did a good job too, and so did the screenwriter and dialogue writer, setting up all those nice little scenes. Of course, it ain't perfect, but it did its job, and made me chuckle, laugh, and feel good.

I've never been bowled over by Deepu Pradeep's scripts - Kunjiramayanam was saved by a 10-minute Biju Menon intervention, Padmini was certainly an odd one, and The Priest was meh. I understand his and director Vipin Das' intention to create a colorful wedding entertainer like in the '90s, but with a premise this interesting and such a talented cast, one simply expects the output to be FAR, FAR BETTER. The music, for starters, is mostly a disappointment. And that's coming from someone who enjoyed Ankit Menon's work in Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey. The writing lets us in on an early twist (which is fairly nonsensical, to begin with) and then proceeds to stretch this one idea into a 2h 10m conflict with flat developments and a flat finish. I didn't find the use of Azhagiya Laila or the Drishyam dialogues to be that funny; maybe, it managed to generate mild chuckles.

I often wonder why the Priyadarshan entertainers of the '80s, '90s, and early 2000s work the way they do, even on an Nth rewatch. Yes, they often came from the smart brains of either a peak Sreenivasan, VR Gopalakrishnan, or Priyadarshan himself. They were beautifully packaged to suit our Malayali sensibilities, with fantastic songs, dance numbers, and a consistent supply of rollicking humor. A film like Guruvayoor Ambalanadayil aspires for the same, and it does seem like it has its share of happy takers. That said, I don't think anything or anyone in the film particularly stood out - including Basil Joseph (who's usually fun in his relatable, relaxed avatar but not quite the case here), Prithviraj (who still struggles in situational comedies), Nikhila Vimal (what a waste; she could've been the real difference-maker here if the writing was better), and Anaswara Rajan (who makes for an absolutely dashing bride, but the character sketch is so puerile). The Guruvayoor temple set design, however, was well done (+1 pt for the obvious Nandanam reference.

Even though the film boasts some reliable names in the supporting cast (like Jagadeesh, Baiju, Siju Sunny, Saafboi, Yogi Babu, and more), none of them get any memorable LOL scenes. It all boils down to bland writing that fails to extract the full potential of an organically funny premise. Vipin Das better get back to his own drawing board, as even from a directorial perspective, I couldn't find many creative decisions worth raving about. I wish folks didn't start branding this the new gold standard for humor featuring a large ensemble. Go and re-watch Vettam for the 78,463rd time, please.

P. S. I'm very clearly in the minority here, and that's OKAY!

Movie focused on entertainment and comedy - but is not perfect or even close to perfect interms of logical consistency, profound story. Message or even screenplay - but was enjoyable nonetheless!

The movie is focused pretty much on the hot and cold bromance and relationship between Prithviraj and Basil - at the cost of the side characters. In a comedy, this could be forgiven - though felt many stellar actors are wasted due to this - mainly Nikila (who apart for a brief window towards to end) was a mute spectator, similarly Jagadeesh, Baiju etc.

The cameo by Yogibabu though was funny - but for those familiar with his Tamil movies would find it pretty flat and un-original - there are 10s if not 100s of films were he has done the same (expression, dialogues, actions all pretty much the same)

The main problem I had was the below average music - none of the songs made any lasting impressions. After watching movie I could not even recollect a single song from the movie !