Manjummel Boys

From Janeman itself Chidambaram's grasp in direction was evident but here he proves it again. The tone shift from an easy-going feel to a gripping emotional ride is so natural and effective. I never thought I would be this invested in it since I already knew almost what to expect from it. The script itself might have been pretty simple and on the point, not minimizing the craft there, but the direction is what really makes this stand out. Every single choice of what shot is used, the music used and what is to be shown at what time all made it so much more effective than what I would have expected from such a story. All the actors did great even though there's not too much space for any one person to shine more with such a big cast. But from the initial moments, the one I really noticed was Lal Jr, who was perfect as that loud obnoxious ahole in the friend group that most people hate. Soubin, Bhasi, Deepak and even Khalid Rahman did great in their roles.

Watching this right after watching Gunaa felt like the right choice right from the opening credits. But I wanted to make sure, I see that song in Gunaa first and not this. It was the right choice because this would've been the definitive point of that song if I had seen this first. Beautiful use and homage to Gunaa even though both are very different films.

The rescue scenes, the emotional weight they carried and the following events that allow the viewers to fully let their emotions out all worked brilliantly, For now, my favourite movie of the year. Ironic since among the theatre watches this year, this was one that I was least interested in.

Hat-trick blockbuster week for mollywood When I thought about writing a review on this movie I couldn't chose which department should I praise more.

Soubin shahir was perfect in the role of elder brother in a gang of youngsters.

Ganapathy did a great job in casting. He knows whom to be placed in a role. Even a small dialogue from taxi driver gave the whole theatre goosebumps Some shots were above brilliant. I can only imagine how they pulled out some great shots in the second half. DOP,and art director obviously needs an applause.

Second half gave some nail biting moments and also some spooky stuffs to get scared But the movie ended on a soft note they could have made more impact if they did otherwise.

If a film can be evaluated even on one criteria, Manjummel Boys is one; and that criteria for me is the superb cinematography.

Based on a true story of a disaster that befalls a group of friends. They are mentioned as boys of the village named Manjummel though they look grown up men but act as immaturely as boys in their getting high at a marriage.

They decide to take a holiday trip to Goa but end up in Kodaikanal where they go to explore what is called Guna Cave the name having derived from the title of Kamal Hassan movie.

Here they meet a disaster.

From a boisterous rather loud childish- for-the age bunch, they grow up to the seriousness of the situation. One of the "boys" falls in a crevice and here the drama of survival and rescue and comradery begins. Really superb photography takes over and that is what makes the film immensely watchable.

Director Chidambaram deserves full praise for Manjummel Boys.

This movie showing the true bond of friendship ; this movie is all about the unbreakable strong love of friendship !

Outstanding making by Chidambaram and crew !

Exceptional background score by Sushin Shyam and beautiful cinematography by Shyju Khalid !

All actors did fine especially soubin shahir and sreenath bhasi is excellent and all other technical side is top notch !

Don't expect to come to theater for a comic trip ,its a Emotional Roller-coaster !

A well made survival drama experience in big screen !

This one is based on actual events and you will truly connect to them when you leave the theater !

Don't miss it!

Often times turning real life incidents to movies, personally for me doesn't really hit the right spots with its over exaggeration and dramatisation. But what Chidambaram has done is quite magnificent, considering this is his second movie after his directorial debut, Jan-e-man. In a month where multiple Malayalam movies has been going at each other in the box office, especially with Bramayugam being so critically acclaimed, this movie is made so well that it makes a movie like Bramayugam fall short.

Performances from the whole cast, especially Soubin and Bhasi are next level and Sushin's music, Shyju Khalid's cinematography, editing by Vivek Harsha and costumes by Mashar Hamsa are all noteworthy. This is a kind of movie that elevates the industry to levels it's never seen before and I'm glad that the Malayalam industry are turning out to be juggernauts in movie making, not just in India but globally.

Do watch the movie as it reels you in from the moment it starts and lets you go only when it finishes. Kudos to the whole team behind the movie and can't wait for the rest of the Malayalam movies to roll out for the year.