Annayum Rasoolum

Movie which ticks all the basic boxes of film making from story, screenplay, editing to choice of artists. The movie is so steady, allows the audience to getinto the mind of the characters. The use of images was exemplary, backwater as the backdrop worked wonders, it showed the tenderness of every character. No one is shown in black shade, they are shown as they are how real they are. Special mention to Andrea for living the character. Movie with high rewatch value. I have watched it like 5 times wholly, as bits many a times. Thanks for reading. Expecting this Rajeev ravi (rarest breed of film makers) magic again in Thuramukkham. Cheers.

Annayum Rasoolum Annayum Rasoolum is a slow burn. It plays out with a grim inevitability. And yet those fleeting moments in which Anna and Rasool find happiness are enough to provide hope.

In our country, when a man named Rasool falls in love with a woman named Anna, you know that you are in for a tragedy. Religion is an insurmountable wall. Like Romeo and Juliet, Anna and Rasool are star-crossed lovers, doomed from the day they meet.

Actually, it's not so much a meeting as a seeing. It's a night of festivities. Rasool's friends have gotten into a fight. He doesn't know exactly what is going down but he hides near a statue of Mother Mary. Anna approaches to light a candle Her face is bathed in the warm glow. Crouched on the floor, Rasool watches her hidden, unblinking, almost as though he can't believe what he is seeing. He then gets up slowly, takes a step back and rests against the wall behind him. It is as if love has landed a physical blow.

Rasool is a taxi driver. Anna is a salesgirl in a sari showroom. The story is set against the backdrop of Fort Kochi and Vypin in Kerala and it takes place as much on land as in water. Rasool starts to follow Anna, taking the ferry she does to work. He doesn't attempt to talk to her. He just basks in her presence. He even shows up at her workplace - she is modeling a wedding gown for her customer and he sees her as a bride. These passages have minimal dialogue. Anna and Rasool barely talk to each other. It's stolen glances and silent acknowledgement of each other's physical proximity.

This wooing is poetic and problematic. Rasool is a stalker. In one scene, he rummages through Anna's handbag when she isn't around and gets her phone number. He follows her all the way home, walking a few steps behind her in narrow, deserted lanes. In real life, Rasool would be frightening. Anna would have called the cops. But this is a stalker played by Fahadh Faasil so there is an inherent decency in his demeanour. His eyes betray his longing. His passion brims with sincerity. Anna, played by a nicely understated Andrea Jeremiah, is shy and hesitant. The first time they speak, she tells him that it won't work. He says, 'Is it my fault I am born a Muslim?' Eventually, Anna allows herself to hope that there might be a happily ever after.

Annayum Rasoolum is the directorial debut of celebrated cinematographer Rajeev Ravi. Working from a screenplay by Santhosh Echikkanam, Ravi creates a story that throbs with romance but which also stays rooted in the hardship of working-class lives. Rasool's brother Hyder, played by director Aashiq Abu, is desperate to go to the Middle East but he can't find a way out of his daily grind. Andrea's brother, Kunjumon played by Shane Nigam whom you will remember from Kumbalangi Nights, is a lout filled with rage. Andrea tells Rasool that she considered suicide before she met him. These characters are teetering at the edge of despair. There is frustration and violence simmering underneath. Which is what eventually derails the tenuous connection that Anna and Rasool make with each other.

In these hardscrabble circumstances, Ravi and his DOP Madhu Neelakandan create passages of overwhelming beauty. Water is a recurring motif through the film, which is narrated by Anna's neighbor Ashley who works on a ship. Water provides escape and enchantment. It is as if the divisions, resentments and compromises get washed away. Also notice the use of curtains in the film - in several scenes, they add a touch of poetry. The soundtrack by K, which is peppered judiciously through the film, does the same.

Annayum Rasoolum is a slow burn. It plays out with a grim inevitability. We know this cannot end well. And yet those fleeting moments in which Anna and Rasool find happiness are enough to provide hope. Love loses but Ravi allows us to believe that it also uplifts and overcomes. Briefly, it makes ordinary lives sparkle. And that itself is a benediction.

Loved the movie. Showcased fort kochi at its best. Fahad awesome and Andrea has acted her part so well.. Malayalam cinema at its best

Some movies make you feel privileged as you watch them.This one presented many such moments as I got involved in the movie. While you dwell in the beauty of one beautiful moment, another beautiful moment comes along. Very realistic presentation and yet interesting and absorbing.

Andrea has done an exceptional job and to some extent overshadows Fahad in terms of acting.While the initial phase of the movie delivers in the unique story telling , soon the romance of the movie takes over. Very very real , very everyday, very relate-able.

We watched the movie on Valentine's day and it is indeed a great pick for a valentine's movie.Appreciate Fahad on his choice of movies.Wanted to watch it again today but the movie has changed and got to watch Fargo instead which was a good one in itself too.

The sights of Kochi has been nicely captured and as someone brought up in Kochi, I could relate to everything in the movie very well.The lighting in the movie is amazingly realistic. The first shot of the heroine presented as she gets in the way of the car felt real and interesting. The shot of Andrea against the candle prayer lights was very beautiful.

The story of the movie is amazing as well. Santhosh Echikkanam whose malayalam short stories has been enlightening when I used to do some reading, has matched himself scripting this one. Missed a second watch today unfortunately.Andrea keeps coming back as the show-stealer. Her performance has been accurate.The movie wins over Andrea though - good work Rajiv.

It was one of those movies that stay with you. Even a day after I watched, it would still make you think of the smallest scenes in the movie. That is the thing I love the most about such movies. There would be a small scene in it somewhere that would connect with you, and it would stay with you. That can happen only when the movie succeeds in generating that vibe in its audience. For different people it would be different scenes. Rajeev Ravi had a story in him begging to be told, and he said it in the most heartfelt way imaginable.

The general theme is the age old story guy meets girl of a different religion, falls in love, family finds out, all hell break lose. But as with such movies everything relies on the way you narrate the story, and it is in that, that Rajeev Ravi does the magic. Everything felt original, there were probably no other influences other than his own real life experiences. The genuineness of the situations and scenes shone through as though it was biographical, preserving the feelings of the smaller moments. Even the way he showed Kochi felt genuine. There was no effort to glamorize any part of it. The revival of 2 old classic songs were a perfect fit for the movie. They felt as though they were made for this movie.

Fahad Fazil steps into a different league with his acting. The guy looked every bit the character he was playing, he did not falter in even a single scene. On the contrary, in some of the scenes he was simply phenomenal. In my opinion, the last scene in which he runs into Anna's house and his reaction to the things happening there was so subtle and genuine that it was on an entirely different level.

If i had to pick a flaw it would have to be casting a heroine from a different language. I'm not rubbishing Andreah, she did a great job in almost every scene, but the real issue is that to minimize the awkwardness of lip syncing dialogs, she was given as minimum lines as possible. What results is that her character ended up being almost mute, some of it could be attributed to the depressed nature of her character but at other times it looked like something was missing to me. Otherwise what a movie!