Neelavelicham

Film Review: Malayalam language film Neelavelicham streaming on Prime Video ( available with English subtitles!!)

Directed by Ashiq Abu, Neelavelicham tells the story of a writer, Tovino Thomas ( Basheer )who rents a mansion that is reportedly haunted by the spirit of a young woman who committed suicide after being betrayed in love . As he starts staying there and writing the tragic love story between Bhargavi ( Rima Kallingal) and Roshan Mathew (SasiKumar) he stumbles upon evidence that suggests something otherwise. Will Basheer uncover the truth & free Bhargavis soul ?

The film is based on Vaikom Muhammad Basheer's renowned short story and a remake of the 1964 blockbuster, Bhargavi Nilayam.

To watch or skip - cinematography is nice and the beautiful sleepy seaside village ambience has been captured beautifully. Lead cast including Tovino Thomas, Rima Kallingal, Tom Chako & Roshan Mathew have performed well in their respective roles!!

On the flip side the narrative might seem a bit slow especially in the first half. Some songs and flashbacks end up slowing the pace of the film bigtime. However we have to remember that this is a remake of a film from a bygone era and the reconstruction hits the mark perfectly!!

If u have watched Guru Dutt & Meena Kumari's Sahib Biwi aur Gulaam or Satyajit Ray's Monihara .... This film will remind you of the treatment given to these evergreen classics !!

I enjoyed it but be warned, this is a film devoid of any chills thrills and action ... Hence not everyone's cup of tea!!

Going with 3/5 for this one .. Adios 🙂!!

#Neelavelicham #sanjuzzreviews #tovinothomas #RoshanMathew #tomchako #PrimeVideoIN.

Neelavelicham, the highly anticipated film of 2023, unfortunately fails to deliver on its promises, leaving viewers feeling disappointed and unfulfilled. Despite the anticipation surrounding this release, it quickly becomes evident that the film falls far short of expectations.

One of the biggest issues with Neelavelicham is its muddled and poorly executed storyline. The narrative lacks coherence and fails to engage the audience from the beginning. The plot meanders aimlessly, leaving viewers confused and struggling to connect with the characters and their motivations. The lack of a clear direction or compelling story arc makes it difficult to invest emotionally in the film.

Moreover, the character development in Neelavelicham is severely lacking. The main characters feel shallow and poorly fleshed out, lacking the depth and complexity that would have made them relatable or interesting. Their actions and decisions often seem arbitrary, making it challenging to empathize or care about their journey. The performances, although earnest, are hindered by a weak script that fails to give the actors much to work with.

Another major flaw of Neelavelicham lies in its technical execution. The editing is choppy and disjointed, making the viewing experience jarring and confusing at times. The overall production values appear low, with inconsistent sound design and unremarkable visual effects, detracting further from any potential enjoyment.

In addition to these shortcomings, the pacing of the film is sluggish and uneven. The story drags on, and key moments lack the necessary tension or excitement to hold the audience's interest. The film's length feels unnecessarily stretched, adding to the overall tedium and frustration.

In conclusion, Neelavelicham falls disappointingly short of its potential. With a muddled storyline, underdeveloped characters, technical flaws, uneven pacing, and lackluster thematic execution, this film fails to engage and resonate with its audience. Regrettably, it does not live up to the expectations it generated, ultimately leaving viewers feeling let down and dissatisfied.

Director shows a house with no electricity in the movie . Hero always carries a kerosene lamp. But the house has electric fan, switch board and electric lights shown in the movie . Why don't the director switch on those electrical device rather than giving a kerosene lamp to the hero. Director has gone to 1960 without giving any attention to minute detail and completely ruined the plot . The actress selection for the ghost also ruined the movie . It's a complete goof up in every sense , right from direction to casting. Tovino and shine tom has done a good job . Movie is boring , don't waste your time.

I admire Aashiq Abu for making this aesthetic treat.

It is a risky step, to remake an old time classic and adapt a known story to the present-day audience.

The music is mesmerizing and the frames are aesthetically supreme.

There are problems with the casting, especially the lead actress, they could have cast an actress with more talent and versatility perhaps.

The dialogues could have been adapted better for the present times, some of Basheer's cheesy lines could have been modified to give it a relatable feeling for the present-day viewers.

But, I cannot take anything away from the tremendous effort of the director in recreating the time-period and experimenting with a movie that looks beyond just commercial success.

I don't think this film is supposed to be enjoyed without watching the original adaptation Bhargavi Nilayam. There are so many choices in the movie that would only make sense to someone who's already a fan of the original classic.

There are enough changes from the original that is expected to be the minimal changes from the original but not changing too much pkus the songs, etc further proves how much of a homage this film is.

The unnamed writer protagonist here is made to much more apparent as a version of Vaikom Muhammad Basheer himself here unlike the original and again that adds to it being such a loving homage. Technically it is amazing and the anamorphic format is always the best in theaters.

Tovino manages well as the protagonist. Roshan looks uncomfortable but somehow managed his character but Rima, even though not outright terrible, was really a miscast here.

Chithra's voice also felt unfit for the songs she sung.

With the dialogues being exactly the same as from 60 yeara ago and a general stiffness in acting that looks kind of a stylistic choice, this very well may feel like a bad movie that is shot beautifully to the majority. But for the fans of the source material this is a breezy watch.