Neru

*** Neru Malayalam Movie Review ***

Directed by Jeethu Joseph starring Mohanlal in the lead..

Also starring Siddique , Anaswara Rajan , Jagadeesh.

*** Drishyam combo struck for a six.***

Although it's mentioned that the movie is a courtroom drama, when it's directed by Jeetu Joseph we could expect the suspense and here too he kept that thrilling mood on.

The courtroom sequences which was nearly 80 percent of the movie was well captured. The moment of what's next in a courtroom will happen is well established and that what makes Jeetu Joseph a brilliant craftsman.

Performance wise Anaswara Rajan had given her career best performance.

Siddique's performance was like at one moment a feel of hatred was developed as the life which he gave to the character was phenomenal.

Last but not the least the Complete Actor Mohanlal, needless to say, this man effortlessly performs and wins the heart of the audience. How his potential can be used effectively, when that realisation happens we would have en number of classics from this legend and Jeetu Joseph knows to exploit him well

A little mass moment from this courtroom drama thereby not spoiling it's core was clap worthy..

The topic is social relevant and it's execution was clap worthy

Overall Neru ends the Mollywood industry 2023 at a good note & giving a hope that Mollywood 2024 will be full of blockbusters.

This is a decent attempt from Jeethu Joseph. Nothing like Drishyam or even Kooman, but engaging and watchable. The thread is good, but the climax was predictable and also very melodramatic. Also, the casting in the movie was off in multiple places. The primary example is Shanti Mayadevi. She simply cannot act and is awkward in a majority of the scenes. I totally understand, that's not her forte, but why give her such a meaty role? The victims mother also couldn't handle the emotional scenes. Also, Jeethu succumbs to the usual tropes of overdoing some scenes - like the incompetence of the first lawyer. The movie is also unnecessarily long and spends insane amounts of time on a CCTV visual. I'm summary, it's a good attempt and an engaging court drama, but not as stellar as it's touted to be.

If it were 20 years ago I would have been overly impressed like the rest of the audiences. But now you could see a mile ahead how the plot is deliberately being sabotaged to create thrilling moments. This is evident when the blind victim is asked to prove her ability to sculpt a bust through her sense of touch. Even if this is true, the subject cannot be permitted to be someone who is directly involved in the case like the lawyer as he can purposely influence the outcome to discredit the victim. This was an manufactured scene to prove it to be a David and Goliath case. There are many such instances throughout the movie. But besides this obvious tweaking of the plot the movie is definitely watchable as somewhere in this movie there is a sad commentory on the Indian judicial system where victims of such heinous crime do not get justice, just the shame. So this movies can be added to the likes of the movie "Pink" which deals in the same subject.

Neru, an emotional court room drama is an absolute masterpiece directed and written by Jeethu Joseph elevated with Mohanlals And Siddiques amazing acting. The story follows the path of Sara a blind girl who is the victim of rape who's role is magnificently done by Anaswara Rajan. She seeks the help Of Vijayamohan, an underconfident lawyer who hasnt been practiced in a long time, this role is fantastically done by Mohanlal. As a malayali seeing Lalettan back at his subtle acting is just mesmerizing. This is proof that directors play an important role when it comes to shaping an actor. Vijayamohan Is Opposed By Rajashekar, a renowned lawyer who has been the enemy of Vijayamohan. This role is brilliantly played by Siddique. Rest of the movie you have to see othwrwise it would be a spoiler. I wouldn't say this is a theatre experiece movie but the film crew managea to hook our eyes to the screen with taking it off. I never felt bored even for a second thats how captivating the entire movie is. Although taking in Jeethu Josephs other works like Drishyam thos movie didnt quite reaxh to its level, it did deliver some goosebumps but i felt that the story was written in favour of Vijayamohan. So, its an average movie elevated with Mohanlals Comeback to Real cinema.

The same team had done Drishyam 10 years ago, which has become a milestone movie, not just in Malayalam but across Indian movie industry. Any movie they do now will be compared to that movie.

There are some common elements, but Neru is a totally different movie, both the theme and the mood of the movie. This is emotionally more draining than Drishyam, while it does not have the sheer audacity and shock value that Drishyam had

The best part of the movie is the script. After 10 minutes or so, the movie just hooks you in, and you can't look away even for a minute, till the very last scene in the climax, which will most probably leave you teary eyed.

Performances are top notch. Special mentions to Sidhique and Jagadish. Two actors who were doing Tier 2 comedy movies 30 years ago, but their acting careers are on a totally high trajectory.

But this movie is carried by Mohanlal and then Anaswara Rajan. Yes, Mohanlal is one of the greatest actors in India and his performance is expected, but Anaswara matches him best for best. Their scene together in the first half and then in the climax will leave you spell bound

On the flip side, don't expect any out of the world movie making techniques. Technically the movie is just passable, but that is a typical Jeethu Joseph style. He let the script and performances take centre stage. The Cameraman, editor and music director just do their job in the back ground

Last but not the least, spare a thought for the genius of Jeethu. Making one edge of the seat thriller like Drishyam is impossible for 9/10 writer directors. But he has now done 4 movies at that level (Drishyam 1 & 2, Memorie and Neru). Hats off man, and hope you outdo yourself in your next one.