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This Malayalam Sci-Fi Film Is A Ride To 2040(Photo Credit –Prime Video)

Imagine a post-apocalyptic world where fossil fuels like petrol, diesel, and other internal combustion derivatives are no longer available. Everyone drives electric vehicles. Aliens have invaded this world. The state has complete control over what people do, eat, drink, and even think. To top it all off, an alien. Who appears as a girl, lives with a few bachelors, hiding away from the government. Where would a film like this be made? Hollywood, maybe? The concept clearly fits the mold previously laid out by other Hollywood films. Or perhaps Bollywood? But no, it’s a Mollywood film called Gaganachari. Yes, it’s a Malayalam-language film. The concept is high, but the budget was low. Yet, it doesn’t look cheap. It’s really impressive what they managed to do with the resources they had.

Sci-Fi Adventure Malayalam Film

Directed by Arun Chandu,...

Here’s A Look At The Top 5 Underrated Malayalam Movies Of 2024 (Photo Credit – Instagram)

As 2024 draws to a close, it’s safe to say that this year has been remarkable for Malayalam movies. The industry has delivered memorable films that captured the audience’s attention from blockbusters like Bramayugam, Manjummel Boys, Premalu, The Goat Life, Aavesham, A R M, and Kishkindha Kaandam. However, amidst these big hits, a few hidden gems might have flown under the radar for those not closely following Malayalam cinema.

Today, we’re shining a spotlight on some of these lesser-known yet excellent films. Let’s dive into the list without further delay.

Best Underrated Malayalam Movies 2024 Gaganachari

Available On: Prime Video

Directed by Arun Chandu, this mockumentary-style science fiction film stars Gokul Suresh, K.B. Ganesh Kumar, Aju Varghese, and Anarkali Marikar. Gaganachari carries a unique charm, incorporating AI-generated elements and surprisingly impressive CGI, especially for...

Sai Pallavi’s top Ott movies to watch ( Photo Credit – YouTube )

Sai Pallavi is one of the most talented and natural actresses in the South Indian movie industry. She is known for her natural beauty and graceful performances. Starting her acting career with Premam in 2015, she has delivered several notable films. Here are seven of her best movies to watch on Ott platforms.

1. Premam (2015)

Available on: Disney+ Hotstar

Premam is a romantic comedy-drama that marks Sai Pallavi’s debut. The story revolves around George, a young man who experiences heartbreak but later meets Malar (Sai Pallavi), a college lecturer. Meeting her changes his life, and the film portrays his emotional journey.

4 years ago, this day, Premam released alongside a Suriya sir's film. Today, I await the release of Ngk.

Overwhelmed and grateful...

Gaganachari Ott release: Here’s where you should watch it (Photo Credit – Instagram)

If you’re a fan of mockumentary shows like Arrested Development, Parks and Recreation, or The Office, there’s exciting news for you in Malayalam cinema. A fresh addition to the genre, though with a unique twist, has just arrived. Gaganachari, a mockumentary with a sci-fi comedy core, has been quietly released on Ott.

Cast and Crew

Arun Chandu directs Gaganachari, and Chandu and Siva Sai co-write the screenplay. The film stars Kerala’s transport minister, Ganesh Kumar, Gokul Suresh, Aju Varghese, Anarkali Marikar, and John Kaippallil. Sankar Sharma provides the music, while Surjith S Pai handles the cinematography. Editing is by Ceejay Achu and Aravind Manmadhan, with Vineesh Nakulan as the visual effects supervisor. Produced by Vinayaka Ajith and Krishand as executive producer, the film is a joint production of Ajith Vinayaka Films and Krishand Films.

Nishad Ebrahim’s directorial debut, Amala, falls into the crime and psychological thriller genres but unfortunately ends up doing justice to neither of them. Amidst a series of killings of young women, a young police officer is entrusted with finding the dangerous killer behind them. It turns out that just before these murders came to light, a notorious criminal finally managed to jump jail after a string of trials in the past. Despite having a decent star cast, the movie fails to hold attention or be as remotely thrilling as it promises to be. The narrative falters on many fronts, with a weak plot and screenplay, bland dialogue, poor direction, haphazard dubbing, and disappointing and uninspired performances by several actors. What is its saving grace, if there’s any at all?

Anarkali Marikar and Appani Sarath’s performance, which shines in a few moments, and Gopi Sunder’s music That’s just it,...

InterviewShruthi’s debut film ‘B 32 Muthal 44 Vare’, dealing with the bodily challenges of women, won a special award under the Women and Transgender category of Kerala. Shruthi SharanyamWhen Shruthi Sharanyam speaks of the six main characters of her debut film, they sound like friends she has long had. Jaya's story alone should be a separate film and Rachel is almost like me, she says about two of the six persons she wrote about all too fondly. It was a pet topic, something she had mused about for years before sitting down with a nearly impossible deadline to write. When she was done, the film, B 32 Muthal 44 Vare, became a neatly woven work of art documenting through fiction the many bodily challenges women go through. Promptly, it won the Kerala State Award under the Women and Transgender category. It is the third award for the film, made as part of...

MollywoodWith Arun Chandu’s upcoming science fiction mockumentary ‘Gaganachari’ promising madcap fun, here are five Malayalam sci-fi films from recent years that deserve a watch.Rahul Rajagopal as Joy in AavasavyuhamIt’s the year 2043, and three “dystopian morons” in post-apocalyptic Kerala are out on the hunt for “ferocious” aliens. The vibrantly hued trailer of Arun Chandu’s upcoming mockumentary Gaganachari promises madcap fun, and an intriguingly novel approach to the genre of science fiction. Anarkali Marikar plays an extraterrestrial being in this experimental flick, which also stars Gokul Suresh, Ganesh Kumar, and Aju Varghese in quirky lead roles. What’s more, the film has already been receiving rave reviews during its run in the festival circuits. Malayalam cinema so far has only rarely experimented with science fiction, especially owing to budgetary and technological constraints. But things have gradually been changing over the past decade or so, with the industry delivering...

ReviewNavya’s performance is a world away from her ‘Nandanam’ days. Her body language and expressions are so under control that they convey the fears of Janaki without the slightest bit of exaggeration.When Navya Nair’s character is introduced in Janaki Jaane, she is in an autorickshaw, asking the driver to accompany her to her destination. I have a problem of fear, she tells him. The scene that follows and a song establishes this fear in slightly comical terms. The film, set on this interesting premise, becomes distasteful when it makes a story out of it and sets it in dirty political games. However, it gets saved in the latter half, in its portrayal of the character’s comeback. Director Aneish Upaasana presents an unusual heroine with Janaki. Her fears themselves are not unusual — she is afraid of darkness, of walking alone in side-lanes, and needs company to go to the bathroom.

Thiruvananthapuram, April 5 (Ians) Malayalam movie ‘B 32 to 44’ is a satire on “the perfect body myth”, that narrates the stories of five women and a transman from different social strata and the overwhelming pressure they face in their daily lives because of their unmodified bodies and their responses to the male-gaze.

The official trailer of the much-awaited film helmed by Shruthi Sharanyam was released on YouTube. Prominent figures from media, cinema, politics, literature shared the poster with compliments.

Set amidst a middle-class apartment, a few offices, a school and an upper-class home, belonging to six people (hailing from managerial class to working class), ‘B 32 to 44’ is also a philosophical inquiry into how we inhabit “Breast”, a body part women have and how “breast”, in turn, inhabits and uses us. Their stories are interwoven as each character is connected to one another in some common social settings. The film has a positive...

ReviewThe film, through the stories of six women, takes you through crises, both small and big, related to bodily issues that get resolved with the comforting support that one woman lends another.Quietly, smoothly, Shruthi Sharanyam’s B 32 Muthal 44 Vare flows from one woman to another, like a sheet of paper in the wind. You wouldn’t notice when the shifts between the stories end, because by then the women have somehow floated into each other’s lives. Without drama, without preaching about sisterhood, one woman becomes the pillar of support to another. The film, Shruthi’s first as a director of feature films, touches the lives of six such women, going through various crises, small and big. But the way they are sorted out, without daredevil moments or tiring monologues, you can leave with a comforting picture in your head. Shruthi chooses to introduce each of her six women...

Film CommentaryThe film, which is about an acid attack survivor, forces us to turn away from the popular male-centric narrative of 'love failure' and look at the horror from the eyes of a woman. Sowmya Rajendran*Major spoilers ahead and the entire plot is revealed. This is not a review of the film but a commentary. If you don't like spoilers, read this after you watch the movie. She's dancing onstage in abandon at a college cultural event. The students are cheering, recording the performance on their phones. He is watching her in resentment, his face twisted into a scowl. No, it's not because Govind hates Pallavi. It is because he loves her. Or does he? Manu Ashokan's Uyare, starring Parvathy, Asif Ali and Tovino Thomas, is an uplifting film about an acid attack survivor who triumphs despite the odds stacked up against her. As Pallavi, an intelligent and ambitious young woman,...

Mollywood The film which is directed by Manu Ashokan is the story of an acid attack victim. Tnm StaffThe much awaited first look of the Malayalam film Uyare starring Parvathy, Tovino Thomas and Asif Ali was released on Facebook on Wednesday. Interestingly, it was actor Manju Warrier who unveiled the first look poster of the movie - which is the story of an acid attack victim. Writing about her relationship with the cast of Uyare, Manju dedicated the unveiling to the 3rd death anniversary of late Indian director Rajesh Pillai who mentored Manu Ashokan, the director of Uyare. Manju Warrier had also played the lead role in the film Vetta, which was Rajesh Pillai's last film. "Three years ago on a February 27, we lost Rajesh Pillai, a precious artist. His last film, Vetta, had Manu Ashokan as the assistant director. Manu was like a brother to him. He had hoped...

MollywoodThe film will be directed by debutant Manu Ashokan and scripted by award winning scriptwriters Bobby and Sanjay. Digital NativeParvathy, who is selective about her projects, has inked a deal to play a real life character. She will be seen playing an acid attack survivor in a Malayalam film that will be helmed by debutant Manu Ashokan, who has earlier worked as associate of late director Rajesh Pillai. The film will be scripted by award winning script writers Bobby and Sanjay. While Parvathy will be playing the central character in the film, Tovino Thomas and Asif Ali have been signed up for pivotal roles in it. The film will also have Anarkali Marikar, Renji Panicker, Pratap Pothen and Prem Prakash in supporting roles. Scriptwriter Sanjay has been quoted by the Times of India as saying: “Parvathy plays the role of an acid attack survivor in the movie. It’s not...

MollywoodWhile the male characters are believable, the women are poorly written.CrisIn a really distant, broad and squinting view, Mandharam might remind you a tad bit of Premam and an even lesser bit of the Hindi film Rockstar. Which essentially means the hero is going through different stages of life, and romances. Sometimes, the simplicity of everyday lines and getting right the senseless conversations between friends can make a script quite enjoyable. That’s what Mandharam does for most of the first half. Unfortunately, the promise of the first half fades away in the second. Rajesh (Asif Ali) is a pretty romantic boy even as a child - he wants to know the meaning of ‘I love you’, a line that he hears Mohanlal say in a movie. For a while, you might think this is yet another Mohanlal fan’s movie, with more ‘Lalettan’ lines coming into the conversations,...