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EntertainmentThe lack of further details led to speculations about it being Rajesh's wedding and the date of it being announced like weddings these days are, with a save-the-date music video.Forming the symbol of a heart with their palms while looking fondly at each other, two characters from the popular Malayalam film Nna Thaan Case Kodu are all dressed up in a new short video that promises a special announcement on May 29. Actors Chithra Nair and Rajesh Madhavan who played a couple spending precious moments in an auto rickshaw in Nna Thaan Case Kodu are coming together for a spinoff – a comedy film that is expected to have these two play the lead roles. The film is reported to be directed by Ratheesh Balakrishnan Poduval himself, who made Nna Thaan Case Kodu. Rajesh, who is known for his comic characters, put out a small video of him and Chithra...

ControversyThe producer, who also heads the Kerala Film Producers Association, stated that several films were shot in Kasargod recently because of easy access to drugs there.Malayalam film producer M Renjith has expressed his regret for hurting the people of Kasargod. The producer had spoken about substance abuse during a press meet last week, where the Kerala Film Producers Association announced their decision not to cooperate with actors Shane Nigam and Sreenath Bhasi anymore. Renjith, the president of the Association, said that their decision was a result of complaints about the conduct of actors in film sets and attributed it to drug use. Renjith's comment that several of the recent films were shot in Kasargod, the northernmost district of the state, because of the “easy availability of drugs," had offended many. Actor Rajesh Madhavan, who is from Kasargod and has been part of movies shot there, reacted to the comment on Dool News,...

MollywoodPromos and video songs from Neelavelicham have been creating ripples among those who remember the old settings in Basheer novels, and the music of Baburaj. With a telling tune in the background of a picture of Tovino Thomas, the Neelavelicham team has announced the date of the film’s release. Director Aashiq Abu's newest, based on a short story by the legendary writer Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, Neelavelicham (The Blue Radiance) is slated for worldwide release on April 21. Aashiq has also produced this film along with Rima Kallingal, his partner for the Opm Cinemas banner, as well as the female lead of the movie. Roshan Mathew also plays an important role in the film. Promos and video songs from the film have been creating ripples, with more than a small touch of nostalgia for those who remember the old settings in Basheer novels, and the music of Baburaj. Legendary musician...

ReviewSenna Hegde who made the wonderful ‘Thingalazhcha Nischayam’ takes a more commercial approach to comedy in this film, which is enjoyable in most parts.CrisKanhangad, or at least the parts of Kanhangad in Kerala’s Kasargod district where Senna Hegde places his new Malayalam film, is so charmingly rustic with muddy red roads and prettily lit bars that it looks partly like a Western of the 1960s. Minus Clint Eastwood, the setting has got everything, complete with the sound of a pistol that goes off every now and then. 1744 White Alto is a raw comedy, enjoyable in most parts, slightly off-putting towards the end, anchored on an unfitting mix of the personal and professional life of a police officer. But Senna is a master caster and all the actors, beginning from the emphatic Sharaf U Dheen to the newcomers, make it a comfortable ride. Unlike his award-winning first release Thingalazhcha Nishchayam,...

Actress Navya Nair, who has been a part of several critically acclaimed hits in Tamil and Malayalam has lavished praise on director Ratheesh Balakrishnan Poduval’s recently released Malayalam film, ‘Nna Thaan Case Kodu’ (‘Sue Me’), saying that the film is drawing appreciation as it is talking about the helplessness of the common man.

Taking to Instagram, the actress penned a post saying: “What a satire !!! Fully packed theatre. It’s all about laughter and claps because Rajeevan is talking on our behalf — the helplessness, the chaos of the common man (all in humour).” And chackochetta (Kunchacko Boban), what a transformation man!!! Kudos to you. Each and every character is just awesome. The judge, the heroine Gayathrie Shankar, the auto driver Rajesh Madhavan, the teacher, the biker Mridul Nair, the tempo driver, the advocates, the minister, the chief minister Unnimaya Prasad. All so so good.”

“Director, screenplay writer Ratheesh Balakrishnan Poduval,...

ReviewDirector Ratheesh Balakrishnan Poduval’s third film is beautifully scripted, hilarious, and has some interesting performances.CrisPerpetually tanned, with a protruding lower jaw and a tendency to break into an unusual dance, Rajeevan can easily endear himself to an audience watching his story unroll. He belongs to that breed of men who had once thieved and then turned a new leaf with a budding relationship and a promising life. But like it happens to those who had once done unlawful things, Rajeevan struggles to clear his name in another mishap. Nna Thaan Case Kodu plucks a lesson from films that have stubbornly engaged in the unravelling of a simple incident around one man’s life and works wonders with its telling. Ratheesh Balakrishnan Poduval’s third film is a thoroughly enjoyable piece of work and Kunchacko Boban as Rajeevan is simply a marvel to watch. Kunchacko’s growth as an...

MollywoodThe film has been screened in several film festivals and has won awards in many of them, including Indian Film Festival of Cincinnati, Kenya International Sports Film Festival and the Roshd International Film Festival in Iran.Tnm StaffScreengrab/ YouTubeThe trailer of the Malayalam sports-based children’s film Madappally United was released on June 23, coinciding with International Olympic Day. The film has been screened in several film festivals and has won awards too in many of them, including Indian Film Festival of Cincinnati, Kenya International Sports Film Festival and the Roshd International Film Festival in Iran. The film is all set for its release in July, when it will be playing at theatres, educational institutions and multiple screening venues in Delhi, Dehradun, Kerala, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Kolkata. The film is helmed by director Ajay Govind. Speaking about the film, the director said in a press statement on Thursday, June 23, “Madappally United...

FilmsThe children’s film becomes sweet, telling and entirely genuine, just by letting children be children, and subtly giving a wake-up call to a pressing issue.CrisAjay with the kids in 'Madappally United'Watching child after child gather into a group of 11, chattering, swinging a bat and tossing a ball around, can be such a heart-warming picture. They walk in and out of each other’s homes, bring out parts of a cricketing kit split between them and stride towards the only open field they knew was big enough to play. The scene is from a Malayalam film, Madappally United, yet to release, but which has gone to many film festivals across the world and won awards too. It manages to be sweet, telling and entirely genuine, just by letting children be children, and subtly giving out a wake-up call to a pressing issue. Ajay Govind, the filmmaker who happened to...

Krishnendu Kalesh is an independent filmmaker and media professional. He has been working in mixed media platforms for more than 10 years, primarily in India and Melbourne, Australia. Kalesh graduated in Computer Science, has a post graduate degree in Media Production and a degree in Graphic Design. Since 2003, he has held many roles in the field of filmmaking, multimedia design and photography. Kalesh specialises in filmmaking, documentary, video production, graphic design, photography, film workshops and screenwriting. He directed his neo-noir short film Karinchathan in 2017, which won Best Film & Director at the Fefka film awards.

On the occasion of feature film debut, “Prappeda”/”Hawk’s Muffin”, world premiere at IFFR 2022, we speak with him about his background, the inspiration and the title of the movie, his unusual approach, the acting and the cinematography, Malayalam cinema and other topics.

Nederland, Rotterdam, 11/01/2021, iffr vlaggen op de boompjes, foto Jan de Groen

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ReviewThe movie does manage to build suspense. But in the second half, it suddenly appears like the script changed hands.CrisInside Archana’s cramped room is a calendar that she opens every time a marriage proposal flops. There are thirty markings on it, reasons for every bombed proposal captioned with cricketing terms – run out, wide, match fixing, third umpire and so on. It’s almost a mechanical process, something she has to get finished before hurriedly wrapping a saree around her and running after a bus to go to work. Archana 31 Not Out begins by setting the scene of this very ordinary life of a woman in her late 20s, getting prepared for an arranged marriage, working at a school and making ends meet. The smooth beginning, however, goes down a slippery slope, as the movie, in its rush to pass on a delectable message, forgets the path it set.

MollywoodKabinii Films, the producers of ‘1744 White Alto’, have formed an Internal Committee (Ic), which will look into complaints of sexual harassment at the workplace.Tnm StaffPerhaps for the first time, the production house behind a Malayalam film has formed an Internal Committee (Ic) to deal with complaints of sexual harassment at the workplace. Kabinii Films, which is producing Senna Hegde’s new film 1744 White Alto, formed the Ic as soon as the company was registered. The producers shared with the cast and crew the code of conduct to be read and practised during the making of the film. A copy of this document was shared by social media users, who welcomed the much-needed move in an industry where the sexual assault of an actor in 2017 has brought back questions on the safety of women in films. Senna Hegde’s last film, Thinkalazhcha Nishchayam, won a state award and a lot...

As we have mentioned many times recently, there has been a new tendency in Asian cinema, of combining a mainstream base, of a sci-fi or a horror for example, with intense art-house and experimental elements. Krishnendu Kalesh, who has a mixed media background, also moves into this direction, with a film that shares many similarities regarding its unusual approach, with Vietnamese “Taste”, one of the most interesting titles of last year’s Berlinale.

“Hawk’s Muffin” is screening at International Film Festival Rotterdam Nederland, Rotterdam, 11/01/2021, iffr vlaggen op de boompjes, foto Jan de Groen

The truly messed up narrative starts with a plane dropping an atomic bomb, after which the pilot is ordered by his command center, in coded orders presented through a Dos-like system, into hiding. They have even rented a piece of jungle for him, where he starts a micro-community, including his half-blind, almost completely silent granddaughter Ruby,...

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic is informing film and television works around the world and Malayalam-language film “Hawk’s Muffin” (“Prappeda”) – selected in this week’s International Film Festival Rotterdam – uses it as a starting point, and adds elements of war to tell a surreal tale set in a dystopian future.

After his plane drops an atomic bomb, a pilot is ordered into hiding by his commanders. The location is an isolated estate where his life intertwines with his daughter, granddaughter, a bodyguard, a priest and a policeman. Things get complicated when the granddaughter befriends a stranger.

“Hawk’s Muffin” is the feature debut of Krishnendu Kalesh, known for his 2017 short satirical noir thriller “Black Beast” (“Karinchathan”), a response to the Charlie Hebdo attack.

“The pandemic is used only as an opportunity to start off a story of century-long conspiracy in the film. I conceived the pandemic period as an occasion...

ReviewMost of the actors, Grace Antony in particular, and Nivin Pauly too, put in excellent performances, but that doesn’t save the film.CrisIt is perhaps not an easy thing to do, setting a film within a hotel and trying to make every movement, every action and every line spoken funny. When Kanakam Kamini Kalaham starts on a comfortably light note, where you hope your head won’t spin and you can sit back and have a few laughs, it seemed just the right thing to unravel with, amid all the graveness lurking around. Unfortunately, the plotters of this crazy setting get entrapped within their idea, going in circles, turning repetitive and boring, and at times entirely problematic. Most of the actors, Grace Antony in particular, and Nivin Pauly too, put in excellent performances, but that doesn’t save the film. It is a bit of a disappointment coming from Ratheesh Balakrishnan Poduval,...