Ayisha

As I have mentioned the screenplay is the dragging part of this movie.because story was decent and manju ma'am acted well.with better screenplay and lesser run time it would have been a good watch.still I am giving 5 star for the story and manju maam's acting.and the funny part is out of nowhere there is a dance number.ha ha what was that.that was not required at all.for the standards of malayalam movie in 2023 everyone expect a lott from malayalam movies which this movie lags.so you can easily skip it or if you still want to watch it then you can may be by forwarding.as the makers also could have easily chopped 25mins.

With negative reviews and poor box office performance, I avoided watching it for the longest time. But now that I've finally caught up, I regret missing it for so long. Apparently, the movie is inspired by a real-life story.

This is the story of Ayisha, a woman from Nilambur, who migrates to the Gulf to work as a housemaid for an elite Arab family. She develops a special bond with Mama, the eldest member of the family who calls the shots in the palace. This beautiful relationship and other phases of her life are explored in the movie.

The story takes a bit of time to settle, but once it does, you are completely immersed in their world. The screenplay is beautifully written, making you root for the characters. It is not a typical damsel-in-distress story or a portrayal of the poor plight of NRIs, which are often the template for Gulf stories in Malayalam cinema.

Manju Warrier leads the show brilliantly. She is aging with such grace and poise, which is visible on screen. Mona Tawil, playing Mama, is the real star of the movie. She nails her part, making you laugh, cry, and feel connected to her. The chemistry between the two is organic and reaches your heart. Krishna Shankar adds an innocent charm to his character, which works well.

The beautiful palette of the Gulf is captured perfectly, adding a sweet essence to the movie. However, the songs are skippable, including the trendy number 'Kannilu Kannilu.' The only flaw is the somewhat absurd and illogical idea of Manju's character having such a profound impact on so many people.

Despite this minor glitch, the movie is worth watching and shouldn't be missed. This simple tale is bound to touch you emotionally.

#pranureviews #Ayisha #AyishaReview.

Ok First Half and a Boring Second Half. The movie started well. The plot was giving some resemblance with Dileep's 'Spanish Masala'. The making was impressive, the shots were superb, the shots of the palace were really extravagant, the songs were good...However, after giving hope, the movie lost its momentum, became tedious and finally ended in a dull manner. The climax was too predictable and not appealing to me. Also, the characters extensively speak Arab, Tamil languages, and no subtitles were provided, which also affected the movie watching in a bad way. Overall, a one-time watchable movie, especially for the extravagant cinematography.

While biopics traditionally aim to depict the entire life of a real person or focus on historically important period of their lives, Ayisha breaks the mold by capturing a lesser-known period of Nilambur Ayisha's expatriate life as a gaddamma in Saudi Arabia '88. Taking us through an intimate journey, the movie hints at how much character and grit and fierceness Nilambur Ayisha has through flashbacks from her past as well as her life as a maid at the palace. Exquisite cinematography by Vishnu Sharma makes gives the feel of an cross-border cinematic experience, complemented by a fitting evocative soundtrack by M Jayachandran (special mention to Masalama sung by Shreya Ghoshal), further enhancing the immersive experience.

Manju Warrier brings vulnerability and emotional depth to her character's fullest potential(which, I felt, was limited in the script) but it is Mona Tawil who steals the show as Mama, as her grief and loneliness linger in our hearts even after the credits roll. A large diversity of cast from different countries, speaking different languages all add colour to a heartwarming tribute to Nilambur Ayisha while also proving a fact that Manju Warrier can carry the weight of a big budget, female-oriented, multilingual movie just as impressively as any superstar can do in Malayalam Cinema.

'Ayisha' was a breath of fresh air, it felt like a beautifully animated fairy tale. The long duration, however, seemed as if the director stretched and improvised some scenes making the film incoherent

DELICIOUS

-The director provided us with thorough insights into Ayisha's environment in the Gulf. We learned about the rules and regulations of the palace, who was who, as well as the maids' lifestyle

-The dynamic cinematography increased the fairy tale aspect with camera movements that displayed the magnificence of the palace and Mama's romantic past

-Watching Mama go through her illness was humbling with her regular dialysis and other painful moments.

Ayisha's fierceness amidst adversity was encouraging as she fought for justice and defied the odds for the betterment of others

BLAND

-Let's talk about the language confusion in the movie; Ayisha was speaking to Saudis in Malayalam and they somehow understood while her friend Nisha was speaking Tamil to her foreign colleagues 😳😳

-The movie took ample time to focus on Ayisha's bond with Mama which made us wonder whether the scenario was centered on Ayisha the person or Ayisha & Mama.

The story could have been told in a shorter way but the fact it went on for almost 2h30m, there were many segments that started dragging and being improvised, e.g. The play performed at the end, the clogged pump scene, etc.