Salt n' Pepper

I chanced upon Salt n Pepper on Primevideo, in orig. Malayalam w/Eng. subs.

This is what one would call a 'pleasing film' not quite a rom-com but definitely a romance with a simple plot, good acting, and more than just a few good doses of humour. The dialogues are also good.

I especially liked the character Mooppan, the elderly adivasi gentleman. Not sure what he added to the film but he was cute and interesting. Turns out that the actor is actually a tribal Kelu Moopan "leader of the Kurichyar community in Mananthavady region of Wayanad district, Kerala" as per another site.

Salt N Pepper is a very watchable film that holds the interest. Especially good if you are fed up of violent thrillers and stupid slapstick and just want something pleasant to enjoy before bedtime.

Much of the late 90s and the early 21st century was a terrible period for Malayalam cinema. Mammooty, Mohanlal and Suresh Gopi were trying to outdo each other in terms of the number of mediocre films they acted in. Shaji Kailas and his imitators had run Malayalam cinema into dust. This period was also marked by regressive portrayal of women in movies.

It was people like Ashiq Abu who helped revive Malayalam cinema. Salt n Pepper was like a breath of fresh air when it came out. Ashiq was probably the first filmmaker to give us a good look around Kerala's cities. He (or maybe it was the writers) also set this film in an interesting milieu. The male lead in Salt n Pepper works in an archaeological department. The female lead is a dubbing artist. The two of them bond over food in a case of mistaken identities. Baburaj was hilarious as the cook who provides moral support to the lonely and hard drinking hero. The film also features scenes where the female characters drink beer and have fun, a welcome change from the regressive nineties.

The writers Dileesh Nair and Syam Pushkaran packs it in with interesting, humorous and poignant scenes and references. So a lot of the credit goes to the writers as well.

The movie has a strong emotional approach towards an old old-sung story.The movie starts with the say "Man live to eat".Every situation in the film was carefully done with beautiful cinematography.Every actor make us laugh even if they are not cracking jokes.The caption "A story of Dosa making" is a metaphor for a simple story.

The trio Babu Raj, Lal,and Aasif Ali have a good combination throughout the film.Swetha Menon and Mythili again performed a good show.Mythili proved to be promising actress for Mollywood.The beginning even say a lot about kerala food tradition and it would make audience hungry.Salt and pepper make omelet tastier.Likewise Aasiq abu and Baburaj duo together make this movie nourishing.

As the name suggests, food is the basic theme of the movie, as we can understand from the opening credits itself, where it shows many of the most popular food joints and restaurants across Kerala. The male protagonist is an extreme food lover, as is clearly demonstrated with the help of some neat and clever humor. Lal, as always, performed a captivating role as Kalidasan. Asif Ali's performance as Manu (nephew of Kalidasan) is pretty average, as expected. So is Mythili's (as Meenakshi). Shweta Menon plays the female protagonist opposite Lal, and does a good job as Maya (Mythili's room-mate). A notable appearance is that of Baburaj (as Kalidasan's cook) in an out-of-norms character which comes as a pleasant and enjoyable surprise.

The plot starts off with Kalidasan and Maya coincidentally talking over a wrong phone call, that too involving 'dosa' which is a traditional South Indian food. Then everything goes as expected till they decide to meet, and then involves Manu and Meenakshi. Vijayaraghavan comes into the movie with a sub-plot which again is pretty ordinary and predictable. Towards the end, you begin to feel whether the story-writer was just trying to somehow find a climax and get over with it.

Overall, it goes down as an entertainment movie with a difference, and the director Ashiq Abu has to be praised for boldly trying out a different approach to story-telling in Malayalam cinema. My Rating: 7/10.

Aashiq Abu's 'Salt n Pepper' is a simple brilliant film in which he lends color to the which narrated with food as the backdrop. . A strikingly crafted film that is raw and genuine, it crawls right under your heart and stays there. The plot says Kalidasan (Lal) is an archaeologist who is equally obsessed with food, and the smell and feel of the past. Maya (Swetha Menon) lives in another corner of the town, and has to put up with a job as a dubbing artiste that she enjoys, but which is often contrary to her beliefs. The two strike up a conversation that doesn't go too well, after one of Maya's calls to the local Dosa guy ends up on Kalidasan's mobile. Hate slowly gives way to affection, but when they decide to finally meet however, Kalidasan on the spur of the moment sends over his nephew Manu (Asif Ali) instead. And, Meenakshi (Mythili), Maya's roommate, volunteers to make an appearance on her behalf. Having struck up an affinity over the telephone, Kalidasan proceeds to let Maya into the secrets of baking a Joan's Rainbow Cake. Made by a French soldier's wife as the Second World War raged on, and as she anxiously waited for her husband's return home, the sumptuous cake with strawberry, pistachio and orange layers placed one over the other, is topped all over with delicious chocolate sauce. Kalidasan and Maya bake their own versions, and the world around them turns a tad sweeter. Kalidasan almost undergoes a teleportation, courtesy the Unniappam that proclaims Babu's (Baburaj) culinary skills. Almost everyone at the beauty parlor that Maya's house owner (Kalpana) runs, bites into her juicy banana fries with a vengeance. Manu stares at Meenakshi round eyed, with the froth of a hot cappuccino plastered over his upper lip. Balakrishnan (Vijayaraghavan), an officer at an excavation site, explains the impact of a steaming hot tea, after a terribly drunken night. And even the lecherous technician who's after Maya at work, chews into a drumstick in his Sambar as if there is no tomorrow. The film, balanced well, though with a few loose ends, never quite loses the grip as the screenplay and as much as is required. With familiar characters with contemporary references, the movie showcases a glorious, idyllic celebration of middle class values, mirroring our times and more over about 'Food'. Most of the cast including Lal, Shwetha Menon,Asif Ali, Mythili acts well and good. But the surprise and interesting package is Baburaj, with a very funny and great performance role which is absolutely differ from his usual ones. The movie also belongs to cinematographer Shyju Khalid who has done a great job with well framed shots, capturing the essence of 'Food' ! Biji Bal and Avial band's music and Sameera Saneesh's Color direction also amuses the audience with their cleverness and perfection. Writings of Syam Pushkaran and Dileesh Nair are on top notch winning factor of the movie. Director Aashiq Abu had come back with the fantastically made 'Salt n Peppr', which can Taste to all types of Audiences !There are no formulaic ingredients or gimmickry or explosions here and it is a simple, clean, honest film. "Salt n Pepper", one of most genuine films during recent times. Congrats Aashiq Abu and crew. Verdict: Very Good.