Rani Padmini

Intricately woven plots culminating into a very fine movie. There was never a dull moment with off beat one liners making the audience laugh and go along with the movie. A few instances of lag was felt, but the director ensured that lag broke into an enjoyable twist. Giving more emphasis on the female characters, the director Ashiqu Abu did great justice to the characters. Manju & Rima were vying with each other to bring the best out of them. It was a pleasure to see the vintage Manju Warrier at her best and the versatility of Rima Kallingal. Mention should be made for capturing the scenic north - Manali, Leh & Ladak in it's natural environment. Even though the rally was the focal point of the movie, a little more emphasis and detail could have been given to the rally. Overall an enjoyable movie with family. I would give a 7 out of 10.

Saw it yesterday on DVD, movie is so so - maybe a one time watch if you are sucker for chick flicks, Good Things - Rima and Manju are excellent in their characters. That villain guy "Raja" is also good. Bad - Too many useless characters and parallel story lines which don't contribute to central theme. The story kind of seems like rambling on at times... At times the movie looked like an advertisement of Himachal Pradesh Tourism. Songs are o.k, the first song is good. Rima Kallingal's portrayal of Rani is very good and realistic. It is quite easy to go over the board while portraying such a character, But Rima balances it very well. Manju Warrier's character is more like familiar territory - she's portraying the married/single mother damsel in distress ever since her comeback - so nothing new there. Also this is more of a bilingual film than an out an out Malayalam film. So if you are not comfortable with speaking Hindi then you might struggle with the story. The DVD has subtitles but still just a warning.

"Road has the answer for everything",Indeed !! A director's film in all means,Aashiq Abu's 'Rani Padmini' is a delightful feel-good flick that celebrates womanhood without letting down men.Catering to all the sections of the audience alike,the well-conceived tale about reinventing oneself can boast of neat performances,technical integrality and directorial brilliance stuck together.Blessed with power-packed performances from both Rima Kalingal and Manju Warrier,this sweet tale is undeniably the most impressively narrated film to come out this year from mollywood that's sure to find a place in your heart for its genuinity and warmheartedness in presenting the adventurous ride that the lead ladies embark upon The inventiveness in narration by Aashiq lifted the simple,but well-written screenplay by Shyam Pushkaran and Ravi Sankar a class apart of run of the mill entertainers that we get to see in abundance these days.I'm surprised by the mild response from a good share of the common audience for this beautifully narrated movie which could have won numerous accolades if made in Bollywood or some other languages.

The magnificent visuals of the extreme north by Madhu Neelakandan were insanely beautiful and will instantly make one fall in love with landscape and prompt for an adventure ride through the path unexplored,the same way as Sameer Thahir's Neelakasam Pachakadal Chuvanna Bhoomi.The visuals,apart from assuring the movie is a visual treat for the viewers,play an important role in the effectiveness of narration that's basically aimed at spreading the essence of life and the true meaning of where we belong to.

The brilliance of Aashiq in experimenting with the narration was evident in multiple occasions may it be the marriage video sequence or the two spoof stories that Rani and Padmini recount,for instance.All the characters manages to make an impact and credit must be given to Aashiq and the writer duo for taking due care in developing different characters with perfection.

The fearsome but funny gang of villains headed by Harish Jain along with the funny reporters played by Dileesh Pothen and Soubin Shahir ensures that there is abundance of comic relief through out the narration,particularly the second half.

Coming to the performances,I am unable to point out who among the lead ladies performed better as both Rima Kallingal and Manju Warru were at their best portraying the role of Rani and Padmini respectively.The sugary chemistry that both shared was remarkable and strengthened by the detailed characterization in the screenplay.Soubin Shahir and Dileesh Pathen were hilarious.Harish Jain and the gang played their part really well.Among others Sreenath Bhasi,Srinda Ashab,Binu Pappu etc were notable.

Bijibal ensures that the music go in consonance with the narration with all the songs being soulful and qualified for looping.'Varoo Pokam',blessed with meaningful lyrics by Rafeeq Ahammed in particular was extremely soothing and among my personal favorites this year.

Overall,Rani Padmini is a brilliantly narrated feel good movie that deserves a watch from the big screens.

With his recent film 'Gangster' featuring Mammootty being heavily criticized by both audience and critics for its lack of good script and inability to engage the viewers, Aashiq Abu really needed to make it to the top. After a long gap, he has finally presented us 'Rani Padmini' with his wife Rima Kallingal as Rani and Manju Warrier as Padmini.

Padmini is a typical good and well-mannered malayali women who goes to Delhi with her husband (Jinu Joseph) after their marriage. One day her husband leaves her and after not hearing from him for days, she comes to know that he has signed a mutual divorce petition application. It hurts her really bad. She decides to go to Himachal Pradesh all by herself to meet her husband who is participating in Himalayan Car Rally. During her journey she meets Rani, who is more bold, daring and extrovert in nature compared to Padmini. Both soon becomes friends and Rani assists Padmini to guide her to Himalayas. The adventures they face and the blissful, paradisiac beauty of the cold mountains, moon-lit night sky which mesmerizes them on their path to Padmini's husband, which also makes them closer to each other, are the highlights of the movie.

The pre-interval portion of the movie is just 50 minutes. Post- interval session is about 1 hour and 40 minutes. The reason for this might be the makers didn't want to interrupt the flow of the movie once Rani and Padmini embark on their journey which begins after the interval. The title sequence featuring the childhood of Rani and Padmini which also highlights their differences was well made with the song 'Varu Pokaam Parakkaam'. Similarly there were two short films inside the film which were portrayed as stories told by Rani and Padmini to each other.

Performances of Manju Warrier, Rima Kallingal and Jinu Jacob were outstanding. The supporting cast including Sreenath Bhasi, Sajitha Madathil and Soubin Shahir also made their performances noteworthy. The chemistry between Manju and Rima worked out well which led to many funny and good moments in the movie. The fun factor is one important element which helped engage the audience in the long second half of the movie. Sound design and sound mixing was brilliant. Cinematography by Madhu Neelakandan brought the Himalayas to life on screen. It was classy and beyond perfect in capturing the richness of the scenes into every frame. Background score and songs by Bijibal were good and was the key factor mostly in connecting the viewers to the movie. These 3 aspects raises the movie to Hollywood perfection.

Overall, 'Rani Padmini' is a movie that raises the idea that women aren't just meant to be stuck doing household chores, held back by family responsibilities or locked up inside social barricades and should spread her wings and fly out of their comfort zone to explore all the beauty, thrills and happiness that nature has in store.

Not a typical malayalam flick and definitely not everyone's cup of 'tea or coffee or whatever'. An adventure drama movie with an exceptionally good direction from Aashiq Abu. This is definitely a comeback for him and the way he executed this movie in his unique style makes me wait for his next flick. 'Rani Padmini' is a must watch - for those who love 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty' or that kind of adventure drama flicks - to be experienced from theaters.

The film Rani Padmini is a cinematic work belonging to the adventure drama genre, directed by Aashiq Abu.

The narrative chronicles the lives of two young women. One of the protagonists is Rani, who was brought up in an environment of strict control by her parents in an urban setting. Consequently, her behaviour exhibits some divergence from the norm. The second character is Padmini. She was raised in a rural setting under the supervision of her grandparents. Consequently, she has gained a wealth of experience in the local culture. Padmini was married by Giri, whose family had settled in Delhi. Giri was an accomplished motorsport competitor, having amassed numerous accolades in the field of adventure racing. Following her marriage, Padmini's autonomy was curtailed by her mother-in-law. Her mother-in-law forbade her from pursuing any other employment, instead requiring her to assume the role of caretaker for her mother-in-law and grandmother. Nevertheless, Padmini was able to secure employment. Prior to participating in a significant racing event, Giri's mother encouraged him to sign a mutual divorce document. However, Padmini was not informed of this until Giri had departed. She subsequently fled from the house to meet Giri. En route, Padmini encountered Rani, who was also experiencing difficulties. They proceeded together, continuing their journey. During this journey, a number of incidents occurred. Some were humorous, while others were thought-provoking and enjoyable. Ultimately, they were able to locate Giri, who had already realised the error of his ways.

The film's narrative and direction are satisfactory, and the performances are commendable. The musical scores and visual placements are excellent. However, some scenes seem incongruous and could have been avoided. The film is suitable for single viewing.