Spirit

Spirit is yet another brilliant film to have come out from the Malayalam film industry in recent times,owing hugely to the tides of change that has rocked Malayalam movie industry for the past couple of years. The hit duo of Mohanlal-Ranjith returns after 6 years to deliver a film that has got heart and succeeds in conveying the message to the viewer. The film is set around the life of a chronic alcoholic,Raghunandan(Mohanlal) who is a bank employee turned TV host/Writer. His personal life is a big mess and he has been divorced for years.Kaniha plays the role of Meera,Raghunandans ex-wife who is now married to Alexy(Sankar Ramakrishnan). Sankar Ramakrishnan makes a good debut and does justice to the role.All the characters are excellently portrayed by veteran actors like Madhu,Thilakan etc. Nandhu deserves a special applause and this is by far his best film ever. The credit goes to Renjith for knitting a well written story line and giving scope to his actors. All in all, this movie is a Mohanlal classic from the beginning to the end.He takes the center stage and performs like the master he is. And he yet again proves that there's no one else in the world who could do better than him in drunkard-roles.Not even you,Johnny Depp!

A message-driven plot gives out food for thought. The sensitive topic of alcoholism has been brought to the screen before, but not with such charm. It has emotions, drama & humor.

Modern day life of an alcoholic takes a U-turn when he realizes the gravity of his condition. He sets out to do the impossible & the story continues. With very good performances by the lead actors, Spirit is one of the few best Malayalam cinemas of 2012.

BOTTOM LINE: Highly Recommended! Due to the essence of reality inculcated into the plot. You will feel delighted & enlightened after watching this flick.

Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES

I seldom watch Malayalam movies and only got the opportunity to watch the well acclaimed 'Spirit' a fortnight ago on a DVD bought from Keralam on my last trip to India.

Spirit is a movie that has been written and directed quite untraditionally without the cliché like 'lovers, villain and police' depicting social aspects of alcoholism in all strata of community. Apart from essential drama, there is no melodrama or ride on emotional roller-coaster. If drama is taken out, one can only produce a documentary!

All the various people that Raghunandan (Mohan Lal) deals with are in one way or other associated with alcohol or its effects. Role, if any, of hapless government is portrayed in the "Show the Spirit" interview. The character Raghunandan has insight to do logical reasoning and can arrive at rational decisions which are evident through the movie. His discipline within the alcoholism, including studying about a person he is to interview at the TV show, is something one with small brains can't muster. The way he conducts himself before his ex- wife in various phases of the movie show how good his hindsight and foresight are. All these reflect his high intellect though his emotional intelligence seems to trail behind. Having said that, he is basically emerges as a man who loves to love and loves to be liked.

The movie also shows how society reacts to and can deal with alcoholism in a 'lesser' man like plumber Mani (Nandu) who has nothing to hide and also how a well respected man like Capt. Nambiar (Madhu) may carry himself out in his private life.

The apparent incomplete events and characters, which may seem unfinished to people who like clichés, that are dotted along take away any monotony of scenes and contribute to the basic theme.

The songs to me are aptly placed with poetry that impacts deep, the music and voices doing justice to the intended portrayal of moods. They do not use the worn-out words like 'chella kili', 'chella kaattu' and the like. My only gripe is the way Meera (Kaniha) plays the guitar which doesn't quite reflect the score there.

The movie doesn't have any cliché that a layman like me has observed. It just portrays alcoholism and its effects in the backdrop of relationships.

There is not a single scene that doesn't fit.

If I have to compare, I can only compare it with other good movies - like Thanmaathra and Kireedam which too portray some harsh realities of life as it is. It is unfair, I think, to compare with other good movies of Renjith which are set on entirely different platforms.

Mohanlal stars as Raghunandan, a narcissistic genius and philosopher who hosts a show called 'Show the Spirit', where he uncovers and unmasks political and authority figures through well crafted interviews, with the help of thoroughly researched background checks.

He is also a compulsive alcoholic who has a shattered family life, his wife having divorced him earlier due to his drinking. However, he shares a healthy relationship with her and her current husband. But his constant alcoholism and air of superiority makes him obnoxious and irritating.

The movie is about him realizing how addicted he has become to alcohol and how he decides to move away from it.

The movie's not perfect - The show 'Show the Spirit' in its shown format is just surreal; there is no real incentive for guests to come and participate in it simply to be ripped apart. Since the show is said to be a huge hit, any potential guest should be aware of what they're in for.

Another issue is that there is no evidence to the claim that Raghunandan is a genius. It is shown that everyone accepts this premise, but there is nothing exceptional in what he says/ does that would allow us to buy in to the claim.

Alcoholism is portrayed very well, down to the the righteous indignation and lack of awareness of the extent of addiction. But the climactic experiment (I'm not saying what it is) is simply unrealistic. But overall, still a good movie. Very well made and with excellent, realistic performances all around.

Its a movie which transfer a message to the society. The base character Raghunandan was handled by Mohanlal very nicely. The movie having a dramatic touch. In Kerala we need this type of movies. That will help the people to think about themselves. Poverty is base issue in India, but the alcohol usage is very high compare to all developed and developing countries. So the movie giving most wonderful message to the people in kerala. In every celebration kerala is swimming in alcohol. That is not a good thing. Indian had a good traditional civilization. So we are responsible for keeping that good civilization. Here the spirit come with full spirit. Nice work by Renjit.