Melvilasom

Based on Soorya Krishnamoorthy's well known drama of the same title, debutant director Madhav Ramdas' Melvilasom is a welcome experiment in Malayalam. The whole film has been set inside a room where the court martial of a soldier is happening. It's a well executed and a gripping tale that manages to maintain the suspense till the end.

Sawar Ramachandran (Parthiban) is undergoing a court martial, after he had shot at two of his superior officers, killing one of them. Captain Vikas Roy (Suresh Gopi), who defends him, brilliantly unveils the untold stories that led to the mishap. Captain Roy doesn't try to save the soldier as he had confessed to his crime himself. But Roy's efforts are to bring out the shocking incidents that provoked Ramachandran to do the crime.

Krishnamoorthy and Ramdas handle the complex tale of the Army set up which is by and large unknown to the outside world, in a highly impressive way. Though the pace goes down at certain points and the climax happen a bit too fast, Melvilasom has honesty written all over it.

The film has its moments and it is a welcome change that a Malayalam film has been made with no heroines, exotic locales or song n dances. Though such movies have happened in other languages (like for instance, Richard Linklater's brilliant 2001 film Tape), Malayalam cinema has generally preferred to stay away from such shots, especially during recent times. Anand Balakrishnan's camera is top notch.

Suresh Gopi is absolutely brilliant as Captain Vikas Roy and he scores with his amazing dialogue delivery. Parthiban gives subtle acting an altogether different meaning, even though his dialogues are limited to only a few minutes. His lines towards the end can leave you with a lump in the throat. Thalaivasal Vijay as Colonel Surat Singh, Krishnakumar as Captain B D Kapoor, Nizhalgal Ravi as Major Ajay Puri and Asokan as Captain Dr. Gupta performs their roles quite fantastically.

Of course, the situations and dialogues get a bit too dramatic at times. But Melvilasom is definitely an effort to move away from the conventional lines that leads Malayalam cinema. It's a rarity here and when it happens, the sincerity should be appreciated. Watch this one!

Verdict: 100%Very Good this film keeps your focus on for 1.45 hours . A tough job.

The film director did not even make a trailer for the movie If you wanna be a part of the new revolution taking place in malayala films.Go watch this movie.The Producers are gonna do a re-release next month as now only they have realised that even "Shankar Abharanam(1952 trendsetter)" flopped in first release due to lack of publicity. At the climax kandavarellavarum ezhunnettu ninnu kayyadichu.

One of the best Malayalam movies. There are flaws. but the major point is the introduction of this genre to Malayalam. Though the scene composition is limited, the director/editor could give a lot of thrilling moments to the audience. The script is an excellent part as it is made up of dialogs. But there could be more professional values to judge or clerks. However, I can't criticize much as I am seeing this kind of films the first time in Malayalam.

Suresh Gopi kind of actor has been utilized well. Prathipan acted well. but the power of the script is giving the character a lot of power to express. so I am confused to give credit to him. whether it is script or actor??? confused!

The Judge's character could have been written in a better way. like the way as he is not been influenced or no inclination to any side. But court before 1st break was excellent. Also, some acts like removing belt etc are not clear to the normal audience.

The director is not that good in influencing the acting of character Kapoor (Krishnakumar). Because sometimes the build-up of fear/anger is not well communicated to the audience. especially in the sequence of shots. See the sections to show anger was there. but the acting was really poor. not upto the mark of serious movie.

Ashokan's Medical professional character is not up to the mark. especially he failed to show situational acts like coughing well. But the way his character portrayed in the sequence is really well.

So, as a regional movie, I like it well. At the same time, there is a scope for improvements. However, it must be there for any movie.

Congrats to the director and the team.

The film Melvilasam is a cinematic work belonging to the court drama genre, directed by Madhav Ramadasan.

The narrative of the film revolves around a court martial conducted by the army, which is hearing a murder case and attempted murder case against Ramachandran, an army officer. The public prosecutor presents the evidence against Ramachandran and questions the witnesses, while the defence counsel cross-examines them in detail. However, the defence counsel is aware that Ramachandran is the killer and seeks to expose the truth behind the murder and attempted murder. Through meticulous examination, the defence counsel uncovers the motivation behind the murder and the attempted murder, revealing that Ramachandran had been subjected to abuse by the perpetrators due to his disparate caste systems. The narrative culminates in a poignant moment of empathy for the killer, leaving the audience with a lingering sense of emotional weight.

The narrative was impressive, with a meticulous direction, commendable performances, and noteworthy musical scores. The film is valuable for both one time watching and recommendation.

Everything about the movie is right, with a bold climax to actually accentuate the intensity of the story it speaks about.

Telling a story about how a down-trodden soldier is managed by his cruel superiors is brought to justice in a 100-minute courtroom drama. The whole film takes inside the court with no songs to deviate. The plot sticks to what it intends to convey & the screenplay keeps it going in real-time, which is truly engrossing.

The deep understanding of army laws & how a court-martial is carried out is portrayed with great finesse. Cast performance is very good, especially Suresh Gopi & Partibhan. The latter pulls it off quite nicely with speaking only few words.

The emotional turn it takes toward the end really induces emotion. Moreover, the process of court-martial and the advocacy is a treat for lovers. It keeps its viewers hooked and that is what matters. I rate it 7.9/10 because the editing & cinematography is very poor. Music also isn't remarkable pertaining to the serious theme. Sound effects are loud & untimely, although the inventive use of sounds is appreciable. Dialogs are very good but there's no denying that they all lacked furnishing.

BOTTOM LINE: Highly recommended because of its aesthetic value & huge entertainment quotient.

Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES

Profanity: Strong (most are beeped out) | Vulgarity: Mild | Nudity/Sex: No | Drugs/Smoking: No | Alcohol: Very Mild | Violence: Mild | Gore: No