Guppy

A movie with substance. Many of us will find ourselves in each one of the main characters. People whom we often perceive as bad, are not necessarily bad in reality. When driven by the harsh realities of life, we often come across negatively in the eyes of people around us. The storyline conveyed this message beautifully with its three main characters. Script was good and songs were beautiful. Enjoyed cinematography thoroughly. Each frame of the movie had shades orange and blue; formed something sort of a theme. Very good acting by Tovino Thomas and Chethan Jayalal. Great work by director John Paul George and team. Wish there were more movies of this genre.

This movie flew under the radar when it came out, but it's a lovely little tale on the human psyche without ever getting preachy or manipulative in its storytelling. The child actor Chetan brilliantly portrays growing pains of a boy who despite the tough lot life appears to have handed him, still manages to find love, laughter and fun in his surroundings. The tussle of wits that he engages in with the recently arrived engineer (Tovino) is the plot point, but it serves more as a window into exploring the souls and lives of these two disparate characters. Add some amazing cinematography into the mix and it's no wonder this is one of the best of the year

The story revolves around a boy nicknamed as Guppy(a kind of fish) played by Chethan Jayalal. The movie invites us to travel through his life, his affection with his mother, friends and many more people who love him. With the introduction of the engineer(Tovino Thomas) into the plot, events take a turn. The main strength of this movie are its characters. They are like perfectly carved sculptures. Even the characters appearing in one or two scenes have their own importance. Music suits the process of story telling perfectly. The performances by all artists were excellent. The director(and writer) Johnpaul George should be appreciated for handling this story that glides through various emotions and situations with exceptional skill. "Guppy" makes you think, feel and will remain in your mind for quite some time.

"Guppy" - with the tinge of life. Written by : Vinodini It is quite amazing to know how much impact could be created through a piece of well made creative work, in this case, a beautiful movie. It continues to haunt us for a bit longer as the characters retain their existence inside our minds even after the show time. That was the movie experience given through the perfectly portrayed "Guppy", directed by Johnpaul George. I regret for not having to watch it in the big screen (especially the multicolored fascinating wings of guppy fish elegantly flaunting with the pace of the movie, beautifully captured in every frame), but I don't wonder why this movie wasn't a box office hit either. The story has a rhythm, a slow tune of melancholy, which is a harder phase to get past through, but once we are into that symphony, it would embrace us to the depths of excitement and prolonged happiness. In fact, it takes us through almost all feelings humanly possible. Initially, it was compassion that we feel towards a boy named 'Guppy' (called so because he rears and sells guppy fish which feed on mosquito larvae) for the hardship that he is going through, to take care of his mother. We expect the boy to be modest, down to earth and ideal in every respect, but here is where we explore the fragrance of real life narrated in the movie. He is like every other boy in the neighborhood, who possesses all the flaws of a boy of his age. As the story unreels, we witness the rivalry that takes place between Guppy and the Engineer named Thejus Varkey, who comes to the village for building an over bridge. Here the movie breaks all stereotypes created in our minds through various movies of this genre, especially here the Engineer has the looks of a wandering traveler in a motor bike, who isn't so kindhearted or broadminded either. Unlike the "Heroes" out there, he doesn't seem to be divinely aware of all the untold truths around him. He is also like everyone else, not acting so "goody goody" to everyone, ending up with wrong interpretations, committing mistakes which are honestly humane. Like every youngster, he also gets annoyed with the repeated pestering of an old man offering him black tea. In fact, no one in the movie steps away from being real in words or deeds, thus giving me a notion to believe that the characters still continue to live that seaside village. Master Chethan has played the role of Guppy, and not even for one instance we would feel that it's a fictional character. His ignorance, childish arrogance and his immense passion towards guppy fish, were very perfectly rendered all sequences. Also, Tovino Thomas has done an exceptional performance, portraying the Engineer. His dialogue delivery and weird mannerisms reflect his character precisely. Somewhere hidden behind his arrogant persona, we could sense the sadness in his smiles and empathy towards his co- living beings. Sreenivasan's character as a gatekeeper striving for the upbringing of his granddaughter is also quite remarkable. The rest of the roles played by the cast were also noteworthy. In short, the movie narrates the intensity of real life, the struggle and passion in the most subtle way, leaving us speechless in a world inside our imagination. As for me, I would keep imagining a world where Guppy and Thejus Varkey would spend their lives finding solace in each other's presence, filling the loss of their dear ones. A 'must watch' for enjoying a really good movie with a genuine story-line! Thumps-up to the whole team of Guppy!

Recommend all to watch...

my rating- 4/5(a well packaged and executed movie which makes it a must watch to all types of audience) positives- 1.)direction,screenplay and script- these 3 are masterpiece of this film. the way director introduces us to the world of guppy was excellent and definitely screenplay has supported it. realism was added to each and every scene which wont bore audience. dialogues from each actor looked natural and special mention to the script. john paul(director) was trying to imitate direction style of maheshinte prathikaram. and the story also looked similar as both of these stories has revenge content. but the creativity of the director was good and we could see that in this movie.

2.)cinematography and editing- cinematography was excellent making each and every frame lively and colourful. seaside shots were good and nicely taken. some of the scenes dint even need a dialogue because the scenes itself explained everything.edits were also good.

3.)music and bgscore- i am out of words to praise!! songs and bgscore was totally amazing and loved it. it matched the film perfectly. (this reminded me of maheshinte prathikaram because even in that songs and bgscore was excellent.) 4.)master chetan, tovino and rest all cast- master chetan has done his role neatly with realism and probably he will get state award for his performance. the one scene in climax he holds back his tear was a topnotch one. tovino was excellent and his revenge role with beard was a good idea by the makers. tovino and chetan both were able to emote properly at proper places. rest all characters were all good and it stays in your heart.

negatives- 1.) duration- i felt duration was bit long and they could have trimmed unnecessary scenes so that it woudnt have disturbed the flow of the movie.

is it a must watch? yes from my side. this movie may not have proper stars but that doesn't mean we should avoid it. this movie should be watched in theatres to get the feel but i now feel guilty for not watching it in theatre. but thats fine if you take DVD and watch it and not by downloading it.

overall- one thing i liked about the movie is the presentation style. director tried to add varieties and he eventually succeeded in that. yes there maybe few boring and unwanted scenes which they could have cut but then though it didn't affect the flow in a big manner so its not a big deal. watch this movie with your family and its also a good family drama as well. it explains different emotions we as human's face in certain stages of our life. songs and bgscore were top notch as well as performance from each and every actors. special mention to master chetan for doing his role with realistic touch without any flaws and his climax performance defines everything. the emotional touch the makers gave to tovino and master chetan in climax was fantastic. this revenge drama may have similarities to maheshinte prathikaram due to its theme but we cant compare these 2 in a full manner as the settings and few elements are different. so don't think of comparing it and i only compared the theme not the full story or the full film. (comparing can spoil the film ) my rating- 4/5 (a well packaged and executed movie which makes it a must watch to all types of audience ) For more reviews on all language movies go to- Ridin bal movie reviews