Bangalore Days

This movie restored faith my humanity. That we still care. To treat one another as more important than yourself. Live. Love. Follow your dreams. Passion. Is one of the Cutest Friendship stories. Laughs. I never thought people can be so nice.

I never got bored even for a sec. Every actor has acted so well, with great emotional depth, Even the dog makes u cry. Its been a while since I've seen a movie with such an emotional depth.

I don't usually watch movies of other languages with subtitles, this movie was my 1st. And now I know I shouldn't miss the master pieces, no matter which language they belong to.

#MovieAddict.

No, its not a bad movie, but its definitely not worth the hype. First things first, the movie is blessed with an awesomely energetic cast. The first 20 minutes were a breeze, thanks to the lightheartedness, the mockery of our Nair Tharavadus and Nivin Pauly, this despite that wedding song (Thun thuna ney na... and than thana ney na... where do you come up with such deep lyrics I wonder!). It feels like Anjali Menon is picking up from where she left us at the end of "Manjadikuru", letting us know what happened to those cousins as they grew up.

The movie follows three (and a half) different story arcs of the three (and a half) main leads connected by their intermittent get-together at Rasta Cafe (I give it to them for their will to drive 50 KMs routinely through the Bangalore traffic for some coffee).

Dulquer plays the cool dude, the biker, the rebel, the go-to guy, the RJ stalker among other things with a look that has become quite a regular with him now. He might soon start getting type cast. But then he carries it off so well. Nivin plays the simpleton trying to get along with the city life. However caricaturish the role and performance, I just loved the character and this was the track I liked the most. Nasriya plays the lighthearted girl who gets into an arranged marriage way too early and to someone who doesn't make it easy, played seamlessly well by Fahad, despite the boring/unconvincing character (and that's where we get the half character and story arc).

Of the 2 other main characters, Parvathy gets a meaty role and plays it to perfection, while Isha gets a role that suits her very well - of looking good and breaking hearts (with none of the innocence of her earlier role in a thattum). And then there is Kalpana who cracks us up in the second half and of course Vijayaraghavan in that one scene where he is only heard...brilliant! Nithya Menon in her cameo is, well, BAD and yes, it does breaks my heart to say that.

Despite the superficiality, the movie entertains in parts, but not as a whole. It stretches so, especially the Nasriya-Fahad track which is the least convincing and boring. Dulquer's track is predictable till the entry of Parvathy Menon. She has a very interesting character to play and without giving away any spoilers, keeps things from going downhill. Coming to the highlight of the movie (to me), its Kuttan, played by Nivin Pauly. That innocent, simpleton who finds it almost impossible to get along with the new lifestyle, the one who gawks at people kissing in public, but can't accept it. The reason behind the mallu hypocrisy which many fail to see.

The movie handles the arranged marriage, the transition of a naive young boy to the city lifestyle and such nuances very well. Music is just about good, the background score though should not have been so obviously plagiarized. Scenes and locations are great, after all, the movie focuses on good looking faces and places. Like my cousin's 5-year old said, "Wow! No garbage on Bangalore roads!!!" You need some serious cinematography talent or CGI to achieve that.

At the end, Bangalore Days, ends up being a Malayalam movie in Bollywood format, a "Dil Chahta Hai" for us. You got the multi star cast, you got the good looking people and locations, you even got the wedding song and dance... its got the works. A"Karan Johar"-ization of Malayalam cinema (of course at a much better quality). You know the kind, where someone, who is seemingly an entry level employee at an IT services firm (which has a training center at Mysore...now which one was that?) but lives in a fully furnished Confident group ka flat, all ALONE (no roommates and no scope to share rent). He hasn't even been onsite yet!! Since when did they start paying so well??? Come on guys, please set realistic expectations. Anjali Menon, you should make more responsible movies. Now, how am I gonna explain to my relatives that we don't live like that here! Finally, did I like the movie? Well, I've got a love-hate thing going for "Bangalore Days". Loved that someone attempted a decent "Dedication to Bangalore from a Malayalee" and Hated that they deviated mid way. Loved the cousin camaraderie and Bangalore parts, Hated that it turned into a candy-floss, cliché' ridden, Bollywood-ization of Malayalam Cinema. Loved the Nivin Pauly character and the half-decent Dulquer track, but absolutely Hated the Nasria story.

Bangalore Days opens with a narrative style of Navin Pouli - the story is about 3 cousins and their different temperaments and lives.Though each personality is very different from one other, their bond which is portrayed through an excellent screenplay is what makes the film special. In these days where own families do not support each other when things get tough, this movie portrays how these 3 cousins stay together through thick and thin.

Coming to the characters: Divya/Nazriya - Resilient, sharp witted and independent in the true sense; is exceptional. Her portrayal of how a modern Indian woman is expected to conform is spot on but her free spirit is destined to do much more.

Kutta/Navin - The quintessential small town software engineer, who wants to explore new places, earn money but finally wants a homely girl who will cook for him and serve him.

Arjun/Dilquer - The romeo, the free spirit who doesn't care for rules or perceptions. Extremely impulsive, he does what his heart tells him to do. This character is the glue in the 3 lives, and brings the whole story to life.

Finally, Mr. Das/Fahd - the brooding/depressed/chauvinistic husband who is actually not any of the above but his past has made him who he is today. Well portrayed by Fahd.

The RJ and short appearance by Menon along with all the supporting family members add to the chutzpah of the movie. This movie will make you laugh and cry.

Go watch it, its 3 hours long but you would never look at your watch once and its worth every penny. I give it a 7.5 as some of the sequences could have been more real.

I have never watched any Malayalam movie before as I don't know the language and I hate watching movies with subtitles on.A friend of mine suggested me to watch Bangalore Days and hence I decided to give it a try.Now,after watching,I don't feel disappointed at all. Coming to the story,it is a simple one about three cousins and how their lives have unfolded.I have seen similar movies before but what makes Bangalore Days different is the narration.You get a pleasant feeling throughout the movie.One particular that stands out is when Das and Divya go to meet Natasha's parents. All the lead actors have done justice to their role.Music(both songs and background score)is brilliant and it complements the mood of the film well.It helps audience to connect emotionally with the movie. Overall,there is nothing much to complaint about the movie.The movie's runtime is close to 3 hrs.Wish it could have been trimmed a little bit.But again,you won't complaint as long as you are watching it.It is a good movie and is definitely worth watching

Hi, I'm from Tamilnadu (Tamilian). I can very much speak & understand Malayalam. One thing I want to highlight a point is that Malayalam Film industry especially in the past one decade has gone to the height of World classics... Anjali Menon's contribution to Malayalam Film industry is one of the remarkable count. Yes, she does it again with Bangalore Days... Kudos to her. I have seen this Movie, yesterday at Chennai. Very pleasant & enjoyable ride.... All the actors did their best. Especially, Fahad Fazil,Dulquar Salman,Nivin Pauly & cute smiling angel Nazriya does their roles perfectly. Once again, Anjali keep rocking. I love to watch all your future movies .... Rgds, Hari. (Your Tamilian Fan from Chennai).