Munnariyippu

Munnariyippu tells the story of Anjali Arakkal, the freelance journalist who makes her living being a ghost writer. During one of her assignments to write an autobiography for jail superintendent, she meets an inmate-C.K Raghavan, grows interest in his story and character and decides to write a feature on him. C.K Raghavan had been sentenced to life for homicide of two ladies. But even after completing his term of 14 years, he prefers to continue in jail. The story then revolves around how he comes out of jail , how Anjali pursues him to write what really happened in his life and if the audience really get to learn all those.

Aparna Gopinath is a revelation. I was impressed with her debut in ABCD but from there onwards,it had been a downhill for the actress whether its the movies she had been part of or the characters she portrayed. Here in Munnariyippu though she stuns one and all matching up to the veteran Mammootty in many scenes. Its her earnest portrayal of a journalist who is determined to succeed and scale greater heights in life that brings an urgency to the otherwise sedate proceedings. Nedumudi Venu is a treat as always and brings few chuckles on our face. I wish Malayalam Cinema utilizes this actor more often. It has started to irritate to see Joy Mathew in every other movie these days but in this one, he did a fine job. Renji Panicker continues to be a natural in front of screen. Prithvira's cameo has nothing much to do but provides an important turn in the story with an advice he gives Aparna. 2012's National award winning child artist, Minon once again leaves a mark as the kid who befriends Raghavan and around only whom Raghavan is cheerful during the days he is out of jail

Cinematographer Venu makes a stellar return to direction after a long break and its his novel theme and intriguing story that is the winner in Munnariyippu all the way. Unni.R's screenplay provides the right impetus needed to this story. The technique these makers have used to tell the story in a lethargic pace to the point that the viewers finally start to get bored and then suddenly hit them with an ending like a ton of bricks has reaped in huge rewards. Bijibal's haunting background music helps the movie a great deal too. But above all, what Venu primarily needed was an actor who would not reveal anything at all about what C.K Raghavan is about and maintain the mystery surrounding him till the very end. Mammootty does that job with great aplomb , once again you only see the character the actor plays and not the actor himself.

It is very rare in a terrific movie where Mammootty has played the lead role ,that you walk away from the cinema halls not taking with you the brilliant acting moments by the actor. But Munnariyippu is one such movie and Mammootty has actually nothing to do with it . Its because C.K Raghavan does not reveal much on his face. He doesn't emote at all. He behaves differently from others. Even his ideologies and philosophies are different. Mammootty's ability to become the character he plays coupled with an astounding work of Venu and Unni.R in molding Raghavan delicately and perfectly might have given us a new entry to the list of Malayalam Cinema's finest movie characters ever. In Munnariyippu, its not the acting nuances that haunt you when you leave the halls, its the whole character.

Copy Paste from - Fahir

Munnariyippu, means 'caution' or 'warning', but the warning is not about some shocking or nerve jangling event or occurrence. Cameraman-director Venu has a different agenda in this film that stars Mammootty in the lead.

Anjali Arakkal (Aparna Gopinath), a freelance journalist, earns her living by ghost writing autobiographies of the rich and famous. Her latest client is the jail superintendent Krishnamoorthy (Nedumudi Venu) who is to retire from service shortly.

When she goes to meet him in the jail, she meets Raghavan (Mammootty), a prisoner accused of a double homicide. He has served his sentence but continues to stay in the jail as he has nowhere to go.

Anjali interviews him as part of the research for Krishnamoorthy's book. She finds that he is an interesting person and has jotted down his thoughts in a diary. She uses this material to write an article on him for a leading English magazine.

The article wins her a book deal from a publisher in Mumbai to translate Raghavan's autobiographical writings.

Anjali gets Raghavan released and finds him a place to stay. She provides him with pen and paper, telling him to write whatever he feels like. But days go by and the paper remains blank. Anjali gets increasingly angry, annoyed and agitated as time goes by.

The equation of their relationship does not change much as they come to know each other better. Anjali had found Raghavan an interesting subject to write about. Raghavan does not open up to her any more than one would to a casual acquaintance, even though he entrusts her with his life's earnings.

The screenplay and dialogues by Unni R give us clues to where we are heading, but much still remains a mystery.

Renji Panicker and Joy Mathew play senior journalists who guide Anjali, who can be quite ambitious and ruthless. They say things that mentors are supposed to say. They underline the changes taking place in the profession.

Prithviraj appears in a cameo as the prospective groom for Anjali.

The star cast is in top form with every character etched perfectly so that every character is memorable no matter how fleeting an appearance he/she makes.

Munnariyippu is one of the most intriguing films made in recent times.

"This movie isn't for everyone!" a line that I have used time and again and while it may sound like an easy bail for a movie that I'd enjoyed yet can't recommend others, I can't emphasize the line enough here for one of the best Malayalam movies this year. Munnariyippu starring Mammootty and Aparna Gopinath, isn't going to turn a lot of heads or be discussed among the casual movie-goers. But it was able to etch its impressions in my head and invoke a multitude of emotions, from sheer helplessness to supreme fear, and ending in being haunted even after the credits had rolled in. If you find yourself as immersed as myself in this movie, you are warned and assured you will go through similar range of ires as well.

Veteran cinematographer turned director Venu's second offering (since 1998's Daya) Munnariyippu tells the story and life of C K Raghavan portrayed by Mammootty and how a meeting with him changes the life of an aspirational freelance journalist Anjali Arakkal played by Aparna Gopinath. Its extremely slow paced and yet I found myself intrigued with the titular characters. My first impression was that it was gonna go the usual artsy movie route and the ending would be something ironic yet hard to comprehend. As the movie progresses, every turn, even if they are less in number and minute in magnitude, will keep you guessing and try to make you foresee the ending. But its safe to say that predictability takes a backseat here and nothing would prepare you for the ending, not that the ending is what made the movie.

You'll be able to say if this movie is for you or not from the titles itself. There was this line about Kafka that Prathap Pothens character utters in the movie. It was sheer coincidence that a movie had something about Kafka just a day after I'd finished reading one of his books. If you are familiar with the works of Kafka you'll see the essence almost instantly here.

Bijibal's haunting score is another gem in the crown. It was almost reminiscent of Mica Levi's score from Under The Skin, and by reminiscence I meant the haunting goodness of it. Much like the movie even the score had equal tones of liberating calm and disturbing melancholy.

While others near me shrugged in their seats, muttering to themselves "When'll this be over?" and "Why did I even come for this", I was completely invested in this movie, thanks to the awe inspiring performances from Mammootty and Aparna. Mammootty was inexplicably terrific as C K Raghavan, having minimal lines and acting mostly through body language. This will be hailed as one of his most challenging and complex roles ever. Aparna Gopinath effortlessly slides into the shoes of Anjali and brings out the bold that we've usually seen her portray but at the same time we also get to see her charming and vulnerable sides as well.

Sharing what I'd exactly thought about the movie in itself would act as a super-spoiler and I wouldn't want in the world to spoil this for you. I could easily tag this movie with a certain genre but then again that tag would be yet another spoiler. Sitting through till the end ain't easy, but when you are sucked into the simple narrative complemented by tight direction, an enthralling script and sincere performances from both the leads, nothing else matters.

Munnariyippu will be treated as a movie for those who have high evaluation skills.Or it can be said as a perfect movie for movie lovers.Veteran director Venu has proved his exceptional directional skills again.The script by Unni.R. is engaging throughout.Mammootty and Aparna Gopinath are seen throughout the movie with their combination scenes and they compete with each other in emoting their characters.

The suspense element is unpredictable, but definitely it will disappoint some viewers who expect a little more explanation.But there comes the importance of the movie name Munnariyippu' meaning "Warning", so 'Expect the Unexpected'.

The movie is a cult one and a perfect treat for all who love to see a good cinema.

'Munnariyippu' opens with a top angle shot. As the credits scroll on the screen, in the background an army of ants shift a dead gecko from the screen's left to the right. It is not clear whether the ants have killed the gecko. But they are sure about where they are heading. And they move slowly to that destination. Every once in a while comes along a film that demands from us more than few bucks at the pay counter. It demands attention, asks for involvement. To savour it fully, it isn't enough to watch it. 'Munnariyippu' is going to be one such film. For the classic that it is, 'Munnariyippu' is bound to remain in the hearts of those who care for the art of visual storytelling for long time to come.

C K Raghavan is a convicted prisoner for murdering two females. A freelance journalist Anjali who comes to the central prison to help the prison superintendent in writing his autobiography becomes curious about this interesting prisoner and tries to explore the real story behind this man from his own pen. Anjali's journey to know the intellectual Raghavan is what Munnariyippu focusing on.

Mammootty as Raghavan is riveting and this is undoubtedly one of the best characters by him recently. The actor who gets a serious character throughout delivers it with his nuances and body language. His dialogue delivery is also brilliant. Aparna Gopinath gets a very meaty role and she is very much comfortable in it. She is very much fortunate to get a good amount of screen space and utilities it very well. Ranji Paniker, Joy Mathew, Nedumudi Venu, Kochupreman are all good in their roles.

On the making side, the director has totally avoided the use of clichéd loud masala flavors and as I said earlier, a simple narrative pattern is followed from the start to the end to make Munnariyippu a differently treated film. The film has a very good story-line (By Venu) which is missing in most of the movies today. It is honest and hard hitting. Screenplay is excellent and engaging and the there are no scenes irrelevant or forced. Direction is very good and you can see the experience of a veteran technician like Venu with Munnariyippu. But the highlight of the movie is brilliant dialogues.

First half of the film introduces the major characters and sets a good base. Second half is engaging and the dialogues also keeps you interested towards the narrative leading to a shocker climax. This is where the movie reveals everything about the movie and need a your whole brain to connect things. There is no spoon feeding for the audience here and will require your senses to understand it.

Munnariyippu is one of the most intriguing films made in recent times.