Munnariyippu

For everyone who pooh-poohed his scornful outings over the last couple of years while projecting the star in him instead of manifesting the brilliant actor in him, here is Mammootty's strong answer to all his naysayers who wrote him off, vociferating that class is permanent with a shockingly brilliant, gutsy crusade from the ace cinematographer Venu and the excellent writer Unni R, who together produces a gem of an astutely connotative screenplay laced with prodigious, profound and philosophical reflections on freedom, exploitation, opportunism, mercilessness of the world run by the ruthlessly pragmatic corporates and also poses a warning that writing isn't something which comes instantaneously, all through the optics of a ghost writer and an intriguing man who spend 20 long years in a clink. For serious movie lovers who can enjoy such offbeat, cerebral narratives, have no second thoughts and reach out to your nearest screen playing Munnariyippu, which surely will turn out to be a thought provoking and haunting experience with remarkable performances all round. CK Raghavan definitely, is the Mammootty, we, the connoisseurs of cinema were dying to watch after Pranchiyettan, which was half a decade back.

Those who are not interested in any kind of spoilers, please stay away from reading any further. The mind game sets in from where Anjali Arackal (Aparna Gopinath), a ghost writer who is allotted to compose an autobiography for a jail superintendent, encounters an intriguing prisoner CK Raghavan (Mammootty) who sticks around in jail enjoying his solitude even after his stipulated tenure of the judgment of conviction for a double homicide. Interested in Raghavan's literary rantings written inside the jail, Anjali decides to do an exclusive story based on the literary works of Raghavan which becomes a runaway success, prompting a leading publishing company to offer her an opportunity to take credit for a book actually written by Raghavan based on his personal experiences. As Raghavan becomes a celebrity among the reading society, he is driven to exit the jail to the external universe, where he is practically locked up by Anjali at a confined space, in a regulated manner for him to write peacefully, so that she can take his accounts to a leading publishing giant within the strict deadline of one month. Days pass by, Raghavan can't write even a single word, and as this goes on, she is at the verging peril of facing legal suits from the publishing company for not meeting the deadline passed to her. Will Raghavan be able to complete writing, which will unveil what he was, or not forms the crux.

The main contemplation that Munnariyippu tries to delineate through Raghavan to the audience is that, the interpretation of freedom or exemption is absolutely subjective in accordance to the individual in question. It also presents a strong disapproval at the ruthless pragmatism of the new age through Anjali, which puts pressure, even when it comes to the field of creative cosmos, where thoughtfulness might not develop instantaneously within the given peak of time. The hotshot cinematographer Venu, who made a notable directorial debut with 'Daya' with the likes of MT Vasudevan Nair and Manju Warrier, proves his genius again and showcases his pioneering experience in the field, after returning to take the helm after 16 years of sabbatical. The way he portrays the idiosyncrasies of Raghavan, the selfishness of Anjali, the build-up to the shocking culmination are sheer strokes of brilliance. Unni R, who is popularly known as a brilliant short story writer has written his best work till date for celluloid, winning over us completely with such staggering character sketches which keeps you hooked on the screen to watch out for what's in store for the protagonists at its denouement. On its technical side, Venu himself has handled its cinematography and shows his class in that department once again without going above the narrative. Beena Paul's editing was pitch-perfect in creating the right mood and pace which its narrative demanded. Bijipal at re- recording does an excellent job in providing the air of mystery throughout its running time so effectively.

Talking of the performances, Mammootty truly underplays his emotions so effectively in a multi-dimensional manner like many of his brilliant portrayals in the past, by skinning his teeth into Raghavan, a character study which is altogether safe in his workforce. Aparna Gopinath, does a surprisingly great job as Anjali, bringing out all the anguishes, desperation and selfishness of the character with conviction. Among the supporting cast Renji Panickar, Joy Mathew etc delivers honest performances. Prithviraj in a juicy cameo reminded his own Kunjukunju in 'Swapnakoodu' with fine refinements.

All in all, Munnariyippu, is easily a profound masterpiece in my books, which turns out to be a hauntingly shocking delight for the lovers of cinema, and its true worth will only be valued by more people only after the passing of its home video, when it surely will be attaining a cult status, which it deserved, just like Utharam, Sadayam, Mumbai Police all which had a terrific culmination which weren't taken at first by the common audience. Must watch!

Verdict - Sheer f**king brilliance! Courtesy :Robert Langdon

Munnariyippu is a movie which makes the audience to wear their thinking caps. Arguably, the movie belongs to the physiological thriller genre. The movie opted to take a bold route of not explaining and spoon feeding the audience with every single detail which is not a familiar experience for the south Indian audience. We are forced to think and draw conclusions based on many subtle(even bold) hints which will help us to connect the dots and conclude what it is all about. I think, this is completely path breaking for Malayalam movies. Audience who are familiar with Hollywood movies like Seven or Usual Suspects could relate to this, as a single event towards the end or the climax unravels the complete movie for you and make you think about the movie, even after watching it.

I am not surprised that many people didn't like the movie and I even read that people were booing at the end of the movie. This movie is not everyone's cup of tea. But, I am sure a seasoned movie goer will definitely be able to appreciate it.

Mamootty was the ideal cast for the role and has performed admirably. It's just sad to see him waste his time and talent on commercial mass movies and cheap comedy. I hope he would opt for more challenging roles like this and our script writers could churn out such excellent scripts more often. Aparna Gopinath did a commendable job enacting the character transformation under corporate pressure.

I am not sure if the movie is a commercial success. I hope it is and I would love to see such movies more often. If you are looking for a time pass popcorn movie, just don't go for it and boo it. But, if you appreciate good cinema and like to see a thought provoking movie, it's a gem. Go for it! Cheers!

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.

'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.

"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.