Aami

Better don't waste your time and money on this bad movie.

I feel Malayalam Movies is come out of age with #AAMI. This is not your typical movie going experience. Its way above it. This movie has made me felt stronger about the great Cultural history we come from. Im certain Manju is the best as Aami. She has made an impact for me. Murali Gopi how does one do this, his acting skills is beyond anyone's reach. Anoop Menon has come out of age. What about those 2 little Aami's? They make you feel proud that Kerala has got great talent coming up. IF its not for the acting I will sit there 155 minutes for the great BGM and OST laid down. All in all Im satisfied, amazing stuff keep it up Kerala.

Biography is already a difficult genre to make films in, and when it's about the eventful life of an eccentric and extraordinary personality like Kamala Das, it becomes all the more challenging. But, Kamal comes out his cave after three years and creates Aami, an almost perfect biopic that acts as a great ode to the legendary Malayalam writer. The talented Manju Warrier portrays the titular character with quite diligence and fervor, carefully following director Kamal's supervision, and unfortunately to the very point of stagnation. She leads the cast of other veterans like Murali Gopy and Anoop Menon, and provides a great window for her audience to know and feel the legend of Das, an impulsive writer and poet with a suspended teenage and unusual imagination. It is clear from the first frame what Kamal must have envisaged when he started this project, for nostalgia is something you will experience - of a childhood you still yearn and want to go back to, of a period in past that gives you joyous pleasure. Aami does that to you, either with his melodious montages on songs like 'Neermathalam' or through its poetic narration. There's enough to like and adore in Aami, starting with how it captures the essence of a turbulent India when it got independence, and how that affects our character's life in a way. Writer Kamal uses history with liberty and tries to amalgamate it with social issues that we are unable to tackle in the society currently. Things like conversion and religious fanaticism, although come in late in the overlong narrative, strike a definite chord with the film's informed audience. For a writer or any person related to art, it makes sense to get exposed to such charming charisma of Das, who was arguably one of the wildest writers to ever live. I personally adore her daring imagination and how she does not hesitate to turn into words her wildest dreams. It is the society that is at fault, emphasizes Aami at all juncture, and for that only it is one of the best Malayalam films of 2018. It could definitely use a nice trim to contain its expansive nature, but Aami has been structured and written well, and with right amounts of drama and dry humor. There's never one right way to shoot a biopic, and we are lucky Aami does not jinx it. Highly recommended! TN.

Vidya Balan's decision to leave this project seems completely justified. Kamal shouldn't have made this biopic on Kamaladas aka Madhavikutti aka Aami aka Kamala Surayya because it's do out of his style and abilities. The previous biopic directed by him Celluloid also gave a soulles feel which was largely overseen due to the amazing cast, music and the importance of the first filmmaker of Kerala. But here the importance of Aami gave a backlash as the fans of her writing came out saying that this is not the Aami they know. As someone who've only read one or two short stories by her I can't say I know about her that much but the film gives an impression of a naive, selfish and narcissistic women who didn't care about anything but just born in a privilaged family of writers. But the fans and what I've read about her differs. What is more baffling is that the film tries to glorify her actions but fails through this confused portrayal. Since her return to acting Manju Warrier's acting seemed a little bit artificial and this role shows the extreme of it. Even with all this Aami's life is interesting and shows the hypocrisy of the times, people, places and religion. The problem is that it is too big that even the almost 3 hour length is not enough which again shows Kamal doesn't know what to show and what not to. It can be attributed to the fact that he was trying to minimize the controversy that was already around the film and the life of the protagonist before the film came out. But ultimately this feels like a failed attempt of a film which gives glances of brilliant possibilities that could have only worked in multiple films than just one. Aami's life still warrants films with great potential in the right creative hands.

The movie is a biopic movie and Manju Warrier did really amazing acting in this movie. I am giving 2 star less than full stars just because I don't like this genre much, but still this is the one of the best movies of this genre.