Gandhinagar 2nd Street

One of the best Lalettan 1980s classics directed by Sathyan Anthikkad. I can deeply empathize with Lalettan in this movie. He's often subjected to bullying and belittlement from the colony neighbors and feels like nobody loves him. The hardest scene to watch is where Lalettan and Karthika are in the hotel room and Karthika slaps Lalettan and then walks out on him crying. I mean, sure Lalettan might be in the wrong but it still hurts to see someone slap him. The only reason Karthika walked out on Lalettan was because of Mammukoya and Augustine's stupid scheme and the worst part is Lalettan was afraid to sternly say no. Anyway, the scene where Lalettan hits Ashokan and the scene where he fights two goons at night cheer me up. I don't like seeing anyone hit Lalettan. I like seeing Lalettan hit others depending on who it is. I also don't like that Thilakan hit Lalettan for hitting Ashokan. In my opinion, Ashokan desevred to get beat up. Lalettan wears many cool shirts throughout the movie. My favorite scene from an image standpoint is where he wears a light brown button down shirt with thin white stripes. My favorite scene from an action standpoint is where Lalettan beats up two goons at night which shows Lalettan has toughened up when he needed to as opposed to his incident with Mammukoya and Augustine. I also got mad at Mammookka for grabbing Lalettan's shirt in the scene where the neighbors were spreading rumors about Lalettan and Seema having an affair. However, it turns out that Mammookka is on Lalettan's side and he knows the rumors are false. I'm thankful for Mammookka helping Lalettan to man up. I'm also glad that Lalettan and Karthika reconciled in the end. Endearing Lalettan classic that must always be remembered :).

Malayalam films in the 80s were replete with films one may classify as social comedies. Kerala has seen a lot of idealism and good social indicators. But it has failed to balance it with pragmatism resulting in promising youth calling an opportunity to get a job as "rakshapettu" (loosely translated as "I've escaped". Kerala economy owes a lot to the sweat and sacrifices of its graduates who have toiled as labourers in the gulf, sending remittances while seeing their family grow in photographs.

This film shows both these aspects in the characters played by Mohanlal and Mammootty, with the focus more being in the circumstances of the struggling youth Mohanlal.

The film conveys the message implicitly layered under comedy and romance. Along with the popular songs and impressive performances by the entire cast, this was a big hit and continues to be remembered even today. It's a light watch - go for it!