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 is an investigation thriller directed by Cinematographer turned director Venu. Venu is turning into direction after a long interval of 15 years.Munnariyippu stars Mammootty and Aparna Gopinath in the lead roles. Munnariyippu is penned by director Venu and scripted by new wave script-writer R Unni. Venu also handled cinematography for the movie and is edited by Bina. Music for the movie is composed by Bijibal. Director Ranjith Produced the movie under the banner of Gold Coin Motion Pictures.

First of all let's just say there are no obvious good guys or bad guys in this movie – just people. Well rounded, interesting characters who are all involved in one way or the other to the main storyline of the film. The story follows a freelance writer/journalist named Anjali Arakkal (Aparna), who is ambitious and intelligent. She makes her living being a ghost writer for people who don't particularly have the skills to write for themselves and though this pays the bills, Anjali wants to make it big as a writer.

In her quest to do so, she meets a journalistic giant who entrusts upon her the job of ghost writing the auto biography of a friend of his – the Superintendent of a jail (Nedumudi) who is about to retire. Though not thrilled with the job she takes it and it is while she is in prison meeting with him that she meets an unassuming enigma of a prisoner named CK Raghavan (Mammootty).

Raghavan is a simple but captivating fellow who is in for a double homicide, which he says he never committed. Though he had the chance to leave, Raghavan has chosen to not opt for parole and is happy in the prison.

Obviously Anjali's attention turns to him, and she writes a feature based on the translation of various musings of Raghavan. This feature gets her noticed on a national level and soon she is offered a book deal by a major literary agency for Raghavan's story.

The plot then follows a mysterious Raghavan who never reveals his truths, a frustrated Anjali, her friends, corporate competition and third parties all gunning for the story behind the man with all the secrets.

Mammootty is at his best. Mammootty lived CK Raghavan. When we go out of the theatre we take a part of CK with us. The mannerisms and dialogue delivery of Mammootty made the character more alive. Aparna Gopinath is one of the best thing about the movie. Anjali is very strong and independent. Well, the role of Anjali was taken to the next level by Aparna.

Then we have the huge array of veterans and a delightful cameo by Prithviraj, all complimenting the tone and vibe of the film. In fact, the performances of many being so good is another reason why you are pulled in to multiple directions if you try to figure out where the story is headed. There simply are no weak links in the cast.

This a grown up movie. That does not mean it is artsy or does not have commercial value but just the opposite. Munnariyippu reminds us all what film making is all about and does so exactly because it does not rely on cheap applause or shortcuts.

Munnariyippu once again establish the truth that the script is the back bone of the movie. The film does not fails to engage the audience from the very beginning to the very end. Venu did a fantastic job as a director and cinematographer. The frames are simply brilliant and intriguing. R Unni is one of the best script writers in the new wave of Malayalam cinema. Well, he keeps his legacy. Munnariyippu can be counted as one of his best scripts till date. The dialogues are strong, deep and incredibly simple!

FINAL VERDICT: Munnariyippu is a feast for the movie lovers! This is one of a kind movie and will be a cult movie for sure. Munnariyippu is one of the best movie which resets the belief that good cinema exists. Munnariyippu is a must watch for movie lovers. For fans it's a chance to see their favorite star in an entirely different avatar.

((Review Inspired from Muyals.com's and Chithramala's review of the same movie.))

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.

Apart from succeeding as a drama film that manages to keep your attention throughout its 114-minute song-less spectacle, the movie also succeeds as a a stellar example of how a good screenplay can really carry an entire movie. This movie follows the journey of a young freelance journalist, struggling to make her "big break" work with the biography of a double homicide accused prisoner, whom she takes a fascination to after a few meetings. The story follows her attempts to get him to write about his past and elucidate the details leading to how he was imprisoned - for a crime he vehemently denies committing. Newbie Aparna Gopinath shines in her role as the troubled and desperate journalist trying to get through to the jaded and soft-spoken Mammooty, who delivers an A-class performance reminiscent of his heyday. Cinematographer-turned-director Venu yet again proves that the director chair is something he can handle with equal élan as he does the camera - he will be one director to look out for in this new wave of Malayalam cinema.

Overall, the movie is a must-watch for those who appreciate a good story told adeptly, without much brouhaha or over-the-top-ness and miss the days when Malayalam cinema exemplified that one quality for which it was always prized - simplicity.