Munnariyippu

'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.

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 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 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.

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