Munnariyippu

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.

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.

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!

Munnariyip, A movie which will haunt you for a long time after you left from the movie hall. A movie about C.K Raghavan and his views about the freedom. A Stunning movie with a flawless script and brilliant acting by the pioneer of Indian cinema Mammooty. Special mention to the director for the way he narrate the movie. Such a masterpiece in the recent times.A movie which allows the audience to be a part of it. movie leaves many unanswered questions at last. By thinking one can understand what the movie is all about. This stuff can be considered as mammooty's best work in last 5 years. This one is for all the movie lovers out there. don't miss it.

'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.