Monday, May 21, 2012

MANJADIKURU [ LUCKY RED SEEDS] Review by Sachin Chandran


There are some films which you can just watch and ignore , they are just some floating images, you don't really have to invest anything of yourself to it. There are some other kind of films which makes you feel privileged to be watching it. Manjadikuru by Anjali Menon falls under the second category for me, where you are not just a passive spectator because on the screen it is the story of all humankind. I felt speechless after the movie ended and I don't remember the last time, coming out of a theater with such a pleasure. I am not over selling it, it is a such an excellent film in so many levels. I still don't have any idea about how much time I spent inside the theater because I was fully engaged, and I am ready to spend hours more with this film without even looking into my watch. It is one of the best films I have watched in recent times.

It has a wonderful tale to tell. The story, as much as it can be explained - It happens in the early 80s. A ten year old boy, Vicky arrives at his grandparents home in rural Kerala to attend his grandfathers funeral. After the arrival he discovers more about himself and about his disjoint family. Elder people were just staying there to hatch plan to get hold of their ancestral property. For Vicky it was new world, he build a strong friendship with his cousins and with a young Tamil maid. As the story progresses, film shows us that each and every individual has a noble mind. In the outside, all of them were fighting for their shares, but inside they all were haunted by the dark reality of life. It leaves us a message that, what we do in life isn't what we have planned upon but they are just the consequences of what had happened in the past and we just adjust our life according to it.

The real gem of this film is it takes human drama with characters you believe in, characters you care about. This film has 10 to 15 core characters in it and a lot more to tell about them. Wonderful thing is that, those actors who play them do great justice to them. They have great dynamics and we have a perfect acting show in front of us and film just feels real when you enjoy it.The movie has many giggles but at the same time its very emotional as well.

One thing so special about this film is , normally When we watch films, separated by time. We try to play with the time factor and fail to do a good job. This film on the other end, really makes us believe that we are living in that period. It lifts us from our time and takes us to the very time film was set in.For those who still cherish the memories of the childhood, this film is a gift.

The real hero of this story is Anjali menon. She zooms straight to the top layer of my favorite directors list. She had focused on the story, she had focused on the narrative and she just did it. There isn't a single place in the movie where you would feel that she has somehow missed a step and could have done better. This film is more of a master's work rather than a debutant. The camera work was impressive and the background score was equally good. And people actually stood up and applauded at the end of the movie. I think its heart was in the right place director deserves great appreciation.

This is that kind of film that keeps me going, that makes me think that i really like watching films.

Absolutely wonderful.


via http://sachinchandran.blogspot.in/2012/05/manjadikuru-lucky-red-seeds.html


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