The Movies of 2024

As the year comes to an end it’s probably a good time to reflect upon all the quality movies that helped me get through it. It was a good year for movie lovers, especially people who enjoy Malayalam movies.

While January was rather quiet, February made up for it. Premalu was an absolute laugh riot in the theatres and Brahmayugam with its black and white imagery gave something new and unique. Dune 2 exceeded expectations and became an adrenaline pumping action movie that will be remembered for the ages.

The momentum continued on to March when Manjumel boys came in with one of the most memorable theatre experiences I have ever had. It was exciting, thrilling, and enjoyable at the same time. Soubin and the boys acted their hearts out and Sushin did his magic with the background score keeping us at the edge of our seats throughout the second half of the movie. People were singing along to Kanmani Anbodu for the remainder of the year. The movie went on to become the highest-grossing Malayalam movie ever made. A title well deserved. Another worthwhile mention for March was Attam. A well crafted movie that left me thinking for hours, bringing about deep discussions with friends even months after watching it.

The Malayalam Industry was on fire and I hoped the momentum would continue through April. But then came Aadujeevitham, a rather disappointing affair considering all the hype the movie had been generating for years into its production. The gloom of goat life was however quickly forgotten as Ranga Annan and Amban came in with Avesham. A smash hit, the movie created sequences and characters that will be etched in the minds of common people for a long time to come. Avesham was accompanied by Varshangalku Shesham and Jai Ganesh both of which were good solid movies.

Things started slowing down in May. Guruvayurambala Nadayil while bringing about a few funny sequences was mostly cringe and forgettable. And Thalavan was only average at best. As things slowed down in Malayalam, the Tamil Industry came out with a banger in Maharaja. A simple story told in a non-linear timeline.

July was an interesting month. The much awaited Kalki came out with a unique concept and interesting world building. Inside Out 2 was solid as expected. The real surprise however was a movie like ‘Kill’ coming out from the Hindi Industry. The movie didn’t get the publicity it deserved.

August was again interesting with Deadpool&Wolverine and Stree 2 coming out with a bang. I would say both of them fell a bit short of expectations but still made for good theatre experiences. The most enjoyable expereince of August was however the re-release of Manichithrathazhu, a timeless classic.

September and October were rather quiet with average movies like Nunakuzhi and Bougainvillea. Joker2 had horrible reviews from Day 1, but I still went and saw it on the big screen to confirm what I already knew. Kishikinda Kandam was well made and brought about a unique concept. Caddo Lake, a MN Shyamalan production was a standout during this time.

November was eventful with me watching Lucky Basker, Amaran and Njan Kathalan on the same weekend. On a whole all of them were just average movies. But Amaran had some memorable scenes.

I missed out a few good movies during December. Sooksmadarshini being the biggest miss. Anyway, the year ended with a bang (pun intended) with me watching Rifle Club in theatre. It felt like watching a Tarantino classic in Malayalam.

Overall, it was a great year with a mix of exciting laugh riots (Avesham, Premalu), action-packed quality movies (Rifle Club, Dune2), edge-of-the-seat thrillers (Manjumel Boys), unique concept movies (Kishkinda Kandam, Brahmayugam) and well crafted thought-provoking works (Attam).

The Long Movie Weekend

Three movies in three different languages in three days. That’s probably a first.

I started off with Lucky Baskhar on Friday night. After much debate on which language to watch this Telugu Thriller helmed by Dulquer, we went for the original Telugu version guided by English subtitles. The movie felt pretty ordinary. The themes were quite similar to that of Scam 1992 and didn’t really get me excited. I just couldn’t relate to the 94% rating on BookMyShow.

Having lost faith in BMS ratings, I was skeptical when I got in for Amaran on Saturday night. This Tamil action drama inspired by real-life army officer Major Mukund seemed very much like another iteration of SherShah. The first half was a cringe-fest and really tough to sit through. Sai Pallavi seemed out of place trying to portray a clingy young girlfriend. However as the movie progresses, the action sequences take over and things get interesting. It’s only in the last fifteen minutes that the movie justifies its rating. Sai Pallavi takes over and steals the show elevating the movie to an entirely different level. I highly doubt if we have any other female actors who could create the same impact with those final scenes as she did. This was one of the movies that was mostly average but extraordinary at a few places to leave a lasting impression.

The last movie for the weekend was ‘Njan Kathalan’. It was another Gireesh AD – Naslen combination but comes nowhere close to Premalu. Despite being an average movie it never bores you. The premise was something new and unique to keep me interested till the end. /

There and Back Again


I was slightly skeptical before starting ‘The Hobbit’. The book was first published in 1937. Normally, when I read something that old, I do not relate to the writing style and end up spending a lot of energy to get through it.

However, I was happily proven wrong. The writing style was perhaps the best I have read in a long time. As I started reading, I could imagine myself as a child listening to a bedtime story narrated by none other than Tolkien himself. The writing style is so simple, yet the world-building is massive. The idea of a band of friends going on a quest is universal and relatable. The character of Bilbo Baggins is likable and you’ll root for him no matter what. His love for his home, routine, and aversion to adventures is understandable. Gandalf with his god-like persona brings about a sense of relief and calm whenever he comes into the plot.

The Hobbit is simple, entertaining, and leaves you craving for more.

Way Down we Go..

I haven’t been watching many TV shows of late. To enjoy a show you have to make a long term commitment to it and then there’s always the fear of the ending letting you down. I was skeptical about Silo at first, I was jumping into this show merely based on a snippet I saw while doomscrolling on YouTube.

But there’s something about dystopian worlds that gets me instantly excited. The short clips on the web were good enough to lead me to this post apocalyptic world order of 10,000 people living in a silo. A self sustaining underground structure that is the only remaining habitable place on earth.

It took a few episodes for me to hooked up . But once it happened, day and night no longer mattered. It was like the good old days of GOT (the initial seasons), binge-watching at its finest. World building and plot development happening simultaneously. Complex character arcs were introduced only to be followed by sudden demises. Tension and curiosity kept me wide awake and I reached for the ‘next episode’ button far too many times.

Anyways now my watch has ended and the wait for Season 2 starts.

Palavattam Pookalam


It was late at night, yet the theatre was packed. The last time this movie was screened was in 1993, a year before I was born. No one came here by accident. If you had to turn up for the re-release of a 30-year classic on opening day, you probably love it already. When the opening credits finished and displayed Fazil’s name as director, the entire theatre clapped making their appreciation known even before the movie started. There were more cheers to come. The first few minutes were an absolute laugh riot as Innocent, KPAC Lalitha took center stage and performed some of the most organic comedy sequences ever seen in a Malayalam movie. The audience myself included were laughing like anything at scenes we had seen a hundred times before. 

While the cheers for Suresh Gopi, Shobhana, and Mohanlal upon entry were expected, I was surprised by the loud applause for Kuthiravattom Pappu’s entry. And, that’s the beauty of Manichithrathazhu. While the three main characters did a splendid job, it’s the performance of the second line of actors: Pappu, Ganesh, Nedumudi Venu, Thilakan, Sudheesh, Innocent, and KPAC Lalitha that sets this movie apart. People were reciting lines as they came on the screen, be it the iconic “Thampi aliyoo.. “, “Sunny Kuttaa… “, “Kindi”, “Ganga ippo pokanda..” etc.. It’s also worth noting that these lines became popular in a world without reels and shorts. They became famous because people ‘actually’ used them in their conversations. 

I had always appreciated the music in this one but I had completely forgotten how much the music helped in the story progression. Every track comes with a purpose. They aid in story progression, redirecting our emotions in the intended path. Every time some portion of Varuvanilla came I couldn’t help but hum along and if I listened carefully I could hear others in the audience doing the same. When “Our Murai” started playing the entire theatre went silent watching with utmost concentration to see Ganga transform completely into Nagavalli. And, from there on Shobhana steals the show creating some of the most intense scenes I have ever watched on a big screen. 

Once all the blood was cleared and ‘Palavattom Pookalam’ played for one final time, I couldn’t help but smile. The movie stood the test of time. Even 30 years after its release, even in a hall full of people who already knew the story, even with the old videography which comes across as pixelated at places, this movie could still pack a punch. It could leave me on a high. Not because of star power, not because of popular songs, not because of mass masala. But purely because this was ‘art’ at its finest. This was CINEMA. This begs the question, Is ‘Manichithrathazhu’ the best Malayalam movie ever made? 

Dil Se


At the core, it’s a love story. How the heart beats for someone and all logic/reasoning is lost. You start thinking ‘Dil Se’. But the movie doesn’t stop there. It also questions the very idea of freedom in our country. Did the fruits of freedom reach everyone after independence?

All that said, the real selling point of the movie is its cinematic brilliance. Mani Ratnam’s unique talent of creating scenes loaded with emotions. From the cold deserts of Ladakh to the backwaters of Kerala, each shot had something unique to offer. The story is a bit flat at the end. But it did have some compelling portions. It unapologetically shows varying point of views without preaching to the audience.

Probably should have watched this movie years ago. Anyways, better late than never.

When hope dies!


The exploration of 90s Malayalam movies has led me to another Mohanlal gem. A dark, heartbreak story about hope, losing hope, and then coming to terms with the inevitable. A gut-wrenching tale that’s too tough for a rewatch. A story that reminds us how some people are more privileged than others right from birth. A story that reminds us how tough it is for people to change their fates, to escape the tags stamped on them from birth. A story that reminds us how the weak are always at the mercy of the powerful.

Sathaynandan was stamped as an outclass right from his birth. The son of whore, who couldn’t point to his father, his fate is sealed by his mere birth. So was Jaya, a girl abandoned by her parents to live with relatives engaged in the flesh trade. Both of them tried hard to escape their fates, to become acceptable in society, and to live a life they were proud of. In the end, they were betrayed by people considered more acceptable in this same society.

What do you do when you lose all hope, when you see the love of your life leave, when you see her lose everything, when you see her sell her flesh and engage in the trade you despised all your life? What do you do when you see the kids you loved so much also going down the same path? What do you do when you realize there’s no hope for change? What do you do when you feel everything is already scripted? What do you do when you feel you are just a puppet unable to make any meaningful change? You try to take control the only way you feel it’s possible, you try to stop the wheel. And sometimes the only way to stop the wheel is to break it.

This MT classic is rightly called Sadayam (mercifully).

A Wedding Trip (Day – 4)

The journey back to Bangalore was going to be a long one, Google Maps was predicting around 15 hours. After much debate on when to start the journey, we settled to start at 6:00 AM. Me and Pro got up just in time and did a hurried packing only to find Varsha and Niranjana were still asleep. In the end, we left the hotel around 6:30. We walked out of the hotel to find the sea in yet another beautiful but distinct state. The car was lying just next to the shoreline crying out for a photograph. This was indeed a beautiful place.

This was indeed a beautiful place!

We started the journey by driving further south to Nagercoil in Tamil Nadu before turning back north to Tirunalveli and then Madurai. The road was perhaps one of the best roads I have driven to date. My eyes lit up when I saw the buttery smooth roads with hardly any traffic. The scenery of mountains and windmills all around us further increased the appeal of the road. We were cruising at 140 kmph for quite some time before Pro suggested dialing it down. But even then we were covering ground really fast. Varsha had run out of car games and spent most of the journey sleeping. Niranjana meanwhile was observing the roads with great attention and shifted the jukebox to English songs.

Our dream run lasted only till Salem though. Traffic started developing and it started feeling a lot like Bangalore again. Varsha woke up somewhere in between and we spent the remainder of our journey talking about stories from the past, aspirations for the future, and just random things of no importance. It’s funny how a road trip brings people together. Varsha and Niranjana were strangers only a week before. But by the end of the trip, it felt like we had known each other for years.

We reached Bangalore around dusk, a bit tired but very satisfied. We took the Atibelle road and dropped Niranjana at her place before heading to our home in Mahadevapura. I gave Varsha a house tour as Pro made tea for all of us. Varsha, surprisingly was satisfied with the tea this time. As we didn’t have the energy for another hour’s drive to Varsha’s hostel, she decided to take a cab.

And just like that, the eventful, loaded, three-day-marathon came to an end. A dynamically planned and executed trip. Certainly one I would remember for a long time to come.

A Wedding Trip (Day – 3)

Despite being extremely late to bed, we woke up reasonably early on Saturday. The wedding reception was to happen only by evening, so we had plenty of time to explore Kovalam. Our stay was at a property overlooking a rocky beach. After searching various breakfast options through Google Maps, we finally settled on the in-house restaurant. The restaurant overlooking the beach gave us good views and a pleasant breeze as we savored the Bread-Omelette and coffee. As usual, me and Niranjana went for coffee while Pro and Varsha went for tea. And also, as usual, Varsha wasn’t satisfied with the tea.

Our stay was at a property overlooking a rocky beach.

Soon after the breakfast, Pillechan and Govind joined us. They had taken the morning Vande Bharat from Kochi. All of us then got together and searched for places to explore in Kovalam and eventually decided to visit the Lighthouse Beach which was at a walkable distance from our place. We walked through a beach road for about half an hour to reach the lighthouse. The black sand beach definetly had a character of its own. The red and white painted lighthouse at the edge of the cliff was a splendid addition to the already beautiful scenery. We didn’t have anything else planned for the day so we took our sweet time exploring the beach. The sky was relatively cloudy today with a few sporadic drizzles now and then. This brought down the temperature to favorable levels for our noon-time beach exploration.

We got into a beachside restaurant eager to try some seafood for lunch. The food was delicious and perfect for the ambience. As we had lunch, the sky started getting darker and a storm was brewing up near the horizon. Luckily it didn’t rain, just another mild drizzle. After lunch, Nandu joined us straight at the beach. He too had taken a train from Kochi. We spent a couple of more hours on the beach playing with kites, buying souvenirs, and eating beachside snacks before finally heading back to the hotel to get ready for the wedding reception.

We spent a couple of more hours on the beach playing with kites, buying souvenirs, and eating beachside snacks…

The reception was to take place at Al Saaj Auditorium, about 40 minutes from our hotel. We reached the place reasonably on time and joined Nandakrishnan and Punya for the festivities. The reception was a comparatively relaxed program spread out over a few hours, thus giving us enough time to talk with the newlyweds, enjoy the food, and socialize with other guests. We stayed in the hall till the end of the function and were the last to leave.

Nandu, Govind, and Pillechan planned to head back to Kochi the same night. So we bid our farewells before heading back to our hotel. As for the four of us, we were to start to Bangalore early morning the next day. As we got back to the hotel, the beach had acquired an entirely new character. The waves had gotten stronger, the winds chillier, and the moon gave a silvery touch over everything it shone. We stayed outside the hotel staring at the sea for a long time. The feeling was surreal, and part of me wanted to stay there all night.

A Wedding Trip (Day – 2)

We woke up early morning to make sure we didn’t miss the wedding ceremony at the temple. Nandakrishnan and Punya were allotted a time slot between 8:00 – 9:00 AM and the wedding could happen anytime in between. It was only by chance that we reached the ‘nada’ 15 minutes in advance. The extra effort paid off as the Pujaris for some random reason decided to conduct the ceremonies before 8:00. We watched Nandakrishnan and Punya tie the knot, walk the circles, and put leaf garlands around each other’s necks. The pujaris rushed through their ceremonies before handing over the couple to the photographers. Rachana and Kalayani joined us somewhere in between while Varsha and Niranjana only reached well after everything was done. We still had some time to kill before the function at the hall, so we had a photo session for ourselves and decided to head for breakfast. The three of us: Me, Nandu, and Pro went for breakfast along with Rachana and Kalyani. I left my camera with Varsha as she was busy taking photos of her other friends. She was handling the camera with such confidence that I thought she was a professional photographer. It was only later when I took out the memory card and deleted a bunch of blurred photos en masse that I understood I was wrong.

The breakfast trip was quite eventful as well. All the eateries in the temple premises were filled to the brim. At the first eatery we entered, we gave our names to the waiter and waited patiently as we do at any Bangalore eatery on a weekend. It was only later that we understood that we had to stalk and pounce upon emptying tables to capture our seats. Lacking the skills for the same, we moved to another eatery where the rush was less. We ordered Dosas and tea/coffee and decided to go back to the temple.

We spent a while roaming around the temple and then headed to the hall with still time for the function to begin. Nandakrishnan and Punya were done with their photo sessions and were struggling to have breakfast in all the clothing and jewelry. We joined them at their table and started going over the dance routine for one final time. We used paper cups to get the positioning right. This was one of those dances that sounded great on paper but was never actually tried out. We decided to do a sample run just 15 minutes before the actual event. We gathered in the narrow hallway and tried out the steps for the first time. This did give me some confidence. Nandakrishan couldn’t join the practice fully as he was busy with other groom duties. It was only five minutes before the actual entry dance that he and Punya decided on the steps for their entry. Surprisingly, he played the entry part quite well. However, he made a total mess of the group dance. Both dances were well received by the Guruvayur crowd which mostly contained elders. With the dances done, we joined the audience for the remaining proceedings. The proceedings were followed by a good vegetarian Sadhya at the back of the hall. Puthukkad and Meera joined us somewhere in between. Puthukkad (original name – Deepak Puthukkad) had been Nandakrishnan’s roommate during his early days at Synopsys. Both of them were also our batchmates at MEC. We clicked some group photos, bid our farewells, and started plans for the onward journey.

We clicked some group photos, bid our farewells, and started plans for the onward journey.

This is where the plan starts changing rapidly. Originally me and Pro planned to start our onward journey to Trivandrum along with the wedding party. Sometime during the function, Pro invited Varsha and Niranjana also to come to Trivandrum. This left both of them in a lurch. They weren’t originally planning to come for the function at Trivandrum. However, hearing our plan they started rethinking. I too encouraged them but didn’t think they would be up for such a spontaneous plan. Anyways, thwarting all assumptions, both of them decided to come along to Trivandrum. Of course, it took quite a bit of time for the decision to come. The wedding party had already left by the time, they reached a consensus.

We debated for a while on which route to take to Trivandrum. With the wedding party already gone, we were at liberty to take whichever route we deemed fit. The Alappuzha route seemed shorter, however, Nandu had suggested we take MC Road as it was a ‘four-line highway’ from Kottayam to Trivandrum. With limited knowledge about Kerala roads and waning faith in Google Maps, we decided to take Nandu’s word as gospel and take MC Road to Trivandrum.

Five minutes into the journey Varsha had already slept off. Niranjana was a more attentive traveller paying attention to the road and changing scenery. The scenery wasn’t particularly interesting though. It was just urban roads and vehicles all around us. Apart from a few towns on the way, the traffic was kind towards us. We paused somewhere near Angamaly for some refreshments. Me and Niranjana took coffee while Pro and Varsha went for tea. Varsha complained that the tea was too sweet, nonetheless, she stayed awake for a while after this and made us play Aswamedham and a movie-guessing game. Niranjana wasn’t interested in the movie game and kept complaining her movie knowledge was limited. Nonetheless, she was getting most of the answers right. The games helped in lightening up the journey which had started to become a bit exhausting by now. The traffic was less, but still significant enough to tire us. Nandu’s promised four-lane road was yet to start and it had started to get dark. Eventually, I gave up and handed over the steering to Pro way earlier than I planned to. We stopped again at Thiruvalla for dinner. The food wasn’t great, but manageable. We again ordered two glasses each of tea and coffee. Varsha wasn’t satisfied with the tea here either. By the time we were done with dinner, it had started to rain. It was becoming increasingly certain that we would never make it in time to Trivandrum for Punya’s ‘Griha-praveshnam’. The four-lane road Nandu promised still didn’t come and the rain was not going to make our travel any faster. Anyway, Pro had other ideas and put the pedal to the floor and cruised through the last 100 kilometers. We still reached late, but not by much. We sat down with the newlyweds and shared our travel stories – how Varsha and Niranjana decided to come, Varsha’s problem with all the tea, the rain playing spoilsport, Pro’s final flourish, Nandu’s promised four-lane road and so on and so forth. We delayed their official first night by at least half an hour before remembering we still had an hour’s travel to reach our hotel in Kovalam.

For a brief moment, I wondered if there was any need to book a hotel so far away from the city. But this was not just another wedding trip for us. This was also meant to be a getaway. A chance to relax. And what better way to relax than waking up to the sound of waves hitting the sand?