Kerala Cafe
RJ Jean reviews Malayalam film Kerala Café
Ten short stories come to life in the latest film by director Ranjith. Kerala Café has brought in a sea of change in the Malayalam film industry heavy on theme-based scripts.
Finally Malayalam directors are proving beyond doubt that they are the best when it comes to effective narrations. Kerala Café, based on a simple theme of journey is a stepping stone to more accommodative scripts.
The stories in Kerala Cafe, though based on a common theme are different in style and making with their own messages. The film is based around Kerala Café, a hotel at a railway station where various characters from the movie pass through, without actually being acquainted.
The film starts with a prologue by Sathyan Anthikkad who warns you about the experimental nature of the film and what to look forward to. Among the ten stories, Anwar Rasheed's Bridge takes the cake. Bridge is a tale told in two parallel tracks about a young boy who finds a kitten on the street and about a son (Salim Kumar) who is forced to leave his ailing mother in the streets.
Anjali Menon's Happy Journey is another stand out movie with a small thread about the psyche of middle aged Malayalee men. This short is an effective hilarious take about an insurance surveyor (Jagathy) who likes to flirt a little. Jagathy tries to flirt with a pretty girl while they are on the same bus from Ernakulam to Kozhikkode, but the girl proves too smart for the man to handle. Jagathy Sreekumar after a long time, has got the space to prove his versatility while Nithya as the sweet yet shrewd girl, proves that she is here to stay.
Lal Jose’s Puram Kazhchakal starring Mammootty and Sreenivasan is subtle and effective in narration, while debutant director Shankar Ramakrishnan's Island Express takes time to settle with diverse unlinked characters but offers heavy appeal towards the end when the real theme unleashes in that spectacular run.
Don't miss Kerala Café for anything or you might just end up missing one of the finest works in Malayalam till date.
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3 Responses to “Kerala Cafe”
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a good effort
This is superb
REALLY SUPER…..