Bhramaram - Malayalam movie review

There are few film makers in malayalam cinema whose movies ,more often than not ,are often waited with baited breath by cine goers across the state.The sense of anticipation and excitement that their movies evoke are immense which usually turn out to be a bane for these supremely gifted artists.Blessy has been a victim of such frenzied responses in the past and after the recent debacle, where his last two movies turned out to be damp squibs, it was imperative from his part to come up with something appreciable in order to salvage his reputation and provide a befitting reply to his critics.Well then, Has he been successful in this attempt or is his latest endeavour an another flash in the pan?The movie, 'Bhramaram', which draws its inspiration from a Malayalam classic, (Revealing its name may spoil the party!) has lived up to its expectations and, by the end of the year, could well be labelled as the best malayalam movie of 2009( Sorry! Director Lal ).

Set in the backdrop of a series of explosions,the movie begins with Sivankutty ( played by mohanlal),a rustic, affable yet mysterious man from the villages, landing in a city to meet his old school mate,Unni (played by Suresh Menon),who fails to identify the former.The witty, uncomplicated, but tactful nature of Sivankutty, draws the immediate attention of Unni's daughter and as the movie slowly progresses his identity and true intentions are revealed which titillates the audience and draws them more towards the character and hence the movie.(Disclosing any further part of the movie would be tantamount to killing the movie)

'Bhramaram' (the beetle) belongs to those rare genre of movies which are relatively unseen in regional film industry.Blessy, who is a master in depicting the vagaries of life interspersed with human emotions under a nuclear family background, reveals his versatility by creating a movie which cannot be classified into the existing water tight compartments of commercial movie namely 'family', 'comedy','romance' and 'action'.Even the projection of the movie as a 'road thriller' is inappropriate as it undermines the essence and scope of the movie.The movie, as it shifts its locale from the sophisticated and crowded urban area in the first half to the sparsely populated rugged terrain of rural south india in the second half, captures the wide spectrum of human behaviour across the regions.The suave, genial yet timid,Unni stands in sharp contrast to the bold, unrefined and slightly eccentric Sivankutty.The precarious nature of the settings and the possibility of an imminent threat lurking around every time, might warrant a prescription of alprax to all viewers, before the start of the movie.!

Few actors in Indian cinema have the ability to carry a movie on their shoulders purely based on performance, and not on histrionics or stardom, and make us wonder whether the same movie could have been possible without them portraying the central character.Bhramaram could be cited as a perfect example with the superlative performance of Mohanlal elevating the movie to a higher level.The character required a sensitive portrayal by a seasoned actor, without him being overdramatic, and who better than Mohanlal to do it with utmost ease and subtlety!The dexterity needed to unveil the various shades of the character seems to have exploited his bountiful reserve pool of talent.Blessy has this ability to bring out the best out of Lal,their previous venture resulting in one of the five best performances of the actor.Barring the exception of Suresh Menon who lends freshness to the character Unni ,the remaining part of the supporting crew have nothing much to do.

Post kazhcha, the technical side of Blessy's movies have shown a marked improvement and this movie continues the upward trend.The captivating cinematography of Ajayan Vincent stands tall and conveys the mood of the movie effectively.Mohan Sithara's music is ok with Venugopal once again rendering his melodious voice to the hero.

'A tighter script'! has become too cliched an usage that needs to be renounced.Nevertheless, Blessy would be the first to acknowledge that his creation is not devoid of imperfections.(Restricting the analysis and deferring it for obvious reasons........)

Lets hope that this movie becomes the lucky charm and a sign of the good times to come in the flm industry.'Bhramaram' -It really stings!....A K Lohithadas is smiling....

Rating:Three and a half/Five