Written and directed by Jis Joy, the 2021 Malayalam language comedy-drama explores the storyline of Mohan Kumar Fans revolves around the title character, Mohan Kumar, a forgotten movie star, and Krishnan Unni, his greatest fan who is also his driver. Subsequently, the movie, within its 126-minute runtime, shows the lengths that Krishnan, Mohan Kumar’s friends, and family go to, to keep Mohan happy no matter what it takes.
Also Read: Best Malayalam Movies of 2021 *So Far*
Mohan Kumar Fans was a brilliant one to watch. Jis Joy has once again given a thoroughly enjoyable entertainer. His screenplay is excellent and is a perfect inclusion of humor, drama, and emotions. The characters and situations are very well written, thereby giving this movie a soul and feel. The story by Bobby-Sanjay is very relatable. This is because we see the rise and establishment of many actors who move away from the limelight, and we often fail to support and promote raw talent. This story urges us to support talent rather than star value.
Mohan Kumar Fans have some stellar performances by the cast. Marketed as a Kunchako Boban film, it is Siddique who steals the show with his brilliant portrayal as Mohan Kumar. He imbibed in himself, the character so well that each of his expressions and dialogue delivery seemed realistic rather than just another acting performance.
Kunchako Boban also did a good job in playing the role of Krishnanunni. Vinay Forrt, who plays young superstar Aghosh Menon was more of comic relief and plays his role to perfection, especially, the dialogues and expressions made me laugh-out-loud. The remaining cast also put forward convincing performances.
As a whole, Mohan Kumar Fans is a well-crafted feel-good entertainer filled with positivity and hope. With a good screenplay and outstanding performances by the cast. It is truly worth a watch.
Almost every day, we see news articles that speak about many atrocious acts against the Dalit and minority communities. How many of us have ever thought of taking some action against these acts, even when the government is keeping quiet? How many people actually address this issue and put pressure on the government to take measures to prevent such acts? The number comes to just a handful of people whose efforts go in vain.
Also Read: Mammootty’s ‘One’ Malayalam Movie Review
The 2021 Malayalam language film Varthamanam is an honest attempt to address this issue and throw some light on various other inhumane activities that take place in the country. The film is directed by Sidhartha Siva and stars Parvathy Thiruvothu, Roshan Mathew, Sanju Sivaram, Dain Davis, Siddique, and others in the main roles. The film is written by Aryadan Shoukath, a prominent political figure in Kerala.
Moving on to the positives, Varthamanam is a well-crafted film. Sidhartha Siva, who looks for perfection in his work, doesn’t falter and displayed extreme courage in directing a film that openly criticizes the fascist form of governance. From caste discrimination, ill effects of pro-Hindu activism to the religious issues, and the cold-blooded murders of Kalburgi and Gauri Lankesh, he did a fantastic job by handling these subjects well.
The main highlight of films that deal with such sensitive issues is their screenplay. In Varthamanam, the screenplay was well written. However, the flow of events and the style of dialogues gave me the feeling of watching a less exaggerated theatre play or some street play. Certain scenes were very powerful in the content they dealt with and the questions they asked, but the dialogues, as well as the dialogue delivery, were a little weak.
Thereby failing to create the big impact it should have otherwise created. The ending as well felt very abrupt and many protests which were initiated in the film weren’t given a clear closure. Aryadan Shoukath’s script could have been more tightly written, with more powerful dialogues, thereby creating a bigger impact on the viewers.
Looking at the acting performances, the cast has given some strong performances. Parvathy, Roshan, Sanju, and Siddique in their roles were excellent and gave compelling performances. Dain Davis was more of comic relief in this otherwise serious film and played his role brilliantly. The supporting cast too played their roles well.
As a whole, Varthamanam is a bold and daring attempt by Sidhartha Siva and Aryadan Shoukath to expose the fascist form of governance as well as various other issues which are prevalent in the country. The film ends with a question, “are we going to continue allowing such atrocious acts to happen?”. This question is indirectly hinting to us that such issues keep happening and we as citizens should raise our voices against these injustices and make sure justice is served. I found this film really thought-provoking and excellently conceived.
Reviews by Anikait Nair
Follow Anikait on IG – @anikait_reviews
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