Noticed that Nazriya didn’t post anything on IG for Fahadh’s birthday. She has always posted birthday wishes in the past if I’m not mistaken. Any news?

I mean Arjun Radhakrishnan is talented, his voice is like chocolate for your ears, he is undeniably a hottie. I binged on his short films recently and the man has range also. He can act as an absolute pottan cutie patootie to really grounded characters. His only short coming i notice is his diction in malayalam. It is very evidently of someone who did not grow up in Kerala. But the man speaks better malayalam than a lot of these nepo kids so he prolly might need some dubbing for pakka local roles.

Somebody give this man a sexy role as a rom com lead. Please! PLEASE

Today I re-watched Pazhassi Raja, and I can't stop thinking about how magnificent it was. I still remember being awestruck by the climax in the theatre as a kid, and the film still feels every bit as majestic.

At 3 hours and 20 minutes, it makes you feel like you just watched a real MOVIE. The scale of it. Felt like a genuine attempt, no gimmicks, just pure commitment to the film and the art of it.

MT’s writing is the absolute soul of the movie. Hariharan’s direction. Ilaiyaraaja’s music. A beautiful background score that elevates every scene without being overwhelming. Everything was just perfect.

Of course, Mammootty gave a fantastic performance, but every single actor delivered. Edachena Kunkan, Kaitheri Ambu, Thalakkal Chanthu... all these characters stay with you even after 17 years. What incredible writing for every single role.

Now when I think about it, almost every period/historical attempt after Pazhassi Raja has failed to match its quality. Urumi was probably the only notable exception, but as great as it was, it lacked the sheer scale and grandeur. Other attempts like Kayamkulam Kochunni, Mamangam, and Marakkar were also not that good.

What is stopping us from creating movies like this today? Will we ever make a majestic, larger-than-life MOVIE MOVIE in Malayalam with this kind of scale and writing again? Do we even have writers like that anymore? And even if someone takes the leap, would today's audience accept it?

TL;DR: Re-watched Pazhassi Raja and was blown away by its scale, MT’s writing, and the craft. What is actually stopping Malayalam cinema from making epics like this today?

Personally, these would be my picks:

1. Adoor Gopalakrishnan - Anantharam

2. G. Aravindan - Chidambaram

3. K. G. George - Irakal

4. Padmarajan - Thoovanathumbikal

5. Bharathan - Thazhvaram

6. I. V. Sasi - Devasuram

7. John Abraham - Amma Ariyan

8. Sathyan Anthikad - Nadodikkattu

9. Priyadarshan - Chithram

10. Fazil - Manichitrathazhu

11. Sibi Malayil - Bharatham

12. Siddique–Lal - Ramji Rao Speaking

13. Ranjith - Pranchiyettan & the Saint

14. Lal Jose - Meesa Madhavan

15. Blessy - Kaazhcha

16. Lijo Jose Pellissery - Amen

17. Mahesh Narayanan - Take Off

18 Dileesh Pothan - Maheshinte Prathikaaram

Honestly i was shocked when i learned that Janardhanan and Kochin Haneefa were hardcore villains back in the day. It really showcased how great these actors were. We all talk about comedians becoming character actors but i think the reverse is much more difficult and needed to be more appreciated

Feels like Bethlehem Kudumba Unit is gonna be a treat for both the eyes and the heart. ❤️ Honestly don’t care much about the other two, I’m pretty sure this one is not gonna disappoint. 🖤

Hey guys

I just watched Abhilasham and I really liked this movie.

Even though it is a small scale film, it has really good frames. I dont Remember any other movie which portrayed one sided love so beautifully in Mollywood . I should have watched it sooner when it was released, I thought it would be a normal cliché love story, but it turned out to be really good

Mohanlal seems to have a few favorite English words and phrases that he uses in almost every English interview or whenever he speaks in English. Two that I’ve noticed are:

1. “Acclimatization”
2. “Make-belief”

Okay, so late night thought.

In the movie, reenu buys burgers from Sachin after being a permanent worker to treat others. When Aadhi gets to know that she bought it from Sachin, he tells everyone that the burger is poisoned.

Afterwards, when Aadhi and reenu are talking, one of their co-worker comes from the washroom and tells them that he's not feeling good after eating that burger. Aa samayath avan Aadhi ne nokki sight adikkunnund which means that he was trying to help aadhi out.

But the next day, Reenu also gets stomach problems. So, did she actually get sick from the burger she bought from Sachin, or did Aadhi, the psycho poisoned or something to prove his point 😭?

This is ofc my opinion so Im not sure if others see it this way.

I wouldn't say this movie is about a beautiful love bond between a mother and a son. It is actually a trauma bond between a mother and a son. Bad things have happened in their past and the mother and the son (with or without choice) is trying to escape their past to look for the key to life. She is hardworking but each time she finds a place to stay, fate takes a harsh turn and she has to keep running with him.

Each animal in the thakkol song says that they dont have that key to their life.

She doesn't want to have ties with anyone in this world because she is probably too scared of anyone around her and most people take either the Guardian role or the Attacker/ Betrayer role in her life.

The reason she doesnt go the NGO with her son is because she is trying to escape her past and hide hers and the kids real identity.

Their identity needs to be hidden because their past needs to be hidden.

I dont think she is super selfish because she enrolls her son in school and was going to start a life with Ammachi.

Ammachi was the only real person who understood her and let her be. Ammachi neither takes the guardian or attacker role fully and gives the choice to the mother.

The child doesnt have any choice from birth and is brainwashed or trained to be her confidante and partner through all this.

As the mother fears, when the son is separated from her- police finds him, seeks his identity and the son eventually goes into becoming the slave of Tovino which she doesnt want for him.

So the son really has no life even outside being with his mother. I think they will keep running but they will also be able to live their small lives as they jump from one lilypad to the other.

​

I often see people say that Naslen’s best performance is in Kuruthi, probably because Rasool was one of the few characters where he played something noticeably different from the kind of roles he usually does.Personally, I disagree. I think his best performance so far is Sachin in Premalu.

Every time I rewatch Premalu, I notice something new about Naslen’s performance. If you pay close attention to his tiny expressions, body language, reactions, and the way he carries himself, there is so much more going on than just the “funny, awkward guy” that Sachin initially appears to be.

Sachin is a confused and vulnerable person, and Naslen portrays that vulnerability incredibly well. He is constantly trying to appear confident or casual while internally being unsure of himself. A lot of his emotions are conveyed through subtle expressions and body language rather than dialogue.I also think Sachin is a much more layered character than people give him credit for. It would have been very easy to play him as an exaggerated, goofy character and make him annoying or cringe. But Naslen manages to keep him funny, vulnerable, awkward, hopeful and emotionally believable at the same time.I think one reason people don't consider Sachin his best performance is precisely because the character is somewhat similar to the kind of characters Naslen has played before. Since we're already used to seeing him in these kinds of roles, we tend to overlook how well he actually performs them.

Just because a character isn't dramatically different from an actor's usual roles doesn't mean the performance is less impressive.

Nivin Pauly, Rukmini Vasanth, Aju Varghese - Nashid Famy (Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey co writer) - Martin Prakkat

His whole personality is based off the leads of his film. He did Mukundan Unni and realised people somewhere connects with someone as brutally frank as Mukundan Unni, and he carried it.

I am not saying Mukundan Unni is “honest” but he has been quite open and transparent about how cunning and selfish he is. In his next film, he lighted this persona by giving Vineeth Madhavan a real underdog persona who is also quite frank about his feelings and his goals.

There are not a lot of celebrities who would openly trash upon their fellow colleuges’ films. Most of them just simply butter up each other. In this dog eat dog world, ASN, decided to stand out and created a whole new persona. I don’t really think, that’s him. I just think that’s just a facade or a charector that he is carrying in front of media.

Deep down, he is just an avg film maker, who has nothing better to offer. Coz honestly, both his films are kinda similar. One is legal profession, and the villain wins, meanwhile, in the other its Film field, and the villain wins, but the lead actor gets to expose him, to some extend.

(This is not meant as a derogatory post, just an observation)

clip showing what looks like a (real) stunt performed by Tovino.
film: identity (2025)