{mosimage}Sathyan Anthikaud is improving as writer with each film, Meera Jasmine makes an impact despite the lesser footage she gets, Why can't our 'Maestro' Illayaraja do more Malayalam movies where there are scope for good music.... These are the thoughts that struck me when I left the theatre after watching Sathyan Anthikaud's latest venture "Vinodayatra". The Sathyan-Meera-Illayaraja combination hits the bull's eye for the third time consecutively after the highly successful "Achuvinte Amma" and "Rasathanthram". Dileep manages to shed his crass comedian image and make inroads into the elite audiences.

{mosimage}Kochu Kochu Santhoshangal (trivial happiness), an Onam 2000 release & a malayalam Super Hit, is a Sathyan Anthikaud movie that eluded me for about 5-6 years ever since I wanted to see it. Whenever it came on TV either I had to skip it or got engaged with some other work / travel when it was telecast. Atlast I managed to catch up it on Asianet TV yesterday (01/10/2006) and it was a worth wait. KKS is a simple story told in a honest manner, that manages to tug your heart strings, propogating the importance of personal life success in a subtle way. It was no different from any other Sathyan Anthikaud's other movies - same sex paternal love, a small Tamil character, lighter first half and sentiments laddened post interval part, but sometimes I felt KKS being slightly better than his other movies.

{mosimage}Scene 1: National Award winner Meera Jasmine was quizzed by the journos that would she accept a movie with Mohanlal? Meera Jasmine answers "Get me that one powerful script that provides us scope to perform without me just relegated to song and dance routine and I'll grab it with both of my hands". Scene 2: Sathyan Anthikaud and Mohanlal team who had provided a lot of memorable movies (including Nadodikattu, Varavelpu, Pingamy etc..) hadn't worked together for 12 years. Sathyan is deluged with questions of possibility of working with Mohanlal again. Atlast everything falls into place and Sathyan Anthikaud signs Mohanlal and Meera Jasmine together.

{mosimage}I always love Satyan Anthikaud's movies as they are like a leaf out of life, not exaggerated or dramatised. More than any of his movies "Veendum.." holds a special place for me because it cemented my love for Malayalam movies. I was just out of the Engg. College when this was released. I wrote to Ullas Babu enquiring about the girl in the movie who was stunning and talented. She was Samyukta Varma - the demi Goddess of Malayalam movies and the last leg of the female superstar torch which extinguished with her marriage. I got a chance to see it on Asianet after an year of its theatrical release and by that time I had become conversant with the malayalam movies.

I don't remember when I heard the malayalam songs last. Looking back last year I liked and bought only three albums - Vadakkumnathan, Chanthupottu and Ananthabhadram. Besides these all the music dished out in malayalam movies are pucca trashes. Except Vidyasagar, who became very choosy about Malayalam projects, nobody is good in Malayalam music industry among the current generation. With Raveendran Master passing away, gone are the days where Malayalam songs had melody, soul and sensitivity.

{mosimage}2003 - Manasinde kilivadhil ariyathe thurannoru mazhavil chirakulla kavithe.. nee ende kasthurimaan kurumbu... (A rainbow that stealthily opened my heart... you are my small "Kasthuri" deer.) When Kunchacko Boban wooed Meera Jasmine under the aegis of Lohitadas, little did he realise that he is lipsynching to one of the immortal romantic saga on the celluloid. Around 2005, same Lohitadas, Meera Jasmine and "Five Star" Prasanna are trying to recreate the same magic this time on Tamil screen. How much they will succeed? That only time will say but this is a time to look at the original.

{mosimage}Logically speaking, this movie should be one of the earliest movie reviews I should have written, because it is a movie that was instrumental in turning me towards malayalam movies for a wholesome sensible entertainment. Niram has a sweet memory associated with it. It is the first movie I went with Preetha in Coimbatore. It is the movie that made me literally fall in love with Kunchacko Boban and Vidyasagar, skyrocketing them to my all-time favourites. It is the movie that introduced me a master movie maker - Kamal. Above all it is the first VCD of my personal VCD collection. A sad thing associated with this was a good bye movie of my favourite actress - Shalini.

{mosimage}It is a beautiful Hinduatani raaga, that is claimed to bring down rains when sung with faith and belief. Tansein is the name that comes to our mind along with this raaga. When there is so much of compassion and sweetness in this raaga, how much of sensitivity must be there in a movie associated with this name? Coming to movie, this is a non commercial venture aimed at making good cinema by Asianet TV & Mathrubhoomi, the leading publishing house of Kerala. With no commercial pressures but added responsibility of making a good movie with the parameters given, Kamal does it effortlessly at the time making it a tight rope walk over thousand nails. A small mistake would have made this cult movie a crass third rate semi porno stuff. "Meghamalhar" is a beautiful love story of two married individuals told with a lyrical quality.

{mosimage}Mazha - A disturbing musical journey of an young girl into the womanhood was scripted and directed by noted film maker Lenin Rajendran had Samyukta varma in the lead role. It was a mile stone in Samyukta's acting career also. It is a part of my VCD library and I had a chance to see it again after a long time after coming to UAE. I felt it deserves a wide audience and thus writing to you all, recommending to see it. I had seen it once again in Surya TV when I was in India and I hope you all will catch up when it comes in Surya TV again.

This year had been a pretty good one for all Malayalam movie fans as the malayalam movies are returning to the simple story telling style. Sathyan Anthikaud's movies are always a delight to watch so as his selection of heroines. Sathyan has this knack of spotting star materials because all his female protegee's had mad made it big either it is Manju Warrier, Samyuka Varma, Asin or latest by Nayantara. His latest movie features a familiar yet powerful face - Meera Jasmine in a stunning role. But more than that it marks the return of a immensely talented "Urvashi" to malayalam screen after a gap of 8 years.

Rarely comes a movie about the tinsel world that takes potshot on its fellow-mates in a satirical humour way. Very few dares to do it because it is like throwing stone from a glass house. Writer & actor Srinivasan has succeeded in making a movie running down his colleagues yet walking away with accolades from them. The title says "All characters in this movie are fictional. Any resemblence is a co-incidence" but as the incidents unfold you could relate it with which you know and had read about…. like Meera Jasmine, Sita, Manju Warrier and star tantarums we had read a lot. This is all the recent super-hit "Udhayanannu Thaaram" (Udhayan is the star) from Kerala is about.