REVIEW 571: ROSAPOO

Release date:	February 9, 2018
Director:	Vinu Joseph
Cast: Language:	Biju Menon, Neeraj Madhav, Anjali, Soubin Shahir, Alencier Ley Lopez, Sudheer Karamana, Basil Joseph, Dinesh Nair, Shilpa Manjunath, Salim Kumar, Vijayaraghavan, Nirmal Palazhi, Dileesh Pothan    Malayalam

It beats me how an artiste as experienced as Biju Menon was not instinctively wary of this film’s flailing screenplay. Writer-director Vinu Joseph’s Rosapoo revolves around a down-and-out entrepreneur desperately initiating one poorly conceptualised venture after another. Each new business sends him deeper into debt, to get out of which he launches the next one, and then the next one, then the next.

In all these misadventures, Shajahan (Menon’s character) is joined by an equally desperate, impoverished young friend (played by Neeraj Madhav) who has long wanted to make a film but so far only managed to assist in a couple.

Dinesh Nair plays a third wheel in their group and is treated like a spare tyre by the screenplay. Basil Joseph steps into the role of their smooth-talking associate, whose mindless ideas Shajahan keeps falling for.

At first, Rosapoo has an infectious energy and charm. Menon is always a pleasure to watch, and possesses the skill to pull off both comedy and poignance with equal elan. Madhav has proved in a brief career dominated by supporting roles that he has what it takes to leave his stamp on any part, even carry an entire film on his shoulders when given a shot at playing the lead, as he did so effectively in last year’s Paipin Chuvattile Pranayam.

The best of actors need solid writing on which to rest their talents though, and after a while it becomes clear that this essential ingredient is missing in Rosapoo. Mutta Pattu (The Egg Song), which announces the group’s entry into egg selling, comes armed with a contagious verve, upbeat melody and rhythm, but once it is through, it is evident that the film has nothing much going for it beyond its vivacity.

Shajahan and gang travel from Kerala to Tamil Nadu to make a soft porn film in Chennai. What follows are a series of encounters with leches, liars and parasites. Their chosen heroine is a sweet young woman who spends half her time warding off the advances of men on the team.

Where there are creeps, there will be rape jokes and other bawdy talk, and Rosapoo is not short on either. It makes no sense to be offended though, because writer-director Vinu Joseph seems genuinely convinced that he is doing black comedy, satirically exposing the exploitation inherent in the porn business. Sadly, Joseph’s good intentions have not translated into good cinema.

In the interactions between the lead four, their introduction to the production executive Sajir (Soubin Shahir) and especially in their over-the-top scenes with the low-grade writer V.T. Shankar (Salim Kumar) you can sense where Joseph wanted to go with this. He has a capable cast at his disposal. What he does not have are the chops to pull off comedy, black or otherwise.

With the direction and writing veering way off the mark, Rosapoo’s uneven production quality becomes particularly jarring. Among other things, the tips of Neeraj Madhav and Basil Joseph’s noses are cut off in Mutta Pattu, in parts where it would have been shot before a green screen.

In the end, what stands out though is the unfunnyness of it all, the inability to strike that vital balance between a comic tone and difficult circumstances, clichés about the porn film industry born of patriarchal notions of the feminine ideal, and quaint conservatism that sees itself as liberalism. (Spoiler ahead) In one instance, a young woman’s wedding is cancelled because her father’s friend borrows all her jewellery. The borrower offers to barter himself to repay his debt, expressing willingness to marry the girl as compensation. Everyone agrees despite the distastefulness of the proposal from a man who, in any case, is vastly older than she and a proven loser at that point. And they all live happily ever after. Uff! (Spoiler alert ends)

Rosapoo is a floundering mess. What are you doing on this road to nowhere, Biju Menon?

Rating (out of five stars): 1/2

CBFC Rating (India):	U
Running time:	140 minutes

This review was also published on Firstpost:

http://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/rosapoo-movie-review-biju-menon-shows-poor-judgement-in-taking-this-road-to-nowhere-4346933.html

Poster courtesy: https://www.facebook.com/rosapooofficial/

REVIEW 550: PAIPIN CHUVATTILE PRANAYAM

Release date:	December 1, 2017
Director:	Domin D’Silva
Cast: Language:	Neeraj Madhav, Reeba Monica John, Sudhi Koppa, Sarath Kumar, Dharmajan Bolgatty, Aju Varghese, Rishi Kumar, Thesni Khan, Indrans         Malayalam

 

There has been what readers of Western literature might consider a Gabriel Garcia Marquez-ness to the titles of many films rolling out of Mollywood over the years. The latest poetic moniker is debutant director Domin D’Silva’s Paipin Chuvattile Pranayam, Love by the (Water) Pipes, a story of romance blossoming in a seemingly impossible socio-economic situation.

Paipin Chuvattile Pranayam is set on Pandarathuruthu, which is facing a severe water shortage despite being surrounded by a kaayal on all sides. The polluted lake water is unfit for drinking. This one factor pervades every aspect of the local populace’s life, with fights at the community tap a common occurrence, parents seeing marriage as an escape from this hellhole for their daughters and families from elsewhere averse to marital alliances with the men of this village.

Pandarathuruthu lies a universe away from the city just on the other side of the lake. It is the sort of place media bosses and politicians ignore. In this dismal scenario, we meet Govindankutty / Govutty (Neeraj Madhav), a hard-working and resourceful young fellow who earns a living from freelance painting jobs, fishing and assignments for his dance troupe comprising local youth.

Govutty and Teena (Reeba Monica John) are in love, but her parents are opposed to the relationship. Paipin Chuvattile Pranayam is about love surviving overwhelming odds, laughter thriving in a forbidding setting, the human capacity for optimism even when tragedy strikes, and the water wars we should be prepared for if we do not heed glaring warning signs.

Environmental degradation is a depressing subject, yet somehow, without trivialising the issues at hand, D’Silva manages to give his film a consistently light touch. By foregrounding Govutty’s relationship with his buddies and his romance with Teena, the writer-director cleverly ensures that this remains a relatable even if educative human story rather than an esoteric documentary. 

Complementing his intelligent screenplay (co-written with Antony Jibin) is a sturdy cast, an atmospheric soundtrack and thoughtful cinematography.

Neeraj Madhav, for whom Paipin is his first screen outing as the solo male lead, justifies the director’s confidence in him. He carries the film on his able shoulders from start to finish without flinching for a moment. He is a proficient actor, a sweet-looking man and a good dancer.

In fact, it was clever of the screenplay to assign dancing as a talent to Govutty, since this gives the film the opportunity to tap Madhav’s natural skills and makes an important plot point (involving a citizens’ protest) believable. When Govutty’s group gets a high-profile platform in the state, choreographer Sreejith Dancity gives them impressive moves with just enough rough edges to make them credible as coming from a team lacking exposure and professional training.

Since Paipin Chuvattile Pranayam exists on a male-dominated planet – as does most Malayalam cinema, including many otherwise lovely films where scene after scene passes by without a woman in sight – Teena is not given much to do apart from just being there. Despite this, Reeba Monica John makes an impression with whatever little the limited characterisation allows her to do. (For the record, she is a stunner.)

This is not about giving characters screen time alone. It is about writing them with depth. Govutty’s feisty grandmother, for instance, is not visible as often as Teena, yet she is well fleshed out (and well acted) and memorable because of that.

To be fair to D’Silva, this folly in the script cannot be blamed on the male gaze alone. Govutty’s friend Ayyappa is a wholesome character – excellently acted by Sudhi Koppa – but Rishi Kumar’s character has recall value for the actor’s voluminous Afro hairstyle and nothing else, and the younger boy pals for not even that. One thing that can certainly be blamed on the male gaze though is the sexualisation of the little girl who is followed around and gaped at by those boys, and is shown enjoying the attention. She looks like she could be a pre-teen, they are not much older. Even if such behaviour does exist in reality, please stop projecting it as cute. It is not. Not only are these brief scenes an absolutely needless aside, they are also disappointing considering that D’Silva & Co manage to portray the Govutty-Teena relationship without a hint of stalking or leering – male behaviour that is normalised in too many other Malayalam films.

Paipin Chuvattile Pranayam is technically refined. DoP Pavi K. Pavan captures the beautiful locale in all its visual glory, yet his matter-of-fact, un-self-conscious style ensures that the camerawork never diverts our gaze from the people at the heart of this tale.

Bijibal has notched up yet another winner with his music for Paipin Chuvattile Pranayam. Although his songs for Maheshinte Prathikaaram remain the jewel in his crown, this lot is pretty neat too. In fact, the melodic title track – with remarkably conversational lyrics by B.K. Harinarayanan – is a perfect précis of the plight of Pandarathuruthu. Kaathu Kaathittu and its instrumental arrangements are lots of fun. I am not so fond of Kayalirambilu, but it fits well into the film. These songs are not interruptions but serve to take the narrative forward.

These are the reasons why the journey up to the climax is so rewarding and insightful, and it is possible to excuse the pat, simplistic and therefore implausible ending perhaps designed to make the film more viable at the box-office than if the climax had been open-ended or ugly. Paipin Chuvattile Pranayam is a sweetly sad film that transports the viewer to its world and provides a convincing portrait of the social milieu it inhabits. It also adds Domin D’Silva’s name to the list featuring the likes of Dileesh Pothan, Althaf Salim and Lijo Jose Pellissery who are redefining commercial Malayalam cinema.

Rating (out of five stars): **3/4

CBFC Rating (India):	U
Running time:	134 minutes

This review has also been published on Firstpost:

http://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/paipin-chuvattile-pranayam-movie-review-neeraj-madhavs-solo-hero-debut-is-a-sweetly-sad-eco-film-4238725.html

Poster courtesy: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6208374/