Suraj C S (surajcs) wrote, @ 2005-07-24 09:10:00

Raapagal
Yesterday I went with family to see Raapagal, a new malayalam movie directed by Kamal. The story is by T A Rasakh and music is by Mohan Sithara. Mammootty plays the lead role and supporting cast include Balachandra menon, Janardhanan, Vijayaraghavan, Nayan Thara, "Urvasi" Sarada and a whole bunch of new malayalam actors.

Even though I was not expecting to see a ultra modern late-2000 malayalam cinema with lots of masala songs, dialogue deliveries, magniied pesonalities and the like, I was not at all prepared for what I experienced from this movie.


After a long long time, I saw a malayalam movie made ***naturally*** after the the 1980-90s era (Which was the era when mammootty classics like Valsalyam, Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha etc released). Kamal made a wonderfully poignant mammootty movie, producing a natural story, with one of the best ever acting performances from the ever green star of malayalam cinema after Prem Nazir.

It was exciting to see a movie made wonderfully, so poignant in showing virtues like unselfish love, sincerity, faiththfulness, truthfulness and related virtues which are almost faded in this modern times.

Now let me get into the story a little. The movie is built around Eeswaramangalam Tharavadu, which has survived into the modern era. Saraswathy Amma(Played well by Sarada) is the current owner of the house and Krishnan (Mammootty) is the overall caretaker of this tharavadu. Krishnan is needed for everything in the house, including cooking(Even though there is a cook), taking care of the Cows in the "Thozuthu"(Even though there is a milkman), take care of the elephant(Even though there is a Mahout, played well by Salimkumar), cleaning the house, taking care of the numerous "Ottu" pathrams, "Uruli", "Nilavilakkus" etc. Krishnan is truly shown as a all-in-all person in the house and his relationship with Saraswathy amma is that of a natural mother-son relationship(more than a master-servant relationship) , with unadulterated love shown in a most faithful manner

Nayanthara comes to the house as a housemaid brought there by Janardhanan who is a acquaintence of Saraswathy Amma. She looks natural even though she cannot fully let go of the fact that she is a top star now

The story proceeds beautifully by showing Krishnan's devotion to Saraswathy amma, his devotion to the house, its inmates who come from far away places for vacation, his silent sufferings of ill treatments by several high-tech people who comes there, his sad and helpless situation as a servant when it is decided to bring down the tharavadu and his final explosion in the climax

Mammootty magic fills the movie, he is everywhere in the movie. He has given a 200% performance as an actor in a role which has started suiting him very well after Vaalsalyam, Arayannangalude Veedu, Kaazcha and the like

It was with a rich and satisfying mood that I left the theatre. The story and the beautifully captured images and dialogues, situations shown in the movie still lingers in my mind, which clearly shows the brilliant work done by Kamal in directing the movie, Rasakh in conceptualizing the theme and Mammootty in showing that good natural easy acting can still be done in this era

I am not writing more, because its a movie to be seen, to be experienced, to be remembered often. It is a movie which will linger in my nostalgic memory always.

	(Anonymous) 2007-01-29 04:32 (link)
	hi suraj i read your thoughts recently and it was worth reading...but what happened after 2005 there are no new entries....after raapakal..so many new films came...are you off to US..I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU (Reply to this) (Thread)