In late 2019, Kerala society was shaken by the news of a spate or murders committed by an attractive and dynamic woman in her forties – six murders spurred by greed for money and property and family intrigue. The Koodathayi case as it soon came to be known after the location of the killings has even inspired a prime-time serial on TV. Jolly, the serial killer, had done it with cyanide, and she attained increasing criminality and pleasure from her actions as her crime went undetected for 14 years.

Watching director Dileesh Pothan’s Joji on Amazon Prime Video upon its release on April 7, one could not help comparing the criminal minds of both Jolly and Joji, the protagonist of the movie. With Pothan and scriptwriter Syam Pushkaran, Fahadh Faasil presents another stellar performance after Maheshinte Prathikaram, Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum and Kumbalangi Nights. From a mediocre photographer hell-bent on revenge in the first, Fahadh’s histrionics reached its zenith in the latter two where he boldly etched characters with questionable credentials – a shifty nameless thief and a psycho hairdresser. In them, as well as in the latest movie, Fahadh performs with his eyes and going the extra mile in Joji to look gaunt and sickly.

The titular hero here is a lethargic engineering dropout, who dreams of a life abroad. But he does not have the drive to prepare earnestly for TOEFL exams. He logs into a session but soon falls asleep. When he is not sleeping, he is either smoking or fishing or unobtrusively watching people. He is right on time to grab a gun his nephew Popy (Alister Alex) has stealthily ordered online, which also marks his theatrical entry in the film.

Unlike his father Panachel Kuttappan (PK Sunny) and brothers Jason and Jomon (Baburaj and Joji Mundakayam) who slog to maintain their vast rubber and pineapple estates in Erumely, a hilly town in southern Kerala en route to the Sabarimala shrine, Joji is a wastrel who shares a bond with his sister-in-law Bincy (Unnimaya). For all her quiet and composed nature, Bincy is ambitious and unhappy with the status quo. One sees her slogging alone in the kitchen in an all-male household but the moment the patriarch’s stifling and looming presence has gone, she hires a help. From the kitchen, she slowly relegates herself to the drawing room daring to sit on the regal chairs with her legs up.

The role of the church in the lives of the community is amply demonstrated as they half-heartedly heeds to established practices relating to death – while anticipating death, upon death and 40 days after. The most comical situations revolve in this conflict between the two. The young priest almost looks as if he will not be able to handle the chaos and disobedience around, but he manages to stand his ground.

This is probably the first movie that shows the face mask being a part of our daily lives. It comes in useful to hide emotions, as in Bincy’s instructions to Joji on funeral day. Even without a mask, Bincy has a face that masks her actual emotions. Glamourless and way too ordinary, Bincy is a courageous creation in a film that has no other major female faces.

The film professes to be inspired by Shakespeare’s Macbeth, a tragic tale of greed for power and the protagonist’s machinations to cover up the first crime. Like Macbeth, Joji gets bolder in his crimes, lies and blackmails but in the end has to pay for them. Bincy’s Lady Macbeth persona is the perfect foil to Joji as both are driven by a greed for property and desire for freedom from the dictatorial clutches of the father. In the end, the weakest eliminate the strongest through guile and patience.

As a dark comedy, the film rightly manages to elicit a chuckle or a guffaw from audiences familiar with local habits and parlance.

It has also captured the beauty of Kerala’s high ranges that many settler families toiled to tame and reap profits. Shyju Khalid’s photography and Justine Verghese’s music provide the perfect background for this suspense thriller.

For a pandemic-era movie – shorter and with fewer locales – Joji keeps you riveted to the screen for its one hour 53 minute duration.

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Anjaam Pathiraa, directed by Midhun Manuel Thomas, was a huge blockbuster at the box-office. This film which narrated the story of a serial killer starred Kunchako Boban, Unnimaya Prasad, Sharaf U Dheen, Jinu Joseph, and Remya Nambeesan in the lead roles. Now, director Midhun has confirmed that the film will be soon remade into Bollywood, and this upcoming flick will also mark his debut in the Hindi film industry.

The news of Anjaam Pathiraa’s official Hindi remake has been confirmed by director Midhun Manuel Thomas himself. In his recent Facebook post, he revealed that this Ashiq Usman who bankrolled the original will be co-producing this movie with Reliance Entertainment.

“It is official.. !! We are going to Hindi.. !! My Hindi debut. Ashiq Usman co-producing with Reliance Entertainment..!! Details soon,” wrote Midhun on his Facebook page.

However, several film critics believe that a remake movie will not work in this world, where audiences, irrespective of language have access to OTT platforms. It should be noted that Anjaam Pathiraa has received highly positive reviews from audiences upon its online release, and it was also watched by several people in the Northern States.

As films such as Anjaam Pathiraa is primarily dependent on the suspense factor, it is still unclear how the movie will impress the audiences, especially considering the fact that most of the people who follow South Indian movies are aware of the lead antagonist.

An official announcement regarding the cast and crew of this upcoming Bollywood movie will be made in the coming days. Stay tuned for more updates.

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After completing his quarantine, Mohanlal has recently joined the Asianet studio to participate in a program named ‘Laalonnam Nallonam’ which will be aired in the channel during the Onam days. Now, some of the stills from the program have leaked online, and it shows Mohanlal in a bearded avatar.

However, the new images have not gone well with netizens, and they have started trolling Mohanlal for his looks, and pathetic costume selection sense. Some social media users even went ahead and claimed that Mohanlal’s new look is very similar to the iconic Rubeus Hagrid who often appears in Harry Potter films.

As some trolls from netizens crossed all boundaries of obscenity, Mohanlal fans have started defending the actor stating that he has been a victim of body shaming from the initial days of his career. These fans also made it clear that the performance of an actor matters the most, and the physical look has nothing to do with class and mettle.

This is not the first time that Mohanlal is getting trolled on social media platforms for seemingly silly reasons. Citing his body language, several social media users from pages like ‘FFC’ used to degrade him very badly, and at times, these trolls used to cross all the limits of decency.

Mohanlal will soon join the shooting of ‘Drishyam 2’ which will be directed by Jeethu Joseph. The film is a sequel to 2013 blockbuster Drishyam. In this upcoming movie, Mohanlal will once again play the role of Georgekutty, a middle-class family man who gets involved in a murder coverup.

Fans of Mohanlal are now awaiting the release of Marakkar: Arabikkadalinte Simham. An official announcement regarding the release of the film will be made once the theaters get reopened after coronavirus lockdown restrictions.

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Now, in a recent interaction with Manorama News, Sibi Malayil has revealed some exclusive details about Devadoothan. During the talk, Sibi revealed that Devadoothan was originally planned in 1983 as his debut movie with Nasaruddeen Shah and Madhavi in the lead roles. However, the film failed to take off, and Sibi made his debut through Mutharamkunnu PO.

After establishing himself as a bankable filmmaker in Mollywood, the director once again revived this project in the late 1990s and planned the film with Kollywood romantic hero Madhavan. As the project did not work out due to Madhavan’s commitments, Sibi Malayil finalized Mollywood superstar Mohanlal to play the lead role in this film.

Sibi Malayil revealed that the film was made with a top technical team, and they had made sure that this romantic fantasy was being made with an uncompromising cinematic language. Despite all these efforts, the film bombed at the box-office, and it literally shattered the filmmaker.

“Mohanlal at that time had emerged as a mass hero through movies like Narasimham and Aaram Thampuran. Audiences who entered the movie halls to see Devadoothan might have expected Mohanlal in an extreme mass avatar, and that commercial package was lacking there. I believe this was one of the reasons behind Devadoothan’s failure at the box-office. I still feel sorry for producer Siyad Koker who is also my best friend who bankrolled money for this film,” said Sibi Malayil during the interview.

Sibi Malayil also added that he is now quite happy about the fact that Devadoothan is now getting recognition among young audiences in the state.

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In his Facebook post, the director of Ennu Ninte Moideen has said that Vashu Bhagnani Pooja Entertainments, the renowned production house in India, has affirmed to back the film, to be written and directed by Vimal.

A super star will essay the character of Dharma Raja who has written his glory in the annals of the history of Travancore. Vimal is now busy with his second project Karnan. This mega project will in all likelihood be taken up after the completion of Karnan staring Vikram.

The technical expertise of Prajay J Kamat would compliment the virtual production experience done through at Aisole, London along with Pooja entertainments. The film shall be made in Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.

In his note director R.S Vimal says, “This is a devotional dedication at the lotus feet of Lord Sree Padmanabhaswamy, Thiruvananthapuram.
Front the backdrop of the legendary history of travancore, comes to life a true hero. The ecstatic crowd puller, the Superstar of Malayalam, has committed to the role.”

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