Wednesday 12 October 2016

An open letter to Pulimurugan Mohanlal

Dear Lalettan,

Congratulations on your latest hit Pulimurugan. You legion of fans and admirers, which includes me, is still debating if it is a hit, super hit, mega hit, super duper hit. From all accounts it is a mega super duper hit. But does it deserve to be?

The film is 90% Mohanlal, the remaining 10% is shared between the 100 people you thrashed singlehandedly and the few tigers you mercilessly and effortlessly killed.

Yes, many characters come and go, but we wouldn't have missed them if they came and stayed or didn't come at all. For example your neighbour, a sexy and voluptuous woman (the director has made sure every curve is curvier, he didn't want to leave anything to chance) ogles you, ogles you more, and ogles you further more. The amount of screen space and time she got, you, sorry Murugan, should have had at least a one-night stand.

The film, I feel, has come a little too late. It should have hit theatres at least in January, 2014. That is the year a man who accidentally fell into a tiger's enclosure at the Delhi zoo was mauled to death by the big cat. The movie should be made essential viewing for all visitors to zoos. No, not the parts were you killed the tigers as a grown-up, but the beginning, where you killed a tiger as a six- or seven-year-old.

Already Do-It-Yourself illustrations on killing tigers are going viral.

Step 1: Make the tiger chase you, make sure you outrun it

Step 2: Climb a tall tree

Step 3: When the tiger follows you and climbs the tree, you jump from it

Step 4: Now the tiger is busy climbing the tree, but you are on the ground

Step 5: Hurl the spear piercing the tiger's back and sticking it to the tree

If all this fails, you can turn to the age-old tried and tested adavu of poozhikadakan, I am sure no tiger has still learned the kalaripayattu step, the pathinettamathe adavu. If you didn't know any of this, the film would have been over 2 minutes 40 seconds, someone had tweeted.

I also salute the sacrifices you (Murugan) made in raising your brother and funded his MBA, but I have to say this, you did a really bad job of it. Which bloody MBA graduate in this world will believe his friends are transporting tonnes of hash from Idukki forests to find a cure for cancer?! You and he deserved all the troubles you faced afterwards.

You will argue we embraced Narasimham, Aaaraam Thamburan,  Raavanaprabhu, Devasuram… Superhuman roles they were, but they were well-made and well-edited with well-mouthed dialogues. Here we get a constipated grunt, which we can't even imitate.  

A short story writer has said, or you fans associations claim he said, "Look at Mohanlal, even at this age, the fellow pulls off such stunts." I pretty much agree, "Look at Mohanlal, even at this age the poor fellow has to pull such stunts."

Please don't be offended. As you would say. "ഇതെല്ലാം ഒരു നമ്പർ അല്ലേ, ചുമ്മാ."

Always your fan

Jasoos Narayanan Kutty

38 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Thanks for reading the blog, as Lalettan fans we all want him to do better films

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  2. ksheeramullorakidin chuvattilum kothukinnu chora thanne kauthukam

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  3. What is your point here Mr Kutty ?

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  4. Thankal oru Mohanlal Fan anenkil , Lalettan oru mass film cheythal enthanu kuzhappam ... still he can do better roles in other movies ... You can ask him to do the movies what you like .. There are people likes him as Pulimurugan ...I enjoyed it

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    1. Did u like any of the crude jokes in the first half? Wasn't the story plot stupid? What was the need for the glamour bomb?

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  5. Jasoos Kutty you are not paying for this film and the producer is not making this film to show each and everyone's talent and that is a fair point. BUT, when producers make art based films where everyone has shown their talents malayali's will show their cheap culture which resulted in the failure of movies like guppy.they don't watch art film but still complaints their was no artistic value in it.
    if you have answer reply me.

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    1. Your grouse is valid. but i am not talking about art films. I watch and enjoy purely commercial films. But Pulimurugan is a mediocre commercial flick. Only stunts make the cut, rest of the film is banal.

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    2. edo lakshakanakkinu aalukalkku ee film eshtapettangil thanikku pinne enthinte keada?
      thaan aaruva?

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    3. താൻ ആരുവാന്ന് അറിഞ്ഞൂടെങ്കിൽ താൻ എന്നോട് ചോദിക്കു താൻ ആരുവാന്ന്. ഞാൻ പറഞ്ഞു തരാം താൻ ആരുവാന്ന്..

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  6. I am not a blind fan. Drishyam was brilliant, Pulimurugan is mediocre

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  7. Jasoos Kutty,You are trying to make fun or Mr Mohanlal and the people who enjoyed the movie to the core.
    Please note that cinema is for mainly entertaining people(that is the main purpose ).I enjoyed the movie like many others.It may not have logic,it may not have logical dialogues for our brain .What matters ,I felt enjoyed after the movie ..
    You cannot define a formula for a good or excellent movie.

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    1. A film review is not written to please an actor, his fans or the viewers. A review has to be honest. How do you rate the film if you compare it with Narasimham, Raavanaprabhu, Aaaram Thamburan which were also action films and commercial to the core?

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    2. Mr Kutty,

      I thoroughly enjoyed the movie .final 20 mins kazhinjappo va polichu poyi..
      Entertainment value of Pulimurugan is more than that of the mentioned movies :)
      that's why people are rushing to watch the movie .

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  8. i agree with some of the points but the highlight here is that vysakh n crew have pulled off a high voltage action entertainer and paved way for more experiments in future. If u look at most telugu and tamil superhits, most of them aren't even half as good. Yes there were unwanted characters, crude jokes and hero worship but in the end it made most of its viewers watch it till the end with some excitement. Perhaps all these above mentioned stuff was inserted to ensure that the movie catered to b n c classes since clearly udaykrishna's script was ordinary just as everyone expected. Kudos to vysakh, lalettan, peter hein, shaji kumar n gopi sundar for creating a visual extravaganza. Perhaps vysakh would have done way better with a better writer. Still this is an industry hit and since it is doing astounding business in ROI and extending the market for malayalam films, i guess these mistakes are pardonable.

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    1. Thanks for reading the blog. Crude jokes r not needed in Malayalam becoz the audience from all walks of life in our state can appreciate good stuff as is evident from the success of Maheshinte Prathikaram etc . A movie shudnt b a hit becoz a 57 year old man can do stunts. That is more an appreciation of the man's fitness than the movie itself. Nothing is sweeter than success, as they say. You hav a point too

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    2. And as the anonymous film buff who has posted below in reply to ur comment, since when did Tamil and Telugu films become a yardstick for us. We handled themes like artificial insemination, lesbianism, etc decades before any of these industries did. We shud b setting standards :)

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  9. your comments are rubbish

    Because this is better than most of tamil/telugu super hits, we should not say anything -ve?

    clearly udaykrishna's script was ordinary just as everyone expected? really? who is this everyone?

    when someone boast career hype movie, at least script should be extra ordinary.

    since it is doing astounding business in ROI and extending the market for malayalam films, i guess these mistakes are pardonable --> what a foolish
    comment, because it is doing good business we can forgive the mistakes? LOL

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    1. Thanks for reading the blog. I agree with u that tamil and Telugu films shudnt be the yardstick, we shud be setting standards for rest of the film industry

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  10. Dear Jasoos, No matter which ever film releases, there will be some points to criticise. When we value the film in its totality, we should look at whether the entertainment value is above average or not. Yes I do agree that the story have some weak areas, but in its totality, this film gives some value to its viewers as this is a mass entertainer cinema. Especially Lalettan has done his job exceptionally well.

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    1. thanks for reading the blog, we agree to differ. Did u laugh at any of the jokes in the film? i am certain u didn't

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  11. Thaankal Guppy movie theatril poyi paisa koduthu kandirunnoo? Ariyaan athiyaaya aakaamsha..Pinne ee movieye kurichu ingane oru blog chumma aalkaarude attention kitty star aakan ulla oru show.. Channelil vannu Santosh Pandit paranja pole thanikku film ishtapettilenkil oru 5 minute documentary eduthu aalkaare kaanichu nallathu parayikku. Then we will appreciate it..

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    1. Asking critics to make a film themselves is the dumbest and lamest defence a filmmaker can give

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    2. First questionu answer thanillaaa jassos chettaa..Pinne thaankal punyam kitaanalaa ee bloginte link palayidathum post cheyunnath ennu manassilaakan ullaa minimum thalamanda okke njangal malayalikallkku undu.One night stand polum.. Kashtam..

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    3. So u enjoyed the kopratti Namitha did in the movie and it added to the story. And idavela babu was exemplary in the exact 10 secs he had in the film. Without namitha and Idavela this movie wud not b the same! Kashtam. As a non resident malayalee i try to watch the better films that come to town. Guppy didn't. If I remember right my review of Drishyam was totally different. I was among those who cheered Lal when he covered up the crime step by step. That was Mass.

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    4. And yes njan oru punyalan alla. I peddle views , it is up to u whether to buy it or reject it

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  13. "Asking critics to make a film themselves is the dumbest and lamest defence a filmmaker can give"
    Commenting on films with no common sense and using it to earn money is more shameless..
    Vella varkkapanikkum pokkude??.
    You don't have any professional qualification as a reviewer...
    Reviewing a famous movie in negative can gain attention and that's all what you are doing right now..
    You are a parasite..
    You mentioned it is a medicore movie..
    Keralathil ulla ella malayalikalkkum thalakku oolamundayittalla pulimurugan mega success aayathu..
    Reply me...

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    1. Santhosh Pandit, as he himself says, made money in kerala. My review is not getting me any money other than abuse from u. But I am enjoying the attention hahaha

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    2. Thats exactly what he needs 'ATTENTION'. Chumma irunnu fame kittan ulla eluppa margam (at the moment) puli muruganu negative review ezhuthuka ennulathaanu. Aa blogil aarum kerathathu kondu thera para chara para link post cheyuvaa..Jasoos chettan oru sambhava allee?? Njan oohichu jasoos chettan non resident malayalee aanennu.... Onnunkil delhi illenkil mumbai...Alle chetta

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    3. Delhi sahodara. ningal pulimurugan 100 thavana kaanoo, no one stopping u. btw u cud read other posts and toons on this blog and bless me with more attention. thank you

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    4. Ayyo chetta time illa.. Pinne chettane bless cheyanum mathram njan chettante kootu world famous onnumallaloo.. Chettante favorite action movie 'Happy New Year' pinne comedy movie 'Tees Maar Khan'aayirikkum alle favorite director 'Farah Khan'um. Ithinkte munpil Pulimuruganum,Vysakhum okke enth?? Alle jasoos chetta..

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