Nanma Niranjavan Sreenivasan 1990

Trust Jairam to take you to Kerala and then get you in the swing of localness. He is like the grandma who tells you stories with warm chocolate milk and cookies. That was an American metaphor but you get the picture right?

Jairam is the quintessential malayali. Almost all his movies are about the common Keralite guy who has common problems under coconut trees. He does such a fanstastic job of it that I can tribute a whole new genre of Malayalam movies about him.

Nanma Niranjavan Sreeivasan is a movie about a simple guy who is interested in local theatre and hanging out with his friends. A police job application changes the story towards a differnt village, new acquaintances ,romance and suspense. All mixed but not thrown about like some meaningless masala bag.

Excellent movies are those which can depict the same old formula but bring its own freshness by aspects like dialogue, cinematography and giving ample oppurtunity for other characters to flourish. In doing so, the viewer gets an idea about what the movie is saying indirectly and maybe more. In particular this movie does so by the ever brilliant Oduvil and Mukesh. Urvashi as usual is her best as the girl who battles her pretty eyes.

Watch it for naadan feel, old theatre life and some comfort time.

Director - Viji Thampi

Swagatham 1989

Imagine a Malayalam movie without Mohanlal or Mammootty.

Imagine a coastline with friends hanging out all the time.

Imagine a story about friendships and general fun without fights and villians.

That is Swagatham movie. A 1989 film with an extensive star cast. With Jagathi's histrionics not-withstanding, there is romance and hey! you can choose which one you want - the sweet and shy kind which Parvathy and Asokan share or the serious one which Urvashi feels later on.

A story about friends, young guns ,youth and their immature nature but true feelings, Swagatham takes you back to your college days and the time when chatting meant meeting for an icecream rather than feeling a 'ping' vibration in your pocket from your android phone.