Saw “Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja”! What a disgrace! An over done film in all disciplines. Subtlety is an unheard idea in this film. The much cerebrated Rasool Pookooty has followed the same path of doing things over the top. If he thinks great sound mixing is giving corresponding loud sound to all actions shown in screen, he is certainly wrong. We are forced to think that, he won the Academy award in a fluke, or rephrase it as “won as a part of film which won a lot of awards”. The stunt choreography is the worst you can expect from a historical film. Copying the stunts from “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon” and failing is such a disgrace. The climax shows “Pazhassi” killing one enemy in almost the same way Achilles (Brad Pitt) kills the giant Boagrius in the 2004 Hollywood film “Troy”. I am sure no one would have complained if the force of gravity was applicable to the characters in “Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja”! The only thing which haunts from the film is the power packed and steaming performance by “Edachena Kungan Nair” (Sharath Kumar). The stubborn nature of Padmapriya would have forced the director to let her give voice for the film which has ended up in a non existent Malayalam accent. A film which spends millions needs to have descent make-up. The beard of “Thalakkal Chandu” looks like one from a School Drama. The hair extensions given are so amateurish. It should be noted that the Malayalam film “Rajashilpi” (1992) had very high standard hair extensions.
The English men of the East India Trading Co. are shown as Whisky drinking, conspiracy loving stereotypical idiots. Any English men would be disturbed by the silly visualization of the life of English men in later part of 18th Century , just like we Indians feel bad when certain Hollywood flicks shows Indian as snake charmers or people who sits in front of “Taj Mahal” and await the incineration from attacking aliens. It is also certain that a Character of “Dora” (Linda Arsenio a Hispanic-Yugoslavian who from any angle does not look like an English lady) is fictious a character and it’s a cheap attempt to satisfy the Indian nationalism. The characters depicted by Jagathi Sreekumar and Jagadish are right out of comic book and could have been made more subtler. It is a known fact that Pazhassi Raja killed himself by swallowing diamond from his ring when he was surrounded by the East India company soldiers. M.T. Has once again twisted the story (like previous Vadakkan Veera Gatha and Perumthachan) and this time has failed miserably, as the characters in question are historical figures who lived mere 200 years ago. The music by Ilayaraja is wasted due to obvious reasons; as the songs are only added to increase the selling value of the film. The role of the director Hariharan in this film is very ambiguous. The film is totally made by the stunt choreographer and Director of Photography.
The controversy behind not including this film in Indian Panorama in Goa film festival is better left without discussion. The soul of greatest Malayali hero (The word India or Kerala cannot be used as he never knew that a country named “India” would have born in 1947 or state Kerala would be formed in 1956) Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja will never spare any one behind this disaster film.
Alternative review of Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja Part -3 by
jesudas PUTHUMANA on Dec 05, 2009 01:44 PM | Hide replies | Hide message
The controversy behind not including this film in Indian Panorama in Goa film festival is better left without discussion. The soul of greatest Malayali hero (The word India or Kerala cannot be used as he never knew that a country named “India” would have born in 1947 or state Kerala would be formed in 1956) Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja will never spare any one behind this disaster film.
The English men of the East India Trading Co. are shown as Whisky drinking, conspiracy loving stereotypical idiots. Any English men would be disturbed by the silly visualization of the life of English men in later part of 18th Century , just like we Indians feel bad when certain Hollywood flicks shows Indian as snake charmers or people who sits in front of “Taj Mahal” and await the incineration from attacking aliens. It is also certain that a Character of “Dora” (Linda Arsenio a Hispanic-Yugoslavian who from any angle does not look like an English lady) is fictious a character and it’s a cheap attempt to satisfy the Indian nationalism. The characters depicted by Jagathi Sreekumar and Jagadish are right out of comic book and could have been made more subtler. It is a known fact that Pazhassi Raja killed himself by swallowing diamond from his ring when he was surrounded by the East India company soldiers. M.T. Has once again twisted the story (like previous Vadakkan Veera Gatha and Perumthachan) and this time has failed miserably, as the characters in question are historical figures who lived mere 200 years ago. The music by Ilayaraja is wasted due to obvious reasons; as the songs are only added to increase the selling value of the film. The role of the director Hariharan in this film is very ambiguous. The film is totally made by the stunt choreographer and Director of Photography.
Saw “Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja”! What a disgrace! An over done film in all disciplines. Subtlety is an unheard idea in this film. The much cerebrated Rasool Pookooty has followed the same path of doing things over the top. If he thinks great sound mixing is giving corresponding loud sound to all actions shown in screen, he is certainly wrong. We are forced to think that, he won the Academy award in a fluke, or rephrase it as “won as a part of film which won a lot of awards”. The stunt choreography is the worst you can expect from a historical film. Copying the stunts from “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon” and failing is such a disgrace. The climax shows “Pazhassi” killing one enemy in almost the same way Achilles (Brad Pitt) kills the giant Boagrius in the 2004 Hollywood film “Troy”. I am sure no one would have complained if the force of gravity was applicable to the characters in “Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja”! The only thing which haunts from the film is the power packed and steaming performance by “Edachena Kungan Nair” (Sharath Kumar). The stubborn nature of Padmapriya would have forced the director to let her give voice for the film which has ended up in a non existent Malayalam accent. A film which spends millions needs to have descent make-up. The beard of “Thalakkal Chandu” looks like one from a School Drama. The hair extensions given are so amateurish. It should be noted that the Malayalam f
The movie is a great team effort. Appreciated... The flaws are.. 1. When was pazhassi born and who is pazhassi's father and mother? 2. Is the kottayam, the current one or the old kottayam of kannur? the film does not mention any. 3.Did he revolt the tax collection of the british or fighted for the freedom of the land? the movie is not clear on that front. 4. As per history pazhassi had two wives and it was the first wife who accompanied him to the forest. She was the one captured by the british. The movie does not shows that 5. The war between chirakkal army and pazhassi was not mentioned in the movie 6.The stand between tipu and pazahassi is not clear from the movie 7.What happened to neeli(padmapriya)? 8. How did pazhassi get the title "kerala varma" ? 9. Pazhassi raja is said to have helped few people which were not favourable by the britsh and was fighting against the british for the reason that kottayam was given to some other raja to rule and that is the reason for the british to have him captured . 10. Pazhassi's tomb should have shown at the end of the movie, since there was one.
The film in short failed to give a complete picture of the great king and leader who was a truly people's leader. The sound effect (of water dropping after the rain) and the camera has made this movie a marvelous one.
Good movie as compared to other periodic movies in Malayalam or any other Indian language. History didn't give him the respect he deserved. Even neglected to tell about how he died (murder or suicide). In film, he was killed by British force and he had suicided in a popular belief among the Kurichians. Good fight and war scenes. Dialogues lack the regional slangs (just to make the Travancore understood). Good Cinematography. Not much additions/diversions to the history (the character of Neeli is an added one, just to show the woman-participation in gorilla wars). Slow-motion in some fight scenes became awkward. Actors are at their best, especially Sarath Kumar, Manoj K Jayan and Padmapriya. Mammootty, the title role, has only a little part is to be done.
Background score is good, but the songs have no need in this movie and are just an average fare. Instruments used in songs are not apt for the time and locality. ONV's lyrics are good, especially in "Aadiyushassandhya" ("music, languages, vedas, etc. were emerged from the deep forests and the spark of independence movements is also emerging from the same forests..." Wowww, really poetic and thought-provoking). Like AR Rehman, Ilaiya Raja (One of my favourite musician though) has also proved that he is incapable to create music for a periodic films.
Anyway, a movie for men with brain and heart and a little knowledge about Kerala History. Thanks for the producer and director. A must-see film for every Indian.
Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja fought very hard to drive the British out of India, but in vain. However, he succeeded easily in driving almost half the audience out of the cinema halls very early before the movie could get over. The remaining half of the audience was actually sleeping inside the cinema hall.
Everybody knows what would happen to kings who face the British – that they would eventually die fighting. So when there is nothing new to offer in the story department, steps should have been taken in developing an interesting and innovative screenplay, which is totally missing in this movie.
This multilingual biopic magnum opus is a mega serial on the big screen. The Malayalees might have a lot patience to sit through this movie and even appreciate it, but for the others, it is a sheer endurance and tolerance test to keep our sanity intact without dozing off. Salute the freedom fighter, but stay away from the film.
