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New Indian Express
03-08-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Sumathi Valavu Movie Review: Outdated tropes haunt this unremarkable horror comedy
The main story unfolds in the mid-90s, when one of Malayalam's greatest horror classics Manichithrathazhu was still fresh in memory. Appu, runs a video cassette shop and is seen as the village coward. Long ago, it was rumoured that he helped a girl named Malu elope through Sumathi Valavu at night. The gossip ruined his reputation. Though Appu has always denied it, no one believes him. Since then, the curve remains feared, even by forest officials. As the village stays haunted by Sumathi's legacy, the film starts piling on subplots. There is a romance between Appu and Bhama, a teacher who first wants nothing to do with him. There is Mahesh, Malu's brother and a no-nonsense army man, who returns home to find out what happened to his sister Malu. There is also Bhadran, a local wolf in sheep's clothing who makes life difficult for everyone, especially women. You get romantic tension, a missing person angle, corrupt police, ghostly sightings, workplace harassment, school life quirks, and more. The horror slowly becomes just one strand in a noisy web of family drama and small-town conflict. Which is disappointing, because the film does have few effective spooky moments. One sequence stands out: a woman in labour is stranded near the curve at night, and the hallucinations that follow are tense and well-staged. The sound design shines here, and the visuals are timed with care. But the scene goes too far with a graphic image that feels gratuitous and forced.
Indian Express
01-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Sumathi Valavu movie review: Arjun Ashokan's ‘horror comedy' aims for the sturdiness of Stree, but proves that ambition alone won't take a film far
Sumathi Valavu movie review: Remember the 'Salsa Mukku' subplot in Kunjiramayanam? As absurd, unrealistic, fantastical and cartoonish as it was, what made that track extremely enjoyable — and even believable — was due to director Basil Joseph's mastery as a storyteller. Not just that he and writer Deepu Pradeep had built the world of Desham comprehensively well by then, stretching out the many wacky characters there — each of them even serving as a microcosm of the land in itself — but Basil also made us feel that there's no one else who knew Desham like he did. As if he were the all-seeing eye. And hence, no matter how ludicrous certain things in Kunjiramayanam appeared, since Basil was the director, it was pointless not to believe them. Therefore, when he said that a curse once gripped Desham — after which the natives could no longer bring the local liquor called Salsa to their village, as the bottle would somehow break or the alcohol would drain away once the person carrying it reached a particular spot, which came to be known as Salsa Mukku — it felt entirely plausible. This is although Kunjiramayanam wasn't presented as a horror story, nor a fantasy. And that kind of treatment stemming from conviction is what's missing in Vishnu Sasi Shankar's 'horror comedy' Sumathi Valavu. Set in the '90s in the forest-edge village of Kalleli, near the Kerala–Tamil Nadu border, the movie unfolds through the lives of the locals, whose stories are intertwined with the myth surrounding a curved path, Sumathi Valavu, that leads to the locality. Believed to be haunted by the spirit of Sumathi, a woman who was burned alive ages ago by the then-residents of the village in an act of ritual slaughter to gain absolute power, no one traverses that path at night. Fortifying their beliefs, not even a single person has ever crossed that road at night unharmed, and only the lucky few have managed to escape alive. Apparently, the only people who have gotten across safely are Appu (Arjun Ashokan) and his friend and army officer Mahesh's (Gokul Suresh) elder sister, while he was 'helping' her elope with her lover against her family's wishes. Although all others accepted this story, Mahesh and his family never did, as they believed it was impossible to cross Sumathi Valavu, which instilled in them the suspicion that Appu had done something to her. The enmity between the two families, as well as the myth behind Sumathi Valavu, forms the crux of the story, and new conflicts arise as Appu falls in love with Mahesh's cousin, Bhama (Malavika Manoj). Although Sumathi Valavu opens strongly with a scene set in the '60s, offering a glimpse of the spirit's power, once it cuts to the era wherein the rest of the story is set, the movie starts losing its balance quickly enough. Not just that Abhilash Pillai's writing is quite rickety, but Vishnu's direction is just as ineffectual, leaving the movie tottering almost throughout. Soon after the film settles into the setting where the main story unfolds, it becomes apparent that the intrigue factor is confined to the story and that Abhilash hasn't managed to ensure an even distribution of the same across the script. What we are, hence, left with is a series of unengaging scenes, with only a few ending up actually hitting the mark. While most of the moments come across as underdeveloped and underwhelming, another shortcoming of Abhilash's screenplay is that it's packed with odds and ends, causing the instances that truly needed the spotlight to be buried under this, that, and the other. For a movie that's titled Sumathi Valavu, the fact that so much of it is about everything but that significantly detracts from the experience. How would we have felt if the movie Bhargavi Nilayam revolved around everything except Bhargavi Nilayam itself? Yes, that's exactly what's wrong with the Arjun Ashokan film. Although the characters do talk about Sumathi and the curve often enough, it mostly feels like Abhilash was just ticking a box. In fact, had the curve not been there or the spirit of Sumathi existed somewhere else, the outcome would've been more or less the same. Worse still, even if the myth of Sumathi hadn't existed in the story at all, not much would have changed. This raises a fair question: was the film's title simply clickbait? In fact, Abhilash's writing is so dull that the cumulative impact of the remaining scenes in the film fails to match that of the chilling pre-interval sequence, which Vishnu has staged and portrayed quite well. The complete absence of horror and comedy in the script has affected Sumathi Valavu significantly, and its case is worsened by the shoddy dialogues. The lack of consistency in characterisation, including in the case of Sumathi, Appu and the local do-gooder Chemban (Sidharth Bharathan), only underscores the weak writing. Although Chemban is portrayed as someone with the most idea about the Sumathi myth, and hence never underestimates it, there's a moment in the movie where he, along with Appu and others, consumes cannabis and creates a 'humorous' ruckus at the curve at midnight. Despite the film establishing early on that Appu is extremely scared of Sumathi, in retrospect, it's he who we see travelling along the path most frequently at night in the entire movie. Though Mahesh is portrayed to be determined to uncover the truth about his sister, he only takes action when he's on leave from the army; as if, while on duty, he couldn't care less about her. Such weak characterisations extend to others too, and when combined with jokes that don't land and dynamics that feel mostly undercooked, the film struggles under its own weight to be something as sturdy as director Amar Kaushik's Stree (2018). Instead, it ends up proving that ambition alone won't take a movie very far. Unfortunately, Vishnu's direction never manages to improve the situation. The weakness in the writing is visible in his direction as well. Rather than simply showing events unfold, he never manages to imprint the visuals on the audience's hearts. From the very beginning, everything feels so unpolished, making one wonder if they're watching a soap opera. From showing Devanandha (of Malikappuram fame) often for no reason to packing most scenes with all the key characters even though they don't have much to contribute, Vishnu's direction is quite unrefined. The visuals of the track 'Paandi Para', which evoke a sense of déjà vu from 2000s album songs, serve as a trailer for Vishu's weak direction. Although no actor, including Arjun Ashokan, manages to deliver a performance worth praise, many of them, particularly Sidharth Bharathan and Balu Varghese, do decently well, offering some respite to the audience. By the way, this was also the third time in two weeks that I witnessed one of the worst performances by a Malayalam actor in recent memory. Making it nearly impossible to decide who delivered the absolute worst, Shravan Mukesh — as the antagonist Bhadran in Sumathi Valavu — finishes close to matching the shoddy performances of Madhav Suresh in Janaki v/s State of Kerala and Sheelu Abraham in Raveendra Nee Evide. To be honest, I really wish we had a Golden Raspberry Awards in Malayalam this year to see who among these three would win. And amidst all this, we are also forced to see here actor Sreejith Ravi, previously held for allegedly flashing kids, working with child actors. It appears that some things, unfortunately, never change in the Malayalam industry, as long as enablers also face the heat along with perpetrators. While Ranjin Raj's music impresses at times, none of the songs end up memorable. Ajay Mangad's art direction and Sujith Mattannur's costume design also deserve appreciation. Sumathi Valavu movie cast: Arjun Ashokan, Malavika Manoj, Sidharth Bharathan, Gokul Suresh, Balu Varghese, Saiju Kurup, Sshivada, Devanandha Sumathi Valavu movie director: Vishnu Sasi Shankar Sumathi Valavu movie rating: 2 stars
Time of India
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Are Kannada movie re-releases working?
Over the past year, there's been an increase in Kannada films making theatrical comebacks. From A, Upendra, Om, Kariya, Appu and Cynaide to Dr Rajkumar and Dr Vishnuvardhan classics Gandhada Gudi and Krishna Nee Begane Baaro, this trend is filling screens in an otherwise hit-starved industry. As re-releases of these classics and cult hits flood theatres, the question remains — is nostalgia and hit factor enough to bring in the audience to watch a movie? Here's a look: OF FAN HYPE AND FOOTFALLS 'While some new releases have managed to draw in the crowds, it's been a struggle for exhibitors to command a full house. We need footfalls, and when faced with a dry run, re-releasing an old film with a strong base usually guarantees such a win,' shares Jayanth Gowda, senior floor in-charge of a multiplex chain. Films which star bigger actors like Shivarajkumar, Puneeth Rajkumar or Darshan get great attention and viewership in theatres. Recently, one such movie that was re-released helped us earn up to `20 lakh as even the new films don't get us this much - Kushal Veeresh, theatre owner BTS OF A RE-RELEASE Karthik Gowda informs that proper planning for a re-release is also important. 'The number of screens are major factors. The pricing of the tickets is also a major factor because nobody wants to pay a premium for a film that is re-releasing,' he points out. SOME RE-RELEASES WIN, WHILE OTHERS SIMPLY FIZZLE OUT While some re-releases see impressive returns, with fans showing up in large numbers, others merely fade after the morning show. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like These Are The Most Beautiful Women In The World Undo 'Not every re-release has the capacity to run for weeks,' says Sudheendra Venkatesh, a film PRO. A distributor, on condition of anonymity, shares that not every hit deserves a re-release. Film proudcer Karthik Gowda adds, 'A fair amount is spent by the teams when they replay it; like paper ads, digital publicity and posters because promotions become important as it's a film they have already watched and we have to lure them back to watching it. " When we re-released Jackie for Puneeth Rajkumar's birth anniversary, we did so in 150 theatres, and the release was well-timed - Karthik Gowda, film producer and distributor THE X FACTOR What works: ● Star fandom (especially Puneeth Rajkumar, Darshan, Upendra) ● Limited access online or rare cult status ● Occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, or death anniversaries ● Fan-organised events and theatre bookings What doesn't: ● Overexposure on TV or OTT ● Poor quality prints ● Lack of on-ground promotion ● Outdated themes The re-release of Upendra, to mark the film's 25th anniversary, showed the current generation the glory of Uppi and the cult status he held. The makers spent `25 lakh and recovered `2.5 crore with the re-release - Rajat Gowda, member of RT Nagar Upendra Fans Association We had spent around `14-15 lakhs to re-release Cyanide across Karnataka in 70 screens, but we did not make a lot of profit, even though it brought in great numbers when it released in 2006. The reason I feel our film couldn't reach the masses is that there were films with bigger stars releasing around the same time, which grabbed more attention – AMR Ramesh, director of Cyanide
Time of India
22-06-2025
- Time of India
Man involved in multiple criminal cases held under Kaapa
Thiruvananthapuram: Cantonment police on Sunday arrested a man involved in multiple criminal cases under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, (Kaapa). The accused was identified as Abhiram alias Appu, 20, a resident of Rajaji Nagar. Abhiram was an accused in several attempted murder cases registered at the Cantonment police station and was absconding for some time. Acting on an information, a special police team led by Cantonment police inspector Prajeesh Shashi conducted a coordinated operation and apprehended the accused. Sub-inspectors Jijukumar, Greeshma Chandran and Mithun, along with other police personnel Sujeesh Kumar, Subi and Ranjith were also part of the team. Abhiram was later produced before the court and was remanded to judicial custody for 14 days. Authorities confirmed that his detention under Kaapa was due to his continued involvement in crimes and he was a threat to public. Police sources said that further investigations were underway and additional charges would be filed based on new evidence. The arrest was part of an ongoing crackdown on anti-social elements in the city, police said.
