After a hit in 'Pappy Appacha', which did not bring much applauds to its director, Mamas is all set to bring good credits to himself with his second movie 'Cinema Company'. A movie which is based on dreams, friendship and cinema is all about four dreamy wannabe filmmakers, who waste much of their time criticising the new flicks at the Box Office. On the surface, 'Cinema Company', may come across as one of those mundane friendship stories, but the fact of the matter is that the film talks of dreams and relationships beyond barriers and also attempts to stimulate the lost feelings in relationships.
The movie has Basil, Badri, Sanjeev and Shruthi as Paulachan, Fazal, Panicker and Paru -four happy- go- lucky youngsters who met at an International Film Festival to end up as thick friends. While Paulachan is an aspiring actor, Panicker is always busy filming short films with his handy cam. Fazal is exceptionally good at writing and Paru is basically a jingle maker and singer who make a living by lip-syncing the music tracks. Their love for films are not taken in the right spirit by others who tease them for wandering aimless, without any serious jobs.
One fine day, provoked by a few incidences, the foursome decides to embark on a mission- to make a film all by themselves. Though they face a lot of stumbling blocks due to their inexperience, their undying spirit helps them to start one, based on their own stories penned by Fazal. Titled 'Cinema Company' as their gang are often referred to by others, very soon they realise that making a film is not that easy as they ever thought of, while criticising other movie makers and their films.
Mamas have been able to pack the movie with every essential stuff that make an youthful flick. But something, as usual, doesn't work to the needed level. Of course, the wandering scripts can be the first thing to be accused of. The narrative is punctuated with good humour and well executed dramatic sequences, but falls prey to mediocrity and loses focus in the post-interval portions. The forceful attempts to create dramatics in the later reels also appear plastic and unconvincing.
Mamas has been able to make a satirical, but smart and clever look into the entire industry and even himself, but also spares no space to take a dig at many established norms and stars in business, including the young superstar, who in all possibilities could have denied him a date.
The movie also is a example of unexplored talent that is available in Mollywood. Starting form Basil, the hero material, to Shruthy who stands out as Paru, a lot of youngsters including Sanjeev, Badri, lakshmi, Sanam, Swasika and Shibla play their parts to the demands of their role. Also a special applause is due to Nithin who played the role of superstar Rajeev Krishnan. The technical sides of the movie are topnotch, with Jibu Jacob making an impressive comeback behind camera. The DoP captures the scenic locales, beaches, houses, roads, the unusual lifestyle, with dexterity while Alphonse's musical scores, including the 'Thick Rap' coming in place of after cuts appear cool and refreshing .
On the whole, despite the deficiencies, this 'Cinema Company' is watchable and appealing, especially because the director is able to sprinkle judiciously his share of extra efforts all through, be it the innumerable on- screen graphics or careful presentations of his lead actors.
Deserves a watch!
Rating: 6/10
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