MOVIE REVIEWS

Makaramanju Review.

"Makaramanju" depicts a segment of Ravivarma's life, the timeline being when he was painting 'Urvashi-Pururavasu'. Ko fame Karthika is playing two characters, the artist's muse for the painting and Urvashi. This class movie is directed by acclaimed-veteran director Lenin Rajendran, stars noted cinematographer-director Santosh Sivan in the lead. Jagathy Sreekumar, Bala, Nithya Menon, Vishnupriya, Shamna Kasim,Lakshmi Sharma and Saiju Kurup constitute the rest of the cast.
'Makaramanju' was one of the five Malayalam films to be screened at the International Film Festival of India. It won the FIPRESCI Prize for Best Malayalam Film at the International Film Festival of Kerala.
'Makara Manju' is about Ravi Varma's life at a certain stage in his life. He is engrossed in painting Urvashi and Pururavas and the relationship between him and his model begin to acquire certain shades of the legend of Urvashi and Pururavas.
Santosh Sivan has done his role quite remarkably and brings in an immense amount of believability into his portrayal of Ravi varma. Karthika Nair surprises with her histrionic skills, in a glamorised role. Every actor in the film has done their role with lots of conviction. Jagathy Sreekumar, Nithya Menon and Lakshmi Sharma leaves lasting impressions in the viewer's mind. Nithya Menon catches viewer's attention with her angelic beauty and one of the memorable characters in her career. Mallika Kapoor, Shamna Kasim, Vishnupriya, Bala, Saiju Kurup, Krishnan Balakrishnan lends ample support.
The director, who is also the scenarist, pours his heart and soul into the film and the honesty with which he has approached the film is there to be seen in every frame. The film is a visual treat with Madhu Ambat's brilliant cinematography. Each frame is like a painting. His camera angles are astounding too. Fabulous editing by Mahesh Narayan and the music by Ramesh Narayan take the film to an altogether different level.
'Makaramanju' is a must watch film for its great visuals, good performances and its thread values. Don't miss this class one, it's a must watch.
Verdict: Excellent