Kerala Cafe- Do Step In Here for a While
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After a fairly satisfying Pazhassi Raja the next Malayalam movie that I was looking forward to was Kerala Cafe for a variety of reasons. For one the movie is an anthology of short films made by 10 different directors with separate cast and crew. The cast comprises of most of the well known names in Malayalam cinema and also has a fair number of younger actors as well. Also the directors are all part of the current new generation of filmmakers who have already made waves with their movies or have recently embarked on their cinematic journey. Holding all the strings together is Renjith, the man referred to as the “chief architect” behind this project.
The movie basically is about 10 different short films, all of which have one common connection- “Kerala Cafe “, a railway cafeteria in one of the busy railway stations in Kerala. All the stories in some way or the other are connected to the café & finally they are bound together in the café itself in a very unassuming manner. So let me begin my journey of revisiting Kerala Café-
1.Nostalgia- Directed by M.Padmakumar, this short film is the first one in the series and it talks about a character (Dileep) who is an NRI in Dubai and is typically facing a conflict of thoughts. While in Dubai he is shown in a nostalgic mood while catching up with friends and talking about Kerala. But when he visits Kerala with his wife (Navya Nair) and kids his real sense of reasoning takes over. It is clear that he is there only to make money and doesn’t care for family or friends either. This is certainly not a great start to the movie primarily because there’s nothing too novel about the plot of this short film. Not a bad attempt but not something that certainly calls for your attention.
2.Island Express-
Directed by Shankar Ramakrishnan, this one probably has the most number of characters and also the most number of stars (Prithviraj, Jaysurya, Rahman etc). Based on the gruesome Perumon Train tragedy of 1988, this one starts as a very hazy, disjointed and confusing film. But slowly as the missing links get filled you realize that there is certainly a charm to the whole short film. I liked the last scene in particular which was shot on a bridge.
3.Lalitham Hiranmayam- Directed by Shaji Kailash, this one talks about a man (Suresh Gopi) who is torn between his wife ( Jyothirmayi ) and his mistress ( Dhanya Mary Varghese ). Though the topic of infidelity is handled reasonably well, the sequence of events as they unfold and also the characterization makes it look very ordinary.
4.Mrityunjayam- Directed by Uday Ananthan, this one stands out from the rest of the short films – not because it’s the best of them all. But because it’s a horror film and doesn’t really fit into the construct of the anthology. Its all about a so called haunted house that’s under the care of a Tirumeni (who else but Thilakan) and one day a T.V crew arrives there headed by Fahadh Fasil to check out the place. It’s a kind of misfit in the movie- probably intended just to show some variety.
5.Happy Journey- Directed by Anjali Menon, this one certainly draws our attention due to the simple plot that’s well told and for the brilliance of Jagathy Sreekumar.
Jagathy plays a middle aged insurance surveyor with a lecherous eye. During a bus journey from Ernakulam to Calicut he comes across an attractive young girl (Nithya Menon ) who frightens him by revealing that she’s a terrorist with a bomb on board the bus. With the suspense enhancing the interest levels, this one is a pleasure to watch.
6.Aviraamam- Directed by B.Unnikrishnan, this one talks about the effects of recession on a happy family. Siddique is an I.T entrepreneur and one day sends off his wife ( Shweta Menon ) and children for a vacation to his in- laws place. He doesn’t want to go with them since he knows that he’s very badly caught in a debt trap and can’t figure out a way to get away from it and so decides to do the inevitable. It’s a fairly ordinary story but thankfully the performances from both Siddique and Shweta elevate the proceedings considerably.
7.Off-season- Directed by Shyamaprasad, this one is the only light hearted story among the entire anthology. Suraj Venjaramood plays a tourist guide in Kovalam who one day meets a couple from Portugal. Thinking that this is his big ticket he showers attention on them only to know that they are penniless themselves 
. This short film helps in kind of bringing up some funny moments in an otherwise serious anthology of short films here.
8.Magal- Directed by Revathy is a serious social commentary on issues like poverty, adoption and prostitution all in a single short film. While most part of the film remains quite average the ending more than compensates, making it quite a heart touching short film.
9.Bridges- Directed by Anwar Rasheed, this is probably the best among the entire lot. It starts off as something hardly impressive- a boy in Fort Cochin has sneaked in a kitten at home which his father disapproves off. On the other hand there is a poor family somewhere in the rural hinterland not far away from Cochin. Here the husband and wife ( Salim Kumar and Kalpana ) keep squabbling over Salim’s old mother ( Shantha Devi ) who is almost blind and difficult to look after. Some stunning visuals by Suresh Rajan ( DOP ), brilliant performances and a very well executed closing shot makes this a treat to watch.
10.Puram Kazchakal- 
Directed by Lal Jose this is about a bus journey where Sreenivasan the narrator is traveling from Valparai to Chalakudy and in between there’s a mysterious man (Mammootty) who boards the bus and is perennially impatient and so is ridiculed by the others on board. While the narrator was busy lost in his thoughts about the girl whom he had lost, he is rudely shaken up when the reason behind Mammootty’s irritating behaviour unfolds in a brilliant manner. This one does great justice to the presence of powerhouses of talent like Mammootty and Sreenivasan.
The movie works overall to a reasonably extent not just because quite a few of the short films are indeed redeeming and well shot. Of course these short films, the cast and crew do help in the overall process, but there are a few other redeeming features seen in this project. To start with the entire team has believed in the concept of coming up with an interesting anthology of short films and they have managed to come up with something that meets the objective reasonably well.
It has also allowed some of the directors to experiment and do something away from what they have been doing conventionally. Like Anwar Rasheed who has made a mark by making blockbusters like Rajamanikam, Chota Mumbai and Annan Thampi has made something completely refreshing with his short film (Bridges) over here. Shaji Kailash is known again to make large than life movies like Commissioner, Narasimham, The King etc and this time he has chosen to make an emotional family subject. Shyama Prasad who is well known for his unusually different choice of subjects for his movies has tried his hand at making a very light hearted feel good short film over here.
The project has also allowed directors to focus on issues close to their heart (Revathy- Magal) or think out of the box (Shankar Ramakrishnan- Island Express). Also the movie has brought in a balance of both experienced artistes and those who are fairly new. As an experiment the movie certainly does put in a reasonably commendable show. It’s nice to see the work of so many talented actors and technicians being brought together on a common platform like this. I wish that there are more such attempts made in Malayalam Cinema. For those who are going to cry hoarse by asking why are we celebrating even some small attempts to make something decent- I just have this to say- Kerala Cafe is in no way a modern classic, but certainly an interesting experiment. And such experiments definitely need all the encouragement.
And of course before I conclude I would certainly like to congratulate Renjith in particular for conceiving the entire project and bringing on board the entire team to showcase Kerala Cafe in front of us.
Tags: Anjali Menon, Anwar Rasheed, B.Unnikrishnan, dileep, Jagathy Sreekumar, Jayasurya, Kerala Cafe, Lal Jose, M.Padmakumar, mammootty, Navya Nair, Renjith, Revathy, Shaji Kailash, Shankar Ramakrishnan, Shyamaprasad, Sreenivasan, Uday Ananthan
Anurag Kashyap
Abhay Deol
Dibakar Banerjee
Hansal Mehta
Khalid Mohamed
Kundan Shah
Rahul Dholakia
Anish Kuruvilla
Jaideep Varma
Manish Gupta
Navdeep Singh
Bhavani Iyer
D. Santosh
Onir
Ashvin Kumar
Ramu Ramanathan
Sudhir Mishra
Pankaj Advani
Revathy
Saurabh Shukla
Sachin Kundalkar
Shilpa Shukla
Sujoy Ghosh
Suparn Verma
Santosh Sivan
Shashank Ghosh
Shivajee
Pavan Kaul
Partho Sen-Gupta
Prroshant Naryannan
Sam Langoria
Satish Kasetty
nice write up sethu. kerala cafe was a great attempt by Renjith and team. Makers of these kind of films deserve a pat on their back as it really needs sheer braveness and determination to conceive and bring these kinda stuffs into the theatres in the times of fans associations those who mainly spend their time by howling and whistling in the movie halls for films of superstars only ! seems the golden era of malayalam film industry is coming back with d films like kerala cafe and paleri manickyam. Paleri manickyam is also a brilliant film in which the makers doesn’t compromise for any commercial ingredients which separates the film from the usual port boilers churning out every week in kerala.
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Yes Sreenath Kerala Cafe is certainly an interesting attempt indeed that works reasonably.And yes the buzz on Paleri Manickyam is very strong- looking forward to watching it soon.
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I watched this movie whilst on a short trip to kochi, and I will have to respectfully disagree with your opinion on the movie. no doubt there are quite a few good things in the movie, but overall, it was a letdown.
the movie just dint work for me. the “Kerala cafe” binding factor came across as being very lame ( in fact in some stories, i felt that, the need for dierctor to link it with kerala cafe, seemed very forced), the stories would have been better off being 10 independant stories like 10 kahaniyan. in any case, when they try a movie like this comparison with paris – ilove you and new york – i love you are inevitable, and those movies are vastly superior and enjoyable. ( heck i found darna mana hai and darna zaroori hai, more enjoyable)
the biggest problem I feel with most stories is that they were not engrossing enuff( barring Happy journey and Puram Kaazhchakal)
while I agree tht it is a novel attempt in Malayalam, the veiwer of today has a wider view and people who have seen other languages with similar premises, so unless the stories are gripping or with a jeffrey archersque twist in the tale; the audience is bound to feel let down.
I dont speak alone. I could gauge from the reaction of audience with me that they were extremely disappointed with the film. i could overhear most people say that, the only reason they stayed till the end is to watch the story with mammoty( tht was a master stroke, so credit tyo renjith for that
)
and please, lets not get carried away and call this a new dawn of malayalam cinema. this movie is a purely commercial vehicle trying to cash in on the curiosity value.( nothing wrong in that, but let us just agree tht, thts the case and not fool ourselves)
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Its certainly a commercial vehicle but not the run of the mill kind.Not every film works for everyone, so its ok if it didnt work for you.But its much superior to Dus Kahaniyan any day.Wouldnt compare it with Paris Je’ Taime or New York I Love You for obvious reasons.
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reminds me of dus kahaniyaan. nice post! this one deserved a review here. viva pushing the envelope.
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Magik- watch this if you get a chance.Its much better than Dus Kahaniyan!!!
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I am going to watch this today. So thought i’ll put in a comment before I do !
Seems Renjith is in roaring form: Thirakkatha, Kerala Cafe ( he is the main architect it seems…) and now Paleri which is coming in for effusive praise..
This is my first proper malayalam movie( unfortunately watched duplicate)that I am gng to watch in chennai..so a bit excited.. :yahoo:
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Hey!Rahul please do revert after you’ve watched the movie.I hope you have a better time watching KC than what you had while watching Duplicate
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No wonder Shashi Tharoor said it is Oscar Worthy on Twitter. Now I wait for your take on Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathira Kolapathakathinte Katha.
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Oh! yes Shashi Tharoor has been advocating this movie.Will be back with my take on Paleri Manikyam- soon after watching it.
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Absolutely agree with you on your picks from the 10. I liked Bridges the most! I mean they didn’t try to make it too dramatic, whereas didn’t like the Revathy directed ones..because they were trying to draw few tear drops forcibly…
What can i say about the Mammooty…his petulant behavior at the start…has all the meaning when it culminates…i just want to see his expressions again…for performance alone…i would give it to Mammooty and also for his involvement in the project even though it is hardly 3-4 mins of screen space! Kudos to Renjith…Dus kahaniyan was trash…please dont compare this with that…
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Indeed agree that this is far better than Dus Kahaniyan and doesnt need any comparison with it.Bridges is definitely the best, no doubt.And Puram Kazchakal works beautifully due to Mammootty and Srinivasan.Would like to see more such attempts being made.
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@ sethu:
very tempted to watch it after having heard abt it frm u n now this review. lemme know whn the DVD is launched!
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Just watched it….pretty good, considering what malayalam film industry has been offering lately..
Bridge(Simplistic and touching), Island Express (Very Fresh), Makal(Unexpected Ending), Happy Journey(Fun, cool casting) and Puram Kazhchakal(Again perfect casting) were my picks. Rest were OK but nothing very new. Ranjith has succeeded in making all of them non-pretentious, making for a breezy watch.
With Pazhassi Raja’s success & Paleri Manikyam’s good reviews, this could be the spark which the industry has been waiting for…hopefully this will start a trend.
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Yes Jibin I do agree with you on the better short films among those in KC.I sincerely hope that with Pazhassi Raja,Kerala Cafe,Paleri Manikyam etc, things improve.Looking forward to Kutty Shranku & Manjadi Kuru now.
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sethu chetta comin for IFFK 2009?
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Highlight:Mrinal Sen Retro(7 films)
Heard AK is also comin for an interactive session,not sure.
Wil write my views about Kerala Cafe after returning back from the fest.ok.
Catch ya then.
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Well the line up of IFFK 2009 is pretty impressive.Would have loved to come up, but unable to make it.Hope you have a great time.
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I watched it and liked it very much.
For me I loved- Off-season,Bridges,Happy Journey,.Island Express,Nostalgia and Puram Kazchakal. ( Not in any particular order)
The rest were not up to the make. In the sense I didn’t find anything redeeming about Shaji Kailas’s , Revathy’s, B.Unnikrishnan’s and Uday Ananthan’s movies.
And I loved the last scene, where the peripheral characters from all the films came together. It wasn’t the central characters but the less important ones which came. Somehow I found that very appealing, dont know why.
Feel good about watching it – Kudos to Renjith and Friends – the camaraderie is more than evident in their effort.
Hoping for more of the kind
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thanks for a nice and detailed review. from the paper, these sound nice-
happy journey, off season, bridges and the last one with the stranger in the bus.
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Thanks Tushar.Most of the short films mentioned by you certainly look good on screen.
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Nice writeup. Babu ab full time reviewer ban ja…kya. Looks pretty interesting machan. Mamootty and Sreenivasan, wow that would be worth watching….and who is this Lal Jose? a new guy?
I also like Prithviraj, he’s very good in acting and shows lot of conviction. Looking forward for this actor to arrive in a big way.
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@ Sridhar – thanks, full time reviewing sounds interesting
.Lal Jose has been making movies for quite some time & is one of the better contemprorary directors in Malayalam cinema now.He’s made movies like Meesha Madhavan, Classmates,Achhan Urangatha Veedu.Arabikatha,Chandupottu etc.Prithviraj is doing very well both in Malayalam and Tamil.Watch out for him in Mani Rathnam’s Ravana ( Tamil version called Ashokavanam ).
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A friend of mine, who is a native of Kerala..was recently singing praises of this movie. Am glad, the film has started being talked about on PFC. Hoping to catch this movie in theatres soon…
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With mainstream movies like Passenger, Bhramaram, Kerala Cafe, Pazhassi Raja and Paleri Manikyam this year, Malayalam cinema seems to be atleast heading in the correct direction.
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Missed this one, while i was in Kerala.Renjith seems to be new hope for Malayalam Cinema.This Year is one of the best year for Malayalam Cinema in last 5years.
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happen to see kerala cafe atlast…..a really good attempt from Ranjith & crew…the stand out ones for me is bridge , island express & puram kazhcakal….bride is really brialliant considering the fact that its directed by anwar rasheed…hope more meaninful movies starts to come after this venture
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