When newbies hit the jackpot: Angamaly Diaries

It is not very often for a movie, with a bunch of newbies , to hit the jackpot but Angamaly Diaries does it with an elan.

Leading the pack is Vincent Pepe(Anthony Varghese) whose dream is to make an invincible team & fight for it till his last breath.He carries all the shades of his character with the right measures.Be it romantic, the typical family guy or the rowdy hero of the street.PremamEsque style of 'those 3 girls in my life', gels in with his character.And the self declared don of Angamaly, Appani Ravi(Sarath Kumar) who looks like some ignorable side villain to start with but carves his own space in the crowd of characters.And then there are characters like the graceful Lichi who can make beautiful compromises if needed, who can wait for the things to unfold.

This diary has an interesting entry on every page.The keen eye to detailing makes it reviewer's  paradise.
It is one of those movies which inspires you to be a filmmaker,to be a story writer,a music director or a dialogue writer.
There is so much in filmmaking and Angamaly Diaries seems to be a movie which says 'All Checked Mate'... One hell of an interesting ride for Chemban Jose, the screenwriter from nammude Angamaly & Lijo Jose, the director from Chalakudy.

This Angamaly belongs to Chemban for sure. You can smell the authenticity with his writing,screenplay and dialogues which proves yet again that 'Real stories spring up from the characters & surroundings you have grown up with'.

In the course of making this gem... Jose duo would be like.
How can we polish the action sequences to look more rugged & rustic...
Some more earthy dialogues & intense looks.. Some rapid camera works...
How can we add some warmth to the love episodes...
Some better closeups with innocent smiles... The love vibes indeed put an extra level of toppings into the Angamaly affairs.

There is so much going around that a single watch may not justify their efforts.
Their ready to experiment attitude brings this adventure in the lines of 'Gangs of Wasseypur'.

Prashant Pillai moves a step ahead in music with those innovative sounds like the chenda in Thana Dhina or the cup & spoon in Theeyame or the chai-kada-tabla in Chai Kadakara or the loop of knock on the door in Ayalathe Pennu. His music sounds are so very naadan & so are the lyrics; leaves you with some local flavor as if you just had a lovely chukku-kaapi. Like this one...
അങ്ങനെ ഞാനും സീമയും കുഞ്ചുവിന്റെ തട്ടുകടയിലെ അക്കാലത്തെ ഹിറ്റ് കോമ്പിനേഷൻ ആയ കപ്പയും മുട്ടയും ആയി മാറുകയായിരുന്നു ....

And then there are gangs at war, ready to kill the other team to death & then in the next scene partying together over 10 ml drinks.The happy business deals & mutual agreements take just a minute to turn into chaos.

The amazing single-take fight sequence in between the perinaal festivities makes for the perfect finale, in this movie, which keeps on changing gears from a local documentary style to a family entertainer to a Torentino'ish & Kashyap style of experimental cinema with shades of gray flying around.

Though this is a local entertainer but it is not softies kind as its name may appeal to. Especially when humans & pigs are treated like vegetables & when the only veg option available in the menu is Potato and Kaa served with the Beef.Pork lives & rules in the underbelly of Angamali. People swear by it,live by it & fight for it.

But that's the winner recipe for Angamaly Diaries, a story treatment, which gels in the food styles with the lifestyles & wears its 'pakka-naadan' a.k.a. 'katta-local' feel on the sleeve.

So, Rise up dudes! There is still life in this life... 

As the dudes rightly sing.. വീതി ഉള്ള കൃതാവ് ആണ്‌ടി  തീയാമേ 

Ready to watch the streets of Angamaly. Catch up Angamaly Diaries. One of the best Malayalam Movies in terms of treatment.