Google | Manu Kurup

Rahul’s post made me want to watch the recent Malayalam film Mumbai Police. I have been carefully avoiding big starrers for a while, only watching films that came to me through suggestions from friends and all. Also, Malayalam films rarely get released in Hyderabad. And, if they do, they come on the weekends in Prasad’s screens, making it a 30 km ride for me.

Mumbai Police is a thriller. That is the minimum of a generic description anyone can make. It is the presentation of the story and the brave attitude that wins the accolades for this film. The age old principle that a good script is a film half-made is worth mentioning here because the screenplay by Bobby and Sanjay is one crucial element that helps the film from slipping off into the usual plains of boredom and lagging. The story revolves around three cops; Anthony Moses (Prithviraj), Farhan Ashraf (Rahman) and Aaryan John Jacob (Jayasuriya). Together they are nicknamed by the media as ‘Mumbai Police’ due to their short stint in the Q division of Maharashtra Police before joining Kerala cadre. During a ceremonial function Aaryan John Jacob gets shot resulting in his death and the burden of investigation falls on to Anthony Moses. The rest is a fast-paced thriller that gets the viewer through sudden and shocking revelations from the lives of the three officers.

Hats off to Director Rosshan Andrrews for his guts to do a story with overt homosexual overtones and as an actor Prithviraj has done a brave thing by doing such a role in a film industry that is deeply orthodox and unadventurous when it comes to new themes. Despite the general homophobia of the public, the film seems to be receiving good reviews. Hoots and whistles rose up from the homophobes in the hall during the climax and one need not say that we have a lot more to go before we achieve certain kind of tolerance level.

The background score deserves a special mention because this is probably one of the few movies that had a BGM that lingered in my mind even after leaving the hall.

Besides Prithviraj, Rahman and Jayasuriya, Kunchan is the only actor that deserved any special mention. Aparna Nair had not grown out of her usual eye-candy roles that stereotypes women of a certain social stature. The debutant Rohit seemed a little comical in his role as a cop assisting with the investigation, who has to muscle up whenever the camera faces him. His salutes were a source of laughter and his face resembled that of someone trying hard not to cry out in pain due to some unseen wound.

Guys, it is a film worth watching for. Thanks Rahul, for suggesting this.

My verdict: 3.5/5
Watch it for a change.

- Manu

mumbai police (aswinrk007.wordpress.com)
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The internet connection in this place is becoming increasingly slow some times. This township that I live in is far away from the rest of the world and also it is a new one. Apparently, BSNL hasn’t heard of it and expanded their web of broadband services to this place. People who cannot live with internet (like me) are forced to depend on wireless broadband and there is only one dependable service; tikona wireless broadband. Like the name itself, their service also is a bit wonky.

I called up their customer care the other day to complain about their fluctuating speed. I wanted them to send someone to check the antenna they had installed on this building for us to draw internet from the sky! They had installed it in some place that no one except Iron Man or Spider Man could reach. The customer care guy (in a most weird accent) told me that ‘Everything will be all right, Sir.’ I felt like I was calling a dear friend after a temporary fight with my girlfriend. He will probably say the same thing to me (except for the ‘Sir’), ‘Everything will be all right, man’. But then he will add something more,‘I’m gonna come over right away… don’t worry… I’ll get beer! Let’s mend it!’ I wish the customer care guy would say something like that… ‘I’m going to send someone over there immediately to check it, Sir. Let’s mend it.’ No! He didn’t say that.

So, here I am sitting with a slow internet connection where WP pages take ages to load up. Facebook is taking even more time and the only thing that opens up without testing my patience level is Google. But, who wants Google? I certainly do not. Do you?

- Manu