Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam review

The film functions as a spiritual successor to Lijo Jose Pellissery's Churuli sans the R-rated language.

Yes, it doesn't in the original sense of the word, but drama is a constant companion of the protagonist. There is a farewell moment towards the end of the film accompanied by a 'dramatic' montage of images from nature, followed by 'dramatic' music from a movie playing on television, as everyone gathers 'dramatically' to see someone go. As for the core emotion of NNM, I see it as a fascinating, occasionally humorous ode to the performer. And through the omnipresent television sets screening black-and-white movies, perhaps the idea is to remind us of the nature of cinema itself, that drama is incomplete without sounds and music; in this case, the music from other movies. However, Lijo stages the whole thing in a way that keeps you detached from it -- in a good way, of course. It is a simple case of James inexplicably becoming 'Sundaram' and walking into the latter's home in a village detached from the chaos and noise of the rest of the world. That makes NNM a spiritual successor to Churuli sans the R-rated language. It is not about a doppelganger swapping identities (as in Daphne du Maurier's The Scapegoat) or a living man assuming the identity of a dead man (as in Michelangelo Antonioni's The Passenger). The last time a film delivered such a soothing experience was M Manikandan's Kadaisi Vivasayi, another film that celebrates the beauty of simple living. NNM can mean one thing or several, but it's one of Lijo's most accessible films; by the time it ends, you don't need to think too deeply to get the significance. Lijo forgoes the typical establishment shot in favour of a simple approach: following Sundaram as he takes in the sights of the village -- the residents, their homes, flora and fauna -- and ambient sounds, thereby creating a very tactile atmosphere. NNM is the journey of James (Mammootty), a cantankerous Malayali with a bias towards Tamilians.

Pellissery's protagonist is the archetypal fussy character you so often stumble upon in Kerala's high ranges..Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam .

For NNM is in a different plain altogether – it doesn’t ooze the eerie rusticism of Churuli or the flamboyant symbolism of ‘Jallikattu’. The orchestrated chaos we see in ‘Jallikattu’ or ‘Churuli’ is amiss. For they are provided milk by a faceless man and not Sundaram, who is also stunned to figure out a temple is being constructed in what he thought was an abandoned stretch of land till yesterday. James begins to live, or enact Sundaram’s life and breathe his mannerisms as all others in the drama remain stunned onlookers. The backdrops his reels traverse too vary as a rule. He is not averse to showing his likes and dislikes which we could tag as silly.

If Rorschach and Puzhu hinted at it, Lijo Jose Pellissery's latest film confirms that Mammootty is steering his career into a whole new experimental phase.

[Angamaly Diaries](https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/angamaly-diaries-movie-review-whattefun-this-is-black-comedy-at-its-best-3330750.html), [Ee.Ma.Yau ](https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/ee-ma-yau-movie-review-lijo-jose-pellissery-returns-with-a-keenly-observant-fabulously-funny-funeral-film-4474405.html)and [Jallikattu](https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/jallikkattu-movie-review-lijo-jose-pellissery-presents-audacious-eye-popping-take-on-masculinity-and-our-savage-species-7523161.html) was disrupted by the hyperventilating [Churuli](https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/churuli-movie-review-lijo-jose-pellisserys-frustratingly-abstract-sometimes-intriguing-trip-to-a-land-of-reversed-power-equations-9296811.html). [Latest News](https://www.firstpost.com/), [Trending News](https://www.firstpost.com/author/trendingdesk) and [Entertainment News](https://www.firstpost.com/category/entertainment) here. Vetticad is an award-winning journalist and author of The Adventures of an Intrepid Film Critic. Most interesting of all is the decision not to zoom in on Mammootty’s face for a long gap until a pivotal moment close to the climax when at last he ‘sees’ himself. Still, it’s nice to see Lijo directing Mammootty without being overly aware of his superstardom, barring a dispensable moment on the bus when James and the others watch a Mammootty film. And the gender-specific ageism in the casting of male-star-led films continues here too. Even when it is not obvious that the audio is coming off a radio or TV, the background score mimics the universal sounds of melodramatic movies and serials. Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam’s determined open-endedness is accompanied by a sense of humour and a packed soundscape that enriches it even when it wears thin in other departments. James (played by Mammootty) is a Malayali Christian on his way back from the Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health in Velankanni. Produced by Mammootty Kampany and co-produced by Lijo’s Amen Movie Monastery, this tale of re-awakenings is based on a story by Lijo, with a screenplay and dialogues by S. A clue to what the film stands for comes from a quote on the lodge’s wall that the manager has to explain to James is from the Tamil classic Thirukkural: “Death is sinking into slumbers deep. The situation is as dramatic if not more in Lijo’s markedly quieter new film Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam (A Mid-Day Slumber)in which the protagonist metamorphoses into someone else as his bus drives by a Tamil Nadu hamlet near the state’s border with Kerala.

The Malayalam film Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam released in theatres today is produced under the banners of Mammootty Kampany and Amen Movie Monastery.

[OTTplay](https://www.ottplay.com/review/nanpakal-nerathu-mayakkam-review-mammoottys-film-is-a-tranquil-ode-to-social-acceptance-in-uncertain-times/9da618210d412) – The poignant sequences work all the more because of the range of emotions Mammootty exhibits as Sundaram. [Film Companion ](https://www.filmcompanion.in/reviews/malayalam-review/lijo-jose-pellisserys-nanpakal-nerathu-mayakkam-is-a-baffling-tragicomedy-steeped-in-dream-logic)– This transformation from James to Sundaram happens smoothly, with the ease of a master theatre performer assuming a new character. [Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam Review: Mammootty-Lijo Jose Pellissery's Film Gets Positive First Reviews From Its Premiere at IFFK 2022!](https://www.latestly.com/socially/entertainment/south/nanpakal-nerathu-mayakkam-review-mammootty-lijo-jose-pellisserys-film-gets-positive-first-reviews-from-its-premiere-at-iffk-2022-4577749.html) [Times Of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/malayalam/movie-reviews/nanpakal-nerathu-mayakkam/movie-review/97127201.cms) – He (Mammootty) shoulders S Hareesh’s screenplay on Lijo’s story and is the solid axis around which a bunch of talented side actors revolve.

Produced by Mammootty Kampany, the psychological drama is directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery and written by Hareesh S. The movie follows the life of a man who ...

Many Kollywood fans have thanked the movie’s team for portraying Tamil Nadu at its best rather than adding unnecessary aspects. Additionally, the film was shot in Pazhani, Tamil Nadu. However, when he takes a nap, he wakes up and behaves like Sundaram (another character within himself), making his family members get creeped out. A fan has thanked the director and the cinematographer for using classic Tamil songs and showing beautiful frames in the movie. Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakam follows James (Mammootty), returning from Velankanni with his family and relatives on a bus. Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakam Twitter review has been immensely pouring in after witnessing Mollywood star Mammootty’s outstanding acting.