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Directed by Roderick Cabrido, Mallari tells us the terrifying story of a priest who was accused of killing 57 people because he believed that by making the sacrifice, he could save his mother. Little did the priest know that the boon of immortality that he was seeking for his mother was not a boon after all. Some believed that there was a demon inside the priest, Juan Severino Mallari, while the comparatively rational lot had a very different point of view. The film is inspired by true events, though the writer and director have added certain fictional elements to it, mainly to increase the entertainment quotient and to make the conflicts even more invigorating. In my personal opinion, if the film had tried to understand what happened inside the mind of the priest from a scientific viewpoint, the viewing experience would have been more intriguing. Adding aspects like astral projection, time travel,...

ControversyIn June this year, when horror novel ‘Vijanaveedhi' was republished after 35 years, it reignited controversy over its similarities to director Fazil’s classic 1993 movie ‘Manichitrathazhu’.Govind Krishnan Vscreenshot: Disney+ HOTSTARIn 1985, Kumkumam, one of the most influential Malayalam literary magazines of the day, started serialising a horror novel titled Vijanaveedhi (The Deserted Street) by a first-time writer in his twenties. Published under the pen name Aswathi Thirunal, the novel became a sensation among the reading public. In June this year, when Vijanaveedhi was republished as a paperback after a gap of 35 years, it reignited controversy over its similarities to director Fazil’s classic movie Manichitrathazhu (1993). Some cultural critics and public personalities have accused Fazil and the movie’s scriptwriter Madhu Muttam of copying the novel’s plot, while others have said that the movie seems to be inspired by the novel. Fazil has denied the allegations. The central idea of Manichitrathazhu...

MollywoodThese unnerving scenes are sure to give you sleepless nights.Neelima MenonScreenshot: Disney+ HotstarIn this short list are some of the most psycho-esque moments in Malayalam cinema, captured and served to perfection. Dare we say winter is coming. It’s time to let the chill run down your spine. Some spoilers ahead! Mayaanadhi: In the climactic sequence of this Aashiq Abu directorial, written by Syam Pushkaran and Dileesh Nair, Mathan (Tovino Thomas) kneels near the riverside and the cops circle him. Despite foreseeing the event, as they take aim for an encounter shootout, we are still unprepared for when the bullet eventually knocks him down. Almost concurrently, it hits us like a bolt from the blue and the pain is as searing, physically and emotionally to the viewer. The next scene has Appu (Aishwarya Lekshmi) strolling into the night, peering over the shoulder for Mathan to run next to her.

MollywoodFrom Prem Nazir to Parvathy, these love songs featuring our favourite actors speak of troubles of the heart.Neelima Menon"Between what is said and not meant and what is meant and not said, most of love is lost" goes a Khalil Gibran quote. We bring you a compilation of beautiful melodies from Malayalam cinema that speak about the anguish of lost love, about those memories that are too deep and profound to get over and a heart that seems to take its own sweet time to heal. 1. 'Kaathirunnu Kaathirunnu' from Ennu Ninte Moideen (2016): A song that encapsulates Moideen (Prithviraj) and Kanchanamala’s (Parvathy) love story, as they correspond mostly over handwritten love letters, their endless patient wait to unite despite family opposition. Singers - Shreya Ghoshal Music - M Jayachandran Lyrics - Rafeeq Ahammed 2. 'Ennodenthini Pinakkam' from Kaliyattam (1997): In Jayaraj’s version of Othello, we have the...