Wednesday, November 25, 2015

10 VISUALLY STUNNING MALAYALAM MOVIES of all time


film Vanaprastham
Inspired by his own inherent obsession with good looks, Man has reserved a considerable judgment based on appearance even when it comes to his own creations. This has formed the basis of art appreciation the world over, even movie critiquing. While there is no dearth of good-looking films in Malayalam in general, there might be a serious scarcity of those ones with quality. There is also a general tendency to assume a visually stunning film to be one with lots of style and absolutely no substance. So the following ten Malayalam films are chosen on the basis of its artistic merit as much as their visual relevance.

10. Deshadanam
                                 Still from film Deshadanam
M.J. Radhakrishnan’s cinematography generally never steals away from the narrative of the film or competes with its overall vision. It helps to elegantly portray the scenes like a true team player. In Jayaraj’s Deshadanam, he makes the most out of the given physical locations and helps make the film into the touching ode that it turned out to be.

9. Parinayam
                                 Still from film Parinayam
In Hariharan’s exquisite period drama, the hypnotic aesthetics set with the help of cinematographer S. Kumar, does a great job to set the painful mood for the prolonged trial. The intense play of light and shadow surrounding the accused contradicts the stark outdoors where the cold-blooded prosecutors reason amidst lush greens and fat jaded laterite work.

8. Ponthan Mada
                                  Still from film Ponthan Mada
The natural beauty of T.V. Chandran’s Ponthan Mada set against the backdrop of a changing Kerala in the 1940s is grasped through the meticulous eyes of the multiple National-Award-winning director of photography, Venu. It also helps to make the unstated bond between the servant and the landlord extremely lyrical and nothing short of stunning.

7. Perumthachan
                                 Still from film Perumthachan
Another period piece, this time depicted by the masterful touch of Santosh Sivan’s mesmerizing photography, Perumthachan’s aptitude to capture the main character with incredible fluidity owes a lot to its matter-of-fact visual language that also helped to bring to life with so much conviction, the legend of a disputed figure from folktales and myth.

6. Piravi
                                  Still from film Piravi
Sunny Joseph’s cinematography is haunting in this internationally acclaimed film directed by Shaji N. Karun. His bold, expressive imagery of the otherwise quiet progress of this saddening film absorbs with so much depth, the loneliness and pathos of a distraught father in search of his lost son told against sweeping paddy fields and lapping river banks.

5. Dany
                                 Still from film Dany
In this light hearted film directed by T.V. Chandran, plenty of time was attributed to wallow in the sheer beauty of the setting each scene was based in, and K.G. Jayan’s picturesque colors made it all the more appealing to describe the lifetime of the titular character through major historical events that shaped Kerala, occasionally even India.

4. Thenmavin Kombath
                                  Still from film Thenmavin Kombath
Perhaps the most popular film on the list, Thenmavin Komabth is a visual treat of the vernacular of a place that sprouted from Priyadarshan’s vision, vividly crafted by Sabu Cyril’s production design, and brilliantly rendered by K.V. Anand’s cinematography. The stunning appearance of the film is what formed the basis of all the charm associated with the hamlet of Srehalli.

3. Vanaprastham
                                  Still from film Vanaprastham
Shaji N. Karun’s intense parable that blurs the line separating art from life sets the stage for what Santosh Sivan and Renato Berta made into a visual adventure weaving vibrant picture-perfect frames back to back following a tortured soul trapped as much in the hues and glitter of Kathakali as the disquiet of his unfortunate life.

2. Nizhalkuthu
                                  Still from film Nizhalkuthu
At the same time as being profound and powerful, Adoor’s dark psychological drama had the magical visuals first captured by Mankada Ravi Varma, and after his death by Sunny Joseph with the same competent verve he displayed in picturising Piravi. Matching with the film’s narrative force, the open expansive outdoors frequently broke cracks in the dimly lit interior shots.

1. Kalapani

                                  Still from film Kalapani
Perhaps it’s because Kalapani had a lot to show. Or perhaps the sheer scope of its visual nuances was as extensive as its narrative range. In his National Award winning photography, Santosh Sivan enhanced this epic Priyadarshan film with great beauty and a vocabulary never seen before in Malayalam canvas ever before.

Also check out…

Thampu   DP Shaji N. Karun
Elippathayam   DP Mankada Ravi Varma
Anandabhadram   DP Snatosh Sivan
Adaminte Makan Abu   DP Madhu Ambat
Amen   DP Abinandhan Ramanujam
Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathira Kolapathakathinte Katha   DP Manoj Pillai
Urumi   DP Santosh Sivan
Iyobinte Pustakam   DP Amal Neerad
Kutti Srank   DP Anjuli Shukla
Akale   DP S. Kumar
Amma Ariyan   DP Venu
Vaishali   DP Madhu Ambat

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