Ennu Ninte Moideen Malayalam Movie

Feature Film | 2015 | Drama, Romantic
Critics:
Audience:
'Ennu Ninte Moideen' is a slow-burner that invites its viewers to soak themselves in a compelling romantic tale that is prudently drawn from real life. A pithy, well-acted and remarkably crafted film, this devastating narrative of love, comes across as a true celebration of the tender, expectant spirit that lies deep within it.
Sep 20, 2015 By Veeyen

Where To Watch:
Streaming:
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'Ennu Ninte Moideen' is a slow-burner that invites its viewers to soak themselves in a compelling romantic tale that is prudently drawn from real life. A pithy, well-acted and remarkably crafted film, this devastating narrative of love, comes across as a true celebration of the tender, expectant spirit that lies deep within it.


Kanchanamala (Parvathy) is surprised when she receives an anonymous package at the Medical College hostel, from an admirer. She deciphers the message in it and discovers that the man who has confessed his love for her is none other than Moideen (Prithviraj), who is renowned as a budding Socialist at Mukkam. Love strikes, with disastrous consequences.


One does not exactly expect 'Ennu Ninte Moideen' to break any new ground, since this is a story that thousands of couples have gone through - before and after Kanchanamala and Moideen came along - and yet, if it still manages to leave you all shaken up, its courtesy the honesty in its depiction and the countless ways in which it seeks to subvert our expectations of how it would all ultimately turn out to be.


Which is why the usual beats assume a spectacular power in the film, with the film maker and his performers infusing a rare might into this heartbreaking account of how everything - society, fortune, destiny and nature itself - transpires against a couple hopelessly in love, hurling them onto a whirlpool of doom.


Morris West would have been astounded at this fabulous account of waiting that goes on and on; of two love stricken souls who never waited for the storm, but instead unwearyingly lingered around for the tempest that had engulfed them, to pass by. That it never did is another matter altogether, but what makes their tale so radically dissimilar to any that we have heard before, is that they never failed to let the sunshine caress themselves, as they hung on to a frail strand of hope.


There are instances galore in 'Ennu Ninte Moideen' that make you wonder of their authenticity, but its common knowledge that the oft-discussed real life tale, has enough twists and turns in it that will leave any listener astounded! Love is more of an intellectual quest here, and the body is peculiarly immaterial, as their finger tips that remain so close and yet so far away, prove time and again.


I would gladly disregard the minor hiccups here and there - like the few attempts to bring in a smile in the otherwise somber proceedings - and hand it over to Vimal, for having played it out evenly, and through some exceedingly striking dialogue let it gently crawl under your skin. The writing is top-notch without doubt, and the delicacy of those nuances never for once, let out of sight.


'Ennu Ninte Moideen' witnesses a tussle between its two lead actors - Prithviraj and Parvathy - that is productive to the core, in that they outplay themselves and each other in the process. Prithvi brings in a contrasting combo of might and vulnerability in his portrayal of the man who had marbles for eyes; who loved, lost and yet loved again. Parvathy is perfectly cast as the resilient Kanchanamala who lives on as an iconic representation of an effervescent romance that will continue to touch hearts for a very long time.


There is also Tovino Thomas, who in a relatively brief, yet tremendously significant role, stands out with his sparkling performance as Appu, and Bala as Sethu, the hapless brother who could only watch his sister being flung around by the twirls of fate. Lena and Saikumar excel in their respective roles as well.


It's nothing less than dazzling poetry that Jomon T John crafts on the screen, and 'Ennu Ninte Moideen' is a visual spectacle of sorts, purely on account of this visual vivacity on show. The world where Moideen and Kanchanamala lived and loved, where it incessantly rains, is vibrantly brought to life by this immensely gifted cinematographer whose camera furtively follows the streaks of rain that pour down the aisles and rush down in a hurry to reach the Chaliyar river.


The musical score by M Jayachandran is a true delight as well, with lyricist Rafeeq Ahmed penning up the most evocative of lines that eulogise the never ending wait that Moideen and Kanchana embark on. The soulful background score by Gopi Sunder unobtrusively blends into the tale being told, resonating its tone to the hilt.


Some lives have yarns to tell that are stranger than fiction, and the love tale of Kanchanamala and Moideen is one such, that would transcend the tests of time. Some brilliant movies are based on such true stories, and Vimal can rest assured that he has done fine justice in adapting the much admired real-life chronicle on to the big screen.


Veeyen

   

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