Manjummel Boys - Malayalam / Drama/Thriller / 130 min / Disney+ Hotstar
If you have been following Malayalam cinema this year (and my blog), this is the 4th must watch movie of their seemingly golden period ( 2 more adding to the list and we are just in May!).
Manjummel Boys is a wonderfully made film - a true story of friendship, survival, courage and the triumph of human spirit. "Boys" is actually a misnomer for this "team" of middle aged men from a town near Kochi. After the initial 15 mins of setting the scene and introduction of the characters - the group of 10 head to Kodaikanal for the Onam holiday.
As they are about to wind up their trip - one of them suggest that they should visit the "Guna caves" - a tourist spot near Kodaikanal, originally called "The Devil's Kitchen" made famous by Kamal Haasan's 1991 movie "Guna". As they roam around in the restricted area - one of them - Subhash (who ironically was as last minute addition to the group!) ends up falling into a covered hole.
The rest of the story is about how the group try to find help and mount a rescue - they plead for help with the locals - a helpful cameraman, a salesman outside the caves, a guide and eventually the cops get involved. Eventually- "Kuttan" / Siju David , volunteers to drop into the cave, when even the firemen who assist the rescue refuse to do so.
The director uses flashbacks to demonstrate their bonding ( wish we saw more!) and incidents which reveal more about the key characters. We also see glimpses of Subhash's state of mind as he is lifelessly spreadeagled on a precipice more than 120 feet into the ground! Credit to the editing team for ensuring that the movie centers around the rescue and the pace does not slacken.
The cinematography is outstanding - the aerial / wide shots of Kodaikanal and the periphery of the cave are sublime (the rain sequence is absolutely brilliant!). The camerawork inside the darkness of cave is also superb ( i am claustrophobic, but i think the movie did just right!).
The set design of the caves is extremely realistic and some of the best you would ever see on screen! The background score by Sushin Shyam is the soul of the film - introducing the camaraderie, balancing the hopelessness, anchoring the thrilling rescue and celebrating the eventual triumph.
The cast is uniformly good, including the tamil actors. Two of the leads Soubin Shahir (Kuttan) and Sreenath Bhasi (Subhash) played brothers in the wonderful Kumbalangi Nights. Soubin Shahir is solid, desperately trying to stop the rainwater from entering the cave and gritting his teeth with determination to save his friend and when Subhash's mother gives him an earful about not taking care of her son!
The movie pays rich tribute to Kamal Haasan's Guna - From thanking him , followed by the opening credits featuring a wonderful animated tribute to the "Kanmani" song from the movie. Along the way via Palani, they boys pick up a CD with Kamal Haasan's greatest hits (the cover ominously features the movie) . Pretty sure this will encourage many a rewatch of Guna.
Malayalam cinema has provided us some excellent survival thrillers in the past few years - "Helen" , "2018" and this is truly a crowning glory moment for Indian cinema.
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