American screenwriter Leslie Dixon quotes- “One rule of screenwriting: Does the reader want to turn the page?” The content’s drive and engaging factor are the essential supplements to be provided for a strong spine for telling a story. The recent theatrical releases of Malayalam cinema are running successfully excluding two to three numbers which lacked the supplements it required.
About six films are in the theatres where some have given worthy expectations and others are from negative to mixed. Three highly anticipated movies ‘A.R.M’, ‘Kishkindha Kaandam’, and ‘Kondal’ were released on the 12th of September whereas less or not expected movies like ‘Bad Boyz’, ‘Kummatikali’ and ‘Gangs of Sukumara Kurup’ were released on the following next day.
When discussing the first set release, the trio were expected due to their content value, the hope of performances, and a minimum guarantee of technical labour. Screenplay is the only department that can only be reviewed after the movie’s release. The story idea of ‘Kondal’ by Ajith Mampally was good, but the writing and application of plot devices got so dull and weak that the movie could only satisfy the high-octane action sequences.
Also, despite the average screenplay by Sujith Nambiar and Deepu Pradeep for ‘A.R.M’, it made its compensation with a stellar performance by actor Tovino Thomas, a better character arc, and a brilliant technical crew.
However, the gross and audience response was tremendously altered after the release of ‘Kishkindha Kaandam’ which has a profound screenplay by Bahul Ramesh with well-placed character sketches, a compelling plot-driven narrative, and an unusual blend of suspense with surprise theory. Also, the movie has an excellent technical crew and splendid performances by the actors.
Even though ‘A.R.M’ has a family audience and is a business requirement for the context, ‘Kishkindha Kaandam’ emerged as a ‘dark horse’ for the industry. This shows how a strong screenplay with a supporting technical crew can provide its best work.
The works of the screenplay for the movies released on the next day are negligible and so is the movie. But somehow, movies like ‘Kummatikali’ can be a time-pass watch.
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