Angamaly Diaries

Angamaly Diaries
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Lijo Jose Pellissery
Written by	Chemban Vinod Jose
Produced by	Vijay Babu
Starring	Antony Varghese Anna Rajan Tito Wilson Appani Sarath
Cinematography	Girish Gangadharan
Edited by	Shameer Muhammed
Music by	Prashant Pillai
Production company	Friday Film House
Distributed by	Friday Tickets Tricolor Entertainment
Release date	3 March 2017 (2017-03-03)
Running time	130 minutes [1]
Country	India
Language	Malayalam
Box office	est. ₹20 crore [2]

Angamaly Diaries is a 2017 Indian Malayalam-language action crime drama film directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery and written by Chemban Vinod Jose. The film features 86 debutant actors with Antony Varghese, Anna Rajan, Appani Sarath, Kichu Tellus, Vineeth Vishwam, Bitto Davis, Ullas Chemban, Tito Wilson and Sinoj Varghese playing the main roles. ^[3] It marks Vijay Babu's first production under Friday Film House. ^[4] The film features an uncut 11-minute long take in the climax featuring around 1000 artists. ^{[5] [6]}

Angamaly Diaries was released on 3 March 2017 to critical acclaim and emerged as a commercial success at the box office. ^{[7] [8]} The film was included in The Hindu's top 25 Malayalam films of the decade. ^[9] Antony Varghese won the Youth Icon Award at Asianet Film Awards.

It was remade in Telugu as Falaknuma Das (2019) starring Vishwak Sen in the lead role. ^[10]

Plot

2001: Vincent Pepe is a resident in Angamaly, which is a medium-sized suburb of Kochi near the airport. In the middle school, Pepe and his friends put together an unofficial "team", a kind-of-pretend gang. They hero-worshipped the leading team of their area at that time, which was led by Babuji and his lieutenant Thomas. They are used to exercising with them and listen to their advice on fighting and strategy. As young men, Pepe and his friends get into their first fight with outsiders, who were bothering the neighbourhood girls.

2008: Pepe starts his first sweet romance with a local girl named Seema, whom he had known since school days. However, the innocent phase ends with Babuji getting killed by two local boys Ravi and Rajan, who are sent to prison for the murder.

2013: Pepe still has the same friends and Babuji's friend Thomas has become a member of their team in an adviser capacity. Pepe is seriously dating a nursing student from Germany and looking for a way to build a business that can support himself and his friends. They start a pork business by purchasing pigs wholesale from Ravi and Rajan, who have become the leading merchants in the neighbourhood after their release from prison. Later, Pepe and his friends start their own pig farm and set up a wholesale business rivalling Ravi and Rajan.

During a discussion between the two groups, Pepe and his friends and Ravi and Rajan's young followers led by Ravi's brother-in-law get into a fight, where Pepe accidentally kills one of them. To resolve the court case, Pepe's team has to turn to increasingly illegal activities to raise money to pay off Ravi and Rajan and their friends. They open an illegal poker hall and manage to raise funds. With the case hanging over him, Pepe feels obligated to end his relationship with the nursing student.

At this point, Lily "Lichi" David, who is Pepe's friend's older sister, returns to the area, where she starts spending more time with Pepe despite the court case hanging over him. The court case is settled, but Pepe is still in danger because the person he accidentally killed has cousins who have come to Angamaly for revenge. Ravi and Rajan act as go-betweens and try to keep the situation calm, but it is still a problem and Pepe needs to leave town. While Pepe is waiting for his Dubai visa to come through and celebrating a festival, they give the final payoff to Ravi and Rajan who pass on a portion to the cousins of the victim. However, the cousins are still angry and plan to attack Pepe after they receive all the money they can.

2014: During the evening festival celebrations, the brother-in-law of Ravi is stabbing Ravi and Thomas , and attack Rajan as they learn that they received only 4 lakh out of 30 lakhs Pepe paid them that was accidentally said by Thomas while having alcohol. During the fight, Ravi's brother-in-law is chased into the fireworks display and everyone watches in stunned silence as his body is charred by thousands of fireworks.

2016: Pepe marries Lichi and is a construction worker in Dubai, from where he still calls home regularly and also misses his life in Angamaly.

Cast

• Antony Varghese as Vincent Pepe
• Tito Wilson as Rajan aka 'U-Clamp Rajan'
• Appani Sarath as Ravi aka 'Appani Ravi'
• Anna Rajan as Lily "Lichi" David
• Kichu Tellus as Varkey
• Vineeth Vishwam as Bheeman
• Bitto Davis as '10ml' Thomas
• Sinoj Varghese as Kunjootti
• Sreekanth Dasan as Paripp Marti
• Anandhu as Kanakuna Marti
• Anson Antony as Babuji
• Merin Jose Pottackal as Maramkothi Sijo
• Binny Rinky Benjamin as Sakhi
• Sruthy Jayan as Alice
• Amrutha Anna Reji as Seema
• Jolly Chirayath as Pepe's mother
• Athira Patel as Mercy
• Ullas Chemban as SI Shahul Hameed
• Sreeja Das as Appani Ravi's wife
• Sarath Chandran as Molester
• Benny Varghese as Advocate
• Akash Dev as Koluth Jaison
• Milton Raju
• Chemban Vinod Jose as himself (in a guest appearance)
• Lijo Jose Pellissery as a man buying pork (uncredited)

Production

The film introduces 86 new actors and the audition was held at different parts of Kerala, especially at Kochi. Actor Chemban Vinod Jose wrote the screenplay. The filming started on 11 October 2016 in Kochi. ^[3] Angamaly Diaries is Vijay Babu's first sole production after the spat with his business partner Sandra Thomas. ^{[4] [11]}

Soundtrack

Angamaly Diaries
Soundtrack album by Prashant Pillai
Released	March 24, 2017
Genre	Feature film soundtrack
Length	19:48
Label	Muzik247
Producer	Prashant Pillai
Prashant Pillai chronology
Anuraga Karikkin Vellam (2016) Angamaly Diaries (2017) Sakhavu (2017)

The film's music was composed by Prashant Pillai, with lyrics by P. S. Rafeeque and Preeti Pillai. The full movie soundtrack was released on 23 February 2017 and consists of 9 songs: six original and three alternate versions. ^[12]

Angamaly Diaries ^[13]

No.	Title	Lyrics	Singer(s)	Length
1.	"Angamaly"	Traditional	Angamaly Pranchi (Chorus : Febin Paulose, Joy Chirakal)	2:33
2.	"Ayalathe"	P. S. Rafeeque	Shreekumar Vakkiyil	2:10
3.	"Theeyame"	Traditional	Angamaly Pranchi, Shreekumar Vakkiyil	3:00
4.	"Thana Dhina"	Traditional	Angamaly Pranchi (Chorus : Febin Paulose, Joy Chirakal)	3:51
5.	"Do Naina (Trailer Version)"	Prashant Pillai	Shreekumar Vakkiyil	1:16
6.	"Do Naina (Male Version)"	Preeti Pillai	Shreekumar Vakkiyil	1:16
7.	"Do Naina (Female Version)"	Preeti Pillai	Preeti Pillai	1:16
8.	"La Vettam (Male Version)"	P. S. Rafeeque	Shreekumar Vakkiyil	1:16
9.	"La Vettam (Female Version)"	P. S. Rafeeque	Preeti Pillai	1:16
10.	"Chayakadakkara"	P. S. Rafeeque	Angamaly Pranchi, Chorus	1:16

Release

Theatrical

The film was released theatrically on 3 March 2017.

Box office

The film collected over ₹ 20 crore (US$2.4 million) in its final run in theatres. ^[2]

Critical reception

Angamaly Diaries received positive reviews from critics who praised its realistic making, cinematography, performances and action sequences.

Deborah Young of The Hollywood Reporter termed the film as a "rambunctious breakout" and praised the climax describing it as "dazzling, can’t-look-away finale, shot in a single 12-minute take that throws in everything plus the kitchen sink and brings the story to a shrill conclusion". Anjana George of The Times of India gave 4 out of 5 stars and praised the film as "Showcasing a mélange of beautiful visuals, thumping music and natural performances, Angamaly Diaries is one of the more fresh and terrific attempts made by a filmmaker of late in Mollywood Film." She added, "Chemban has weaved in the dialect, food, music and culture of the people in Angamaly to the plot, paying careful attention to every intricate detail, while making it an engaging movie." ^[14]

Anna M. M. Vetticad of Firstpost gave 4 out of 5 stars and called it as a "delightful, unexpectedly hilarious take on the squalid underbelly of Kerala’s Angamaly town.". She added, "If ever there was an example of the committed cinephile’s dictum “it is not the story but the treatment that makes a film”, you have it here. Because if you think about it, Angamaly Diaries – funny and insightful in equal measure – does not have a story in the conventional sense, yet that, among so many other reasons, is what makes it brilliant." ^[15] Veeyen termed the film as "Excellent" and stated that "the Angamaly that filmmaker Lijo Jose Pellissery and writer Vinod Jose scribble their diary notes on is a dusty, deafening town that smells of pork and sloshed human blood. The ceaseless squabbles for honour, money and might render it a land with almost dystopian proportions, where a terrifyingly realistic tale of subsistence unfurls." ^[16]

Baradwaj Rangan of Film Companion South wrote "Like last year’s Kannada blockbuster Kirik Party , Angamaly Diaries is proof that these relatively under-the-radar upstart films are making far better use of mainstream tropes – fights, songs, comedy – than your average mega-budget big-star vehicle...like Premam, Angamaly Diaries places a certain kind of small-town, short-fused masculinity under a microscope. Men are defined by their actions – and I’m not just talking about the action sequences." ^[17]

Impact

The film also received high praise from the film fraternity. ^[18] Mohanlal wrote "Happened to watch Angamaly Diaries and I'm impressed by the way the movie is made. Brilliant acting by every one and Kudos to the whole team and to Chemban Vinod Jose and Lijo Jose Pellissery". Prithviraj Sukumaran lauded it as a "stunning piece of film making" and praised its "original writing". Nivin Pauly applauded the casting, performances, story calling them "so refreshing and real". Karthik Subbaraj called the film "Super Fantastic" and lauded it, saying "Writing, Performances & Filmmaking Crafts at its best". Anurag Kashyap called it "an extraordinary film" and tagged Angamaly Diaries as his film of the year so far. ^[19]

List of Film Festivals

Year	Film Festival Name	Location	Prize Won
2018	Indie Meme Film Festival	Austin, TX, USA

Accolades

Award [a]	Date of ceremony [b]	Category	Recipient(s)	Result	Ref.
Asianet Film Awards	20 May 2018	Best New Face of the Year – Male	Sarath	Won	[20]
		Youth Icon of the Year	Antony Varghese	Won
CPC Cine Awards	18 February 2018	Best Director	Lijo Jose Pellissery	Won	[21]
		Best Cinematographer	Girish Gangadharan [c]	Won
Filmfare Awards South	16 June 2018	Best Film – Malayalam	Angamaly Diaries – Friday Film House	Nominated	[22] [23]
		Best Director – Malayalam	Lijo Jose Pellissery	Nominated
		Best Male Debut – Malayalam	Antony Varghese	Won
		Best Supporting Actor – Malayalam	Sarath	Nominated
		Best Supporting Actress – Malayalam	Anna Rajan	Nominated
		Best Music Director – Malayalam	Prashant Pillai	Nominated
		Best Male Playback Singer – Malayalam	Shreekumar Vakkiyil – (for "Ayalathe penninte")	Nominated
South Indian International Movie Awards	14–15 September 2018	Best Film – Malayalam	Angamaly Diaries – Friday Film House	Nominated	[24] [25]
		Best Director – Malayalam	Lijo Jose Pellissery	Won
		Best Male Debut – Malayalam	Antony Varghese	Won
			Sarath	Nominated
		Best Actor in a Negative Role – Malayalam		Won
		Best Female Debut – Malayalam	Anna Rajan	Nominated
		Best Music Director – Malayalam	Prashant Pillai	Nominated

Notes

1. Awards, festivals and organisations are in alphabetical order.
2. Date is linked to the article about the awards held that year, wherever possible.
3. Shared with Rajeev Ravi for Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum

References

1. "Angamaly Diaries". British Board of Film Classification . Retrieved 29 September 2023.
2. "Angamaly Diaries: Meet the director whose Malayalam film is probably the best this year". Hindustan Times . 30 April 2017.
3. James, Anu (12 October 2016). "Chemban Jose turns scriptwriter for Lijo Jose Pellissery's Angamaly Diaries". International Business Times . Retrieved 24 January 2017.
4. KS, Aravind. "Lijo's Anagamali Diaries all set to reach screens". Deccan Chronicle . Retrieved 26 January 2017.
5. "The 11 minute long climax sequence in Angamaly Diaries was shot in a single take with 1000 artists". 25 February 2017.
6. "Angamaly Diaries Climax: 1000 Artists in 11 Minutes Single Shot - SecondShow". Archived from the original on 24 March 2017. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
7. "When Vinayakan's Dude fires into Angamaly Diaries' Do Naina". Manoramaonline.com . Retrieved 22 March 2017.
8. "'Angamaly Diaries' is a super hit". Sify . Archived from the original on 28 March 2017. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
9. "The 25 best Malayalam films of the decade". The Hindu. 19 December 2019. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
10. Nyayapati, Neeshita. "Vishwak Sen says half of the shoot is completed for his upcoming directorial Falaknuma das". The Times of India .
11. Ghosh, Samrudhi (4 January 2007). "Malayalam actor Vijay Babu booked for assaulting Sandra Thomas". India Today . Retrieved 26 January 2017.
12. "Angamaly Diaries (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". iTunes. 23 February 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
13. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 8 July 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
14. "Angamaly Diaries Movie Review". The Times of India . Retrieved 3 March 2017.
15. "Angamaly Diaries movie review: Whattefun! This is black comedy at its best". Firstpost . 12 March 2017. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
16. "Angamaly Diaries Malayalam Movie Review". Veeyen Unplugged. 4 March 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
17. "Angamaly Diaries Movie Review". Film Companion. 14 March 2017.
18. "Angamaly Diaries review: Here's what celebs have to say about Lijo Jose Pellissery's movie". International Business Times . 2 March 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
19. "Angamaly Diaries: Here Is What Anurag Kashyap Has To Say About The Movie!". Filmibeat . 21 March 2017. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
20. "20th Asianet Film Awards 2018 - Winners, Best Film, Best Actor, Best Actress". Vinodadarshan. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
21. "'Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum' bags a rich haul of laurels". The New Indian Express. 19 February 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
22. "Nominations for the 65th Jio Filmfare Awards (South) 2018". Filmfare. 4 June 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
23. "Winners of the 65th Jio Filmfare Awards (South) 2018". Filmfare. 16 June 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
24. "SIIMA Awards 2018 nominations: Vijay's Mersal leads with nine nods, followed by Vikram Vedha". Firstpost. 16 August 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
25. "SIIMA 2018 Malayalam Winners". South Indian International Movie Awards. Archived from the original on 4 June 2020. Retrieved 13 June 2021.

External links

• Angamaly Diaries at IMDb