Beautiful (2011 film)

Last updated

Beautiful
Beautiful malayalam film poster.jpg
Directed by V. K. Prakash
Written by Anoop Menon
Produced byAnand Kumar
Starring Jayasurya
Anoop Menon
Meghana Raj
Cinematography Jomon T. John
Edited by Mahesh Narayanan
Music by Ratheesh Vegha
Production
company
Yes Cinemas
Distributed byYes Cinema Company
SRT Films
Dhanush Film Release
Release date
  • 2 December 2011 (2011-12-02)
Running time
108 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageMalayalam

Beautiful is a 2011 Indian Malayalam musical drama film written by Anoop Menon and directed by V. K. Prakash. The film stars Jayasurya, Anoop Menon, and Meghana Raj in the lead roles. The cinematography was by Jomon T. John and the music was composed by Ratheesh Vegha. It tells the story of the intense bonding of two friends, one quadriplegic and the other a musician. The film was released on 2 December 2011 to predominantly positive reviews and was a commercial success. [1]

Contents

Plot

Stephen Louis (Jayasurya) is a quadriplegic by birth who is immensely rich and believes in celebrating each moment of life. Despite being able to move only his neck, he loves to see beautiful things and aspires to celebrate life. He is assisted by his manager, Kamalu (Nandu), and his caretaker/driver, Karunan (Jayan), in a palatial house in Fort Kochi. As most of his relatives look to take advantage of his position, Stephen has kept all of them at bay, barring his cousin, Alex (Tini Tom), with whom he shares a good relationship.

John (Anoop Menon), a musician at a hotel, enters his life. John is completely opposite from Stephen's nature. He is always worried about the future. Though poles apart in their attitudes, both enjoy a good friendship and try to make each other happy. During this, they realize that they were childhood friends. But with the arrival of a beautiful home nurse named Anjali (Meghana Raj), the attitudes of both friends towards their lives turn around.

The movie takes unexpected twists and turns and Anjali finally turns out to be Alex's mistress. Her real name is Annie. She had come to Stephen's residence undercover to poison him and to steal his wealth, with Alex, who had taken advantage of Stephen's openness with him. Unfortunately, John, who last visited Stephen before his poisoning, was blamed. After the police take John away, Alex's maid recognizes him and Anjali at the hospital where Stephen was dying of poisoning. The police let go of John and arrest Alex and Anjali. Surprisingly, on a good note, Stephen survives and the friends live together happily.

Cast

Production

Anoop Menon says the film was inspired by a real-life incident, the persisting memory of his quadriplegic childhood friend. [2] The film started its shooting in Kochi in September 2011. The other main Location was in Munnar. The film was first titled "Ladies and Gentlemen" and was later changed to "Beautiful". It was produced by Anand Kumar under the banner of Yes Cinema. [3]

Moral anarchy is the religion of the film's characters as they come out with volatile statements regarding marriage and loyalty. The casual reference to marital infidelity mouthed by Praveena's character in the film has irked many, but Anoop insists that he was just being realistic while penning the lines. "Even the films that come under the realistic tag hardly handle such subjects in an honest and transparent manner. We camouflage the reality with flashy elements so that you don’t have to confront it openly. All my women characters are bold and I believe today’s women are daring enough to discuss such stuff," he says. [2]

The major portion of the movie was filmed in Bastion Bungalow in Fort Kochi, Kerala. [4]

Soundtrack

Beautiful
Soundtrack album by
Released30 November 2011 (2011-11-30) [5]
Recorded2011
Genre Feature film soundtrack
Length23:16
LanguageMalayalam
Label Manorama Music
Producer Anand Kumar

The film's songs and background score were composed by Ratheesh Vegha and arranged by Gopi Sundar. Parvathy S. Nair from The Times of India stated, "Ratheesh Vega has done it again. After he pulled at the heart strings of music lovers with Cocktail a year ago, the music maker has repeated the magic with the songs and background score of director V K Prakash's Beautiful." [6]

Beautiful was Anoop Menon's debut work as a lyricist. Menon says his debut as a lyricist was quite accidental. "On the second day of the shooting of Beautiful, music director Ratheesh Vega, actor Jayasurya, and I were chilling out in Ratheesh's car, when he asked me to pen some lines to try out a tune he'd composed for the film. The result is Mazhaneer Thullikal...," says the actor.

All lyrics are written by Anoop Menon; all music is composed by Ratheesh Vegha

No.TitleArtist(s)Length
1."Mazhaneer Thullikal" Unni Menon  
2."Moovanthiyaay" Vijay Yesudas  
3."Ninviral Thumbil" Gayatri Asokan  
4."Raapoovinum"Naveen Iyer, Balu Thankachan, Ajith, Thulasi Yatheendran 
5."Mazhaneer Thullikal"Thulasi Yatheendran 
6."Raapoovinum" (Movie Edit)Balu Thankachan, Pradeep Chandrakumar, Ajith, Thulasi Yatheendran 

Release

The film was originally scheduled to release on 18 November but was pushed back to 2 December due to a strike in the Malayalam film industry. [7] It opened in 46 centres in Kerala on 2 December. The film had its international premiere at the first Ladakh International Film Festival (LIFF) where it was one of the two Malayalam features to be screened. [8]

Reception

Paresh C. Palicha of Rediff.com rated the film 3.5/5 and stated: "V K Prakash-directed Beautiful can be considered a significant milestone in the revival of Malayalam cinema." [9] Veeyen of Nowrunning.com gave the film 3/5 and said: "V K Prakash's 'Beautiful' is a compelling evocation of the human desire dynamics at work." the site added that "Beautiful wouldn't call it a masterpiece, but it is without doubt, one of the most absorbing Malayalam films that I have seen this year." [10] A critic from IndiaGlitz.com rated the film 3.25/5 and wrote: "On the whole, 'Beautiful' has a fresh, honest and unpretentious air to it, which makes it appealing. Played with subtlety and intelligence by its stars, the movie is sure to end up in the lists of the bests of the year. Rightly advised for a must and decent watch." [11] Sify.com gave a rating of 3.5/5 stating, "Beautiful has its own flaws and is far from perfect but needs to be appreciated for its courage to experiment. It could have been better and the jokes and the stance on morality may not find acceptance from all, but this one has sincerity written all over it. Now, the decision is all yours!" [12] Kerala9.com gave a (3/5) and commented, "Beautiful is a cool clean film. Malayalam has got a director who understands what subtlety is." [13]

Box office

The film was a commercial success. [14] [15]

Awards

1st South Indian International Movie Awards
Film Guidance Society of Kerala Film Awards
Ramu Kariat Memorial Cultural Forum Awards
Thikkurissi Foundation Awards (2012) [16]
Nana Film Awards
Amrita TV Film Awards

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jayasurya</span> Indian actor, distributor, film producer, playback singer, impressionist (born 1979)

Jayasurya is an Indian actor, distributor, sponsor, model, film producer, playback singer, and impressionist who works in Malayalam films. He has appeared in more than 100 films and has won several awards, including a National Film Award, three Kerala State Film Awards, two Filmfare Awards South for acting and Best Actor at the Cincinnati Film Festival held in Cincinnati, US. Jayasurya has also appeared in a few Tamil films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vinayan</span> Indian film director

T. G. Vinayakumar, professionally credited as Vinayan, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, producer, and lyricist, who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema and occasionally in Tamil cinema. He has done 40 Malayalam movies, 4 Tamil movies and one Telugu movie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhama Kurup</span> Indian actress

Rekhitha R. Kurup, better known by her stage name Bhamaa, is an Indian former actress who predominantly appeared in Malayalam and Kannada-language films. She made her cinematic debut in 2007 with the Malayalam film Nivedyam, directed by A. K. Lohithadas and had acted in over 41 films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anoop Menon</span> Indian actor, director, screenwriter, lyricist (born 1976)

Anoop Menon is an Indian actor, director, screenwriter and lyricist. He worked in television before acting in Malayalam films and has acted in more than 75 films.

<i>Manjadikuru</i> 2012 film by Anjali Menon

Manjadikuru is a 2008 Indian Malayalam-language film written and directed by Anjali Menon. A shorter video version of the film was premiered at the 2008 International Film Festival of Kerala, and won the FIPRESCI Award for best Malayalam film and Hassankutty award for Best Debutant Indian director. In 2009, it received awards at the South Asian International Film Festival (SAIFF) at New York, winning five Grand Jury Awards - Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematographer and Best Emerging Talent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meghana Raj</span> Indian actress

Meghana Sundar Raj Sarja is an Indian actress who primarily works in Malayalam and Kannada films along with a few Telugu and Tamil films. She made her acting debut in the 2009 Telugu film Bendu Apparao R.M.P. She has won Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actress for her performance in Iruvudellava Bittu, a 2018 Kannada film.

<i>Cocktail</i> (2010 film) 2010 Indian film

Cocktail is a 2010 Malayalam-language thriller film edited and directed by Arun Kumar Aravind. The film stars Jayasurya, Anoop Menon, and Samvrutha Sunil in the lead roles, while Fahadh Faasil, Aparna Nair, Innocent, and Mamukkoya play supporting roles. The film released on 22 October 2010.

<i>Vaadhyar</i> 2012 Indian film

Vaadhyar is a 2012 Malayalam film directed by debutant Nidheesh Sakthi and written by Rajesh Raghavan, Produced by N Sudhish under the banner of Lakshminath Creations, and the music is composed by Manoj George and Rinil Gowtham. The film stars Jayasurya in the title role. The film is about an aided school teacher named Anoop Krishnan, his dream is to become an MBA holder, but circumstances force him to take up teaching profession. He is chosen to work at Kottapuram Saraswathi Vilasam U.P. School, he doesn't do his job properly as he works there with no interest and the problems that occur leads to the rest of the story.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ratheesh Vega</span> Musical artist

Ratheesh Vega is a composer, singer, and musician who works in Malayalam films. He debuted as a film music composer in the 2010 hit film Cocktail.

<i>Trivandrum Lodge</i> 2012 Indian film

Trivandrum Lodge is a 2012 Indian Malayalam-language drama film directed by V. K. Prakash, written by Anoop Menon, and produced by P. A. Sebastian. The film stars Jayasurya, Anoop Menon, and Honey Rose, and features P. Balachandran and P. Jayachandran in supporting roles. Its music is composed by M. Jayachandran and the cinematography is handled by Pradeep Nair. The film is edited by Mahesh Narayanan.

<i>Run Baby Run</i> (2012 film) 2012 Indian film

Run Baby Run is a 2012 Indian Malayalam-language action thriller film directed by Joshiy, produced and distributed by Milan Jaleel through the company Galaxy Films. It was the first independent screenplay of Sachy following the split of Sachi-Sethu duo. The film stars Mohanlal, Amala Paul,Biju Menon and Shammi Thilakan. The music was composed by Ratheesh Vegha, while cinematography was done by R. D. Rajasekhar.

<i>Namukku Parkkan</i> 2012 Indian film

Namukku Parkkan is a 2012 Malayalam film directed by Aji John, starring Anoop Menon and Meghna Raj in the lead roles. Jayasurya plays a pivotal guest appearance while Mohanlal makes a vocal appearance in the film.

<i>Poppins</i> 2012 Indian film

Poppins is a 2012 Indian Malayalam-language anthology film directed by V. K. Prakash. It stars ten lead actors, appearing as five couples; the characters are played by Kunchacko Boban and Nithya Menen, Jayasurya and Meghna Raj, Indrajith and Padmapriya, Shankar Ramakrishnan and Mythili, and Siddique and Ann Augustine. The film was shot with two cameras at the same time by Jomon T. John and Arun.

<i>David & Goliath</i> (2013 film) 2013 Indian film

David & Goliath is a 2013 Indian Malayalam-language drama film written by Anoop Menon and directed by Rajeev Nath. It stars Jayasurya, Anoop Menon, Soumya and Anumol in the lead roles. The film is produced by Sudeep Karat under the banner of Sal Roza Motion Pictures and Line of Colors and features music composed by Ratheesh Vegha, and cinematography is handled by Jithu Damodar and is edited by Sian.

<i>Ladies and Gentleman</i> 2013 Indian film

Ladies and Gentleman is a 2013 Indian Malayalam-language family drama film written and directed by Siddique and jointly produced by Antony Perumbavoor and Roy C. J. under their production companies Aashirvad Cinemas and Confident Group. It stars Mohanlal, Meera Jasmine, Mamta Mohandas, Padmapriya, Mithra Kurian, Krish J. Sathaar and Kalabhavan Shajohn. The film features original songs composed by Ratheesh Vegha and background score by Deepak Dev. Ladies and Gentleman was released in India on 12 April 2013 as a festival release during the time of Vishu.

<i>Hotel California</i> (2013 film) 2013 Indian film

Hotel California is a 2013 Malayalam comedy caper film directed by Aji John and written by Anoop Menon. It stars Jayasurya, Anoop Menon, Saiju Kurup, Shankar Panikkar, Joju George, Honey Rose, Maria Roy and Aparna Nair. The film is produced by Josemon Simon under the banner of Jairaj Films and features music composed by Shaan Rahman, whilst cinematography is handled by Jithu Damodar and is edited by Xian. The film's title is inspired by the famous song of the same name by Eagles.

New generation films is a Malayalam film movement developed in the early 2010s, characterized by fresh and unusual themes and new narrative techniques. Films of the new wave differ from conventional themes of the past two decades and introduced several new trends and techniques to the Malayalam film industry. While the new generation formats and styles are deeply influenced by global trends, their thematics are firmly rooted in Malayalee life and mindscapes.

<i>Geethaanjali</i> 2013 film directed by Priyadarshan

Geethaanjali is a 2013 Indian Malayalam-language horror film directed by Priyadarshan and written by Abhilash Nair, with dialogue by Dennis Joseph. It is a spin-off of the 1993 film Manichitrathazhu and an official remake of the 2007 Thai film Alone. Mohanlal reprises his role from the original. The film also features Keerthy Suresh as the dual title characters, Nishan, Siddique, Madhu, Swapna Menon, Innocent, and K. B. Ganesh Kumar. In the film, psychologist Dr. Sunny Joseph arrives at a mansion to treat Anjali, who is haunted by her deceased twin sister Geetha, and investigates the paranormal activities.

<i>Karinkunnam 6s</i> 2016 film by Deepu Karunakaran

Karinkunnam 6's is a 2016 Indian Malayalam sports drama film directed by Deepu Karunakaran and stars Manju Warrier and Anoop Menon. An ex-railway sportswoman who was a volleyball coach trains a group of prisoners portrayed by Babu Antony, Baiju, Padmaraj Ratheesh, Sudev Nair, Sudheer Karamana, Jacob Gregory, and Santhosh Keezhattoor. The musical score and songs are composed by Rahul Raj. It was released in Kerala on 6 July 2016. The film is a tribute to Jimmy George.

<i>Thrissur Pooram</i> (film) 2019 film by Rajesh Mohan

Thrissur Pooram is a 2019 Indian Malayalam-language action film directed by Rajesh Mohan and written by Ratheesh Vegha who also composed the music. It stars Jayasurya, Swathi Reddy, Sabumon Abdusamad, Vijay Babu, Sudev Nair, T.G. Ravi, Sreejith Ravi, Manikuttan, Indrans, Sudheer Karamana, Sadiq, Valsala Menon, and Mallika Sukumaran. The film follows the tale of the young gangster, Pullu Giri, in the city of Thrissur.

References

  1. "Review: Beautiful is a milestone in Malayalam cinema - Rediff.com Movies". Rediff.com. 5 December 2011. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  2. 1 2 Sudhish, Navamy. "Anoop Menon, on 'Beautiful'". The New Indian Express . Retrieved 9 December 2011.[ permanent dead link ]
  3. "IndiaGlitz - Beautiful Malayalam Movie Preview". Archived from the original on 17 October 2011. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
  4. "വി.കെ പ്രകാശിന്റെ 'ബ്യൂട്ടിഫുള്‍' ഉടനെത്തും " Archived 23 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine . (in Malayalam). Veekshanam. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
  5. "Beautiful (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". iTunes.
  6. Parvathy S Nair. (9 December 2011). "Cocktail of Beautiful music for Ratheesh Vega". The Times of India . Retrieved 9 December 2011.
  7. Sidhardhan, Sanjith (15 November 2011). "VK Prakash, Jayasurya: A beautiful reunion". The Times of India . Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
  8. Jayesh (18 June 2012). "LIFF concludes". City Journal . Archived from the original on 23 June 2012. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
  9. "Review: Beautiful is a milestone in Malayalam cinema". Rediff.com. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
  10. "Beautiful Review". Nowrunning.com. 3 December 2011. Retrieved 3 December 2011.
  11. "Beautiful - is a whiff of fresh air". IndiaGlitz. Archived from the original on 3 December 2011. Retrieved 3 December 2011.
  12. "Beautiful". Sify Moviebuzz. Archived from the original on 15 March 2014.
  13. "Beautiful Malayalam Movie Review". Kerala9.com. Retrieved 3 December 2011.
  14. "Kerala Box-Office – Dec 16 to Jan 11". Sify . 19 January 2012. Archived from the original on 28 October 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  15. "Anoop Menon and Jayasurya team up for Trivandrum Lodge". Rediff . 7 May 2011.
  16. Press Trust of India (7 January 2012). "'Aadminte Makan Abu chosen best film by Thikkurissi foundation". IBN Live. Archived from the original on 19 January 2012. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
  17. "Amrita Film Awards 2012 Announced". Archived from the original on 19 December 2014. Retrieved 10 July 2013.