Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam

Last updated

Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam
Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam Title.jpeg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery
Screenplay by S. Hareesh
Story byLijo Jose Pellissery
Produced byMammootty
Starring Mammootty
Ramya Pandian
Ashokan
Cinematography Theni Eswar
Edited byDeepu S. Joseph
Production
companies
Mammootty Kampany
Amen Movie Monastery (co-producer)
Distributed by Wayfarer Films
Release dates
  • 12 December 2022 (2022-12-12)(IFFK)
  • 19 January 2023 (2023-01-19)(India)
Running time
104 minutes [1]
CountryIndia
LanguagesMalayalam
Tamil

Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam (English: Like An Afternoon Dream) [2] is a 2022 Indian Malayalam-Tamil bilingual drama film directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery and written by S. Hareesh. [3] It is produced by Mammootty kampany & Amen Movie Monastery. The film stars Mammootty, Ramya Suvi, Ramya Pandian and Ashokan. [4] [5]

Contents

Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam was released theatrically on 19 January 2023 and received critical acclaim. At the 53rd Kerala State Film Awards, it won two awards, including Best Film (Pellissery and George Sebastian) and Best Actor (Mammootty). [6]

Plot

A group of Malayali tourists are returning to Kerala after visiting the Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health in Velankanni, Tamil Nadu. While the other tourists are asleep, tour leader James stops the bus at a remote village in Tamil Nadu. He takes a stroll around the place, enters a house and starts acting like a member of the family, behaving like a Tamilian and speaking in Tamil. An old blind woman in the house appears to recognize him as her son, based on his voice and mannerisms. Not finding James, the other tourists come looking for him. His familiarity with the community confuses everyone who travelled with him, as well as the villagers. Eventually the people realize he has taken on the character, mannerisms and language of Sundaram, a member of the family who had disappeared two years earlier. The family of Sundaram starts to believe that he has been reincarnated. But James progressively gets confused when people don't accept him as Sundaram. He doesn't recognize the changes in the village, such as the new temple that had not been built when Sundaram went missing. He also chances to see his face mirrored for the first time, when he visits the barber, which shocks him into reality. James' real family and friends plot to sedate him in order to get him back to Kerala, and get him help for his presumed mental disorder. They plan to give him the sedative with his coffee after his afternoon nap. However, after falling asleep James regains his true identity and willingly goes with them to board the bus. The ending is open to interpretation. The character named Sundaram and the entire escapade could merely be a dream that James had on the bus all the while.

Cast

Production

On 7 November 2021, Lijo Jose Pellissery officially announced the film by sharing the title through social media. Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam is the first-time collaboration between Mammootty and Lijo Jose Pellissery. The film was produced by Mammootty's newly launched production house Mammootty Kampany. [4] [7]

On 7 November 2021, principal photography took place in the village of Manjanaickenpatti, near Palani, Tamil Nadu. [4] Filming was wrapped up on 7 December 2021. [8]

Release

The movie premiered at 27th International Film Festival of Kerala(IIFK) on 12 December 2022. [8] The film received positive reviews and huge demand for world premiere. Audience praised both Mammootty and Lijo Jose Pellissery. [7]

On 19 January 2023, Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam went into general release on theatres. [9]

Home media

The streaming rights of the film were sold to Netflix. It released on 23 February 2023. [10]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 83% of 6 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.4/10. [11] Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakam received mostly positive reviews from critics. [12] [13]

Baradwaj Rangan, reviewing for Galatta Plus, described the film as "magical" and "an instant classic" and continued that "to experience a film like this – at once muddled and filled with clarity – is to feel transcendentally alive." [14] Simon Abrams from RogerEbert.com gave the film 3.5 out of 4 and wrote that "Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam feels like a deep and abidingly strange trip to Pellissery’s memory palace" and that "Pellissery confirms his prominence among a new wave of Malayalam-speaking Indian filmmakers." [15]

Anna M. M. Vetticad of Firstpost gave the film 3 out of 5 and wrote "Apart from the music and sound design, the highlight of Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam is its immersive central performance...the thespian does not give either James or Sundaram any quirks, yet masterfully conveys their divergent personalities leaving us in no doubt as to who is who and when. This team-up with Lijo confirms that Mammootty is steering his career into a whole new experimental phase, embracing not just the sort of middle-of-the-road, slice-of-life ventures that have endeared Malayalam cinema to a pan-India audience, but also entering an unapologetically philosophical arena." [16]

Prem Udayabhanu of Onmanorama reviewed the film as post-siesta drama a lofty cinematic experience and wrote "The orchestrated chaos we see in Jallikattu or Churuli is amiss. But through the interplay of hallucination and trance Lijo’s scriptwriter S Harish infuses into Mammotty’s character, the master craftsman pulls the actor and the audience to a lofty plain of cinematic excellence. We cannot but embrace this irrational reel exuberance." [17]

Analysing the movie, Sajesh Mohan of Onmanorama wrote In ‘Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam’, Lijo Jose Pellissery must have asked cinematographer Theni Eswar to observe the actors like a master of mindfulness. For that's what his camera does. The shots are static yet the frames are dynamic and once the film enters Sundaram’s village through James's siesta dream, the shots acquire an aura that makes it resemble the visualisations of a Tao master. In lieu of adding haze and glow or grading the dream sequence differently, Theni Eswar achieves a differentiation relying on the aesthetic method of frames within a frame. [18]

Manoj Kumar R. of The Indian Express rated the film 3.5 out of 5 and wrote "The visuals are almost meditative. Every frame tells more than one story." [19]

Accolades

YearAward/FestivalCategoryRecipient
2022 International Film Festival of Kerala The Silver Crow Pheasant Award (Rajatha Chakoram) [20] [21] Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam - Lijo Jose Pellissery
Padmarajan Award Best Director [22] Lijo Jose Pellissery
2023 53rd Kerala State Film Awards [6] Best Film Lijo Jose Pellissery
George Sebastian (as producer)
Best Actor Mammootty
2024 69th Filmfare Awards South Best Actor (Malayalam) Mammootty

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mammootty</span> Indian actor and film producer

Muhammad Kutty Panaparambil Ismail, known mononymously by the hypocorism Mammootty, is an Indian actor and film producer who works predominantly in Malayalam-language films. He has also appeared in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, and English-language productions. In a career spanning five decades, he has appeared in more than 420 films, predominantly in lead roles. He is the recipient of several accolades, including three National Film Awards, eleven Kerala State Film Awards, eleven Kerala Film Critics Awards and fifteen Filmfare Awards South. He was honored with the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award by the Government of India in 1998, for his contributions to cinema. He was also honored with the Kerala Prabha Award by the Government of Kerala in 2022. Mammootty was named as one of "the men who changed the face of the Indian Cinema" by CNN.

<i>Gauravam</i> (1973 film) 1973 Indian film

Gauravam (transl. Prestige) is a 1973 Indian Tamil-language legal drama film written and directed by Vietnam Veedu Sundaram. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan in a dual role as a barrister and his nephew fighting the same case. It is an adaptation of Sundaram's play Kannan Vanthaan. The film was released on 25 October 1973 and became a commercial success, with Ganesan winning the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kerala State Film Award for Best Director</span>

The Kerala State Film Award for Best Director is an honour presented annually at the Kerala State Film Awards of India since 1969. It is given to a film director who has exhibited outstanding direction while working in the Malayalam film industry. Until 1997, the awards were managed directly by the Department of Cultural Affairs of the Government of Kerala. Since 1998, the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, an autonomous non-profit organisation functioning under the Department of Cultural Affairs, has been exercising control over the awards. The recipients are decided by an independent jury formed by the academy. They are declared by the Minister for Cultural Affairs and are presented by the Chief Minister.

The Kerala State Film Award – Special Jury Award is an award presented annually at the Kerala State Film Awards of India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lijo Jose Pellissery</span> Indian filmmaker, actor (born 1978)

Lijo Jose Pellissery is an Indian filmmaker and actor who works in Malayalam cinema. His best works include Amen (2013), Angamaly Diaries (2017), Ee.Ma.Yau. (2018), Jallikattu (2019), Churuli (2021), and Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam (2023).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">P. F. Mathews</span> Indian writer (born 1960)

Poovankery Francis Mathews is an Indian author of Malayalam literature and a screenplay writer in Malayalam film and Television industries. A Winner of a National Film Award for Best Screenplay and multiple State television and other literary awards including the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel and Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Story, he is known for his original style of writing. Literary works such as Muzhakkam, Kadalinte Manam, Adiyalapretham, Iruttil Oru Punyalan, and Chaavunilam and screenplays such as Sararaanthal, Mikhayelinte Santhathikal, Megham, Kutty Srank and Ee.Ma.Yau are his major works.

Alencier Ley Lopez is an Indian film and theatre actor, who appears in Malayalam films. Lopez made his debut in the 1998 film Daya; and he worked in films like Annayum Rasoolum (2013), Njan Steve Lopez (2013), and Maheshinte Prathikaaram (2016).

Chethan Jayalal is an Indian actor who appears in Malayalam films. He is known for Guppy (2016), Iyobinte Pusthakam (2014) and Oppam (2016). He won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Child Artist in 2016 for portraying the character Guppy in the film Guppy.

<i>Ee.Ma.Yau.</i> 2018 Indian film

Ee.Ma.Yau. is a 2018 Indian Malayalam-language independent tragedy film directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery and written by P. F. Mathews. It stars Vinayakan, Chemban Vinod Jose, Pauly Valsan, Bitto Davis, Kainakary Thankaraj, Dileesh Pothan and Arya Salim in the main roles. The film had its premiere on 30 November 2017 and was theatrically released on 4 May 2018. The film revolves around the death and funeral of an older man from the Latin Catholic community in Chellanam, Ernakulam district. Lijo Jose Pellissery won the Best Director Award at the 48th Kerala State Film Awards for Ee.Ma.Yau. The film won the Silver Peacock-Best Director and Best Actor awards at the 49th International Film Festival of India. It also won two awards at the International Film Festival of Kerala viz. the NETPAC Award for Best Asian film in Competition and the Golden Crow Pheasant Award for the best director. It was included in The Hindu's top 25 Malayalam films of the decade and is widely regarded as one of the defining movies of the New Wave Movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mahesh Narayanan</span> Indian film editor

Mahesh Narayanan is an Indian film director, screenwriter, editor and cinematographer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema, he has also worked in Tamil and Hindi films. He is a recipient of the Kerala State Film Award for Best Debut Director (2017) and Kerala State Film Award for Best Director (2022).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pauly Valsan</span> Indian Actress

Pauly Valsan is an Indian actress who has been acclaimed for acting in Malayalam films and plays. She debuted in Malayalam film industry with the supporting roles in the 2008 movie Annan Thambi In 2017, she won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Character Actress for her performance in Ee.Ma.Yau directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery and Ottamuri Velicham directed by Rahul Riji Nair.In 2022, she won Kerala State Film Award for Best Dubbing Artist.

The Kerala State Film Award for Best Character Actor is an award, begun in 2015, presented annually at the Kerala State Film Awards of India to an actor for his performance in a Malayalam film. It replaced the Kerala State Film Award for Second Best Actor, which was discontinued in 2014. The winner receives a certificate, statuette and a cash prize of ₹50,000.

The Kerala State Film Award for Best Character Actress is an award, begun in 2015, presented annually at the Kerala State Film Awards of India to an actress for her performance in a Malayalam film. It replaced the Kerala State Film Award for Second Best Actress, which was discontinued in 2014. The winner receives a certificate, statuette and a cash prize of ₹50,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zakariya Mohammed</span> Malayalam film director

Zakariya is an Indian film director, screenwriter, actor and producer who works in Malayalam Films. Hailing from Valanchery, Malappuram, Zakariya is best known for his directorial debut Sudani from Nigeria, which won several awards and accolades. His second directorial feature was Halal Love Story.

<i>Churuli</i> 2021 film by Lijo Jose Pellisery

Churuli (transl. Spiral) is a 2021 Indian Malayalam-language science fiction horror thriller film directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery and written by S. Hareesh. It stars Vinay Forrt, Chemban Vinod Jose, Joju George, Soubin Shahir and Jaffar Idukki. The film was produced by Lijo Jose Pellissery and Chemban Vinod Jose under the banner of Movie Monastery and Chembosky Motion Pictures, with Jesto Varghese, O Thomas Panicker and Naushad Salahudin as co-producers. The original story and characters were based on a short story Kaligeminarile Kuttavalikal from the book Mullaranjanam written by Vinoy Thomas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">S. George</span> Indian makeup artist and producer

George Sebastian, better known as S. George, is an Indian makeup artist and film producer who works in Malayalam film industry. He is the son of M. O. Devasia. He is noted for his recurring collaboration with Mammootty, associating with him in more than 25 films and later becoming his personal makeup man.

Kainakary Thankaraj was an Indian actor, who worked in the Malayalam movie industry and Malayalam Drama Theater Industry.

<i>Malaikottai Vaaliban</i> 2024 Indian film by Lijo Jose Pellissery

Malaikottai Vaaliban is a 2024 Indian Malayalam-language epic action drama film directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery and written by P. S. Rafeeque from a story by Pellissery. The film stars Mohanlal in a dual role, alongside Sonalee Kulkarni, Hareesh Peradi, Danish Sait, Manoj Moses, Katha Nandi and Manikandan R. Achari in supporting roles. It was jointly produced by John & Mary Creative, Century Films, Maxlab Cinemas and Entertainments, Saregama and Amen Movie Monastery.

<i>Malaikottai Vaaliban</i> (soundtrack) 2024 soundtrack album by Prashant Pillai

Malaikottai Vaaliban is the soundtrack to the 2024 Malayalam-language film of the same name directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery and stars Mohanlal. A joint production of John & Mary Creative, Century Films, Maxlab Cinemas and Entertainments, Yoodlee Films and Amen Movie Monastery, the film's musical score and soundtrack were composed by Prashant Pillai and lyrics written by P. S. Rafeeque, Preeti Pillai and Varun Grover. The soundtrack was released by Saregama on 18 January 2024.

Ratheesh Balakrishnan Poduval(Malayalam: രതീഷ് ബാലകൃഷ്ണൻ പൊതുവാൾ; ) is an Indian film director, screenwriter in Malayalam cinema. He made his debut cinema with Android Kunjappan Version 5.25, released on 8 November 2019. His films include Kanakam Kaamini Kalaham, Nna Thaan Case Kodu, Madanolsavam. He won Best Screen play award in 53rd Kerala state film awards for the film Nna Thaan Case Kodu.

References

  1. ↑ "Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam". British Board of Film Classification . Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  2. ↑ C-DIT. "Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam | International Competitions". www.iffk.in. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  3. ↑ "Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam OTT release date and time!". STAGE SCREENing. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 "Mammootty-Lijo film titled 'Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam'". The New Indian Express . Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  5. ↑ "Malayalam Star Mammootty Starts Shooting for Lijo Jose Pellissery's Film in Palani". News18. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  6. 1 2 "53rd Kerala State Film Awards: Kerala State Film Awards Updates". One India . Archived from the original on 22 July 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  7. 1 2 "Mammootty-Lijo Jose Pellissery's film gets a serene, hypnotic teaser". The New Indian Express. 19 March 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  8. 1 2 "Mammootty completes shooting for Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam". newindianexpress.com. 7 December 2021.
  9. ↑ "Mammootty starrer 'Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam' gets a release date". The Times of India. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  10. ↑ "Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam on OTT: Mammootty-starrer bowls over audience on Twitter after it drops on Netflix". OTT Play. 23 February 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  11. ↑ "Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  12. ↑ "മമ്മൂട്ടിയുടെ മാന്ത്രികനടനം; വിസ്മയമൊരുക്കി നൻപകൽ; പ്രേക്ഷക പ്രതികരണം". ManoramaOnline (in Malayalam). Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  13. ↑ "മമ്മൂട്ടിയുടെ പരകായപ്രവേശം, 'സുന്ദര'മായൊരു പകൽസ്വപ്നം | Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam Review". Mathrubhumi. 19 January 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  14. ↑ Rangan, Bharadwaj (8 February 2023). "Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam Movie Review By Baradwaj Rangan". YouTube.
  15. ↑ Abrams, Simon. "Review - Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam". Rogerebert.com.
  16. ↑ "Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam movie review: Mammootty and LJP shoulder a whimsical tale of re-awakenings". Firstpost. 19 January 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  17. ↑ "Lijo's 'Nanpakal' review: Post-siesta drama a lofty cinematic experience". OnManorama. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  18. ↑ "Analysing Lijo Jose Pellissery's static shots and Mammootty's siesta in 'Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam'". OnManorama. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  19. ↑ "Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam movie review: Mammootty's meditation on universality of human nature". The Indian Express. 19 January 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  20. ↑ "27th IFFK winners list: Utama, Ariyippu win big; Mammootty's Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam tops audience poll". The Indian Express. 16 December 2022. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  21. ↑ "'Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam' screening row: Ranjith booed at IFFK closing ceremony". OnManorama. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  22. ↑ "എം.മുകുന്ദനും വി.ജെ ജെയിംസിനും പത്മരാജൻ സാഹിത്യ പുരസ്‌കാരം; ചലച്ചിത്ര പുരസ്‌കാരം ലിജോ ജോസ് പെല്ലിശ്ശേരിക്കും ശ്രുതി ശരണ്യത്തിനും". DC Books (in Malayalam). 22 May 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.