Balyakalasakhi (2014)

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Pramod Payyannur's Balyakalasakhi, the cinematic adaptation of Vaikom Muhammad Basheer's well known novel of the same name, with Mammootty and Isha Talwar in the lead is a near excellent adaptation of the novel backed with some wonderful performances. Story Balyakalasakhi is a pure love story revolving around Majeed (Mammootty) and Suhra (Isha Talwar) which begins from their childhood. The movie begins with Majeed searching a job in Kolkata. He loses his money and bag on the way, but is helped by Selvi (Seema Biswas) , who introduces him to Ameen Sahib (Sasikumar). Ameen Sahib gives Majeed a job in his press. Majeed meets Shabnam (Thanusree Ghosh) , daughter of Ameen Sahib and Praful (Preim Sheikh), a rebel and a writer. Rest of the story deals with the flashback of the love story between Majeed and Suhra and how and where life takes them. Performances Mammootty, in his double role of Majeed and his father is the pick among many. He has enacted the character of Majeed to near perfection. Isha Talwar as Suhra has improved much from her earlier films and has come out good. Rest of the cast including Seema Biswas, Sasikumar, Thanusree Ghosh, Meena (Majeed's mother), Preim Sheikh, Sunil Sukhada (Avaraan), Kavitha Nair (Suhra's mom), Mamukkoya (Narayana Pilla) have done full justice to their roles. Also special mention goes to Parambrata Chatterjee and other young and child artists. Technical Aspects Cinematography by Hari Nair is near flawless. He has captured the scenic beauty of the village and the streets of Kolkata with much brilliance. Music by the late legend Raghavan Master and Shahabaz Aman is a treat for music lovers. All songs, especially Thamarapponkavanathil and Kalam Parakkanu are sure to live long in the mind of music lovers. For the cinematic version, Pramod Payyannur have done a lot of compromise. The first half which leaves us spellbound doesn't have that charm in the second half. Though the movie was said to be for 120 minutes, it has further been cut short. Editing also seems bit faltered as many sequences have been unexpectedly cut short. Still, Pramod Payyannur can be proud of making such a good movie of such a heart warming love story written by a legend.