The Hindu : Kerala News : A typical turnaround story

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 15, 2011
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Kerala

Kerala

A typical turnaround story

Manikyakallu (Malayalam)

Cast: Prithviraj,

Navneet, Samvrutha, Nedumudi Venu

Director: M. Mohanan

The protagonist of Manikyakallu, Vinayachandran (Prithviraj), is a young, idealist, schoolteacher who sets out to conquer the hearts of his students through love and perseverance. A high school that is notorious for its zero per cent SSLC results forms the backdrop of the story. The school used to have more than 5,000 students on its rolls and now its strength has dwindled to a mere 57. Manikyakallu is directed by M. Mohanan.

Though well-qualified, the teachers are either simply lazy or more interested in pursuing ‘side-businesses'. It is in such a scenario that Vinayachandran is appointed as the new teacher. An interesting character in the movie is that of Manu, a Class 10 student. Manu refuses to accept the financial support of his father and mother in the absence of their love for him. He earns money smuggling arrack for a bootlegger. Manu's changeover after meeting Vinayachandran is the highlight of the movie. Navneet gives a remarkable performance as Manu.

A humorous thread runs through the movie. However, the dialogues suffer from the rhetoric of the main character. The part of the movie that narrates the story of Vinayachandran's personal life also disappoints as it follows an oft-repeated formula.

G. Jayakumar

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Kerala