Kerala Cafe

Kerala Cafe
Kerala Cafe
Directed by	Lal Jose; Shaji Kailas; Revathi; Shyamaprasad; Anwar Rasheed; B. Unnikrishnan; Anjali Menon; M. Padmakumar; Shankar Ramakrishnan; Uday Ananthan
Written by	Shankar Ramakrishnan,; Rajesh Jayaraman,; C. V. Sreeraman,; Deedi Damodaran,; B. Unnikrishnan,; Unni R.,; Ahmed Siddique,; Anjali Menon
Produced by	Ranjith
Starring	Mammootty; Suresh Gopi; Prithviraj Sukumaran; Dileep; Rahman; Fahadh Faasil; Jayasurya; Suraj Venjarammood; Navya Nair; Nithya Menon
Cinematography	Manoj Pilla; Sujith Vasudev; Vijay Ulaganath; Shamdat Sainudeen; Suresh Rajan; Azhagappan; Anil Nair; Madhu Ambat ; S. Kumar ; M. J. Radhakrishnan; Hari Nair; Prakash Kutty
Edited by	Ranjan Abraham; Samjith Mohammed; Manoj; Vivek Harshan; John Kutty; V. T. Sreejith; Rajalakshmi; Mahesh Narayanan; B. Lenin; Vijay Shankar
Music by	Thej Mervin; Manu Ramesan; Ishaan Dev; Ouseppachan; Isaac Thomas Kottukapally; M. Jayachandran; Rahul Raj; Rex Vijayan; Bombay Jayashree; Bijibal
Distributed by	Backwater Media & Entertainment Private Ltd.
Release dates	9 October 2009 (Abu Dhabi); 29 October 2009 (Kerala);
Country	India
Language	Malayalam

Kerala Cafe is a 2009 Indian Malayalam-language anthology film produced by Ranjith and directed by a team of ten directors including Lal Jose, Shaji Kailas, Anwar Rasheed, Shyamaprasad, B. Unnikrishnan, Revathy, Anjali Menon, M. Padmakumar, Shankar Ramakrishnan, and Uday Ananthan. For the first time in Malayalam cinema, one film was conceived by a team of ten directors. Ten cinematographers, musicians, editors, art directors and almost all the top Malayalam film actors joined this unique venture. The ensemble cast includes Mammootty, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Suresh Gopi, Dileep, Rahman, Fahadh Faasil, Jayasurya, Suraj Venjarammood, Navya Nair, Nithya Menen, and others.^[1]

Backwater Media & Entertainment Private Limited distributed the film. The film released in Kerala on 29 October 2009.

Theme

On a common theme of journeys, each filmmaker presents their cinematic impression of contemporary times in Kerala. The independent narratives integrate when, during these journeys, their characters pass through Kerala Cafe—a quaint railway cafeteria—thereby creating a joint mosaic of issues and impressions.^[1]

The project involved ten different cinematographers from the industry. The project features ten different stories from different settings in Kerala, providing ample scope for a diverse bouquet of visual styles. The intersection of the ten stories happens in a railway cafeteria called "Kerala Café", where there is an interaction among the characters of the different stories. This portion was collectively shot by the participating directors and the cinematography was done by Prakash Kutty. Ranjith was the compiler and the producer of the project.

List of short films

Short film	Director	Cinematographer	Writer
Prologue	Ranjith	Manoj Pillai
Nostalgia	M. Padmakumar	Anil Nair	Based on a Poem called Naduvaazhikal
Island Express	Shankar Ramakrishnan	S. Kumar	Shankar Ramakrishnan
Lalitham Hiranmayam	Shaji Kailas	Sujith Vasudev	Rajesh Jayaraman
Mrityunjayam	Uday Ananthan	Hari Nair	Ahmed Sidhique
Happy Journey	Anjali Menon	M. J. Radhakrishnan	Anjali Menon
Aviraamam	B. Unnikrishnan	Shamdat	B. Unnikrishnan
Off-season	Shyamaprasad	Azhgappan	Joshua Newtonn
Bridge	Anwar Rasheed	Suresh Rajan	Unni R.
Makal	Revathy	Madhu Ambat	Deedi Damodaran
Puram Kazchakal	Lal Jose	Vijay Ulaganath	Based on C. V. Sreeraman's short story "Puramkazchakal"

Plots

Nostalgia (First segment)

Nostalgia that is loosely based on Venugopal's poem Naatuvazhikal is the first film that unfolds. Johnykutty (Dileep) is employed in the Middle East, who claims to friends to long to return to Kerala some day. On a vacation back to India though, he despises the government and the potholes on the road, the bureaucracy and the people. Having signed a deal to sell off his ancestral mansion, enrolling his kids in a boarding school, and making fake promises to his old friend (Sudheesh), he flies back to Dubai, to commence his nostalgic laments all over again.

Island Express (Second segment)

The hero (Prithviraj) zooms down and starts whispering to us about Jesus, Frankenstein and Mangalassery Neelakantan, the idol trio who have had a say in his life. With his 'editor-publisher'(Kani) hanging around his arms, the writer that he is, speeds off to Kerala, promising her that he would get traditional attire to cover her up when they reach there. An aged woman (Sukumari) waits around for her bus to arrive in some bus station, while an army officer (Jayasurya) sitting nearby dozes off, his head resting gently on her shoulders. A dishevelled looking man in his fifties (Maniyanpilla Raju), brushes aside the advances of a teenage girl in a shabby looking lodge, as he gets all ready to go somewhere. Island Express splendidly bonds together these diverse characters and more in a dramatic climax.

Lalitham Hiranmayam (Third segment)

Ramesh (Suresh Gopi) is caught between his wife Lalitha (Jyothirmayi) and mistress Mayi (Dhanya Mary Varghese) and has to take the big decision now. The turmoil that goes on inside the man's mind is slickly edited and trendily depicted on screen. Ramesh discloses his affair with Mayi to Lalitha before his accidental death, and Lalitha accepts Mayi and her child as part of her life.

Mrityunjayam (Fourth segment)

Mrityunjayam has a journalist (Fahadh Faasil) doing an investigative story on a spooky old 'Mana' (ancestral Kerala house) that in its owner's (Thilakan) own words is a 'very different and peculiar place'. He falls in love with a girl, the owner's grand daughter (Rima Kallingal) who greets him at the door there, and pops the question if he could marry her. She is taken aback but all the more impressed by his candidness. He then proceeds to the "Mana" to unveil the mystery despite its owner's cautionary warning, and returns to visit the girl again. In the end the journalist also succumbs to the mystery of the "Mana", and is found dead inside, the next morning. It is revealed that it was his ghost that came to visit the girl that night.

Happy Journey (Fifth segment)

A middle aged man (Jagathy Sreekumar) delights himself with a bit of flirting with a young girl (Nithya Menen) sitting beside him on a bus from Ernakulam to Kozhikode. Edging his way into the girl's seat and engaging in worthless conversation, he is all optimistic about the night that lies ahead. The girl on the other hand is initially uncomfortable, but all of a sudden composedly takes on a different garb that stuns the man. Against all odds, she would keep her head above the water, and a calmness descends on her that is at once creepy and confident. A psychological combat between the two ensues that concludes in an impressive climax.

Aviramam (Sixth segment)

Aviramam talks of life that would go on, even as one strives to put an end to it all. Devi (Shwetha Menon) wakes up to find her doting husband Ravi (Siddique) beside her with a cup of tea. Gulping down the tea, she talks of 'how horrible a kisser' he was. There is talk of the recession eating into the IT sector and Ravi's business in particular before they get ready to leave for the railway station with their kids. Having seen off his family on a short vacation of three days, Ravi heads back home and gets a noose ready to finally call it a day. But the true love of Devi prevents any mishaps and they decide to take on life as it comes.

Off Season (Seventh segment)

Kunjappai (Suraj Venjarammood) gets all pepped up as he comes across a foreigner couple on an almost empty Kovalam beach. His hopes of earning some quick money are dashed when he learns that they are broke and have actually traveled all the way from Lisbon looking for work in India. But Kunjappai and the couple bond well, and soon all's well that ends well

Bridge (Eighth segment)

Bridge illustrates the very obvious symbols of loss, misery and desolation. The film talks about two parallel tracks, the first one involving a young boy and his pet kitten. The father discards the pet kitten to discipline the child, but the child falls ill, and the father then sets out to find the kitten to calm his son, but to no avail. The other story has a son (Salim Kumar), who lives in poor surroundings, deciding to leave his ailing mother (Kozhikkode Shantha Devi) in the street. In the end, it is shown that the old lady and the kitten have found each other, and both are sitting on the verandah of Kerala cafe.

Makal (Ninth segment)

Makal is about the flesh trade which is happening under the guise of adoption. Sona Nair and Sreenath have done the main roles.

Puram Kazhchakal (Tenth segment)

Puram Kazhchakal portrays a nameless man (Mammootty) aboard a bus trudging along a hill terrain. His anger and impatience at the slow moving vehicle is being amusedly watched by a fellow passenger (Sreenivasan) who gulps down his own memories.

Cast

Nostalgia

Dileep as Johny
Navya Nair as Sheela, Johny's wife
Sudheesh as Jose, Johny's classmate
Suresh Krishna as Suresh, Johny's coworker
Babu Namboothiri as Johny's father
Sreelatha Namboothiri as Johny's mother
Ambika Mohan as the mother superior
Anil Murali as Sreekumar Pilla

Island Express

Prithviraj Sukumaran as Leon
Sukumari as Narayani
Rahman as Renjith
Jayasurya as Vishal Krishnan
Maniyanpilla Raju as the driver of Island Express
Kani Kusruti as Reza, Leon's love interest
Shelly Kishore as Kaveri
Sreejith Ravi as a person in the club
Geethu Christie as Renjith's love interest

Lalitham Hiranmayam

Suresh Gopi as Ramesh
Jyothirmayi as Lalitha, Ramesh's wife
Dhanya Mary Varghese as Hiranmayi, Ramesh's love interest
Jayan Cherthala as Ramesh's friend

Mrityunjayam

Fahadh Faasil as the journalist
Thilakan as Thirumeni, owner of Vanneri Mana
Rima Kallingal as Thirumeni's granddaughter
Anoop Menon as James, officer of IB
Meera Nandan as James' step-sister

Happy Journey

Jagathy Sreekumar as 'JK'
Nithya Menon as a JK's co-passenger
Bindu Panicker as JK's wife (voice over only)
Mukundan as the journalist
Mythili as a person in the cafe
Pradeep Kottayam as a person in the cafe

Aviraamam

Siddique as Ravi
Shweta Menon as Devi, Ravi's wife
Sudheesh as Jose

Off Season

Suraj Venjaramood as Kunjappayi

Bridge

Salim Kumar as Manikandan
Kalpana as Manikandan's wife
Kozhikode Shantha Devi as Manikandan's mother
Jinu Joseph as the father
Molly Kannamali as Mary

Makal

Sona Nair as Sethulekshmi
Augustine as Sathashivan
Sreenath as Sajeevan
Sasi Kalinga as the person who traffics the child

Puram Kazhchakal

Mammootty as a passenger in the bus
Sreenivasan as a writer
Sshivada as the writer's wife
Manikandan Pattambi as the conductor of the bus
Shalu Kurian as a passenger in the bus

Songs

The only song featured in the movie is "Kathayamama, Kathayamama, Kathakalathisadaram", an ode to Thunchath Ezhuthachan's famous verse, shown when the final credits roll. The lyrics of the song are by Rafeeq Ahamed and the music was created by Bijibal, with the voice of P. Jayachandran.

Release

The film was premiered in Abu Dhabi on 9 October 2009.^[2] The film released in theatres on 29 October 2009.

Reception

Critics gave the movie generally favourable reviews. Giving it four stars out of five, Nowrunning.com commented: "Open up this box of assorted candies, and you see them all laid out on a salver, quite uneven in manner and matter, posture and perspective and yet it all builds into something quite incredible that makes this ambitious enterprise a fascinating filmic feast."^[3] Movie Buzz of Sify.com said, "Here is a film that looks different from the rest and catches the viewers' attention quite easily."^[4]^[5]