Movie Review Traffic !!!

The thought about what has to be written has always haunted me. To write about ones own experience is kind of an easy deal. Could be done by anyone, any TDH. But then can everyone be Rushdie, or a Paulo Coelho, impossible. So let's give imagination a break and try writing.

Malayalam movie industry has always produced, inspiring movies. With directors like Padmarajan, Adoor Gopalakrishnan and writers like M.T.Vasudevan Nair who could sketch the scenic beauty of Kerala the way it is on to the screen, most of us "Mals" have a different outlook towards movies. Anyways the decision to watch the movie Traffic was not a bad one, in fact after two hours of nail biting excitement, it's a rare feel, "Proud to be a Mallu feel".

One thing that I need to write about before commenting on the movie is about the crowd I happened to see at the theater. I was around groups of men within age groups of 23 -30 and swear to god all of them were desperate. Their stares and expressions at Punjabi women walking into the next screen where "Patiala house" was been screened, was just not acceptable. Most of them where not even thinking twice while they had to readjust their spheres of reproduction, they could do it without any shame in public. Most of the women who walked in had curly hair, strangulated by clips in different shapes and sizes. The colors and cuts of their salwars will suddenly take you to the mystical land of Kathakali. If there was one feature that united most of us, it was the great Indian tummy and am sure no group would even be a close second to my Kwan. Any ways with guys wearing monkey caps, dangling crosses just an inch smaller than on the one which Christ was crucified on, it was an exhibition of fashion disasters.

Walking into the movie theater, the expectations were high as the cast involved one of the most renowned film figures in Malayalam movie industry "Sreenivasan". The plot must be familiar to anyone who's a Hollywood movie buff (Vantage point), but that does not put the movie down, it's not the very old Priyadarshan attempt to copy Hollywood thrillers. Rajesh Pillai, has done exceptionally well in narrating a story with such pace that it's never expected in our movie fraternity. The film start's on a lighter mode and then offers a wide array of twists and turns. The director is successful in taking digs at the current political setup, the busy lifestyles of public figures etc. The best part of the movie is the way in which, the characters are bound to the one accident that changes their lives. There isn't even a reel of film wasted on a character that's not required or a dialogue not needed. No item songs, no unwanted emotional outbursts or scenes that are cliches in most of the movies. The movie is a thriller, keeps you at the edge of your seat, as if you are the one traveling along with the central character through the Kochi - Palakkad highway. And that's the reason behind the sheer success of the movie. Traffic is a must watch and am sure it sets a benchmark for tons of movies that's gonna come by in this decade. I hope it get's dubbed into other languages and the stain caused by Shakeela and company get's wiped out !!!!!