My Fan Ramu Malayalam Movie
There are times when an air conditioned and plush modern cinema hall transforms into a resting room, for a couple of hours where one could enjoy a siesta. There will be distractions though, as some inanity is being played out in the stretched out white screen in front of you, accompanied by cacophony of sounds. That is My fan Ramu, Singer turned director Nikhil Menon's disastrous maiden venture. No one expected him to come out with a cinematic venture of breathtaking brilliance, so the bar of expectation was kept pretty low that it almost grazed the ground. Still one could not come to terms with the huge sense of befuddlement that enveloped, as My Fan Ramu screeched to a painful halt much to the relief of the beleaguered audience.
Ramu (Saiju Kurup), who is an ardent film buff, is nurturing exalted hopes of making it big as an actor someday. He is a diehard fan of young macho superstar Abhiram (Rajiv Pillai), the heartthrob of youngsters. Ramu's father (P.Balachandran) runs a wayside ramshackle tea stall. Ramu looks down upon the lifestyle that has been bequeathed on him by his father. His cinematic ambitions which was going nowhere, suddenly receive a shot in the arm as he manages to emerge winner in a reality show, which offers the winner a chance to spend ten days with superstar Abhiram. Ramu accompanied by his sidekick Bijukuttan and a naïve moneylender Guinness Pakru, who is reluctant to let Ramu scot-free before his debt is settled, arrives at the superstar's home. The Superstar finds himself at his wits end, unable to tolerate the cumbersome threesome, who plays havoc with his privacy.
Jugglery with low brow comedy (thankfully devoid of innuendos), results in the free fall of the movie to unforeseen lows, which it was destined to plummet. The hero's propensity for philanthropy and charity is also stuffed into the plot. Half baked comic caper that the film is, in the first half, turns into a murder mystery in the second half, with Abhiram becoming a suspect in the murder of a young woman. The suspense that is sought to be cooked up fizzles out leaving the viewer high and dry. The murder mystery and the subsequent investigation that was expected to redeem the movie, looks so childish and harebrained that it proves to be the last nail in the coffin. Idiosyncrasies and the antics of the principal investigating Officer will make you cringe in the seats.
Rajiv Pillai looks woefully out of place with an astoundingly wooden performance. He would do him a world of good, if he beefed up his histrionic skills, if he hopes to have an extended innings in Malayalam filmdom, similar to his successful tryst with Celebrity Cricket League (CCL). Saiju Kurup is not a bad actor but his foray into scripting is ill advised. Because the so called script of this movie, which is credited to him and the director, is a directionless exercise in colossal ineptitude. Bineesh Kodiyeri makes a fleeting appearance by trying to spoof Sathosh Pandit, of all people! It sort of sums up it all, why blame Santhosh Pandit?! It is not worthwhile to offer comments on the technical and other aspects of this movie as the title song underscores the fact that this is filmmaking at its lousy best .The movie is said to be the byproduct of the camaraderie that emanated from the CCL. If CCL is amateurish Cricket at its best, My fan Ramu is movie making that reeks of irresponsibility and idiocy. There is an idiom in English language, 'It is not Cricket', to denote something that is not done in a proper manner. Extending that to Cinema, it seems appropriate to tell Nikhil and his crew, it is not Cinema Buddies!
