Cocktail: A nice winter Drink

Language: Malayalam

Director: Arun Kumar

Cast: Anoop Menon, Samvritha Sunil, Jayasurya

Cocktail technically is any mixture of sugar, bitter with an essential ingredient, Alcohol. But our cocktail was indeed a wonderful mixture of emotions, sweet, bitter, spicy with the essential ingredient which is the crux of the movie. Well I wont reveal that ingredient and spoil the fun you people are going to have devouring this awesome winter drink served so unconventionally by Arun Kumar.

Cocktail was a blessing to all Malayali film audience. Such movies rarely grace our theatres and we should all watch these movies and promote such wonderful and creative film makers. I smell Renaissance of the Golden era of the 80s. Though it will never be like the movies in the 80s as our times are different.

Plot:

Cocktail is a modern drama set in current time frame and lifestyle of Kochi. Ravi Abraham (Anoop Menon) is enjoying the dream life of any man. Wonderful job, awesome career graph, a beautiful wife, Parvathi (Samvritha) and a baby girl. There seems to be absolutely nothing wrong in their lives. Obviously this leads to envy among colegues and others around them. A ride offered to Amby (Jayasurya) one fateful day change the lives of all of them, forms the rest of the story. Anoop Menon has ‘translated’ the movie quite well (well that is how the credits mention). He has given the original Butterfly on a Wheel story a real Malayalam treatment. I want to mention here about how people accused ‘Shaurya’ of plagiarism of ‘A few good men’, even though the script was entirely a fresh take. So whoever says, Cocktail is a rip off or frame to frame remake of the english version is just showing off that he has seen the 6.8/10-IMDB-rated movie. I say get lost. I haven’t watched Butterfly on a Wheel, and it may be a better movie, and I dont have a problem with that. But movies like Cocktail are a rare, and they need to be encouraged. It is to remove the endangered state of Malayalam film industry and out throw stupid and insipid movies that fill up our theatres.

Performances:

Movies revolves around 3 characters, Ravi, Parvathi and Amby. Anoop Menon does a fair job with his portrayal. But there is more room for improvement. He dint seem convincing at places. Samvritha Sunila has a long career in front of her. She was really good, not to mention how good looking she was at the same time. But the man who stole the show, Jayasurya. So I dedicate the next portion of the review to him alone.

Jayasurya:

Dear Jayasurya,

I never really liked any of your movies. I remember the time you were in ACV as a video jockey and we used to love your jokes and presence of mind. But I always thought why you dint apply that sense in choosing your movies. You have the talent, which was actually growing. Now that is a good sign which is not found in most of the actors on screen, they dont grow as the career builds. You were able to adapt better to the roles offered to you though in total your movies dint click. Well I thought you will fade of like Jayaram, who like you is a talented actor but never got deserved place in the industry (IMO).

But to watch you in Cocktail was just gripping. You played out your character extremely good and most convincing. To get an applause at the climax scene from all the viewers in the audience is not a simple feat and you can live with this achievement for the rest of your life. That scene, that dialogue rendering, with the right mix of anger and suffering at the same time, it was a bang on. It was the ‘kick’ which intoxicated me finally about the whole drink, that is Cocktail. Hats off.

You have a long way to go man, and we all wish the very best for you. Please, please please, choose your movies carefully. We all want to watch better performances and not dumb witted movies.

Direction:

Cocktail had a complete modern malayali touch to it. Arunkumar has added all the elements a typical urban Kochi family would have, and it is commendable. Well in my opinion he should have experimented with different style of story telling but there was nothing wrong with it. Some techniques, are commonly used ones in most of the films. It was a story backed movie. So the focus was completely into that and how the movie takes a wicked turn which you will never expect. Anoop Menon did a beautiful job with the dialogues. It was realistic and crisp.

Music:

Though not haunting like Oussepachan’s composition in Ore Kadal, Alphonse’s music served its purpose. It dint ring in my head after the movie got over. But the theme music was really good.

Verdict:

Cocktail marks evolution. Though rare, movies like this influence the trend in the films made. Cocktail was a fresh take. It doesn’t just end as a movie. It slaps us in the face and point us to a blatant truth in the end. Support this movie. Let us wait for the Renaissance.