u/truthseeker15081947

Nokia is creating so many phones. Why couldn't they bring this iconic phone back? Just bringing it back would be a statement in itself and could mark a comeback for Nokia.

Could there be any trademark issues preventing Nokia from bringing back Lumia?

I don’t think Drona (2008) was a bad movie at all. While I understand why many people disliked it, I feel it had something special. Perhaps the audience expected more from it. The film had some beautiful visuals, a Unique fantasy world, and an interesting superhero origin story.

Abhishek Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra, Kay Kay Menon, and Jaya Bachchan all did their jobs perfectly. Every actor delivered a sincere performance, and the entire cast did justice to their respective roles.

Although its pacing and execution had flaws, I appreciated its attempt to blend Indian mythology with superhero storytelling. The concept wasn’t entirely new, but it had a distinct touch and a certain charm.

I wouldn’t call Drona a masterpiece, but it was a genuinely ambitious and commendable attempt that deserved more appreciation. With better execution, it could have been something truly memorable.

Drona has its flaws, but it’s definitely a watchable film. I don’t know if it’s nostalgia talking, but there’s something about it that I genuinely like. I rewatched it today, and I still feel it had the potential to be a hit.

It may not be a masterpiece, but it’s certainly not a worthless movie.

The movie doesn’t have anything, and why did he make it? He had the legendary Amitabh Bachchan, who was the co lead in Sholay, Ajay Devgn as the hero, Prashant Raj as the co lead, Sushmita Sen, and Malayalam superstar Mohanlal in his second Hindi film outing with Ram Gopal Varma.

Ram Gopal Varma is known for making films like this. His Company was a good attempt, but this movie didn’t have anything, absolutely anything.

No compelling storyline, no engaging characters, and nothing that could make the film remotely enjoyable. For a movie inspired by a legendary classic like Sholay, it was a massive disappointment. With such a talented cast at his disposal, how did RGV manage to make something so lifeless and unbearable?

This is not meant to create a fan war, but to show the reality of what happened in 2008, when the movie was released. This video came up as a suggestion, along with some old IndiaVision videos.

Nivin Pauly won it for Sarvam Maya. Naslen was nominated for Best Actor for Lokah. Both of them have one movie each in the 300 crore club.

Until Sarvam Maya, all the other performances carried significant weight, whether it was Thudarum, Kalamkaval, or anything else. I personally think Kalamkaval, Thudarum, and Ponman had very strong chances as well, but Nivin Pauly’s character in Sarvam Maya was different.

When Nivin acted in Sarvam Maya, he brought out every nuance of the character. You could see his subtle angst and love towards his father, while at the same time, his helplessness and sense of resignation towards God. Then there was the newfound love he develops for another girl, the almost brotherly bond he forms with a ghost whom only he can see, and the friendship he shares with his relative, played by Aju Varghese.

What a mature and layered character it was. Nivin brought so much depth and subtlety to the role, and I genuinely believe the performance was worthy of that award.

Just to clarify, Naslen was not considered a supporting actor in Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra he was one of the lead actors, and the film was essentially a Naslen movie. He was also the first male lead actor to cross the 300 crore mark before Nivin Pauly.

I don’t know whether it’s because of fan fights or something else, but some people are not accepting him as the lead actor. But the fact is, he was the lead actor in Lokah, and he was the first male lead actor to cross the 300 crore mark, which is a significant achievement in Kerala’s box office history.

So, let’s appreciate all the nominees, as well as the winner, Nivin Pauly. Being nominated itself is one of the greatest achievements an actor can have, especially on a major South Indian movie awards stage. Winning is an honour, but being recognised among the nominees is an achievement in itself.

Video Credit: SIIMA

New records incoming.

This is how later stardom changes our perception of who the principal lead was.

The movie Visa, directed by Balu Kiriyath, featured Sreenath, Shanthi Krishna, Mammootty, Jalaja, Mohanlal, Bahadur, and Balan K. Nair in prominent roles.

The main leads of the movie were Sreenath and Mammootty, while Mohanlal appeared in a supporting role, which was among his early comedy roles.

The principal lead was Sreenath, paired with Shanthi Krishna, while the co-lead was Mammootty, paired with Jalaja. Mammootty was already a big star, but the Sreenath-Shanthi Krishna pairing was one of the most sought-after pairings during those days.

However, what we infer from watching a YouTube thumbnail today can be very different. The thumbnail is likely to give prominence to Mammootty and Mohanlal because of their later stardom, which can make us assume that they were the main leads of the movie.

This is a good example of how an actor’s later stardom can alter our perception of the original hierarchy and the importance of the characters in an older film.

Every Malayali loves Mammootty’s style. He had a fan following among men just as strong as among women .

Directed by Joshiy and starring Mohanlal in the lead role, the film also featured Mammootty in an extended cameo. This wasn’t the usual scripted glorification or glazing you often see in mass action movies designed to play directly to the emotions of fans.

This post is simply about what the 1980s and 1990s looked like, and particularly about the craze Mammootty enjoyed among women during that period.

Mammootty, the evergreen star, had a massive following across demographics - men and women alike. One of the early films in which he was noticed and admired, particularly by women, was Mela, where he played a soft-spoken character who was nevertheless unmistakably masculine. His lighter and more comic roles were also celebrated, showing that his appeal was never restricted to the stereotypical mass image.

Coming to the 1980s, the situation was quite different. There were several actors with their own pockets of fandom - Rahman, Shankar, Sreenath and even Jose had their admirers. Fandom was much more scattered than the star-centric culture that emerged later.

By the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s, Jayaram, Devan and Suresh Gopi emerged as major stars with identifiable fan followings. Jayaram, in particular, had a substantial fanbase, while Suresh Gopi also developed a strong following, though arguably smaller than Jayaram’s at the time. Devan, meanwhile, increasingly moved towards negative and character roles.

Mammootty, importantly, remained remarkably consistent in retaining a strong fan following through all these changes. That is what makes the dialogue in No. 20 Madras Mail significant, and don’t get annoyed just because I brought up the dialogue from this movie.

The principal lead of No. 20 Madras Mail, Mohanlal’s fanbase had a somewhat different social character. When Mohanlal was still playing villains, Shankar was already reigning as a romantic star, while Rahman emerged as another major youth icon. Sreenath, meanwhile, had his own kind of rebel image, along with a romantic image, particularly through his pairing with Shanti Krishna. Mohanlal did some romantic comedies as well. Through all these transitions, however, Mammootty remained remarkably consistent as a star who commanded admiration from both men and women.

The same phenomenon continued in different forms through the late 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and even the 2020s. Kunchacko Boban, Prithviraj, Nivin Pauly, Dulquer Salmaan, Fahadh Faasil, Tovino Thomas, Unni Mukundan and others developed their own distinctive fan followings. Nishan, too, had a certain admiration, particularly among women. In the 2020s, Naslen represents the same kind of appeal.
And it isn’t exclusively about women. Men admire and love these actors too.

That, perhaps, is what makes Mammootty’s longevity as a star particularly interesting, across changing generations, changing images and changing patterns of fandom, he consistently managed to maintain a strong appeal among both men and women.

Title cards are very interesting to see. I was wondering whether other actors have also used these kinds of title cards.

Mammootty and Suresh Gopi have been associated with titles such as Megastar and Superstar, respectively.

I couldn’t find a Superstar Mohanlal title card in any movie available on YouTube. However, in Ali Bhai, Mohanlal was introduced with the title Universal Star.

Mohanlal is now commonly referred to as The Complete Actor.

These three are considered the triumvirate of Malayalam cinema superstars.

Did any other Malayalam actors use these kinds of title cards, such as Superstar, Megastar, titles, in their films?

The fictional short film Soulmates - Oru Saathukkudi Pranayam, from the movie Bethlehem Kudumba Unit, was released on YouTube. There is a scene in which the director of the movie enters a cafeteria and claps for a couple. Interestingly, a similar scene can be seen in the 1986 Malayalam film Sukhamo Devi, which starred Shankar and Urvashi in the lead roles, with Mohanlal and Geetha in co lead roles. Director Venu Nagavally himself appears in a cameo in that scene, where he enters the café and applauds the couple.

The cafeteria applause scene in the fictional short film appears to echo this memorable cameo from Sukhamo Devi (1986), in which Venu Nagavally appears as a customer and applauds Sunny’s romantic gesture toward Thara.

More specifically, the cameo occurs during the bar/cafe sequence in which Sunny makes his promise to Thara, and Nagavally responds by applauding his declaration.

However, in Soulmates - Oru Saathukkudi Pranayam, which is presented as a satire, the context is reversed. The director character, Joel Davis, applauds the lead character’s decision to move on from what she considers a toxic relationship. This makes the scene particularly interesting as a possible homage to Sukhamo Devi, while simultaneously adapting the idea of the director’s cameo and applause to fit the satirical theme of the short film.

Real change in Kerala’s cleanliness comes down to shifting everyday public habits and building citizen accountability. When people take ownership of their immediate environment, civic pride turns into action

Let us take pride in our actions. ❤️