Usthad
Hotel Review
Producer : Listin Stephen
Director : Anwar Rasheed
Story by : Anjali Menon
Cast : Dulquer Salman, Thilakan, Nitya Menen, Siddique etc.
Music : Gopi Sundar
Cinematography : S.Lokanathan
Editing by : Mahesh Narayanan
Review By : Unni R Nair/ Kerala9.com
Thanks Anwar! Thanks Listin! Thanks Anjali!
Thanks to everyone who made ‘Ustad Hotel’ possible…
Yes, this is what I should do before I
proceed to write the review… All those who made ‘Ustad Hotel’ possible deserve
to be appreciated and thanked, for it’s one film that you won’t want to criticize.
It’s a film that you’d want to see again and take others to see…It’s one of the
best films to come out in Malayalam in recent times.
Let me begin with the storyline… Abdul
Razack (Siddique) had always wanted to have a son. But when his wife Fareeda (Praveena)
gives birth to girls one after the other, he gets frustrated. Finally, after
three girl children, Fareeda delivers a boy and passes away; Abdul Razack, who
is in Dubai, comes back and takes his children to Dubai. The boy, whom he had
named Faizal a k a Feyzee, grows up under the loving care of his four sisters.
Abdul Razack grows rich and as Feyzee grows up, Razack plans to start a
five-star hotel in his home town, Kozhikode, with Feyzee by his side. He sends
Feyzee to Switzerland to study Hotel Management. Feyzee returns with plans
totally different from his father and there ensues a clash, between the father
and the son. Feyzee leaves home and joins his grandfather Karim (Thilakan), who
runs a hotel, Ustad Hotel, by the beach. The story takes a very interesting
turn from there.
‘Brilliant’ is the word that comes to mind
when we take a look at the sequences in ‘Ustad Hotel’, the way the scenes are
conceived, shot and acted out, at the whole fabric and how it’s treated- by the
script-writer, the director and everyone involved and also at the energy level
that the film seems to be effervescing. Conceived and structured in the
conventional commercial mould, ‘Ustad Hotel’ is one movie that makes us feel
connected in many ways and also makes us sit up and think as to what we are
making out of our lives. It’s one movie that talks about love in realistic as
well as romantic terms and talks about the philosophy of life in as simple a
manner as possible, highlighting the relevance of Destiny or ‘Kismat’ in our lives. It is also
replete with scenes and moments that are amongst the best ones seen in
Malayalam Cinema in recent years. The scene where Sulaimani (Black Tea) connects to love
and romance, the scene involving Jishnu in the guest role, the scene where Karimkka
talks about‘Kismat’ etc stand out and make
the film endearing.
Performance
Dulquer does a perfect job, as Feyzee
while Nitya Menen as Shahana too is good. Veteran actor Thilakan, no need to
say, is simply superb; Karimkka is another indelible footprint that he leaves
behind as he moves on, doing memorable roles one after the other. All the
others in the cast have done justice to their respective roles.
Technical
aspects
S.Lokanathan needs to be appreciated for
delivering frames that are beautiful, colourful and very much in sync with the
theme and the moods portrayed in the film. The enticing smell of the Malabar
Biriyani and other Kozhikode delicacies seem to be emanating from the brilliant
frames that he has composed for ‘Ustad Hotel’. Art-work by Biju Chandran and
editing by Praveen Prabhakar also deserve mention.
Music
Songs of ‘Ustad Hotel’ are already a hit; “Appangalembaadum…” is a big hit. The background
score jells with the plot and sequences.
Script
Hats off to Anjali Menon! Anjali has done
a brilliant script, blending emotions in the right manner, doing it all in a
well-balanced way and bringing together incidents and sequences as if she is
putting together beads to make a beautiful necklace. Yes, a beautiful necklace
indeed the film is! Great work, Anjali Menon!
Direction
The colourfulness, the energy level and
the overall pace of the movie may very well remind you of the Anwar Rasheed who
had directed ‘Rajamanickam’, ‘Chotta Mumbai’ and ‘Annan Thambi’; but the treatment,
the delicacy with which it has all been handled and the making resembles
‘Bridge’, the short film which Anwar had made as part of the anthology ‘Kerala
Café’. Anwar is in full form with ‘Ustad Hotel’, which is a mainstream,
commercial film that’s artistic and exploring in nature. Kudos, Anwar and
team!!!
An
addition
Well, this time I’d like to make an
addition to the segments. A person who deserves special mention here is Listin
Stephen, the producer. He is setting an example by producing meaningful films
one after the other (‘Traffic’, ‘Chaapa Kurish’ and now ‘Ustad Hotel’) at
such a young age and is not bothered about making just box-office oriented
formula movies. Thanks Listin for ‘Ustad Hotel’!!
Verdict: Wonderful! Energizing! Exhilarating! Must see movie…
Rating: 3.5/5
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