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The Most Disappointing Malayalam Films of 2012
In a year when more than 130 films were released and not many were really appreciated, it is not easy to pick the most disappointing five.
The following films made it into the list considering the expectations, budget, the names involved, the quality, and so on.
Cassanovva
Dir: Rosshan Andrrews
Cassanovva had everything in its favour and the expectations were sky-high given its exorbitant budget and the presence of Mohanlal, a brilliant technical crew led by director Rosshan Andrrews, and the scenarists Bobby-Sanjay, who were coming straight after writing Traffic.
But nothing worked, not even the extra alphabets in the film's title!
Cassanovva was ridiculously silly and the legendary lady charmer's namesake failed to attract any.
Read the review here
The King & The Commissioner
Director: Shaji Kailas
The super-hit characters from two earlier films teamed up and everyone expected fireworks from Shaji Kailas's The King & The Commissioner, scripted by Renji Panicker.
What the viewers finally got to see was a film that had no zing in it. Mammootty had a forgettable year with duds one after the other, like Cobra, Jawan of Vellimala, Thappana, Face 2 Face and Shikkari.
Suresh Gopi looked pale and for once, his fiery cop Bharat Chandran IPS was no way near his original form.
Shaji Kailas continued to make more turkeys, like the horrible Simhaasanam and a tasteless Madirasi.
Read the review here
Spanish Masala
Director: Lal Jose
With Lal Jose as director, Benny P Nayarambalam as the scenarist, Dileep, Kunchacko Boban, and an Austrian beauty Daniela Zacherl as the heroine, there was huge hope about this Malayalam film cooked in Spain. But the dish that was served up lacked any merit.
With a weak script and unimpressive presentation, Spanish Masala was a big let down.
Dileep's Mr Marumakan was another disappointment, while Kunchacko Boban had 101 Weddings to worry about.
Read the review here
Padmasree Bharat Dr Saroj Kumar
Director: Sajin Raghavan
Sreenivasan had scripted a gem called Udayananu Tharam some years back so when he picked his own character of a quirky superstar to make a new film, viewers were thrilled. But Padmasree Bharat Dr Saroj Kumar turned out to be a complete disaster.
To add to the woes, Mohanlal's supporters reacted badly to the makers of the film. They believed that the hero was being targeted for refusing to be part of the film.
Puthiya Theerangal
Director: Sathyan Anthikkad
As the master of family stories, Sathyan Anthikkad has a huge fan following. Puthiya Theerangal was originally announced with Dileep but then it became the story of an old man and a young girl living by the sea. Later, Nivin Pauly perhaps got some extra screen space after the success of Thattathin Marayathu.
But the film nosedived straightaway, with a shaky script from Benny P Nayarambalam and rather lazy direction by Sathyan Anthikkad. No wonder the crowds preferred to stay away from this forgettable effort that came from a talented director.