A complete review of Asif Ali movies.
REVIEW : Salt 'n' Pepper
Language: Malayalam
Release Year: 2011
Cast: Lal, Asif Ali, Swetha Menon, Nedumudi Venu, Mythily, Baburaj, Kalpana
Producer: Lucsam Cinema
Director: Aashiq Abu
Music Director: Bijibal
Lyrics: Rafeeq Ahammad, Santhosh VarmaCinematography: Shyju KahildEditing: V.SaajanArt Direction: Arkan S. KarmaScreenplay: Syam Pushkaran, Dileesh NairDialogue: Syam Pushkaran, Dileesh NairStory/Writer: Syam Pushkaran, Dileesh NairCostume: Sameera Saneesh
Release Year: 2011
Cast: Lal, Asif Ali, Swetha Menon, Nedumudi Venu, Mythily, Baburaj, Kalpana
Producer: Lucsam Cinema
Director: Aashiq Abu
Music Director: Bijibal
Lyrics: Rafeeq Ahammad, Santhosh VarmaCinematography: Shyju KahildEditing: V.SaajanArt Direction: Arkan S. KarmaScreenplay: Syam Pushkaran, Dileesh NairDialogue: Syam Pushkaran, Dileesh NairStory/Writer: Syam Pushkaran, Dileesh NairCostume: Sameera Saneesh
DETAILS
The film follows the love stories of two couples. The main characters are: Kalidasan (Lal), an archaeologist; Maya (Shwetha Menon), a dubbing artiste; Meenakshi (Mythili), an IELTS student; Manu (Asif Ali), a happy-go-lucky management graduate; and Babu, Kalidasan's chef. Food plays an important role in the story and the tagline of the film is Oru Dosa Undakkiya Katha ("The story born out of a Dosa").
The film has an original score by Bijibal, with three songs composed by Bijibal and the song "Aanakkallan" which was written and sung by Malayalam rock band Avial. The film was produced by Lucsam Cinema and released by Lal. Principal production for the film started on 3 January 2011 and it was released in theatres on 8 July 2011 to positive reviews and good initial viewing figures.
Contents |
Plot
Kalidasan (Lal) works in the state archaeological department and is a food lover. His only companion is his cook, Babu (Baburaj). Manu Raghav (Asif Ali) is Kalidasan's nephew who comes to stay while looking for a job. Kalidasan has a boring life until he gets a mis-dialled phone call from Maya (Shweta Menon), a dubbing artiste living with her friend Meenakshi (Mythili). Maya rings to order a Dosa but gets Kalidasan instead. Their conversations do not go well at first, but a long-distance romance develops due to their common interest—cooking and food. Kalidasan is a born gourmet while Maya is indulging in culinary activities in memory of her dead mother. Kalidasan starts to let Maya into the secrets of baking with a multi-layered cake called "Joan's Rainbow".Kalidasan and Maya both get the jitters before their first face-to-face meeting, as each becomes conscious of their own physical appearances, and both decide to send younger and better looking substitutes instead, Manu and Meenakshi. Neither Manu nor Meenkashi realise that they are both substitutes; Manu thinks that Kalidasan is really in love with Meenakshi, while Meenakshi thinks that Maya is in love with Manu. Manu and Meenakshi attempt to sabotage their older counterpart's relationship by telling Kalidasan and Maya that the people they met were unsuitable. Kalidasan and Maya both try to forget each other, but eventually they decide to call each other and meet anyway. Manu and Meenakshi decide to run away, and towards the end they discover the truth. Kalidasan and Maya meet each other and their relationship begins.
Cast
Actor | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|
Lal | Kathali Parambil Kalidasan | He has some unique peculiarities. He is an archeologist by profession and a food lover. He is also a reasonable cook and a food critic. The role is different from the roles Lal normally plays. |
Asif Ali | Manu Raghav | He is a carefree youngster character who often puts himself into awkward situations trying to be over friendly.Asif Ali says, "It's the one character among all that I have essayed [ that's closest to my real-life persona. |
Shweta Menon | Maya | A bachelorette who is working as a dubbing artiste, she is also a "foodie" and is interested in cooking. |
Mythili | Meenakshi | She is a bubbly and glamorous girl who is beauty conscious and loves to take care herself. |
Baburaj | Babu | He is an excellent cook |
Vijayaraghavan | Balakrishnan | Kalidasan's friend and colleague. |
Ahmed | K. T. Mirash | Manu's friend and Meenakshi's teacher. He is an irksome guy who annoys people with undecipherable, nonsensical advice. |
Kelu Mooppan | Mooppan | He is a silent spectator from another culture, who merely has a toothless grin as an answer to most questions. |
Kalpana | Mary | The owner of the house where Maya and Meenakshi live |
Ambika Mohan | Itha | A regular customer at Mary's beauty parlour |
Archana Kavi | Pooja Nair | Guest appearance as a girl on whom Manu tries to date. |
Dileesh Pothen | Director | A movie director who tries to woo Maya |
Nandu | Bhaskaran Nair | Guest appearance as a fellow passenger in the train along with Manu and Pooja Nair |
Themes
The film centres around food and Aashiq Abu says: "For a society that is so fond of food, this genre of cinema has not been really explored much in Mollywood [Malayalam cinema], save for a few films. As a foodie, I was inspired to make a film centred on food when I came across this interesting script by Syam Pushkaran and Dileesh Nair."
The film often mentions Kerala cuisine. The title song "Chembavu", which features visuals of famous eateries across Kerala such as the hotels Zain, Sagar, Paragon, and Bombay in Kozhikode, as well as the unique three-metre-tea at a stall in Kumbalangi. It also portrays some Kerala specialities such as Malabar Erachi pathiri. Even the lyrics of the song written by Rafeeque Ahammed, contains food.
The reason for the mis-dialled call, Thattil Kutty Dosa, is a local speciality. The relationship develops between Kalidasan and Maya around the secrets of baking a multi-layered cake known as Joan's Rainbow. The legend of Joan's Rainbow is described by Nita Sathyendran in The Hindu:
The story goes that at the end of the Second World War, a French soldier's wife started baking a strawberry cake to give her husband when he returned from the War. He didn't turn up that day, nor did he the next day when she had added a pistachio-flavoured layer to the cake. On the third day she baked a third layer, one in orange flavour, but he didn't come that day either. On the fourth day when she was about to lose hope, her husband arrived bearing a box of chocolates! The woman is said to have melted the chocolates and made a fourth layer, and served the rainbow of layers to her husband, sealing their bond of love forever.
According to Abu, "Salt n' Pepper' is meant to be a light-hearted entertainer; it's nothing serious – no big plots, no big twists – but plain old common sense, and dollops of good ol' fun."
Production
The film was scripted by first-time writers Syam Pushkaran and Dileesh Nair who said, "We had a one-liner ready and had approached a few directors. Although most of them liked what they heard, no one was willing to turn it into a movie. Then along came director Aashiq Abu of Daddy Cool fame. Lucky for us Aashiq was looking for a light-hearted script, something to do before his next superstar film came through. He loved our one-liner enough to give us an advance on the spot and asked us to come back with a full-fledged script". The duo was inspired by films such as Ponmuttayidunna Tharavu, Meleparambil Aanveedu, Kodiyettam and Yavanika, and the literary works of Vaikom Muhammad Basheer.Salt N' Pepper is Aashiq Abu's second directorial venture. Technicians such as music director Bijibal, costume designer Sameera Saneesh, and V. Saajan had already collaborated with Aashiq in his first film, Daddy Cool. Cinematographer Shyju Kahlid had previously worked with Sameer Thahir in Daddy Cool.[The film was produced by Mumbai-based Lucsam Creations. Salt N' Pepper is their first project in the Malayalam film industry.[11] Casting was finalised by December 2010. The original cast included Lal, Asif Ali and Mythili. Nedumudi Venu was also reported to be cast during the original announcement.
Filming began eight months after the script was submitted, and was launched on 5 Jan 2011 with a blessing held at BTH Sarovaram, Kochi. The ceremony als included film producer Naushad making a dosa on stage.Principal production for the film started on 3 January 2011 and was shot entirely in Thiruvananthapuram.
Reception
The film received generally positive reviews, although some critics felt that certain scenes were far from convincing. In the Deccan Chronicle, Keerthy Ramachandran gave the film a three-star rating writing "This is a movie which weaves together taste, flavor and love to make an exquisite recipe for good cinema. A must watch for all gourmets, Salt n' Pepper is sweet humour interspersed in a light plot." He also described the film as "one of the most enjoyable films of recent times." and praised the cast performances stating, "Shwetha Menon has acted brilliantly in the movie, proving that she has more to her than meets the eye. Lal has done complete justice to the role and appears likeable throughout the movie. But, the major share of credit should go to Baburaj — the stereotypical villain in Malayalam cinema. The role of Kalidasan’s cook is a milestone in his career. Asif Ali and Mythili appear perfect in their roles. Actor Vijaya Raghavan in a cameo has made a commendable appearance."
Navamy Sudhish of The New Indian Express said, "A delightful addition to GenY fun flicks, ‘Salt n’ Pepper’ is an out-and-out entertainer. It gives two hoots to time-tested tricks and indulges you with a stimulating storyline and unfeigned artistry." He labelled the script "smart", Shyju Khalid's appearances "rich" and "peachy", and Bijibal's background score "superb". Sudhish also praised Abu saying "[his] narrative technique is unpretentious and devoid of any jaded gimmickry."[17] Paresh C. Palicha of Rediff.com said, "Director Aashiq Abu has put together the right ingredients in his new film Salt N' Pepper and come up with quite an interesting dish" and that the film will meet the tastes of all who watch it.[18] Veeyen of Nowrunning.com said, "Aashiq Abu and his team adhere to the golden rules of good cooking, and see to it that the griddle is all hot, before they gently spread out a light hearted Dosa story on it." The critic also praised the cast performances and Shyju Kahlid's cinematography.[19] A reviewer from Sify.com said, "Salt n’ Pepper may have its own share of shortcomings, but the sincerity with which it has been made is there to be seen in the film. It’s a young film which oozes lots of freshness and it is enjoyable for people of all ages, especially if you love your food."
Soundtrack
The soundtrack to the film features three songs composed by Bijibal, two romantic melodies and a folk song, and a song writen by Malayalee rock band Avial, "Aanakkallan". It is the band's first release since their self-titled debut album released in 2008. Avial singer Tony John says that "this song is more or less like a teaser for our second album". A music video was filmed which shows in the film at the end. John said: "We had loads of fun shooting the video, which is very kind of like what you would see in a music video rather than a filmy number". The video, directed by Aashiq Abu, is the second one for Avial after their first hit "Nada Nada". It is also the first Avial track with John as the lead singer and Benjamin Isaac as the bass player.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Artist(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Kaanamullal" | Bijibal, Santhosh Varma | Shreya Ghoshal, Ranjith | 3:41 |
2. | "Chembavu" | Bijibal, Rafeeque Ahammed | Pushpavathy | 3:38 |
3. | "Premikkumbol" | Bijibal, Rafeeque Ahammed | P. Jayachandran, Neha Nair | 3:10 |
4. | "Aanakkallan" | Avial | Avial | 3:58 |
5. | "Kaanamullal" | Bijibal, Santhosh Varma | Shreya Ghoshal | 3:41 |
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