Pranayam (2011) User Reviews

Pranayam is a distinguished drama.. its soulful.. its lovable..

[bonzybino · 8/10 · 4 October 2011]

A versified version of a soulful tale, with romance and drama at its zenith. Pranayam is a movie which can be categorized as semi-classic - it wouldn't be a populace classic or a cult classic for certain, at least for the nonce. The high quality drama with some soothing music and some very poignant moments make it a memorable experience that at the end you never feel like you were in a cinema. Needless to mention the presence of those legendary figures of Indian cinema - Mohanlal, Anupam Kher & Jayapradha, the chemistry among them isn't one to miss. Mohanlal was at his best after "thanmathra".

The story wasn't unpredictable, the magic ought to be the script obviously. A crispier screenplay and editing would have taken away the feel of the movie but for some feeble scenes which i thought was just meant to string out the climax. For instance,the scene at the saloon where the characters drink and sing and dance - Mohanlal who plays Prof.Mathews sings "I'm your man" by Leonard Cohen - wouldn't go down well with everyone alike. But what else could you expect from an aged bunch! The scenes with the butterfly, especially in the ending was beautifully crafted. The songs and background score is worth mentioning, so is cinematography - the scenes at the beach couldn't get any better.

The movie would have been perfect had it been without flaws, some of them too irksome. Anupam Kher's lip sync was a major drawback, the frequent morning walk scenes and the dialogs occasionally resembled TV-serials. The flashback sequence and the thread-line wasn't convincing at all.That said, its all met on an even keel with some mesmerizing moments and some fabulous acting through out, the supporting cast too chip in with some mentionable performances. Definitely not the best from Blessy,though this movie would cement him as the undisputed master film maker in contemporary Malayalam film industry.

Pranayam is a distinguished drama, its soulful, its lovable. Quoting Prof.Mathews from the movie - "Life is more beautiful than dreams,if you know how to live".

An excellent work!!!

[imcool_mrananth · 8/10 · 5 September 2011]

If you would ask me, i would consider this as an exquisite film. The movie is like a river, with it's flow, twists and turns and like a sea with its depth and serenity. A strong emotion depicted in a completely new manner. Movie viewers are in for something different. Blessy as always have achieved the greatness of making the audience think of the plot and our on self. Some really powerful dialogs delivered neatly and some nice songs. Talking about the casting and the acting, Mohanlal has once again proved his abilities as an actor, and this time, without even using his body and just his face (as he is half paralyzed in the movie), Jayaprada and Anoop menon has put up a good job, too. I loved the scene in which Jayaprada hugs Anupam kher right when the thunder strikes, with fear and love alike. And of course an amazingly unpredictable end.

The flaws; the voice and the lip movements of Anupam kher does not sync (the dubbing), and the romance between the younger Anupam kher and Jayaprada, which you would find it hard to believe(as things happen way too fast) are the only ones. Nothing major though.

A good movie but an exact copy

[shaunsomarajan · 7/10 · 23 July 2012]

This review is short. I chose to make it short. This movie has received many reviews as excellent and exquisite. This movie doesn't need all these praises. This movie is a picture-perfect copy of the movie Innocence (2000). But it has been remade in a really good way. Didn't let the original down. I really think that they could've at least created a script of their own. Don't you?

But there isn't much to look forward to a movie that has been copied from another. Rather watch the original. Just my thoughts. I think the original was way better.

Anyways, just my thoughts. Don't hate me for that. Cheers!

Love is in the air

[zizourono · 10/10 · 27 September 2011]

Pranayam is in one word, romantic. This movie showcases a different aspect of love.After the groundbreaking 'Bhramaram', blessy comes up with this simple yet superb movie.This isn't a popcorn movie. This movie speaks about love after marriage & also the love through different person's views. Whether you are young or old, healthy or wealthy or not, love remains love ultimately. Every frame of this movie is filled with love & it showcases the power of love.

The music of this movie is done by M.Jayachandran & its superb.The songs are good.The dialogues are also well written to suit this context.The screenplay was excellent.You don't see movies like these very often.Pranayam takes a different path from the usual bandwagon of romantic movies of the new age.

The casting was superb. Anupam Kher,Mohanlal & Jayaprada takes the lead. Mohanlal's screen presence is less compared to the other two. but he really steals the show.You can watch yet another brilliant performance from him. The newcomers are promising. Niveditha was really good & is sure to have a good future.

Overall Pranayam is a brilliant piece of work. It is not for the people expecting mindless comedy or brainless action. This movie is really enjoyable to watch. In one word, Romantic...

Nice tale

[solitarystate · 24 September 2011]

A consistent screenplay that stays very precise to the tale of 3 people. Grace(Jayapradha) is the pivotal character. Unknowly the story places her in the centre. Mathews(Mohanlal), Achu(Anupam Kher) and Grace(Jayapradha), all these phenomenal actors have filled a very subtle yet strong emotion into each of their characters. Love is a canvas and its your choice which have to be the colours you will use to fill. Sometimes it can create a beautiful painting. Blessy is a good artist. He has the talent to give each actor their freedom to bring out the required emotion in the movie. Well played and presented. Worth spending time with your loved one and watch this cinema.

pranayam

[alishafana · 10/10 · 10 September 2011]

A Blessy film is always special. Moving on with his exceptional penchant of creating worthy movies centered on human relationships, 'Pranayam' is one that matches the qualities of his previous endeavors. You need to hand it to him for picking up stories from a novel territory that defy stereotype and tell it with this sport of purity and simplicity that can win you over. And it also makes him undoubtedly, the best of the storytellers to have emerged in Mollywood, after late Padmarajan.

Blessy's choice of actors is perfect. And the characters they portray are real adorable, so close to life or so inspiring. Mohanlal and Anupam Kher comes up with scintillating performances, with loads of emotional precision in each of the heavy sequences. 'Pranayam' is for the family. It is well acted, deftly written, entertaining and broadly appealing drama. Watch it with someone you love!

Rating-10

Magical LOVE!!

[jijoijk · 9/10 · 5 February 2013]

PRANAYAM ( 2011 ) I am writing this after watching it 2nd time, as the first time couldn't hear the dialogues clearly at some parts of the movie. Second time, watched this in a different theatre, with good sound and only very few people : that indicates two things, either the movie is exceptionally well or very bad. In this case, it's the first !!

PRANAYAM is brilliant. Brilliant in many ways : Story, Performance by the actors , Music, Camera, Narration style. A story about love stories. I think that would be the 'one line' to give for this movie. Achutha Menon is happily settled and staying with his son's family. One day as he meets a new family who has just moved into the floor below theirs, he is shocked to see his ex-wife Grace there. That takes us back to the wonderful life that they had before, the way they met, fell in love , got married. The same state of surprise and shock accumulates in Grace also. Menon gets a cardiac arrest and he is taken to the hospital by Grace & other residents of the flat. At present , grace is married to Mathews character who is half paralysed and moves around in a wheelchair. They have a daughter(dhanya mary ) who is married and settled. They all are staying together in the same flat. These three characters' past life and when they meet again what each of them goes through, what others related to them goes through, forms the plot of PRANAYAM.

The three main characters have been portrayed excellently by three brilliant actors of Indian cinema : Anupam Kher , Mohanlal and Jayapradha. Anoop Menon as Achutha Menon's son also has done his part quite naturally and the rest of the cast backs the overall performance of the movie. Songs are also good. ' paattil e paatil '(Shreya and Jayachandran, solos) is a good one that you'll hum even after the movie. Then there is Lehan Cohan's I'm Your Man sung by Mohanlal. These two can be said as the highlight songs in the movie. Camera just makes each and every frame look so beautiful. Should really appreciate Satheesh Kurup for the kind of lighting and color tone selected for the movie. Its ' see and feel good ' for the eyes.

And the way the director Blessy has narrated it is so beautiful. Sometimes we may feel that its a bit slow movie, but there is a specific pace for each kind of movie is what I basically think and the pace of this movie well suits for it.

Blessy has made a classic movie , slowly bringing the old goodness that Malayalam film had with some nice heart touching stories. A nice movie for everyone to watch and experience LOVE in different perspectives.

Love10/10

[sreelesh-69328 · 10/10 · 27 August 2020]

Film is like a poem. Presenting us a magical triangle love between old persons. Must watch film

Superb movie

[gayatri-81424 · 10/10 · 18 February 2022]

It' s a awesome movie. I don't understand malyalam language so i couldn't understand d dialogues . But emotions are something which doesn't require any language. Though i would love to watch d movie again with subtitles or dubbed version. Complex emotions beautiful exerted. We all respect & need to understand needs of mature ppls with or without their partners. Also understand value of a hug from somone close to our heart💗💗💗💗💗

"Pranayam" exploring the possibilities of boredom !

[antophil · 1/10 · 23 September 2011]

"Pranayam", even though the movie posters(gray heads, and the settings) gave us a clear picture of the entire story, I somehow finally decided to give it a try, risking 2-1/2 hours from my life, and as usual no surprises, the same old story continues in this melodramatic piece from Blessy. A mediocre plot(remember the old malayalam movie "thriveni sanghamam", centering around three people, expanded and over-elaborated dramatically, as if the director trying hard to make believe the viewers about the pathetic conditions of characters and literally forcing the viewers to accept and feel what he is churning out, brutally turning out to be a tedious and wearisome task for them and finally leaving the theater in relief, as if they just finished attending a dull and long "philosophical" verbal diarrhea. Blessy like a below-average school student writing long essays lacking depth, subject, and content during monthly exams, failing miserably as a director. Characters coming out from nowhere filled with over-excitement and tediously long dramatic dialogues sadly lacking life. Mohanlal as "Mathews" the only exception adding a little color to this altogether dull "requiem." My advise for the curious viewers, stay away! and save your precious 2-1/2 hours.