Pranayam (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".

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...

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.

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.