Vineeth Sreenivasan Birthday Special: From Malarvadi Arts Club to Jacobinte Swargarajyam, All the Films Made by Hridayam Director, Ranked!
The director has recently wrapped his fifth film, Hridayam, starring Pranav Mohanlal, Kalyani Priyadarshan, and Darshana Rajendran. Let's hope it also turns a huge success like his other movies.
Should we call Vineeth Sreenivasan the Jack of All Trades? Or a King? What does he not do? He is a singer, he is an actor. He is a successful director, whose films are eagerly awaited and he is also a prolific director. Despite being a product of nepotism - he is the eldest son of actor-screenwriter Sreenivasan - Vineeth Sreenivasan is one of more winning examples of that category, and the fact that he launched newcomers in his first directorial, with one of them now a superstar and another a very likeable actor, we can ignore his 'silver spoon'. Hridayam: Kalyani Priyadarshan, Pranav Mohanlal, Darshana Rajendran to Share Screen Space in Vineeth Sreenivasan’s Directorial.
Vineeth Sreenivasan first made his mark as a playback singer, crooning the popular "Kasavinte Thattamittu" in the 2003 film Kilichundan Mampazham, that starred his father. Later, he sung some very popular songs in cinema, including the iconic "Ente Khalbile" from Classmates. With his dear friend and longtime music collaborator Shaan Rahman, Vineeth has also cut some popular indi-pop albums. Vineeth had also dubbed for actor Skanda Ashok in movies like Notebook, Positive and Elektra.
The 2008 social thriller Cycle, directed by Johnny Anthony, launched him as an actor, a career that he is handling quite adeptly. But it was two years later that he dropped a surprise on us by turning a director with Malarvadi Arts Club, that was backed by Dileep. From thereon, he began to scale bigger heights, be it as a director, and actor and even a producer.
Interestingly, despite having made four films as a director, Vineeth has chosen not to act in any of them. Though he had an important role in his younger brother Dhyan's directorial debut, Love Action Drama.
On the occasion of Vineeth Sreenivasan's birthday, we re-evaluate all the four films directed by him, and rank them from worst to best.
Thira
Thira was Vineeth Sreenivasan trying to experiment as a filmmaker, getting into a thriller territory after dealing with heartwarming fare in his previous two films. The movie also launched his younger brother Dhyan in the lead, who teams up with a scintillating Shobana to save some kids from getting trafficked. Thira was pacy and gets into some dark areas, and Shobana made for a formidable protagonist. But it is often very predictable and Dhyan's stiff performance feels jarring when matched with Shobana's. Thira, not at all a bad movie, is often a forgettable one when it comes to Vineeth's filmography. Thira is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Malarvadi Arts Club
Vineeth's first film as a director had all the rawness of a newbie telling a story, but also retains the confidence of someone in for a long run. The storytelling is fractured, but there is plentiful of warmth, humour, good music and emotions in this saga of friendship. When you look back at Malarvadi Arts Club now, it is funny to see how Nivin Pauly - making his debut here - was so awkward here, though he did have the makings of a star. Aju Varghese and Bhagat Manuel stood out among the newcomers. Malarvadi Arts Club isn't available on any platform, but there is a copy on YouTube. Nivin Pauly and Vineeth Post Words Of Gratitude as Their First Film Malarvadi Arts Club Completes 10 Years.
Thattathin Marayathu
By the time Thattathin Marayathu arrived, both the director, the lead actor and the second lead have all evolved to be better in their fields. Thattathin Marayathu is nothing less than a rage at that time which reinvented Nivin Pauly as a star (while Premam pushed him into superstardom) with this inter-religious love story (a reverse love jihad for the hate-mongers!) winning over the youth. The dialogues, the comedy and the songs still continue to enthrall us, even if the writing at times comes as pedestrian in certain places. Thattathin Marayathu is streaming on Sun NXT. Nivin Pauly Birthday Special: 15 Memorable Movie Moments of the Actor That Endeared Him to Malayalam Cinema Lovers!
Jacobinte Swargarajyam
Jacobinte Swargarajyam is indubitably Vineeth Sreenivasan's most matured storytelling effort, a very heartwarming, and inspiring film, that is based on a real life person close to the director. With Nivin Pauly leading an excellent cast, including Renji Panicker, Lakshmy Ramakrishnan, Sreenath Bhasi and Saikumar, it is hard to pick flaws in this movie, that makes you smile and then smile through tears at every turn. Also has one of the best Onam songs in "Thiruvavaniravu". Jacobinte Swargarajyam is streaming on Manorama MAX.
The director has recently wrapped his fifth film, Hridayam, starring Pranav Mohanlal, Kalyani Priyadarshan, and Darshana Rajendran. Let's hope it also turns a huge success like his other movies.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 01, 2021 08:11 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).