VividSimon Simply Perfect

Listonixio Fresh and Exciting

Chirphymium It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Brainsbell The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.

PimpinAinttEasy A pretty straightforward film about an eccentric man's relentless pursuit of his sexual fantasy - which is to make love to a woman while an elephant holds her in his tusks. Biju Menon, who was once thought of as a worthy successor to Mamooty and now boasts of reasonable box office clout plays the eccentric Christian man. He is supported by veterans like Vijayaraghavan (who plays his Nair Hindu sidekick) and Jagadish. Apart from providing amusing vignettes from the life of our eccentric hero, the film attempts to ridicule religion, moralists and prohibition activists in Kerala.The problem with provocative films made by Indian filmmakers is that they are always bound to come across as lame compared to similar films from other countries. The truth is that our films lack the gumption to denounce the institutions that control the way we live, with honesty and clarity. So we get meandering and spiritless films like Leela (and Udta Punjab) which are mildly amusing. But in truth, they underscore why we have no freedom of speech in this country because the makers seem to be pulling their punches.I have never been a fan of Renjith the director - he always seems to have one eye on pleasing the audience even when he's making a dark film like Leela. The film is based on a short story by Unni R (who wrote the blockbuster film Charlie).

Devidas Mannathazhath Movie was not half as good as the story by Unni R. 'Leela' the story is a fascinating piece of art with his touching images and flowing prose. Maybe the story is too off-beat to be made into a movie. Sincerely, Ranjith should not have attempted this misadventure. The visual maestro who made films like "Devasuram", "Nandanam", "Spirit" and many other straight forward entertainers made a major mistake by making this movie based on a bohemian pervert like 'Kuttyappan'.Overall the movie doesn't leave behind any thing positive. As far as acting goes Vijayaraghavan stole the show; maybe his role of Pillaichan' was not very complex like 'Kuttyappan'. Biju was okay but the eccentric nature of the character puts limitations on the scope of acting. Jagadeesh too was superb. Visuals and direction were flawless but the theme is not cinematic.

chemingineer Kuttiyappan is rich and eccentric. The film begins with him riding a horse to go home after drinking so that cops cannot breathalyse him. His elderly woman caretaker has to climb a ladder every day to deliver his bed coffee through a window. He prays to Gandhi and observes Marilyn Monroe's death anniversary by wearing black. He buys a girl for sex, but makes her cry by pretending to be the corpse of her father. He felicitates retired sex-workers by taking them out in a procession. Dark humour like these is strewn all over this complex, rather difficult to understand film.There are other quirky men in the film. There is Pillechan, who plays Sancho Panza to Kuttiyappan's Don Quixote, as they go in search of a tusker. There is a very efficient pimp, who is always dressed in white. The men are almost always boozing. The film reeks of liquor. The "Leela" of the film appears only in the second half and utters just a single word. There are other women in the film, who are gladly willing to be prostitutes.The film delivers a visual overload and there are plenty of symbols: of Christianity, sexuality, communism etc. There is an angel and of course, the most important symbol of all – the elephant. Making sense of what the elephant stands for is central to the understanding of this film.Leela is a dark and depressing film, but paradoxically shot against the lush backdrop of Kottayam. It demands application of your gray cells to make sense of it. I got the feeling that the director and writer are deliberately challenging the viewers. Even the title "Leela" is a pun. I was able to work out what the elephant represents. It is something that you need to do it yourself.

Pranavist I can't still believe Ranjith directed this movie. Ranjith is an acclaimed Malayalam movie director known for his gripping story lines and situation comedies. Since he's focusing on the aforementioned fields, he doesn't give much attention to the cinematography and realism. But this movie is an anomaly to Ranjith's style of direction. A dare attempt, indeed. He focused on the cinematography enormously this time, endorsing Prashanth Ravindran is trustworthy. Apparently dark blue shade seems blended well in certain nerve-cracking scenes in the move. It interleaves dark-humor and eerie dream-like sequences. Obviously Ranjith's aim is not to entertain people from his usual style this time. But to pursue what he is passionate about at the time being. That's why he doesn't give a damn about how big the crowd is. I couldn't see any tag-lines or catchphrases in the poster with the title 'Lee-La' in a curvy font. Also no trailer and no marketing. That's why I'm emphasizing this is not for everyone in Kerala. This is not a family movie either. Leela is for those who are supposed to watch it.It's based on a short-story by Unni. He might have shared a vital role while preparing the screenplay. Almost all events in the movie revolve around "Kuttiyappan" the main character, portrayed by Biju Menon. Kuttiyappan is a carefree middle-aged man who is jobless. His father was very rich and after his departure, Kuttiyappan got inherited all his properties. He lives in Kottayam, a district in Kerala. The film itself starts with a showcase of various locations in Kottayam by pencil-sketches along with a folk song. Kuttiyappan is pretty much interested in having a sexual relationship with women since he was younger. He's an impulsive alcohol addict with an eccentric personality. He doesn't like to do things in an ordered way. He's a pragmatic supporter of having a change from the usual. This is what makes the film unpredictable and dark-comedy oriented.There are many occasions throughout the movie where Kuttiyappan's eerie decisions made the situation awkward. Travelling on a horse at nights, constructing a ladder to his balcony for taking food from his servant, Knocking on the door of his beloved friend "Pillechan" (portrayed by Vijayaraghavan) at midnight for a casual conversation , etc are a few among them. Pillechan is henpecked guy who is ready to come with Kuttiyappan anytime for an anything. He also has a pimp friend (Indrans). Kuttiyappan connects to prostitutes by this guy. This film manifests a different angle towards prostitution. The title Leela itself could be a symbolism for prostitution. Kuttiyappan never actually has sexual intercourse with these women. He talks to them spontaneously, having a thought of make them happy. He studies the background of the prostitutes before he invites them for prostitution. Mostly he gives them the money the demanded without having sex with them and the pimp knows that. Before the intermission we'll get a vague idea about his personality. The second half consists of many emotional stimuli with the assistance of his eerie experiences. He started thinking about having a life partner and he has had a weird dream once. In the dream he was having a physical relationship with a young woman, thrusting her against the trunk of an elephant! He wanted to portray such an event with his future life partner in real life. He's in search of such a woman in the second half.I'm not delving into the details of second half. But I assure you it will give you a weird feeling that you never had before. It's like a mixture of all emotions mainly happiness, fear, anger and sadness. The success of an artist belongs to this part. He's trying to stimulate your emotional spectra, wanting you to realize how you would respond to that. It's analogous to communicating though emotions. That helps you discover the concealed part of your subconscious mind. All actors performed naturally and their Kottayam accent was spot on! My words aren't enough to express my gratitude towards Ranjith and Team for making this happen. Hardly I've seen a dare attempt like this in Malayalam film industry. This movie will always be a remark in Malayalam movie industry. And I'm so proud of the growth our industry. Couple of excellent movies released lately. Keep up the passion and dedication. We're all here to support you, Ranjith. Peace.