Biju Menon's latest Malayalam movie "Leela" was released in almost 70 theatres in Kerala and 21 screens in other parts of India on Friday, April 22. The movie has also been released online through the website reelax.in for the audience outside the country.
Plot
The movie narrates the story of mahout Kuttyappan's strange relationship with an orphaned girl. Biju Menon plays Kuttyappan and Parvathy Nambiar is seen as the eponymous Leela. The movie also has Vijayaraghavan (Pillechan), Indrans (Dasappan) and Jagadeesh (Thankappan) in main roles, and Suresh Krishna, Sudheer Karamana and Priyanka in pivotal roles.
"Leela," directed by Ranjith and based on a short story written by Unni R, has opened to positive response from audience and critics, and latest reports suggest it has been viewed by more than 5,000 people online.
Read Leela IBTimes India Review | Piracy hits Biju Menon's 'Leela'
Watch Leela online HERE | Also read: Reasons to watch Leela | Check the short story Leela
Here is what the audience and critics have to say about "Leela":
Casting is the film's major plus point. With his perfect body language and voice modulation, Biju Menon easily transforms into Kuttiyappan while Vijayaraghavan proves that he is an yet-to-be-explored actor playing Gopi Pillai, an expatriate who is all amused by Kuttiyappan's unusual way of life. Indrans as Dasappan, the pimp clad in white and white - it's only one of the many subtle attacks on the tainted politicians of our times in the film - proves his mettle once again. Without even a single piece of dialogue, Parvathy announces a promising career.
Leela stays in your mind like the way the short story haunted you. I would say the movie is a bit more intense. Whatever attracted you in the story is definitely there. It is not a content that explains everything to you orally. Metaphors are used in many areas to convey the thought and with very less amount of theatricality, director Ranjith and screen writer Unni R succeeds in creating content full of black humor that sort of questions the male domination.
Leela is not everyone's cup of tea. Those looking for pure entertainment may not find the ingredients here that you are looking for. Not sure about the box office success and how family audience would take up the film. For me, this film provided a haunting, wild and different experience through a typical Renjith touch and ends on a strong and surprising note.
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