Neive Bellamy
Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.
Kamila Bell
This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.
Lela
The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.
jinuthekm
Yavanika is not a usual who-is-the-culprit type of suspense thriller. Its of a gener which is less used as stand alone in malayalam films-Mystery. When the director choose to not make the conventional method of hiding the culprit till the end, we could see a effective way of using a non-linear storytelling.
Yavanika is undoubtedly a classic by its Rich characterisation, non linear storytelling, staging , Importantly the politics it speaks, And much more if you are looking for some brilliant direction..
There much more to discover in the film which don't intend to share here as it may spoil your experience..
Tejas Nair
Watching a classic of 1982 in the year 2014 and deriding it for lacking new-age panache would never do justice to the film. So, Yavanika, in all its glory, could be considered a masterpiece.Because of the narration. No one would even guess the film is about murder. It starts with the proceedings of drama troupe as they rehearse, perform and interact with each other. The character development is amazing; each character is idiosyncratic and their stories all are told beautifully. Take Nedumudi Venu as the flirty dandy or even Jagathy Sreekumar in one of his initial comic roles or Thilakkan as the troupe manager.The story advances quickly in the second half as Mammootty enters the scene to investigate the missing of a troupe member who is known to be a drunk bastard. We could guess who the murdered might be, but all the following sequences negate our guesses. The interrogation, actual field investigation all will keep you hooked. The dialogs are both witty & apt. Even the songs are classics and I sat there asking my partner "Oh! That song is from this movie!"K G George has captured his sets nicely: the murder spot, the troupe's hub and even the performing stage. I didn't much like the performance by Jalaja. But Ashokan is terrific. The climax is good. The makers concentrated not only on murder as a tool to convey a message, but they also evince shades of poverty, adultery, romance, alcoholism, assault, policing, and the elements surrounding drama as a genre.BOTTOM LINE: If you are in your mid-20s as of year 2014, then you may not appreciate the film. Because chances are you may have watched many similar films. But if you are above 40, I bet you will appreciate the sheer mastery behind the film which is considered one of the best not only in Malayalam cinema but also in the world.Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES
sumithar
This is a well crafted movie with memorable characters. It easily stands the test of time because the acting, direction and production values are all quite comparable to today's Malayalam movies. Of course Gopi is the standout but Venu, Jalaja, Mammootty and even Ashokan as the rebellious son all play their parts well.The other reviewer criticises this for not being a true murder mystery, but I have to differ on two counts- the murderer isn't all that obvious and the movie really aspires to be more than a mere murder story. The drama troupe and the interactions of the varied characters, the social drama of the plight of the poor woman with 3 daughters, all are well portrayed.
manumaan
There is no murder mystery here. If you expect a murder investigation or something in the lines of cbi diarykurippu, poirot/holmes style, you are in for a nasty surprise. Maybe at the time when it released it was a "new thing"..but even compared to world cinema at the same time, this pales badly in comparison. There are a lot of guys who feel this is a classic of sorts. They remind me of a malayalam proverb which tells of a frog in a well thinking the well is the world.Only saving grace of this film is the brilliant acting from Bharat gopi and Jalaja.You can see Mammootty in one of his early roles here.
