How Old Are You? (2014) Reviews

• Most inspiring Malayalam movie in recent times

  tobin_paul2014-08-15

  I watched 'How Old Are You' in Dubai. I knew it'd be an excellent one, but it just surpassed by expectations. This is one of the most inspiring Malayalam movies in recent times. Excellent movie!!!. This is not just a comeback movie of Manju Warrier, but its also handling a socially relevant subject. Hats off to the script writer duo Bobby- Sanjay. Main highlight of the movie is Manju Warrier's rock solid performance and craft of the director Roshan Andrews. We can easily say that Manju Warrier is the most talented actress we got since Urvasi & Shobana. Other actors have done justice to their roles like Kunjacko Boban, Devan, Kunjan, Kaniha.

  More

• Working Girl

  sesht2014-06-01

  I've never seen a movie headlined by the lead of this one, but had heard, going in, that she was a very accomplished actress making her comeback after a few years. Initially, she reminded me of yesteryear Tamil/Telugu actress Radha, but that soon wore off over the course of its (substantial) running time. The makers have tried hard, and made a movie of the everyday trials and unrealized dreams of a normal working girl. Of course, nothing is normal in our everyday milieu, where the lady working is also expected to balance her work life working for her kids, spouse, parents and spouse's parents. Heavens forbid she have dreams of her own and all that. This movie is about the life of one such individual, at an especially life-altering turning point in her life, during which when she makes an epic fail, is caught/seen failing publicly, and is humiliated on Facebook (nee, social media) and at work. The issue might be simple, and unfortunately the makers have not chosen something that everyone might identify with (President Basu indeed - there were sniggers all around), but barring those mis-steps, they stick to the trajectory chosen, and try to 'English Vinglish' their way out of it, and the great thing about the whole thing is casting. Every character feels/looks/sounds real, and that, to me, was one of the movie's great strengths. I'd love to watch Manju's earlier work, and have seen one of Kunchacko's works, called 'Niram', which might be dated now, but was pretty good at the time it came out. Another character that I remembered seeing earlier was one the male characters in the lead's workplace, who was one of the main protagonists in the ensemble thriller that was '7th day' - the chameleon, Vinay Forrt. Technically, the movie's polished, along with boasting real-locations to film in (always welcome), aided, in part only, by Gopi Sundar's score. Why part only, is due to the unnecessary jingoistic score he falls back on for those 'inspiring', nee, 'rousing' junctures, that I, for one, am sorely tired of, since it's been used to flog dead horses since someone killed one. Though the denouement is apt for the protagonist, the entire last hour of the preachy bits on organic farming could have been done without. This year, after 'Bhoothnath Returns', this is another example of good work (maybe real good) coming undone by all the bhaashan-baazi that makes us last-benchers wanna leave class. Perhaps its a culture thing, perhaps not. But what could've been a great movie just becomes decent viewing, though I'd definitely recommend everyone to check this out at the local multiplex. However, the title is completely (to me) irrelevant, since it misled me to assume that it was gonna address ageism, so prevalent in every part of the world, not just this. Sadly, it does not, and only serves to remind one that there's perhaps a (better?) movie out there on that theme.

  More

• Age Doesn't Matter, It Seems. ♦ 60%

  TejasNair2014-06-15

  So Manju Warrier is back after 15 years. And I have no great expectations from her, because as a child, I never really enjoyed her films and the most annoying one that comes to my mind is Summer In Bethlahem. But, now I know how good an actor she is, let alone how average her comeback film is. It starts off with a rather implausible setup where our leading lady is a working wife who discloses to her boss about her interview for another job. How real! Then after a little bit of character build, the plot moves on to talk about gender discrimination, in a way. It goes on towards the end. How women in Indian and elsewhere are not considered as equals in any field, be it administration or business or in this case, a torch-bearer. The idea is good, but the story that as been built up on it raises few eyebrows. Because, the direction is pure bland. I don't know why Rosshan Andrrews did not pay attention to the little details and unpleasant scenes that are moving examples of awkwardness. The plot speaks many things at once: women power, inorganic vegetable production, domestic mortification, etc. and it does speak well. Although, there is a limit for the imagination. How the plot gathers its substance cannot be relatable and that is the single point which acts against it. There are certain sequences that fail to go with the facts. Also, the characters flip-flop between being protagonists & antagonists. As a matter of fact, while we start the film by somehow hating the female lead, some of us (excluding me) ended it by loving her. The performances are good, although I can never accept Kunchacko Boban's character. It was pure bullsh*t. The screenplay is good and so is the music. Running over 120 minutes, it gives many reasons for the audience to cheer like the idea of ridiculing Facebook and its bad effects, adopting home-agriculture, standing up against a tyrannical family or standing up for one's honour in the domestic circle. BOTTOM LINE: A staple film for today's feminism-driven women. I cannot say that it is a bad movie, for the message it conveys should be considered a single reason to have a look, but if you are a thinking person, you may not appreciate the execution. Warrier has grown really old and the movie looks like it was made just to bring her back (or pull her from her 14-year old daughter and lovely husband). I am not judging, though. Anyways, I would think twice before going for another Warrier film because I am not a narcissist and watching old women enact younger roles is the last thing I wanna watch. Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES

  More

• Age is just a number

  divyakurian2019-01-04

  Manju Warrier has proved that age is just a number and an actor becomes a better actor by their hard work and patience. Earlier I didn't like Manju's films but after watching this movie she has instilled into me an enthusiasm to watch her future films. Loved the movie and the story and direction. The movie shows how a woman takes into consideration her own interest and how she sees her life with a new ideology... Kudos to the team.

  More

• Excellent film along the lines of English Vinglish and Queen, Don't Miss!

  BollyReview2015-01-21

  How Old Are You is an excellent Malayalam film along the lines of English Vinglish and Queen. The film starts with a scene where Nirupama is giving a job interview to an Irish company. They ask her how old she is, she says 36. They reject her because their policy is not to hire anyone who is older than 35. "But I am just 36″ Nirupama says. Nirupama (Manju Warrier) is a married, lazy government employee. Her husband has plans of immigrating to Ireland and her young daughter wishes the same. Nirupama was a brilliant student in college who stood up for her rights. But as time went on, she got into the habit of daily routines — work and taking care of family. Her husband and daughter complain about how she doesn't have any goals in life and look down on her for this reason. As indifferent as she is to her work, as engrossed she is with her family and their needs. When her husband gets visas for himself and his daughter to Ireland, Nirupama has no option but to oblige and remain back. But all of this has really gotten to her and she is forced to rethink her life, who she is and what her goals are. "Manju Warrier plays the character so effortlessly and so naturally that one inevitably forms an attachment to her from the very first scene of the film." Manju Warrier gives a fantastic performance in this film as Nirupama. She plays the character so effortlessly and so naturally that one inevitably forms an attachment to her from the very first scene of the film. Her character portrayal is endearing and she carries the film on her shoulders with ease, depicting the self- realization of a mature and unique woman beautifully. As the character grows and transforms, we do too with her. It's the same kind of experience that we had with English Vinglish and Queen. Like them, How Old Are You gives us a peek into the hearts and minds of ordinary woman, who are actually extraordinary. What Shashi from English Vinglish, Rani in Queen and Nirupama in HOAU have in common is that they're all women who've made sacrifices for their families. But instead of being appreciated for these sacrifices, they were scorned and humiliated. And this becomes their wake up call in which they realize that they have to do something for themselves. The Nirupama character and her story is truly lovable, but if the script had been written a little differently, the film could have been even better. Aside from the main theme of the film, there are a few sub-plots happening that don't really have too much to do with the story. For example, in the beginning of the film, Nirupama's husband is caught up in a car accident case in which he places the blame on his wife so that he doesn't experience any issues with his Irish visa. This sub-plot was placed to add some thrill into the story but it really has nothing to do with anything. In fact, it diverts our attention and misleads the viewer about what this film is really about. There is another sub-plot in which Nirupama's daughter met the Indian Prime Minister and asked him a question. The PM was so impressed with the question that he asked the girl where she got the question from. The girl tells the PM that she got the question from her mother and so the PM wants to meet Nirupama. Although this event does play a role in the transformation of Nirupama, it too feels like a bit of a distraction from the main story of the film. Aside from these few minor issues, How Old Are You is an engrossing and lovely film that ought not be missed. If you enjoyed English Vinglish and Queen, make sure you catch this film. By the way, it has been reported in the news that Ajay Devgan has bought the Hindi remake rights of this film and it may be remade starring Kajol. The Tamil remake of How Old Are You, starring the acclaimed Tamil actress Jyothika, also released last month.This is all great news but I still urge you to see the original film.

  More