Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

Watch something else. There are very few redeeming qualities to this film.

it is the rare 'crazy' movie that actually has something to say.

PRANAYAM ( 2011 ) I am writing this after watching it 2nd time, as the first time couldn't hear the dialogues clearly at some parts of the movie. Second time, watched this in a different theatre, with good sound and only very few people : that indicates two things, either the movie is exceptionally well or very bad. In this case, it's the first !! PRANAYAM is brilliant. Brilliant in many ways : Story, Performance by the actors , Music, Camera, Narration style. A story about love stories. I think that would be the 'one line' to give for this movie. Achutha Menon is happily settled and staying with his son's family. One day as he meets a new family who has just moved into the floor below theirs, he is shocked to see his ex-wife Grace there. That takes us back to the wonderful life that they had before, the way they met, fell in love , got married. The same state of surprise and shock accumulates in Grace also. Menon gets a cardiac arrest and he is taken to the hospital by Grace & other residents of the flat. At present , grace is married to Mathews character who is half paralysed and moves around in a wheelchair. They have a daughter(dhanya mary ) who is married and settled. They all are staying together in the same flat. These three characters' past life and when they meet again what each of them goes through, what others related to them goes through, forms the plot of PRANAYAM. The three main characters have been portrayed excellently by three brilliant actors of Indian cinema : Anupam Kher , Mohanlal and Jayapradha. Anoop Menon as Achutha Menon's son also has done his part quite naturally and the rest of the cast backs the overall performance of the movie. Songs are also good. ' paattil e paatil '(Shreya and Jayachandran, solos) is a good one that you'll hum even after the movie. Then there is Lehan Cohan's I'm Your Man sung by Mohanlal. These two can be said as the highlight songs in the movie. Camera just makes each and every frame look so beautiful. Should really appreciate Satheesh Kurup for the kind of lighting and color tone selected for the movie. Its ' see and feel good ' for the eyes.And the way the director Blessy has narrated it is so beautiful. Sometimes we may feel that its a bit slow movie, but there is a specific pace for each kind of movie is what I basically think and the pace of this movie well suits for it. Blessy has made a classic movie , slowly bringing the old goodness that Malayalam film had with some nice heart touching stories. A nice movie for everyone to watch and experience LOVE in different perspectives.

A versified version of a soulful tale, with romance and drama at its zenith. Pranayam is a movie which can be categorized as semi-classic - it wouldn't be a populace classic or a cult classic for certain, at least for the nonce. The high quality drama with some soothing music and some very poignant moments make it a memorable experience that at the end you never feel like you were in a cinema. Needless to mention the presence of those legendary figures of Indian cinema - Mohanlal, Anupam Kher & Jayapradha, the chemistry among them isn't one to miss. Mohanlal was at his best after "thanmathra".The story wasn't unpredictable, the magic ought to be the script obviously. A crispier screenplay and editing would have taken away the feel of the movie but for some feeble scenes which i thought was just meant to string out the climax. For instance,the scene at the saloon where the characters drink and sing and dance - Mohanlal who plays Prof.Mathews sings "I'm your man" by Leonard Cohen - wouldn't go down well with everyone alike. But what else could you expect from an aged bunch! The scenes with the butterfly, especially in the ending was beautifully crafted. The songs and background score is worth mentioning, so is cinematography - the scenes at the beach couldn't get any better.The movie would have been perfect had it been without flaws, some of them too irksome. Anupam Kher's lip sync was a major drawback, the frequent morning walk scenes and the dialogs occasionally resembled TV-serials. The flashback sequence and the thread-line wasn't convincing at all.That said, its all met on an even keel with some mesmerizing moments and some fabulous acting through out, the supporting cast too chip in with some mentionable performances. Definitely not the best from Blessy,though this movie would cement him as the undisputed master film maker in contemporary Malayalam film industry. Pranayam is a distinguished drama, its soulful, its lovable. Quoting Prof.Mathews from the movie - "Life is more beautiful than dreams,if you know how to live".

A consistent screenplay that stays very precise to the tale of 3 people. Grace(Jayapradha) is the pivotal character. Unknowly the story places her in the centre. Mathews(Mohanlal), Achu(Anupam Kher) and Grace(Jayapradha), all these phenomenal actors have filled a very subtle yet strong emotion into each of their characters. Love is a canvas and its your choice which have to be the colours you will use to fill. Sometimes it can create a beautiful painting. Blessy is a good artist. He has the talent to give each actor their freedom to bring out the required emotion in the movie. Well played and presented. Worth spending time with your loved one and watch this cinema.

A Blessy film is always special. Moving on with his exceptional penchant of creating worthy movies centered on human relationships, 'Pranayam' is one that matches the qualities of his previous endeavors. You need to hand it to him for picking up stories from a novel territory that defy stereotype and tell it with this sport of purity and simplicity that can win you over. And it also makes him undoubtedly, the best of the storytellers to have emerged in Mollywood, after late Padmarajan.Blessy's choice of actors is perfect. And the characters they portray are real adorable, so close to life or so inspiring. Mohanlal and Anupam Kher comes up with scintillating performances, with loads of emotional precision in each of the heavy sequences. 'Pranayam' is for the family. It is well acted, deftly written, entertaining and broadly appealing drama. Watch it with someone you love!Rating-10