Ritu (film)

Ritu
Seasons change. Do we?
Directed by	Shyamaprasad
Produced by	Vachan Shetty
Written by	Joshua Newtonn
Starring	Asif Ali Nishan Rima Kallingal Vinay Forrt
Music by	Rahul Raj
Cinematography	Shamdat
Editing by	Vinod Sukumaran
Distributed by	Playhouse Release
Release dates	Malayalam 14 August 2009 Telugu 15 December 2009 Hindi 31 January 2010
Running time	120 minutes
Country	India
Language	Malayalam

Ritu (English: Seasons) is a 2009 Malayalam film directed by Shyamaprasad, whose previous film Ore Kadal was highly acclaimed. The original screenplay is written by Joshua Newtonn. This is the first time Shyamaprasad has chosen to film an original screenplay. All of his previous films were adaptations of published novels or plays.

Plot

Ritu is about young people working in the IT sector. The story follows the lives of three childhood friends: Sunny Immatty (Asif Ali), Sarath Varma (Nishan), Varsha John (Rima). The trio were almost inseparable as friends; they grew up in the same neighborhood in their love, bonding and innocence. They shared a dream of journeying together in life forever.

Sarath leaves for the U.S. to help his brother-in-law with his business. He also aspires to write a book some day. But still he clings on to the memories of the good old days with his friends and wishes to reunite and work with them again. So, after three years, he comes back to India and starts a small company with Varsha and Sunny to initiate an ambitious new project. But he soon finds out that their strong bond of friendship has almost vanished: Varsha and Sunny's lifestyles and mindsets have changed over the years. Varsha flirts with men over the phone while, Sunny is interested in only earning money by hook or crook.. Whether their friendship will return or will it deteriorate even more forms the crux of the story.

In life, a time arrives when you face the ultimate question: Who are you? The three friends finally arrive at that moment when the question stares at them. Did the truth that they found help them?

Cast

• Asif Ali as Sunny Immatty
• Nishan K. P. Nanaiah as Sarath Varma
• Rima Kallingal as Varsha John
• K. Govindankutty as Rama Varma (Sarath's father)
• M. G. Sasi as Hari Varma (Sarath's Brother)
• Jaya Menon as Zarina Balu
• Prakash Menon as Balu
• Manu Jose as Jithu
• Siddharth as Pranchi
• Kalamandhalam Radhika as Sarath's mother
• Vinay Forrt as Jamal

Soundtrack

The original score and songs were composed, arranged, conducted and programmed by Rahul Raj. Ritu's soundtrack is a blend of international genres with Indian ragas and was received well by both critics as well as Rahulraj fans. Rahulraj's background score was lauded for being stunningly fresh and original, and for being on par with many international classics. Rahulraj won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Original Background score, surpassing Ilaiyaraaja's acclaimed score for Pazhassiraja.

Release and reception

After four years of releasing of the movie, and an avalanche of new-gen films, critics have begun to acclaim Ritu as the pioneer of 'new wave' in Malayalam cinema. Upon the release, Ritu received generally positive reviews. Nowrunning.com sees Ritu as a sensitive, melancholic portrayal of tumultuous emotions that ravage three young minds basking on the pinnacle of success. "It is an engrossing, intricate slice-of-life that deftly captures the nuances of growing up together and finally growing apart." Rediff and Indiaglitz reviewers termed it as a worthwhile experiment and said that it represents the changing face of Malayalam cinema.

The acting skills of the three lead actors have been applauded: the newcomers did their part quite convincingly. Indiaglitz review said "It's high time for Mollywood film goers to change and settle down from the regular potboilers and applaud films like Ritu which has its heart exactly at the right place". Rediff said "Ritu is a worthwhile experiment by seasoned director Shyamaprasad with a predominantly new team, and it does not disappoint".

The Telugu version of Ritu, titled New, released under two banners: Bhargava Pictures and Innostorm entertainment.

References

External links

• Ritu at the Internet Movie Database
• Official website
• Ritu on Orkut
• Shyamaprasad
• Joshua Newtonn