Dosto, with the help of my seasoned VCR, I traveled down south to the tip of mother India to watch a Malayalam film titled Chocolate (2007). I love the description here, which must have come from some review:
Chocolateis a Malayalam movie released in 2007, directed by Shafi. This is a campus story entertainer. Main actors are Prithviraj, Jayasurya, Roma, Samvrutha Sunil, and Remya Nabeeshan. Music by Alex Paul and lyrics by Vayalar Sarath Chandra Varma and Singers are M.G. Sreekumar and Rimi Tomy. With Prithviraj playing the Casanova, director Shafi’s new offering Chocolate — with its sweet smelling aroma is indeed delicious. Easy on the eyes, soft on the ears, this pure comedy entertainer, which centers on a gallivanting gadabout, being the lone male in an all women’s college, is chock-a-block with hilarity as Prithiviraj plays protagonist Shyam to the hilt. Playing perfect foil to him are Roma, Samvritha Sunil and Remya Nabeeshan as Ann, Nandana and Susanna – the trio who are against a male entering into their kingdom. Debutants Sachi and Sethu’s screenplay sparkles with laugh-a-minute scenes. (source)
You get the idea now of the whimsical plot: lone male student at an all women’s college. Wacky! Also HOT! Now I know some people assume that south Indian films are a tad bit violent and perhaps misogynistic. I think that’s a stereotype about Mollywood, right?
Also, of course all the men had moustaches since this was a Southie film. Now that I think of it, I don’t recall ever seeing a man without the moustache in the film. Now to the subtitle fun. There were quite a few times that I saw some great nonsensical subtitles. Here are a few from one on the dance numbers:
Other times I saw subtitles that on the surface made no sense, but for some reason, I really understood what they were trying to say, since I now understand that I lived in Kochi in a previous life. Like these…perfectly sensible to me:
As in many movies, in Chocolate there are a lot of misunderstanding stacked upon misunderstanding which drive the plot.
Now take a look at this series regarding the “improper behavior” news that even made the paper and I will translate the translations:
The message above means that since there was only information given over the phone, it can’t be confirmed as reliable…
Yes, this means even in India there are haters, just jealous of carefree youth and their masti.
This means so what if a young man and women were in a room together unchaperoned for a short time, it doesn’t mean they had relations of a sexual nature. If this was true, Prithviraj’s character is trying to say that it would follow that 2 men in a room together unchaperoned would then be guilty of homosexuality.
I really liked Roma Asrani and Prithviraj, first time seeing them both and they were adorable. OK, Prithviraj was HOT, but I don’t feel right saying that since he’s so my junior, hai na? The supporting costars Samvrutha Sunil and Jayasurya also did a nice job and I’d like to see more of their work. Well let’s see all four actors in a song from the film, shall we? This isn’t a flashy song, but I did like the simple dancing, since I think I could easily join them if I were an understudy suddenly called to action. “Where’s that gori? Roma broke her ankle! Find the gori extra, stat! We need her to fill in for the item number now!” I also thought that Briyanshu would enjoy the first 20 seconds of this scene and the song Ishtamalle Ishtamalle:
Lyrics in Malayalam, but I don’t know what they mean.
Ultimately the film has a happy ending: the hero carrying off his love interest, in caveman style:
and uplifting message of equality:
Plus, I love seeing the word enemity used in subtitles:
If you’re interested in watching the movie, it has been uploaded at Daily Motion in several segments with English subtitles HERE.
Now, I wonder why the movie was titled Chocolate, and also wonder what the term “chocolate boy” means in India? I’ve both heard and read “chocolate boy” and don’t know what it means. Chocolate boy matlab? Is it like a metrosexual? Could that have something to then do with the film’s title?
I think I “sampled” this movie a little while back but decided not to stick with it. This might be partly because I read some review myself that did not make it look so good. And I confess, though I am still fascinated by Kerala, I often won’t feel like sticking with a Malayalam movie unless I know it contains some good South Indian dancing or some interesting communists.
I also saw this phrase “chocolate boy” a few times and wondered what it meant. Your interpretation might not be so far off…
According to the Urban Dictionary,
“‘Chocoltae Boy’ is a term used to denote a male (usually straight) who takes impeccable care over his appearance. He will invariably be sunbed tanned and have spiky hair.”
(http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=chocolate+boy)
I guess that is a definition that applies internationally?
But I think I’ve also only seen it used in the Indian context. Maybe some Indian readers out there will have other insights on this…
Richard-ji,
Or should I say Chocolate boy? Thanks for the link and I’m hoping for some Indian input on this mysterious chocolate boy term too. While this was an amusing time pass and good for listening to the smooth Dravidian tones of Malayalam, it’s certainly not a fantastic film, but it was a fun watch with some good acting. I know what you mean about needing to see some dancing. You may like this odd number that I took the screen caps from, which has a wild western American theme at the beginning, which reminds me of cowboys, and it would then follow Indians, right? Dude, dot not feather, so confusing yaar!
And speaking of Kerela communists, comrade, I still need to get Arabikatha (2007) from the library again, since I didn’t get around to watching it all the last time. I’ll fill you in after watching it. Thanks for the comments.
Hey, Sitaji. I’d be there with you! I think I could just about manage those dance moves and I think I could just about manage to get the look too. Those girls clearly didn’t spend thousands of rupees on those outfits, nor thousands of hours in the gym to get those figures. Not to mention the huge saving on false eyelashes.
I wasn’t aware of the Indian fascination with line dancing till recently. Then I saw this, the ruination of one of my favourite Rahman songs – Chinnamma Chillakamma from Meenaxi. You’ll have to fast forward to get to the bit with the line dancing.
Enjoy. And start practising those steps. I expect to see your version on Youtube!
Joss-ji,
Yes, there’s a reality to the bodies in this film that makes in endearing and thus our delusions of joining the Indian Film Industry seem within reach, hai na? 😀 Thank link you included to Chinnamma Chilakamma was A LOT like the dance sequence I had included above in the post above (and in the link below) even down to the cowboy hat!
I also found a different version at this link:
I have not seen Meenaxi yet. I need to.
I will practice my line dancing too. Remember, there are 2 woman in the video, and possibly both Roma AND Samvrutha Sunil (also known as Samvritha) would be injured or unavailable for the sequence so we’d BOTH be called to fill in here. 😀 Thanks for the visit yaar.
Ugh. I’m not certain I could take that level of misogyny. I mean, is that doofus supposed to be the hero???
ajnabi-ji,
😀 I couldn’t help to be provocative in this post. So to be fair I will say that Prithviraj’s character is certainly good at heart and evolves and reveals his kind soul underneath his cool outfits. The lead woman does a lot of antagonizing and bullying him and his character is defamed while he’s busy being a friend and saving another woman’s honor…BUT, there’s another evil woman behind the scenes responsible for the drama, and he mistakenly attributes the source of the problems to Roma’s character. Of course not to make an excuse for the slap, but you know I do make a point of keeping track of slaps in the films. I believe she slapped him too. Anyway, I’ve only seen 15-20 southern films, Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu, and haven’t found them too much more misogynistic than some of the Hindi films, but my jury is still out. Ultimately the film is all neatly wrapped up with the message to value our sons and daughters equally and Prithviraj’s character is the one who helps bring that message forward. Thanks for your visit and comments 🙂
Yay for Southie fun!! It took me a few films to get over all the mouches! LOL!
Now, it looks odd to see a Southie hero without one!
I’ve been going through quite a few Kannada language films and I’m about at the point where I’m out of legitimate DVD editions and will have to break into the VCDs.
Have you had any problems with subtitles on VCDs?
Filmi Girl-ji,
Namaste girl! You know the Malayalam Southie films I’ve seen (with the exception of Chocolate and Manichitrathazhu (1993))
have mostly been art house and alternative films:
The Journey (Sancharram) (2006)
Vanaprastham (1999)
Darshan: The Embrace (2005) ( a documentary on that super hugging Amma)
even still the mouche is there!
I need to do a separate list of southie films. I don’t think I’ve seen any Kannada films yet. But Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam, hain ji! I need to get my Kannada on now too. I’ve got a warped view perhaps, since I’ve stuck with the high brow Mani Ratnam films, so I want more! I LOVE his film A Peck on the Check (Kannathil Muthamittal). I even have liked the more silly light hearted Southie films, especially Bommarillu and Varsham!
Do you have some special Kannada films to recommend for me to see?
You know I have feared buying the VCDs so far. I wasn’t sure if they’d work in the DVD player. A pardesi co-worker of mine said she had another machine to play them. So they will work in the DVD? Let me know yaar. I will smooth out my mouch as I await your response. 🙂
Sita-ji!
I’ll be sure to give you the report on how the VCDs work with my computer. 🙂
As for Kannada films, you might like “Mungaru Male” which was a super-hit in 2006!
http://filmi-girl.livejournal.com/162098.html
I just watched a very cute one that I plan on posting about tomorrow that had a special Bollywood guest star… *it’s a surprise!*
I don’t usually have patience for art house films and I love the over-the-top emotions and colors and music of the popular films! I try to stay away from the ones that are too violent, though.
When I first saw the title, Chocolate, I wasn’t sure if you were talking about the Hindi film or Thail film.
I’ve never seen a Malayalam film before but I should. I mean, John’s half Malayalam, hahaha!!!
You know, I am soooo jealous that you are able to go to the library and just borrow dvds. The libraries in Atlanta don’t have foreign dvds available.
Nicki-ji,
For a great Malayalam film with some wonderful dancing by Shobana, I’d recommend seeing Manichitrathazhu, which kicks ass on its Hindi remake Bhool Bhulaiya. It’s also been made in Kannada and Tamil, but I think the Malayalam is considered to be the best version. I’ve the Mayalayam and agree it’s best compared to the Hindi version, and portion of the Tamil version (Chandramukhi) I saw. I look forward to your review of a Malayalam movie soon…has John been in one? Yes, I’m lucky that some are at the library for sure. I did get several of the ones mention in my comment to Filmi Girl above at Netflix too. 🙂
Chocolate boy in India, according to what I think, is usually referred to a male star who has good facial looks and hair etc. More emphasis on pleasantness than handsomeness. So Leonardo De Caprio would be a Chocolate boy but Matt Damon probably not!! Examples in Indian heroes.. Aamir Khan.. chocolate boy , Akshay Kumar Not.
So the urbandictionary meaning is not that far off.
Kailash-ji,
Bhai! Thanks for answering. So it seems that perhaps cuteness more than handsomeness drives the term? Since I think all the men you mention are attractive, yet I can see how Aamir and Leonardo are more on the cute side, while Akshay and Matt Damon would be more ruggedly handsome, right? Thanks again. And by the way, I love the naam Kailash, perhaps in my last life I was a Hindu named Kailash, or at least had a family member with that magestically beautiful name. 🙂
Yeah, I am sure you know, but my name comes from the name of one of the peaks in the Himalayan Range. Mt. Kailash is Lord Shiva’s abode.
Kailash-ji/Anonymous-ji,
Yes, I did learn about the origin of your great naam. And speaking of Kailash, I am reminded of Ganga and this terrific book I read on the subject last year. It was a bit too scientific for me at times (over my head :)) but a very informative, really fascinating read.
Click to access 12_gangapr.pdf
http://www.islandpress.com/bookstore/details.php?prod_id=1697
Maybe since it’s your river you’d enjoy the book. 🙂
I’ll have to watch this one. I really like Prithviraj. And, I’m always amused by cowboy song picturizations in South Indian films. They seem to pop up with some regularity.
Cindy-ji,
Thanks for your visit. Any particular Prithviraj movies you’d recommend? Yes, it seems the cowboy hat is seen from time to time in theses films. 🙂
I haven’t seen too many Prithviraj movies, but I definitely second Anonymous’s recommendation of Mozhi. That’s my favorite of his so far. His Malayalam film Classmates was also quite interesting. He was good in Parijatham, but the movie itself was pretty dumb.
Cindy-ji,
Thanks for the 2nd recommendation for Mozhi. I see it also stars Jothika who I also like a lot.
p.s. Cindy-ji!
I just saw that you have a blog too! Great, checking it out now and adding you to my blogroll. 🙂
Prithiviraj was awesome in the tamil movie Mozhi – prakash raj was good too.
Choclate boy looks means a bit boyish rather than ruggedly handsome
Anonymous-ji,
Thanks for the tip about Mozhi. I also love Prakash Raj in the films I’ve seen him in, so I will look forward to that.
And thanks for the Chocolate Boy definition. I suppose Shahid Kapoor would be a Bollywood chocolate boy, that’s the first name that came to mind.
it was a good movie…really a watchable one!!
where can i download chocolate movie english subtitles(srt file)?