Urumi: The Warriors Who Wanted to Kill Vasco Da Gama (2011) User Reviews

Hearty Fantasy Movie With Artistic And Technical Brilliance!

[afsalthodupuzha · 8/10 · 29 April 2011]

Urumi is a n excellent example of directorial excellence meets mesmerising performances and technical perfection.Director-Cameraman Santhosh Sivan has created a clear masterpiece of visual extravaganza with artistic beauty.

Performances::Pritvi is outstanding in the movie with clear mannerisms and body language of Kelu Nair and has done his best performance till date.PrabhuDeva does his malayalam debut mesmerisingly,with a witty,light role.Genelia shows her excellence in acting by giving what her role wants in the best possible way.Other actors like Nithya Menon and Jagathy are casted in perfectly apt roles.

Some +ves::1)The script by Shankar Ramakrishnan is commentable and the dialogues are excellently written.2)Excellent music and choreography.3)Beautiful costume designing by Eka Lakhani,which requires a special mention.4)Commentable direction skills showed by Santosh Sivan.

Some -ves::1)A lagging start.2)Some amateurish characters,like that of Vidya Balan.

Verdict::Urumi is a hearty fantasy movie enriched with artistic and technical brilliance,for all the good movie lovers. My Rating::8.5/10

Cinematographically brilliant Indian martial arts film

[elanor-3 · 8/10 · 7 August 2012]

I like the film very much, though it has many weaknesses. I do not like the contemporary framework story, because it feels very contrived. The Europeans felt not very convincing, especially the actor playing Vasco da Gama should have been better. Both Vasco and his son Estavio looked not very Portuguese, but at least the Estavio actor's performance was convincing for me. The Portuguese costumes of Vasco were sometimes jarringly colourful, looked like dyed in modern colours. All in all the film's message is far stronger than in Sivans "Before the Rains" but the film's quality is not as good. It feels like a rough diamond.

The Indian actors' performances were satisfying for me. I liked Prithviraj as Kelu and Prabhu Deva as his sidekick. Genela D'Souza was acting-wise not as convincing a warrior princess as Kareena Kapoor in "Asoka (2001)", but she had more martial arts performances, which made her more important for the story.

I call it an Indian martial arts film, because the fights use the Kalaripayattu martial arts of South India, which often has a dancelike appearance. The film is named after the whip-like sword urumi, an extremely dangerous weapon taught to only the most skillful Kalaripayattu students in the last stages of their education. The use of the urumi in this film thus denotes the expert warrior.

Though the film itself is not as good as "Asoka", there are probably more fight scenes in this film. The fights were a bit less convincing than in "Asoka", but I think the productions costs were lower, at least the film looked quite a bit cheaper than "Asoka".

Anyhow, the story (mix of historical events and fiction in Chirakkal Kelu Nayanar's story), especially the finale (Kelu's fight in Calicut), the soundtrack music, the well built-in dance-songs, all worked well for me.

The most important assets of the film, however, were again (as usual in Santosh Sivan films) the cinematography, how space is used by the actors, and the poetry of the pictures. These features remind me much of Terrence Malick films. In contrast to Malick films I deem the stories of Sivan films better developed and more appealing.

The boy who Kicked some a$$!!!

[jeethjohnp · 8/10 · 20 April 2011]

A commendable film with a close-to-perfect script, some timely performances from the artistes and technical wizardry that is on par with the rest of the regional language films. All said, this movie also gives an insight about the history of Kerala which was unsung of. The story of a young hero who gave all he had to save his land from the Portuguese. And another factor which is quite apt was running the the present world and the old version in parallel.

All said and done, the writer had a source material to rely on and he showered enough fictional characteristics to the story. In spite of that the script lacks a cohesiveness especially until the third act. Some of the dialogue's were sloppy and did not reflect of that of that particular time period. Other than that this was a fine effort. Santosh Sivan's camera-work: there needs no special mention of his work here. Everything is picture perfect. Some scenes evokes a plethora of feelings and it just stays even after the movie gets over. But there were points and sequences where a bit of a pause could have helped a lot in making things look and feel much more better especially in the war scenes towards the end.

Performance-wise I would say all have done an exceptional job especially Prabhudeva, Nitya Menon, Jagathi. Prithviraj's wooden voice is a big letdown though. He shows no sign of variation through the movie. But he got to save his face towards the end with some classic performance and expression variations. Nitya Menon was the perfect seducer. Never seen such a good seducer in our industry. Her eyes speak volumes.

Music by Deepak Dev was different in this. His usual themes were all gone. It was a good thing he went in for a re-invention. Good songs and average BGM. The BGM that plays when Prithviraj courts Genelia is pure awesomeness but again there is huge familiarity with the tone there.

All in all this was a good movie. Definitely worth a watch at the cinemas. Go for it. It is a different experience all together.

Ek Yodha Shoorveer : A terrific, spellbinding, fantastic historical entertainer!

[Achyut_Prashast_Singh · 9/10 · 11 March 2016]

Movie: Ek Yodha Shoorveer (U)

Rating : 4.5/5

I love watching films from South India and never mind the language barrier. I feel true cinema requires no language to be watched, understood, and felt. I would happily say that this Prithviraj Sukumaran starrer film EK YODHA SHOORVEER, is truly that film. A dubbed version of the Malayalam superhit film URUMI, which released in 2011 to positive responses, is a true entertainer as well as important history lesson for everyone.

Since the release of BAAHUBALI THE BEGINNING and it's huge success in Hindi language, various south Indian films like Puli and Rudhramadevi too were released in Hindi last year. But sadly these films couldn't make much impact at the Hindi Box Office. But I can confidently say that from the way it's made, EK YODHA SHOORVEER has all the ingredients to make it a blockbuster : superb action, high quality visuals, power packed screenplay and performances with emotion, and of course, a wonderful filmmaking.

Prithviraj rocks in his role. This is his first as well as the first Malayalam movie I have seen. He is terrific in every single frame. Prabhu Dheva, who's his partner in the film, plays his part extremely well. Especially in the climax, his performance will make viewers break down with tears. Genelia does her part well. Same for Nithya Menen, she acts well and has a good role to essay. Every other actor does very well.

The war episodes are tremendously excellent: this is not a fantasy film, though. It's a historical action drama that narrates a good tale of that time in India, 16th century, I think so far. The action scenes are also amazing. The bloodshed during the war is presented as a historic poetry and not as a sequence glorifying gore. The film stands very high in all the technical aspects. The editing too is very crisp.

Songs were just fine, trimming a few wouldn't have hindered the fun. But, this isn't a big issue in such a great film. The story and screenplay of the film are both well written, well paced, and we'll executed. Prabhu Dheva also entertains in his comic timing and good chemistry with Nithya Menen. Besides, Prithviraj performs so well that one could hardly complain at all. The film has so good elements that one couldn't be disappointed.

Overall, EK YODHA SHOORVEER is one of the finest Malayalam movie to come in Hindi. Although I can't say much about its box office prospects, but I am sure that the film is likely to win audience attention. Besides, we mustn't forget that BAAHUBALI too gained attention and box office success slowly and slowly. So, will this YODHA emerge victorious? Well, I think, yes.

Ek Yodha Shoorveer Review By Arun K Singh

[vfxexpert9319 · 10 March 2016]

Ek Yodha Shoorveer Review: Hi friends, In this exciting post, i am going to publish review of India's greatest adventure epic film Ek Yodha Shoorveer. Today, i have watched this film at Zee preview theater, Fun Republic. After press release, i entered in theater along with guest audiences and started to enjoy film. After watching this movie, i will have to say that Ek Yodha Shoorveer is one of the greatest film of Indian cinema. Plot of the film is from 16th century when the Portuguese sailors under Vasco d Gama (Robin Pratt) discovered India captured some lands of South India.

We should appreciate director Santosh Sivan for making this historical film in great way. He is also cinematographer of this film. Acting of Prithviraj, Genelia Dsouza and Prabhudeva are superb. Every characters are looking real. Genelia looks too pretty and showcased extra ordinary act. Acting of Amole Gupte in the role of Chirakkal Thampuran will attract audience and make laugh for some moment. Vidya Balan is looking gorgeous and hot in the role of Teacher Bhumi and Makkom receptively.

We should also appreciate the creative art direction team. They decorate every frame according to screenplay. Screenplay should be more better, but neglect it because No one can give 100%. You will love songs and item number of this film. At last i will say that don't miss Ek Yodha Shoorveer and go to your nearest theater.

By Arun K Singh

Nice Try

[jasen-selvaraj · 6/10 · 4 May 2011]

Nice try by Prithviraj and Santhosh Sivan.But not good.

I appreciate the hard work.There must be a change for Malayalam industry and this is it. Nice picturisation.

Honestly i didn't enjoy the film except the picturisation,stunts and songs.

I felt headache.

But we keralites should appreciate the initiative taken by the new baby of Malayalam industry as a producer which was not done by the legends yet.

So hats off to Prithviraj.

One of the best movie in mollywood

[maddymenon-09658 · 10/10 · 15 March 2021]

Best camera and a very good story Actions, sound effects are awesome

A Historical Drama which Requires Patience

[nithin-dominic-koshy · 6/10 · 28 October 2022]

This film covers a few chapters in Kerala history, including the first meeting between Portuguese explorer Vasco Da Gama and the Zamorin of Calicut. Historical characters, including Arakkal Beevi and Talappana Namboothiri, appear in supporting roles.

Then the story shifts to the Chirakkal principality, where a fictitious plot around Vasco Da Gama takes place.

The hero of Urumi is Chirakkal Kelu Nayanar, played by Prithviraj Sukumaran. It takes some time to get on board, but once Kelu meets Ayesha (Genelia D'Souza), the movie gains our emotional investment.

Sadly, the battle scenes do not live up to the struggle they go through together.

Good drama, though.

Awesome!!

[devji4 · 10/10 · 13 April 2011]

After this millennium began, we have seen a downward journey of Malayalam cinema. But occasionally, like the usage 'once in a blue moon', we did get to see some one-of-a-kind movies in Malayalam though. URUMI is one such. Spectacular movie. A sublime piece of film making. A movie worth watching. A cult classic. Everyone is just perfect. To me, Genelia is the true master-blaster in URUMI. Surprisingly, Prithviraj too has delivered such a wonderful performance. The King and his Nephew are two characters worth cherishing in this film, for their great comical acts. Nothing to say about Santhosh Sivan and Jagathy. Top notch. Superb script. Haunting music. In fact everything is just too good about this movie. My verdict, 10/10. Go and watch URUMI my dear Malayalam film fans......

Urumi,quite not sharp.

[koolkovalan · 5/10 · 11 July 2011]

Urumi is quite not sharp! I'd say the cinematography is what bought Urumi the 5 votes i give it,that too with shots shamelessly stolen from Mel Gibsons'Apocalypto & DI(digital intermediate)from 300 and a few others(even that going overboard),Urumi proves to be nothing more than a hyped flick.With a promising thread as it may sound,the movie slogs due to major flaws in the script.The climax quite missed a WOW and the stunts weren't all that great.The styling factor was quite impressive though. Prithviraj i found to be a pumped up stale-face doll keyed to walk around with Prabhu Deva who heavily overdoes the comedy.However,Amol Gupte,Jagathy Sreekumar,Nithya Menon have performed very well,and off-course not to forget "Princess Ayesha" stunningly performed by Genelia,proving herself to be an underused artist in the industry. The tracks by Deepak Dev are thoroughly enjoyable.Especially the one with Nithya Menon and Prabhu Deva.The Art was quite neat.

The movie as a whole was a good initiative and is totally tolerable as to a lot of recent movies in Malayalam.but if you are one o those pessimistic perfectionists' who uphold the 'NOTHING IS ENGINEERED PERFECT'theory would you have issues with Urumi.

Santhosh's Visual Feast..

[sreerag16 · 8/10 · 23 April 2011]

Well its one master camera-work film,that u seldom see in a mallu movie. You may fall in luv with each frame in the film, they are so beautifully taken! There was a nice storyline, and Santhosh Sivan was again gud in bringing a bit of theatricality to his characters. Prithviraj did his job very nice.He seemed to blend in with the character more. Aarya made an impact. Prabhudeva was also cool, except dat some of his tamil mixed malyalm didn't turn out well. The Girls lukd stunningly awesome, and that was a superb casting! Genelia had some serious problems with lip movements in dialogue delivery. The foreigners were more authentic than in PazhassiRaja, they gave a decent performance too.. Music blended with the film well,cheers to Deepak Dev. The Minute sounds were an attraction done by the Sound Recorder. Costumes were another speciality! The film seemed losing its pace at some occasion, but recovered soon. And, the part where the past blends with present leaves in our mind, something to think about. The last Scene was the most touching one..

Overall, this Visual Feast is a must see by a Mallu! I'll give it a 8/10

Naaaaa..... didn't work for me!!

[fratboyluke · 4/10 · 3 May 2011]

I saw this movie and was not that thrilled as was anticipated. The story starts well but didn't carry the momentum. I felt that somewhere down the line the movie lost its way and there was no story telling feel to it. There was a sense of drag and towards the end I felt that the director wanted to just end the movie somehow. At least, the battle in the end should have been something to remember but fell short of even leaving an imprint. Overall the story lacked content and lacked a story telling feel to it.. Prabhu Deva and Jagathy gave a good performance and so did Genelia. The director was too busy glorifying Prithviraj that he forgot what the movie was about. I fail to understand what the hype was about!! Sorry to say that there was nothing great about this movie.

You can compare this with Gladiator or Braveheart

[itssm · 8/10 · 1 December 2011]

Santhosh Sivan has created magic again - superb making, excellent indigenous Indian script, awesome locations, and world-class camera actions (hats off to Santhosh Sivan again!!) To me this movie is really of international standards. While watching this, I felt all the same as I felt for Gladiator or Braveheart. I hope Santhosh Sivan will bag his sixth National Awards for Urumi.

Prithviraj gave a very brave performance; lack of his voice modulation (as stated by another reviewer here) rather correctly depicts the sternness of his character rather than being a turn down. I am a little bit disappointed with Prabhu Deva overall, though he has excelled in some sequences. And I fell in love with Genelia this time - this is thus far her best performance and she has outshone in this movie - watch it to believe it.

Overall, I enjoyed almost each and every frame of this movie and I recommend it highly.

Indians grow up and watch something way better than the regular Bollywood superhero masala movies.

Worth the watch

[dineshvasudevan2003 · 3 April 2011]

Santhosh Sivan has always awed the audience with his fantastic camera work and great songs. Urumi also offers the viewers a visual treat. It is backed up by a wonderful story line which is a fantasy mixed with action and drama. Prithviraj proves why he is highly regarded in the Malayalam Movie industry as a good actor. His roles as a to be pauper and the patriotic but revengeful rebel has been portrayed with great vigor and talent. Prabhu Deva provides the comic effect as well as some nice moves. I personally felt Genelia to be underused but she does justice to her role. Jagathy as the villainous minister is excellent. Nithya Menon looks cute and awesome and really sizzles on screen.

The camera work is typical of Santhosh Sivan. Great angle shots, nice precision shots. There's a shot of an awesome water fall, don't know the location. But the shot is just breath taking. In one fighting scene if you look closer and pay attention, you could see a dragon fly buzz in front of the camera with great clarity.

I generally thought that there could have been some more action sequences.

Overall 8 out of 10

An Example of a Pure Cinema

[akhil6004 · 8/10 · 30 December 2011]

I saw the movie Urumi (Malayalam) couple of weeks ago in my PC, courtesy Moserbaer Home Video. After watching the movie, I was very much impressed with the movie for various reasons. First, the director (Mr. Santosh Sivan) has mixed history and fiction in right proportion and has delivered the goods with clear narration. The story of man called Vasco da Gama, the Portuguese explorer, and his intention in traveling to Malabar Coast were very well depicted. Second, casting of the movie by Mr. Sivan was perfect to T. There is no body as hero or heroine except the story. The plot of the story unveils the character as it progresses. Prithiviraj, as always, has done justice to his character except for the mundane voice he carries throughout the movie. The action sequences involving Prithviraj looks good except for climax fight which prolongs for a while. Prabhu Deva the actor as "Vaavali", Prithviraj's Muslim friend, is quite an revelation. Why does Tamil directors (he being multilingual director) didn't use his acting potential I don't understand. Prabhu done a neat job of his character. The special mention is the scenes involving him and Nithya Menen, which is of romantic-comedy genre. Genelia is another good cast of the movie. She depicting the character of Arakal Ayesha the Warrior Princess is nice. Congratulation for Genelia for boldly doing action sequences with great élan. The closeup shorts of Genelia looks ravishing and I really admired her. She looks innocent, brave, and sensuous (rather a unheard combination). Nithya Menen is the scene-stealer of the movie as she oozes seducing intonation for which everyone will definitely fall for (Nithya keep a watch on your weight as it may sideline you). Nithya is really a good-find for Mollywood as well as Indian cinema (she does act in all south Indian languages). Other supporting cast be it Vidya Balan (debuting in Malayalam), Jagathi Sreekumar, and Arya (latest heartthrob of Tamil cinema) all have done their role with full justice. (I don't no why Tabu came in for blink-and-miss scene, which you can even not call as cameo. Actor of her caliber can be given a more stronger role even if it is shorter.) Finally, the parallel narration by which he connects the past and the present is quite good and new for Indian cinema. Coming to Santosh Sivan, we know that he is a great cinematographer with great International acclaim. I have also seen is movie "Behind the Rains," which was good. I guarantee that Santosh Sivan is one director who can make a good, neat, sensible film with minimum budget (no pun intended) without compromising on technical aspects as well as on story. Urumi being a combined production of Prithviraj and August Cinemas (Sivan's production house) is an quality cinema which is engaging and entertaining and you know to learn about the history of modern India. Great and bold attempt. Keep the good work going!!!

like the urumi ...elegant and powerful..

[venkatramanancs · 8/10 · 13 May 2011]

santosh sivan is known to make movies, only if he feels it to be so good and it happens rarely....yes this time it is......sharp script, bold performances...backed by flawless technical support and also the santosh sivan's cinematography..makes this film an entertaining watch for every one ,

for serious film buffs i believe you will find resemblance to other works especially in background score to hero-mandarin and the climax also looks familiar to last samurai's....i believe the fight sequence graphics is also below par with world standards..

my add-on would be tat the action in the movie could have been improved further with more details into kalari martial art...

Final Words: " a nice watchable refreshing movie..."

Great storyline but others toppled it to bottom

[anupviswanath · 3/10 · 9 May 2011]

The movie shows us another perspective of history which has not been seen. The story revolves around Vasco Da gamma who is considered as greatest explorer, in this movie the angle is towards greatest threat or invader and not explorer. The storyline was superb and during these years a great storyline was missing from malayalam film industry. But storyline alone couldn't pull the movie together. The movie had the potential to be great if the protagonist(Kelu nayanar played by prithviraj) was played by some actor with potential. The film was simply a good effort but wasted a lot,which are: 1.Prithviraj as kelu nayanar::He roams around with big muscles no expression,he doesn't even move his muscles for a dance at least,he doesn't provide dialog from heart(as in Troy or Gladiator or malayalam film such as Vadakkan Veeragaadha)he just spits out what he learned BY HEART. Also he shows expression of fear too much for instance when he sees Aarya for 1st time and Vidya Balan(before song and during song).He just runs and hits not much flexibility for a guy trained with several martial art forms(that is what they claim in the movie). 2.Genelia::She has controlled her a lot and her turnover from bubbly characters to serious one was superb. Even her flexibility during fight sequence needs to be applauded. 3.Vidya Balan,Tabu and Nithya Menon::Both these women's(vidya balan and Nithya menon)sensual side was only used not much of importance to character.Tabu just for sake of it. 4.Prabhu Deva::He gained a lot of appreciation from audience but for me he was better in this role than his past roles. 5.SanthoshSivan(Director)::Expected a lot from the great cinematographer but he is becoming stereotyped with same camera tricks and direction was not as promising as Anadhabhadram and Asoka.Too much emphasis on slow motion. 6.Jagathy Sreekumar::Did a good job portraying villain with female character touch. 7.Storyline::Superb 8.Songs::Unnecessary.Disappointing from Deepak Dev as he copied the song 'Aaro Ne Aaro' from Loreena mckennitt(Caravanserai)and claiming to be his hard work.God only knows whether others are genuine. 9.Aarya::Even though he had very little role as Kothu vaal.He did a great job and attitude was superb only annoying thing was prithviraj's voice for Kothu vaal. 10.Amole Gupte::Felt needed furnishing.Most of the times over expressive but at times apt to the role.

Better than Asoka and Before The Rains➖also, I appreciated Urumi's anti-mining bent

[sowvendra · 8/10 · 4 November 2016]

Does watching both the original Malayalam as well as the dubbed Hindi version (Shoorveer: Ek Yodha) of Santosh Sivan's film, Urumi, make me a better judge of the film? Because by a freak coincidence I got to see both the versions. I saw the original Malayalam version on DVD; and, just a week later, the dubbed Hindi version was released at the local cinema hall. I saw both versions and couldn't stop marvelling at how different the Hindi dubbed version is from the original Malayalam version. First, the "Vadakku Vadakku" song, the very first one in the film, featuring Prithviraj and Prabhudeva, has been deleted from the Hindi version. That is OK, doesn't make much difference (except that one is not exactly made aware of the circumstances of Prithviraj's and Prabhudeva's characters, Krishna and Ali, respectively, in the present day). But even the dubbing is such that it seems that the Hindi version just tries to pander to as many people as possible. I am not familiar with the history of Vasco da Gama in Kerala, but I am sure it is not a pleasant one. A history of colonisation can never be a pleasant one and, on that very account, I can trust only the original Malayalam version of Urumi because it says that when Vasco da Gama first landed in the Malabar coast, he called the local men "pretentious" and the local women "ugly". And I can believe that. When you come with the intention of colonising other people, you, obviously, do not have any love for those people. Otherwise why would you colonise them? In the dubbed Hindi version, the "pretentious" and "ugly" become "intelligent" and "beautiful", i.e., the Hindi dubbed version of Urumi tells us that when Vasco da Gama first reached the Malabar coast, he called the local men "intelligent" and the local women "beautiful". Seriously, why this deliberate losing the plot in translation? Who were the Hindi distributors and those responsible for the Hindi dubbed version trying to please by portraying Vasco da Gama in a pleasant light and, in the process, losing the reason why characters like Chirakkal Kothuwal (Arya), Kelu (Prithviraj), Ali (Prabhudeva), Ayesha (Genelia), and the king (Amole Gupte) and princess (Nithya Menon) of Chirakkal actually went to war against the Portuguese and their friends in the Malabar? Urumi was released in 2011, the Hindi version is already five years late. Those who had to see Urumi, whether in India or abroad - including Portugal - must have already seen it in original Malayalam. They know what Urumi is about and who/what Urumi is against, so why the pretence now of pleasing everyone? Or is it plain indifference on the part of the people connected with the Hindi version to cash in on the presence of Bollywood stars, Tabu and Vidya Balan, in the film because, despite having mere cameos (Balan's is a proper cameo and she shines in it➖Tabu's is just a two-minute appearance in a song), Tabu and Balan have been given prominent spaces in the posters of the Hindi version?

As far as the film goes, I found Urumi far more tolerable than the last two Santosh Sivan films I saw, both historicals: the Shah Rukh Khan-Juhi Chawla co-production, Asoka (SRK has been thanked in the film's credits, the second person after Mani Ratnam); and the Merchant-Ivory production, Before The Rains. Both were stunningly shot, but both dragged like something. I know that Santosh Sivan is an internationally renowned cinematographer, the first Indian cinematographer to be inducted into the American School of Cinematography, but being a world-class cinematographer is different from being a film director. As a world-class cinematographer, Sivan has given Urumi his signature look. But, after having seen Sivan's signature look in several films now - Asoka, Before The Rains, Raavan (Mani Ratnam is the first person to be thanked in the film's credits) - and the done-to-death monsoon scenes in Kerala, Urumi, though stunning to look at, did not really invoke any new feeling in me. Yet, I appreciated that Sivan has taken a populist approach in Urumi. It is plain to see that Urumi is targeted, first, at regular cinema-goers, and then at festivals. Genelia's action scenes are believable and better than Kareena Kapoor's action scenes in Asoka. Also, Urumi, I believe, has an anti-mining and anti-capitalism bent. The multinational Nirvana mining company in Urumi can very well be the Vedanta mining company of real life. I just wish real life were as easy to sort out and saying "no" to a multinational mining giant were as easy as shown in Urumi.

Should have be crisply edited and tightly scripted!

[ranjit-n76 · 2/10 · 23 July 2013]

An attempt to tell the story of Kerala tryst with the Portuguese traveller Vasco-da-Gama, movie has excellent cinematography and good production values. Locations in Maharashtra (caves) & lush green Kerala lend beautiful backdrop when viewed thru Santosh Sivans lenses. Costume design and set design are good. The performance is good by Amol Gupte, Prithviraj and Genelia. Cameos by Tabu and Vidya Balan and background score is pleasant surprise.

The length of the movie at 2:52min makes the story a drag. Flawed script, bad editing or Prabhu Devas hamming doesn't make it any more bearable. Santosh Sivan's indulgence is visible especially shot of Genelia and Prithvi looking at each other thru the water fall and shots at night in oil lamp flames. Cinematic liberties and deviation from history apart, lack of good action director is evident in rather boring fight sequences. There are a repeated shots of slitting throats. Featuring the actors in present world and historical recount seems to be highly inspired by Rakesh Om Prakash Mehra's Rang De Basanti.

Overall the movie fails on account if poor script and editing that suffers in an attempt to incorporate all the stylish shots from cinematographer - Director.

Its like a wine!!

[alanlukose · 10/10 · 7 March 2022]

I don't know why this movie didn't made a deserved box office at that time. Almost 11 years after i watched this movie, after this bahubali, mamangam, marakkar have been released but i don't know why i m more impressed with this movie. Excellent visuals,strong casting (except few), excellent character development, and songs n bgm.. Top notch. Absolutely a worth watching cinematic experience, a good craft even with those limited conditions they made one of the best historical movie. Love it.

What a dumb film!

[varghesejunior · 1/10 · 28 February 2013]

After watching Urumi for over 2 and a half hours,I wondered how can anyone sit through this film?? Eeeeee!

The plot,set in the past and the present,is simply ridiculous. Story is about an ancient warrior who goes to fight against Vasco Da Gama who comes to India to rule.

The music is noisy,choreography is wild. There are unnecessary dance sequences that keep coming up when there are not needed,unimpressive dialogs,and what else?? Maybe some stunts,but that alone does not make a good film.

It is simply a waste of time and not worth watching. I don't think historical films will do well nowadays

It's a shame.

[akhil027 · 5/10 · 30 July 2019]

30 July 2019. This movie could have been epic. But the movie was all about visuals and they failed with the script. Two songs (Vadakku Vadakku and Chalanam Chalanam) could've been avoided. It would've saved so much time. Even though I'm a big fan of Prithviraj, he disappointed me in this movie. They are depicting a character who lived centuries ago. But the body is clearly made in the Gym. He walks around with no expression. His dialogue delivery was too bad and it felt unrealistic. There's too much slow-mo in the movie. It kills the fight sequences and the pace of the movie. Loved Genelia's action sequences. I have to say, casting is the worst part of this movie. They are all great artists. But they are not from Kerala. The language barrier kills the beauty of their acting. Especially Prabhu Deva. His dialogues were annoying rather than funny. The film makers probably wanted to release this all over India, so they had to go for such a cast.

Pros: Cinematography, Songs(except 2 mentioned above), Genelia, Jagathy Sreekumar, Genelia's action sequences, Locations, Art Direction.

Cons: Bad script, Bad action, Too much Slow-Mo, Prithviraj, Casting.

Edit: So, people have been saying Urumi is one of the most underrated movies in Malayalam. So I watched it again to see what did I miss. It still disappoints me. I actually liked the first half more than I used to though. It's the action sequences and slow-mo which annoys me. Too much slow-mo ruins the whole thing. Take action scenes in Anandhabhadram. There you can see the right use of slow-mo. It's only used when Digambaran jumps. SO that's it. Urumi's first half is almost excellent. The second half ruins the experience, along with all the cons mentioned above.