Amen

<p>The plot revolves around the lives of a few people around an ancient in a village called Kumarankari. Solomon is in love with Shoshanna who is the daughter of a wealthy contractor. Solomon is a failed band member however he is the son of the famous Estapan ashan, who was renowned in Kerala for his clarinet playing abilities, and died in a boat accident. Fr. Vincent Vattoli comes to the church as a new recruit to the parish. He learns about the relationship and tries to unite the couple. At this time, the marriage of Shoshanna gets fixed. Solomon attempts to elope, in vain. They are caught by Shoshana’s parents and Solomon is mercilessly beaten up. The people of Kumanamkari and the neighboring town then place a bet in which the St. George’s band has to win in order for Solomon’s marriage to occur. It was said that Shoshanna would be married to Solomon if they win the competition with Solomon leading the band. The band takes intense practices and wins the bet, while Solomon’s band master, Louis Paapan dies. At that night Shosana’s father backs out of the bet. Him, the evil old parish priest and Solomons uncle are haunted at night by St. George at the time when they were destroying the church. They all came to the realisation that Solomon had divine powers on his side and they stood aside from Solomon’s life as obstacles. Solomon marries Shosana and the band continues to participate in other competitions. Later a call comes to the church informing that the new Priest . Vincent Vattoli is taking charge. The Kumarangiri folks now come to know that Fr. Vincent Vattoli was actually the saint himself who appeared in front of them. The film is scripted by PS Rafeeque, who also wrote Lijo’s debut feature film (2010). is the cinematographer who also wielded the camera for on , a winning non-feature film from and shot the vivid TV series for MTV, . was selected play the role of Father Vincent Vattolli, the young priest of a church in a village called Kumaramkari. This film is the actor’s third film with Lijo after stellar performances in the critically acclaimed and (2011). plays the other lead character named Solomon, who is in love with Shoshanna. Shoshanna is played by -born actress , known for her role in the Tamil film . Meanwhile, scriptwriter-turned-actor Natasha Sahgal, plays the part of a French lady, come to study the music and local culture. All lyrics are written by except where noted; all music is composed by . reached theatres on 22 March 2013, receiving positive reviews from critics. It was declared as a blockbuster. Upon its release, received widespread positive reviews from critics. Paresh C Palicha of stated that is “brilliant” and concluded that “Director Lijo Jose Pellissery can be proud of making a brilliant film that has an intelligent story, a multi-layered screenplay, excellent cinematography and powerful performances from the actors.” Aswin J Kumar of gave the movie 3.5 stars in a scale of 5, stating that “In , director Lijo Jose Pallisserry dabbles in a newly-found realm. He does the act joyfully with a tinge of absurdity and he derives laughter that sometimes wobbles on sheer madness. The good part is that the joy stays, warm and pleasant, all through the film.” Jo of gave the film a favourable review praising the cinematography of Abinandhan Ramanujam and direction. ‘ is visually and technically brilliant. gave the movie a verdict of “brilliant” and concluded the review, saying that “When most films move out of your mind minutes after you leave the theaters, Amen just grabs you in a fantastic way. It has its flaws for sure, but just don’t miss this gem. Two big thumbs up and a must watch recommendation for !” Smitha of also gave the movie 3.5 stars and recommended to watch the movie “only if you enjoy watching different and experimental cinema.” Veeyen of Nowrunning.com gave the movie 3 stars out of 5 and appreciated the movie, commenting that “The flavor, spirit and fun of make it buoyantly unpretentious, and the sheer exuberance that it lets out renders it a movie of the magical kind. A feel-good, jovial and unfussy musical experience, it’s a sunny gem of a film that drops down from the heavens above, as the Lord parts the clouds to take a look at the world down below. was commercial success at the Kerala box office. On 12 May, reported that the film has made a clear profit of 30 million in 50 days. completed 100 days in theatres across Kerala. Overall it had a gross of 8.12 crore with a satellite right of 2.90 crore and 2.7 million as other rights. There were reports that it is to be remade in with playing the lead role.</p>