Dham Dhoom

My Review : Dham Dhoom

Jeeva has tried a genre different from his earlier ones - action thriller which he does justice until his demise after which the makers seem to become clueless as to how to end the movie & it shows on the screen .He has taken a very interesting plot to start with , spiced it up with a cute village romance to keep it intersting & some thrilling chase & action . But once it changed hands , the movie goes downhill as the makers have desperately tried to complete it in a huff.

Plot : Young Doctor going to Russia to attend a conference ends up getting entangled in a murder conspiracy .How he gets himself out of this dangerous situation in an alien land forms the plot of the movie.

Jayam Ravi : Mr.Charming romantic hero has tried to don action hero mantle with this movie & he has succeeded to an extent . It is a welcome change from him who suits to the role to the T.

Kangana Ranauth : She dominates the scenes in which she is part of & proves why she is considered as one of the very few actress of bollywood who can ACT .

Laxmi Rai : A big break for her . For the first time she has "acted" in a movie which she has done very well . But the love angle of her's is little perplexing & dubious to say the least .

Jayaram : It is sad to see him in such an underwritten , insignificant role .

Harris Jayaraj: 2 songs are hum-worthy . Could have done better with the BGM.

JEEVA : He excells in the cinematography . Whether it is the lush locales of Pollachi or hustles & bustles of Russia , He has once again proved that he is master in Cinematography , can see the movie once for this alone and it makes one sad that we can no more see his mastery on screen .

Screenplay and direction is also by him. Movie is intersting & keeps us engaged upto 3/4th of the movie after which it nose dives badly to the end .

On the whole the movie is better than many other movies that has hit the screen this year ,if one can let off some illogical sequences , Cliches , Inspirations and some absurd dialogues . If one tries to harp on the logic or rather the lack of it , no heroes right from MKT upto Dhanush would have reaped success . They are part and parcel of movies not only in TC but world over .

Bottomline: Time to pay tirbute to one of the best cinematographers of all time .

3.5/5

Jeyam Kondan

My Review : Jeyam kondan

At the outset the debutant director Kannan seemed to have decided to pay tributes to "Agni Natchatram", "Illam", "Sanda Koli" and "Run" in making this movie . He has not even left the Washing powder add in which two kids fight with the slushy mud .

Plot : Hero accidentally provokes a Dada ,who makes it a mission to repay the hero of his losses come what may . Love and sibling rivalry forming the backdrop.

Vinay : Looks smart with his mush and beard . He does what is expected from him by the director.Must take care as far the lip sync to the dialogues are concerned .

Bhavana : Has nothing much to do , but whatever she does is impressive and she looks very beautiful . Has dubbed for the first time and her voice reminds us of Priyamani (Paruthuveran) and Kushboo (Vigneshwar).

Lekha : Has more scope to perform which she does adequately . Special mention to the scene in which she cries her heart out after the death of her mother .

Kishore : His role is extension of that he did in "Polladhavan". Does the routine Dada act .

Comedy : Santhanam score more over Vivek though both evoke some laughter. Vivek's character is very similar to what he did in "Parthiban Kanavu."

Music : Vidhyasagar leaves his stamp in two songs .As far as the BGM is concerned it is mixed bag .

Cinematography : Balasubramanyam's capture of the foreign locales and Madurai's rural areas are soothing to the eyes . He has stood by the director throughout.

R.Kannan: Story , Screenplay & Direction are by R.Kannan. The movie begins very interestingly with both the siblings playing one-upmanship game for selling the property of their father to fund their ambitions . But later after the entry of Dada into their lives the movie goes downhill . Screenplay goes haywire in the second half with the most biggest comedy of the movie reserved for the climax .

Movie is interesting in parts but on the whole it fails to impress

Bottomline : Jeyam Kondan Jeyam kolvadhu Kadinam .

3/5

Sathyam

My Review : Sathyam

It is sad to see actors devoting hell a lot of time in preparing their body and doing a movie for a year without out bothering about the script or taking the audience for granted . After Vikram did it for "Bheema" it is now the turn of Vishal for "Sathyam".

Plot: Cop story on the line a many that followed the success of  "Idhuthanda Police" and "Karthavya" in Telugu in the early 90's.

Vishal: He looks dashing , charismatic and manly (though his voice betrays him ). He has worked hard on his body and body language to suit a character of a cop to the T but one wonders what would have been the result if the same amount of hard work was put on the script .

Nayanthara: She has done what is expected from here nowadays -- oodles of glamour and skin show . Wonder how long will she be able to do this alone .

Upendra: He looks dashing on the screen with all the powerful dialouges reserved for him.But the turn-off is that he hams a lot throught out .

Villan gang consisting of Kota Srinivasa rao , Ravi Kale and Prabhu N'paul ,all do things that we have seen in N number of Telugu movies of the past .

Music by Harris Jayaraj -- the credits say so .

Cinematography: R.D.Rajasekhar has done a commendable job though the frames appear jaded a lot .

Antony in the name of editing hurts our eyes.

Technically the visual effects and CG department have done a very commendable job --only redeeming factor in the movie.Kudos to them .

Rajasekar who debuts with the movie seems to be heavily inspired by numerous cop movies of the yore that was churned out in tollywood .The movie gives an impression of a telugu movie dubbed in tamil in many scenes . Except Vishal none seem to lip sinc with the dialogue , Here & there A.P. number plates of the cars & A.P.police uniforms make a sudden appearances --furthur vindicating that it may have been dubbed from telugu .

Bottomline: Yet another biggie biting the dust .

2/5

Kuselan

My Review:Kuselan

Kuselan , a classic example of how a script which is so natural in one language can be made very artificial in another . Nothing can be termed natural in this tamil verson of Malayalam blockbuster .

Plot: How circumstances create a wide gulf between a poor barber and his childhood friend who has become the numero uno star of TN.

Pasupathy : Hero of the movie (whom everyone seem to forget) has given a performance which goes up & down throughout the movie . There are scenes where his is brilliant esp. in the climax but mostly he is monotonous .

Meena : Irritating to the core with her childish voice adding to the woes . (She is mother of a 15 year old !!!!)

Rajnikanth : Who has done a neat cameo , nothing to blame . In the climax scenes he comes to his own .

Supporting cast : Huge list includes Prabhu , Vijaykumar , Geetha , Nayanthara , Mamtha mohandas , R.Sundarrajan ..................! Of them only R.sunderrajan manages to stand high among the crowd . Nayanthara's job is to fill the job of a item girl which she does with aplomb .

Comedy : Though there are a battalion of comedians none succeeds in evoking a laugh. Ironically the " Dolphins jumping in the village pond " takes the cake in comedy department .

Music: Chellame song is good . Rest don't stick . G.V.Prakash may have done better in BGM.

Cinematography: Aravind Krishna has done a very commendable job . Esp .in Chellame & Saral songs his work is of high class .

P.Vasu : Dialogs are good. Esp. the exchanges between Rajni & Sunderrajan , Pasupathy & Geetha , & the Climax speech are excellently written .

But where the movie falters is that in the screenplay . It fails to keep one interested & engaging . If there must be an example of how to keep songs without any justification it is this movie.

Yes the climax is one of the best in recent times . But if Mr.Vasu has thought that TC audience are Sentimental Idiots who will endure so much of pain for 2hrs just to appreciate that 20 mins , then he is totally mistaken .

Verdict : Pathetic

2.5/5

At the box-office it is very good times for "Subramanyapuram " which will continue its march un-opposed .

Subramaniapuram

My review:Subramaniapuram

SUBRAMANYAPURAM is the address of yet another promising young director, M.Sasikumar, who not only has a keen eye for details but also a very good visual sense. Mark the man , you will get to see greater things from him in the future.

Plot: Nothing new - "kathi eduthavan kathiayaleye saavan " .But the treatment is very fresh .

Acting :

Jai:  Who resembles Vijay in his looks and Simbu in his voice , has gone to the next level from his Chennai 28 days. Very impressive in his expressions and emotions esp. at the climax .wow! Need to improve dialog delivery though.

Swathi : Very good looking ; her eyes convey all the messages while her mouth remain a "mute" spectator . One for the future.

Sasikumar: as an actor , a real revelation . Brooding eyes and rude body language - apt for that character.

All supporting actors have done more than a decent job esp. Kanja Karupu, heroine's scheming Chithappa , the disabled friend of the heroes .

Art direction : a very professional debut. The ambience , properties , looks - every thing from the ads in the background , vehicles , number plates , dresses , 10 Rs note -very authentic in bringing the 80's feel . KUDOS MAN.

Cinematography : Kathir has gone along with the narration without disturbing it with gimmicks . He , along with the art director and director , present to us a visual symphony on screen.

Music : James Vasanthan , Tv anchor, is another hidden talent unearthed in the movie.2 songs are very good and BGM suits very well the mood of the movie.

M. Sasikumar - story , screenplay , dialogue and direction. Has done a meticulous job of presenting a story and screenplay , though cliched , in a new ambiance and succeeded in it too. Story lacks novelty , Screenplay in the 1st half wavers and drags and too much of blood and gore (some scenes are definitely not for the weak hearted) BUT hard-work of the team shows overshadowing these negatives with a very excellent presentation.

Bottomline: I doubt the future of the movie in B.O but the FUTURE LOOKS VERY BRIGHT FOR ALL THOSE WHO ARE PART OF THIS MOVIE .

IMPRESSIVE (but for the Blood bath)

3.5 / 5

Muniyandi, Vilangiyal 3am aandu

My review: Muniyandi, Vilangiyal 3am aandu

PLOT: Age old revenge tale in the backdrop of college politics and caste fued.

BHARATH : Reliable as ever . He can do this type of roles even if woke up at mid night.He tries to imitate his "mentor"in the opening song , comedy scenes & some romantic scenes.

POORNA: A credible debut who is good at both histrionics & dance but her hard work seem to be let down by a bizarre characterization which reminds us of the Shobana-Vijaykanth movies of yesteryears (Pattuku oru thalaivan , enkitta modhadey....)

Ponvannan has a dignified role which he underplays with elan. But it is painful to see a National Award winner like Thara reduced to run of the mill mother roles. Villians compete one another in the ham-fest .

VADIVELU : Out of 6 scenes , 2 evoke laughter esp. that scene in which he kills the old lady &escapes .

VIDHYASAGAR: Credits say he is the MD. Is it so Vidhya?? One of the worst BGM score in recent times.

Cinematographer takes us to the lush green coconut fields of Pollachi but the action scenes are painful to the eyes.

THIRUMURUGAN: After a sensible debut , he follows it up with a senseless routine masala action fare which is not his forte. Nothing wrong in trying out an action movie but it should keep the audience interested . Here unwarranted sentiments , female bashing scenes , dialogues & songs, item number .......mars the proceedings.

He seems to carry the "Metti Oli" sentiment baggage on his shoulders yet trying an action flick . AND he is left stranded in the middle .

BOTTOMLINE : It is like savoring a chicken briyani prepared by the chefs of Saravana Bhavan . Not spicy & tasty.

Go for it if you like experimenting with your money & time

3/5

Uliyin Osai

My review : Uliyin Osai

After some lackluster movies in the recent past , the Grand Old Man of TC is back with an engrossing tale and razor sharp dialogues added with some soulful melodies of the Maestro .

PLOT : Chola king wants to complete his long cherished dream of constructing the Big temple at Tanjore adorned with sculptures of 108 abhinayas . He imports a world renowned sculptor for this .Whether he succeeds in fulfilling his dreams ?

ACTORS :

Vinith dances like a dream . He shows us how he has mastered Bharatham and its abinayas .Of the two heroines Akshaya has more screen space and scope to perform while Kirthi Chawla has very little to do. But the real surprise is both have done more than a decent job in Bharatanatyam. Manorama - Kovai Sarala - Kanja Karupu comedy track falls flat. Other cast include Sharathbabu , Thalaivasal vijay have done well.

Technically movie is shoddy .

Ilavenil's direction is amatuerish at certain places. But on the whole not a bad job.

The real attraction of this movie is 1- Karunanithi  2- Ilayaraja.

ILAYARAJA : His music is not aimed at DTS but DHS (deathless human soul) . All songs are good . Treat for classical music lovers . Can watch the movie just for his music.

KALIGNER : Take a bow to this man , who seems to have all the time in the world to do everything possible. Screenplay is lucid , flows merrily with some interesting twists and turns.

Coming to dialogues , he has shown age has nothing to do with talen. Be it punches like " PARAKA THERIYUM ENBATHARKAGA SURIYANUKUL PARAKOODADHU " or mischievous ones like "IRANDU KILIGALIL YAAR VENDUM" ... "IRANDUM KIDAITHAL SANTHOSAMEY" or thaughtful ones like "PROKALATHIL ADAIYUM VETRIGALAI SARITHRAM KOLAI PATTIYALIL SERTHUVIDUM.." . He is god of dialogues in chaste Tamil.

BOTTOMLINE : Give it a try if you love Bharatham , Tamil language and Tamil music. 

Genre: Historical

Director: Ilavenil

Cast: Vineeth, Keerthi Chawla, Akshaya, Manorama, Sarath Babu, Kovai Sarala, Ganja Karuppu, Thalaivasal Vijay, Sriranjani, Balasingh and Udaya.

3/5

Vallamai Thaaraayo

My review: Vallamai Thaaraayo

Plot: Story of a husband-wife who after divorce end up as lovers.

Parthiban: This would go down as the most extreme form of underplay that one would get to see. Yes there are 1 or 2 typical Parthibanisque witty lines and sadly that is it.

Chaya Singh: Except the censor certificate she is there all through the movie. She is good at emotions and expressions but all the good things she does gets undone by a very poor characterization of her's.

Comedy track by Karunas : [:-x].................[:-(]

Film is full of bizarre characters like that of Devipriya , Anandraj and most ridiculous of them all is Srikanth.

Music : BGM is hardly present while songs are ritualistic.

Rajarajan's camera has faithfully stood by the director .

Madhumitha, the debutante director , gets hold of a good concept but fails to deliver it in a convincing manner. Most scenes seem to go on endlessly as there is drought of interesting scenes as well . Though the movie is only of 2:15min it seem to run forever with the comedy track making the experience more painful.

Madhumitha though had a good team , won the toss on a batting track and elected to bat , was badly let down by her main players - story , screenplay and direction . Wish she gets their support in the future.

Bottomline: Director needs more VALLAMAI in her writing .

2/5

Ayudham Seivom

My Review:- Ayudham Seivom

Not all projects started with noble intentions sticks to it honestly. This is one such . Director's main intention is to glorify peace & non-violence but ironically has filled the movie with blood and violence.

A wannabe Lage Ragoo Munnabhai ends up as a routine masala fare strictly adhering to all the basic tenets of commercialism - hero introduction song with an item girl, mandotary melody duet and fast paced number, climax fight, jokes full of double entendres , what not.

Plot : "ayudhatha eduthu poradina unnodu oruthar kooda irukamaatanga , aana ahinsaya porattam panna oru oore un pinnadi nikkum "

Sunder c : His role is an extension of what he has done in previous 3 films. Ample scope for him to do action and only that.

Anjali : A shocker . She is a pale shadow of Anjali of "Katradhu Tamil". She looked cute in it even without make-up but here with over make-up she looks very average. She has 2 songs , 4 scenes and 8 lines to speak. That is all.

Vivek: Has lost it all .

Napoleon and suganya have nothing much to do.

Music : Nothing to rave about.

Director has messed up with a good concept .

Bottomline: AYUDHAM SEIVOM for peace . AVOID SEIVOM for your peace (of mind)

2/5

Dasavatharam

My Review: Dasavatharam

Plot: a NASA scientist on a run with the biological weapon he designed - an x CIA agent chasing him bent on hunting down the weapon- RAW and FBI trying to catch them both.

Acting :

It is Kamalhasan show all thro. Be it Krishnaveni paati or Balram Naidoo or Kalifullah or Flethcher, he has brought out the variation in body language , voice modulation , accent etc. It is time to savor all Kamal has to offer to us and it will surly leave us satisfied.

Asin - less said the better. It is one of the most irritating role she has done so far. She hams right through and her shrill voice adding to the aural torture.

Among others Mallika has nothing to do except to show what all want to see , M.S. baskar evokes a little laughter though one think he may have used better. It is sad to see legends like Nagesh and K.R.vijaya reduced to miniscule roles.

Music:

Songs are good though with Hindi flavour. BGM would have been good if enough time was given to Devisriprasad.

Cinematography:

Raviverman may come out with his head held high after his brilliant work though some amatuerish CG works mars the good work.

Make-up:

A lot talked off department ends up being lackluster. It feels as if a mask is worn by most of the characters . It would have been great if Kamal depended a little less on make-up which ends up as hindrance to the expressions .

K.S.ravikumar:

He must have put in a lot of hard work and it shows on screen .

Kamal hassan- dialogs:

He is simply awesome in his dialogs. "kadavul illainu sollale irundha nalla irukum", " forgot hiroshima ";;;;;;;;;;"did you forget pearl harbor" are samples of his excellence. There are also flashes of Crazy Mohan hangover at certain points.

Kamal hassan- scriptwriter:

Plot is simple but it gets convoluted by a very complicated script aimed at brings all 10 characters on board. It makes the screen cramped with too many characters and incident. Also scenes suddenly emerge and disappear. Could have taken little care over the screenplay.

+ves:

Kamalhasan = acting

Kamalhasan=dialogs

Kamalhasan=hardwork

Raviverman - cinematography.

-ves:

Kamalhasan=screenplay

Editing

CG works

ASIN

Many dialogs not clear.

Bottomline: a good commercial entertainer from master actor Kamalhassan.

3.5/5

Kuruvi

My review :- Kuruvi

WHEN VIJAY - KING OF COMMERCIAL CINEMA and DHARANI , WHO KNOWS HOW TO MAKE A SUCCESSFUL COMMERCIAL CINEMA , JOINS HANDS IT IS TIME FOR COMMERCIAL CINEMA LOVERS TO REJOICE. FASTEN YOUR SEAT BELT and GET READY FOR A JET SPEED ACTION ROLLER COASTER.

IT IS VIJAY ALL THE WAY THOUGH DHARANI SEEMS TO LOOSES HIS GRIP FOR A WHILE IN THE SECOND HALF , BOTH HAVE PROVED THAT GHILLI WAS NOT A MERE FLUKE.

EXCEPT FOR A SEQUENCE OR TWO WHICH SEEMS TO BE OVER EXAGGERATED , ACTION WORKS LIKE A DREAM . [FOR THOSE WHO BLAME SUCH SEQUENCES CAN STOP WATCHING COMMERCIAL CINEMA and GO FOR REALISTIC CINEMA INSTEAD OF BROODING OVER IT HERE]

TECHNICALLY MOVIE IS GOOD [WATCHING IN A THEATRE EQUIPED WITH CUBE TECHNOLOGY MAKES IT BETTER] GOPINATH'S HARD WORK IS EVIDENT IN THE FRAMES. GRAPHICS IS NEATLY DONE.

MUSIC IS TOP DRAW. SONGS ARE SIMPLY SUPERB ON SCREEN THAN ON HEARING.

TO SAY VIJAY HAS DANCED WELL IS LIKE SAYING LARA IS GOOD AT CRICKET OR SIVAMANI IS GOOD AT DRUMS !

TRISHA SIZZLES ON THE SCREEN .

VIVEK IS A SCENE STEALER. REFRESHING TO SEE HIM BACK AGAIN TO HIS BEST. [IT SEEMS HE RESERVES HIS BEST TO THE TOP ACTORS OF TC]

SUMAN IS OK AS DOES ASHISH.

THOUGH DHARANI COULD HAVE DONE BETTER IN HIS SCREENPLAY OF THE SECOND HALF , HE MANAGES TO SALVAGE HIS REPUTATION. ESPECIALLY THE EXCHANGES BETWEEN VIJAY and SUMAN AFTER THE INTERVAL WARRANTS MENTION. DIALOGS ARE VERY GOOD ESPECIALLY THE PUNCHES OF VIJAY and ONE LINERS OF VIVEK.

ON THE WHOLE THE MOVIE IS PERFECT SUMMER ACTION SPECIAL ON THE LINES OF POKKIRI.

IT IS A ONE MAN SHOW ALL THE WAY . VIJAY- THE ONE MAN ENTERTAINMENT TROUP.

I WILL GIVE : 3.5/5

COMMERCIAL ACTION LOVERS IT IS FOR YOU. ENJOY.

Chakkara Vyugam

My Review:Chakkara Vyugam

At the out-set I would like to congratulate the director Udhayabanu Maheswaran for trying something different from the routine mundane stuff.

But it will be a great shame that a very good movie like this would go unnoticed in the face of "Kuruvi" Tsunami.

Movie is a edge of the seat thriller , fast paced and thoroughly enjoyable.

Plot: Revealing the plot will kill the entire suspense.

As far as the acting goes Natraj has done a brilliant job. He is casual, natural and charming.TC must make use of this natural performer.

Jayasurya has also done justice to his role.

Daisy is ok. Tries her best to emote in a role that is central to the movie but her smile is what that is etched in our memory. [she shows resemblence to DD of Vijay TV in certain s angles ]

Karthickraja's BGM scores more than his songs.

Dwarakanath has captured the nook and corner of Kolkatta streets with elan.

Watch out for this man-Udhyabanu Maheswaran. His script is brilliant and keeps us on our toes but springs in new surprises throughout.

Pluses:

Nataraj

Jayasurya

Karthikraja's BGM

Direction and screenplay

Minuses:

Natraj and Jayasurya [Though they are brilliant they lack the crowd pulling capacity. Wondering what may have been the extent of it's success if this script two established actors in it !]

I would recommend it to those who keeps brooding over the run of the mill stuffs of TC. It is different yet interesting .

3.5/5

[deserves 4 but for the relatively unknown cast ]

Arai en 305l Kadavul

My Review:Arai en 305l Kadavul

To start with we should congratulate Shankar and Simbudevan for choosing an off-beat subject once again.

Plot: What if  "Kadavul" comes to Chennai to help two unemployed youth but ends up loosing all his powers to them.

The blood and soul of the movie is Prakashraj [as he usually is to any of his movies]who plays Kadavul to conviction. What an actor.

Same cannot be said of Shanthanam and; Kanja Karuppu. Better they stick to comedy roles rather than trying to do emotional roles.

Jyothirmayee has more scope to emote than Madhumitha but both have done their job competently.

Another strength of the movie is the support cast. Rajesh, Ilavarasu, M.S.Baskar , Sampathraj - all have done an excellent job.

Vidhyasagar has come out with pleasant songs .Music on the whole is good.

The real hero of the show is Simbudevan-the dialog writer. Movie is replete with some wonderfully & thoughtfully written lines. Special mention to the dialogs between Prakashraj and parents of Santhanam and Kanja karuppu as well the exchanges between Rajesh , who plays an atheist and prakashraj , the Kadavul.

But the culprit of the show is Simbudevan-the script writer who has messed up it all,failing to keep us interested . Thus he has robbed the director and dialog writer a good chance. Movie has numerous instances of a beautifully written thought provoking scenes followed by an utterly childish scene.

I really wonder what grudge directors have on IT field and IT professionals. Here simbu takes a dig at 'Infosys' & fast rising life styles of IT professionals.

+ves:

Prakashraj

dialogs

music

support cast

-ves:

screenplay

Santhanam and Kanja karuppu's emotional scenes.

In the box-office it will take a miracle to salvage it going by the FDFS audience response .

2.5 / 5

Thozha

My Review: Thozha

THOZHA IS A MOVIE FROM OLD VIKRAMAN STYLE OF SCRIPT WRITING and DIRECTION SHOT IN 80'S STYLE OF FILM MAKING.

STORY IS ABOUT THE SACRIFICES OF A FRIEND [THOZHA] FOR HIS FRIENDS TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN LIFE.

NITIN SATYA, PREMJI, VIJAY and JAI HAVE DONE DECENTLY.

ALL THE 4 HEROINES ARE PATHETIC.

MUSIC BY PREMJI IS QUIET GOOD.

DIALOGS ARE INTERESTING IN SOME PLACES.

TECHNICALLY THE MOVIE IS TACKY and POOR.

ON THE WHOLE MOVIE IS NEITHER GOOD NOR BAD.

STRICTLY SUMAAR .

2/5

Santhosh Subramaniyam

My Review:- Santhosh Subramaniyam

King of remake Mr.Raja is back.

It is scene by scene , shot by shot , dialog by dialog , expression by expression , inch by inch faithful to it's original 'Bommarillu'. Since only a very meager minute percentage of tamil audience must have seen the original , the movie will be lapped up by our audience.

With a Script which works wonders in any language , it is not a surprise that it does it in tamil too. Throughly enjoyable , entertaining ......... what not.

Ravi must have studied the original by heart & performs what Siddarth does in it . His positioning of hands , facial expressions etc. are very much the same.

Genelia - instead of signing her newly for this movie producers may have used her scenes from the original since it would have saved time and money - she does exactly what she did in Telugu.

However M.S. Baskar ,Santhanam, Premji have done better than what was done by their counterparts in the original.

Music is nice esp. first three songs are wonderful.

Going by the FDFS audience responce i think it will surly be the biggest hit of Raja-Ravi duo.

Verdict: Excellent

 4/5

Nepali

My Review: Nepali

ANOTHER VIGILANT STORY and HERE DIRECTOR HAS FOCUSSED ON SEXUAL HARASSMENT AT WORK PLACE.

THE MAJOR HIGHLIGHT OF THE MOVIE IS THE SCREENPLAY WHICH IS INNOVATIVE & NEW TO TAMIL CINEMA. V.Z.THORAI HAS MANAGED TO KEEP THE SUSPENSE INTACT UPTO THREE QUARTERS OF THE MOVIE AFTER WHICH IS THERE IS A BIG JOLT OR MAJOR SURPRISE IN THE PROCEEDINGS.

IT'S BHARATH ALL THE WAY . HE HAS SHOWN CONTRAST TO THE DIFFERENT ROLES HE HAS PORTRAYED ESP. SPECIAL MENTION TO THE NEPALI and PRISONER ROLE.

MEERA DISAPPOINTS IN THE FIRST HALF TRYING TO BE BUBBLY WHICH SEEMS ARTIFICIAL BUT COMES TO HER OWN IN THE SECOND HALF.

PREM [OF JODI NO.1 SEASON 1 FAME] HAS A SUBSTANTIAL ROLE TO PLAY WHICH HE HAS DONE WELL.

SONGS ARE OK BUT SRIKANTH DEVA HAS BLUNTLY COPIED VARIOUS COMPOSITIONS IN HIS BGM ESP. HUMMING FROM 'NAAM IRUVAR NAMAKKU IRUVAR'.

MADHI'S CAMERA WORK IS EXCELLENT .SPECIAL MENTION MUST BE GIVEN TO VARIATION IN THE MOOD HE HAS SHOWN WITH HIS COLOUR , TONE and TEXTURE.

V.Z.THORAI , ANOTHER ONE OF THE PROMISING YOUNG DIRECTORS, HAS DEALT WITH SUCH A CONTROVERSIAL THEME WITH DIGNITY . THOUGH THERE SEEM TO BE SOME LOOPHOLES SCREENPLAY HAS MADE ONE FORGIVE THOSE. FIRST HALF IS LACKLUSTER WITH THE ROMANTIC ANGLE OF THE STORY FALLING FLAT BUT THE SECOND HALF IS RACY and A TAUT THRILLER .


ANOTHER MOVIE WHICH RUNS FOR 3 HRS. IT,S POTENTIAL AT BOX-OFFICE MAY BE RESTRICTED BY THE AVERSION FAMILY AUDIENCE MAY SHOW TOWARDS IT DUE TO SOME SCENES WHICH MAY BE UNPALATABLE TO THEM , YOUTH MAY LAP IT UP.

MY VERDICT : GOOD MOVIE

4/5

Yaradee nee mohini

My Review: Yaradi nee mohini

YNM is a throughly enjoyable wholesome family entertainer.

Though it is a simple story , script of selvaraghavan ensures that one get a really nice experience for 2 1/2 hours.

It is Dhanush all the way. His portrayal of vasu is very apt for his image . Watch out for him in the palakadu remix song and scene where he opens his mind out to the dying grandma .

Raghuvaran as dhanush's father has done his job neatly though the father-son chemistry seem to be lacking . Some dialogs and scenes involving him are very much disturbing especially after his sudden demise.

Nayanthara just sleep walks her role though there is ample scope to perform.

Saranya as nayan's sister is a scene stealer with her expressive face and superb acting.(in the theatre i saw the movie the loudest applause was for her !) She certainly have potential to go places .

Music by yuvan is strictly ok . Cinematography is fine .

Director seem to have followed strictly the route of his guru . Remaking is not everyone's cup of tea but jawahar has done a neat job.

My verdict is YNM is a neat entertainer.

 3.5 /5

Kannum Kannum

My review: Kannum Kannum : A gentle breeze

Story: How a lover ends up as a brother by the villany of FATE !!

G.Marimuthu has taken a story which is fresh , untold and filled with unexpected twists and turns . First half is very good , moves very fast and ends up with a jolt in the proceedings while second half is slow , melodramatic and tests one's patience towards the end.(inc. a pathos song to rub salt in the wounds) . But one must appreciate the director for the novel theme he has chosen. It is very hard to predict which way the screenplay is going to turn much like how the real life is in the hands of fate. Kudos to him for giving for giving a clean family entertainer .

Prasanna as usual rocks back to his familiar territory .Udhayathara tries to be bubbly in the first half and ends up with too much of melodrama in the second half.

Vadivel succeeds in tickling the funny bones in couple of sequences as does Shanthanam. A strong point of the movie is that everyone of the actors have done a neat and matured job.

Dhina's music is a downer . Balasubramanyem's camera beautifully captures the mood and landscapes of the actors and Kuttalam. Editor seems to have slept during the second half.

Kannum kannum is a neat movie which is like a whiff of fresh air - creatively conceived and naturally portrayed.

Will it be a hattrick for Prasanna in the box-office ?????????

My verdict : 3.5/5

Vellithirai

My Review: Vellithirai

I went with an open mind and came out happy.

Movie is nice and sleek (though some scenes in the second half tend to lag a bit).

It is a realistic take on take on the kollywood , stars that we know and those real brains behind the creation of these stars- who are the real heroes (though unsung ).

Strenghts of the movie are Prakashraj (usually he is to any movie), comic one-liners (from the writer of 'Azhagiya theeye' and 'Mozhi') and pulsating and a innovative climax. Prithviraj has done his part neatly as does Gopika (who's make-up by the way clearly establishes the difference between how the stars are in real and reel life). M.S.Basker steals the show whenever he is on screen . Nice to see Charlie after a long time.

Weakness are the music , abrupt change of nature of prakash raj in the climax and characterization of Gopika's family.

Dialog writer Viji steals the show from the Script writer and director Viji. There are many memorable dialogs laced with subtle comedy ,which is his forte, that are enjoyable. One can't laugh his heart out but can have a satisfied heartfelt smile in many scenes esp. are those which take pot shot at the star value and superstar star culture of TC.

Bottomline is it is a throughly enjoyable movie for whole family.

Caution:Erase the original from your mind before entering the theater .

My ratings: 4/5

Vilayattu

My review : Vilayattu

"Vilayattu" by a new comer Ezhilventhan is watchable.

I went in to the theater to enjoy A/C and escape from this Chennai heat but i was pleasantly surprised by this movie. There is no great story or screenplay or technical novelty yet movie moves at a brisk pace and light-heartedly .

Story: Plot is how a wastrel hero becomes a refined and dignified person by his love.

Ezhilventhan ,who is also written and directed the movie ,is also the hero. In the first half with his ragged looks he look ok but in the second half he doesn't look a hero material.

Saranya , who was Sandhya's friend in "Kadhal", is the heroine . She acts ok and looks pleasant. Much publizised 'Hollywood actor' Andrew just comes and goes.

Kanja Karuppu has done a good job in making us laugh esp. the scene in which he writes his 8th std. exams is laugh riot.

Music by Jassie Gift is ok as is the cinematography.

Ezhilvendhan has done a neat job as the writer and director. Kudos for avoiding melodrama and keeping a lighter vein throughout the movie.

Verdict: Watchable

3/5

Anjathey

My review : ANJATHEY :-MATURE CINEMA IN TAMIL

ALL SO CALLED LEGENDARY DIRECTORS OUT THERE. TAKE A BOW TO MYSKIN. FLAWLESS DIRECTION; LUCID SCREENPLAY;SUBTLE DIRECTOR'S TOUCHES;EXCELLENT CHARACTERIZATIONS; EXTRACTED WHAT HE WANTED FROM ALL HIS ARTISTS;AND HE HAS MANAGED TO MAKE A COMMERCIAL MOVIE AS NATURALLY AS ONE CAN. KUDOS TO MYSKIN.

CINEMATOGRAPHER MAHESH MUTHUSAMY'S CAMERA CONVEYS EMOTIONS, PATHOS, JOY,THRILL , WHAT NOT?

SUNDER C BABU THOUGH FAILS TO DELIVER IN SONGS REDEEMS HIMSELF IN BGM.

AS FAR AS ACTING GOES PRASANNA,MYSKIN,AJMAL HAVE DELIVER KNOCK OUT PERFORMANCES IN THAT ORDER.

AT LAST WE HAVE A HERIONE WHO CAN EMOTE WELL AND DUB HERSELF.

EVEN A SMALL CHARACTER IS CARVED OUT WELL BY THE DIRECTOR.

THE MAJOR VICTORY OF THE DIRECTOR IS THAT HE HAS SUCCEEDED IN INSTILLING THE EMOTIONS OF THE CHARACTERS IN US, WEATHER IT IS JOY, PATHOS ,HORROR ,ETC.EVEN A VILLAINOUS CHARACTER GETS OUR SYMPATHY AT THE TIME OF HIS DEATH.THREE HOUR DOESN'T SEEM TOO MUCH.

SINCE THIS MOVIE IS VERY VERY GOOD,I DON'T THINK IT WILL DO WELL IN BOX OFFICE WHICH IS SADLY A LOSS NOT TO THE MAKERS BUT TO TC AUDIENCE.

I'LL GIVE IT 4.5/5

Thotta

My review: Thotta

NO COMMENTS


IT IS NOTHING BUT A REHASH OF ALL THE GANGSTER MOVIES THAT HAS COME IN TAMIL CINEMA IN RECENT YEARS.

1.5/5

Akku-the movie

My review : Akku

Nice movie. Different attempt by the director.

Story : Hero and his lover elopes but get caught by the girl's brother who is a dreaded terrorist. He put a bomb in the hero's shoes such that when he stops running it will explode with devastating consequences as it is made of uranium.

This portion is just the first 10 minutes of the film. Rest of the movie is how police and bomb squad try to save hero and the city and nab the terrorist.

One should congratulate the director for choosing such a daring subject , which runs for just 90 minutes. The main drawback is the limitation of the budget .Director has struggled very hard to give a decent treatment to his subject within the confines a shoe-string budget ,which shows on screen.

Though acting sometimes seem amateurish , very low production quality and poor music ,when one comes out of theatre one want to congratulate the director for his out of box thinking and trying something different .

Bottom line is when we see some so called big directors make routine crappy masala movies at lofty budget which don't seem to be justified , one is amazed by the resolve shown by this young director to be individualistic and work with in the limitations of what he is given with. For this kudos to MAMANI -director of AKKU.

Genre: Thriller

Director: Maamani

Cast: Ajay, Sriji, Anuhasan, Riyaz Khan, Rakshai, Ramkan, Jayasri, Biju, Lakshmi and Harris.

3.5/5

Kalloori

My review : Kalloori

"Kalloori" ,3rd film for both Balaji Sakthivel and Tamanna in Tamil, moves one to tears .Though not as disturbing and moving as "Kadhal", this movie (also) based on a true incident -that of three girl students burnt alive in a bus near Dharmapuri few years back -brings one to tears.It is a gutsy attempt by the director to make a script based on that incident and also to make use of a cast with all new comers except Tamanna. And all of them provide ample emotions to the movie.

As far as acting is concerned Tamanna rocks.She has done ample justice to the role which is central to the movie around which the script is woven.She looks beautiful and radiant even without make-up.Director has extracted emotions very well from her.Especially those scene where she is caught up between possessiveness and friendship towards akhil and her other friends deserves mention.

Hemalatha as the moral policing friend in the group has done an excellent job as does others in the cast.

Akhil torn between friendship and love has performed adequately.

The two fellow students ,who always look to pull each other , bring laughter when ever they are on the screen.

Music is ok .

Cinematography is excellent by Chezhian.

Balaji sakthivel has done a neat job.Film moves at a brisk pace.The scenes where the family backgrounds of the friends are revealed, when Tamanna and Hemalatha make up after a fight and the climax touches one's heart.

As far as negatives are concerned there are scenes especially bus travel and ground scenes which seem monotonous.Also if one expect a movie of the proportion of 'Kadhal' one may get disappointed.

Two good reason why one should watch 'Kalloori' is riveting performance from Tamanna and if you like to feel emotional watching films.

4.5/5

Kattradhu Tamil

My review: Kattradhu Tamil

"Katrradhu Tamil" was an unique movie experience. One can savor lot in this movie , be it jeeva's superlative acting, anjali's freshness , kadhir's breathtaking cinematography, classy music of yuvan or hard hitting & witty dialogs ..............

Heart goes for the protagonist played by jeeva who endures lot of hardships being a tamil graduate , who had psychological disturbances right from childhood. humiliation and failures he faces at regular intervals finally finds outlet in the form of transformation into a psychopath.

Jeeva is all over the movie .that he has dared to do such a challenging character at an early stage of his career is to be applauded. changes he shows in body languages, dialog delivery and voice to match various stages of his life , scholarly pronunciation of tamil literature ,subtle expressions of psychological disturbances are expertly done. One can notice Jeeva trying to ape Raghuvaran in the early part of the film and Kamalhassan in the later parts.

Anjali is a revelation. Her fresh looks , childish voice , and the fact that she can emote well too can augur well for her future. Special mention must said of the young girl ,who plays her character in childhood , resembles her perfectly. Kudos to director for apt casting.

Karunas evoke laughter in his scenes . Alagamperumal also stays in our mind .

Yuvan has once again proven that he is a master in BGM after his father. He has provided soulful music.

Kadhir comes out with enchanting cinematography. One can feel the coolness of Achankoil, hotness of Maharastrian villages or chaotic existence of Chennai.

Director Ram has come out with a gem. Lot of scene stays on in one's mind for long. Jeeva's encounter with a B.P.O employee , 'touch me here if you dare' episode , scene with psychiatrist ,'unmayathan solriya' dialog in various shades of emotions between hero and heroine are stand outs. Dialogs are definite plus especially those on Chennai and its economic inequities .

On the flip side there is lot of flesh and blood literally thrown throughout the movie. Sometimes there is overdose of mush . Climax seems to be contrived .

But overlooking these glitches , this movie is right there amongst the classics of Indian cinema.

But at the box-office though its viability is questionable .

For me it was an enriching experience.

Cast : Jeeva, Anjali, Karunas

Direction: Ram

Music: Yuvan Shankar Raja

Production: M R Film Productions

4.5/5