Manmadhan Ambu

My Review : Manmadhan Ambu



The master story teller is back this time with a romantic comedy drama “Manmadhan Ambu” (short for “Man”nar , “Madan”agopal , “Ambu”jakshi ) . The manner in which screenplay is etched out lucidly with each & every details propounding a meaning in itself which comes out neatly & effortlessly is in itself a treat for cinema lovers.

The dialogues are crisp , intelligent & razor sharp & Kamalhassan has played with the language be it Tamil or English. “Intha ulaguthula nermaya irukaravangalukku thimiru than sir veliye..” , “Matrimony was lousy , but alimony was superb ” are just two of many such genius writing. The scene in which the lead pair exchange with their poems is not only a great piece of cinema in recent times it also evokes nostalgic memory of such a sequence in one of yesteryear Kamalhassan movie “Varumai Niram Sivappu” -“Chippi irukuthu muthum irukuthu”.

Story is nothing new but the treatment Kamalhassan has given is different with many characters whom one may think not related to the story comes to their own as the story unfolds. The way in which romance , drama , sentiments & not the least of them all comedy are blended into the story makes it a healthy cocktail refreshing your tired mind. And the last 30 minutes is one of the most rip-roaring hilarious sequence Tamil cinema has seen in recent times. Look out for the way in which the words are just played with & the “ crazy” Mohan influence is all for one to see.

KamalHaasan has not only excelled in these mentioned three departments of the movie , he is gracious enough to give a more challenging & more attractive role to Madhavan & let his role do the underplaying. Movie has nothing much to showcase the acting talents in him , however in couple of instances he shows us why he is regarded as the most talented actor the country has ever produced. The sequence in which Trisha reveals the truth about the accident is the just an example. All there was glimpses of his suave stylishness in couple of instances like when he rearranges the fallen garbage can , put his mobile into his pocket & the initial steps of the “"Dhagudu Dhattham" song.

Madhavan has the plump role in the movie & boy he has utilised it to the max. He steals the show & this will be one of his career best performances. He looked absolutely confident in his role & the manner in which he effortlessly managed to bring out those slapstick acts of his were commendable. His dialogue delivery has grown leaps & bounds & it was a carnival seeing him perform his role in this movie. Trisha has also done her part well & “act”ed this time after she started doing so in “VTV”. Her dialogue delivery was also good especially the confidence in which she has mouthed those poetic lines were praiseworthy.

Sangeetha is yet another performer , who has done a good supporting job. Though initially her role irritated a bit , she more than makes up for it in the last 30 minutes or so. Others like Kunjan , Manju Pillai , Urvashi , Ramesh Arvind also have done well.

Music by Devi Sri Prasad is good. "Neela Vaanam" is a good melody while "Who's The Hero" & "Dhagudu Dhattham" are foot tapping numbers. BGM was also fine , no qualms.

Manush Nandan’s cinematography aids in the travel of the story without undue gimmickry.

K.S.Ravikumar is the director who has helped his bit in bringing out the final product.

On the whole, initially though the pace is sluggish , after “Dhagudu Dhattham ” the movie picks up the pace building up expectation in the interval slot & after which it again reaches a plateau then really taking off in the final 30 minutes.

Bottomline : Pleasant..!

3.5 / 5

Eesan

My review : Eesan



After his glorious run in BO as the director, producer, actor , M.Sasikumar’s second venture as director is “Eesan” . Kudos for trying out a different genre this time not playing it safe in stick on to same genre which reaped rewards like most directors with successful first attempt tries to do. Thinking is good but the end result is not.

Movie is full of clichés. Corrupt politician, politician’s rouge son & his gang of corny friends, crooked policemen & one who tries to be honest among them, innocent girl from village coming to city to study along with naive dad & brother , rape that ensues & revenge...! Even the melodious family song showing the innocence of the family & village life...how many movies had such song right from “Pachai kiligal ” from “Indian”. The clichés which are abound is the major impediment to enjoyment & the amateurishness of the actors exacerbate it.

Screenplay is also very loose & looses focus over and over again . First half has nothing to offer except the scenes in pubs & the political cat and mouse game , every alternate scene , makes it tiresome . At the interval point however director manages to make the viewers sit up with anticipation & manages to keep up with it for some 15 to 20 minutes but once the identity of the mystery man is revealed it is followed by yet another stack of clichés.

The amount of violence in the movie is off-putting & unnecessary. May be Sasikumar must learn a thing or two from people like Mysskin as to how to create the same impact without showing much of blood & gore. And the lengthy rape sequence may also need urgent trimming.

The visual mastery he showed in his first movie is sorely missed here. Also the clarity of the story & screenplay as well as the novelty which all made “Subramanyapuram” a hit with both the critics & the masses are greatly missing here. Only novelty that one can come across in “Eesan ” is that Sasikumar has done away with the structuralism associated with Tamil cinema in the form of doing away with hero-heroine-villan-comedian stereotypes. Here there is no hero or heroine or villain. Everyone has some shades of grey & vulnerabilities which lead them into becoming a victim of the circumstances.

Coming to acting , except a very few , amateurishness is writ large on almost every other actors. This seriously prevents the viewers from getting the kind of impact the movie of this sort would have otherwise created.

Music is nothing much to write about thought the BGM is supportive to the story & adequate.

Kathir’s cinematography is an asset to the movie while Raja Mohammad has tried some innovative editing style which is catchy & trendy.

On the whole , “Eesan ” is violent , cliché-ridden, boring .

Bottomline : below - average

2/5

Nandhalala

My Review : Nandhalala



Based on the Japanese movie “ Kikujiro” , Mysskin’s “Nandhalala” is a travelogue with a brilliant background score by Ilayaraja & excellent cinematography by Mahesh Muthusamy. Mysskin the director takes the third place only though he is the man behind the movie as the whole.

Ilayaraja is back with his haunting violins which made movies like “Veedu ” & “Sandhya Raagam ” memorable. He is one musician who knows the value of silence . In many poignant sequences where a customary music director would have tried his level hard to put in some music to fill in the emotion , Raja just makes the silence evocate the emotions in the viewer. Ilayaraja is the foremost person why many would have ventured into the theatres showing this movie & he does satisfy them whole heartedly.

All the three songs that find a place in the final cut "Melle Oorndhu Oorndhu , "Onnukkonnu.”’, "Thalaattu Ketka Nanum" are haunting pieces . Hearing Ilayaraja & K.J.Yesudas after a long time in itself brings back the nostalgic memories in you.

Mahesh Muthusamy is the second most significant person of “Nandhalala” . Movie has lots of long shots & the manner in which he has literally played with the camera in his hand is astonishing. With the aerial shots , low-angle shots which he used to great effect in “Anjathey” in that famous sequence & the number master shots in the movie , Mahesh must have had a ball in showcasing his talents which he has in abundance.

Mysskin , the director has done a decent job while the screenplay writer must have dozed off a bit while the actor is completely off target. The confusion in which he has conceived & portrayed the mentally ill character is average to put it mildly. Bereft of the sensitivity , poignancy & authenticity Myskkin’s mentally ill protagonist is stereotyped , ill-etched & far-fetched from real.

Except that aberration, rest of the characterisation are well-etched and conceived & brilliantly portrayed by the actors , be it Aswath Ram as the other protagonist or Snigtha , the bikers , the shepherd , the lorry driver , the coconut vendor , etc. Nasser , though he comes in for just 20-30 seconds or so , he leaves a mark in your mind . And Mysskin’s speciality is the situational humour & the angst which come out effortlessly onscreen. Rohini is too young to be Mysskin’s mother , atleast some make-up would have done some good to hide her youthful demeanour.

The final 15-20 minutes disturbs you & leave a mark where the director & writer in Mysskin some to the fore but the two reasons why the movie makes a greater impact are one ,Ilayaraja & two , Mahesh Muthusamy.

On the whole , “Nandhalala” is a journey worth travelling .

Bottomline : Thalaatu..!

4/5

CHIKKU BHUKKU

My Review : Chikku Bhukku



Legendary cinematographer-cum-director Jeeva’s assistant Manikantan who completed the former’s last project “Dhaam-dhoom” after his untimely demise has come out with his first full feature “Chikku Bhukku”. The movie’s basic thread is inspired from “Love Aaj Kal ” but the comparison ends there for it is like comparing chalk & cheese.

“Chikku Bhukku” is viewer’s nightmare & it’s like the worst punishment one can go through in the name of entertainment. One shudders to think how can one end up watching such a movie in the first place wasting time & money. Moreover what must have been going through the mind of the producers when they convinced in frittering away their ?hard earned money in such an inane project. Manikantan has just squandered his chance big way.

Movie is very sluggish , amateurish , uninteresting , head-ache inducing , silly , absurd, .....losing at adjectives to describe it. Only solace is the 1985 part of the story even though it is not that novel atleast it tries to capture your attention.

Preetika is not only pretty but “acts” well too & an exact antithesis to what all that of Shriya , who looks jaded , doesn’t seem to know anything remotely related to acting .Infact Shriya trying to do a “Bommarillu” Genelia or a “Jab We Met” Kareena irritates the already battered & bruised viewer leaving him/her to squirm in the seat.

Arya’s portrayal of Sekhar is calm & matured while his characterization as Arjun is half baked & his performance too takes a beating due to that.

Shanthanam is the only reason why one may remain sane while watching the movie & he prevents the viewer from getting into a complete meltdown.

Music by Colonial Cousins Hari-Leslie is nothing attractive while Gurudhev’s cinematography is classy & the colour tone he has employed to show variation between the 1980’s story & the present day one is good. Technically movie is sound but content wise it has nothing to vouch for.

On the whole , please don’t recommend it to even most nastiest of your enemies.

Bottom-line: “ Chikku Bhukku “ – Total derailment.!

1.5/5

Va (1/4)

My Review : Va



Puskhar-Gayatri fresh from their different yet successful debut movie “Oram Po ” are back with yet another different attempt with “Va “(1/4) . The film's story takes place in one night, in which the protagonist, with the help of his would-be brother-in-law, hunts for a last liquor before leaving to Saudi Arabia. The freshness of the concept & the manner in which the movie has been shot are the strong points while the sluggish screenplay plays the spoilsport.

The direction is also patchy with some good sequences interspersed with some very ordinary & some very amateurish ones. While watching the movie sometimes one get a doubt whether the same due have done this movie too for they have done a very neat job in their debut feature.

Dialogues too are at times funny & at time kiddish. But the thing that make it worse is the bad dialogue delivery from Shiva & the one who has dubbed for Lekha. Shiva’s rendition of Kovai Tamil is simulated & doesn’t jell with his body language.

Shiva is getting typecast & he seems to be doing the same thing all over again right from his debut movie “Chennai 600028”. He seem to have reluctance to come out of his comfort zone which would make his survival difficult in the industry which is fraught with heavy competition. Or else he would end up as a comedy side kick in the near future.

S.P.B.Charan does a neat job of it as the brother-in-law of the hero .He has come a long way since “Unnai Saran Adaindaen ” in his expressions & histrionics. His dialogue delivery is way better than the hero & heroine while his comical expressions are a treat. His innocent & naive demeanor adds up to the effect.

Lekha has nothing much to do which the bane of the heroine of contemporary Tamil movies.She overdoes her expressions in many of the sequences & she needs to learn how to draw a line between comical expressions & insanity .

John Vijay is as competent as ever & after “Oram Po ” he gets a meaty role in this movie & he has utilized the opportunity well.

Nirav Shah’s cinematography is one of the USPs of the movie . He is as stupendous as ever but the green tone does gets under one’s nerve after a point.

G.V.PrakashKumar’s music has nothing much to offer while his BGM is pathetic to say the least. Its as if one is watching a amateur drama & BGM being given for it by some part-time musicians.

On the whole , “Va (1/4) ” is not as bad it is portrayed in the media . It does keeps one engaged in the goings-on with the intermittent phases of amateurishness that leaves one dismayed .

Bottomline : Appetizing but not enough kick to offer..!

2.5/5