Mardaani

My review: Mardaani

Pradeep Sarkar's "Mardaani" marks yet another comeback attempt for Rani Mukerji after her not so good returns in the box-office over the past few years. It is essentially a cop story that follows all template studiously with the theme of child trafficking thrown in for novelty. The theme though is topical importance and relevance the manner in which they have milked the issue for commercial purposes is despicable. The director known for his subtle portrayal has missed it this time in his endeavor to present a  commercially viable movie. 

Movie does has its moments, but they are few and far in between. The tempo also wavers and when actually the tempo needs to pick up, the director decides to go about it leisurely towards the end. As a result the movie fails to create the desired impact. The banter between the protagonist and antagonist make for riveting viewing in the middle with some witty lines.  

Movie is well served by terrific performances by its cast. Rani Mukrji spouts fire with her demeanor fitting of a tough cop. Her body language and acting is fine. It is Tahir Bhasin as the main antagonist Walt who steals the show. His casual yet spine chilling performance would sure make him get noticed by the connoisseurs of cinema. Rest of the support cast have performed well to perfection.  

Technically movie is sleek and well made while the talented yet underrated Karthik Raja gives a terrific background score which enhances the tension, the predominant mood of the movie. On the whole, "Mardaani" is a full blown commercial action pot-boiler masquerading as a movie with rich social message.

Bottomline: Brusque and blunt. 

3/5

Salim

My review: Salim

After the impressive debut with "Naan", Vijay Anthony is back with his new movie "Salim", named after the character's name he played in the former. Written and directed by debutant N.V.Nirmal Kumar, "Salim" is an action thriller, part vigilante drama and part hostage drama. When you look at it as a movie in general there is not much to complain but naturally when Vijay has set his bar high with his debut one must say his second movie doesn't live up to the expectations he has created for himself. Somehow one feels there is some lacunae in the movie, may be sluggish screenplay or loose direction or contrived proceedings. 

Movie is sluggish in its first half, pretty much nothing happening with the events proceeding at a labored pace with very few moments that evoke your interest. By the turn of second half things does get spruced up but the contrivances of the screenplay and tiring overdose of action masala moments mars the overall impact. The main brownie aspect that saves the movie is its dialogues which are razor sharp, evocative and witty as and when the situation demands. Also the director could have opted for a more subtler presentation instead of the over-the-top almost tollywoodish spicing that he ends up with. 

Vijay Anthony has improved leaps and bounds in his acting and dialogue delivery. His eyes has become more expressive but he is still stuck in his comfort zone. He need to take up roles that can help him explore more shades other than his favorite grey. Though there is virtually no big name in the support cast, the actors have done their parts well. Aksha Pardasany, though looking plump is quiet impressive with is her emotive skills. Vijay Anthony, the composer disappoints big time. There is not even a single track which is impressive. However he redeems himself with terrific background score that is more of an extension of his "Naan" theme. 

Movie is technically good, M.C. Ganesh Chandra helming the cinematography with his penchant for experiment with the lighting, especially in the second half. N.V.Nirmal Kumar shows glimpses of his potential here and there, but he needs to be more consistent to weather the competitive field Tamil cinema has become off late. 

On the whole, "Salim" is an average thriller that could have been even more impressive if only the makers have opted for sublimity over crudity. 

Bottomline: One time watch. 

3/5   

Munnariyippu

My review: Munnariyippu

The writer-director who is also the cinematographer of the movie, Venu gives an indication of things to come right at the outset. The initial 3-4 minutes of "Munnariyippu" that one gets to see on screen is a dead lizard being dragged by some 15-20 ants on a wall as the titles appear. By this long shot which is terrifically shot the director achieves two things at one stroke. First he prepares the audience for the pace at which his narration is going to be for the next two hours as well as he underlines the fact that one character in this movie is going to be dragged by some others into something he/she is "dead" against. 

Movie is one of those rare ones where you experience rather than watch things unfold on screen. As the movie is told in the point of view of Anjali Arakkal played by Aparna Gopinath the audience too travel along as she experiences her thirty days with Raghavan, convicted for life who just gets out of prison reluctantly. We experience the surprises, expectations, happiness, frustrations that she goes through in her endeavor in making him write his life story for a publishing house. Half an hour into the movie the predominant emotions that Anjali and in turn the audience we go through is that of frustration by the activities or rather the lack of it from Raghavan. The director has stuck gold in getting his pace of storytelling exactly for the right emotions to resonate in the audience. As a result the end is something that would jolt you out of your seat as it does for the movie's female protagonist. 

 Mammooty has once again proved that all he needs is one shot to usurp all the accolades in his favor. The power-packed performer gets his due in the last few seconds of the movie which is more than sufficient for you to get awestruck. Who else can make your spine chill with such a casual smile in the end. Aparna Gopinath is actually the one who calls the shots right through the movie which only a capable actress like her could manage. 

"Munnariyippu" is a movie that needs its audience to invest patience in ample measures for them to enjoy the experience.It is excellent that the writer, director and the cinematographer of the movie is all the same person. Venu has successfully translated the written work on screen  and has presented to us a visually appealing movie with lots of long shots that captures the emotions of the actors so tellingly yet in the most unassuming manner. Though the movie gives you a art-house feel, it is by far one of the most terrific visual movie where the dialogues take a back seat. Bijibal's background score further accentuates the movie's eerie feel.   

On the whole, "Munnariyippu"  is an experience not a movie which is a throwback to the bygone golden era of Malayalam cinema. 

Bottomline: Awestruck !!

4/5 

Kathai Thiraikathai Vasanam Iyakkam

My review: Kathai Thiraikathai Vasanam Iyakkam

R.Parthiban is one of the few auteurs who graces Tamil cinema. Almost all his movies are original not resembling the other in any aspect whatsoever. And yet he has his own indomitable style of presenting the story and especially the dialogues almost have his unique quirk and wit, rich with wordplay all along. Many of his movies like "Houseful" and "Kudaikul Mazhai" were way ahead of the times at which they were released. One has not seen delusions and hallucinations so imaginatively portrayed as he did in "Kudaikul Mazhai" as far as Indian cinema is concerned. When such a talented auteur comes out with his movie, cinema connoisseurs are bound to look forward to it whenever it happens. "Kathai Thiraikathai Vasanam Iyakkam"  KTVI is his latest movie release which he has written and directed comes out with a quirky tagline " a film without a story"! 

KTVI is almost part autobiographical (can be of anyone's who aspires for original work in Tamil cinema) and part wishful. The fact that Tamil audience are warming up-to all sorts of new ideas in Tamil cinema must have emboldened the writer and director in Parthiban to have a field day with making the KTVI which shows on screen. He goes firing on  all cylinders right from the first frame until the end. There is no hesitation on his part be it the screenplay with all his non-conformity to the traditional template or his direction steering the movie in a lively light-hearted manner. As always his dialogues are terrific, almost warranting a second viewing to enjoy the missed ones. 

When so much of intelligence oozes in every frame it might get too overwhelming for a regular movie watcher. But uncompromising on his work Parthiban has manfully stuck to his strengths with the backing of  many familiar faces from the glamour world. First half is a breeze, never a dull moment, jets past you in a whiff. Second half gets a bit dragging towards the end, but the restlessness is more an offshoot of the story-line rather than the laziness of making. And the ending is brilliant, testimony to the confidence he has on the contemporary audience.  

Other than Parthiban, movie belongs solely to Thambi Ramaiah, who time and again surprises you with his enormous talent, be it comical or otherwise. Here too he is terrific in his comical avatar and just when you get used to his comical talent he sweeps you off your feet with that one scene in the hospital with his histrionic ability. Without him the movie would not have been half as entertaining as it is. Other than him among the newcomers, Vijay Ram as Suruli aka Murali impresses with his comical timing and Akhila Kishore with her acting abilities. Others are just about adequate. 

Technically movie is without any glitches while background score of Sathya is just about adequate. 4 songs composed by 4 music directors don't pass muster.

On the whole, KTVI is yet another promising movie that defies the Tamil cinema convention, be it in the storyline or the making style. It would be an utter shame if a movie with such cerebral inputs gets floored by those made by harebrained makers armored with marketing blitz.

Bottomline: An interesting novel attempt is an understatement

4/5

Anjaan

My review: Anjaan

When the top two, Vijay gives a "Jilla" and Ajith, a "Veeram", would the third in the line Suriya lag behind. He goes down all guns blazing (quiet literally at that !) with his Lingusamy directed "Anjaan". You would know that there is something seriously wrong with a film if no one laughs at the "director-intended" comedy scenes but the whole theater is in raptures during the "director-conceived" so-called "mass" scenes. Movie is so bad that even Suriya who was successful in improvising a pathetically written  "Singam 2" into somewhat palatable outing with his histrionics fails to even salvage a modicum of credibility this time.  

Writing is that bad and terrible that it is hard to describe. Writing is more about trying to fill in the gaps in between few average songs and generous dose of action sequences. 15 minutes that Lingusamy criminally wastes post interval starting from the Brahmanandam's "so-called" cameo (conscientiously without any disrespect to the term "cameo") up-till the end of the bromantic speech between the two lead male protagonists interspersed with a dance medley ( serious creative drought evident here) is one of many such con-act that the makers have pulled off robbing the viewers of their precious time and money. The movie would have well gotten over in 20 minutes and still it would have been excruciatingly bad and boring. 

  When is the last time when every scene, every dialogue and even the locations (who would have not thought about the Golconda fort for a climax showdown) are guessable to ridiculous extent. The "so-called" twists and turns are not just down right silly but infantile to the extent that one can't but laugh at the silliness of it all. Right from the start to the finish not even a second that you feel that there is some sincerity, leave alone creativity. I dare challenge anyone to enlighten me at least one frame that is original.

Trying to catch up with your contemporaries is good but falling into the same stinky pit that they have recovered from is foolishness. Vijay and Ajith seem to have learnt their lessons (in spite of such dreadful Jillas and Veerams now and then) realizing that content is the king and they are just mere mortals scouting for better scripts and makers. But Suriya seems to have regressed from the days of " Kakka Kakka", " Ghajini" and "Ayan" following the freak success of his "Singam" and its sequel. He is not convincing at all as a Mumabi based gangster in this flick, may be an offshoot of poor writing and direction or his own disinterest. 

After her disastrous career so far in Tamil industry Samantha has taken recourse to skin show. Her histrionic abilities are as much as the cloth covering she gets in this movie. Vidyuth Jamwal is wasted in a hackneyed role. Each and every north Indian actor who is part of this movie has terrible lip-sync giving a feel of watching a poorly dubbed movie (even otherwise you a get a feel of watching a poor-man's Telugu masala movie). 

Usual solace in a Lingusamy movie, the songs too are poor this time. None of the songs composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja strike a chord with the audience. His background score is platitudinous. This movie don't deserve a cinematographer of the stature of Santhosh Sivan. He seems to have acknowledged that and has strictly and selectively redone what he did in "Thuppaki". 

On the whole, "Anjaan" is one of the most hackneyed movies of the year, comical for all the wrong reasons. 

Bottomline: A reviewer's dream of shredding a movie to pieces.

1/5

Sri Talkies in the "Sarabham" teaser

Sri Talkies gets acknowledged by the makers of the Tamil movie "Sarabham". Watch the below video @ 0.40 secs. 

Into the Storm

My review: Into the Storm

"Into the Storm" is yet another serving of a disaster movie which is an ode to the 1996 blockbuster hit "Twister". It has come armed with advanced computer generated visuals of the tornado and its aftermath which is just jaw-dropping. What it gained over the "Twister" in the form of its terrific making and fascinating visuals, "Into the Storm" looses it when it comes to an engrossing tale and power-packed acting. The story is as cliched as you can guess with a all sorts of cliched characters and contrived situations. And to make the matters worse, the acting is not that promising.

A hard-nosed storm chaser who risks it all, his reluctant understudy, a confronting weather analyst, a straightforward vice-principal of a local school, his sons - one an introvert and another an extrovert, couple of adrenaline junkies....yes you have them all playing their parts amidst the marauding tornados. They get themselves into dangerous of situations and invariably get themselves out of trouble as well. And it is quiet astonishing that every-time the tornados miss the lead bunch like invariable the bullets evade our action heroes. 

Except for its eye-catching visuals and awesome technical wizardry, movie fails to offer anything as much as the soft skills goes. As a result all the the hardwork that the technical team has put does down the drain due to lackluster writing and pretty ordinary performances. 

On the whole, Steven Quale's "Into the Storm" is strictly for the adrenaline junkies, who don't just bother about  the soft skills.

Bottomline: Into your nerves. 

2/5 

Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania

My review: Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania

A tribute to the all time cult romantic blockbuster "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge"(DDLJ), Shashank Khaitan's "Humpy Sharma Ki Dulhania"(HSKD) follows the route laid by the former studiously adapting itself now and then with the sense and sensibilities of today's generation and current trend of movies. Thus it can be said it is an updated version of DDLJ but does it create the same impact the former managed is a big question to ponder over. And the answer is no but yet it is not a bad film either.   

Shashank has done a pretty decent job as the script writer and director presenting to us a breezy romantic comedy that is a throwback to the early 90's when the kinds of DDLJ, "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai", "Dil To Pagal Hain" ruled the roost. He keeps the background strong from those days of lively romantic comedies which gave ample importance to families and relationships but also spices the proceedings up with the contemporary mores and value systems. In the end the two hours that one spent watching the movie just breezes by with qualms absolutely whatsoever. 

Varun Dhawan impresses with his subtle performance though there is ample scope for boisterous histrionics he has dished to us so far. He has shown that he is not just a good comedian but also has potential in him to be a good actor. Alia Bhat just seems to have hit the purple patch in her career so soon. Whatever she touches seems to turn gold and this time too she is too good in her role of a typical Punjabi "dulhania " Kavya. Ashutosh Rana for a change gets a pleasant role who is reasonable instead of one of those cliched roles that he has been getting recently off-late. 

On the whole, "Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania" is one of those simple romantic comedies that you will enjoy with your loved one no matter how cliched it may seem.

Bottomline: DDLJ reboot 

3.5/5

Avatharam

My review: Avatharam

"Avatharam", directed by Joshiy starring Dileep and Lakshmi Menon is a bland action thriller that has nothing new to offer. Age old revenge drama with stale romantic -comedy of the first half and cliched action thriller in the second half fails to get off the mark from the word go. Nothing in this movie is new to be seen. Dileep tries to spice up his role from inspirations from his past successful movies but sadly nothing much moves the audience. It is as if everyone has just gone through their motions when they were making this insipid affair.

Other than the distracted Dileep, movie also has Laskhmi Menon riding on her terrific form in Tamil industry in the most banal role of  her career so far. She has sparse screen-space and that too is under-cooked. Others in the cast perfectly fit the contrivances that the writer Vyasan Edavanakkad has let out unabashedly. Technically movie is good, well shot by R.D.Rajasekhar. Deepak Dev's music doesn't have anything to go by as far as the novelty is concerned.  

After the successful "Run Baby Run", Joshiy seems to have stuck on his trough with this one being the third straight washout from him. On the whole, "Avatharam" is boring movie. Period.

Bottomline: A tepid affair. 

2/5

Sarabham

My review: Sarabham

C.V. Kumar's Thirukumaran entertainment is fast building a reputation for itself as a brand that is reliable, off-center and avant-garde as far as its products are concerned. It has come to a point that if they are involved with a movie then that one is bound to be good and a safe bet for your money. In this background comes their latest release "Sarabham"quizzically with subdued promotions for which the company is known for. Yet another talented youngster is being introduced by Kumar with this movie, Arun Kumar. 

A "Con movie" in its real sense unlike the imposters that we have seen in the recent past, "Sarabham" has one of the neatly written suspense thriller screenplay of the year so far. If anyone could have guessed the story right then he must be one of those ultra smart persons with sky high IQ. Such is the unpredictability of the screenplay that there are twists and turns that keeps you engrossed without a moment of laxity. The pace that the director has stuck with is just about perfect for the story to be told.

SPOILER ALERT : It is just refreshing to see how the youngster has sculpted the female protagonist's role (who actually ends up being the lead protagonist with everyone else playing second fiddle) , giving it so much prominence, shades and a rounded arc. In the days when female leads are used (or rather misused)  just as the eye-candy of the male lead and off course the frontbenchers, it needs guts and vision for Arun to write such a role which is not only bold but also that has numerous shades that are well conceived. And to opt for a unknown face for the role is just about supreme confidence that he has on his script though it turns out to be a blessing in disguise for not only Salony Luthra nails the role to the T, a known face would have surely failed to do the justice to the script.

Naveen Chandra is okay in his role of the greedy architect Vikram but at many crucial sequences maintains the same quizzical expressions. He needs a lot of honing to do as far as his histrionic ability is concerned. Meanwhile Salony Luthra is just terrific in her role. She is effortless, seems to have mastery over her methods and perfectly fits the character that the writer has etched out for her. She is at ease with various shades of emotions and relaxed with her Tamil dialogues (lip sync, I meant ). With the variations in her body language and emotiveness with her expressive eloquent eyes, she is sure a promising introduction to Tamil cinema. One wonders how Tamil cinema uses her in the future. Naren gets to play a substantial role this time and he is one of those supporting actors who surprises you with the amount of improvement he shows with each of his movies. Here too he is apt and gives a brilliant performance, taking recourse to subtlety when many would have ventured into overdramatics.

In Britto Micheal's music all the songs are terrific while his background score is class apart. It is quiet surprising to know that such a new entrant to cinema has come out with such a brilliant work. His background score definitely elevates the movie to a higher level. Cinematographer Krishnan Vasanth is another strong pillar who provide for the magnificence of the end product. His lighting, especially in the interior and night scenes,  are of international standards. It is quiet an astounding feat that these youngsters are capable of getting such high quality output with the economical resources at their disposal. Technically movie is topnotch. 

On the whole, Arun Kumar is yet another promising and exciting new talent that has graced the Tamil cinema over the past couple of years. It would be a great shame if "Sarabham" goes unnoticed submerged under the deluge of better marketed and promoted movies with whom it is competing. Unmindful of the end result, "Sarabham" will be remembered as one of those perfect movies that graced the Tamil cinema, for that Arun Kumar and C.V.Kumar, take a bow. 

Bottomline: That's how you make a con movie, peepol.      

4/5      

   

Jigarthanda

My review: Jigarthanda

Karthik Subburaj has already created a sensation with his debut movie "Pizza" with his unique screenplay and novel approach to its making. Riding on truck load of expectation arrives his second feature film "Jigarthanda" after a delay of a week. With this he reaffirms the fact that "Pizza" is not a flash in the pan endeavor and he is here to stay for a very long haul. He seems to be a  master in pulling the rug from under your feet going by his two movies so far. Unpredictability, novelty and euphoria which goes along with it seems to be the USP of his writing. "Jigarthanda" is yet another fine example of what these exciting line up of young filmmakers are capable of.

When one initially saw the promos of the movie, one can't but help lament, "Oh no! not another gangster story !". We have seen it all in the past decade or so which has been dotted with gangster movies of all types and variations. Yet it needs guts on the part of Karthik to take up a gangster subject and still make the audience go gaga all over it. The unpredictability of the screenplay is once again in the forefront, main reason for the movie to click with the audience. Like none of us would have anticipated how different can a horror movie be made in "Pizza", this time around too it is practically impossible to have anticipated such a new dimension of a gangster flick (though a musical is a bit little farfetched).

Karthik somehow manages to keep his screenplay razor sharp and swift not allowing the viewers to think about the logic and reasoning. Even before your cognition could take over the proceeding the next one starts which you end up savouring than devouring it. Though the first half is part humorous and part thriller, like he has shown that he is not a fan of sticking on to a genre and have penchant for cross-crossing between the genres, movie turns full-blown comedy riot in the second half. Though along with it the seriousness of the proceeding get watered down and movie fails to create any awe in the second half.

Simha is the power-packed performer of the movie, overshadowing everyone else in the cast, including Siddarth. Waiting all along in the fringes it is time an actor as talented as he is, getting all the limelight. He exudes mastery over the craft in a role which is part mysterious, part evil and part gullible. Siddarth fits in as a perfect foil playing the second fiddle for Simha, but he is good in his part. Lakshmi Menon has nothing much to do in a miniscule role. Karunakaran seems to be in terrific form these days. After a gala time in "Yamirukka Bayamey", he enthralls the audience once again with his unique face and expression (or the lack of it) and witty dialogue delivery. Vijay Sethupathi, whose presence has been kept under wrap all these days surprises with a brief cameo.

Santhosh Narayanan is fast becoming a master musician and his proficiency is evident in both songs as well as the background score. In this movie, more than his songs, he is terrific in his background score. Songs too are not the routine stuff, they too cut across the genres and patterns.

Movie is technically brilliant. Gavemic U Ary is the cinematographer who has done brilliant job with his lighting and shots. Movie gives you a feel of watching an international movie as far as the making and technical side is concerned.

On the whole, though "Jigarthanda" has terrific screenplay and making but somehow I feel that it is couple of notches below "Pizza"missing its wow factor and goosebumps.

Bottomline: Cools your heart indeed.

3.5/5

Thirumanam Ennum Nikkah

My review: Thirumanam Ennum Nikkah

Debutant Anees comes across as a youngster with potential but his ability to translate all of it on to the screen is found wanting in his debut movie "Thirumanam Ennum Nikkah" (TEN). Movie opens into a promising premise that has potential for a riveting romantic comedy. And the promise is somewhat fulfilled in the first half with quiet a few moments of cute romance and witty comedy. But as the movie progresses into the second half the problem starts with the writer-director trying into chew more than he could handle. 

Unnecessary sermonizing trying to appease the two religious groups he has focused on in the story and tedious espousing of their rituals make up for a dreary viewing. And just as the audience gear up for the finale thinking every knot is untied and movie has come to it's logical conclusion Anees comes out with  a boring protraction that does more harm than good to the final analysis of the movie. The inability to show restrain as and when it needs to be shown is more to do with inexperience than anything else. 

Anees should well learn from this and we only can expect a far better product from him next time, he seems to be having it in him.Movie is not a total wash out. There are scenes which are interesting, novel and at times quiet intelligent too like when the lead pair try to serve Biriyani for each other and how it all ends. Dialogues are also witty at times and dreary at times. 

Jai is getting no where with his roles and inability to improve upon his limited skills as an actor. It is quiet shocking to see an actor who is 13 films old is still all at sea in the histrionic as well as in other skills like dance and monotonicity of his dialogue delivery. Nazriya Nazim looks younger(!), cute and comfortably overtakes her lackadaisical co-star. Rest in the cast play a heady mixture of interesting new characters and beaten-to-bushes cliched ones. 

The main USP of the movie is its music album by Ghibran. It is one of the most refreshing albums in the recent times with "Kannukul pothivaipen" leading the charts. "Enthara enthara" and "Chillendra chillendra" are the other fine songs from the talented youngster. Movie's production values are pretty average with tacky making by a lackluster technical team comprising of Loganathan, the cinematographer and Kasi Vishwanathan, the editor, giving it a b-grade feel. 

On the whole, Anees has frittered away a potential engrossing plot as he digress from the first to the second half, along the way showcasing his talent here and there.

Bottomline: An average and tacky wedding. 

2.5/5