Dindugal Sarathy

My Review :Dindugal Sarathy

This is the 3rd remake of Sreenivasan's Malayalam script into Tamil following , "Vellithirai" and "Kuseylan:. But "Dindugal Sarathy " ,a faithful remake of "Vadakku nokki yanthram " unlike the other two which tampered with the original , is a credible launching pad for Karunas as hero.The movie's thread is interesting and though it has been made already in Hindi & Telugu , in Tamil it is going to reap the success which eluded in those two attempts.

Plot: What happens to the psyche of a dark-complexioned guy infested with inferiority complex when he marries a very beautiful young girl is told in a hilarious manner.

Karunas: After all these years of mixed success as a comedian , he plunges into the lead role of the protagonist in this movie & he has done justice to the character , thus keeping in with the reputation of comedians being good actors in the line of Nagesh, Thangavelu , Chandrababu , Goundamani , Vadivelu....... He not only provides the laughter in the movie but also manages to touch the heartstrings of the viewers in some scenes. It is a good start for him.

Karthiga: She has also done exceedingly well as the adorable wife of Karunas .She has the talent but whether the doyens of kollywood would make use of it is a big question.

Among the support cast Saranya ,the proverbial mother of kollywood , M.S.Baskar , Livingstone & City Babu have done thier part well. Especially M.S.Baskar deserves mention for he manages to bring the roof down with laughter whenever he is on screen.

Music of Dhina passes muster with "Dindugallu dindugallu " topping the list.

Taj's camera work is not spectacular but adequate.

SivaShanmugam has given a decent movie with a good concept which strikes the chord with the viewer at the outset itself. Though the movie would have been better served without those item numbers ,they are only minor aberrations which one can excuse.

On the whole though it is not a great movie but it is certainly watchable.

Bottomline: Sun Pictures on a Hattrick.

3.5/5

Abhiyum Naanum

My Review:Abhiyum Naanum

Radha Maohan is back with his 4th venture " ABHIYUM NAANUM " , 3rd with Duet Movies and the rapport that he shares with PrakashRaj shows on screen. The combo have given yet another feel good clean family entertainer that is thoroughly enjoyable.Movie moves at a lively pace filled with some intelligent humor that evokes a hearty laughter punctuated with some emotional scenes which do bring out the tears.

Plot: The movie is about the coming of age of a father's relationship with his daughter & presented as his memories he shares with another young father.

Prakshraj: He is omnipresent , his acting is omnipotent & his confidence on screen stemming from his omniscient knowledge of the script. It is a treat for lovers of good restrained acting & his ability to bring out various shades of emotions on screen is simply amazing. One can just admire the man with awe seeing at his acting prowess & ease at which he goes into the skin of the character .He has lived as Raghuraman, father of an adorable daughter.I am at loss of words .

Trisha: She don't have much to do as it was proclaimed to be.She has done her job well in the minimum scope that has been given to her.

Aishwarya: After a long ,long time a good character has come her way & she has done justice to it.

Ganesh Venkatraman : He debuts with this movie as a knowledgeable sardar, lover of Trisha .It is a good start from him.

Kumaravel: It is a mystery why he is used just by Duet Movies .He rocks in the role of Ravi Shastri , the confidant of the family.

Prithviraj : He is the young father to whom Prakash Raj Shares his memories with.Though his is a guest role , he comes throughtout the movie & it is a pleasant surprise.

Preetha's camera has a field day in capturing the natural splendor of Ooty and Munar .Her cinematography is pleasant on the eyes & heart.

Vidhyasagar: Another dampner from him as far as songs goes.Though he has done decently with his BGM.

Narayanan & Subramanyam 's dialogues are an asset to the movie. They ably fill the shoes of Viji,who has written dialogues in all the previous movies of Radha Mohan. Dialogues are replete with witty intelligent one-liners & thought full ones.

Radha Mohan has yet another gem that he can be proud of . Only one scene which dampens his good effort - that of PrakashRaj beating Aishwarya in the beginning-which i didn't expect from him. He has become adept in handling themes that involves human relationships & their emotions.

Bottomline: Abhiyum Naanum is a must watch for all the fathers of today , & those who will be one tomorrow .

4/5

Bommalattam

My review:Bommalattam

Seeing Dravid struggling for form is very painful .A legend like him must know when to exit gracefully before becoming subject to reams of redicule.The same goes to legends like Balachander or Barathiraja. Former's "Poi" was a painful experience and now the later joins with this one. This is a pale shadow of the ones Barathiraja , the legend has given us so far. Amatuerishness is seen all over the movie & this brings down a rather well written script to the gutter.The movie is full of some careless direction & it brings us to the question why the legend himself has not yet realised it is time for a graceful exit.

Plot: It is murder mystery with all fingers pointed towards a legendary director.Whether he comes out of it unscathed forms the rest of the plot.

Nana PAtekar: He has done well but his efforts gets drowned in that magnetic ,baritone voice of Nizhalgal Ravi , who has dubbed for him.

Arjun : he has lived up to the title that is given to him in this movie "amaidhi puyalai".

Rest of the cast don't impress much.Ranjitha comes with the same expression throughtout the movie while Rukmini & Kajal don't have much to do.

Music by Himesh Reshmamiya is good ."Doley dolaya" song is hummable. BGM by Mandi is not that impressive.

B.Kannan's camera work is OK .

Couple of dialogues are sparkling & draws the applause from the crowd.

Bottomline : Barathiraja sir your time is up .

1.5/5

Mahesh Saranya Matrum Palar

My Review: Mahesh Saranya Matrum Palar

The makers don't proclaim it to be a classic or a masterpiece or a movie of the lifetime, yet it moves even those with stony heart to tears .This one joins the line of movies which became huge hits more due to thier strong climax than anything else like Love Today , Sollamale...etc."Kool productions", who gave us one of the better movies of this year in "Pudichirukku" have come back with yet another good one.

Plot: A glimpse of the life of MAHESH, SARANYA, MATRUM PALAR...

Sakthi: Man, this guy has improved by a mile from his forgettable debut.Here he has concentrated on perfecting one emotion at a time rather than trying to be "jack of all trade but king of none" as he tried in his debut.He has wonderfully underplayed his part to a great deal .Watch out for the climax scenes.He deserves special applause for that alone.

Sandhya: It is shocking to see her almost double the size since the time we last saw her.Not only she looks plump ,her acting also doesn't impress much.She looks more older than Sakthi.

Saranya Mohan: She continues with her merry cheerful self here too.She has more scope & screen space than Sandhya and has utilized it well.

As far as supporting cast goes , not everyone fits the bill.Some of their acting look amatuerish but a few like Sakthi's father , grandfather , Srinath and the one who comes as Sandhya's friend impresses.

Vidhyasagar's music and BGM is a shocker.Wondering what went wrong with him.It has been a while now since he has given a riveting musical.

Gunasekaran's cinematography is not spectacular but adequate & ably supports the story.

P.V.Ravi , who has written story, screenplay ,dialogs & has directed the movie , seems to believe in sticking on to a simple story which is told in an impressive ,fresh narrative style & ending it up with a stunning climax.Some scenes between Sandhya and Sakthi reminds us of the famous "Kushi" Vijay-Jothika confrontations with even similar dialogs thrown in.

The movie goes at a snail pace but the happening keeps one hooked to the screen.May be he would have added more depth to the love story .Than the impact would have been even greater.

Bottomline: Feel-good wholesome Family entertainer.

3.5/5

Poo

My Review : Poo

"Poo" on-screen adaptation of Tamilselvan's short story "Veyilodu poi" is yet another one of those realistic cinema that we are getting to see more often now in Tamil Cinema.Sasi, who has 3 consecutive hits to his name each one different from the run of the mill stuffs, is back at it again with a bang."Poo" is an axample of how to tell a simple story in a more simpler form in celluloid and yet make a hard impact on the viewers. It also marks the debut of one of the most talented actress in recent times, Parvathy.

Plot: Story of the present day Andal's love for her Tirumal.

Parvathy : She is the protagonist of the movie and she fills the screen from the first frame till the last. The story has ample scope for her to perform and she has feasted upon the opportunity. Gamut of emotions come easy to her & none would believe that she is not a native of the area in which the movie is set. She has a very big future ahead if only she chooses her movies judiciously.

Srikanth: It is more of a glorified "guest role" .He does his part with elan which a degree of underplay.

Supporting cast especially Inbanila (last seen in 9 Rupai Nottu) who plays the heroine's friend , Ramu who plays Srikanth's father, the tea master with a curious name "Allo" and the one who plays Parvathy's mom are first rate.Kudos for the casting department.

P.G.Muthiah's camera has written poetry on screen.The dry arid red soil of the interior Tamil NAdu never looked so beautiful on screen. He has a very bright road ahead of him.

Veerasamar' art work enhances the movie's authenticity. Whether the palm trees, Tatched houses , fire-company , elementary schools....everything are done with great care & attention.

Madan Gunadeva's editing helps in the story move at a languid pace without any penchant for gimmickry.

Music is by S.S.Kumaran. Mark this man.Yet another talent unearthed this year.(incidently he is the 3rd M.D. introduced by Sasi after Bobby and Vijay Anthony) He rocks in his BGM score as well as in 3 of the songs."Chu chu Mari" lingers in our mind long after..

Screenplay , Dialogues & Direction is by Sasi.He comes back after a brief hiatus with a movie backed by his heart.His mastery over the medium is all there to see right through the movie.The use symbolisms like the 2 palm trees , the pet goat of the heroine and her love for it which symbolises the love for cousin , a goat going to altar just as Srikanth's marriage is fixed with a rich girl.....Also he deserves credit for keeping the grim tale with tinges of good humour right through.

His earthy dialouges tinged with humour , subtle emotions & had hitting realism , elevates the movie .

One negative is that except two songs rest of them don't stick on with the narrative.Rather they are more irritating than anything else .

Except that ,the movie is high class with a very poetic ending .Go for it if you don't mind sitting through it with patience.

Bottomline: Poo , flower with a pleasant fragrance.

4/5

Thenavettu

My Review :Thenavettu

Jeeva has already found out that crass masala movies are not his forte with that forgettable "Pori" but sadly he seems not to have learned from it."Thenavetu" sadly will stick out like a sore thumb in his filmography along with "Pori" .

Plot: Hero loves a girl - Villan's son tries to molest her - hero beats him to death - villan tries to seek his revenge - Hero ends up triumphs against all odds - Hero-Heroine unite - a duet song in the end credits..........!so much for an innovative storyline...!!

Jeeva - Tries his hard to appear comfortable on screen but sadly he ends up unsuccessful as a village ruffian from Madurai coming to Chennai to work.Nowhere does he speak the Madurai dialect either. But he dances like a dream.

Poonam - reminds one of the angelical , goody-goody heroines of holy virtues & morals that we were accustomed to see on screen during the 70's and 80's . She turns up in glamorous outfits & shed her inhibitions in the songs though .(They are just dream sequences you see ..! )

Kanja Karupu tries his level best to elicit some laughter but sadly he fails in his endeavour.

RaviKale just hams his way through while Shafi as his psychotic son impresses but his punch dialogs get irritating after a while.

Saikumar , yesteryear hero , is wasted in a role of an inefficient police officer.

Songs by Srikanth Deva is nothing to write home about but choreography in that folk duet is quite interesting.

Technically the film is shoddy .

Kathir , who debuts with this movie ,treads the safe path of his guru but sadly the masala lacks in taste.

Bottomline : Stay Away.

2/5

Varanam Ayiram

My Review : Varanam Ayiram

A movie that pays tribute to Father-son relationship.Whereas"Thavamai Thavamirunthu" by Cheran was a "realistic" portrayal of the theme "Varanam Ayiram" from the famous Gautham-Surya-Harris Jayraj combo is an "idealistic" one.TT was successful in forging an Emotional connect with the viewers which is precisely what VA lacks in .When two of the lead actors die in the movie it never creates any sentiment on the viewers due the artificiality in characterization .But Gautham has woven a fairytale script which keeps one engrossed to the screen right through the 3 hours fairly successfully though the proceedings turn out to be too postive to be real.

Plot : it is an elegy of the son to his deceased father...

Surya : It is Surya's movie right through.He fills up the screen with gaiety & aplomb .And the amount of work he has put in to transform himself from head to foot to portray various shades of his character brings out tears in oneself & he deserves a standing ovation for it.His vast improvement in his footwork also shows up in the songs as well.

Among the lead ladies , though none has a substantial role to play,Simran proves her worth as a seasoned campaigner meanwhile Sameera Reddy shines in the scene in which she accepts her love for Surya though throughout the rest of her part she has to only flash her beautiful smile on screen.

Divya has impresses with an underplayed performance in a miniscule role.

Songs are already chartbusters and Harris Jayraj once again proves his mettle. However the same cannot be said of the song picturisation which is certainly not Gautham's forte. Especially the first two songs are more of a "spoof" of the songs of the 70's & 80's respectively.

Rathnavelu's hardwork lights up the screen & the colour contrast that he has attempted for various moods & phases of Surya's life enhances the mood of the proceedings.

Anthony has refrained from his usual gimmickry & thus from hurting our eyes.

Gautham , who has scripted & directed the movie has done a neat job in yarning various threads in the life of the protagonist without any confusion & hence the lenght remains never a problem.Starting as a classy movie it meanders the routine commercial path before getting stranded in between.

Also one wishes we too to be showered upon all the good fortunes that the lead players is showered upon like love at first sight , a willing girl not one but two , a father who is so supportive that he sends his son all the way to US only to pursue his love, the US Visa officials who are more than glad to grant him Visa for the same reason , the way he recovers from drug addiction , as easily as he can rescue a kidnapped child in an unknown terrain ..................Everything in his life seem to be ridiculously so easy !

Bottomline: A movie set in Utopia.

3.5/5