Maalai Pozhudhin Mayakathilaey

My review: Maalai Pozhudhin Mayakathilaey

" Maalai Pozhudhin Mayakathilaey " written & directed by Narayan Nagendra Rao is aptly titled for it puts the viewer to sleep with its languid pace. Awesome songs , very good background score, sleek & glossy cinematography are some of the very few positive aspects of this movie. But poor , uninteresting & simulated screenplay , cliched characters & situations , unimaginative dialogues & poor acting mars the attempt. Not to speak of the inadequate direction & pathetic pace of the movie.

Concept is good that director-writer has tried to capture slice of life at a coffee shop over a period of 3 hours but the execution is what fails him. It is not that movie of this kind can't be taken in an interesting & engaging manner. But the problem here is the lack of natural flow. Everything looks artificial. Right from the coffee shop manager , the workers there, & each one of the 6 customers that the movie tries to focus on. The situations are so contrived that one can't keep the focus on the movie for long.

Main reason for watching this movie is Music which is a huge hit. "Ennuyire " & "Oh baby girl" are so popular & the director has done justice to these awesome numbers by a neat picturization. Achu the music director has done a good job in the background score also.

Gopi Amarnath's cinematography is another reason one can sit through the movie. His work is sparkling especially in song sequences & the montages.

Among the actors Aari does a neat job & he emotes well. Shubha Phutela is an eye-candy but needs to work on her acting skills a great deal. But one should appreciate the hard work she has put in to dub herself in Tamil especially considering that it is live-sound recording. Director should also be appreciated for this because her way of speaking is exactly how the character she portrays would have spoken. That in the name of aesthetics director has not considered someone to dub for her with perfect Tamil pronunciation is the way to go.

Subbu Panchu , Balaji , Tejeswini & R.S.Sivaji make up the rest of the cast. Since their characterization are sketchy , they don't make much of an impact.

On the whole , "Maalai Pozhudhin Mayakathilaey" is a very leisurely  paced movie which would sure test one's patience. Rather watching the movie as whole , get an audio CD of the movie & go on a long drive listening to the songs on a cool breezy evening. That is the real "Maalai Pozhudhin Mayakam".

Bottomline: Opportunity wasted

2/5

The Dark Knight Rises

My review : The Dark Knight Rises

Christopher Nolon is back with last of the Batman trilogy "The Dark Knight Rises". The movie is a typical mass masala Hollywood style where one man fights against all odds to win against the evil forces. With enough adrenaline pumping throughout the movie it sure does make one forget or rather ignore the logical fallacies.Moreover who cares for logic in a superhero movie. 

Movie has all the ingredients a commercial entertainer needs to have. Though the movie seem to have taken a pro-capitalistic & anti-communistic viewpoint , who cares in the final analysis when one can see a fallen capitalist Wayne overthrows the dictator of the proletariat in Bane. What other manner can one expect a movie made in USA to portray the war between the haves & havenots. And what else other than heaping praises as if it the most remarkable movie ever made  & watching it umpteen times to feed to the Capitalists in USA we people in the developing world are for.

If one forgets the basic premise of the movie (which we would very conveniently do ) movie is treat for the masala movie fans.

Christian Bale reprises his role of Bruce Wayne/ Batman once more. His hard work shows & his acting is flawless. Tom Hardy's Bane more than stands up to him though he is a far cry from Joker (Heath Ledger) from the previous installment. Anne Hathaway is sincere as ever with her alluring charm she does steals the viewers' heart. Others in the supporting cast Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt & Marion Cotillard does their parts well. 

What makes the movie extra special is the background score by Hans Zimmer. It plays a very vital part pumping in the adrenaline in the viewers. 

Technically the movie is top class. 

Christopher Nolon once again proves that he is master when it comes to making a commercial actioner.If one is able to digest few gimmecry like the prison doctor correcting a dislocated vertebrae (of all bones..!) with just a fist , "The Dark Knight Rises" is an enjoyable movie. Especially for the youth of today who are unconsciously being inoculated with capitalistic ideals , the fun of seeing the Millionaire Bruce Wayne beat the pulp out of those who aspires to create an equal society (albiet they being demonized by a wonderful piece of partisan writing  ) is a sell out. 

Bottomline: Forget the theme , enjoy the heart-thumping action.

3.5/5

Mirattal

My review: Mirattal

Over the last couple of years Tamil cinema has seen many movies which were remade from successful movies of other languages not faring that well. "Osthi" , "Uthamaputhiran" , "Thillalangadi" , "Vedi" to name a few. Problem with these remakes are that either the story didn't suit Tamil taste & sensibilities or the actor who starred in the remake didn't fare that well as the one who did it in the original or the screenplay & direction faltered. "Mirattal" joins the bandwagon  falling short by all accounts mentioned previously. It is a remake of immensely successful 2007 Telugu movie "Dhee" directed by Srinu Vytla.

Vinay looks ill suited for these kinds of roles & he only reiterates this point by his performance in this movie. He looks ill at ease in comedy sequences & fails to tickle the funny bones. The story is pretty old & Tamil cinema audience must have seen umpteen movies with this kind of story line over the past decade. The screenplay of the movie is poor with scenes suddenly appearing & disappearing , sequences disjointed from one another. Poor editing making the matters worse. Direction by R.Madhesh is non-existent with characters just enacting what comes best to them with no sense of purpose.

As a result "Mirattal " once again proves that remaking a successful movie into a different language is not a child's play. Many have tried & not everyone seem to as successful as few like Raja who has perfected the art of remaking. Even Shankar (Madesh's mentor) has done a decent job of it in "Nanban". R.Madesh has done 2 pretty ordinary works as director before this one. This one also does nothing to enhance his reputation.

Coming to acting Vinay looks clearly uncomfortable as said earlier. Sharmila Mandre does a decent job aping Genilia's bubbly act from the original. Shanthanam's is far-cry from what Brahmanandam did in the original. Except for couple of one-liners his roles falls flat. Prabhu does a decent job albiet his role is replete with buffoonery. Pandyarajan & Mansoor Alikhan completes the comedy team . Kanja Karupu irritates with his hamfest once more.

Music by Praveen Mani is not that interesting. Background score is loud.

D.Kannan is the cinematographer. His work shines in the song sequences.

Movie touted to be a comedy fails to do just that. The closest one comes to view hilarity is when Vinay & Sharmila blissfully dance to the tunes of the song in a busy street of some foreign country with bemused onlookers looking at them with disbelief. Ridiculous & one wonders how many more years directors would make these hapless actors do the same & subject us to this tomfoolery.

Bottomline: Poor remake

2/5

Thattathin Marayathu

My review : Thattathin Marayathu

“Thattathin Marayathu” directed by Vineet Srinivasan has a very simple storyline but bowl the viewers over by its simplicity, heart & emotions. It’s been a very long time since one came out of the theatre with heartfelt grin on the face. It once again proves that simplicity is the best even when it comes to movies.

Movie traces the love life of the protagonist who falls in love with a girl of different faith & class. Though the storyline has all the clichés of the love stories of the yore, it is the treatment by Vineet that makes it work big time. The freshness of the narrative supported by intelligent yet funny & sometimes hard-hitting dialogues and fine performance by the actors concerned has ensured that “Thattathin Marayathu” is easily one of the finest movies of the year.

The screenplay moves at a brisk pace interlaced with adequate doses of romance , humour , politics & sentiments. The beauty is that all these elements fall in place within the narrative & doesn’t look forced into it. As said earlier dialogues are the major strength. Brilliantly written one-liners laced with humour , politics & the current happenings without any restrain makes one say kudos to the writer. Honesty in writing what bowls one over. That they have used actual political party names without fear is praiseworthy. Hence the mushy & tacky romantic dialogues can be excused.

Though it is a oft-repeated story Vineet has not tried to be politically correct with respect to issues concerning religions. He has courageously addressed issues like the emancipation of Muslim women, respecting their wishes & aspirations and their freedom. All the same he does it with a great deal of maturity without painting things black & white. The dialogues in the end mouthed by Srinivasan are brilliantly said without being preachy.

Coming onto the acting part , Nivin Pauly has done a stupendous job as the protagonist Vinod. He literally carries the movie on his shoulder as the whole movie is said in his point of view. He shows great deal of mastery over emotions. Isha Talwar is luminous onscreen & does her part well. Aju Verghese as Abdu , Vinod’s friend is a show stealer. He brings down the roof with his witty one-liners. Though Srinivasan comes in a very brief role , he makes a lasting impact in the end. Rest of the cast have done their jobs adequately.

Shaan Rahman , the music director of the movie is another star. He rocked both in his background score as well as in the songs. The background score blends well with the narrative & rings in the ears even long after the movie is over. “Muthuchippi” , “Anuragathin Velayail” , “Thattathin marayathe ” are all well composed songs. Songs are definite pillars of strength for this movie.

Technically also the movie is brilliant. Majority accolades for the same has to go to Jomon T John , the cinematographer of the movie. His camera has shot the natural beauty of Thallasery & Kannur is a splendid manner.

Only negative point that one can think of is that movie is almost like a fairytale with everything falling in place without much struggle. One does get jealous of the ridiculous ease with which the protagonist achieves everything in this movie.

On the whole, “Thattathin Marayathu” is a beautiful love story that will sure make you smile at the end.

Bottomline: Beautiful 

3.5/5

Godfather

My review : Godfather

“Godfather” is a remake of K.S.Ravikumar’s “Varalaru” starring Ajithkumar in a triple role. Upendra has tried to do what Ajithkumar did in the original but falls way short in the final analysis.

Actually it is a very ordinary story of revenge & remorse made special by Ajithkumar’s portrayal of father with feminine body language & the vengeful son. Upendra spoils both these characters by his over the top acting. He tries too hard & all the time self-conscious in the role of Shiv with feminine traits. And his Abhinayas especially in the fight sequences are ridiculous. No wonder every time he does that theatre is bursts with laughter & taunts.

In the role of vengeful son he overacts a lot. He himself is confused with the characterization. Instead of portraying with cunningness & anger, he does an act bordering on psychosis. But the sincerity of the man is seen in each & every frame of the movie. It is only that these roles have already been done brilliantly by Ajithkumar in Tamil & Upendra fails to match up with it.

Soundarya does a decent job in her first movie. Catherine Tresa looks out of sorts. It is funny to watch her perform mentally challenged old lady act. Rest in the cast put in their sincere efforts.

A.R.Rahman’s songs from the original have been retained. Background score is pretty ordinary. Technically the movie is shoddy with low production values.

Sriram is both the cinematographer as well as the director of the movie. Direction is not that spot on. At many places movie looks amateurish & drama like. Histrionics run haywire while many sequences & dialogues are right from the 80’s cinema.

On the whole, “Godfather” fails to live up to the expectations.

Bottomline : Fails to deliver.

2/5

Romeo

My review : Romeo

“Romoe” starring Ganesh , written &  directed by P.C.Sekhar is a throwback to the misogynistic movies of the 80’s & 90’s. With its ridiculous plot line which actually portrays a “misogynistic” bigot as its protagonist movie does a lot of disservice to the society as a whole.

Take a look at the ridiculous plot of this movie. The protagonist is a slum dwelling graduate who falls in love with his office manager. He manages to woo her by telling loads of lies that he is a well to do rich guy & when she gets to know it he physically abuses her. She rightly moves out of his home & gets divorce. After a few months, when they again meet he tries to ignore her which rekindles in her love for him.....sigh..!!!!

When movie portraying intelligent & strong female characters have started coming & successfully at that , this movie portrays a heroine who is dumb to say the least. Which sane woman in this current age would be taken for such a royal ride as it is portrayed in this movie?  By trying to hide behind in the name of comedy would not be forgiven in the longer run. It is time to move on & writers to begin thinking wisely & neutrally.

Inspite of the ridiculousness of the plot , the actors have put in their sincere efforts. Ganesh is good back to his comical timing . He has a ball with other veterans Rangayana Raghu & Sadhu Koklia. Raghu is brilliant as ever with his immaculate dialogue delivery & timing sense. Sadhu Kokila brings down the roof with his comic act. Bhavana is gorgeous & has performed well too in a banal role. Avinash is in a caricaturised role.

In Arjun Janya’s music “Alochane ” is a brilliant melody while “Everybody rock ” & ”By 2 bedsheetalli” are nice foot-tapping numbers.

Vaidhi is the cinematographer & technically the movie is good.

P.C.Sekhar has tried to make a romantic-comedy-cum-family-drama & has succeeded in his attempt too. Only that he could have tried to stick on to a decent contemporary plot.

On the whole, “Romeo” is for those who enjoy chauvinistic plot & mindless laughter.

Bottomline: Few laughs at the cost of your conscience

2.5/5

Dandupalya

My review : Dandupalya


Based on real life incidents that rocked the city of Bangalore in the late 90,s & early 2000's , "Dandupalya" is a riveting movie. The raw & ruthless manner in which the movie is been shot might be too much for weak hearted people. One does need courage & gumption to withstand the goriness & the brutality of the happenings on the screen. More so when one think of it that these things actually happened & people based on whom this movie is made are still alive.

"Dandupalya" is directed by Srinivas Raju , starring Pooja Gandhi, Raghu Mukherjee , Makarand Deshpande , Ravi Kale , Priyanka Kothari, Bhavya & Sudharani. Movie moves at a brisk pace with no slack moments in between except for the small detour it takes following the romance of one of the victims. Though there seems to be umpteen censor cuts still the movie manages to have continuity .

At the end of the movie the director succeeds in sending down shivers in the spine of the viewers. Also the movie takes a neutral viewpoint without taking sides yet it comes out powerful , therein lies the success of the director.

Technically the movie is mixed. Most of the movie following the gang & its activities have been well shot. The amateurishness comes in the court sequences as well the Priyanka Kothari side plot. Cinematographer Ram Prasad has shot the movie nicely with good quality. Arjun Janya's background scores amply supports the gory happenings on screen. However his songs letdown but these kind of movies songs doesn't play that important a role.

Coming on to the performance of the actors almost all of them have done brilliant job. Makarand Deshpande walks away with the honours not by that bigger margin from the rest. His menacing eyes & perfect lipsinc makes it a pleasure watching him emote on screen. Raghu Mukherjee is also brilliant while Pooja Gandhi is a revelation in her role of Laksmi. Ravi Kale is dependable as ever while Bhavya & Sudharani use their experience to a great deal. All the others who form the Dandupalya gang have all done a very good job. Only usual suspect Priyanka Kothari once again fails to act on screen even after all these years trying to do the same.

On the whole, "Dandupalya" is a hard-hitting movie which makes a huge impact on the viewer.

Bottomline : Not for the weak hearted

3.5/5