Neelakasham Pachakadal Chuvanna Bhoomi

My review: Neelakasham Pachakadal Chuvanna Bhoomi

After a very impressive "Chaapa Kurishu" and not so impressive "Esha" of "Anchu Sundharikal", Sameer Thahir's third attempt at direction is "Neelakasham Pachakadal Chuvanna Bhoomi" (NPCB). Starring Dulquer Salmaan and  Sunny Wayne in the lead supported by a bevy of pan-Indian actors, NPCB is a road-movie that follows the protagonists' bike travel from  Kerala to Nagaland in search of the lady love of Dulquer. All along the journey they are faced with various landscapes, cultures and people influencing their life and their outlook. Though it appears philosophical NPCB is presented in a lighter vein which entertains in a restrained manner.

Though the screenplay could have been a bit better and climax which is very poor considering that we have been waiting for it for almost two and half hours with anticipation. The superficial ending plagued by a hurried up reunion of the lovers leave the viewers longing for more. There is absolutely no emotional connect with the ending even after one gets feeling of emotionally traveling with the protagonists all along the journey. Except for this blip the movie is eminently watchable and thoroughly enjoyable.

Main reason for the success of this movie is the protagonists Dulquer Salmaan and Sunny Wayne who have given excellent performances. Dulquer is getting better with every other movie of his and his choice of scripts are interesting and speaks a lot about his maturity which is rare in case of star-kids these days. Sunny keeps going on with his good form that he is in. A gifted talent that he is it is time that he gets more substantial roles in future like this one.

Among the ladies Paloma Monappa, Surja Bala Hijam and Ena Saha impresses in that order. Paloma is spontaneous and lively while Surja seems to be a bit restricted and stiff. Ena Saha is all smiles lighting up the screen whenever she is on it.

Rex Vijayan's background score is one of the pillars of this movie. Almost half of the movie is filled with only background score and Vijayan has utilized the opportunity to his advantage. A cinematographer himself Sameer has extracted good work from Gireesh Gangadharan. He also has lots of scope to capture vairous landscapes as enunciated in the title.  Movie is visually stunning and technically very good.

On the whole, NPCB is a good movie to be enjoyed with whole family. Go for it and join the protagonists in their adventurous trip from Kerala to Nagaland.

Bottomline: Enjoyable ride.

3.5/5

Aadhalal Kadhal Seiveer

My review: Aadhalal Kadhal Seiveer

Suseendran's "Aadhalal Kadhal Seiveer" when you look at the title retrospectively after watching the movie one can understand the director's sarcasm and at the same time the angst he has on the prevailing societal mores. Just about 100 minutes in length Suseendran has handled a subject that is not only relevant but also prevalent in the society. And in the end he has succeeded in pricking the conscience of the viewers. After a long time comes a movie which deeply moves the viewers and remains in the mind for long disturbingly. 

It is okay to have a movie that is short and crisp but movie of this type with it's hard hitting content needs more time for the subject matter to get established and the drama to unfold. Conversely the first half is half-baked with scenes moving at a speed which prevents the viewers from getting acquainted of various characters especially the lead protagonists and their family. Hence first half moves without much impact but succeeds in kindling the interest at the intermission point. 

Second half is brilliant. It takes a neutral viewpoint of how things happen in reality if  one does get confronted with such a situation. Backed by power-packed performance of most of the actors with the male lead Santhosh remaining the weakest link and soulful background score from Yuvan Shankar Raja, Suseendran manages to redeem himself in the second half. Climax especially warrants mention. It is one of the most moving climax in recent times that too ending the movie with a pathos song needs guts and gumption. One has to applaud the audacity of Suseendran in this regard which has elevated the movie to a great deal. That the audience are unmoved till the song is over and the end credits appear speaks volumes about the impact it has made on the viewers.

It is hard for a lead actress to get roles of such substance and scope to perform if not outperform the male lead. Manisha Yadav has hit the jackpot with this author-backed role which she has utilized to her advantage to the hilt. She is brilliant in effortlessly bringing out various shades of her character. She manages evoke ridicule, sympathy, respect and anger in the viewers with regards to her character which is no mean achievement. Though her character seems a continuation from where she left from in "Vazhakku en 18/9" her acting skills has improved a lot. In contrast Santhosh is a pale shadow in front of Manisha, clearly over-shadowed by her. 

Among the support cast Jayaprakash and Thulasi as the tormented parents of the girl are excellent. Especially Jayaprakash's understated performance is outstanding in scenes where a lesser actor would have clearly gone overboard and made the scene melodramatic. Poornima Bhagyaraj doesn't have much scope to perform. 

Yuvan Shankar Raja's music is the soul of the movie. Three more songs in addition to the ones in the album that was released a year back  are there in the movie. The climax song and the background score around the final few reels are testimony to his reputation of being the best with regards to background score among the younger music directors. "Thappu thanda", "Mella sirithal" and "Alaipayum nenjinil" are already huge hits.

Technically the movie is sleek and stylishly shot. Sooorya is the cinematographer and Anthony, the editor.

Suseendran is back with a bang after his lackluster "Rajapaatai". He has taken a topical subject and has presented it in a straight-forward and crisp manner.

On the whole, "Aadhalal Kadhal Seiveer" is a must watch for whole family. It is better to be forewarned than to feel sorry later.

Bottomline: Bitter truth.

3.5/5

Ainthu Ainthu Ainthu (555)

My review: Ainthu Ainthu Ainthu (555)

Sasi is one of those old school directors who doesn't believe in extravagance either in his movie launch or audio launch nor does he indulge in cut-throat promotions. Also if you have a look at his movies he has always worked with not so big stars while almost always introduced new technicians. Except "Roja Kootam" in all his movies he has introduced Music directors. "Ainthu Ainthu Ainthu" is just his 5th movie in his career spanning 15 years which is very slow rate by any standards but such is his works so far that each of his previous movies have rich content, each way different from one another. 

Such a classy maker Sasi is back with "Ainthu Ainthu Ainthu" 5 years after his last release critically acclaimed "Poo". This time he has tried his hand on action-thriller. Movie boasts of numerous twists and turns which keep the audience hooked to the screen throughout except for some instances which is mainly the unimpressive love-track between the lead pair. Movies with such numerous twists and turns must have a central knot which should be strong, if not shocking. But here that main knot is very ordinary, if not laughable. When that knot was revealed one can notice people breaking into laughter in the auditorium. Due to that weak knot that ought to have made the movie's impact stronger, 555 ends up just short of being a perfect thriller that would have scorched the screen.

Nonetheless with an astute screenplay Sasi manages to keep the viewers in tenterhook. Though no where near his previous creations in term of quality of the content and ease of making, still Sasi comes out unscathed in the end with a movie which promises a twist every 5 minutes. Except for the romantic track which is childish and below average rest of the movie is good. Makers themselves take a dig at it when Shanthanam says about the heroine that I thought she is Genilia but she is more like Anjali paapa.  

Bharath has put in his sweat and blood for this movie. His hard work shows on screen. He is present in almost every frame of the movie and he has grabbed this opportunity with both hands. He is brilliant except in couple of instances where he goes overboard trying to enact helplessness bordering on psychotic. Movie has two heroines with well written roles for both of them but both Mirthika and  Erika Fernandes are short in acting skills, hence have wasted the opportunity. Erika is marginally better than Mirthika in acting department. She reminds one of Ileana with her svelte figure and looks. Mirthika is fresh looking and an instant head turner. If only she hones her acting skills she might become really big in Tamil cinema. 

Shanthanam has about half a dozen lines of which only a couple makes the audience laugh. This time around he has more serious scenes to do and is more of a supporting actor rather than a comedian. The villain gang and the main villain, Sudish Berry however are routine Tamil cinema caricatures.

Simon makes debut as the music director. "Vizhiyile Vizhiyile" is a wonderful melody picturized in an awesome manner. Editor Subarak has done one of the best work for a song in recent times with brilliant job from the cinematographer Saravanan Abhimanyu. Hats off to Sasi for conceiving such an interesting picturization for this song. "Mudhal malai kaalam" and "Kadhal intha kadhal" are also very good melody numbers. Simon has done well with his background score also. 

Action choreography is excellent. Especially the gun fight between Bharath and  Sudish Berry in the end is brilliantly choreographed and enacted. Technically too the movie is of good standards.

"Ainthu Ainthu Ainthu" may be the weakest of Sasi's movies so far but still it is way better than bevy of recent movies that graced the theaters in the name of commercial cinema. For Bharath it has come as a lifeline and might salvage his career which was going nowhere with slew of bummers at box-office. Only problem this movie might face is that lack of promotion and sudden release which might result in poor reception which was evidenced by the meager 20% occupancy the movie had when I watched it. Good word of mouth might turn the tides in the box-office but time is running out.

Bottomline: A twist every 5 minute, just falling short of a perfect suspense-thriller. 

3.5/5

Chennai Express

My review: Chennai Express

 One is the biggest superstar of Bollywood while the other is the most sought after director who has given three 100 crore movies on the trot. What happens when they decide to do a movie together. "Chennai Express" is the answer. How good is the answer is for all to decide but whatever the result is, it is not original (one might ask which Rohit Shetty movie is..??!!). 

Scenes blatantly copied (which some hypocrites may christine it as "Tributes", Bulshit...!! ) from Tamil movies "Muthu", "Ghilli", "Alexpandian" to name a few. Most asinine of lines which are supposed to make the audience laugh (which many did, wonder what might be their IQ levels..!) like "I am from Punjab", "Which part ?" , " Whole body"...or the reply of SRK to Sathyaraj's "Unaku Tamil Theri'ma ?? " which one gets to watch every week in the comedy circus. (Since Rohit Shetty is a judge of the show he must be unconsciously gotten inspired by the performers in that show). 

Slipping on the grass by SRK, weird somniloquist attempt by Deepika (which is an amalgam of "Chandramukhi" Jothika and "Anjali" Baby Shamili :P) or exchange of messages through hindi songs (which was really comical the first time but when it gets repeated often it gets irritating) are things which are supposed to tickle one to laugh out loud which does happen for they were many people who seem to have come determined to laugh at anything that they come across today no matter how infantile it may be. 

Movie miss out not only in logic (any how if you look for logic in a Rohit Shetty movie then you must get tested  first ) but what about the geographical landscape. It was really laughable when the famous Dhood Sagar falls is passed off as the railway station of the Heroine's village. Many parts of Karnataka and Kerala are passed of as Tamil Nadu. 

Language is another casualty. Someone was credited as "Tamil dialogue trainer/supervisor"  but he must have been on grass while they were filming the movie I guess. When there are numerous talented voice artists around why should the makers make us endure the torture of non-Tamils trying to murder the language. It is really funny and at the same time irritating to hear Nikitin Dheer mouth Tamil dialogues many of which are in now redundant chaste Tamil. Deepika mishmashes Tamil,  Hindi and English all with weird accent. When she says that she will teach Tamil to SRK one does shirk in the seat with irony but the wretched result of the same when it appears in the climax when SRK tries his hand (mouth rather) on Tamil one can't but help the profanities from coming out of one's mouth. Why does she has that constipated look when she speaks in Hindi by the way..???

What made Sathyaraj sign this movie is anyone's guess. A cartoonish caricature, he too gets boringly repetitive with "ennamma kannu" routine of his. 

Movie is at times comical, very next scene it turns serious, then gets slapstick followed by a scene which works out more as a spoof which is again followed by a sentiment scene. The writers clearly have lost focus in what they were writing which in no way saved by the lousy direction. All of a sudden hero is in the international waters gets caught by police as a refugee, and in next scene he does this "Ghilli" impersonation. Clearly overdose of dopamine at work.   

Redeeming aspects of the movie (apart from the nice air-conditioned cooling in this dreadful Chennai heat, and hoards of good looking lasses around ) are Dudley's cinematography and Vishal-Sekhar's music (only songs mind you, their background score is very ordinary ). The video and audio of "Titli" and "Kashmir main tu Kanyakumari" are worth the 20% of the money spent. Rest of the money is what SRK does to his "daadaa's" ashes. 

Leave aside the logical, linguistic, geopolitical and ethnographic inaccuracies and insensitivities. Even otherwise "Chennai Express" is a pathetic movie lousily made. It is strictly for those pea-brained juveniles who are game for cheap jokes and (like SRK says in the movie ) "single screen humour". 

Bottomline: Survived 2 1/2 hours surrounded by 500+ imbeciles and a migraine. 

2/5

The Conjuring

My review: The Conjuring

 

 Supernatural horror movies are best enjoyed by people who believe in god and spirits but for non-believers it would be a great challenge on the part of the makers to scare them. Writers Chad Hayes and Carey Hayes and the director James Wan with more than adequate support from John R.Leonetti, the cinematographer and Joseph Bishara, the Music director have achieved precisely the same. That is why "The Conjuring"  has managed to scare even a non-believer in me. 

Main reason for it is though the movie uses oft-repeated horror movie cliche's the restrain shown by the makers in using the same is what makes this movie one of the scariest movies in recent times. There is no on your face horror sequences or makers trying to bombard you with gory faces or creepy shots or unnecessary bangs in music. They have been used sparingly and appropriately which is one of the main why the movie surprises you with the scary moments even though they are only a few nonetheless most of them effective. 

Whole cast have put in good effort. Be it Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson as Ed and Lorraine Warren, the paranormal investigators or Lili Taylor and Ron Livingstone, the head of the family who gets troubled by the supernatural forces. 

For a horror movie to be successful cinematographer and the music director should back the writers and the director adequately. In this movie John R.Leonetti has managed to scare the viewers not with undue gimmickry but with astute use of camera angles and lighting. He is very well supported by Joseph Bishara who has used silence wonderfully well in his background score. At many places silence spooks you more than creepy sounds.

On the whole, though "The Conjuring" strictly follows the oft-used horror movie cliches, it is scary at couple of places nonetheless. 

Bottomline: Well made horror flick that scares.

3.5/5

Sonna Puriyadhu

My review: Sonna Puriyadhu

"Sonna Puriyadhu" as the title indicates it would be difficult to understand why the movie does not strike a chord with the audience. It has "Agila ulaga superstar" Shiva with his indomitable comical style ably supported by rest of the cast who all are capable actors. It has a story which is a perfect comedy material that can be exploited to the core to rake in the laughs. Movie is technically good and sleek. There are quite a few humorous moments but all these does not add up in the end to satisfy the audience. The main culprit here is the screenplay and direction. 

One can't but help get a feeling of watching an amateur skit. We have seen skits staged in our college days better executed and more comical than this movie. Screenplay is way too sluggish to keep the viewer interested. And the direction leaves a lot to be desired. Scenes are poorly cut, many extending a bit more than what is needed. At times movie attempts at spoof, at times tries to be a romantic comedy, suddenly brings in a sentiment scene or two. There is a clear lack of purpose that is striking. May be the makers if they were a bit focused on what they intend to make movie might have turned out better.

Shiva is good in parts but looks disinterested in most of the scenes. He is too good in the dubbing sequences and the introduction scene in which he sings "Rosa hai, dil main rosa hai". (This scene brings to the forefront the stereotyping that Tamil movies are also not bereft of. So when our movies make such cheap fun of Hindi speaking people and their Tamil accent it must be prudent for us to be receptive when the vice-versa is shown wrt., Chennai Express). It is when he tries to do certain serious sequences that he falls flat. It is getting a bit redundant seeing him do the same time and again. For his style to work out it should be backed by a good script but here it is not so. Vasundhara Kashyap continues with her good work. She is one actress who is able to perform whatever role she is given. Also it is heartening to see the female protagonist getting equal footing. Rest of the support cast are all good, have done their parts well.

Yatish Mahadev is the music director. None of his songs are hum-worthy and his background score is poorly done. Especially in the climax the voices of the actors get drowned in the BGM. Saravanan's cinematography is good. He shines in the duet song sequence. Movie looks glossy. T.S.Suresh, the editor seems to have dozed off in his editing table. A bit more diligent effort from him could have salvaged the movie to some extent.

Krishan Jayaraj has written and directed the movie. He seems to lack clarity of purpose. And he has to work a lot more in honing up his directorial skills. In these days in which even the short films are made more professionally it is shocking to come across a movie that can be best described amateurish. 

On the whole, except for a few comical moments here and there by and large "Sonna Puriyathu" is a huge disappointment.

Bottomline: Not worth the money spent.

2/5

Pattathu Yaanai

My review: Pattathu Yaanai

It's been six years since Vishal gave a hit and after a string of flops he has gone back to Bhoopathi Pandiyan who is the director of his last hit movie "Malaikottai". But the problem in "Pattathu Yaanai" is that the movie is totally out of sync with the contemporary. Movie studiously follows the time old template laid for mass commercial masala movies which nowadays has become redundant. When more established stars themselves are steering away from this baloney it is both disheartening and irritating at the same time to see these up and coming actors sticking on  to it.

"Pattathu Yaanai" comes across as a half-backed attempt by all concerned. Everyone seem to be going through the motions. Movie's story is ridiculously hackneyed complete with a most banal love track and even more pathetic back story. Execution leaves a lot to be desired with amateurishness writ large.

Pathetic characterizations make it really hard for the viewer to jell with the story. The protagonist is the age old Tamil cinema's do-gooder who suddenly becomes a super-hero reincarnate at the drop of the hat. Heroine is a dumb school student who falls for the hero just because he happens to organize her poorly kempt house. Villains are the most ridiculous of all, less said about them the better.

Vishal looks clearly disinterested throughout the movie. Wonder what goes through the mind of such young actors when they spend time in projects like these. Another star kid on the horizon Aishwayra Arjun is a big disappointment. She is poor in emoting which is further magnified by a poorly written role. Shanthanam's comedy fails to evoke laughter. Villains are irritating with their buffoonery in the name of villainy. 

Except "Azhago Azhagu" none of the other songs warrant even a second listening. Thaman is the music director while Sabesh-Murali have done the background score which is poor and at many places not in sync with the scenes. Vaithy is the cinematographer who has done what is expected of him for a commercial movie like this. Technically movie is average.

On the whole, "Pattathu Yaanai" is a bad advertisement for Tamil cinema and needs to be ignored. 

Bottomline: Half baked and stale. 

1.5/5