PASANGA

My review : PASANGA



It's been very long since we have come across a movie exclusively for children & adults who are young at heart .Those who are starving for such a genre of movie in tamil , don't waste a minute , go straight to a theatre near you that is playing "Pasanga" , second venture of G.Sasikumar's Company Productions . It is a close to 3 hrs of fun filled ride with some touchy moments & some thoughtful dialogues which will sure make your money's worth.

Pandiraj , formerly Cheran's assistant has written & directed the movie which is his frist but doesn't look like it. The screenplay is lucid without any undue distractions while dialogues are vey thoughful especially the one in which school teacher advises to Anbuselvan's father about how marital discords affect the young mind & how to overcome it. Also there is ample doses of humour which we come across in everyday life especially the one with the mobile phones involving Vega & Vimal are very funny.

For the fisrt time we come across the hero , heroine , villan , comedians all are kids of around 11 years of age & they have performed extremely well , one can say even better than some so called " stars " of Tamil cinema. The one who plays Jeeva take all the acting honours while rest of the young children not far behind. Also when you see kids do things that heroes do in regular movies it gives us an extra kick.

Among the grown-ups , Vega as Shobikannu is homely & beautiful with lots of scope to perform as well .Vimal as the lover of Vega is jovial & natural .Jayaprakash as teacher and father of Jeeva & Shobikannu is a revealation .His is a dignified portrayal & fresh departure from his gangster image. The one who plays Anbu's father is the one who played lecturer in Kalloori (Balaji Sakthivel's assistant) who also does a worthy job & shows improvement in acting from the Kalloori days. Almost all the rest of the cast have done a good job .

Music is another high point of the movie whether it is songs or the BGM . Only 3 songs are used in the movie of which "Vetkam varuthey " & "Anbale " sung by the great BalaMuralikrishna are ringing in the ears long after the movie. James Vasanthan has once again proves that he is here to stay.

Art director Crawford , Editor Yoga Baskar & Cinematographer Premkumar , all make thier debut along with the director but no where do you realise that this is their first work . Each & every one of them have done a splendid job to make the movie look technically sound.

Movie has every thing you can ask for in an entertainer - good music , perfect casting , natural acting , pleasant cinematography , interesting screenplay with lots of lively moments & message for the kids & parents .

On the whole movie is a sure winner for this summar holiday & must watch for the kids .

bottomline : Pasanga Pinnitaanga...

4/5

GURU EN AALU

My Review: GURU EN AALU



"Guru En Aalu " touted to be the remake of yesteryear SRK hit "Yes Boss" starring Madhavan & Mamtha Mohandas and directed by Selva , who is creating a reputation for him by doing a slew of remakes , falls flat right from the start. It fails to create any ripples as far as comedy is concerned & the script is totally non-existent while direction is shoddy to say the least.

Madhavan seems to believe that by hamming his heart out he may make us laugh but he end up irritating .It is a huge letdown from him after the brilliance of "Yavarum Nalam". Mamtha Mohandas & acting don't go together it seems .Her looks for this movie is pathetic with some amatuerish make-up & garish costumes.Abbas tries his level best but with little results.

Vivek & M.S.Baskar do evoke some laughter here & there but by large their attempt at comedy is redundant. By the way how long does Vivek keep on doing female impersonation in the name of comedy .It is high time for Vivek to rethink his strategy.

Dialogues must be the strong point for any comedy movie but here Venkateshan's dialogues are unimaginative & don't tickle the funny bones .

Srikanth Deva has done something in the name of music & high point of his work is the "Kabhie Kushie Kabhie Ghum" theme that he has used in the climax fight.

Senthilkumar has done his work with no scope for complaints as the cinematographer of the movie but in couple of instances light reflections ruins the shot.

Selva's disinterest shows throughout .He has messed up with the original script ,not that it was any better but the changes do the movie no good . The fact the only the blooper shots in the end credits bring some sort of smile to the face is a huge letdown for this movie which was advertised to be a rip-roaring comedy .

Bottomline : No Comedy , only Kadi ....

2/5

MARIYATHAI

My Review: MARIYATHAI



Except the date in the censor certificate nothing in this movie vindicates the fact that it is made in 2009. With a story as old as hills & making even older , the movie is totally outdated & tedious to watch. Anyone one who has seen any 2 movies of Vikraman can easily guess the entire storyline & each and every word in the dialogues. To make the matter worse the movie gives a feeling of watching a play involving retired amatuer drama artists .

Vijaykanth can be appreciated for having underplayed in both the roles of his but how long we are going to endure his jigs in the name of dance in foreign locales with blonde girls in the background. All the punch dialogues are reserved for the supporting cast who praise their hero as Sun , Volcano , Mahathma Gandhi ,....what not....

Others in the cast over act to the point that it becomes unbearable after a while. Meera Jasmine is a pale shadow of her prime Malayalam days while Meera tries hard to play a vamp which doesn't suits her at all.Ambika has nothing much to do as does Ammu . Ramesh Khanna tries his level best to make us laugh along with Meera Jasmine but end up only irritating .Shanmugarajan & Sampath are wasted in underwritten roles.

Andrew's cinematographyis nothing special but adequate while Vijay Anthony is pale shadow of himself in this movie or may be he is caught up with the ghost of scoring music for a Vikraman movie which is the same from the Puthu Vasantham days of his irrespective of who the music director is.

Vikraman has not attempted to adapt with the changing times & his adamant adherence to his template of a rich chieftain of a village losing his wealth & after a struggle regaining the past glory while his hero getting betrayed by a woman but later rise up in his life with the aid of another woman ...one wonders when will he change his attitude . Only innovation in this movie he has thought of is unlike in his previous movies in which hero becomes rich in one song , here the hero becomes rich in just a minute's BGM...

When compared to this movie the television serials that we are annoyed off looks better a thousand times.

Save yourself your time , money & a throbbing headache by skipping this movie..

Bottomline : endurance test

1.5/5

Kunguma Poovum Konjupuravum

My Review: Kunguma Poovum Konjupuravum



" Kunguma Poovum Konjupuravum" (KPKP) is 4th venture of Capital film works & debut for the lead pair as well as the director. Movie is set in an interesting premise of a fishing hamlet ,with strong caste prejudices & violent way of life of the folks there forming the backdrop & a cute little love story forming the thread on which the script is woven.

Both Ramakrishnan & Thannanya are good in parts but their acting in some sequences are not up to the mark.In the first half both of them act lively & casually except when Ramakrishnan tries to be too cute .In the second half Ramakrishnan does a commendable job while director's attempt to extract emotions only from Thannanya's eyes makes it a bit irritating after a while. On the whole it is a decent debut from the lead pair.

It is a mixed bag as far as the supporting cast is concerned . Some over-act with the one who plays hero's mother taking the top honours while some like the heroine's sister tend to get way off the mark when it comes to emoting. Nagamma as heroine's grandma has done a commendable job as does all the friends of the hero.A word of appreciation must go to Tharun Satya who enlivens the proceedings with his antics & brilliant body language.

Sidarth's cinematography captures the sea-side of Muttam & Thoothukodi with all it's glory .His choice of shades at the start of the movie was messy but subsequently he comes to his own.

Yuvan Shankar Raja is the real hero of the movie.It's been a long time since we had such a soulful BGM which has certainly enhanced the mood of the movie .To describe BGM only one word comes to mind - Brilliant. 'Chinnan sirusu' & 'Kadalorum 'are very soothing numbers picturised very well while 'Orunimisham' is an innovative pathos song .'Muttathu Pakkathil' is a rehash of a bit song from Karagattakaran while 'Na Dharmanda' sticks out like a sore thumb both for it's placement as well as the fact that S.P.B.'s voice doesn't gel a wee bit for Tharun.

Movies which try to showcase slice of life always get a better reception from the audience because it strikes a chord with them right away. When one attempts at such a plot he is always at a dilemma as to how honest he must be to the script or how much compromise he can allow for financial considerations. Only those who are smart enough to strike a balance end up successful . Rajamohan ,who has written & directed the movie , has tried his level best to just do that but in the end one can't help but just feel that something is missing. Nonetheless he is talented & he is only bound to get better from here.

A movie which would have joined the likes of "Paruthiveeran " & "Subramanyapuram " if only it shunned off those dance numbers , bits & pieces of poor acting & crowd pleasing male-chauvinistic dialogues . But nevertheless the KPKP is a worthy watch especially those who like to peep at the life of the under-privileged sections of the society & share their joys & sorrows.

Bottomline : Tear-jerker.

3.5/5

NAALAI NAMATHEY

My Review: Naalai Namathey



Vinayan who has two good movies to his credit in Tamil "Kaasi" & "En Mana Vanile" & numerous ones in Malayalam , has come back to Tamil cinema after a long hiatus with "Naalai Namathey" . His intentions are noble which is to bring to light the plight of the underprivileged sections of the society but the execution leaves a lot to be desired . Movie is epitome of amateurish direction who has ended up paying tribute to the crass political Telugu masala movies of the 80's & early 90's.

There is no shred of logic or finesse what so ever .It is very corny , insensitive , trivial & banal . Vinayan must be residing in a different time period to give such an outdated movie .All cliches that one associate with the movies of the yore like a slum dwelling macho man with heart of gold & brain of a genius , god father of the slum whom all call as "appa" , cotton saree clad uptight collector who is also an orphan by the way ,all politicians as epitome of evilness , DGP & IG as comical caricatures , son of the home minister falling in love with an orphan girl who is a student in a corporation school , a prostitute who helps her heart out & it goes on....

Venkat debuts as the protagonist who urgently needs a crash course in acting while for Shravanand it is the extension of role he played in "Kadhalna Summa Illa " . Danusha is pleasant to the eyes & proves to an extent in the acting department also . Manivannan as the god father of the slum dwellers does a neat job while Thanikala Barani , Rajan P.Dev & Ashish Vidhyarthi do what they are known for without any scope for innovation. Kiran & Kaarthika are wasted in some insignificant roles .

There is nothing to right home about Barathwaj's music or the technical crew led by Rajarathinam , the cinematographer .

V.J.Anthony's dialogues are at some places thoughtful but mostly either juvenile or puerile.

Vinayan's signatures like opening credits rolling with a gloomy song , unimaginative song picturization , mandatory gang rap of the heroine , hard hitting political dialogues & buffoonery in the form of comedy etc., all find their places faithfully here too.

On the whole , though the title says "tomorrow is ours" if you risk watching this banal project "tomorrow will never be yours" ..!

Bottomline : BEWARE..!

1.5 / 5

KARTHIK ANITHA

My Review: Karthik Anitha



"Karthik Anitha " is a neat movie with a very simple story , lucid screenplay , pleasant songs , natural performance for all the actors concerned without any flamboyant cinematography or editing . And it is very decent without an inch of skin show or double meaning dialogues . This movie once again proves that simplicity is beautiful. Movie's tagline goes "a neighbourhood love story " & it is very apt .

Karthik & Anitha are neighbourhood friends right from their childhood always playing pranks at one another & indulging in tit for tat games . All along they don't realize that they have fallen in love but when they realize that they are indeed in love , it is too late or is it...?

Ratan & Manju as the lead pair are a big plus to the movie. Both of them with their kid next door looks have done a tremendous job though it is their debut. They are good at acting both in serious situations as well as in the comedy & they are very good dancers as well. Ratan & Manju will go down as one of the most talented debutants in recent years.

Proverbial bad men of south indian cinema Kota Srinivasa Rao & Rajan P.Dev are a pleasant surprise in this movie . As the fathers of the lead pair , they portray very natural fatherhood in their roles & the duo are a revelation .

Rest of the cast have also done a splendid job with none going over the board . "Lollu Sabha" Manohar's encounter with the college principal disguising as Karthik's father is a laugh riot .

Movie has quiet a few talented debutants & the music director Jack Anand is one ."Ayyoo ayyo " , "Meghamai" , "Oh nenje " are stand outs among the five songs though other two are also not that bad. But in the BGM department there are scope for improvement since here he has been inspired by S.A.Rajkumar's BGM score of the yore.

K.G.Sankar who makes the debut as cinematographer has done nothing flashy to spoil the movie's ambience but has worked hard to present the movie in a simpler form wherein lies the beauty.

G.K.'s sets which portrays the middle class households & Sai Suresh's editing which takes the story forward in a decent pace have amply supported the director's vision.

Srihari , who has story , screenplay , dialogues & direction to his credit has come out with flying colours in his first attempt .By keeping the script in a tight leash without getting it meandering in the form of inane separate comedy tracks or exasperating item numbers , he has ensured the presence of audience in their seats right through . Dialogues are day to day utterances which happens in every households between the father & son , between the friends & lovers , etc. Though the movie does not have a separate comedy track , there are comical situations aplenty naturally woven into the script .

First half moves at a fast clip in a very lighthearted manner while sentiments & feelings are thrown into the second half as a result the pace tend to suffer but not that much.

On the whole , Karthik Anitha is a perfect recipe for a summer afternoon show in an air-conditioned theatre & don't forget to take your girl friend along with you.

Bottomline : FEEL - GOOD .

3.5/5

ANANDHA THANDAVAM

My Review : Anandha Thandavam



Sujatha's "Pirivom Santhipom" was one of his most critically acclaimed & most popular novels . The novel's success lay in the fact that the readers were able to empathize with the characters & their emotional turmoils.It is a very bold subject indeed & when you think that it was written some 2 1/5 decades ago one can only salute the bravery of Sujatha , the writer.

It is a difficult job for any one to translate that impact on celluloid , but A.R.Gandhikrishna has attempted to do it . One must appreciate his boldness . Sadly the adaptation of that novel in the form of "Anandha thandavam " leaves a lot to be desired . In attempting to pack in all the incidents & characters from the novel into a 2 1/5 hr movie , Gandhikrishna has ended up killing the soul & emotional qoutient of the novel.

All the incidents in the movie happens so fast that one gets exasperated half through the movie itself & it takes a great degree of patience to sit through the second half. We feel for none of the characters or their fate because the whole movie ends up superficial .

Even before one gets into a comfortable position to sit the love happens between the lead pairs , 3 songs later (which follow one after another at a regular interval) they part their ways , the hero attempting suicide & the heroine marrying an obscure NRI businessman whom their family knew barely for two days. After the break hero is wooed by another girl while heroine is happily settled with her husband .In between the hero & the married heroine go on a 2 day vocation to Atlanta City while heroine's husband is busy enjoying girl a day. Suddenly the heroine become suspicious of her husband who by this time turns into a sadist feeding her with Dog biscuits while hero is getting engaged to the girl who loves him....& some couple of reels after we get to know that the movie is over & time to catch up some breath & leave the hall in a jiffy.


Sidharth has a photogenic face but has miles to go as an actor but nevertheless not a bad attempt for a debutant.

Thamana's character Madhumitha will go down as one of the most confusing one we have come across in the recent years. Is she really innocent ? Is she too naive ? Is she cunning ? or Is she mentally retarded ? Nonetheless she has done justice to what ever emotions or histrionics she is demanded off .It is sad her hard work is undone by such an inane characterisation.

Rukmini has nothing much to do in a brief goody-goody girl role but she has some mettle .

Rishi as the NRI husband of Madhumitha has done nothing special of mention nor that the script demands anything such.

It is refreshing to see veterans like Kitty & Charlie on screen after a long time & they prove their expertise with ease . Kitty as an adorable father is simply superb while for Charlie one scene in the waterfalls is enough to vindicate his stature.

Ameetha is getting typecast as an upper middle class , tanglish speaking , boozing mom.

"Kana kangiraen " is the one song that is worthy while rest of the songs & BGM by G.V.PrakashKumar are just ordinary.

V.T.Vijayan's hasty editing has done the movie no good while Thotta Tharani's art work in couple of songs are good.

Jeeva Sankar has captured the serene beauty of Thenkasi as well as hustle and bustle of New York with elan.

Sujatha's dialouges sparkle . There are gems abound like "Ambala koocha patta kovanamum aviladhu kudumbamum viruthi agathu " .

On the whole only Thamana's presence & Sujatha's dialouges will keep you in the seat . It will take a miracle to save the movie in the box-office.

Bottomline : " Anandha Thandavam" - lost in translation.

3/5