Mayakkam Enna

My review : Mayakkam Enna




“Mayakkam Enna” is really a good movie but when you consider the standards Selvaragavan has set in his previous movies it is way below par. That is the bane if you are a very talented creator & when you carry that huge baggage on your back. One has to wait for more than one & half hours for Selvaragavan , the talent to get going on screen with his signature style.

First half is lackadaisical with nothing much happening . The misogynist in Selva shows in most of the first half . The casual banter between Dhanush & Richa do add some spice to the very ordinary first half. Selvaragavan’s touch is there in couple of instances like “Vennilave vennilave ” song in the background when Dhanush & Richa start developing feelings towards one another & “Mustafa mustafa” song playing when the trio embark on a tour to the jungle. But these sparks are few & far in between .

Just when one is exasperated by the tiring first half , the second half starts of promisingly & once the mishap happens it is all vintage Selvaragavan all through. The manner in which he has depicted a person with addiction problem , the socioeconomic consequences of it & the manner in which support of the significant others are vital in an addict tiding over his problems are portrayed excellently.

Movie starts of in an autobiographical mode but after a few reels changes over to narrative style. Minor glitches like these are there here & there which is very rare in Selvaragavan’s movies. Also many shots , background music & profiles of hero and heroine in many instances might remind one of “7G Rainbow Colony”. And the graphics used is quite amateurish & garish , especially in the “Voda voda” song & the graphics bird that Dhanush shoots for the first time in the jungle.

“Mayakkam Enna” will be the first instance in which instead of saying “a film by Selvaragavan” one can say “a film by Ramji ”. Man he has just high jacked the movie with his extraordinary cinematography. The cinematography is of international standards . Considering the movie is about the travails & triumphs of a photographer Ramji might have had an extra licence to explore and showcase his skills which he has in abundance. Considering most of the movie is in dark yet the emotions of the actors are portrayed so very well on screen , credits should go to Ramji for effectively presenting the same.

Next is Dhanush as the protagonist Karthik Saminathan , a rookie photographer with dream to become a wild life photographer , he is excellent. In such a young age he has acquired abundant skills which makes one look at him with awe. His acting is top class in many scenes . The interval block , the confrontation scene with the senior photographer after he plagiarises his photograph , climax speech & most of the second half are few of the many example of the manner in which Dhanush , the actor has matured.

Richa Gangopadhyay as the supportive wife Yamini ala Jennifer Connelly of “The Beautiful Mind” is excellent. First half doesn’t give enough scope for her to perform but in the second half she has ruled the roost with her competing equally with Dhanush in many scenes. Her expressions in the climax will move even those with a strong heart.

The supporting cast consisting of Sunder , Ravi Prakash & others who acted as friends of Dhanush have done their parts well. Special mention about Sunder & Ravi Prakash , both have performed exceedingly well.

G.V.Prakashkumar’s songs are already huge hits . “Kadhal en kadhal ” , “Oda oda oda” , “Naan sonnadhum malai ” are all delightful numbers . His background score reminds one of Yuvan Shankar Raja at many places especially that of “7 G Rainbow Colony ”. His background score also interferes with the dialogues at many places drowning them. He as well should learn to use silence effectively.

When one enters theatre to watch Selvaragavan’s movie one does so with lots of expectations. May be that expectation might lead to this movie’s undoing as “Mayakkam enna” is nowhere near to any of his previous ones. Though Selvaragavan manages to salvage some pride in the second half seeing the movie as a whole one might not get satisfied with it , especially if you are a diehard fan of the man. But when one consider the below average fare that we getting treated to in the last couple of years , “Mayakkam Enna ” is way above all those ones.

One can’t help but wonder the movie might have been loosely inspired by “The Beautiful Mind” , especially second half which has striking resemblance to that movie.

On the whole , “Mayakkam Enna ” , go for it for excellent acting by Dhanush & Richa , flashes of Selvaragavan’s brilliance and to savour outstanding cinematography of Ramji.

Bottomline : The Beautiful Mind...!!!

3.5 / 5

Vithagan

My review : Vithagan



When R.Parthiban’s “Vithagan” was in the cans for a long time many of us might have been saddened by it. After seeing the movie one wish the movie as well might have slept in the cans forever & saved us from all the torture everyone endured for 2 hours & 15 minutes. When Parthiban made that forgettable “Pachakuthirai” 5 years ago many of us might have thought it must be the lowest point of his career but “Vithagan” proves it wrong.

Heart pains when one see such a talent going waste in pursuit of commercial success without giving a damn to their talent. What has befallen the maker of such classics like “Puthiya Padai” , “Housefull” & “Kudaikul Mazhai”. Atleast “Ulle Veliye” in spite of it crassness had a bankable script. “Vithagan ” is such a pathetic piece of crap one wonders what might have gone through the minds of the director & the producer of the movie when they thought of making it in the first place.

There are couple of very brief flashes of Pathiban’s intelligence but it would be very hard for anyone to take notice in the backdrop of the tiring larger picture. First half was bad but tolerable but the second half was worse. One can’t describe about the script , dialogues & direction of this movie without using expletives . So it is better not to talk about it.

Coming to acting Poorna has done a good job , sad that her talent is getting wasted in such an absurd project. Parthiban tries his level best impersonate “Pokiri” , “Kakka kakka” , “Samy” , “Singam” .....but to no avail. Milind Soman in the most ridiculous villan role of the year makes you squirm in your seat .

Joushua Sridhaar’s songs are not hummable while re-recording is pain on the ears. M.S Prabhu & Ramnath Shetty are the cinematographers of the movie.

On the whole , “Vithagan” – with a gun , will be gunning for your hard earned money & peace of mind if you ever try to think of seeing it.

Bottomline : Endless torture...

1.5/5

7 am Arivu

My review : 7 am Arivu


“ 7 am Arivu” is a decent movie with a novel plot , fine acting by the lead actors , hummable songs & fine cinematography. Movie is entertaining in parts but what makes it not work is the sluggish screenplay especially the first half which is a drag. Direction of the movie is poor which is astonishing considering the past works of A.R.Murugadoss. With such a powerful story the impact on the viewers ought to have been humongous. But sadly due to the listless direction by Murugadoss movie fails to create any emotional impact on the viewers.

Movie starts of in a powerful manner throwing light into the so-called history (or the legend..!) though one gets a docu feel especially the voice-over which is a typical “new-reel” like. But once the fable is done with & the movie travels to the present , the script nose-dives into the abyss. The contrast between the first 20 minutes & the rest of the first half is so stark that one right away feels uncomfortable sitting through the first half.

Second half picks up some pace & tries to spruce up the mood of the viewers. Though he twists & turns and the chases lack adrenaline it is a okayish part of the movie where one can actually sit through the proceedings. Though the sluggish screenplay & poor execution mars the poignancy of the happenings sparkling dialogues, Surya & Shruthi’s classy acting & Jhonny Tri Nguyen’s awesome screen presence are the brawny parts of the movie.

Surya excels in his role of Bhodidarman with his excellent body language especially the manner in which he communicates with his eyes , hats off..!! But as Arvind , Surya seems to be like a fish out of water. That he is uncomfortable with his characterization clearly shows on screen. He is not his regular confident self as Arvind in this movie.

After disastrous debuts in Hindi & Telugu (viz., Luck & Anaganaga O Dheerudu ) Shruthi Hassan makes her debut in Tamil with this movie. She has a very significant role in this movie. She is good in her emotions & is cute too. She has also dubbed on her own which is such a rarity nowadays & her dialogue delivery is flawless. Though her voice is the not your routine honey coated one , still it has some allure & charm.

Jhonny Tri Nguyen has a terrific screen presence & very agile with his footwork in the action sequences. Others in the cast look amateurish & acted very poorly.

“Mun Andhi” & “ Yellae Lama “ are hummable songs from Harris Jayaraj but his background score is not adequate. His poor background score is another reason why the emotions on paper don’t translate on screen.

That the cinematography is by Ravi K Chandran is evident only when have a re-look at the names of crew of the movie. There is nothing special to show that he has shot this movie except for the Bhodidharman part of the movie.

Anthony’s editing must have been crisper especially the first half.

The manner in which the movie was hyped & advertised that the movie will make Tamils around the world proud has led to its own undoing. Makers should desist from appealing to such petty parochialism. Just by making a movie inspired by a fable (which might not be even true) on a person whose identity as a Tamil is still in question & expecting the an average movie goer will watch it only to celebrate such a fallacy is downright plain ridiculous & dim-witted.

On the whole , “7 am Arivu” has a lot of potential but undone by the makers’ myopic vision & poor execution.

Bottomline : Heartless...!!

2.5 / 5

Velayutham

My Review : Velayutham



He has not worked with any “BIG” director so far , no not much movies with “BIG” music directors (expect for one with A.R.Rahman , one with Yuvan , & may be couple or more with Ilayaraja) , no movie of his had any “BIG” cinematographers , he need not change get-ups , he need not have “6 packs” , he need not have huge star casts , he may have a huge mad-mob out there in the cyber space trying to malign him day in , day out , he may have big shots in the industry trying to block release of his movies or block theatres ....... BUT “HE” does not need any of these to give a hit.

After MGR , Rajnikanth , no one can even dream of the extent of stardom he has achieved with such a short span of time (considering how long it took the former two to have such manic adulation) Not only among youngsters but even among family audience cutting across “so-called A,B.C centres” “HE” is numero uno..!!

For this festive season he is back with his signature style mass masala movie “Velayudham” which got released surprisingly without much hype. Movie has nothing much new in it , not much detailing have gone into its making ,no research whatsoever , the actors have not strained much , except the frontline actors others are largely unknown, BUT the movie clicks with the audience because whatever is needed for a movie to be entertaining is aptly mixed & presented tastefully.

Problem has never been with Vijay , he has always done his part well in most of his movies , even in those string of flops he had in the recent past , the problem was always with the screenplay which was not quiet engaging. That inadequacy has been taken care off well by M.Raja in “Velayudham”.

First half is quiet hilarious with Vijay & Shanthanam combing well to tickle our funny bones. Shanthanam has once again proved that he is here to stay , it’s just that he needs good writers & directors to tap his potential. With its songs , romance , action blocks , comedy & sentiment first half almost zips past like that before even you take notice. Though its one & half hours length , one can hardly notice it. Second half picks up the pace further with couple of speed breaks in the form of songs but the scripts moves towards all out action. May one action block too many but not tiring all the same as his previous movies which did not do well.

Vijay as always rocks in his familiar territory with his elegant footwork be it in dance or the action sequences. Comedy comes natural to him & he has acted well in emotional sequences too in this movie.

Others in the cast have also done decent jobs. Genelia has lots of scope to perform & she has utilised it well. Hansika is eye candy & that’s about her. It is a bit difficult for one to focus on anyone else when she is on screen though! Saranya reprises her oft repeated goody goody sister act one more time.

Shanthanam is another asset for the movie. With his witty oneliners & awesome timing he brings down the roof.

There are a battalion of villains who does their ham act perfectly to fit the bill. Supporting cast is adequate.

Priyan’s cinematography is supportive to the script. He has captured the landscape of Kashmir well in the “Molachu moonu “ song.

V.T.Vijayan’s editing is pacy where it needs to be & steady where it has to be. Suba’s dialogues are razor sharp with regular dose of larger than life hero eulogizing ones thrown here & there in between.

Vijay Anthony’s songs are already a hit. “Maayam seidhayo” & “Molachu moonu” are delightful melodies while “Chillax” is a rocking dance number. Back ground score is also adequate .

M.Raja has once again proved that he is a producer’s delight when it comes to churning out hits & getting money back. Who cares if he is doing so with help of a original hit or an inspired one as long as everyone is happy.

On the whole , “Velayutham” may not be a perfect film or an “informative” film or a “BIG” film , it sure does satisfies one’s craving for entertainment.

Bottomline : Perfect family entertainer for the festive season.

3.5/5

Friends with benefits

My review : Friends with benefits



“Friends with benefits ” is a breezy romantic comedy on the lines of “No strings attached ”which tries to get away from the clichés of the romantic comedies but end up falling in line.

It is just amazing to see that almost all the romantic comedies follows similar templates of the lead pair meets – become friends – evolve into a relationship – have fun – when everything does hunky dory – misunderstanding crops up – couple of sad montage songs – some advice from significant others – couple coming together in the climax – happily ever after end credits. “Freinds with benefits” is no exception.

What makes it work here is the lead pair Justin Timberlake & Mila Kunis and their electrifying chemistry which is a lifeline for a romantic comedy. The two are there in almost all the frames & you won’t get tired of them. Mila Kunis’ character is “Genelia”esque ie, bubbly , over talkative , vulnerable yet tries her level best to externalize courage & gumption . Justin Timberlake’s is that of the routine romcom hero who has his own share of secrets & vulnerabilities.

The writers Keith Merryman, David A. Newman, Will Gluck, & Harley Peyton have tried their level best to keep the story as fresh as possible & have succeeded to some extent . There are couple of very good moments like the flash mob scenes both at the beginning & right at the end , the one on the Hollywood hills to name a few .It is very difficult to shy away from the routine & those romcom clichés' do get in now & then. Will Gluck has directed the movie competently without leaving any space for boredom. The pace is maintained right through .

The movie has a striking similarity to “No strings attached” especially the central theme is the same but enjoyable all the same. But the characters are more adorable & the movie has more lively moments than that of the former .

On the whole , “Friends with Benefits” is a nice time pass. Go for it.

Bottomline : Breezy...!

3.5/5

Horrible Bosses

My review : Horrible Bosses



Hate towards one’s boss is an universal emotion that every employee identifies with . Almost everyone at some point of time would have fantasized killing their bosses. “Horrible Bosses ” tries to capture exactly the same emotion which pushes three disgruntled employees make that inevitable decision of killing their bosses. This Seth Gordon directed black comedy written by Michael Markowitz , John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein would have all those dissatisfied employees out there vent out their feelings for their bosses.

“Horrible Bosses” is a hilarious comedy which makes you laugh at many places with some intelligently written & executed scenes while certain other plain childish. Ya it does threads through the clichéd path now & then but the comical though of the scriptwriters & execution of the director make you glued on to the screen. Though the tempo takes a while to pick up once the lead three start to chart out plans to bump off their bosses the pace picks up & things get riotous.

Charlie Day as the dental assistant being sexually assaulted by his boss played by Jennifer Aniston ( she tries her level best to appear hot in her role of a “maneater” unsuccessfully at that ) is the show stealer with his comic antics & quirky oneliners. Jason Sudeikis second one of the trio with weakness for attractive women is first rate. Jason Bateman is the third of the trio is wooden , tires his best but futile in his attempt.

Kevin Spacy as the manipulative & almost psychotic president of Comnidyne Industries for which Jason Bateman works has done a stupendous job . Almost everyone who watches his performance would hate him & would be rooting for his downfall & therein lies his success. Colin Farrel as a drug-addict , callous & wastrel son of Jason Sudsikis’ boss who becomes his boss after the untimely death of the former is adequate.

The man who steals the show is Jamie Foxx as Dean “motherf$%ker ” Jones as small time crook who masquerades as a “murder consultant” & usurps cash from the innocent trio. The conversation involving him are damn funny . The point where his true identity is revealed is nicely done. Another scene that is humorous is the one in which Dale mistakenly hires a male prostitute thinking he is an assassin & the ensuing conversations.

Along the way they have nicely touched upon current issues like the recession & the job scarcity following that , south asian call-centre employee with an American name involved in the customer service .

“ Horrible bosses “ is an unadulterated comedy with the writers leaving no stones unturned without any logic whatsoever. If you want to enjoy your day out especially after a tiring day at the office , “Horrible bosses” is a good pick.

Bottomline : Enjoyable

3.5 /5

Vaagai sooda Vaa

My review : Vaagai sooda Vaa





Team “Kalavani” is back & how...! Sargunam’s first movie “Kalavani” was a breezy romantic comedy which was lauded for its freshness & casual portrayal of the village life in all its glory. Sargunam is now back with his second movie “Vaagai Sooda Vaa” which has proven that his success was not flash in the pan rather here is a creator who is sure will make Tamil Cinema proud in the times to come.

“Vaagai Sooda Vaa” deals with a heavy subject but presented in a very subtle manner yet makes a powerful impact on the viewers , therein lies the brilliance of the writer-director Sargunam. Marxist ideals & views are the basic thread of the story but it is more covertly portrayed rather than being on the face jingoism of the same. We have seen a lot of movies which deals with societal issues being loud , opinionated & preachy . This is the first time as far as i can remember a maker has presented such an issue based movie in such a pleasant manner.

Not only the Marxist views that the director has touched upon , but other issues like how the education system doesn’t make an educated person a man of wisdom .The village illiterate elders as well as kids have more intelligence in matters of activities of daily living than the so called educated lot. But all the same he has also touched upon how education is vital for one’s understanding of his position in the societal ladder & how one is exploited by the bourgeoisie.

Don’t get fooled by the previous two paragraphs of this review thinking that movie is more of a documentary or all of preaching. The pleasant love story that form the backdrop of the narration is tastefully portrayed & here again Sargunam scores in the “subtlety” . The song “Naan pesa ninapathellam” is so brilliantly used to take forward the love story & it’s appearance towards the end of the movie will sure give gooseflesh.

The dialogues are simple yet full of meaning. As said earlier there is no sermonizing or lecturing on the topic taken. The points to be taken home are conveyed in a more understated yet clever fashion.

Another brilliant aspect of the movie is the art-direction . Sabu Cyril’s erstwhile assistant Seenu has done a tremendous job in recreating the 60’s village & era. The landscape , the props used , the village , vehicles , money , letter , pen ..... attention to details that the production team has shown is fabulous . The 60’s magazine with Saroja Devi’s Lux soap add , Ceylon radio broadcasts & the anchor’s voices , old Gokul sandal talcum powder , vintage radio with its leather cover are just few more examples of the microscopic precision with which the makers have gone about things leaving no scope for any blemish.

Cinematography of Om Prakash is yet another cornerstone of the movie. Special mention regarding the picturization of the song “Saara saara saara kathu” . It is one of the most elegantly picturised song in recent times.

Music director Gibran’s songs are already a huge hit. “Saara saara saara kathu” in Chinmayi’s voice & Vairamuthu’s verses is a killer. The song is so addictive . Not far behind is “Poraane poraane” & “Senga soola kaara” numbers. One was initially sceptical about how Gibran’s background score would be for the songs are stupendous , but he has proved himself in that aspect also.

Last but not the least the performances of the cast. Vimal once again showcases his dexterity in his job. His casual dialogue delivery & effortless portrayal with his elegant body language makes one confident that there are still talent out there & future is looking bright.

Iniya is yet another promising find from the God’s own country (It has become a factory of sorts churning out beautiful & talented actresses one after another) Heroine of a tamil movie never looked so pretty with absolutely no make-up whatsoever. Her eyes speak thousand languages & her expressions are captivating.

Among others Bhagyaraj, Thambi Ramaiah , Kumaravel , Ponvannan , Thennavan , Nambiraj & the other unknown debut actors & children all have done more than a worthy job & are one of the pillars of the movie.

Only negative is that Iniya’s voice being dubbed for they are going to lose out on the chance of getting loads of awards that they deserve. Wish that the makers have an alternate version with Iniya’s own voice for submission to the awards committee.

On the whole , “Vaagai Sooda Vaa ” is a movie that satiates the movie buff in you.

Bottomline : World class cinema.

4.5/5