Thodari

My review: Thodari

Prabhu Solomon's "Thodari" is one of the most regressive movies of the year. It is shockingly inept and boring that one can only wonder what made the makers support such a half backed attempt. Poor scripting, bad direction and over the top acting makes it a tedious affair to sit through. Prabhu seems to have been caught in no man's land in trying to make a "Speed" like thriller with "elements" which ought to have been mandatory for a "star" movie to keep the commerce of the movie afloat. But precisely these elements along with poorly written cardboardish characterisation that pulls down this movie. 

When was the last time when you had a movie that had the lead actors perilously caught in a speeding train and just after having escaped being burnt alive on a moving train breaking into a song and dance routine "pona usuru vandhudichu ". Yes, "Thodari" is that dumb. Every actors go over the top, starting with Keerthi Suresh. This should be one of the most forgettable performances of her till now including her other language movies. Dhanush just sleep walks through most of the movie with occasional "Sullan"ish recourse. 

Movie's direction is so stupid that most of the CG shots are so manifestly seen on screen and very pathetically done. In the shots where the train is moving forwards, you would expect the hair of the ones standing on train to flow backwards, but in this movie it is just the opposite defying the law of physics. The making is that careless. 

For a thriller of this kind, establishing and sustaining the mood is important. But when you have cartoonish comedy by Thambi Ramaiah and co and idiotic banters between the lead pair that just kills the mood, the end product is such a dumb one.

Bottomline: Dumbest movie of the year.

1/5 

Aandavan Kattalai

My review: Aandavan Kattalai

Manikandan seems to be one of those rare creators who don't know how to make a dishonest movie. In the three films he has made so far none of the movies had anything that can be characterised as contrived, or artificial. He has this knack of taking up a simple knot and weaving a very interesting plot that keeps you hooked to the screen. And another strength of his is the casting and the work he extracts from his cast. In none of his movies do you feel like watching actors act instead you feel like a spectator keeping a voyeuristic view of  real lives unfolding on screen. 

Co-written by Manikandan along with Arul Chezhiyan and Anucharan, "Aandavan Kattalai" is one of the best written movies of the year. A fan of such well written Malayalam movies, this one gave me a feel of watching one of those. That the movie deals with a message that crooked path never succeed, you don't feel even for a second that this message is fed to you. Instead as you leave the theatre you keep ruminating about it and keeps you thinking. And that the whole movie has a breezy, feel good feel with a healthy  undercurrent of humour is a task that even the most established names in the Tamil film industry fail to achieve time and again or never attempt to achieve.  

There are numerous scenes that are gems and keep you cheerful and thinking at the same time. The stretch that deals with finding a house for rent for bachelors in Chennai, the one in the court room where there seems to be more people vying to get divorces that those who are getting married, the casualness with which there seems to be a web of corrupt individuals who cut across various departments who get glued by the brokers or middlemen in dealing with each and everything that seems impossible for a common man to even think of, the list keeps going on and on. 

When was the last time you have a srilankan refugee character portrayed with such dignity and reality without making them a caricature to make political statement. When was the last time you have seen a movie that deals with corruption that doesn't paint these corrupt individuals in black and white. When was the last time you have seen a movie in which the strict straight forward officials portrayed with humanity without compromising on their honesty. When was the last time you have seen amovie that deals with corruption and doesn't end with the protagonist going a long sermon in the end towards the audience. 

Casting is topnotch in this movie in which each and every character is written memorably however minor it may be. The family court judge, the CBI officer, the regional passport officer, the house owner, the old man who fudges signatures, Karmegakuzhali's mom, Sri lankan refugee friend, the fake passport dealer, the counsellors, the advocate and his assistant, the list is endless. Casting for each of these roles are perfect to the Tee and the performances of these actors so effortless and natural. 

Vijay Sethupathy is terrific in an understated role. It has been a long time since one has seen him so casual and natural without having to try prove his acting prowess. Rithika Singh once again vindicates that fact that she is one of the astounding talents to looks out for. Unlike "Iruthi Sutru" this movie doesn't have much for her as far as stimulating her acting prowess is concerned yet she makes her mark in the limited opportunity. Especially watch out for that scene towards the end when Vijay Sethupathy proposes to her and her reactions to that, just terrific. 

Movie gets rounded off with a very supportive back ground score by K and seamless and fluid cinematography by Shanmugasundaram. Manikandan in my view is the next big name to contend with in tamil cinema, who makes pure cinema with content that is both classy and that which strikes a chord with the audience too. I rate him better than other overrated yet talented auteurs like Karthik Subburaj, Vetrimaran, Ram, etc. 

On the whole, "Aandavan Kattalai" is one of the most well made and thoroughly enjoyable movie of the year with a pertinent message for the current society.

Bottomline: Extraordinary cinema

4.5/5 

Iru Mugan

My review: Iru Mugan

Anand Shankar managed to scrap through his debut "Arima Nambi" with the first 60% of the movie being fresh and interesting though the final 40% was a banal affair. That result could have resulted in two outcomes. Either he would have got the criticism in a right perspective and could have made a movie that is 100% fresh and engaging or he would have got carried away by success of that movie in spite of it's banality that he could have thought why break sweat when all that the audience need is some fancy scientific references and a star who can carry any inane movie with his stupendous acting. In "Iru Mugan" Anand Shankar seems to have settled for the latter. 

It is one of the dumbest movies that I must have seen in the recent times. With gaping logical loopholes which come across more glaring due to a sluggish screenplay, "Iru Mugan" is a tough movie to sit through. First half does show some promise but the second half is torturous. Every scene is predictable and the screenplay faithfully follows the tropes of the movies of the 80's that you don't get engaged with the proceeding on the screen. In a movie that is touted to be an action thriller Thambi Ramaiah as a bumbling cop is a major mistake. Even the character of Nithya Menon is grossly under written after a point you don't even notice her on screen, hence when she finally gets killed you don't feel even an itch. I wonder what made her sign this movie in which she just appears as a glorified extr other than a fat pay check and an opportunity to be a part of a mega budget superstar film.

The character of Nayanthara is another carelessly written one. The twists and turns her character undergoes through the movie is straight from the times of Jaishankar's spy movies. And when there is a very serious turn of events is unfolding which leaves the protagonist in danger of being dubbed as a villain of a foreign country, the two lead protagonists ride in a car bantering in a lighter manner which is totally out of place. In one of the most serious stretches of the movie when the life of an important big shot of Malaysia is at stake we have a running gag of the antagonist in a nurse costume and a policemen swooning over him which is plain mockery. Such tonal inconsistencies leave you only exasperated. It seems that the director Anand Shankar seems to have underestimated the taste of the audience. 

And finally the man himself, Vikram seems to have tried a bit too much in his role of "Love". Unlike in his previous movies where he had effortlessly gotten under the skin of the characters he had portrayed as Love, he is very artificial that it gets plain irritating when even that character appears on screen. In a more conventional role of that of the protagonist, Akilan, Vikram is back to his usual fluent best. But it is disheartening see such a hardworking actor being taken for ride time and again by such pathetic projects. 

On the whole, "Iru Mugan" belongs to the days of "Moondru Mugam". 

Bottomline: Cheap thrills. 

2/5 

Kuttrame Thandanai

My review: Kuttrame Thandanai

From the makers of "Kakka Muttai" comes "Kuttrame Thandanai" with M.Manikandan at its helm. The movie is a pure crime thriller with a backdrop of moralistic rumblings without any digressions whatsoever which is rare in Tamil cinema. There are no songs, no comedy tracks, no romantic track. M.Manikandan needs appreciation for the conviction and confidence he has on this script co-written by him along with Anand Annamalai that he has has not lost focus from the plot he is dealing with. 

The movie is not the regular whodunit that deals with the investigation and twists along the way. It is a straight forward crime drama that takes time for it to take off but once it does then it keeps you glued to the screen that you won't feel that 100 minutes has elapsed. The screenplay is so riveting. Only grouse is why can't the movie makers spare the medical community. Here there is a far fetched plot contrivance associated with a dramatic twist towards the end by conveniently and quite unrealistically portraying doctors and hospitals in bad light. Anyone who is familiar with medicine would right way know that a condition like Retinitis Pigmentosa is untreatable, especially in these days of google. 

The movie doesn't have an abstract or an open ending as many are claiming. In my opinion the ending is pretty clear from the fact that the one who commits the crime ends up getting punished, thus justifying the title. 

Movie works majorly due to brilliant cast and their acting. Vidarth is terrific in the lead act as a person who is afflicted by a rare condition of eyes that can lead to progressive loss of vision. Rahman and Nassar are equally effective in their roles. Aishwarya Rajesh is haunting in her role until her final act which kind of ends up being cinematic while Pooja Devariya is excellent. 

Movie's background score is simply superb though at certain places you get reminded of scores from his movies of the yore. Ilayaraja is reliable as ever. Manikandan himself helms the camera as well with elan.

On the whole, "Kuttrame Thandanai" is a riveting crime drama that evokes and sustains your interest throughout though you come out with a feeling of having missed something. 

3.5/5 

Dharma Durai

My review: Dharma Durai

Seenu Ramasamy is known for movies with solid screenplay and seamless narration. His previous release "Neerparavai" is one of my favourite movies of all time. But his latest release "Dharma Durai" is just an average fare. Movie doesn't have a solid screenplay and the seamlessness of the narration is missing this time. But that is the offshoot of the story-line which traces the life of a doctor from his time at college through his engagement, tragedy, getting into alcohol addiction and finally his redemption. Hence the screenplay is just a compilation of various incidents that happens that timeline of his life. 

But the amount of homework and research that Seenu seemed to have done in "Neerparavai" is missing this time around. In "Neerparavai" he came up with authentic portrayal of alcohol addiction as an illness may be for the first time as far my knowledge is concerned. But sadly here where he has again dealt with alcoholism for a major chunk of the movie, the things are loose. I had always wondered what prevents the director in consulting a medical student or a professional about their course, books, etc. Here we have the 2nd year students in the dissection class of Anatomy, a pathology professor performing surgery, an important character who introduces himself Dr So-and-So, MS,MD !!! 

Vijay Sethupathy is terrific once again. Watch out for that scene where he seethes with rage mixed with grief going after his brothers. Tamanna and Aishwarya Rajesh are excellent while Shrusti Dange is below average. Seenu Ramasamy always comes out with a strong mother character and this time Raadhika Sarathkumar aces the role with aplomb. The support cast lend admirable support. M.S.Baskar is terrific in the role of a poor father. Wonder why this powerhouse of talent is not used properly in Tamil cinema.

Yuvan Shankar Raja's background score is good while none of the songs passes muster. Technically the movie is average, 

On the whole, one can't but help getting reminded of Vikraman movie's of the 90's, the trope of which this movie astutely follows minus overt melodrama and climax sermons replete with analogies. 

Bottomline: Letdown from Seenu Ramasamy

2.5/5

Appa

My review: Appa

In our younger years there used to be some movies which were huge hits when the dialogue portions of the movie were released as audio. Most of these movies dealt with issues that affect the society and had powerful dialogues. The movie as a whole would have been an average affair but they raked in the moolahs through these audio cassettes. Samuthirakani's "Appa" is a perfect candidate for such a audio release.  His angst against the crooked education system and the pressurising parents are well and duly noted, but the movie is only talk and talk and more talk. Characters keep talking on and on and on before the tedium sets in.

Though the scenes and sermons directed at the faulty education system is laudatory, Samuthirakani seems to be paranoid in almost all things modern. Case in point is institutional delivery.  In the times when the country is striving for cent percent institutionalised delivery, in this movie Samuthirakani has seen it with a paranoia and dolls out unscientific eulogies on home delivery which is regressive. Likewise he seems to have an outlook that is tinged with paranoia with respect to anything and everything that is not traditional. 

But on the same time there are exceptional sequences like the one in which he allays the fear of his adolescent son in dealing with opposite sex. But even a good sequence like that of a person who is physically challenged achieving something in life is marred by overdose of melodrama  which is what pulls down the movie's quality. 

All the actors have had a field day in projecting their histrionic skills to the maximum that there is no room for subtlety. Technically movie is very tacky. Ilayaraja's background score is the sole redeeming factor in other wise banal film making.  

On the whole, "Appa" is an overdose of on your face propaganda enacted by over the top actors marred by overenthusiastic direction though the intention seems noble.

Bottomline: Pressure of speech 

2.5/5

Joker

My review: Joker

Raju Murugan after his impressive debut with "Cuckoo" turns his focus on political satire for his second movie, "Joker". As a political satire "Joker" must be one of the boldest ever attempted in Tamil. Unlike in movies of this genre in other languages, Malayalam in particular where they don't fear about using the names of political personalities and parties, in Tamil the approach has always been that of caution. But Raju Murugan has courageously used names of politicians, and tried his level best to hint at the follies and trickery of the current political establishment. He has not spared anyone in that regard. 

The strength of the movie is its dialogues. Though there are numerous instances they cross the line in becoming sermonising, Raju Murugan has tried his level best to reign in things. Though the dialogues take the centre-stage and the visual story telling is limited, he had made up for it with a poetic flashback portions that also reaffirms his mastery over romance. But then he is such a mood that even these portions are not bereft with the sermons but at least they crop here and there only. 

The problem with "Joker" is that for the most part of the movie, the screenplay is somewhat loose which fails to engage the viewers in a regular manner, hence the impact the movie ought to have made gets diluted. In spite of these shortcomings somehow I felt a tinge of sadness by the  time the movie ends. That is mainly to do with the acting of Guru Somasundaram, who is just terrific in such a complex character. His straight face is still haunting long after the movie got over. 

Movie's strength other than the dialogues is its casting. Everyone cast in the movie are perfect for the roles. Since most of them are unfamiliar faces, they come across as real people inhabiting the landscape the movie is set in. Guru Somasundaram, a grossly underrated and underutilised actor, has been used well by this movie's director. Ramya Pandian is expressive while Gayathri Krishna is  earnest. Mu Ramasamy is casual in her performance. 

"Chellamma" is a haunting number by Sean Roldan. His background score is another pillar of strength for this movie. Chezhiyan has captured the arid regions of  Dharmapuri district with panache. 

On the whole, though "Joker" talks a lot about the prevailing malice due to the politics of the country and how government and its machinery can wreak havoc in the lives of its innocent citizens anytime, the overt preachiness could have been toned down a bit.  

Bottomline: A hard pill to swallow.

3/5