KANDEN KADHALAI

My Review: Kanden Kadhalai




Tamanna , Barath & Santhanam are the three pillars on whom the super-structure of “Kanden Kadhalai ” (KK) rests strongly on. Incidentally “KK” is the remake of “Jab We Met ” , one of the biggest hits in Hindi last year. Written by Imtiaz Ali , R.Kannan has adapted it well into Tamil faithfully following the original for most parts with added local flavours & spicy comedy to boost.

First half wiz past even before one gets a foothold of the proceedings .It is delightful with Tamanna & Santhanam having a field day .Barath plays second fiddle to both of them before he comes to his own in the latter half where he finds the fine balance between subtlety & exuberance .


On the downside 2nd half sags a bit & screenplay plays truant before the movie gets over all of a sudden. Why even after knowing that Barath is not Tamanna’s lover Nizhalgal Ravi , Azhagam Perumal & Sapan Saran readily accept him as the bridegroom or don’t try to clear the issue is baffling. Also the reasons why Tamanna finally falls for Barath lacks plausibility & profundity .These are few minor glitches in otherwise well made movie.


Barath is Sauvé & stylish , has proved all his detractors wrong who questioned his selection for this role essayed superbly by Shahid Kapoor in the original. He has worked on his body language with subtleness of expressions & underplay of emotions .The end result is superb. Way to go Barath.


Tamanna has also done a tremendous job as “Anjali ” & the manner in which she has managed to show the contrast between the vivacity of the first half & sobriety of the second is treat to watch. Her interlude with Barath in her hostel about how naïve she used to be particularly with reference to that lodge episode would bring a tear or two.She once again vindicates how talented she is provided she gets the right scripts.


Santhanam rules the roost in a original character added in the Tamil version. It is one of his best so far. Unlike in many of his movies , here he is given ample scope & he has lapped it up with glee. He plays a very important role in keeping the movie lively with his timely & witty remarks.

P.G.Muthiah’s cinematography is flawless but he must have shown some contrast in the hues in accordance to the emotional shades of the lead pair which worked out splendidly in the original.


Vidyasagar is back after a long time with some hum worthy tunes .”Suthuthu suthuthu ” & “Venpanju megam ” are treats.


On the whole , the movie is a treat for whole family . Forget the comparisons & go with an open mind & come out satisfied.

Bottomline : Kanden Kadhalai - Vellum Manadhai..!

3.5 / 5

AADHAVAN

My Review: Aadhavan



“Aadhavan ” from the combo of K.S.Ravikumar & Suriya , both riding on a successful upward tide has raised expectations right from its beginning. Whether the movie lives up to the expectations is partially in the affirmative. The movie is a routine K.S. Ravikumar formula of a family entertainer with heavy doses of action. What keeps the movie interested is Vadivelu & only him.

First half is racy with rib tickling comedy thanks mainly to Vadivelu & Suriya to some extent & gets over even before you realize . Sadly the second half peters out into a mundane affair without any ingenuity where the director has borrowed heavily from the movies of yesteryears .

Suriya is good in his role of an assassin with a past . But when each & every one time & again compares him with M.G.R., Shivaji , Rajini & Kamalhassan it becomes irritating.

Nayanthara don’t have much to do in a shake- a – leg –wet-the-eyes role.

Vadivelu is the real hero of the movie without whom the movie would have become very much boring. He revels in the role of Banner’ji & he is there onscreen almost throughout the movie. The manner in which he gets caught on camera time & again plotting to kill his boss is a scream.

SarojaDevi is more of a caricature than anything else. Sad to see a legend as she is reduced to such an insipid role.

Movie has a whole loads of supporting actors who do their jobs without any fuss.

In Harris Jayaraj’s music couple of songs are good.

Ra.Ganesh’s Cinematography is stylish.

Movie has K.S.Ravikumar stamp all over it but it gets redundant after a point. His dialogues are funny & lively which keeps the movie going.

On the whole , first half is good but second is tiring.

Bottomline: Vadivelu the saviour.

3/5

PERANMAI

My Review: Peranmai





“Peranmai ” lives up to the reputation of being a S.P.Jhananathan movie.He has once again taken up a topical issue & plotted it well into a story & screenplay (credited to Kalyanakrishnan )and presented in a palatable manner.The movie is high on intentions , adequate on the technology front & making wise .That the movie is devoid of any romantic interludes or duets despite having 5 heroines & a romantic hero is big relief .

Jayam Ravi shines in the role of a young forest officer who belongs to the tribal community.He is restrained in his portrayal & that elevates the impact of his characterization. It is such a surprise to see an action movie without even an iota of heroism , infact the hero is humiliated to the core right through the first half.Also the manner in which his superior officer gain all the accolades & awards bypassing the real person who did all the hard work is shown in a hard hitting manner & realistic to the day to day happenings.

Movie has 5 female leads, chosen more for their acting prowess rather than on their looks have done good jobs. Especially Saranya & Vasundhara shine in their roles.

Ponvannan & Urvashi give ample support while Vadivelu comes in more of a serious role than much comedy.

Much hyped Hollywood actor Roland Kickinger as the antagonist doesn’t live up to the hype in an underwritten role.

Vidhyasagar is the music director & it’s been ages since he gave music of any notice & he continues in that vein here too.

S.R.Sathiskumar’s cinematography is very good & thinking of how much toil he must have undergone in shooting in such inhospitable terrains is a great achievement .The movie is a visual splendour & celebration of nature.

All said & done , where the movie lacks or lags is in the dialogues – which are very crude & B-gradish [almost as crude patriotism as that in “Gadar – the prem katha ”] overdose of patriotism & racial profiling . Lewd dialogues from the mouth of the girls too adding to the hum din [censor have mercilessy butcherd almost 20% of the dialogues..!].

Also the manner in which Ravi takes a lecture before each & every step becomes irritating after a point of time which gives a feel of watching Discovery channel rather than a movie. Ponvannan’s uncalled-for action on the tribals is contrived .

If only Jhana has removed such irritants & reduced the length of the movie to 90 mins or so , “Peranmai ” would have become a “cult” movie of the south. But what we got is a movie high on ideas but dragged down the aisle by the routine commercial considerations or should we say the maker’s indulgence.

Bottomline : Peranmai = 40% Pudhumai + 60% Palamai

3/5

AARUMUGAM

My Review: Aarumugam



When a wannabe superstar , wannabe glamour queen along with outdated music director & director join hands what we will get is a classic called “Aarumugam .” ( the one who invented the term “classic” please forgive me !)

During the times when many old tamil hits are being remade by all & sundry , here is a director who has tried to remake one of his hits “Annamalai” without any changes from the original , if one is ready to overlook certain serious changes like changing the gender of few characters like replacing Radharavi with Ramya Krishnan , Manorama by Ilavarasu ….!

Bharath after having got tired of reprising the “thalapathis ” has now turned towards the bid man himself who is the master guru of all these …one can expect a title change for Bharath in the next movie as “Chinna superstar ”. But one must congratulate the courage on the part of Barath in accepting movies like these one after another without any sense of repentance.

Coming to the next beauty queen of Tamil Cinema Priya Mani who once got a national award for acting……!!!! ( but if anyone happen to watch this movie will certainly question the credibility of such awards … ) Watch out her expressions in the initial reels of the movie where she teases Bharath. ( another award winning performance…!)

Ramya Krishnan tries her best to reprise her Neelambari act ….lesser said about the result the better for the family friendliness of this review.

There is a very long list of caricatures sorry actors – Mahadevan , Saranya Mohan , Abinay, Karunas , Sara , Ilavarasu…..

Technically movie is far better than “Annamalai ” . But comparing with the contemporary movies ….you all would have guessed it by now….!

Suresh Krishna tries his best to come back to mainstream but this one make his previous one “Parattai” looks way better in all aspects .

Even “Annamalai ” spoof in “Lollusabha ” was way better than this one .

Bottomline: Classic (with yet another unconditional apology to the inventor of the word….)

1 / 5

THIRU THIRU THURU THURU

My Review:THIRU THIRU THURU THURU




After a long time one get to feel a sense of satisfaction of having watched a really good comedy movie after watching “Thiru Thiru Thuru Thuru ” ( T4 ) written & directed by Nandhini . It is a credible debut for her like that of her mentor Priya.V who did so with equally breezy comedy “Kanda Naal Mudhal “ .

Nandhini has a really good flair for comedy which she has presented in a very natural & casual manner without any scope for disingenuousness or flippancy. There are umpteen laugh out loud (‘lol’) sequences with seamless confluence of the situations & the dialogues adding to the levity. Story is also not your routine “excuse- for-comedy” prosaic type but keeps one guessing right through the length of the movie.

Ajmal Ameer has tried his hands on comedy for the first time which is not easy by any stretch of imagination but he has come out of it credibly. Though in couple of sequences he goes overboard by and large he has dope a neat job of it .

Rupa Majari is the surprise package of the movie. She has acted very well . She is spontaneous & natural in her methods & surely has a lot to offer to the Tamil cinema .

Mouli is an enigma who in spite of his abundant talents is not being properly utilized by the people here in Tamil cinema. He has done well not only in comical portions with his inimitable timing but also in the serious parts as well.

Another one who deserves a special mention is the Baby Dharshan for all his cute expressions at such a tender age.

As in most of the comedy movies here too Manisharma’s music is nothing much to rave about. “Athiri puthiri ” is foot-taping .

Cinematography by Sudhir Chowdary in high-definition digital camera is credible without undue interference in the name of experimentation.

M.S. Suryah’s dieting, sorry, editing is glossy & modern .

Nandhini’s dialogues are as casual as it may get & very funny at numerous occasions. The torture sequence , Mouli’s forgetfulness of people names , the sequence where the lead pair get caught staying together , Rupa’s first attempt at lying to her parents , Rupa placing the mobile near an unknown pregnant lady to add credibility to her lies , …are few of many sequences that stays in one’s mind provoking laughs long after.

On the whole , T4 is a one hell of a fun filled ride .Just hop in without any second thoughts.

Bottomline: Thuru thuru thirullar.

3.5/5

UNNAI POL ORUVAN

My Review : Unnai Pol Oruvan



“Unnai Pol Oruvan ” , a remake of the hindi hit “A Wednesday ” is a well made movie that seeks to interpret how a south Indian “Common man ” & a south Indian Policeman will react in that given situation. In its own way it does justice to that effect. When one have power-packed performers like Kamalhassan & Mohanlal on board it is bound to be a delight for the connoisseurs. The exchanges between them are especially of high quality & heavy-duty.


While Kamalhassan is as subtle as he can get in the role of the common man which he does effortlessly with his characteristic witticism resurfacing now & then Mohanlal is an absolute delight in the role of a dynamic yet vulnerable policeman. One yearns for more from these two masters especially when the movie gets over in less than two hours itself.


Among the supporting cast Lakshmi does a adequate job while others like Ganesh Venkataraman , Poonam Kaur , Anuja Iyer look pleasant onscreen but bring about an aura of artificiality around their performances.


Shruthi Hassan’s re-recording is cool & modern with ample use of silence to elevate certain sequences.


Manoj Soni ‘s cinematography is excellent .


Chakri makes his debut as director with this movie.


Though the movie moves at a serious clip intelligent use of witticism adds spice to the proceedings. Though one expected more powerful dialogues from Kamalhassan’s pen he disappoints . Also unnecessary use of CM’s mimicry voice spoils the seriousness of the sequence.


One thing which is evident from seeing the movie is that the makers have made this movie in a hurried manner so as to release the movie to coincide with the celebrations of Kamalhassan completing 50 years of acting. In that hasty endeavor the quality of the end product has become the casualty.


Bottomline : Hassan & Lal fan’s delight .


3.5/5

EERAM

My Review: Eeram





“Eeram” is a promising attempt from a young team led by Arivazhagan ,who has it in him to become a very good filmmaker (he must certainly work on scripting aspect of it though ) , Mahesh Paramahamsa , yet another talented cinematographer gracing the Tamil Cinema Industry & Thaman.S who has given some excellent tunes & vindicates himself in re-recording too.

The movie is brilliant up to the half way mark with it’s stylish making , tautness of screenplay & chilling suspense maintained throughout the half , but sadly it takes a downward spiral in the second half which is dragging , contrived with no scope for suspense or thrill with some old fashioned screenplay playing the spoilsport .But it will not deny any plaudits the makers will be receiving from the connoisseurs for the attempt in itself in the first place & the high standards of making belying the naivety of the makers .

Aadhi looks dapper & suave as a police officer & has done his part pretty well .His is one of the better attempt at portrayal of a police officer. Nanda may have done better .There is some shallowness in his characterization & he fails to add coldness to his demeanor especially during those couple of important sequences.

Sindhu Menon comes back after a brief hiatus in a unidimensional role where all the scope she has is wailing all the time which she does adequately. Saranya Mohan impresses in a brief role.

Cinematography is excellent .Mahesh Parahamsa deserves all the credits he will receive . The colour tone in itself plays a role in the movie – the greenish blue hue representing the spirit throughout the movie.

Re-recording is important for any thriller , here too Thaman.S succeeds in that aspect but his re-recording in the romantic & sentimental scenes needs some improvement. Songs “Mazhaiye mazhaiye ” , ” Tharai Erangiya ” linger in one’s mind.

Arivazhagan comes across as a youngster with immense potential as a maker & if he brush-up his writing skills he will go a long way .

On the whole , movie is worthy of a watch .

Bottomline : OK.

3.5/5

NINAITHALE INIKUM

My Review: Ninaithale Inikum




“Ninaithale Inikum “ is must watch for all those aspiring film-makers & assistant directors to know :
1) How not to make a remake &
2) How not to make a movie in the first place.
All those who were ridiculing “Jayam ” Raja – Go to hell! Movies like these vindicate the talent Raja has in remaking movies without spoiling the original & successfully at that time & again.

The writing is very pathetic with some juvenile direction adding to the woes. The Malayalam original was as natural as a college campus story can get whereas this Tamil version is as artificial as it may get without even any iota of reality . College campus of “Ninaithale Inikum ” is a straight lift from those the likes of Karthik , Murali & co used to rule.

The screenplay is disjointed with irritatingly placed unwanted songs standing alienated from the proceedings though they are good to hear & beautifully shot . There is no semblance of thrill as the movie moves towards the climax which was very much evident in the Malayalam version . The student politics which was brilliantly portrayed in the original also looks very banal here.

All the actors have put in their sincere efforts while Cinematography & the colour tone used are top class though they are not enough to salvage this half backed attempt. Prithviraj is adequate while Priyamani looks plump .Karthik Kumar , Shakthi & Vishnu Priyan have done a neat job . Anuja Iyer overacts a bit while K.Baghyaraj , Jeeva & Ilavarasu have redundant characterization.

Vijay Anthony’s songs are good especially “Ahagai Pookuthey ” & “Piya Piya ” .He however draws a blank in the rerecording .

Balasubramanyam’s cinematography is the only USP of the movie which stands tall over anything else in the movie.

On the whole , give it a miss & those who have seen the original – Don’t even dare go anywhere near the theaters showing this movie!

Bottomline : Ninaithale Inikum – Parthale kasakum …!!

2/5

MADHURAI SAMBAVAM

My Review: Madhurai Sambavam



“ Madhurai Sambavam “ is one of those movies where we step in with zero expectation but the movie makes us sit back half way through sustaining the interest right until the end credits. Plot is nothing but a cat and mouse game between a “ Madhurai dada ” & a cop on special posting to eradicate all the anti-social elements of the city . Cop here is cute looking but mean encounter specialist, Caroline Thomas.


Unlike our regular movies here none is good or bad, every one has a dark secret to hide & have their own share of justifications for all their grayish activities. Unlike the regular Tamil movies here both the male lead as well as the female lead are equally strong characters & scope to perform equitably.


Eureka , the debutant director has done well in his screenplay , dialogues & direction . The movie moves very predictably until the entry of Anunya after which there are numerous unexpected twists & turns keeping one glued to the seat. All said and done but it is the central theme of the movie which is disturbing one’s mind – that encouraging “ goondaism ” while punishing the sincerity of the cops in their mission . Also there are severe doses of male chauvinism sprinkled throughout the movie. The manner in which a rowdy French-kisses a cop in the middle of the street & a senior cop getting burnt alive in the public while glorifying all those who does these atrocious acts , the director has gone too far . Why this fascination towards rowdism …?!


Among the actors Anunya scores more than anyone else .It is yet another strong character for her which she has done admirably .Though she evokes peels of laughter in her initial scenes when she comes in the cop uniform & mouths punch dialogues against the rogues , she comes to her own after a while . Here is one actress with all the potential to make it big as an “ actor ” rather than just yet another glamour doll.


Harikumar though needs a lot of effort to become a credible actor . I don’t know who advised him to delivery his dialogues the way he does in this movie. It gets under one’s nerve after a while . The manner in which he talks even the most casual of dialogues sounds artificial as if he is delivering a “punch dialogue ” .


Karthika doesn’t have much to do expect for a song sequence & couple of scenes . Radharavi’s is a dignified portrayal .


Tamil cinema has got yet another comedian (what is his name ) in the one who comes as Harikumar’s friend “Mandayan” .He excels in serious sequences too.


Sukumar’s cinematography is patchy & average to say the least while John Peter’s music has nothing to rave about .


On the whole , “Madhurai Sambavam ” is not a bad cinema , it merits at least a watch once.


Bottomline : Watchable.


2.5 / 5 (deserves a "3" but for the wrong theme ..!)

KANTHASAMY

My Review : Kanthasamy





“Kandhasamy ” is not a typical tamil movie . Susi Ganeshan who has been giving us some sensible movies has turned atypical with this movie trying to ape Shankar who himself modeled his style on S.A.Chandrasekar’s “ Naan Sigappu Manithan “ and Kalaigner’s “Parasakthi” .Movie has scenes , dialogues , situations …what not which we have witnessed & battered from the days of “Parasakthi ” to “Shivaji ” . While working over-time on what to ctrl+v & what to ctrl+x , he seem to have got confused a great deal which we come to know from him swapping the “Making of Kandhasamy ” which would have ideally come in the end credits finding place in first half itself. Also his penchant for screen space ala Perarasu continues with this movie too.

Vikram is yet another person who baffles us with his atypicality . Post “Anniyan ” at which point of time he was right at the top behind the “Big Two ” of Tamil cinema , he has done some pathetic script selection & what more he has wasted precious time (very generously at that ) in those banal projects . He keeps plummeting down the rail with each of his movies ever since without any rethinking of his strategy. Sad that all his hard-work & time is getting wasted by such over-indulgent directors.


Shriya is atypical too but in the positive sense of the word . Though she continue with her routine show of skin , she has tried to “Act ” a bit in this movie & unlike heroines of such movies , here she has scope to perform which she has used well. Infact it is she who seems to attract more men to this movie than anyone associated with the movie.


One person on whom one cannot use the word atypical is Kalaipuli S.Thanu who keeps his track record intact with this movie too after that colossal “ HIT ” – “Sakkarakatti”. One wonders from where he garners resources for such big budgeted misadventures one after another –the dialogue “ivan evlo adichalum thangaranya…! ” echoing in my mind.One sincere advise to Thanu sir . Instead of adopting villages if you stop producing movies it would be a great service to mankind in general & movie buffs in particular.


DeviSriprasad’s music doesn’t have any scope for subtlety & re-recording has nothing novel .

One person who comes out with his reputation enhanced is N.Ekambaram , the cinematographer of the movie. He has done some excellent cinematography elevating the movie beyond the written material . If only he used some subtleness in the Mexican scenes as far as the colour scheme is concerned he would have sparred the viewer’s eyes from photo toxic effects of bright yellow.


After seeing this movie one is bound to get angered by the obscene amounts spend for the invitation , audio launch & the movie’s budget overall – in how ever modern , costly tetra pack you sell a gruel , none will bother to even sniff at it if it is stale & unhealthy which is what “Kanthasamy “ is ….

Bottomline: “Kanthasamy “ – Super Zero…..

2/5.

POKKISHAM

My Review: Pokkisham



One has to wait almost 8 months of the year to get to see a Tamil movie which can be proudly proclaimed to have come from Tamil film industry. And “Pokkkisham ” is worth the wait . Cheran , one of the most underrated director of the Tamil Industry has once again vindicated his talent .One wonders when will creator like him get his due when all and sundry makes it big after just a couple of commercial routines. It takes loads of guts on the part of the makers as well to come forward & produce such an experimental movie .

“Pokkisham ” is a special film that anyone with lyrical bent of mind will savor . The writer in Cheran has had a field day & he must have enjoyed himself writing for this movie. Dialouges sparkles while the letters that come interspersed are enjoyable & are of high quality Tamil. It’s been years since one has come across such a beautiful use of Tamil language onscreen.

Cheran , the director has been growing in stature ever since his debut both content wise as well as in the making too & “Pokkisham ” is a natural progression in that evolution. He has come back with a bang after that blip with “Maya Kannadi ” . The way he has scripted such an unusual screenplay & has directed that in such a coherent manner deserves couple of awards or two.

Another department that deserves high accolades includes the Production Design team headed by the Art director Vairabalan. They have recreated Kolkatta , Chennai & Nagore of the 70’s with such precise minute detailing .

Rajesh Yadav has captured the movie which is essentially an emotional reminiscence with élan & gaiety . He has worked meticulously on the 70’s look along with the Production Design team . Like the “Subramanyapuram” team last year they too come out with flying colours in thisn department.

Saravan-Ayyapan’s Editing is trendy but at the same time very relevant to the script.

Sabesh-Murali’s re-recording is excellent as does all the songs of the movie. “Nila ..Nee Vanam ” with beautiful verses from Yugabarathi & rendered mellifluously by Vijay Yesudas & Chinmayi haunts for long while “Anjal Petti ” , “Azhagu Mugam ” & “Mozhi Illamale ” are very good . “Nadira Nadira ” with Bengali folk is foot-tapping.

Coming to the performances Cheran has improved a great deal in acting . The manner in which he is able to portray even minute of expressions (though he overdoes those in couple of instances ) convey the progression.


Padmapriya too has done an excellent job with her natural portrayal . She scores over Cheran in almost all their combination scenes . She has effortlessly performed in each & every scene but the only blemish is her garish make-up in the end with looked very clumsy.

Each every other character stay in our mind for long like Vijayakumar , Ilavarasu , Bengali neighbour girl , that postman in Kolkatta , Nadira’s mother & father , her friend …..so on.

“Pokkisham ” is a must watch movie since movies of such high class & content comes very rarely in Tamil Cinema nowadays. Don’t miss it at any cost .

Bottomline : “Ilakiya vadivil oru eyalbana cinema …..!”

4.5/5

MALAI MALAI

My Review: Malai Malai




A.Venkatesh directed "Malai Malai " starring one of the most talented yet unlucky actor , Arun Vijay , is a decent commercial cocktail with all ingredients of the masala in almost correct proportions . Movie has a decent storyline , competent acting by all concerned , hilarious comedy tract with ample dose of sentiment towards the end . Barring few over the top “hilarious” action sequences (especially hero flying all over , buildings , buses …. While riding a bicycle ) the director has managed to keep the heroism at a reasonable level.

There is nothing new about story which is a clash of wits between a innocent , manly village ruffian and a powerful city dada . The credit must go to the director in presenting such a stale story in an engrossing & entertaining manner .

Arun Vijay may get a long awaiting break with this movie . He has worked hard & it shows on screen . He looks every inch a villager who is not only courageous but also courteous .He looks dashing in song sequences .

Vedhika plays a RJ who falls in love with the hero .Her’s is not a insignificant role that heroines in such masala entertainers usually have .She has scope to perform as well her character too have some degree of importance in the movie.

Prabhu seems to have enjoyed playing his role to the hilt which shows onscreen . He revels in both hilarious as well in sentimental scenes.

Prakash Raj is brilliant as usual though there is nothing novel in his role .

Kasthuri comes back after a long hiatus & the song “Anthiyile vanam ” when she meets Prabhu for the first time is a case of good timing by the director.

Shanthanam , Kanja Karupu , “Lollu Sabha ” Manohar & Aarthi combines to present on the hilarious comedy track in recent times .

Mani Sharma ‘s music is nothing new but couple of melodies which he has reused from his Telugu Albums are good to hear .

A.Venkatesh’s cinematography is adequate .

A.Venkatesh once again proves that he is a competent director when it comes to giving a commercial potboiler . Though one may feel that there is nothing new to watch , this one keeps you interested throughout its length . At the time when the top stars of Tamil Cinema are struggling to give a good commercial cinema to satisfy their fans , this movie comes as surprisingly entertaining .

On the whole , movie is a nice time pass if you don’t mind doses of illogical sequences .

Bottomline : Not Bad.



3/5

SINDHANAI SEI

My Review : Sindhanai Sei



“Sindhanai Sei ” is not a regular Tamil Cinema is evident right from the start of the movie which traces the lives of “the middle benchers” in school .Here every one is grey with their selfish interests overwhelming everything else – love , friendship , trust ….et al. It is refreshing to see a movie devoid of hero & heroine being the epitome of kindness & righteousness & none getting away with their deeds unpaid .

After a long gap we are presented with a movie with a strong script supported by good technicians as well as good actors who make this movie viewing a wholesome experience .Not to forget the Music of the movie which is Superb .

R.Yuvan has written , directed as well as led the acting department with élan . Though it is touted to be inspired from “Jhonny Gaddar ” & some romantic scenes lifted from “My Sassy Girl ” , R.Yuvan has a good visual skills as well as ability to extract emotions from his cast . His dialogues are crisp as well casual . As far as his acting capability goes there is ample scope for improvement and it will be prudent if he reduces his body girth .

Rest of the 4 members who make up the gang have all performed credibly .

Madhu Sharma too has done justice in a different kind of a role that heroines of today rarely get .

Thaman,s songs are superb each of different genre but nonetheless catchy .His re-recording too deserves pat on the back .He elevates the movie with his superb re-recording.

K.Thanikachalam , (Super good films’ company editor) is a revelation in this movie . His cuts are trendy & enhances the technical luster .

Sri Pawan Sankar is yet another talented cinematographer whom we come across in Tamil Cinema. But the manner in which the colour scheme of the movie gets changing almost with every scene may get into the nerve of the viewers after a point of time.

One gets a doubt whether this movie is a bilingual especially with the scenes involving Yuvan & Madhu being shot in Andhra Pradesh , their dialogues seems to be dubbed , the buses & police sporting Andhra number plates & uniforms respectively It is the only glitch in otherwise carefully done movie . Though the songs are superb , they mar the flow of the proceedings which becomes irritating after a point.

On the whole , after a long gap here is movie to savour for those who were longing for a meaningful movie.

Bottomline: Sindhanai ethum seiyamal poi parkalam…..

3.5/5

AINTHAM PADAI

My Review: Aintham Padai.




“Aintham padai ” is one of the better Sunder.C movies in recent times but since the quality of his movies have gone abysmally low since his first two attempts at acting , this one too can’t salvage him at the box-office . Though they have tried to give a family entertainer ,too much of commercialism has left the movie high & dry (This is where a movie like “Mayandi Kudumbathar “ scored ).

Sunder.C is getting irritatingly type cast &it is not that these kind of roles is paying dividends for him at the Box-office . When does he going to realize it is anybody’s guess what with his next two movie have nothing suggestive of it.

Simran has a meaty role to play but as with most of Sunder.c’s movies it is too nothing novel . Devayani’s role is nothing short of paying tribute to bygone era of 80’s . Adithi plays Sunder.c’s lady love who seems think that acting is nothing but stare blankly at the camera & stare more .

Among a horde of actors who from the support cast , Naser’s is a dignified portrayal while Dottana’s is a routine village baddy type. Mukesh’s Malayalam accented tamil is offsetting his portrayal while SampathRaj is sadly type cast yet again .

Vivek’s comedy tickles at some points though he is a long way from his best .

D.Iman’s music has nothing special to talk about while Sankar’s cinematography is routine.

Badri who started his career with promising “Veerapu “ fails to keep up the good work here . The climax of the movie is one of all time comedy in Tamil Cinemas.

Though this movie may have some takers in the rural areas , it will find it difficult to pass a couple of weeks in the urban areas.

Bottomline : Sunder.C , it is Wake-up time .

2/5

MALAYAN

My Review: Malayan



“ Thiruvalarselvan “ Karan’s “ Malayan ” has a solid script , adequate acting & some suspense in the proceedings which keeps the viewers guessing .

M.P.Gopi joins the list of R.V.Udhayakumar & P.Vasu in giving good village based movie with a neat script .

Dhina’s music is nothing special but he too follows the flavour of the season with some native songs like recent hits “Mudhal Mariyadhai ” ,” Chinna Goundar ” …etc.

I.Sridhar’s cinematography is wonderful with some stunning CG work .

Karan is sure to become one of the leading hero in the near future especially in the rural areas among the women in particular .

Shammu is a native face & acts well while Udhayathara fills in the void after Shammu leaves the scene.

Sharathbabu is in form nowadays with varied roles like in “Annamalai “ & here too he has a solid role to do which he does with aplomb.

It is encouraging that these days movies have gone out of the confines of Madras & refreshing to see rural South Tamil Nadu for a change . Let this be a begging for we have a lot many areas there to show on screen .

On the whole , go & watch this well made movie in theatres & not in your VCRs.

……………………………………………………………

P.S: Don’t get confused by this review which dates back to 28th , July , 1989 .

Coming to the present time , this movie is good but the only thing that works against it’s favour is that it may have got a release some 20 years too late……

2/5

MODHI VILAYADU

My Review : Mothi Vilayadu



Saran’s latest offering “Modhi Vilayadu ” is racy , different & interesting in the first half & up to the point of a shocking revelation in the story after which the movie becomes clichéd , hackneyed & cinematic , a apology of a climax to top it all. It is as if the movie is written & directed by two different persons before & after that point .

What makes this movie watchable is the breezy first half with all its freshness & novel approach. Kajal Agarwal & Shanthanam take away all the plaudits here . This half is an ample example of the visionary in Saran .

Coming to second half , from the point the movie takes a U turn , it looses all its novelty ,utterly devoid of any shred of logic whatsoever . The manner in which the CEO of a multinational company can become penniless overnight is not only a shocking piece of pathetic writing but makes one not to take the movie as seriously as one was taking it up to that point . And lesser said about the climax the better.

Vinay has nothing much to do in this movie but shines in couple of scenes in the second half. Though his attempt at dubbing is not upto the mark , one must appreciate his try .Way to go Vinay.

Kajal Agarwal rocks the first half though inexplicably she disappears suddenly .After her return though her part too becomes as banal as it may get. On the contrary her lip sync is pathetic to mildly put it.

Shanthanam is in great form nowadays & he lives up to it. There are a lots of LOL scenes in the movie involving him .

Kalabavan Mani starts off subtly but the dramatic in him springs out now & then all to the irritation of the viewers .

Colonial Cousins’ music is routine but the song “Modhi Vilayadu ” stands out for both the picturization as well the music.

Karun’s Cinematography is trendy & sleek contributing to the grandeur of the movie.

Ramakrishnan’s story is novel though it got spoilt by the screenplay of Saran in the latter half while his dialogues adds to the fun in the first half .

This one may be better than Saran’s last couple of attempts but it is nothing any where near what his potential we saw in “Kadhal Mannan ” or “Amarkalam.”

Bottomline : Can watch it for the first half.

2.5/5

ACHAMUNDU ACHAMUNDU

My Review : Achamundu Achamundu




"Achamundu Achamundu " is not a regular movie that we come across in Tamil Cinema Industry . Yes it is the first one to be shot on Red One Digital camera ,shot wholly in U.S. ,it has an hollywood actor playing a important role . But what makes it unique is the subject matter - very bold , topical & relevant yet presented in a pleasant manner without any voyeuristic indulgence . Technically the movie is top notch with stunning cinematography & world class background score .All the actors have put in some natural , subtle acting .

Prasanna's is a neat portrayal of an young American-indian professional ,a loving husband & a caring father.Emotions come effortlessly for him whether it is love , anger or anguish . But one do get felling that he is getting type cast ("Anjathey " being an exception.)

Sneha is another natural performer & lives up to the expectations .

John Shea sends shivers down the spine with his cold blooded smile & by his characterisation.

Karthick Raja's musical score is world class. It is one of the best background score in recent times .It is a great shame that so much talented as he is , he is yet to fulfill his potential in the Tamil Cinema Industry.

Chris Frielich is the cinematographer & he is yet another reason why this movie is of international quality . The digital film making at it's best probably for the first time in Tamil cinema without any aberrations .

Arun Vaidyanathan is the brain behind this movie . He has taken a complex subject & presented it in a very simple manner . The screenplay is very lucid & direction adequate though there is some scope for improvement as there are couple of instances amateurishness here & there . Dialogues are natural without any scope for melodrama or theatrics .The very slow pace of the movie may offset some.

Bottomline : A good attempt .

3.5 / 5

VEDIGUNDU MURUGESAN

My Review : Vedigundu Murugesan




Moorthy's follow-up to his successfull debut "Karupasami Kuthagaitharar " ,Pasupathy starrer "Vedigundu Murugesan " is yet another disappointing outing , keeping in with the trend of last two years in Tamil cinema ,barring half a dozen movies ,mostly it has been a frustrating peroid for both the makers as well as the viewers. The big question is why Pasupathy , an actor with bundle of talents , is squandering with script selection . After the duds of "Kuselan " & " TN 07 AL4777" , this movie is yet another case of misjudgment on his part.

The question is whether the director was serious enough in writing & directing this movie. Pasupathy's character or Jyothirmayee's character or even those of the villans are all ambiguously written - every one is confronted with the question - whether these characters are serious or spoofs of such characters we see in tamil movies. The whole movie in fact has this vagueness - moments seriousness followed with sequences of utter ridicule. As the result one gets a feeling as to whether one has to take this movie serioulsy to spend money & time for.

Pasupathy is earnest in his role but can't repeat the comic magic that we saw in "Majaa " . His characterisation at best confusing - at one moment he gives thoughtful sermons in court , at the next moment he tries to sleep with a prostitute ! He is shown as a rowdy in one instance while throughtout the second half he runs from the villans for his life. Also Jyothirmayee falling in love only because he cares for that mentally deranged girl is also seems a tad simulated .

Same is the case with Jyothirmayee's character - she tells to her parents that she was brought up like a male yet in many instances she is shown breaking into tears for even slightest of provocations .


Less said about the Villans the better - their role is parody or what ...??

Vadivelu succeeds in keeping the audience lively at couple of places but he too disappoints on the whole.

Television news-reader Nirmala Periyasamy also stars in a significant role.

Dina's music is nothing to speak off while cinematography is routine.

Though dialogue writer Moorthy shines in some scenes , script-writer & director Moorthy is terribly off the radar.

After those movies with style sans substance that we saw in the last few weeks , this one is a movie sans style & substance.

Bottomline : Better get blasted by a " Vedigundu " than watching this.

1.5 / 5

VAMANAN

My Review: Vamanan




Though "Vamanan " is Jai first movie as solo hero ,the makers have gone overboard in presenting him as all prevailing mass action hero which seems a little preposterous on the part of them as well the person in question. Also it is not only quiet irritating but also outrageous on the part of some young heros to ridicule established senior actors in the name of comedy . Jai must see to it that he also don't go the same way of some others like him who vanished from the industry by making their tongue do all the talking without giving it a thought.

Coming to "Vamanan " it is all style without any substance .The script by I.Ahmed is totally illogical & frivolous ,unable to keep the viewers interested with innumerable holes in the plot & many loose ends untied. The basic plot is same as that of "Muthirai " another disappointment which released few weeks back & the treatment is nothing better.

Jai tries to ascend to the heights of some top heroes of Tamil cinema but ends up with eggs on his face .One advise to him .Sir, try to concentrate on the job at hand which is acting rather than unnecessarily indulging in over-zealous ,over-smart rumblings.

Priya Anand has nothing much to do & have a very limited screen space while Laxmi Rai not only flaunts her assets a great deal but also done a neat job emoting.

Santhanam is the only redeeming factor of the movie & it is he who keeps the first half going with some support from Urvashi but even he can't salvage the inane second half.

Rest in the cast Rahman , Sampath , "Thalaivasal" Vijay & the rest are cliched to the core.

Yuvan Sankar Raja's re-recording is disappointing (the number of movies he is currently doing is taking the toll )while couple of songs are worthy a listen.

Arvind Krishna's cinematography especially his lighting is excellent .

I.Ahmed's debut as director & writer is not the one he will remember .There are fleeting moments of amateurishness in between some pretty ordinary scenes .

Week after week we are subjected to some pretty poor scripts in Tamil cinema.This paucity of decent script writers in Tamil is quiet baffling tp say the least. One may wish to freak out loud "Tamil cinemava kapatha yarume illaya" after seeing such pathetic attempts week after week.

On the whole , those who have already watched "Muthirai" beware of another tryst with destiny if you dare to venture into this movie .Rest of you save your money & peace of mind.

Bottomline: "Muthirai " & "Thoranai" are classics when compared to this.

1.5/5

GNABAGANGAL

My Review :Gnabagangal



Touted to be a real life story & tribute of Pa.Vijay for his friend's love , movie ends up exasperating the viewers with it's snail paced & old fashioned presentation . Though the story may move the viewer in the end (especially considering it that it has atually happened in real life) one need extra bit of patience & time to sit through upto that point . "Gnabagangal" is not in sinc with the times & may not get the response it envisaged to .

Pa.Vijay's acting is totally inspired from Cheran's & though he has put in his best efforts possible that is not enough to save the day.He ends up making some unintended comedy in terms of dancing as well as in some romantic & emotional scenes also. Also the amke up plays traunt in almost all the sequences .

Sridevika looks glamourous in this movie & acts well & has a meaty role too. She aslo seems to have dubbed herself which is competent . But same cannot be said of her dressing sense & make-up.

Rest of the cast put up some amatuerish attempt .Director Jeevan comes up in a small role .

The makers may well have avoided the dig at one of the most famous lyricist though it reflects a personal anguish tinted in it .

James Vic's music is nothing to rave about.

Jevvan handles the camera as well as direction.

Pa.Vijay has written the story , screenplay , dialogues & songs as well as produced the movie. The "kavidhai"'s that appear in between the narration (ala Kadhir's movies) are good though they stick out odd .Dialogues are full of literary connotation which try to give the movie a lyrical quality but they look forced into the narration.

Screenplay is very slow & has nothing novel to offer .Since the end is known in the first reel itself , the suspence element is also not there. Also the screenplay is distorted with scenes appearing in & out without any link.

On the whole , wait for Kalinger T.V to telecast it on a friday night any sooner .

Bottomline : Gnabagangal - marakapada vendiyavai.....

2/5

VALMIKI

My Review: Valmiki




Some movie may look very good in writing but when it comes to execution it may lack a punch .Sadly "Valmiki" suffers exactly here . Direction of the movie is wavering & at many places lacks conviction which mars some excellent acting from most of the cast . First half moves without any purpose with some unwanted cinematic cliched dance numbers & sea-shore duet & like in many movie a well educated girl with almost angelic qualities falling for a pickpocket thug ....!

Some purpose does comes into the proceedings in the second half with some truly touchy moments here & there like the Kanaga's coversation with Pandi on her first night , Pandi's encounter with the prostitute as well the final moments of the movie involving the nabbed robber Tyson . They sure does moist one's eyes but they are few & far in between some ordinary moments .

A movie can't become a cult classic only by filming it in real locations with some real life characters in the cast .There must be a flawless script & lucid direction which is in lacking here. Also one can't understand why directors of today think that if the movie has to be realistic either hero or the heroine must die in the end. ....Yawn...!


The redeeming feature of the movie is only natural portrayal of the cast .Everyone from Akhil to Meera Nandan , Devika , Badava Gopi as well as numerous unknown faces have done an excellent job . The young girl who becomes a prostitute , brother of Kanaga , young boy adopted by Vandana are a few who stay in out mind long after the movie gets over .


N.Alagappan has worked very hard shooting in some real locations , often in a candid manner .His toils are vividly seen all over the movie .

Ilayaraja's songs are hummable but have an already heard feeling attached to them. Also re-recording is some what routine .

Anantha Narayanan , who makes his debut with this movie shows glimpses of mastery over the medium but sadly they stay only glimpses.

On the whole , a good message said in a very unconvincing manner.

Bottomline: Unconvincing.

2.5/5

NADODIGAL

My Review: Nadodigal





"Nadodigal " , Samuthirakani's third attempt at the helm & Sasikumar's second movie as an actor opens with a lots of expectations & lives up to it in the first half which is not only racy & entertaining but also realistic & simple in it's approach. But sadly movie peters out into an exaggerated cinema devoid of any natural flair in the second half with an insipid ending .The razor sharp dialogues of Samuthirakani being the saving grace in the climax scenes though they don't gel with the modern times .

Sasikumar has done a decent job as the lead hero for the first time & has tried hard to dance a bit also . But there seems to be "Subramanyapuram " hangover here & there .

Bharani is the real show stealer of the movie . He proves not only in the comical scenes but surprisingly has done exceedingly well in the emotional ones to. Needless to say he walks away with all the applause from the audience.

Vijay don't have much to do while Ananya & Abinaya , debutantes prove their mettle in the limited scope provided for them.

The one who comes as the mother of one of the lovers (M.P) over acts a lot & her acting as well as her characterisation are utterly cinematic .

Kanja Karupu once again proves that given the right person to guide him , he has a lot to offer .

The one who comes as "Chinnamani" steals the show whenever he is on screen with his ultra casual acting & mannerisms.
Sunder .C.Babu's songs travel along the story though the item number sticks out like sore thumb.

Kathir's cinematography aids the director's vision ably .

Samuthirakani has written & directed the movie. Kudos for him to think of a script like this in which there is no one as hero or a heroine , none completely good or totally bad , a racy movie with very little violence or blood shed . Also he keeps a lighter vein going throughout. If only he has taken a better care in the second half & thought of something novel for the climax , movie would have gone places.

On the whole , movie starts with a bang but ends with a whimper.

Bottomline : 1st half racy , 2nd half messy .


3/5

MUTHIRAI

My Review: Muthirai




At present there seems to be a severe shortage of scripts in Tamil cinema & hence almost all movies that have released this year have met with miserable failure barring a very few. It is a great mystery indeed that no talented writers are there at the moment . “Muthirai” is yet another disappointing fare which is technically very good but content wise very stale & yawn inducing.

Nitin Satya is the only saving grace of the movie who tend to cheer up the sagging morale of the viewers here & there . All the witty one-liners in the movie are reserved for him & he expresses them with wonderful timing .

“Daniel” Balaji though the hero of the movie don’t have much scope for acting .He is stone faced more so in the song sequences .

Laxmi Roy has some scope to showcase her acting talents while Manjari Fadhnis has no scope .

Movie has a slew of television actors as supporting cast along with talented Kishore who all have done a decent job in some very routine roles.

Music by Yuvan Sankar Raja is not that inspiring to stay in the seat during the songs.

Saleem’s cinematography is excellent .Infact script like this does not warrant such hardwork from him but he excels.

Anthony’s editing confuses the viewers with scenes suddenly springing up from no where.

Story , screenplay & “creative direction” (!) is by Anees Tanveer . She has not strained much .She has made a kichadi form many old movies & come up with this one.

Srinath is the director of the movie.

On the whole don’t waste your money .

Nowadays venturing to a tamil movie has become very dangerous since not only money but our health may also get robbed by doing so.

Bottomline : SKIP.

1.5/5

MAYANDI KUDUMBATHAR

My Review : Mayandi Kudumbathar





Rasu Madhuravan's "Mayandi Kudumbathar" got released with a hype since it has 10 directors in it's cast & hence the expectations were high . The end result partly lives up to the hype with most of them doing a pretty good job though the one who is cast in the central most chracter , Tarun Gopi falters .

Rasu Madhuravan has taken up a simple story & presented it in a very clear & lucid manner onscreen .Story of the life of father & his sons are not new to Tamil Cinema but the presentation here is so natural & earthy that one may get a feeling of being part of the family showcased here . If only director had cast some one with a flair for natural acting or tried to guide Tarun Gopi to act subtly , the impact of the movie would have been more.

Tarun Gopi as the central pivot of the family does a bad job .He over acts a great deal which gives a clue or two about why most of the characters in his movies over-act.He plays the spoilsport in most emotional sequences which leads to peals of laughter than silence in the theatre. It is shoking to see him as a 12th standard school boy..!

Among other director-actors Manivannan , PonVannan , Rajkapoor , Seeman , Ravimariya , G.M. Kumar does a good job in that order . Seeman's dialogue delivary in not that clear in couple of places .

Singampuli & Mayilsami provide some good humour for the movie. Mayilsami scores in the emotional sequences too.

Poongodi is better than Tarun though there is scope for improvement.

Couple of melodies from Sabesh-Murali are humworthy while BGM is nothing novel but effective.

Bala Barani's cinematography amply supports the proceedings without distracting them.

Rasu Madhuravan presents a good movie which is suited exclusively for the family audiences & will do well especially in the south Tamilnadu .

On the whole if one over look the over-acting of Tarun Gopi , movie is good.

Bottomline : Tasty like Madhurai Muniyandi Vilas Biriyani.

3/5

THORANAI

My Review :THORANAI




Vishal's next is "Thoranai" after some pretty ordinary time at the box-office .After reading many review of the movie i watched this movie & was deeply disappointed with every one who said there was nothing new in this movie. Those who said so may not have watched this movie with their minds & eyes open.Director Saba Ayyapan has made many novel not-seen-before-in-TC-scenes in "Thoranai" which all have obviously missed out. Lets see them one by one .

Novelty 1 :- For the 1st time in TC history , Saba has broken the monotony of Hero-intro-fight-then-intro song - sequence .Here Hero has no intro fight but only intro song .Those who were looking for fight sequence were taken aback.

Novelty 2:- Usually in village family of TC , father does all the corporal punishment on the errand sons while mother does the weeping part.But here mother does the action part while father does the weeping part .Director shows his inclination for gender equality here ( "only here" ).

Novelty 3:- For all those who are bored of seeing heros mouthing all the punch dialogues in the action movies here comes a huge "relief." Here everyone from the temple preist , hero & heroine's friends , apartment's watchman , secretary & an old woman living there , comedy inspector & his constable .....not to forget the villans & their henchmen .....all mouth umpteen number of punch dialogues.Thus for the 1st time in TC history , director has treated every one in the film akin to a hero which reveals Saba's socialist bent of mind.

Novelty 4:- This one is the most revolutionary of ideas we have come across in recent years in Indian Cinema itself. How long will we see a old man drooling over a young girl {am not talking about the kanths , kumar's & raj's of TC }ala Amitabh in Nisabdh. Here by conceiving a romantic angle between Santhanam & Paravai Muniyamma , Saba has crossed all the creative boundaries which not even legendary KB sir would have thought of.

Novelty 5:-This reveals' director's naughty face. When everyone anticipate a duet & get ready for a smoke or two , he springs a surprise by not having a duet but a fight instead (though not even that prevents the exodus out of the theatre) & when one least expect of a song he introduces one to the shock of one & all..!

Novelty 6:- This one tops all. This shows the foresightedness of the makers of the movie.Knowing pretty well that after the opening weekend , the theaters will have a deserted look & to cheer for the few who risks their life by venturing into one , they have added applause & whistles in the surround sound which tend to cheer up the risk takers. They appear only when Vishal appears on screen is a let-down though..may have added them for shriya , prakashraj & Santhanam too. (in the mean time the sound snores of a dozen co-audience will cheer you up..)


Now coming to the review , Saba Ayyapan shows a very good flair for comedy & he does a neat job at it.The first half is shouldered solely by Santhanam-MAyilsami comedy .The second half is a torture with oft repeated masala movie rituals.

Among actors Prakashraj & Kishore does a neat job while Vishal strictly follows Vijay's mannerism , body language & dancing styles but he doesn't succeed in his endeavor.

Shriya : No comments.

Santhanam steals the show in the 1st half.

Other departments are nothing worthy of any mention.

One advise to Saba Ayyapan is that he has it in him to work wonders in handling comedy subjects & hence he must stick to his forte in the future.May be we may get another Sunder.c.

On the whole , tune into Siripoli & Adhitya for Santhanam's comedy scenes & that is all about it.

Bottomline : Old stale wine in an age old mud pot.

2/5

MANJAL VEYIL

My Review : Manjal Veyil



The long delayed "Manjal Veyil " finally gets a release this week .The shows onscreen for this is a movie which may have worked in the mid-nineties when we used to have number of such movies with friendship-love angle thrown in with a tragic climax. But this movie sadly look woefully out of place in 2009 .Movie moves at a very slow pace which may test your patience .

Prasanna & Sandhya have nothing much to do as far as acting in concerned though the whole movie revolves around them.Prasanna looks jaded & disinterested while Sandhya looks plump .Bala , the 3rd hero comes & goes in a role with limited scope & time-space.

M.S.Baskar's comedy misses this time.

R.K. (of "Ellam Avan Seyal ") evoke more laughs than M.S.Baskar (though unintended) as the Villan Rajesh with some very funny wig.

Baradhwaj's music is boring to say the least .

Technically the movie is shoddy & tacky.

Vaseegaran who has written & directed the movie must have been living in totally different era totally detached from the present trend.

On the whole , skip this headache inducing movie for good.

Bottomline: Catch your favorite 90's movie in a DVD instead.

1.5/5

MASILAMANI

My Review:



Sun Pictures have seem to have created a brand for themselves with their movies having a reputation of being wholesome family entertainers sans logic & sense . Their latest offering "Masilamani " is nothing different from their other products. By this movie they have succeeded in keeping their success spree continuing .

The movie is nothing but "Thullatha Manamum Thullum " in the 1st half & "Naam Iruvar Namaku Iruvar " in the second half with ample doses of comedy & good humour & some pretty good songs to boot . The first half meanders without any purpose except for some good comedy from Santhanam- Srinath - M.S.Baskar trio .It is only in the second half does the movie gains steam & moves at a very good pace keeping one hooked to the seat.

Nakul dances like a dream .Watch out for his fleet footed numbers "Sikku sikku Boom boom " & "Odi odi vilayadu ". He has tried to become a mass action hero only in his second movie & do succeeds to some extent.

Sunaina has limited scope when compared to Nakul but she has done well within that .

M.S.Baskar scores over Santhanam & Srinath in the comedy .

Others in the cast have done decent jobs as well.

D.Iman's music is a huge plus point for the movie with "Divya Divya " & " Dora Dora " lingering long in our minds.

Vetri's cinematography is not spectacular but adequate .

R.N.R.Manohar has written & directed the movie which has nothing new as far as the content is concerned but has mixed in all the ingredients to keep the people who long for mindless entertainment .

On the whole another entertainer in the lines of "Ayan " .

Bottomline : Keep your brains at your home & watch it.

3/5

KULIR 100'

My Review : KULIR 100'



In Tamil Cinema so far teen movies have dealt only with adolescent infatuations often presented in a voyeuristic manner but here comes a teen movie which is clean & deals with a different subject altogether .For this Anitha Udeep the creater of the movie deserves applause . She has a good eye for visual presentation as well not that bad at direction also . If only she had a good script to back up with she would have hit the bulls eye.

"Kulir 100'" what begins as a school campus story , turns into to one up-manship game between the hero & his seniors , friendship , romance ,murder & revenge thriller.....it ends up tiring the viewers . As a result the movie which raises our expectations in the first few reels lets us down half way through.

Sanjeev as the hero Surya is OK as far as acting goes .He dances well & looks smart (infact smarter than what his role of a student from low class background demands).Has Simbhu dubbed for him???

Riya is a cigarette smoking , punch dialog mouthing , Villan Bashing ,loud mouthed heroine .She looks matured than a 11th student though.

The actor who plays Babloo do succeeds in evoking a few laughs while the ones who play the villainous trio impress.

L.K.Vijay is the real hero of the movie .His cinematography is excellent & captured the natural splendour of Yarcaud in all its glory. Another worthy addition to Tamil Cinema.

B.Lenin must have chiseled the second half better since it seem to go on & on.


Bobo Sasi's songs rock to the core . Each of the songs are fresh & foot tapping with "Manasellam" topping the list. However his BGM is nothing new rather mundane.

It is a good try from Anitha Udeep but armed with a better script she would have done wonders. One can't help the feeling of being alienated from the happenings & settings in the movie.Also there is a shred of artificiality through out the movie.

On the whole the movie is interesting only in parts.

Bottomline : script plays the spoilsport .

2.5/5

SARVAM

My Review : Sarvam



Is this a movie from the director of "Arindhum Ariyamalum ", " Pattiyal " , & " Billa " ?! Shocking to to say the least . Vishnuvardhan , one of the promising young directors has come out with a very superficial product " Sarvam " which was touted to be a romantic-thriller but sadly there is no romance & certainly no thrills . Ayngaran International's pathetic run continues which started off with "Aegan " right upto "Villu " .

Plot of the movie is very interesting to start with but the screenplay has played the spoilsport thus missing out a wonderful opportunity. And to make the matter worse , slipshod direction adds to the woes. It is very tiring to sit through 2 & 1/5 hours in the cinema hall .

What would have been a slick thriller looks washed out in the end with many unwanted irritants .

It is a pathetic followup to "Naan Kadavul " from Aarya while Trisha looks jaded & her acting doesn't pass muster. J.D.Chakravarthy is again wasted in an underwritten , uni-dimentional role . Inderrjeet has nothing much to do either.

Yuvan's songs are not up to the mark while he has not sweated very much as far as BGM goes with liberally using Ilayaraja's music in the 1st half & remixing his own BGM from various other movies in the 2nd.

Nirav Shah has come out unscathed in this otherwise mindless product . He shows his class in the second half.

Whoever is the dialogue writer , he needs a fresh mind . Here each & every dialogue is cliche-ridden & with many inane ones too .Trisha telling "enga driving schoola naan thaan firstakum " is one among many ridiculous ones.


VishnuVardhan has disappointed one & all this time . Time to forget this & get on with his next one.

On the whole ,"Sarvam " is the not the movie to go this summer .

Bottomline : unintended comedy ...

1.5/5

RAJATHI RAJA

My Review:Rajathi Raja



Raghava Lawrence's new venture , Sakthi Chidambaram's "Rajathi Raja" with a tag line "Lowclass King" stands up to its tag-line strictly. It is a banal , titillating ,noisy movie with each & every scene borrowed from many B-grade movies of the yore & has nothing novel to showcase . It is shocking to know how film- makers have the courage to churn out movies like this in this day of ever-changing & over- demanding movie goers who doesn't seem to get satisfied with the routine masala flick with no scope for an interesting screenplay.

Plot is a mixture of 'Dharma Durai ', many of RajniKanth's movies with female antagonist & some crude female anatomical explorations borrowed from Telugu movies.

Raghava Lawrence is trying his level best to become a mass commercial hero without knowing how futile that attempt of his is going to be. From the promise that he showed in "Muni" is it downhill travel for him hence.

Meenakshi seems to have a strong aversion to dresses & acting , both of which she avoids showcasing .It is time to rethink her strategy since not many have survived solely depending on skin show lest she will be invariably ending up as yet another Item girl.

Snigitha also don't have much to do & both her's & Meenakshi's character are underwritten . Also Meenakshi & Snigitha get awfully wrong with the lip sync as well.

Mumtaj as the evil prostitute -turned -ganja trader-turned - politician has done a decent job though her voice (she has dubbed herself) tests one's patience .

Kamna Jethmalani just about adds to the number with an insignificant role which any supporting actress would have done.

Karunas tries hard but to no avail.

Music By Karuna & Paul J is nothing but noise to the ear . They have brutally murdered the famous "Elanthapazham " song in the name of remix.

SureshDevan's Cinematography hurts the eyes especially in the songs.

Editor Jaisankar must have tried to cut short the length of the movie which at 2hrs 50 mins is way too long.

SakthiChidambaram is the man behind the old-as-hills story , literally non-existent screenplay , crude dialogues with double meaning abound & listless direction .

Don't forget to take an ear-plug along without which your ears will hurt very badly from the ham-fest each & every actor has to offer.

Bottomline : Garbage ...

1.5/5

NEWTONIN MOONDRAM VIDHI

My Review :Newtonin Moondram Vidhi



How about a racy revenge thriller without even a single fight sequence for the hero & the only weapon he uses for revenge is his Brain.This is "Newtonin Moondram Vidhi" for you , starring S.J.Suryah , Rajeev Krisina & Sayali Bhagat , directed by the newcomer Thai MuthuSelavan .The movie moves at such a break-neck speed that at the end of the movie one is left gasping for breath .Though the movie runs for 2 hours & 40 minutes one is not aware of it because it elapses without scope for any distraction what so ever .

The whole script is etched out in 2 hours between 10 am to 12 noon on February 14th , 2009 with the movie starting with the hero Guroo (S.J.Suryah) challenging JayaPrakash (Rajeev Krishna) that he will kill him by 12 noon that day which is just 2 hours away. The reason for the act is shown in flashback which is very much justifiable . Though it may sound like a regular revenge saga , the screenplay & the treatment makes this movie different from all other movies of this genre .

S.J.Suryah has underplayed a great deal with subdued emotions right through except for couple of instances at the end. As an intelligent Guroo who is bent on to wreak his vengeance on the boss of his lover who is the reason behind her death , S.J.Suryah scores .One must appreciate him for accepting a role in which there is no scope for so called heroism of bashing handful of rowdies & mouthing punch dialogues.

Sayali Bagath as the damsel in distress is impressive .It is very gratifying to see her mouth the Tamil dialogues with such care & precision that will put certain Tamil speaking actresses to shame .She does go overboard with certain expressions like that of surprise , anger & fright but over all a neat portrayal .She must take care of her styling which is pathetic to say the least especially in the song sequences.

Rajeev Krishna is back after a long hiatus to play the baddie but he must have had a misconception that if one is to play villain he must shout his level best throughout the movie.All that we remember of his performance is his tryst with his vocal cords .

Background score by Vinay (debutant)accentuates the movie a great deal & adds to the frills & excitement .However the songs have a distinct Telugu flavour with "Yeno yeno yeno yeno " having the scope to become a hit after repeated hearing.

Saravanan's cinematography helps in presenting the movie in a sleek manner without any undue experimentation which have served the movie well.

Editor Gopi has manged to keep the movie moving at a rapid space with no scope for any complaints while Ravi's dialogues are natural without any rhetoric .

Thai Muthu Selavan has written the screenplay for Chidambaram's story & directed the movie with great deal of skill .He is surely a man for the future .Right through the movie his intelligence & mastery over screenplay is evident . Only blemish is that all the songs in the movie are unwarranted & look out of place & hampers the flow of the movie badly.Also there are some cinematic liberties that he has taken which may go unnoticed ,lost in the flow of the movie .Also he may have avoided a few double meaning dialogues and here & there we see S.J.Suryah's touches.

On the whole the movie is for those who love watching racy thrillers without any illogical sequences & some food for your intelligence .

Bottomline : Has everything in it to be a hit .

3.5 / 5

MEIPORUL

My Review:MEIPORUL



At the outset we must appreciate the guts & determination of the makers of this cinema who are actually NRI professionals engaged in various fields brought together by their passion for cinema. To think that a group of novices as far as the cinema making is concerned have plunged into movie making & successfully completing & showcasing a full-length feature film to the public is in itself an achievement. This is what makes "Meiporul" special but does the end product lives up to the expectations is a big question.

The concept of this movie is very novel & good , but in translating that into the screen , the makers have faltered. There is no semblance of direction as a result what would have been a very taut thriller ends up make us yawn & feel uncomfortable in the seat . The movie moves at such a languid pace that 2 & odd hours seem immortal & as an after thought the end which must have played a very crucial part gets hurried up as a result fails to create the necessary impact it intended to.

Another turn-off is the acting .Almost all act artificially , some even very amatuerishly .In most of the scenes one gets a feeling of watching a poorly enacted school drama . Krish Bala as the protagonist Sam , Anusha as his wife , Nutty Kumar as Rajan try their level best to enact their roles on screen , among whom Anusha is the best when it comes to spontaneity & natural performance . Others in the cast just deliver the memorized dialogues in a disinterested manner .

John Mazzie's background score is good & has succeeded in creating the thrills .Songs are composed by 3 new music directors , all of them being melodious & pleasant to hear .

Chris Eldridge's cinematography is nothing great but he seemed to have worked hard as half of the movie must have been shot with handy-cam.

Natty Kumar , Krish Bala & Narayan are the think tank behind the movie & one must concede what they have conceived was an excellent piece on paper but it is only in the execution that their inexperience shows . But it is not an excuse that they are first-timers without any filmy knowledge after they have entered the movie market where even the most credible works are ripped apart by the movie-going public.

Notwithstanding such limitations & guffaws , the fact that they have managed to make the viewers' heart pound with anxiety during the last few reels of the movie is a great achievement of the theme's writing.Also they can raise their collars with ecstasy because they have managed to fool the viewers just like the hero do in the hands of the villan till the suspense is revealed.

Bottomline: Better luck next time..

2.5/5