ANGADI THERU

My Review: ANGADI THERU





“Angadi Theru” is a worthy follow-up to “Veyil ” from Vasanthabalan. Movie captivates the audience with it’s authentic portrayal of life beneath all those humongous shops that adorn Ranganathan street , ever-busy buzzing locality of T.Nagar. It depicts the joys , sorrows , trials & tribulations that embellish such shops. It is definite that anyone who happen to watch this movie will undergo a change in their outlook towards the salespersons or else their anatomy is devoid of any modicum of flesh. And credit for it goes to the writer-director Vasanthabalan,

Movie has many moments of emotional intensity that will surely draw a tear or two & not many may succeed in coming out of the hall without a secretion of their lachrymal gland in any of those scenes. Even in couple of sequences which is intended for humour will draw tears like that one in the mess when Mahesh & Pandi go to lunch for the first time . But the movie can’t be categorized as a tear jerker for it has many sequences that may uplift our spirits. The manner in which a jobless youth invent a job for himself , many of those one-liners from that visually impaired elder , Chinnaponnu’s response to her baby’s condition (this one brought the auditorium to raptures ) , the finale , so on.

On the down side , there is overt villainisation of the supervisor & owner of the shop .Also pathos seem to be contrived at some sequences especially the fate of the heroine towards the end . But it is heartening to note that this time no one dies in the end which is the wont usually in such “realistic” movies.

That the movie is capable of drawing myriad of emotions from the viewers is not only due to the Writing & direction but the credit must also go to all the actors who have done very good jobs themselves. Mahesh has belied his inexperience & comes out with a knockout performance as does Anjali who looks very beautiful after “Katradhu Tamil” (albeight without any make-up which made her look pathetic in other movies of her’s.) Pandi , A.Venkatesh , Pazha.Karupaiah , the one’s who come as Shopia Mary , Sowndarapandian & his lover, & each and every small characters that live through the street have all have been pillars of strength to the director’s vision.

“Aval appadi ondrum” stays in our heart long after the movie is over while backgroung score of Vijay antonym may have been better for it gets repetitive.

During the 150 minutes we are theatre we get a feeling of as though we are in the Ranganathan street & traveling with those characters & credit for that must go to the cinematographer Richard Maria Nathan along with the director. Count on him , he will sure go places.

On the whole , “Angadi Theru ” is reason why people still classify movies as ART.

Bottomline: Hard-hitting.

4/5.

MATHIYOSI

My Review : MATHIYOSI





Nandha Periyasamy’s “Mathiyosi ” based on the caste conflicts that are abound in the south Tamilnadu is a well written movie but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. Direction is pathetic ,old fashioned , full of clichés & stereotypes which leaves the movie high & dry . As far the story is concerned , though it follows the movies like “Renigunta ” ,”Subramanyapuram” in dealing with youth bent on violence , Nandha Periyasamy’s social consciousness shows in his pragmatic portrayal of the caste discrimination & it’s ramifications.

Another strong point of the movie is the fine acting from the actors concerned. Harish , Gokul , Alex , Shammu & Ravi Mariyah have done wonderfully well while others are not left behind. Here & there overt histrionics take over which spoil the good work done in general.

Guru Kalyan’s music has nothing in it to write about while Vijay Armstrong’s camera work is laudable.

One gets a doubt while watching the movie why director has chosen the title “Mathiyosi” for he has not that himself except for his touch on the casteism . Movie starts of well & intriguing in the first half but once the story travels to Chennai it fails to sustain interest.

On the whole , “Mathiyosi ” can be watched once especially for it’s noble intentions.

Bottomline: Not different .

3/5

KACHERI ARAMBAM

My Review :KACHERI ARAMBAM



Jiiva’s next after “SMS” which has hit screens after a long hiatus “Kacheri Arambam” is written & directed by debutant Thiraivannan . Movie can be talked upon by dividing it into two separate entities as BI & AI (that is before interval & after interval). BI it is like a rollercoaster ride which takes of swiftly & keeps you engaged right through the half ,before you notice 1hour & 15minutes elapses. But AI , movie becomes a giant-wheel ride where the story comes back to the same point again & again which becomes rather tedious to watch & this 1hour &15minutes takes ages to end not until one gets really infuriated at the going-ons.

Thiraivannan does shows flair for comedy which he has done admirably nicely but his screenplay in the second half plays the killjoy .Also the manner in which his hero goes on conversing endlessly makes one irritated after a point of time. He must spruce up his storytelling ability throughout the length of the movie top sustain for himself a position in Tamil cinema.

Jiiva does his part well though his unabated talkativeness gets under your skin after a point. But one is really flummoxed at why most of the young heroes try to imitate the mannerisms of Vijay while doing comedy scenes. After we have seen that with Vishal & Bharath in the last couple of weeks , now it is the turn of Jiiva.

Poonam Bajwa doesn’t have much to do though her character is pivotal to the story .She looks cute .

J.D.Chakravarthy has a run-of-the mill kinda role which he does justice to but it is upsetting to see such talent wasted like this.

Vadivelu does succeeds in evoking few laughs here & there but he is getting very repetitive nowadays .

D.Iman’s music is stale though “Kadavule Kadavule” song is a very good mellifluous piece.

Cinematographer of the movie is Vaithy whose lighting goes haywire .

Jaishankar must have chopped off some scenes mercilessly in the second half which now will be done by the theatre operators themselves.

On the whole , “Kacheri Arambam” starts of well until the intermission after which it becomes prosaic. Watch it for few empty laughs or two.

Bottomline : “Kacheri Arambam” 2nd half “Rambam”…

2.5/5

MUNDHINAM PARTHENEY

My Review: MUNDHINAM PARTHENEY




“Mundhinam Pertheney ” has no big names either in the acting front or behind the scenes but it is one of the better takes on “Love” in the recent times which is as real as it can possibly get. Magizh Thirumeni debuts with this one & he shows a lot of potential in presenting a tale pleasantly & interestingly without any uncalled-for histrionics or melodrama making it a worthwhile movie watching experience. He should surly make his “Guru” Goutham Vasudev Menon proud & also show him thing or two how love can be portrayed on screen without any undue over the top moments.

Movie does starts of rather amateurishly & sluggishly without anything worthwhile happening onscreen but once Sanjay & Ektha meet & get into a relationship the movie takes of nicely with a very interesting climax to boost. That reality bites & not always every love has a happy ending is told in a poetic manner. Also the director has not taken undue efforts to justify the actions of the lead pair with is what makes the movie intriguing.

On the downside , the pace may have been taken care of while songs sprung up here & there without any validation for their appearance which does gets under one’s nerves after a point of time. One gets a feeling that there are 1 or 2 songs too many , though the songs are pleasant to here .

Arvind as the protagonist is adept with boy next door features .Among the heroines Ektha is competent while the other two Lizna & Pooja passes muster.

Sai Prasanth & that talkative girl of the gang manages to generate heartfelt laughter without any double-entendres or toilet jokes which is refreshing indeed.

In Thaman’s music all songs are melodious & good to hear while he is OK with his Background score.

Jayanan Vincent’s Cinematography is proficient while editing may have been sharper.

On the whole , when one entered the cinema hall without any expectation , “Munthinam Partheney ” comes across as a whiff of fresh air. Go for it & enjoy the pleasantness of realism .

Bottomline: Pleasant .

3.5/5

THAMBIKKU INDHA OORU

My Review : Thambikku Indha Ooru.





“ Thambikku Indha Ooru “ is a poor advertisement for Tamil Cinema .One wonders what the makers were thinking (whether there was any thinking at all ) while filming or what made the actors sign the movie in the first place. Anyone who has a semblance of sense would not have ventured into such a pathetic piece of *censored* .

Badri who gave a decent “Veerappu” is at the helm of this wretched movie. One wonders is it he who directed that movie for he shows no signs what so ever.

Barath tries to do whatever he likes in Vijay , may be this “Chinnathalapathy” wants soon to go “Ilayathalapathy” way..but he must realize that he himself is trying hard to maintain his form nowadays.

Sana Khan has nothing much to do while Madalssa appears in very minor role of a glorified extra.

Vivek keeps the audience in splits throughout the movie . It is one his better movies of late .

Prabhu is wasted in a banal role while it is really sad to see Ranjith , one of the most talented actors in Tamil Cinema doing such an abject role.

Dharan’s music is below average while technically movie is amateurish to put it mildly.

On the whole , TIO is a pathetic piece of *censored* .

Bottomline : Bad , Worse , Worst.

1/5

AVAL PEYAR THAMIZHARASI

My Review : Aval Peyar Thamizharasi




“Aval Peyal Thamzharasi ” written & directed by debutant Meera Kathiravan has a simple story with a lucid screenplay aided by very good acting by everyone concerned & wonderful music and crystal clear cinematography . But after the movie gets over one gets a feeling of something is missing. Strength of these kinds of realistic movies lies in the unpredictability of the story line which is what is lacking in APT .Movie is predictable except for the turn of events that take place in & around the interval.

Meera Kathiravan shows excellent visual sense with good & simplistic story telling capability. What lets him down is that most of the scenes & situations here are oft repeatedly seen in movie of this genre like “Poo ” , “Thendral ” , “Azhagi”..etc. Only difference here is that instead of a negative climax which most young directors have a penchant for ( even if it looked forced in ) , Kathiravan has gone in for a happy ending here rightly so. But how long can we watch young kids doing all mischief & indulging in village games in a song, wailing mother, strict grandfather , comedy village government teacher , ….in the name of reality. One wish young directors who want to make realistic movies must explore many uncharted territory which are abound in our country side.

Jai has good scope & he has made use of it very well. The hard work he has put in his looks matching various age he plays & the body language and expressions which is diverse for all the three stages are done exceedingly well. The thing is that he must follow such good performances by equally good ones to stay in the race.

New face Nandhagi belies the fact that she is indeed a new face. She gets the emotions & expressions right in most of the places. Yet another talent unearthed. Whether she is made use of properly by Tamil cinema remains to be seen.

Kanja Karupu raises few laughs while Theodare Baskaran , Rama , one who plays grandfather & brother of the heroine , all have done commendable work.

P.G.Muthaih’s cinematography is as good as it was in “Poo” .Darkness play an important part in the movie & he has picturised it well.

Vijay Antony’s music & background score is yet another add-on for the movie where he has tried a new genre which he has not tried yet. “Guju Gugu Goods Vandi ” , “Vadakka Thekka” & “Othaiyadi Pathiyil ” are good numbers.

On the whole , APT is a good try but fails to move you.

Bottomline : Sincere but simplistic .


3/5

Theeratha Vilayattu Pillai

My Review : Theeratha Vilayattu Pillai




Vishal is fast becoming one of those who have immense potential but losing it all in the crucial aspect of script selection which is pathetic to say the least. His latest offering “Theeratha Vilayattu Pillai” is a case in point.

Written & Directed by debutant Thiru , it is boring movie with a contrived plot with pathetic pageant of male chauvinism both in the story line as well in the dialogues which gets under one’s nerves so much that half way through the movie instead of rooting for the hero , the whole theatre is seen rooting for one of the three unfortunate girl who is shone with guts & gumption to challenge the hero. So dismal is the writing that the hero ends up as a villain unexpectedly (for the writer that is).

Vishal has tried his hands on comedy but he must understand that in order to stay put in the industry one must not ape others but must develop own style & methods. Here all he does is copy Vijay’s manner of dialogue delivery & style .

Among the three heroines Neetu Chandra is the only one with scope & she does justice to her role .She needs to have a look at her Make-up though.

Others in the cast like Tanushree Datta & Sarah Jane don’t have much to do. Prakash Raj comes once again in a oft repeated role of a thug with a Madhurai background.

Shanthanam is the one who keeps the audience glued to the seat in the first half though he disappears in the second half.

Among Yuvan Shankar Raja’s songs “Ennal Jannal Vanadha ” & “ Poo mudhal pen varai ” are hum-worthy.

Arvind Krishna’s cinematography is routine & supports the story without any undue gimmickry except for the action sequences.

Thiru shows some potential in the comical situations but his writing lets him down a great deal.

On the whole , T V P is a yawn.

Bottomline : Chauvinism galore.

2/5