7 am Arivu

My review : 7 am Arivu


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bottomline : Heartless...!!

2.5 / 5

Velayutham

My Review : Velayutham



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bottomline : Perfect family entertainer for the festive season.

3.5/5

Friends with benefits

My review : Friends with benefits



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

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

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

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

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

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

Bottomline : Breezy...!

3.5/5

Horrible Bosses

My review : Horrible Bosses



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bottomline : Enjoyable

3.5 /5

Vaagai sooda Vaa

My review : Vaagai sooda Vaa





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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bottomline : World class cinema.

4.5/5

Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster

My review : Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster



Tigmanshu Dhulia’s rework of the classic “Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster” is a well written, adeptly executed & proficiently performed movie. This is yet another movie which showcases the abundant talent out there & proves yet again that Indian cinema is just not a “superhuman “ hero bashing umpteen goons or candy floss romance.

No character in this movie is out & out angelic or devilish but with shades of grey which is how average human being is. And the happenings in the movie are not exaggerated or factitious yet shocking. The movie grows on the viewer as the screenplay travels through trust, mistrust, infidelity , betrayal , treachery , all leading on to a stunning climax which packs a punch.

The dialogues are the strong point of the movie. It is bold, at the same time intelligently written. It is not all that grim & gloomy all through. There are loads of lighter moments. Though the movie is not of neo-noir genre, the screenplay is “neo-noir”ish.

The attention to details that the director has taken into even minute of things deserves appreciation. The interiors of the Saheb’s poorly maintained palace is an example that readily comes to mind.

Randeep Hooda as the gangster Babloo is the real star. This movie will be a turning point in his fledgling career. As naive Babloo who is recently dumped by his girlfriend and as the movie progresses metamorphosis into a scheming gangster , Randeep is first rate. The variation in emotions he shows is excellent.He moves from being innocent , romantic , passionate & finally menacing as the movie progresses.

Jimmy Shergill as the Saheb has done his part proficiently. Mahie Gill is not just glitz & glamour but performs well too. She is hot at the same time emotes well. She is turning into to a very promising actor. Vipin Sharma , Deepal Shaw , Deepraj Rana & Shreya Narayan have given ample support.

“Jugni” in Jaidev Kumar’s music is an enjoyable number. Background score is adequate.

Aseem Mishra has shot the movie in 90’s style with ample use of the modern technology wherever it is needed.

On the whole, “Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster” is must watch.

Bottomline : Brilliant...!

4/5

Pyar Ka Punchnama

My review : Pyar Ka Punchnama



“Pyar ka punchnama” starring lesser known first time actors , directed by (?who) Luv Ranjan is a thoroughly enjoyable movie for guys & strictly avoidable for gals. Movie is misogynistic, dogmatic & strongly opinionated with overt generalization of male-female love relationship. Like the title conveys, the writers have attempted at a “post-mortem” of relationships a male & female can have viz., romantic, friendly & casual. But they have done it in a one-sided manner blatantly obscuring the views of the opposite party.

Whatever it is , movie is fun while it lasts. While watching the movie one can’t but silently laugh at oneself for almost all of us must gone through one incident or other depicted in this movie. Though movie is replete with conversations on & on, the dialogues are a peach with lots of meaning & enjoyable at the same time. Though the screenplay drags a bit in the second half & one wishes for the movie to end soon, on the whole it is a funny ride.

Movie is shot in a casual manner & director managed to keep it as authentic as possible. Everyone can identify with the characters for those are the ones we come across day in & day out in our lives. That director has managed to achieve this is in itself a great achievement & this makes the viewers to get to like the characters straight away. And one gets into the movie right away for the prelude sets the tone for things to come.

Divyendu Sharma as the demure Liquid alias Nishant is first rate in the role of a guy who had never had any relationships in the past falling for the manipulative & exploitative Charu (played well by Ishita Sharma) who is already in a steady long distance relationship. Though he gets annoyingly tame towards the end his character is the most lovable of the three male lead characters.

Next in the honour list is Nushrat Bharucha as the nagging Neha who makes the life of Rajat (Karthick Tiwari who is first class in the role of the innocent boyfriend) miserable . She has acted so well that after a point of time one gets so annoyed with the character that one wishes someone would slap her & make her mouth to shut. If any character can bring about so much of negative emotions on the viewers it’s this one , kudos to Nushrat for that.

Others in the cast Raayo Bhakhirta & Sonali Sehgal have also done well.

Cinematography by Sudhir K Choudary is slick & glossy. He captured the interiors of the habitat of the lead characters well with suitable lighting.

"Ban Gaya Kutta" written & performed by Luv Ranjan is a rocking number though the lyrics are chauvinistic.

On the whole , “Pyar ka punchnama” is strictly for all those guys who has been in , is in & will be in a relationship . Gals please do skip it or watch it at your own risk.

Bottomline : All single guys out there , reason why you should stay single..!

3.5 / 5

Vellore Maavattam

My review : Vellore Maavattam



It is easy to review movies like “Engeyum Eppodhum” or “Yuvan Yuvathi” for you either love the movie or hate it so much that you have high emotionality either positive or negative with the movie which might be reflected in the review. But now & then you come across movies like “Vellore Maavattam ” towards which you are totally apathetic for its neither good nor bad ,hence it is quite boring trying to review it.

R.N.R Manohar’s “Vellore Maavattam ” is a cop story which tries to be as natural as it can be but the routine clichés & numerous cinematic moments brings down the overall impact. The movie opens nicely showing how son of a poor farmer from an obscure village gets into Indian Police Service. Up to this point, movie is natural but once movie travels to Vellore all the erstwhile clichés of a cop movie rears their head in an ugly manner.

Dada with political connections , corrupt police from constable to DIG , comedian who is the driver for the hero , heroine falling in love within few hours of meeting the hero , Hero beaten up to pulp miraculously recovering to fight another day are few of the plentiful clichés that one can think of readily . It is a mixture of various cop movies of the yore which the director has managed to present in a restrained manner minus over the top fight or in your face heroism.

Nandha has done a good job as usual . His physique & body language suits his character of a cop well. Poorna has nothing much to do. Even the number of romantic scenes are very few & there is only one duet. Alagamperumal’s character is a tribute to villans of all the cop movies we have seen right from “Ithudaanda police “. Shnathanam’s comedy doesn't create the desired effect. His comedy is becoming redundant & it is alarming that its happening so soon.

Sunder C.Babu’s music is below average with none of the songs staying in one’s mind.

Vetri’s Cinematography is good & gives a rich look to the movie.

On the whole , “Vellore Maavattam” is neither good nor bad , neither commercial masala like or arty type , can be watched once if one has ample time to kill.

Bottomline : Dry

2.5/5

Vedi

My review : Vedi



It doesn’t have any pretention, it is an out and out commercial masala with a very strong Telugu flavour. That it is a remake of Gopichand-Anushka starrer “Souryam” accounts for that. Prabhu Deva directed , Vishal starring “Vedi” is a throw-back to the 80’s & 90’s kinda mass masala movie that made people like Rajnikanth , Chiranjeevi , Amithab Bachan household names in their respective states. But later even they realised they have to move on to different scripts & no longer audiences are enamoured by such scripts.

Sample these. Brother-sister sentiment , righteous fearless police officer bringing down a notorious don , heroine who falls head over heels for the macho hero just because he grabbed her hips , loads of henchmen trying to look menacing with wired hairdos & mouthing curse words , revenge for revenge for revenge....!!!!

Movie does has its moments here & there. The flashback sequence showing how the siblings got separated packs a punch, well written & executed. But certain other sequence like that involving that cat & mouse game between Vishal & Shayaji Shinde doesn’t live up to the same level of excitement that one got while seeing the original version where Gopichand , Manoj K Jayan & Krishna Bhagwan did very well & was hilarious.

Vishal has returned to his “Malaikottai” & ”Thoranai” routine after a break with “Avan Ivan”. It’s sad to see actors of such potential wasting their time & effort in such average movies. Sameera Reddy has nothing much to do except making some irritating facial expressions in the name of comedy. Poonam Kaur has scope to perform & she has utilised her chance well. Sayaji Shinde reprises his comical villainous act once more. Vivek’s comedy is copy cat of what Ali did in the original, only here it’s less funny.

In Vijay antony’s music “Ichu ichu ” is a foot tapping number while “Enna achu ” & "Ippadi Mazhai" are delectable melodies.

R.D.Rajasekhar is the cinematographer & V.T.Vijayan is the editor.

Prabhu Deva needs to think of something novel instead of remaking movies from one language to another if he has long term plans to stay as a director.

On the whole , “Vedi” is a commercial masala with too much spice but less taste.

Bottomline : Typical “Sun Pictures” movie.

2/5