Cuckoo

My review: Cuckoo

"Cuckoo" is a romantic drama written and directed by Raja Murugan. It follows the age old template of boy-meets-girl, misunderstanding giving way for love, girl's family strongly opposing the union, finally the lovebirds uniting against all odds. Only difference here is that the lead pair is visually impaired which makes this movie to stand out of movies centered on people with disabilities in the past. No attempt at self-pity or emotional exploitation of the viewers in the name of projecting these persons in as if they live in an alien land filled with misery and sorrow. Yes, they do have their own share of difficulties and challenges but like rest of us they also have a normal life filled with joy, sarcasm, banter, love, humor and what not. Thus by presenting the visually challenged people in as much a normal manner as possible Raja grabs the attention of the purists. A matured attempt by the first time writer-director i should say. 

Raja steers away from routine mundane characterization. In "Cuckoo" the characters who are portrayed as visually challenged are  neither sorrow, self-pitying type nor the over-confident, snobbish type rather they are refreshingly "normal" as any one of us are with all the insecurities and vulnerabilities, with grey areas and at the same time loving life in the manner any one in their twenties will. They also like to present themselves well in the public with the aid of talcum powder and perfumes, they chat about politics, movies like we do and pull each other's legs when they like to all in good humor. Thus by presenting such a fresh perspective which is the real one too on how disabled people really are instead of trying to milk the sentiments from the viewers Raju has not only shown courage but also conviction in what he believes in. Kudos to the young maker. 

Movie would not have been half as good without the performances of its actors. Dinesh leads the way with a brilliant performance as the protagonist Thamizh. He gets everything right with respect to his portrayal of a visually impaired person including the squint and nystagmus. When he shares space with the real visually impaired actors onscreen one can't isolate him from the others, the fact bears testimony to his performance. Malavika Nair makes a decent debut as the heroine. She gets most things right as well and performs her act credibly. It is Elango as the friend of Thamizh who steals the show with his one liners and nonchalant manner of his performing. The fact that he is really visually impaired and that he is a first timer makes it all the more special. 

Music is the backbone of this movie. Excellently done by Santhosh Narayanan, it is one of the most soothing album of the year so far on the lines of last year's "Kumki". P.K. Varma is the cinematographer and there are quiet a few striking frames that stay in one's memories even after the movie is over.

On the downside, the movie is quiet long. The second half may test one's patience with nothing much really happening. Raja could have spruced up the proceeding a bit more. Also the ending seems all of a sudden. Raja could have thought of more better sequences towards the climatic portions of the film. 

On the whole, "Cuckoo" is an entertaining romantic drama which incidentally has visually impaired couple as its lead. 

Bottomline: Poetic, but a long unwinding one. 

3.5/5

Queen

My review: Queen

First things first. Vikas Bahl's "Queen" is undoubtedly the movie of the year although it is too early to tell but I doubt any movie will come close to challenge the claim. Written and directed by Vikas movie is a fine example of how masterful restrain in writing as well as performance might elevate a movie to greater heights. Notwithstanding the brilliance of the script which unfolds on screen seamlessly, adept direction keeping the viewers interested without any facade of emotional exploitation and exceptionally power-packed performance from Kangana Ranaut, it is this almost monk like restrain that pervades through the movie that makes this an enriching movie watching experience.    

To the best of my memory I have not watched a movie that has the heartbroken heroine snubbing the overtures of her sleightful fiance in such a decent and subtle manner yet hard-hitting all the same. She just says "thank you" after returning his engagement ring and walks away nonchalantly as if a huge weight has been lifted off her shoulders. This is one of the best written scenes you would get to watch in a Bollywood movie where opulence of emotions and words rule the roost. That two words and few shots following it convey voluminous emotions more than any number of dialogues or condescending would have. The maturity with which Vikas as handled the script is exemplified by that scene. 

But it is not an isolated occurrence for movie has far more number of such instances of excellence. Enumerating each one of it would kill the thrill of watching it on screen. One thing I can vouch for it is that in numerous occasions you would fell ecstatic seeing Rani unlearning and keep rediscovering herself through her "honeymoon" trip.  

No contemporary Bollywood actresses could have managed to do this role with precision, maturity and restrain as Kangana Ranaut has done. She carries the whole movie on her shoulders by her superlative acting. Be it her predicament in the aftermath of her fiance breaking-up with her or her nonchalant yet endearingly non-offensive rebuttal in the climax, she once again prove how precious and exquisite a talent she is. The gradual transformation of her self-discovering herself that happens through the narration is a treat to watch it unfold on screen. The minute of expressions, slight differences in the body language and non-verbal communications are all mark of a born actor.  Though it may sound cliched it would be apt to say she lived the life of Rani on screen. 

Kangana is supported by power-packed performances from splendid support cast which include Lisa Haydon, Rajkumar Rao, and all those lesser known actors. Amit Trivedi's music is yet another pillar of strength for this movie.

Vikas Bahl has shown that in order to make a hard-hitting female oriented movie one need not indulge in loud and lengthy sermonizing and demonizing of the male characters yet deliver a meaningful at the same time entertaining movie. As the "Queen" Rani rediscovers herself one can't but help noticing the ripple effect that can be felt in the viewer's mind. 

On the whole, "Queen" is one cathartic experience everyone should go through. Kudos to its maker Vikas and its soul Kangana. 

Bottomline: A superlative effort 

4.5/5 

Nimirndhu Nil

My review: Nimirndhu Nil

Samuthirakani is known for his sermonizing in most of his movies whatever theme they may deal with. So when it comes to a movie which has corruption as its focus point one need to think twice before entering the theater to withstand all the preaching that one has to deal with. "Nimirndhu Nil" is Samuthirakani's chance to dwell on the ills of the society and how the vigilante hero tries to get a solution before giving his oration in front of the judge telecast live all over the country. Movie diligently follows all the templates that the Tamil films so far made on similar genre have laid out thus far.

First half is entertaining with a neatly written  screenplay, crisp dialogues and taut narration. But the problem with Kani's movies which has plagued this one too is that he invests all his energy on the first half which he fails to sustain the same in the later part too. "Nimirndhu Nil" has contrasting halves, while the first one is taut edge-of-the-seat thriller second half peters into a long drawn out, yawn inducing, ridiculously plot sermon which tests the patience of the viewers. 

Jayam Ravi is in a really bad patch in his career. He is investing lots of time for every other movie of his but the success continues to elude him. Here too he puts in a neat effort, one can't really find any fault in his performance. Amala Paul too does her part well. But the bevy of comedians as villains dilute the second half to a great extent. 

G.V.Prakashkumar's music is average with couple of melodious numbers being hum-worthy.  M.Sukumar-M.Jeevan have handled the camera and they have succeeded in presenting the movie in a grand scale.

One wonders whether Kani is smitten by the recent political developments before he made this movie. One cannot miss the uncanny resemblance or references to the recent anti-corruption campaign including the name of the protagonist of this movie Arvind. Especially when Arvind declares that the movement will continue to stay as an anti-corruption movement with no political ambitions  one can only grin at the irony of the reality.    

On the whole, "Nimirndhu Nil" could have been a better movie if only Samuthirkani managed to sustain the promise that he showed in the first half. Due to a mediocre second half movie sinks without traces.

Bottomline: Nothing new to offer.

 2.5/5 

Shaadi Ke Side Effects

My review: Shaadi Ke Side Effects

This dangerous trend of making fake movies following the template of Hollywood is plaguing Bollywood since long. "Shaadi Ke Side Effects", written and directed by Saket Chaudhary strictly follows the Hollywood's template for this type of comedies that focuses on married boy becoming married man. 

Movie has some moments which brings out genuine laughs but these are few and far in between the overall mediocrity and kiddishness that rule. Only reason to watch this movie is Farhan Akhthar who carries this movie on his shoulders. His indomitable comic timing as well as the effortless histrionic abilities make it an endearing experience watching him perform onscreen. Vidya Balan on the other hand looks least interested in the proceeding, not that the script has much to offer. She comes to her own towards the end though. 

 

One wonders when the Bollywood directors start thinking realistically. Leave alone the story and script, even simple things like the sets and the props are taken for granted. The lead couple live in a posh apartment that even  a high earning professional would find difficult to live in especially considering the fact that the  husband is a struggling musician and the wife just left her job. And how he foots the bill for staying in such high end hotels leaves a lot to be desired. For him even the stay in PG accommodation must be difficult. Such careless scripting where the showcasing of richness and luxury takes the forefront is the bane of Hindi movie these days. 

On the whole, watch "Shaadi Ke Side Effects" if you like Farhan Akhtar performing on screen. Else give it a miss. 

Bottomline: Compilation of scenes from Hollywood DVDs. 

2.5/5  

Vallinam

 My review: Vallinam

The analysis of this movie can be best defined by the closing credits that has actor Ajithkumar's photograph projecting him as a sportsperson par excellence in the league of Mary Kom, Sachin Tendulkar, Leander Paes, Saina Nehwal, Sania Mirza among others. How the director has tried to milk the support of the said actor's fans by that silly gimmick seems to be his predominant state of mind while making this movie. Arivazhagan who made a stellar debut with "Eeram" falters big in his second venture "Vallinam". He has tried to just milk the idea of how sports other than cricket is getting step-motherly treatment from one and all with this misadventure of a movie.  Movie neither succeeds in putting across what it set out to do to the viewers nor it entertains. It is at best termed fake taking all for a ride in the name of meaningful movie, which it isn't. 

Movie is cliched to the core, crudely at that. There is a clear black and white demarcation of characters sketch with the protagonist and his team on the one side and the antagonist on the other. The amount of dichotomy in the personalities and lifestyles of the characters that the director has created would make one squirm in the seat. It has been a while since one has seen such  vile characterizations onscreen. And to watch the happening unfold on screen with all those contrived struggles that are almost forced fed into the viewers mind on the platter while on the other hand showcasing the crude villainy that one saw last in a movie acted by Ashwini Nachappa (former Indian athlete), directed by Mouli would make you cringe. What has happened to the person who promised so much with his deft handling of a challenging script in his debut. May be success has gone on to his head or has he got pulled down by the compulsions of commercial cinema. 

Nakul has put in lots of hard-work which shows on screen. He has almost lived onscreen as a basketball player. The deft handling of the basketball and awesome footwork must be result of loads and loads of time spent on practice. Pity that all that time spent and his hard-work has gone waste by such poor writing and thinking on the part of the writer-director. Mridula doesn't have much of a role. Not that she would have done a great job if she had had a more substantial role. Others in the support cast have done their parts well. It is getting tiring seeing Jayaprakash in almost every other movie that is getting released. Is Tamil cinema that starved of good character artists ? 

Technically the movie is classy and glossy. Bhaskaran, the cinematographer has a lot to do with it. Thaman's background score is very good. However none of the songs pass muster.

On the whole, "Vallinam" is how cinematic a movie based on sports can get, not that it is entertaining either. 

Bottmline: Shocker from a promising director. 

2/5 

Thegidi

My review: Thegidi

P.Ramesh makes a very impressive debut with "Thegidi". A murder mystery, it is one of the best thriller in the recent times. Not taking recourse into any undue gimmickry or on-the-face "jolts" for cheap thrills, it is to my knowledge one of the most honestly made thriller in recent times that genuinely thrills more by its narrative strength than what I have mentioned earlier. 

It is really heartening to see many of these short film makers getting opportunities on the big screen thanks to producers like C.V.Kumar. And what is more satisfying is that these youngsters are making full use of the opportunites that come their way. The new outlook with which they come and the fresh approach to movie making exploring new avenues as far as the themes and the styles are concerned mark these new generation of movie makers that excites the movie buffs. This wave is akin to what happened in Malayalam movie industry couple of years back, the results of which are all for to see. 

The screenplay is so beautifully written that it sucks you into the narrative gradually as the first half ambles about. The director has struck a perfect pace for the narrative of this genre. And once the movie enters the investigative mode the pace is brisk. Ramesh has enthralled the viewers with his writing and making of the this taut thriller. 

Movie has Janani Iyer and Jayaprakash along with bevy of talented actors form the short film circuit, including the main protagonist of the movie Ashok Selvan. Ashok Selvan does his part pretty well with the restrain required for such kind of a role. He comes across as someone who is a natural as far as acting is concerned. Only thing is that he seems a bit too stiff at many a places. He could do better if he relaxes his body a bit more. Janani Iyer's eye does most of the acting, she has such eloquent eyes. Jayaprakash along with others in the support cast have done their parts pretty well. Kaali as the friend of the protagonist with his typical dialogue delivery that exudes innocence takes care of the humour aspect well. It is  a good break for him. 

The making of this movie is topnotch. Dinesh Krishnan is the cinematographer of the movie who has given stunning visuals. Background score is important for any thriller. Nivas Prasanna has done excellent job in "Thegidi". Not going all out, he uses silence tellingly and  his musical notes touch the apt crescendo at apt places. 

On the whole, "Thegidi" is a very promising movie from a young team, a lesson to the veterans of Tamil cinema on how to make an investigative thriller-murder mystery. Three cheers for P.Ramesh and his team.

Bottomline: Goosebumps. 

4/5