Villu

My Review : Villu

The combo of PrabhuDeva & Vijay are back after their successful "Pokiri" with "Villu" which does have a Pokiri-hangover .The movie has all the ingredients of a commercial masala ,perfected by M.G.R & made use off by Rajinikanth- a care-free , all conquering hero ; dumb heroine who eventually falls for the hero ; caricature of a comedian ;menacing yet easily fallible villains ;always wailing yet courageous mothers ; hero introduction song ; fight-love routine ; foot-tapping songs; jaw-dropping dances;one-upmanship game between the hero & the villains;super-human stunts; mother sentiment for the ladies ; dose of patriotism .......It has it all.....

But for any movie to have a good reception among the audience it must have these ingredients in right proportion & must keep the audience engaged throughout.It is here that the creators of "Villu" have succeeded.

Plot: Any one who is familiar with the yesteryear movies of M.G.R & Rajinikanth can easily guess the plot.

Vijay :There are only a few in tamil cinema who are gifted with the kind of Charisma & ability to make a mark & rise above any script.'Villu' is yet another allround show by Vijay.He showcases all his strengths .His hard work is seen on the screen be it the dances or fights he excels. Only jarring note is that he may have done well to avoid playing the father's role .The impact would have been better if some other senior actor have played that role .

Nayanthara:As her salary goes higher & higher , her costumes go lower & lower , lesser &lesser & her acting worser &worser. He has become an expert in essaying the most dumbest of roles reserved for heroines.

Vadivelu: He is a delight in the first half but becomes irritating in the second half.

Prakash Raj: He may well have avoided such a poorly etched out role but for the fact that he owns a sensible movie company & it needs money to make movies such as " Mozhi "& " Abiyum Nanum".

Others in the cast like Devaraj , Anandraj, Aditya , Seeman ,Geetha ,Ranjitha follow the cliched mode as far as their contributions are concerned.

Special mention must be given to 'Fefsi' Vijayan for the hard work he has done in the stunt choreography.Stunts have come out very well.

Cinematography : Much talked about Cinematography of RaviVerman has nothing special to offer.In fact certain frames suddenly appear blurred .Wonder what was wrong.But he along with Prabhudeva & Vijay have given a treat in the "Nee kobapattal" song.

Music:DevisriPrasad has done a stupendous job in giving foot tapping numbers which have become very popular even beforw the release of the movie.He fails to live up to the billing in the BGM score though.

Prabhu Deva has tried his level best to repeat the magic of "Pokiri" here too .Though he seem to fail in that effort , he has given a pucca entertainer clearly keeping in mind the target audience who will lap it up with glee.Considering the personal distractions & turmoil he had undergone during the making of this movie ,the commitment he has shown to complete the movie deserves a pat on his back.

With all its moments of cliches & mundane characterisation what makes the movie click is one & only Vijay & his energy on screen.

Bottomline: Paisa-vasool.

3.5/5

A Aa E Ee

My Review :A Aa E Ee

Some 5 years ago AVM productions gave one of the worst movie from their stable "Anbe Anbe " but in front of " A Aa E Ee " it can be classified as a classic.Atleast it had relief for the viewers in the form of Vivek in it.But here it is 2hour 20minutes of no hold barred torture .I don't know how they can come out with such a boring movie in the times when even the television serials try out new things & keep the viewers interested for years... And to think of the movie was a hit in telugu (It is a remake of telugu movie "Chandamama")sends shivers into one's spine.

Plot :No one have any clue about it including the story writer...

As far as acting goes Arvind Akash has done his best sincerely but yet another bad choice from him..Monika is sincere in her efforts. Navdeep and Saranya Mohan irritate when ever they are on screen. Prabhu has tried hard to rise above a mundane characterisation but in vain.Rest of the cast are so poor that you can find better actors than them in your school dramas.

Music by Vijay Anthony is a saving grace. "Nata nadu rathiriyil" song is hummable ...though he need not exert too much as far as the BGM is concerned.

Technically movie is not better than the TV serials ..

Sababathy again hits a trough in his erstwhile sea-saw career. Wonder what made AVM remake this movie ...God only knows it...

Bottomline :Watch A Aa E Ee -- Take home Head-ache freely...

1.5/5

Silambattam

My Review:Silambattam

Cinematographer Saravanan's directorial debut "Silambattam" promised a lot but has failed to deliver what it set out to.Silambarasan time & again proves that he is yet to learn from past mistakes.In the time when even the most established of stars find it tough to carry a movie with a bad script on their shoulder ,kiddo like him must be careful in choosing movie that suits his age & his standing among the audience.

Movie has nothing novel to offer . First half is ridiculous where nothing happens except some inane comedy , vulgar dialogues & couple of songs which showcase Simbu's gymnastic talents as well the ample dose of heroine's anatomy.The saving grace for the movie comes in the form of the flashback which is the only redeeming part. After which the movie goes into "Lollu Sabha " mould & Simbu taking potshots at some of his adversaries (inadvertently at his self proclaimed gurus too... ).

Plot: the grand old revenge story of son settling score for his father's murder .

Silambarasan: He has given what all he has got .He emotes ,dances , sings , fights, cries,romances ,imitates , mouths punch dialogues, ........what else do you expect from a hero .Of the two characters ,Tamizh succeeds in creating an impression .He must take care not to imitate Rajni in action sequences & Vijay in Comedy sequences.

Sana Khan :She has a sizzling debut .Her role is a beaten to bushes heroine role - orthodox , pavadai thavani clad Brahmin girl who breaks free in the "dream " song sequences. (right from Jayalalitha, Latha,Mannjula....we have accustomed to it )One must congratulate the effort she has taken to lip sinc for the tamil dialogues though.

Sneha : Another cliche of a role who gives her all for the sake of her man including half her chromosomes even before marriage.

Kishore : He is becoming type cast in the role of a menacing ruthless villan.

Prabhu : sorry for him being reduced to do such a pathetic role.

Santhanam : His worst till date.

Music of Yuvan is the one which brought the crowds in the first place & keeps them inside once the movie rolls on.He has given a rocking album which has been made good use of by the director.

Madhi's cinematography is another aspect which warrants mention .He has proved that he can do justice to commercial masalas too.

Don Max's editing adds gloss to the songs .

Saravanan shows his potential in those flashback sequences but seems to have lost it as far as the rest of the movie goes.

bottomline: Simbu's search for a hit continues.....

2/5

Thiruvannamalai

My Review: Thiruvannamalai

" Thiruvannamalai " is better than Arjun's previous attempt "Dhurai " & far better than Perarasu's previous two - "Dharmapuri " and "Pazhani". Perarasu continues with his action formula here too but devoid of lousy romantic scenes , crude comedy and over the top sentiments which are characteristic of his movies .Though he has tried to attempt differently here , he has miles to go to traverse a altogether new path. The first half is very ordinary which is nothing but rehash of all his movies so far but the movie takes an interesting turn mid way after the introduction of the second Arjun & sustains the interest for a while before petering out into routine mundane self in the last half an hour.

Plot: Which ideology is better suited to fight the evils of the society of today - Ahimsha or violence.

Arjun: He has done well in the character of Guruji where his talents for histrionics comes to the fore though the other character is the routine masala action hero bashing up the baddies & shaking the legs with heroine in dream songs.

Pooja Gandhi: After a credible debut in " Kokki " , this is her second one in tamil but she has nothing much to do which is what one can expect in a Perarasu movie.

Saikumar: He does the pea-headed , hamming , evil politician part in this movie too . Nothing special to note.

Among supporting cast Karunas has done a good job in a character role having a tragic end .Others like Sudha , Meenal , Saravana Subbaih (director of "Citizen") have noteworthy roles.

Padmesh's cinematography hurts the eyes especially in the action sequences.

Jaisankar has edited the movie in such a manner that the pace is maintained through out.

Srikanth deva has nothing new to offer.

Perarasu seems to have identified his constituency & tried only to satisfy them.If that is his wont , he has succeeded this time too.

Bottomline: Run of the mill stuff.

2.5/5

Dindugal Sarathy

My Review :Dindugal Sarathy

This is the 3rd remake of Sreenivasan's Malayalam script into Tamil following , "Vellithirai" and "Kuseylan:. But "Dindugal Sarathy " ,a faithful remake of "Vadakku nokki yanthram " unlike the other two which tampered with the original , is a credible launching pad for Karunas as hero.The movie's thread is interesting and though it has been made already in Hindi & Telugu , in Tamil it is going to reap the success which eluded in those two attempts.

Plot: What happens to the psyche of a dark-complexioned guy infested with inferiority complex when he marries a very beautiful young girl is told in a hilarious manner.

Karunas: After all these years of mixed success as a comedian , he plunges into the lead role of the protagonist in this movie & he has done justice to the character , thus keeping in with the reputation of comedians being good actors in the line of Nagesh, Thangavelu , Chandrababu , Goundamani , Vadivelu....... He not only provides the laughter in the movie but also manages to touch the heartstrings of the viewers in some scenes. It is a good start for him.

Karthiga: She has also done exceedingly well as the adorable wife of Karunas .She has the talent but whether the doyens of kollywood would make use of it is a big question.

Among the support cast Saranya ,the proverbial mother of kollywood , M.S.Baskar , Livingstone & City Babu have done thier part well. Especially M.S.Baskar deserves mention for he manages to bring the roof down with laughter whenever he is on screen.

Music of Dhina passes muster with "Dindugallu dindugallu " topping the list.

Taj's camera work is not spectacular but adequate.

SivaShanmugam has given a decent movie with a good concept which strikes the chord with the viewer at the outset itself. Though the movie would have been better served without those item numbers ,they are only minor aberrations which one can excuse.

On the whole though it is not a great movie but it is certainly watchable.

Bottomline: Sun Pictures on a Hattrick.

3.5/5

Abhiyum Naanum

My Review:Abhiyum Naanum

Radha Maohan is back with his 4th venture " ABHIYUM NAANUM " , 3rd with Duet Movies and the rapport that he shares with PrakashRaj shows on screen. The combo have given yet another feel good clean family entertainer that is thoroughly enjoyable.Movie moves at a lively pace filled with some intelligent humor that evokes a hearty laughter punctuated with some emotional scenes which do bring out the tears.

Plot: The movie is about the coming of age of a father's relationship with his daughter & presented as his memories he shares with another young father.

Prakshraj: He is omnipresent , his acting is omnipotent & his confidence on screen stemming from his omniscient knowledge of the script. It is a treat for lovers of good restrained acting & his ability to bring out various shades of emotions on screen is simply amazing. One can just admire the man with awe seeing at his acting prowess & ease at which he goes into the skin of the character .He has lived as Raghuraman, father of an adorable daughter.I am at loss of words .

Trisha: She don't have much to do as it was proclaimed to be.She has done her job well in the minimum scope that has been given to her.

Aishwarya: After a long ,long time a good character has come her way & she has done justice to it.

Ganesh Venkatraman : He debuts with this movie as a knowledgeable sardar, lover of Trisha .It is a good start from him.

Kumaravel: It is a mystery why he is used just by Duet Movies .He rocks in the role of Ravi Shastri , the confidant of the family.

Prithviraj : He is the young father to whom Prakash Raj Shares his memories with.Though his is a guest role , he comes throughtout the movie & it is a pleasant surprise.

Preetha's camera has a field day in capturing the natural splendor of Ooty and Munar .Her cinematography is pleasant on the eyes & heart.

Vidhyasagar: Another dampner from him as far as songs goes.Though he has done decently with his BGM.

Narayanan & Subramanyam 's dialogues are an asset to the movie. They ably fill the shoes of Viji,who has written dialogues in all the previous movies of Radha Mohan. Dialogues are replete with witty intelligent one-liners & thought full ones.

Radha Mohan has yet another gem that he can be proud of . Only one scene which dampens his good effort - that of PrakashRaj beating Aishwarya in the beginning-which i didn't expect from him. He has become adept in handling themes that involves human relationships & their emotions.

Bottomline: Abhiyum Naanum is a must watch for all the fathers of today , & those who will be one tomorrow .

4/5

Bommalattam

My review:Bommalattam

Seeing Dravid struggling for form is very painful .A legend like him must know when to exit gracefully before becoming subject to reams of redicule.The same goes to legends like Balachander or Barathiraja. Former's "Poi" was a painful experience and now the later joins with this one. This is a pale shadow of the ones Barathiraja , the legend has given us so far. Amatuerishness is seen all over the movie & this brings down a rather well written script to the gutter.The movie is full of some careless direction & it brings us to the question why the legend himself has not yet realised it is time for a graceful exit.

Plot: It is murder mystery with all fingers pointed towards a legendary director.Whether he comes out of it unscathed forms the rest of the plot.

Nana PAtekar: He has done well but his efforts gets drowned in that magnetic ,baritone voice of Nizhalgal Ravi , who has dubbed for him.

Arjun : he has lived up to the title that is given to him in this movie "amaidhi puyalai".

Rest of the cast don't impress much.Ranjitha comes with the same expression throughtout the movie while Rukmini & Kajal don't have much to do.

Music by Himesh Reshmamiya is good ."Doley dolaya" song is hummable. BGM by Mandi is not that impressive.

B.Kannan's camera work is OK .

Couple of dialogues are sparkling & draws the applause from the crowd.

Bottomline : Barathiraja sir your time is up .

1.5/5