VALLAVANUKKU PULLUM AAYUDHAM MOVIE REVIEW

After the super-hit success of 'Kanna Laddu Thinna Aasaiya', Santhanam's next production venture under his own company Handmade Films Production, is none other than his debut as a solo hero, with 'Vallavanukku Pullum Aayudham'. Jointly produced with PVP Cinemas, it is the official remake of the 2010 Telugu film 'Maryada Ramanna' which had Telugu comedian Sunil as the protagonist. Successfully remade in most of the other regional languages, can Santhanam pull it off as a solo hero, with a proven script ?

Santhanam, who always shares the screen space with his buddy heroes, has taken up the mantle as the lead protagonist this time. It is an apt script and subject for him, and he has performed very comfortably. His efforts in relation to keeping a fit physique, improved dancing skills, and the effervescent screen presence, is very much evident. His comic timing and dialogue deliveries need no mention and as always, there are many perfect punch dialogues for him, to impress the audience. Ads model, Ashna Zaveri from Mumbai makes her film debut, as the pretty face of the film. She fits the bill as the pretty and homely girl role and performs adequately. Not to forget, she too has a pleasant screen presence. Telugu actor Nagi Needu reprises the role he did in the original as the film's main antagonist, alongside Ravi Prakash and Suguntha. Though their roles are the atypical loud and brash villains of Tamizh cinema, the actors did justice to their roles. Siddharth Vipin and Rajakumaran provides the comic relief in the first half, whereas VTV Ganesh has a small role in the second half. The others such as radio and television personality Senthil Kumar, Rekha Suresh, Sujatha, Subbu Panchu, John Vijay, Bose Venkat and etc sufficed the needs of the story. And don't miss out the hilarious cameo of 'Powerstar' Dr.Srinivasan in the first half !

Vasu handles the costume designing and his works has made Santhanam and Ashna Zaveri look very much presentable and stylish, within the commercial needs of the script and for the songs, as well. The VFX work is handled by Lorven Studios and surprisingly, the train sequence in the first half and the climax had very shoddy visual effects, which looked very amateurish. The action choreography is handled by 'FEFSI' Vijayan, and though the film had scope for some good action sequences, the choreography was a little overboard. Dhilip Subbarayan has handled the bicycle chase sequence, which was a very lengthy one, and Santhanam was really put to test, in this particular portion. The art design is handled by A.R Mohan and his work brought out the script's feel and desired look, aptly. The train set and the song sequence set was well put up. Also, the interiors of the grand village mansion was very well propped. Saikant's editing could have been more tighter, especially with the long climax chase and dialogues sequence, which dragged the film's duration unnecessarily. Cinematography is by Shakthi, who has experimented with the lighting, in order to give Santhanam, the extra edge in terms of screen presence. His camera movements, especially in the songs, brought out the necessary look and feel. Richard M.Nathan, too has been credited for additional cinematography works, as well. 

Siddharth Vipin's musical compositions are good but the songs, were badly placed in the film, unfortunately. "Takkar Takkar" is the usual opening song of the protagonist. Santhanam, shows marked improvement in dancing and is evident in this song. The 'mass' feel was brought out well, especially with the street setting and plenty of extras as back-up dancers. More creativity could have given the song and extra edge. "Oh Oh Nadhigal" comes in the first half, with the lead pair and other characters travelling in a train. The camera movements within the tight space of a train compartment was well handled by Shakthi. A separate portion involving only the lead pair, in a train setup was well lit. The visual effects, could have been much better, though. "Vaada Mappilai" is the theme track of the film and is used in crucial moments of the film, especially during Santhanam's introduction to the antagonists scene. The 'mass' appeal of the song fits the seqeunce, quite well. "Chella Kutti" is the quintessential "kuthu" number shot on the lead pair, with colorfully attired back-up dancers, and equally colorful, set work by A.R Mohan. "Otrai Devathai" is a peppy number, shot in a very grand manner, involving plenty of extras and all the main characters, which has a in-house celebration theme to it. "Kadavule" is a situational song, which is played as the background score for the climax bicycle chase sequence. Siddharth Vipin's background score deserves mention, especially for the minute bytes he provides, like the "Maattikittaan" track, which enhances the comedy sequences. But he could have avoided lifting the "Mombassaa" track from the film 'Inception', which was originally scored by Hans Zimmer.

The original 'Maryada Ramanna' was directed by the hot-shot Telugu director S.S Rajamouli, who has co-written the script with S.S Kanchi. And what one should note is that, 'Maryada Ramanna' itself was a remake of the 1923 classic Hollywood silent comedy, 'Our Hospitality', directed and acted by Buster Keaton. That film was a satire of a real-life feudal war between the Hatfield and McCoy clans, which took place during the late 19th century. 'Vallavanukku Pullum Aayudham' has a wafer-thin story-line and it is the light-hearted screenplay, which keeps driving the film. The plethora of one-liners and funny punch dialogues from Santhanam are the main focal point of the film's humor aspect. Actor Srinath, helms the responsibility of director of the film and he has played safe, without altering too much with S.S Rajamouli's film. The direction could have been much better though, especially with the long drawn-out climax portion, which was too melodramatic for contemporary standards. The first half train sequence, has the best stretch of comedy one-liners and the cute bicycle track is a funny commercial element, for the film. The song placements could have been much better, as mentioned earlier. 'Vallavanukku Pullum Aayudham' doesn't click in all the departments, but overall it is a simple, fun film.

'Vallavanukku Pullum Aayudham' - If this succeeds, will Santhanam carry on to do his usual hero sidekick roles ?


Ratings: 2.5/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL

IVAN VERE MAATHIRI MOVIE REVIEW

A unique set of second timers, coming together after a successful first film is what 'Ivan Vera Maathiri' is all about. M.Saravanan, after the critically-acclaimed 'Engeyum Eppothum' and Vikram Prabhu, after the blockbuster hit of 'Kumki' are joining hands for the first time. Produced jointly by N.Lingusamy owned Thirrupathi Brothers and UTV Motion Pictures, the genre is new for both the director and hero. How do they measure up in their second venture ?

Vikram Prabhu has a good changeover from 'Kumki' to this city-slicker protagonist in 'Ivan Vere Maathiri'. He proves his mettle in enacting the silent, low-key characters and is expressive when it comes to emoting and uses his eyes very well, which is an asset of his. He shows his flexibility in performing action-oriented roles, with this film and maintains a great deal of energy in those heavy, action sequences. But he definitely has to improve the romance segments, in which he reflects stiffness throughout. Good showing ! Newcomer Surabhi, performs well in her debut and fits the role to a T. Her lip-sync is very good, which earns her extra brownie points. But the real revelation in this film is the antagonist, played by Vamsi Krishna. He proves his adeptness in performing such a menacing role, and displays intense portrayal in tied-up sequences, were very well done by him. Also, he's equally as good as an action hero, when it comes to the action sequences. Great going, Vamsi ! The rest of the cast such as Hariraj, Sharmini, Malavika Menon and a cameo by Ganesh Venkatraman, were adequate in their minuscule roles.

The film would not have been as good as it tries to be, without the inputs of action choreographer, Rajasekhar. The action sequences are raw, gritty and power-packed and his assistants should be commended for the daring drop stunts, falling from dizzying heights. This film should stand as one of Rajasekhar's best works, till date. R.K Vijay Murugan's production design was good and sufficed the needs of the scripts. The props for all those outdoor locations, such as construction sites, were well set up. Veteran Sreekar Prasad proves his experience, with the exciting editing of the last 15 minutes, leading to the climax. But, the film's duration is just too long, and a healthy dose of snipping would have done wonders to the film. Tied-up by the director's script, perhaps ? Cinematographer Shakthi, captures some thrilling moments in the action sequences, with his top-angles, complementing the stunt choreography. His camera movements in the construction site sequences, are noteworthy. The color tone of the film, also brings out the right effect, desired. Good job !

C.Sathya works well with M.Saravanan but this time, the songs were pretty average. "Ithuthaan" is the opening song, used as a bit song for a riot situation, happening in a college. "Ranga Ranga" has montages of the heroine, going after the hero and her attempts going vain. Most of the shots were taken in busy streets and in real locations. "Ennai Marandhai" is a love song, reflecting the falling-in-love, from the heroine's perspective. It had plenty of montages featuring the lead pair. "Malaya Porattala" is the typical heroism-themed song, shot on Vikram Prabhu and featuring a couple of dance sequences, interspersing with some montages. "Loveulla" is a fully choreographed song, showcasing the lead pair, reciprocating love for the first time and was shot in and around shopping malls and street-sides. "Thanimayile" is a bit song, featuring in the built-up towards climax. C.Sathya makes up for the average scores, by producing a good background score, which highlights the action sequences and elevates the exciting element of the script.

M.Saravanan, has written a straight-forward script, with no tricks up in his sleeves, in regards to his screenplay. He has incorporated some interesting elements, which builds up the suspense factor, which makes us engaged with the proceedings of the script. The screenplay should have been worked out, since the film drags heavily in the second half. A big contributory factor, is the rather amateurish love sequences, which does not really convince you. M.Saravanan, could have wanted to project the naivety and silliness of the heroine's character, but those scenes simply stretch the length of the film, for no apparent reason. Nonetheless, he should be credited for sketching a convincing pair of protagonist-antagonist. The characters play a motion of tit for tat, which is pretty exciting to watch to. M.Saravanan has a knack for writing smart dialogues, and in this film, Ganesh Venkatraman takes the cake for the best dialogues. The director does have a good sense of script writing and a planned structure for his screenplay. The only thing he needs to loon into, is the prioritization of the elements of his script. 

'Ivan Vere Maathiri' - A good watch for those who prefer action entertainers.


Ratings: 3/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL

18 VAYASU MOVIE REVIEW

R.Panneeselvam, the director of the well-received 'Renigunta' comes up with another novel and unique script with '18 Vayasu' with the same crew of 'Renigunta' backing him. Produced by S.S Chakkaravarthy with his son Johnny in the lead, this film evoked curiosity with a unique psychiatric syndrome as a theme. Having such themes is not new, since Tamizh cinema fans are accustomed to watching such theme-based films, like 'Sigappu Rojakkal', 'Guna', 'Aalavandhaan', 'Anniyan', and even the latest '3'. What's peculiar here is the theme of clinical lycanthropy, which involves a delusion that the affected person can transform into, has transformed into, or is a non-human animal !

To start of with the cast, the protagonist and heir of the producer, Johnny has done a good job indeed with his character. He is suited for the role of a mentally-affected person and kudos to him for imbibing the body language of animals very aptly. The last stunt scene where he fights like a bull, must have been very painful and exhausting for him. This chap deserves some appreciation for his hard work. Newcomer Gayathri looks okay and homely but she needs intense acting course if she wants to be successful in her career. She looks uncomfortable in her role and is not entirely convincing. Rohini plays an important role but was wasted with very little screen timing. Kannada actor Sathyendran, plays another mentally-challenged person and evokes laughter at times with his antics but tends to go overboard. Yuvarani, J.S, Sevazhai, Krishna Davinci and others make up the cast.

This film has a compilation of talented and interesting technicians behind the film. Sanjay Karan's artwork is minimalistic with little props except for a couple of bazaar sets used for songs. Anthony is behind the editing board, and he tries to keep the pace of the film from not slowing down, but he was unsuccessful largely, thanks to the slow direction of the script. Rajasekar has done a brilliant work with the stunt portions. As this film needs special detailing, he has done his homework very well and brought out the maximum output from Johnny, in executing the stunt scenes. The bull-like fight in the climax, was the best. Great work ! Shakthi, is the man behind the camera and he too has done some wonderful job with interesting low-angles and close-ups. He has managed to capture the dry and dusty landscape the script demanded and maintained a yellow and dusty color tone for the film throughout, except for the night scenes. Also, with the correct length, Shakthi manages to picturize the fights properly and ensured that the hard work done by the stunt choreographer and the protagonist, does not go waste.

Popular hip-hop and rap music artists and producers, Dinesh Kanagaratnam and Charles Bosco duo are the people behind the music of this film. If you keep in mind of their previous works, this album will be a little surprise for you. Most of the tracks in this album are melody numbers, which they are not popular for. "Entha Ulagil" is a good melody number picturized against the lead pair, where the protagonist meets his heroine for the first time and its love at first sight with bazaar sets around. "Aanum Illa" is a song picturized on transgenders and transsexuals, in a night backdrop along the long street with hawker stalls. An unnecessary song in the story line. "Enakkena Nee" is a joyful number, picturized on the lead pair with small number of dancers thrown into with round-trolley shots used mostly in real locations. The pick of the album "Unnai Onru" was picturized in the now unavailable-for-shoot, Madurai Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal with minimal props and simple costume designs, shot in a typical dance number with plenty of dancers. "Podi Podi Pennae" is a number, picturized on the protagonist, on the run and has strong lighting and dusty tone throughout.

R.Panneerselvam, excited and enthralled us with his previous 'Renigunta' because of the unique stunt scenes and the exciting chase. But here, though the idea and concept was novel and unique, the direction and scripting lets us down big time, due to the bad handling of the director. Except for the lead protagonist, the rest of the cast members have poorly conceived and etched characters, which makes them look like caricatures. There is no cohesion and proper flow in the screen play. Though the songs were nice, they are wrongly placed and makes the screenplay to lag in pace. As the film progresses, boredom sets in with the viewers having no idea of where the film is progressing. Many questions go unanswered and characters go missing for no obvious reasons.

'18 Vayasu' is a tedious affair, with slow and lazy screenplay and a bad direction. After watching this, the viewers would definitely wonder, "Is this film from the same guy who directed 'Renigunta' ?"


Ratings: 2/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL

MUPPOZHUDHUM UN KARPANAIGAL MOVIE REVIEW

Atharvaa Murali makes a comeback with this wonderfully titled film, after the demise of his wonderful father, actor Murali. "Muppozhudhum Un Karpanaigal" has been marketed as a trendy, urbane and slick thriller with good music and cinematography. Debutant Elred Kumar who helms the director's chair is surprisingly the producer behind RS Infotainment, and its a rarity to see a producer turning into a director. Added to that, Amala Paul has been glamorized up for this film and the chemistry between the leading pair is the selling point of the film.

Atharvaa as the troubled IT employee made his mark as a decent debutant in "Baana Kaathadi" continues his fine form in this film as well. He dances well and shows good agility in stunt sequences, and showed more improvement from his first film. With the guidance of more prolific directors, this guy has very good potential to be a powerful performer. Kudos to him for carrying this whole film on his shoulders, though its only his second outing. Amala Paul was cool and breezy throughout the film and so far, this has been her most glamorous outing yet in Tamizh cinema with trendy and chic costumes, a straight contrast to her "Kadhalil Sodhappuvadhu Eppadi" looks. Besides that, it was a change with Chinmayi doing the dubbing for her this time, which actually suits the character which she plays. With two releases at the same time, she is the current hot babe of Tamizh cinema. Jayaprakash was cool and trendy as usual, with this flawless dialogue delivery and voice modulations. Nassar was decent as usual in an limited role and Anupama Kumar and Yashika did what was expected from them. The biggest disappointment though was Santhanam. His comedy track was totally unnecessary to the screenplay and most of his jokes didn't really take off well.

Since Elred Kumar himself has produced this film, it is obvious that he has spent lavishly and its evident through the fantastic output of the film. The DI work by Gemini Labs was well done in 6K and shows very good picture quality. Kiran's art direction was trendy with the posh apartment and office of IT suites, all depicted in a very stylish and contemporary style. But not only that, the artwork in village sequences too were very natural and minimal. Antony L.Ruben's editing was neat, but he could have trimmed the film a bit and made the screenplay racier with the arrangements of scenes. Rajasekar's stunts incorporated some new style of fighting techniques like Parkour and Beacon but he could have avoided the use of the ropes as some stunt shots look fake. Deepali Noor's costumes made the characters look chic, casual and trendy, especially for Amala Paul who comes in various designer dresses throughout the film. The biggest asset to the film though, is cinematographer Shakthi. His framing and visuals were fantastic with such cool and breezy shots, giving the whole film a very calm feeling. The usage of blue tone nearly throughout the film, maintains the cool and aesthetic feel. This man, has a great future in cinema and will be one to lookout for. Kudos to Shakthi!

GV Prakash's music was cool and trendy as well. "Mazhai Pozhiyum" was well captured in the Grand Canyons and follows a road travel theme throughout. One of the rare occasions, where cinematographer Shakthi adopts a different tone color in the film where the whole song was given a warm feeling, with light orange tinge. "O Sunandha" was done in montages and follows the lead pair throughout Bengaluru with well placed angles in camera. "Oru Murai" is the best of the lot and though the picturization was hyped up as it was done in the world's largest gift shop, Bonanza Shop in the Las Vegas strip, it didn't really live up to the hype it generated. But it was still well shot, with cool choreography by Brindha and shot in music video style. Not to forget, the wonderful lyrics of Thamarai. "Sokku Podi" is the usual set-song and the sets were done keeping in mind with the cool-blue theme of the film and Prasanna's choreography was decent. "Yaar Aval Yaaro" was also done in a music video style with untried Gothic theme and the graphic works by Pixon was decent. "Kangal Neeyae" is another flashback montage song, aesthetically shot and also incorporates a warmer color tone. The disappointing fact is that, the songs are a drawback to the film as it slows down the screenplay and was more of a roadblock in the story. GV Prakash should avoid lifting tracks from other sources as one piece of his BGM work was directly inspired from Zack Hemsey's "Mind Heist" track which was incidentally used as the music piece in the initially trailer of the mind-bending Christopher Nolan's classic "Inception"! His other haunting piece which comes throughout the film, was well scored though.

The problem with Elred Kumar's film is that, it has a weak script though the basic storyline is an interesting one. Though the film was made to look like a classy one, once in a while it incorporates unnecessary commercial aspects like comedies, flashbacks, sentiments and etc. Initially, the film was touted to be a romantic thriller but then the romance quotient was not properly emphasized leaving the audience with only the thrills to savor. The script does have its good moments, especially with the scenes just before interval, which really keeps the audience guessing of what is happening. But the thrill and momentum was not sustained at all, and sadly few questions went unanswered and loopholes were evident here and there in the screen which cannot be excused and as mentioned earlier, songs were just pure roadblocks. A couple of dialogues were crisp and witty but they are far in between in the screenplay. A few different perceptions where thrown into the screenplay which looks forced.

Elred Kumar titled the film spot on beautifully, enhanced the film with good technicians and was lavish in spending but let us down with a loophole-filled script.


Ratings: 2.5/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL