After the successful 'Thegidi', TCS Studios and C.V Kumar's Thirukumaran Entertainment have joined hands once again for another small/medium budget film, 'Sarabham'. Named after a mythical half-lion & half-bird creature, this film is the debut venture for its director, Arun Mohan, who happens to be the son of popular comedy artiste Anu Mohan. With C.V Kumar's support, can 'Sarabham' be another feather in the cap for Thirukumaran Entertainment ?
Lesser known Tamizh and Telugu actor Naveen Chandra comes up with an above average performance and has mouthed the dialogues properly, which enabled Gautham to dub in perfect lip-sync for him. He can work out more on his expressions, which goes flat at times. With more films, he should work it up and improve his acting credibility. Debutante heroine, the Delhi model Salony Luthra was impressive in some sequences, but falters in the emotionally-charged scenes, which was a necessity due to her unconventional character's various dimensions. Her characterization reminds us of Angelina Jolie's brooding and mysterious Hollywood roles, she donned. Raagini Sree's voice suits Salony, to the tee. She can do better and she has to do better if she's to survive as an actress. Naren, comes clean with a very measured performance, but the actor can definitely deliver more. The whole film is based on these three artistes and the supporting cast such as 'Kadhal' Kannan, 'Boys' Rajan, Shankara Narayanan, Thilak, Sam Anton and etc are just there to fill up the script's needs.
Technically the film is sleek, with some good outputs from the able technicians. Vishnu Govind and Sree Sankar's sound designing was a big boost for the film, because of the many background score-less scenes. The climax action sequence, deserves appreciation. Preethi Kanthan's costume designing was apt, especially with Salony Luthra's costumes, which demanded changes in accordance to the changeover of her character. But better designing could have been worked out for Naveen Chandra and Naren. Anbariv's action choreography was minimal, but was effectively and neatly executed, with only the climax scene having a real sense of action. A.Gopi Anand's art direction sufficed the needs of the script and his work with the posh apartment setting of the protagonist's home and the female lead's home, deserves mention. The posh, upmarket feel and look was achieved. Leo John Paul's no-nonsense editing worked well for the script and the duration was kept tight, with the running time going just above 2 hours. Krishnan Vasant's cinematography adds the necessary glossy touch and his work complemented the director's vision, especially with the distinctive camera movements and also for the lighting, which gave the film a fixed mood and look, throughout.
Music is handled by Britto Michael and his scores are just passable since the songs are just situational and goes along the screenplay. "Pudhidhaai Or Iravu" was shot on the lead pair and has montages of them, roaming around Chennai at night. Krishnan Vasant's lighting for the shots was okay, though the clubbing sequence could have been better. "Bodhaiyil Paadhai" was shot on Naveen Chandra and is also full of night shots and montages of the Chennai streets at dead-night. "Neram" sung by Usha Uthup appears during the end credits. Britto Michael's background score worked well for the film, especially with the inclusion of the "Sarabham Theme" track sung by Malaysian artiste Rabbit.Mac, at the right moments (during the 'surprise' moments, to be precise).
Arun Mohan has knitted a tight screenplay revolving around the three important characters alone, which keeps the proceeding from not going out of path. But the screenplay lacks pace and some spunky energy needed for such simple thrillers, especially when you have lesser known artistes, who struggles to hold our attention or have the charismatic appearance. Also, the screenplay gives space to some loopholes in the script and also left some questions being unanswered, especially with the scenes involving the police. What Arun Mohan makes up for the lack of pace, are the shocking twists in the second half. He keeps his cards very close and slowly unravels to us one by one, before jolting us with a big surprise, right after the interval. That surprise element keeps us engaged, but for those audience who likes to simply keep guessing, some might actually predict the correct outcome in the climax. Another novelty of this particular script is the grey nature of all the characters portrayed in the film, which was a little unique. K.Rajaraman's dialogues are above average, but if more attention were given to the dialogues, it would have elevated the impact of some sequences, by a few notches. Nevertheless, this simple thriller is worth checking out, if you have some time to kill.
'Sarabham' - Patience and attention are necessities, if you are ought to enjoy it.
Ratings: 2.5/5 STARS
BY:TAMIL
Fox Star Studios and path-breaking producer, C.V Kumar of Thirukumaran Entertainment have joined hands and produced an intriguingly titled project called, 'Mundasupatti'. Directed by newcomer Ram Kumar of 'Naalaiya Iyakkunar' fame, this movie is based on a short film which Ram Kumar did for the television reality show. A lot is riding on this film for Vishnu Vishal, and can 'Mundasupatti' and Fox Star Studios salvage his career ?
As for Vishnu Vishal, this is a perfect comeback for him because he is at ease in doing a full length comedy film, though it is his career first. His laid-back dialogue delivery was pretty cool for his character and his screen presence is commendable. The props which accompanies him throughout the film, complements his character, be it the Yashica camera or his scooter. Nandita too looks super comfortable in the her simpleton village belle role. Her body language and mannerisms fits the character quite well and she's pleasing presence in the film. But the two guys who steal the show is Kaali Venkat and Ramdoss, as the sidekick and an aspiring actor, respectively. Kaali Venkat scores with his dialogue delivery which has plenty of sly remarks. The actor was able to carve a style for himself and is omnipresent, throughout the film. Ramdoss, plays an eccentric but humorous character to near perfection. His unique voice modulation and dialogue delivery, with flashy costumes, makes his character to have a certain charm. Veteran Anandaraj delivers the goods, with experience backing him up thoroughly and he too holds his special moments in the film. The rest of the cast such as Gajaraj, Aadesh, Pasupathiraj, Madurai Mohan, 'Lollu Sabha' Manohar, Rahul, Supramani, Kovai Uma, Kambam Meena and etc blends into the film and its plot setting very well.
The film has slick and top notch technical works, considering that it is a medium budget film. Jegathesan handles the costume designing and his work was excellent, especially for the costumes of Vishnu Vishal, Kaali Venkat and Ramdoss, who appeared most of the time in the flashy and colorful 70's & 80's look, especially with the bell bottom pants. Complementing the costumes, is the art direction work, done by Gopi Anand. The properties, especially like the old Yashica camera, Jawa scooter and camera equipments are the highlights. Also, the village and town streets and the small stores, were very well researched and executed by Gopi. Terrific job ! Leo John Paul's editing has a smooth transition from one scene to another and there are some unique cuts in some scenes, but he could have trimmed the duration of the film, especially in the first half. 'Billa' Jagan's action choreography complements the style of the film and whatever action scenes required were neatly composed and executed. P.V Shankar's cinematography was excellent, especially with the handling of vibrant tones and colors, yet the earthy and warming feel of the script was retained. His indoor shots deserves particular mention, especially with the funeral sequences, in which good lighting and camera angles were used.
Sean Roldan's musical score was fun and groovy and it complements the quirky nature of the script. "Uchiyile Udhichavane" is the opening song, which highlights a superstitious beginning of the villagers towards a 'deity' and is a situational song. "Idhu Enna" is a beautiful melody, used as a background score sporadically, throughout the film, which can look overused for some viewers. "Rasa Magarasa" is wacky funeral cum love song, and was shot on all the pivotal characters of the film, which had a funeral scene as the story and some funny moments in it. "Killadi Oruthan" is shot on Vishnu, Kaali, Ramdoss and Nandita and highlights the plight of Vishny and Kaali, serving their 'punishment' for abusing the trust the villagers had on them. There are a few comical montages shot for this particular song. "Kadhal Kanave" is the proper duet song for the lead pair, which was entirely shot in a village setting and has plenty of montages interspersed. "Aambule Singam" plays during the end credits, which has additional scenes from the film. Sean Roldan's background score too must be commended, especially for the funny and rollicking sounds he infused, which raises the humor quotient to several notches. Sean definitely deserves credit for the light-hearted moments of the film !
Debutante Ram Kumar makes no bone about his intentions in coming up with a clean comedy film and he has succeeded to certain extent. The wacky story-line, which has many silly elements infused into the script, tickles our funny bones. There's nothing pretentious with the script and story and the film is meant to be enjoyed as a silly film. Ram Kumar's idea is simple and he weaves a wacky situational comedy around the idea, with the peppering of humorous dialogues and apt characterizations, which were neatly performed by impressive artists. There is no logic nor any believable element with the story, but that should not be the hindrance in enjoying the film ! The intermission sequence was a rip-roaring episode and Ram Kumar keeps the momentum going on with more memorable sequences in the second half. The final 20 minutes of the film is pure fun and comedy, which keeps us entertained non-stop. The length of the film is a concern though, and since the original idea was a short-film, the strain in stretching the film's duration for more than 2 hours, is evident here and there, especially in the first half. Nevertheless, 'Mundasupatti' will make sure that you finish watching the film, with a smile on your face.
'Mundasupatti' - A sure-shot winner for Fox Star Studios and C.V Kumar's Thirukumaran Entertainment !
Ratings: 3/5 STARS
BY:TAMIL
