BILLA 2 MOVIE REVIEW

Billa 2 - The most expected film of 2012, not only because of Ajith Kumar but also for the character that he played. Thanks to the excellent marketing and promotional activities, the hype and expectations grew many fold. The trailers and teasers were a class apart from the other films, and the standard was expected to set the bar of commercial cinema several levels higher. A gigantic opening is ensured since it has Ajith but will it satisfy the audiences' expectations completely?

The film has a different set of artistes performing and making their debut in Tamizh cinema. First and foremost, the heart and pivot of the film Ajith is a magnet. He just pulls the attention of the audiences, even if he just walks or appears in a scene. His mannerism and appearance were stylish to the core. His usage of his eyes to convey emotions is a strength to his character. Of course, not to be missed is his daring stunt sequences, especially the fight in the helicopter. The charismatic and gorgeous actor, could have reduced his weight to look younger since this is a prequel, so that it is in tune with the first installment. Two leading ladies, Parvathy Omanakuttan and Bruna Abdalah make their debut here. Sorry to say, they don't have anything to offer except to showcase the rocking body, especially the latter. No dialogues, no scenes to emote. (Not their fault, though). Sudhanshu Pandey and Vidyut Jamwal make their debut as the antagonists. Sudhanshu prepared well for his role to look older than his age (kudos to him for dubbing himself) and Vidyut performed his deadly stunt scenes perfectly. But they too have nothing much to contribute or to make an impression. The rest of the cast, Yog Japee, Manoj K.Jayan, Rahman, Ilavarasu, Sriman, Sricharan, Rohit Khurana, Dinesh Lamba, Daniel Kaleb, E.Karthik, Janaki Sabesh, Sarath Mandava, 'Theepatti' Ganes and etc did what was expected from them. We get to also see some hot girls such as Meenakshi Dixit, Gabriela Bertante and Nicole Amy Madell appearing in the songs.

This film has very high technical work and they should be individually appreciated and for their wonderful work. Nithya and Rafi's costume designing was stylish, in order to make the lead artistes to look good and the style was not too contemporary keeping in mind, the period the script is set in. Choreograph by Raju Sundaram, Aadil Shaikh & Fareeda and Ahmed Khan was okay, and only "Madurai Ponnu" had good dance movements. The VFX work under the supervision of Madhu Sudhanan by Reliance Media Works, Tata Elxsi and Future works was okay as well but the sequence where a car was shot and burst into flames, had bad quality in graphics. Stephen Gomes' sound effects was brilliant, especially the action sequences where gun shots, machetes, bomb blasts and etc were recorded realistically. The highlight of the action sequences is the stunt. They were very well choreographed and neatly executed. German based Stefan Richter, Kecha Khamphakdee's Jaika Stunt team and K.Rajasekhar are the stunt choreographers and their stunts were in sync throughout the film and apt with the characters that they choreographed for. V.Selvakumar's production crew did well with the sets, be it the whore house, gun factory, small restaurant, club house and etc. The props used, especially cell phones, cars and weaponry were specifically designed keeping in mind with the older period since this is a prequel. Suresh Urs's editing could have been better by making the film look racier with the screenplay as it lags, though it runs for just above 2 hours. Cinematographer R.D Rajasekar has done an awesome job with the RED EPIC Camera. Every shot has good detailing and the camera gives the film a very glossy look, with right correction in the color tones. The sequences shot in Georgia was beautiful and R.D once again proves why he is the man to can action sequences. A search is always visible and that makes the action sequences look better. Definitely it will be one of his best work in his career.

Yuvan Shankar Raja's music especially the background score is good but there's nothing much of variation from the previous installment of 'Billa' and some portions reminds one of Hans Zimmer's score in 'The Dark Knight'. Songs are average though but the picturization was even more average though the RED EPIC camera was used. "Madurai Ponnu" was the best picturized with good lighting and art work with earthy colors and top of that hot girls as dancers with Meenakshi Dixit leading the troupe. "Idhayam" is a mellifluous song and one of the best compositions from Yuvan. It was picturized on Parvathy running in slow-motion along the beach with intercepts of her scenes prior to the song. "Gangster" song had Yuvan making his cameo but it was reduced to a mere credits song with intercepts of blooper scenes. "Yedho Mayakkam" the best dance number had awesome girls like Nicole Amy Madell and Gabriela Bertante with Ajith, Sudhanshu and Bruna as well but the concept was poorly etched out and was boring to watch. The color tone and lighting was good, though. "Unakkulle Mirugam" was shot with many scenes of Ajith showing his rise to the status of a don but it was infused with graphics, resembling graphic novel style used by Guy Ritchie in his 'RocknRolla' film. Though its an interesting idea, but it was totally unnecessary and an awkward thing to do. The "Billa 2 Theme Music" is a fantastic score from Yuvan and will be remembered for its haunting mood.

There is saying which goes like this, "Too many cooks spoil the broth" This film had the story written by Chakri Toleti, Eric Felberg (creative consultant) and Sarath Mandava (assistant director) and the screenplay was written by the same trio with an additional member in another assistant, Mohammed Jaffer. So did they "spoil the broth" indeed? Actually no. They did not even cook a broth!! What these four individuals can do, is to take the script of Oliver Stone's 'Scarface' and simplify or 'Indianize' it. Except for Ajith and Yog Japee, and Ilavarasu, the rest of them, all looked like caricatures. There's no strength in the characters and most of them are shallow. The film has no spark or zing or charisma and contains plenty of loopholes and unnecessary graphic violence. They should have realized that the film has grown from just a mere attraction of Ajith, to the intriguing factor of David Billa. Being a prequel, this film should have addressed how David Billa became the dreaded mafia of the underworld. Instead, we were just shown snippets of some photographs and the process of few dozens of shootings and man-slaughterings by Billa to raise his stake. There's no connectivity between the audience and the characters and no one understands why Billa is the kind of a person he is, which is what the main aim of a prequel should be! Instead we only get to see gun shots, bomb blasts, people dying and hot gals prancing around. The sad fact is that, the movie did not even evoke 5% of satisfaction which you get by watching the trailers. If there is any relief for the fans, it is the brilliant dialogues of Era.Murukan with the assistance of Mohammed Jaffer. The film is replete with stunning dialogues for Ajith and when he utters them, the effect manifolds. 

Conclusion: Billa 2 - HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT.......


Ratings: 2/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL

NAAN EE MOVIE REVIEW

S.S Rajamouli, the hot-shot Telugu director who gained massive success in his previous 'Magadheera' has come out with a very interesting premise this time, which involves lots of computer graphics. Though the subject of revenge drama is and age-old theme seen in Indian cinemas, the premise of seeing a house-fly taking revenge is very intriguing! How can one sympathize or empathize with a fly? Even if you do so, how is it possible to hold the attention of the audience for the duration of the whole film? Well, Rajamouli has done all that with gumption and flair!

Starting off with the cast, the protagonist Nani has nothing much to do on screen since his character is killed off but he manages to leave that charming impression which is very essential for the story because that is what will make the fans root for the fly in the later period. His dialogue delivery was good and its nice to hear him dub for himself. Samantha, has done a neat job in this film and she looks absolutely beautiful. Chinmayi too did a good job in providing the voice for Samantha's character. Santhanam makes a cameo in a small scene and in the final credits scene, and he is a scream here! Though he has very little screen time, he still manages to hold your attention and make you laugh out loud. Devadarshini, Adithya Menon, Crazy Mohan and Hamsa Nandini all did a fine job. But obviously the film belongs to the antagonist Sudeep. His work was fabulous, since he is required to emote with without any help, except for his own imagination, since the graphics were added during post-production. He has the style and grace of the perfect villain and it reminds the audience of Rajinikanth, in his heydays as a villain! His dialogue delivery was superb and the biggest strength for him is his booming voice. He deserves an applause for dubbing in his own voice with conviction, though he is from the Kannada film industry. Kudos to him! This film will certainly be one of his best in his entire career.

The film carries some top-notch technical work. Rama Rajamouli's costume designing was uber cool and casual. Sudeep and Samantha were dressed to impress, in tune with their characters and both of them were looking good on screen. Art direction by S.Ravindar was very stylish and contemporary. The color tones for the set work of homes of Sudeep and Samantha were not too colorful and was just nice. His work on the props needs special mention. Audio by Shyamal Sikdar and sound designing by Raghunath.K was solid. The climax scenes, where the most action takes place, needs special mention especially with the smashing of objects. The VFX team -Makuta VFX, deserves a big round of applause for a brilliant work. The graphics were extremely good, for Indian-standard and their hardwork is very much evident since the film had close to 2,234 VFX shots, second to Shah Rukh's 'Ra-One'. Aiding them beautifully were the editor and cinematographer. Kotagiri Venkatesa Rao's fast-cut editing helped the film sustain the attention of the audience and the climax work would have been the most challenging. K.K Senthil Kumar used the Phantom Flex camera very well and the climax shots were breathtaking. Visually the movie is a treat and the framing and lighting were perfect. The initial scene of the birth of the fly, the airport chase and the climax sequences are testimonies to the editor and cinematographer's talent. Job very, very well done! M.M Keeravani's songs are a plus-point to this film since they follow the flow of the story. "Veesum Velichathule" lingers for a while with Nani rooting for Samantha and "Konjam Konjam" shot sweetly with the night backdrop in church and streets, shows the moment where the heroine finally falls for the hero's love. "Lava Lava" makes a brief touch in the movie while the theme track, "Eeda Eeda" with witty and funny sequences of the fly, was loaded with graphics and montage sequences. And of course the remix version pre-end-credits, brings a smile on our faces with the house-flies, dancing to choreographed moves! Also, Keeravani brings funny touches to the comedic scenes, deserves special mention.

The story was developed based on V.Vijayendra Prasad's idea and S.S Rajamouli did a marvelous work in coming up with an engaging script. First of all, kudos to him for making it into a straight Tamizh film, instead of dubbing it. He had the courage to make a film on a housefly and PVP Cinemas should be appreciated for backing him up, and Rajamouli has paid them off handsomely! What's good in the script is that, Rajamouli came out with a decent screenplay, though the plot is very thin and he made it in an engaging manner, where the audience really starts to empathize with the housefly. Though we know that the film is a little over-the-top, we tend to forgive it and enjoy the fun, because the film is fun after all and Rajamouli managed to package it, in the right amount by getting the best from his cast and crew of technicians. The screenplay had no loopholes and did not have any boring moments. Nearly every scene contributed to the flow of the film and his conceptualization for each graphics scene was super good. This film should be considered as one of his best, or even the best work of his. Also, 'Crazy' Mohan's dialogues are an additional strength for the film.

'Naan Ee', is a fun-filled film which one should not miss. It may not have the best artistic work or storyline, but such attempts should be welcomed with open hands.


Ratings: 3.5/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL

SAGUNI MOVIE REVIEW

Karthi, the actor with an impressive box-office performance record is back to the silver screen after more than year of his last super-hit release, 'Siruthai'. This movie created good expectations, thanks to the return of his combination with Santhanam, the current "King of Comedy". Also, the coming together of few veteran actors and a political-satire template, generated good amount of  curiosity among the mass 'masala'/commercial cinema lovers. 'Saguni' is a character from Mahabharata. He is a schemer and comes up with interesting knots and twists in the epic mythology story. Judging by the trailer, Karthi's "Kamal" character too appears to be someone who is similar in nature to 'Saguni'. Will this new-age 'Saguni' enthrall the audience?

Karthi has turned in a natural performance. Nothing great to do in front of the camera, as his character nor the script did not demand intense scenes which evokes serious emotions. His warm yet naughty demeanor, catches the attention of the audience. He runs the show throughout the film and he appears in nearly most of the sequences. His dancing skills has improved quite a lot but he has to keep in check of his weight, because inconsistency in body shape is a terrible thing to watch in a movie. Santhanam rocks in his role as "Rajini" Appadurai and his camaraderie with Karthi was good. His one-liners were brilliant as usual and what made it more amusing was the banter between him and Karthi as "Rajini-Kamal". Though the film was marketed, with this combination as its main USP, it did not really meet the expectations it created and failed to beat their previous performance in 'Siruthai'. Heroine Pranitha (dubbing by Savitha), has nothing much to do/offer apart from appearing in a couple of scenes with the sad looks and looking pretty in songs. The big cast of veterans did what was expected out of them. Each and everyone delivered the right amount of expressions and body language needed for their roles. Prakash Raj (replacing Salim Ghouse), Kota Srinivasa Rao (dubbing by Rajender), Nassar, Raadhika takes the bulk of scenes among the lot. Prakash Raj was as efficient as the antagonist, Kota Srinivasa Rao was less serious and had more funny expressions which is a welcome relief. Nassar was fantastic with his comedy timing and dialogue delivery as the God-man and Raadhika had different shades to her character, from the Idly-seller to the Mayor. The rest of artistes like Roja (dubbing by Jayageetha), Kiran (replacing Mumtaz and dubbing by Priya Anand), V.S Raghavan, Manobala, Devadarshini, Delhi Ganesh, Naren, Chitra Letchumanan and etc fill up the screens with their timely presence. Anushka makes a cameo as a cute police officer and Andrea Jeremiah appeared in a small scene in a blink-and-you-will-miss role.

'Saguni' has a good team of technicians involved. Costumes by Neha was good especially for the lead pair in songs and also for the styling of Karthi in the second half which gave him a smart-look. 'Anal' Arasu's stunts was not bad with only two sequences and the better one was the short scene shot in the bar. Rajeevan once again does a neat job. The film involved lots of real-life locations, so its more of tweaking job for him to make the scene look believable, especially with the multitude of props. The election scenes and his set for the "Manasellam" song are noticeable. Veteran editor Sreekar Prasad seems to have struggled a lot in the editing department. The movie was unnecessary long but judging from the teasers and trailers released, he must have done lots of chopping as many scenes were already missing! P.G Muthiah did what was needed for the film in the cinematography department. His lighting and top angles shots were good. G.V Prakash, flexes his skill this time in a out-and-out commercial script. "Kandha Karavadai" was a simple and chill song with the energetic Shankar Mahadevan behind the mic. It was shot in plenty of locations like harbor, streets, flyover, buildings and etc. Sreekar did well in making the song look smooth with his editing. "Manasellam" had beautiful sceneries  from the Eastern European countries with soft lighting and the set work too was not bad with good lighting and color tones. "Vella Bambaram" was shot in the city centers of Poland and also had a soft and cute color tone throughout the film with chirpy dance movements from the lead pair. "Pottadhu Patthale" had a good bar set but could have made it look even more realistic. This song had good and unique dance movements with Santhanam too making his efforts. "Annachi" song was a rather situational one with extensive props from Rajeevan. G.V should have done better in his background score. He repeats the same track he used for his 'Veyil' theme-music in one of the scenes and apart from Anushka's sequence, the film had pretty average score from him.

Shankar Dayal made the script in such a way where, the first half had all the comedy portions and romances and the second half with all the twists and turns of the 'Saguni'. The intention of making and out-and-out commercial movie was very much evident and keeping that in mind, he has taken the liberty of over-looking logic and coherence in the story. The characters are all cinematic and just black-and-white, either they are good/innocent or dirty/villainous. The film does have one or two witty one-liners here and here, but its far apart from each other. Songs were unnecessary speed-breakers, especially in the first half. The director promised again and again through interviews that each character has its beginning, transition and end phase to them but sadly he did not live up to his words as many characters have no proper depth to them and some of them just disappear from the screenplay without any explanation.

'Saguni' is a pretty average product and though the intentions of doing a commercial 'masala' cinema was made out clearly, the film did not live up to the expectations and promises it made. An average time-pass 'masala' flick.


Ratings: 2.5/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL

URUMI MOVIE REVIEW

Santosh Sivan, the only personality from Asia Pacific to be awarded a membership in the prestigious American Society of Cinematographers (ASC), is known for his visual masterpiece. As a director, he has directed a few films and his 'The Terrorist' is a critically acclaimed film and even included in Roger Ebert's best films ever list. For the first time, Santosh Sivan has tried his hands in directing a commercially entertaining film meant for the masses. Though its for commercial purpose, the novelty factor is still there in the shape of historical fantasy. Originally made in Malayalam, the film was altered for Tamizh cinema yet it attracts audience because of its subject matter and also for the impressive star-casting. Its even impressive to know that the film was shot in a record 65-70 days with a big cast and that too a historical subject.

Prithviraj, who co-produced the film, gave out a good performance. As the brave Chirakkal Kelu Nayanar, he handled the stunt sequences very well, especially with the usage of the urumi. Though he was portrayed as an angry young man throughout, his minute expressions and emotions in love portions was good. Prabhu Deva as Vawwali was the funnyman in the film. His body language and comedy timing was flawless. His episode with Nithya Menon was naughty and cute and his dialogue delivery was perfect. Arya, was menacing as Chirakkal Kothuwal and carried good body language though he should have improved more for the tribal leader Thangappan role, especially with the dialogue delivery. Genelia D'Souza was a revelation as Arackal Ayesha. We get to see some stunt performances from her and she rendered a reasonably good performance as the young angry woman. Nithya Menon was cute and subtled as Chirakkal Bala, the princess. Her naughty behaviour and expressions was well brought out. Vidya Balan makes a cameo as a sorceress and as an NGO representative. The National Award-winning girl plays both roles very well and the former was the better one. Amole Gupte was efficient as Chirakkal Thampuram and his character's voice was well dubbed by Naran. Jagathy Sreekumar was excellent as the minister, who was cunning and at the same time carried effeminate qualities in him. M.S Bhaskar pulled off a good job in dubbing for Jagathy. Tabu makes a short cameo appearance in a song.

The biggest asset and USP of the film is the technical aspects of the film. For a average budget, this film carries fantastic work. Ranjith Ambady's make-up should be appreciated for his work on the artistes, especially on Jagathy and Amole. Eka Lakhani's costume was brilliant though it did not represent the era portrayed in the film, accurately. Yet, all characters were dressed accordingly and their costumes made them look apart from each other and helped the artistes to have their own identity. Genelia and Prithviraj's costumes are the testimony. 'Anal' Arasu' action choreography was splendid and he should be applauded for his unique choreography for each characters which suits their body language respectively. Though Prithviraj and Prabhu Deva plays the roles of friends, they have their own styles of self-defense which enhances their characters more. Anand Babu and Rajakrishnan's sound designing was good, especially the final battle sequences where each weapon's sounds, especially Prithviraj's urumi, was well utilized. Sreekar Prasad made the film look racy though it runs for nearly 2 hours and 20 minutes and the battle scenes were edited well with no gimmicks. Art director Sunil Babu did a fantastic job with simple, elegant yet detailed art work and that too in a limited budget. The abode of Chirakkal Thampuram and the props were well used and also the village sets were believable. The battle ground episode too was well portrayed and kudos to Sunil for pulling off a wonderful job. The man, Santosh Sivan weaves his magic as usual and the film is a visual opulence. The choice of locations and the usage of mist and rain throughout, gave the film a beautiful look. Nearly each and every scene looks like a portrait and it just shows the wizardry of Santosh. Kudos to his assistance Anjuli Shukla as well.

Music by Deepak Dev is soothing and very much apt for the script. "Vadakka Vadakka" was used situationally with not much emphasis given. "Yaaro" is the pick of the lot and the slow-motion shots, together with mist and cool color, picturized on Prithviraj and Genelia was beautifully and aesthetically shot. "Chinna Chinna" shot on Nithya Menon and Prabhu Deva, had good utilization of the glow of oil lamps and tight close-ups on the artistes. The naughty Nithya and naive Prabhu Deva brought-out the mood of the song very well. "Kondaadu Kondaadu" brought out the brilliance of Santosh Sivan in making use of rain drops and mist. Picturized on Prabhu Deva and Prithviraj, with a cameo from Tabu, the song had minimal art work which was a effective move. "Aararo" was also used as a situational song and weaves into the story smoothly. "Chalanam Chalanam" had Vidya Balan performing her 'sorcery' and her costumes complemented her look and the character she portrayed in that song. Santosh made excellent use of mist in this song.

What's pleasing of the script is that, its pretty much straight-forward and there were no big build-ups nor overtly-dramatic sequences. The narration was pretty simple and the script has scope for further exploitation. Its applaudable that Santosh and writer Shankar Ramakrisnan, made good research on the subject and infusing realistic fictional elements into the script, efficiently and smoothly. The movie pretty much did not deviate from its core focus point, apart from the songs and some small love scenes. Sasikumaran, the Tamizh dialogue writer deserves a pat for his sharp and hard dialogues.

'Urumi' is a simple and neat historical fantasy. Honestly written and technically well-made, it made the producers proud and might serve as an inspiration for upcoming directors to come up with similar ventures.
 

Ratings: 3/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL

RAATTINAM MOVIE REVIEW

'Raattinam' a film with newcomers in each and every department made a bit of noise when its audio rights was bought by Sony Music and during the launch, Gautham Vasudev Menon appreciated the film sky-high and coined the film as the 'Vinnathaandi Varuvaayaa' of Thoothukudi. This statement from him made people aware of the film and the initial response from the directors circuit was very encouraging. What does this film has to offer since its about juvenile love and most Tamizh cinema patrons are accustomed to watching this subject on-screen plenty of times?

The film comprises of newcomers and most of them did a commendable job. Though at times it looks amateurish, they are ought to be appreciated for delivering realistic and natural performances. Laghubaran, an assistant director to Bhoopathi Pandian makes his entry to Tamizh cinema as the protagonist of the film. Being an assistant director, he understood the nuances of acting and did his best to come out with a simple and neat performance. Swathi, the female lead did what was apt for the role she carried out and was convincing as a naive schoolgirl. Among the supporting characters, Ajay makes an impression with his comedy as the protagonist's friend. Also, the director K.S Thangaswamy himself plays a role, which is of a small-time politician-wannabe and elder brother of the protagonist. Both of them were the best among the lot but credits to each and every other artistes such as Raja, Tharun, director Kanagu, Revathi, Usha Elizabeth Suraj and etc.

Technical wise, the film carries simple and necessary work demanded by the script. 'Knock Out' Nandha's stunts was realistic which were mostly about struggles and hassles rather than punches and kicks. R. Shankar did a simple job with the choreography. Mani Karthik's art direction was spot-on. Be it the living room of the house of the characters, the office premises and etc. The necessary detailing were there. Gopi Krishna's editing could have been better, especially in the build-up towards the climax. P.Raj Sundar's cinematography captures the nook and corners of Thoothukudi and the color tone used for the film gave it a natural feel throughout. Could improve more. Manu Ramesan, the music director gave simple tunes which passes muster. All songs were shot in montage sequences. "Yethu Yethu", the only dance number was picturized on the protagonist and his bunch of friends. It was shot in and around the streets and the harbour of Thoothukudi. "Yenakkule" a short number, was shot on the lead pair with the first sign of blossoming love on the side of the protagonist. Locations mostly covers the houses, school and tea-stall. "Asathum" the first love song also follows the same trend and locations. "Yelle Pulla" was shot in Thiruchendoor and it is the pick of the lot. "Yeno" the pathos song, was shot based on the separation of the lead pair and the final song "Yaakkai Sutrum" comes during a pivotal time of the screenplay. The background score too sounds decent. With more opportunities, Manu Ramesan can come up with good scores.

The film manages to impress us to some extent, thanks to the apt casting and performance of the artistes involved. Kudos to the director in pulling it off. Also, K.S Thangasamy must be appreciated for sketching each characters well and making them look believable and natural instead of being cinematic. The plus point of the characters, is that they are not entirely black-or-white, which is often the case in Tamizh cinema. Whereas, they are filled with warm colors, which enables us to sympathize or even empathize with the characters. How the characters behave in particular situations, mirrors what really happens in real-life, which gives the movie a 'short-film' look. What makes the storyline different than the usual teenage love stories, is that the focus is on the families of the lead pair this time, instead on the pair themselves. The implications and after-effects of the decisions of the lead pair, on their family members, were captured very well and also written well by the director. Keeping the best for the last, the director comes up with a shocking twist in the climax and he should be lauded for this realistic portrayal. The small problem with the twist is that, it was not properly built-up and was presented in a jarring manner, which leaves the viewers dumbfounded.

'Raattinam' is a worthy-watch and director K.S Thangaswamy has the potential to develop into a good director. The film works for its simplicity, natural performance and the different point of view of the director. The movie would have been even better, if the climax was presented in a more convincing manner.


Ratings: 2.5/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL

MURATTU KAALAI MOVIE REVIEW

'Murattu Kaalai', the remake of the evergreen Rajinikanth-Jaishankar classic was long overdue, with the production beginning in the year 2009. After three years, the film made it for release, and three years in Tamizh cinema is a big gap, because of the sea of constant changes we see in trends, artistes and etc. This film was started with the intention of reaping in the sudden popularity of Sundar.C as an actor but the scene has completely changed now, with him back to direction and, winning-ways as well with his recently released 'Kalakalappu'. Will this film reap any benefits by releasing?

Sundar.C, sadly did not and will not be able to match the charisma and energetic performance of Rajinikanth in the original. His good height and big size gives him a 'macho' halo around him but sadly, the performance is nothing extraordinary. Suman did a typical village villainous influential man. Nothing to talk about. Sindhu Tolani is there just for the glam appeal. Sneha has nothing much to offer, performance wise and shows a little skin here and there. Vivek as a transgender/transvestite was in his usual manner. Good body language and dialogue delivery but not all of his jokes evokes laughter, including the '16 Vayadhiniley' spoof with his regular partner "Cell" Murugan was insipid. The cast just did what they were asked to do and not perform out the character.

Technically the film has poor quality. Stunts by Silva was over-the-top most of the time, and only the climax fight on the train was a little decent. Shankar's art direction was minimal and detailing were not properly highlighted with simple pieces of work in songs as well. Praveen K.L and Srikanth N.B's fast-cutting helps the movie to go a little faster but nothing to impressive. Santtonio Tarziio's cinematography was pretty average and the opening song, as well as the climax fight sequence on the train was captured properly, though shaky at times. Srikanth Deva's tunes were very, very average. The iconic and legendary "Pothuvaaga En Manasu" song was lukewarm and dull though it was picturized on a grand scale with lots of fanfare. "Sundara" and "Bhonda" songs, the first on Sundar.C-Sneha and the latter on Sundar.C-Sindhu Tolani was poor with some montage sequences in the middle and the same orchard, paddy fields, barren lands used as the backdrop. "Punnagai" song picturized against the backdrop of a monument, also fails to impress. The background score reminds one of Deva's works and his contradicting sound plays, was weird.

The biggest flaw of the film is the screenplay and writing by K.Selva Baarathi. It was unimpressive, boring and lacks any energy. The director failed to tap genuine performances from his artistes, making them look like caricatures.

'Murattu Kaalai' has nothing to benefit from and the original should have been left untouched.


Ratings: 1/5 STARS

By:TAMIL