KAPPAL MOVIE REVIEW

After a break of 4-years, Shankar's S Pictures is back in limelight and this time he is distributing the film made by his former protege, Karthik G.Krish, which is produced by I Studios Entertainment. 'Kappal' promises to be a comedy-riot and is mainly targeted at the urban youngsters. When ones love is in trouble, he/she depend on his/her friends. But what if the friends are the actual problem here ? 'Kappal' explores this situation and did Shankar's protege make his mentor proud ?

For Vaibhav, who has been doing supporting roles, this is a big break for him and his role is an apt character for his style of acting. The character had enough comical shades to it and Vaibhav has made good use of his opportunity. His comic-timing is getting better and even his acting his improving as well. More experiments with his dialogue delivery and voice modulation can help him improve his performance. Debutante heroine Sonam Bajwa looks super cute, elegant, hot & sexy, all rolled into one. She scores in some portions and shows promise. With better choices of films, this young lass can shoot herself into the A-list of Tamizh cinema heroines ! 'VTV' Ganesh was in his usual elements and rocks in a few scenes, with his unique style of dialogue delivery. The team of Karunakaran, Arjunan Nandhakumar, Venkat Sundar and Karthik Priyadarshan complemented Vaibhav well and they had their own moments too. Robo Shankar, George, Steve and etc had supporting roles and among them, Steve stood out for his performance in a character, which strangely mimicked Silambarasan.

S.Tamil Selvan is in charge of costume designing and as per the script's demands, the characters looked their roles, especially Sonam Bajwa, who was looking charming and sexy, in her chic costumes. Art direction is handled by K.Arusamy, and his work gave the rich detailing in terms of set properties. 'VTV' Ganesh's house set-up, as well as the posh houses shown in the film, were aptly propped. K.Arusamy certainly made good use of the budget given ! Anthony's editing was surprisingly jerky, and he could have certainly trimmed many portions, which was slowed the pace of the film. Dinesh Krishnan.B of 'Soodhu Kavvum' fame has handled the cinematography work and it is very slick and functional. The way he has did the lighting for the indoor locations, gave the sequences the apt look and the rich-look of the film was achieved, thanks to his camerawork.

Natarajan Sankaran's musical score works well with the script's presentation style and the flow of the screenplay. "Oru Cup Acid" sung by Santhosh Narayanan is shot in Vaibhav, Karunakaran, Arjunan Nandhakumar, Venkat Sundar and Karthik Priyadarshan and serves as their introductory song. The whole song was shot in a college campus and has montages of the quadruplet of friends spoiling every attempt of Vaibhav in a finding a girlfriend. "Kaali Pasanga", also sung by Santhosh Narayanan, is a comical situation song, in which Vaibhav thwarts a group of rowdies by spewing bad words at them. The VFX executed by WEFX team is commendable. "Ekka Chakkama" is shot on the lead pair and has montages of their love scenes, shot in and around posh and urbane locations of Chennai. The pick of the lot, "Kadhal Cassatta" was shot on the lead pair and a group of dancers, against a candy & sweets themed, set work done by K.Arusamy. Both the sets and Sonam Bajwa looked yummy, indeed ! Dinesh Krishnan.B's camerawork deserves mention for this song. The cult-hit 'Isaignani' Ilaiyaraaja groove number, "Oore Vittu Ooru" from the film 'Karakaattakaaran', is used in this film, though the audio CD had a different remix-version. It was shot against Vaibhav, Karunakaran, Arjunan Nandhakumar, Venkat Sundar and Karthik Priyadarshan, in and around Chennai locations and they were accompanied by a group of dancers, dressed up as super-heroes. "Friendship" is a pathos song, and has montages of the main lead and the supporting artistes, dealing with the break-up between the hero and heroine. Natarajan Sankaran's background score is quirky and works well for the film's mood.

Karthik G.Krish's simplistic but realistic approach and treatment of the script, makes 'Kappal' a fun viewing for most of the time. The hero and heroine's characters were well etched and handled, and the detailing in their characters, could have been a little more articulate. The screenplay was simple and straightforward, although there are some lagging moments, which could have been edited out, alongside some unwanted song sequences. Karthik G.Krish's plus point seems to be his dialogue writing and there are plenty of one-liners, which were very funny and entertaining, especially in the first half and mouthed by 'VTV' Ganesh. There are some loopholes and continuity mistakes in the film, which the makers could have been more careful of, but Karthik G.Krish manages to divert our attention away from those mistakes, with back-to-back comedy sequences. The climax is a riot, especially with Steve's character and the antics played by Karunakaran, Arjunan Nandhakumar, Venkat Sundar and Karthik Priyadarshan. There are some adult-oriented comedy portions and dialogues, which we believe, is a toned-down version from the original scenes. 

'Kappal' - Some rough water, but a safe sail overall !


Ratings: 2.5/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL 

INGA ENNA SOLLUDHU MOVIE REVIEW

Basking in the success and popularity of his dialogue in 'Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa', 'VTV' Ganesh has almost single-handedly "created" this film, right from the production to scripting and acting. The cameos of Silambarasan and Santhanam added more commercial assets to the film, but was this film worth the wait and watch ?

Make no mistakes about it, the whole film is about 'VTV' Ganesh and more importantly, it is only about 'VTV' Ganesh ! He does what can be expected from him but a tiny surprise in the film, is his tackling of a serious role and some emotional sequences. How much impact his acting had on the film, though ? Zero ! And its just insane to think that a very talented actress of Meera Jasmine's caliber was just wasted for no reason at all ! Silambarasan and Santhanam had extended cameo roles in the film. The former played the cool dude role with a touch of arrogance whereas the latter failed in a big way to make any sort of impact on the film ! Besides them Andrea, editor Anthony, art director Rajeevan, singer Ujjaini, Mayilsamy, K.S Ravikumar, R.Pandiarajan and Swarnamalya had meaningless cameos and roles, in the film.

The biggest shock of the film, is the inclusion of some of the best technicians of the industry. Rafiq and Nithya handled the costume department and sufficed the need of the film. Rajeevan's art direction was simple and neat. Nothing extraordinary or significant enough to hold our attention. Anthony has tried his best in making the film racy, but alas, the screenplay is so poor, his editing seems to be non-existent ! Cinematographer R.D Rajashekar has tried his best to score in his department wherever he can, but the insipid direction did not inspire him in anyways and most of his shots are just pretty lukewarm for his high standards.

Dharan Kumar's scores are quite average, to be honest. "Appa Tucker" was shot on 'VTV' Ganesh and Santhanam, in a music video style, with plenty of lighting and a group of sexily-clad dancers. "Avan Ivan" is a bit song of 'VTV' Ganesh working as a bartender in a swanky pub. "Cute Aana" is a montage song shot on 'VTV' Ganesh and Swarnamalya, which was picturized in Singapore. "Kutty Payale" was sung by Silambarasan and was shot on him, 'VTV' Ganesh and Meera Jasmine in London, which had locations of brown color palette. "Shuklam Baratham" is a situational bit song shot on Meera Jasmine. "Pattampoochi" sung by 'VTV' Ganesh himself, was shot on him and is a pathos song. Dharan's background score was a little better than his songs, and if it was to be a better film, his score would have been more appreciated.

'VTV' Ganesh takes the credits for story, screenplay and dialogues whereas Vincent Selva dons the role of director. What Vincent Selva did, is truly a puzzling question because, apparently there seems to be no need of a director for such a script ! It's astonishing to note of 'VTV' Ganesh's bravery to invest money, by producing a film on his own, without even the basic knowledge of scripting and writing ! In the opening credits, he gives a note saying the film is a partial inspiration of his own life, but nothing seems to be interesting at all ! There's no cohesion in screenplay, no synergy among the artistes, there's no continuity in the flow of proceedings, nor any logic/sense in the script ! 

'Inga Enna Solludhu' - Ludicrousness, "movified" !

Ratings: 1.25/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL

NAVEENA SARASWATHI SABATHAM MOVIE REVIEW

Comedy genre is not something new or fresh for Tamizh cinema audience, but infusing fantasy element into it, is a rarity. AGS Entertainment produced, 'Naveena Saraswathi Sabatham', is the debut directorial venture of K.Chandru, who has co-written the script of 'Tamizh Padam' along with C.S Amudhan. With a fresh and experimental combination of next-gen comedy artistes, K.Chandru has attempted to entertain us with comedy, albeit with a clear message. How did this 'modernized vow' of Saraswathi turn out to be?

Jai, after his pleasant performance in 'Raja Rani', had pretty much nothing to do. He was in his utmost comfort zone and has aptly used his shrill voice, for the right moments. Debutante heroine, Niveda Thomas looks sweet and performs well, with good dialogue delivery, which was perfectly dubbed by her dubbing artiste ! Alas, she has an extremely short screen timing, hence the limited acting scope for her. Sathyan and C.Rajkumar of 'Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom' were at ease with their roles, particularly Sathyan, who did a great work with his expressions and body language, especially for a photo-shoot sequence in the first half. The one with the 'meatiest' role is none other than 'VTV' Ganesh, who rocks in some sequences, with his trademark dialogue delivery and antics, especially in the second half. On the other side, Subbu Panchu, Devadarshini and Manobala, donned the roles of religious deities Shiva, Parvathi and Naradar, respectively. They were apt choices for their roles and gave good dialogue deliveries, and Subbu Panchu should be appreciated for his funny expressions and voice modulations. Venkat Prabhu and Sam Anderson make fleeting cameo appearances. The rest of the cast such as R.S Sivaji, Chitra Lakshmanan, Swaminathan, Badava Gopi, Vishal Venkat, Rekha Suresh, Ramya Ramakrishnan and etc were apt for their respective roles.

M.P Vanitha Srinivasan's costume designing was okay, though the shoe-string budget is a little evident, especially with the GOD characters. The conventional real-life characters too, were well presented, in terms of costumes. Dhilip Subbarayan's action choreography sufficed the needs of the script, quite well. M.G Murugan's production design is vital, and he has done a good work with the Mount Kailash abode, with touches of contemporary. An unique idea, indeed and kudos to him, for pulling it off. The private abode of Shiva, is the highlight, with modern art paintings adorning the walls ! T.S Suresh's editing was not flawless, as the film moves at a snail's pace in the second half, and the some sequences dragged the length of the film. The transition from GOD's world to the episodes taking place in Earth, could have been smoother. J.Anand's cinematography was average, apart from the beautiful shots of the island for a song sequence, late second-half. 

Music has been handled by newcomer Prem Kumar, and the melodies are worth listening. "Kaathirundhai Anbe" was shot on Jai and Niveda, in montages, with the quirky element of the heroine holding a microphone and singing from it, all the time ! "Saturday Fever" is a clubbing song, and was shot on the gang of four, comprising Jai, C.Rajkumar, Sathyan and 'VTV' Ganesh. The typical color lighting and scantily-dressed Asian girls, are there in the song. "Vaazhkai Oru" is also shot on the four buddies stranded alone in an uninhabited island, with montages of them spending time by doing what they can afford to do. "Nenjankuzhi" is the pick of album, shot on the lead pair, and had some beautiful shots of the island, against the backdrop of dark clouds and blue ocean. R.Kannan, handles the background score and he gives his input with some unique, modern sounds.

The trailer and teasers suggested a touch of 'Hangover', but the director has dismissed the idea, through a dialogue uttered by the protagonist. K.Chandru's script has a good and timely message to the viewers, but the message presentation was corny and ends up being dull. However, K.Chandru should be applauded for his unique ideas (Lord Ganesha on treadmill, Lord Murugan and his Temple Run game on the iPad, Naradhar with a guitar and Lord Shiva with his iMac and etc) along with creative and cheeky dialogues (especially for the 'heavenly' episodes, with the right amount of English and Tamizh mixture, giving those episodes a contemporary feel). The first half was interesting, especially the GOD sequences, which were cutely conceptualized and well executed. The introduction of the human being characters were okay to some extent. But the second half becomes quite tedious with long drawn sequences and K.Chandru tries to cover it up, by spoofing some of the popular Tamizh films. The script is pretty obviously wafer-thin, so K.Chandru should have trimmed the second half, quite considerably. Also, why are Tamizh cinema directors still trying to do cover up with the foreign locations ? Kuala Lumpur has been passed out as Bangkok in this film, and its about time for directors to realize that, its not easy to fool any audience, anymore !

'Naveena Saraswathi Sabatham' - A fantasy comedy, with preachy messages.


Ratings: 2.25/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL

KANNA LADDU THINNA AASAIYAA MOVIE REVIEW

One of the eagerly anticipated films, 'Kanna Laddu Thinna Aasaiyaa' promised loads of fun and humorous moments with Santhanam and most importantly, 'Powerstar' Dr S.Srinivasan making his debut in a properly taken cinema, instead of the poorly executed low-budget films. Armed with nothing but good comedy writers and able technicians, this film is the maiden production venture of Santhanam, who has also roped in veteran Rama Narayanan to co-produce it. It is instead a major coup by Santhanam to rope in 'Powerstar' and certainly looks like a safe bet.

Santhanam, plunges into the lead role after a long time, and though it is his own production, it is commendable of him to give ample space and scope for his fellow 'musketeers' to perform and earn applause. Nevertheless, Santhanam still brings the roof down with his excellent punch lines and humorous antics and facial expressions. The comfort level of acting in his own production, enabled Santhanam to be at ease and he performs to his best. The sequence where he delivers his love letter to the heroine and the aftermath expressions are too hilarious and evokes rip-roaring laughter from the audiences ! However, it is 'Powerstar' Dr.S.Srinivasan, who steals the show with his unpretentious comedic acts. What works for the film is that, 'Powerstar' was allowed to do comedy and he allowed others to make fun of him, which makes the proceedings to have a spoof like-effect. Anyways, it was him who took the most cheers and screams from the fans !! Newcomer Sethu was not bad and debutante Vishakha Singh was expressive and passes the test. The Santhanam-'Powerstar' duo was ably assisted by the rest of the cast such as 'VTV' Ganesh, Kovai Sarala, Sivashankar Master , 'Pattimandram' Raja, Devadharshini and Vanitha Krishna Chandira. The cameo appearances of Gautham Vasudev Menon, Silambarasan, cinematographer Balasubramaniem, and stunt choreographer Silva, adds sheen to the film.

Though it was meant to be a moderately budgeted film, 'Kanna Laddu Thinna Aasaiyaa' carries notable production values. Karishma Shroff's costume designing was very apt and matched perfectly with the settings and characterizations of each artistes. A.Vanaraj's simple set-work for songs were well done and also for filling up the typical Kumbakonam house and other live locations, with appropriate props. Silva's stunt work was adequate and decent enough for a comedy caper like this film. G.Ramarao's editing was smooth and crisp. Balasubramaniem is a big strength to the film. His cinematography adds a glossy and rich look to the film. His lighting for the night scenes, along with good angle choices, adds to the cheerfulness element of the film. Good job, Balu !! 

Thaman's music was foot-tapping and almost all songs were decently done. The opening "Aasaiye Alaipole" was shot in live locations with adequate props and good lighting work by cinematographer Balasubramaniem. Balu captured the Kumbakonam streets and township effectively, with his camera. "Ye Unnethaan" is a colorful song, with simple but decent set work by A.Vanaraj and again Balu's cinematography, gave the song a glossy look, especially with the lighting. The "Love Letter" song is a situational song, shot within a typical Kumbakonam mansion house and features Santhanam in his rip-roaring element, together with the heroine, Vishakha Singh. "Potti" song is another situational song, which was funny and kept short. The "Birthday" song was shot within temple locations with plenty of props, which matched the birthday celebration theme. The final "Duet Song" appears during the end credits, showcasing a wedding scenario, which again looked glossy thanks to Balu's lighting. Thaman's background score was adequate and carries his trademark synthesized, violin pieces.

K.S Manikandan's directorial debut makes no mistake in stamping its stance and promise of being a 'laughathon' and fun-filled ride. The writers of the film made no bones about it and delivered their promise to great extent. Though the film carries an uncanny resemblance to K.Bhagyaraj's classic 'Indru Poi Naalai Vaa', the film was made keeping today's youngsters and Santhanam and 'Powestar's presence was effectively used. The natural performances of the acting crew adds to the fun quotient of the film and there are plenty of rip-roaring sequences inserted throughout the duration of the film. Also, the excellently written punch dialogues uttered by Santhanam are a scream and the film is replete with them ! Story wise, there is nothing to expect, but no one really gives a damn about the story and tirelessly waits for the next bone-tickling sequence. The second half of the film hit a slow-pace mode but was compensated with the funny antics of the artistes.

'Kanna Laddu Thinna Aasaiye' delivered what it has promised and not more or less than what was intended to be. A thorough and jolly-good entertainer for the viewers !


Ratings: 2.5/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL

PODAA PODI MOVIE REVIEW

After a long await, 'Podaa Podi' finally makes its cinema release after its launch, way back in 2008. Touted to be a dance and musical with dosages of romance and comedy, the makers of the film promised a clean and youthful entertainer for the audiences. With a young cast and peppy music, debutante director Vignesh Sivan, makes a confident entry with no experiences, whatsoever in the cinema field beforehand ! 

A favorite kid of controversy, Silambarasan is back a year after his last release, 'Osthe'. As Arjun, Silambarasan fits this role to T and he delivers a very good performance, effortlessly. Needless to say, his dancing and singing skills came in handy a lot, and he has utilized those set of skills to the core, here. He should be applauded as well, for daring to take the role of a young father, which is a hard role, to pull off. His emotional outburst confronting Shobana in the second half, was the best scene for him and it shows his maturity in handling emotional scenes. Besides the director, the heroine, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar too makes her debut. Its an apt and tailor-made role for her as well, since she's an accomplished dancer herself. Her boisterous and chatterbox-like characteristics suits her image very well, and she too delivers her best, when it mattered the most. An added advantage for her, is her ability to dub for herself and with the right projects, she's bound to move forward in Tamizh cinema. Kudos to her for persevering in delivering a good performance, on par with an experienced hero ! Veteran accomplished dancer and artiste, Shobana does a minor role in this film, but sadly it was a poorly written role for her. It could be due to editing, but her appearance in the film is very far and few in between. It was awkward to hear Vivitha dub for her. 'VTV' Ganesh appears in a couple of scenes, and as usual, he is a scream in most of his scenes.

Designer Sabir should be appreciated for his eye-catching designs. There's only one fight sequence in the film, and it was choreographed in a realistic manner by Rod Wan Ruff. Costume designing is an important part for such musicals and youth-oriented films and in this case, Vineesha Arora Sarin has done a good job with vibrant colors which suits the characters played by Silambarasan and Varalaxmi. Art direction was not bad from Ute Bergk and Kiran. The sets plays a big role in establishing the mood of the scenes, especially during the dance sequences. The interiors of the house of the lead artist as well as 'VTV' Ganesh was simple, yet urban and chic. Anthony's editing was a big help for the film, with his seamless cuts, especially for the opening song, "Love Panlaama Venamaa". Cinematographer Duncan Telford has captured the vibrant and hippie culture of the London quite well and the dance sequences, especially which are the highlights of the film.

Music director Dharan Kumar makes a comeback after two-years of absence after his last on-screen release, 'Thambikku Indha Ooru'. His contribution is the biggest plus for the film. His songs are vibrant and groovy, which gives you the dance-and-musical feel to the film. The film is littered with songs and it starts off with, "Love Panlaama, Venamaa". This song has fantastic choreography by Robert, who makes a cameo appearance alongside 'VTV' Ganesh, Premji and Santhanam. Duncan Telford handled the camera very well for this song, with colorful sets by Kiran. Added to that, you can see "tidbits" from Silambarasan who appears in get-ups of his previous films. "Un Paarvaile" is a situational song, shot in a dance studio and comes to during a crucial part of the script, where the hero learns of the heroine's involvement in dance classes, with some funny acts, here and there. "Podaa Podi", the title track has montage sequences along with the dance sequences with unique camera movements and colorization from Duncan. "Hare Rama" is another montage-sequences filled situational song showing the break-up period of the lead pair. "Mattikitten" has some elaborate dance sequences, which reminds us of Western musical-and-dance stage shows. The song features unique lighting during the dance portions, added with some montage sequences. "Appan Mavane" was shot extensively in Disneyland Hong Kong, backed by group dances and fireworks. The "Theme Music" piece was portrayed in a dramatic manner, which comes during a crucial dance competition sequence. The climax song, "I Am A Kuthu Dancer" was well shot with good lighting, and it highlights most of Silambarasan's iconic 'kuthu' songs, with energetic dancing from the lead pair. Dharan Kumar also scores in the background score department as well. Looking forward to better works from him !

Vignesh Shivan, a very young and debuting director, makes up for his wafer-thin story, with interesting dialogues and breezy screenplay. What's commendable is that, he made it a point to clearly sketch his lead characters with good characterization. Their fashion sense, point of views, likes and dislikes, everything looked believable and relatable for the youth audience. Also, its always interesting to see two polarly-different characters liking and falling for each other and in this case. Dialogues are a highlight of this film, because they were very casual and tongue-in-cheek, which leads to simple yet humorous scenes. Vignesh Shivan has articulated very well about the current, modern-day youths, who are impulsive, stubborn and idealistic, which relates very well with the youth audiences. The screenplay was not bad, which has couple of good scenes thrown in here and there, especially in the second half, which consists most of the serious portions of the film. Vignesh Shivan did prove in making a youth-oriented film, but his scripting is still very much teenage-oriented. Only his next films can determine the actual talent of Vignesh Shivan.

'Podaa Podi', a neat entertaining film which is strictly for teenagers and youths ! 


Ratings: 3/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL