After the colossal flop of 'Billa 2', Ajith Kumar aka "Thala" is back once again, and this time in a true multi-starrer, with Vishnuvardhan at the helm. The stylish 'Billa' remake still linger in the minds of movie buffs, and its a tricky tight-rope for this combo, as they have to ensure the hype is met and at the same time re-launch the career of hit-maker A.M Rathnam as a producer in Tamizh cinema once again. Backed by good technicians and a solid cast, what does 'Arrambam' has for us ?
For "Thala" Ajith Kumar, this is a piece-of-cake sort of role, and he waltzes through it with style and elan. His impeccable timing in dialogue delivery, broods excitement and adds more classy touches to his performance. His look is an added element, which further elevates his stylish avatar as AK. The man, pulled off all the stunt sequences by himself, in a very professional manner and deserves a big round of applause for taking the risk. There are plenty of shots, which highlights the stylish element of Ajith's and it is a treat for his die-hard fans. Though the grey-shaded role is repetitive, no one actually bothers about it, as Ajith is enjoyable in such roles. Arya is lively with his comic timing and his antics and a little surprise is there in store, in regards to his appearance. Though his role pales in terms of screen appearance, he still makes his mark. Nayanthara is the stylish diva here and she pulls of some action sequences effervescently, and also manages to oomph the glamour quotient, nonchalantly. Taapsee Pannu was cute as the naive amateur journalist, though her character has not much relevance to the script. Kishore rocks as the tough cop, while Mahesh Manjrekar is a good addition to Tamizh cinema. Atul Kulkarni, Suman Ranganathan, Akshara Gowda, Naren, Murali Sharma, Krishna and etc had stylish rendering in their characterizations. Not to forget, Rana Daggubati made his official entry to Tamizh cinema with a solid cameo appearances.
Action choreography is a real highlight of the film, and there were plenty of them, induced into the screenplay. 'Billa' Jagan, Lee Whittaker and Kecha Khampakdee of the 'Jaika Stunt' team, rocked in the action choreography. The bomb-threat encounter scenes were very professionally choreographed and executed by the team. And the shoot-out sequence shot in a warehouse, was very well planned as well. Anu Vardhan and Pinida P.Shamdasani's costume designing was fantastic and all characters looked brilliant in the stylish costumes, especially Ajith Kumar, Nayanthara and Taapsee. Production design by Lalgudi N.Ilayaraja blends well with the script's needs and was very realistic. The interiors of apartments and buildings were very well detailed and each props complements the mood and plot setting of the script. Multiple National Award-winning editor, the veteran Sreekar Prasad's editing is taut and he manages to tighten the grip on the screenplay, by ensuring there's no over-stretched sequences. The story moves fast and kudos to the veteran for a neat work. Cinematography is big highlight of the film, done by Om Prakash with some few sequences canned by P.S Vinod. The camerawork is stylish and the aqua-green color tone, complements the mood of the script. There were plenty of hand-held shots and appropriate usages of steady-cams. The Dubai sequences were very stylishly done, but the real highlight is the bomb-threat action sequence, which was brilliantly shot and edited.
Yuvan Shankar Raja always had a great combination with Vishnuvardhan and they have churned out chart-busters But 'Arrambam' is a disappointment, because the tunes were repetitive and not enthusiastic enough, to further spur the energy of the script and cast. The opening song "Adada Aarambame" was shot on Ajith, accompanied by dancers, and the heavy Maharashtrian percussion instruments. The fort in Maheshwar was the backdrop, and the bright daylight adds more gloss to the song. "En Fuse Poche" was shot on Arya and Taapsee and had some cute montages, with colorful ambiance The simple special effects complemented the mood of the song. "Melaala Vedikkuthu" was shot on Ajith, Nayanthara and Rana with splashes and splashes of Rangoli Colors, which was a visual treat in terms of color palette. "Stylish Tamizhachi" was Akshara's introduction song and featured her in a glam-doll role and was shot in a clubbing arena. Yuvan's background score is a letdown and it does not capture our attention. Not the best of works from Yuvan and Vishnu combo.
Vishnuvardhan, known for his stylish, visualistic story-telling, engrosses us most of the time in the screenplay, which was co-written by the 'Subha' duo, D.Suresh and A.N Balakrishnan. The sequences were well etched and executed and some of them very well exploited the stylish mannerisms of Ajith Kumar. Nonetheless, there were a few drag moments, especially in the second half, which could have been avoided. This is due to the very cliched flashback sequences and some sentimental and emotional ones, as well. The letdown in their script, is the predictable nature of the story-line, which kills of the excitement factor. And for ardent movie buffs, they would have spotted that the entire script is a clever adaptation of the 2001 Hollywood action-thriller 'Swordfish' starring John Travolta, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry and Don Cheadle. Vishnu and 'Subha' duo have taken the basic plot of 'Swordfish' and adapted it with some real-life Indian scandals. There are plenty of loopholes and logical gaps in the script and screenplay, which are to be ignored if one wants to enjoy this film thoroughly. The 'Subha' duo have written some killer, punch-dialogues in the film, which will definitely be well received by the fans. Vishnuvardhan has a neat directorial touch and has good grip of his script and end-product, but still 'Arrambam' is not as gripping as his 'Pattiyal'.
"Lets make it simple" - 'Arrambam' is a Vishnuvardhan, 'masala' entertainer. Enjoyable and neat. Nothing more, nothing less.
Ratings: 3/5 STARS
BY:TAMIL
'Maattrraan' was hugely expected because of the return of the super-successful 'Ayan' combination of Suriya, K.V Anand and writers duo D.Suresh and A.N Balakrishnan (Subha, for short). Plus, K.V Anand and Subha is on a back-to-back blockbuster ventures, after the mega success of 'Ko'. Financed heavily by AGS Entertainments, this film boasts of spectacular locations and heavy visual effects and graphics portion, thanks to the conjoined-twins portion of the script, good music and a good-looking cast. With an A-class cast and technical crew, the trailers and promos suggested a good and exciting, fun ride for the viewers. Worth the wait ?
The current showman and entertainer of Tamizh cinema and the darling of the press and girls, Suriya rocks in his performance as Agilan and Vimalan, the conjoined-twins. He has put in tremendous hard-work in getting the emotions, body language, dialogue delivery method for the two characters right. He has to differentiate the major and also subtle differences between both the twins and his sincerity and honesty shines throughout the film. Be it dance, fight, emotions, he pulls it off with ease and its no mean feat, since he has to repeat the acts on a facial/performance capture devices, without any cues ! He deserves a round of applause, but in order to enhance himself as an actor, he should venture out of the city-boy, metro-sexual look and characterizations, and do more sophisticated and matured roles. Anyways, job very,very,very well done ! Kajal Aggarwal, looks much better and sexier, compared to her previous films and she's a breathe of fresh hair. She looks bubbly and cheerful but the problem was, she maintained that for the whole film, (even in emotional sequences) which should have been avoided. Chinmayi's dubbing for her, enhanced the character's intelligent and smart personality, even more. Sachin Khedekar has a big and meaty role to play and he too did a very good job with fine and composed performance. The rest of the cast were pedestrian such as Ravi Prakash, Tara Anooradha, Ajay Ratnam, Irina Maleva, Julia Bliss and etc.
'Maattrraan' has a very, very high technical standards, thanks to the those who are involved. Make-up artist Bhanu's prosthetic make-up for the conjoined-flesh was very authentic with all the nerves and flesh color, with tinges of blood veins. Great work ! Lakshmi Narayanan, the veteran audiographer did a good job, with all the sounds checked in place correctly, but he should experiment and venture out to use more variety of sounds, to knock off the heard-before feel to the movie. Nalini Sriram's costume designing was lavish and perfect, be it the dichotomous fashion sense of the conjoined-twins or even the beautiful Kajal Aggarwal. V.Srinivas Mohan, in charge of the visual effects portion, has done a tremendous job in the VFX department. His correct composition and lighting for the conjoined-twins portion was very evident and only a minute observation will help us to notice the the effects work. His usage of facial/performance capture, and 3D effects techniques, were a big, big boost to the film and without such a technician, it would have been impossible for the crew to do this film. Kudos to him !! Not to forget, Anthony's fast editing especially in the songs and stunts sequences involving the conjoined-twins portion, were crucial contributions for the film, which brought out the effects of the VFX properly to the screen. Peter Hein must have had a tough job in composing the stunt sequences. The conjoined-twins stunt scene in the first half, was thrilling and superbly choreographed, which captured the mood and emotions of the script very,very well. The latter half of stunts in the foreign locations, were very well done too, though it was a bit lengthy. Another feather in the cap for Peter Hein. Rajeevan's set-work was stylish and classy, be it the homes of the protagonist, the cow farm, the entertainment club, the Russian palace and etc. Fantastic job by him ! Soundar Rajan's contribution as a cinematographer was immense, because his homework was extensive in each and every minute detail due to the necessity of the script. His lens captured the beauty of the plethora of locations involved in the film, including the Balkan region in countries like Croatia, Serbia, Albania, Macedonia and especially a large chunk in Russia, Gujarat, Pakistan border and also the cool Norway. His angles and lighting too were very smart and innovative, which further enhanced the look and feel of the film. 'Maattrraan' is a milestone in Soundar Rajan's career !
Harris Jeyaraj's music was not bad but a sense of deja-vu kicks when you listen to the songs. "Rettai Kadhire" is the introduction song of the protagonists and captures their growth and progress in life, through montages. It serves as a platform for the audience to know the difference between both the twins. "Naani Koni" was shot in spectacularly, beautiful locations of Norway. The hills, lakeside and motorway, all looked elegant and classy, plus the lead pair of Suriya and Kajal Aggarwal looked splendid. "Theeye Theeye" was shot in a club atmosphere. The set work was good from Rajeevan, though it had very small space for a club sequence. The lighting was fantastic and Soundar Rajan, Anthony and V.Srinivas Mohan would have toiled for the song, in order to portray the conjoined-twins dancing and romancing the heroine, together ! The 3D composition on Suriya's body was good, and near flawless. "Yaaro Yaaro" is a melodramatic, situational song which features the characters recuperating from a loss, and was presented in montage sequences. "Kaal Mulaitha" is a refreshingly different song from Harris. Rajeevan's Russian palace set was the quintessential grandeur set. It had good choreography involving many Russian dance artistes. The background score was good, but Harris really needs to diversify and do more innovative scoring, if he wants to maintain his fan base and reputation, as a good music composer.
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K.V Anand must be applauded for his tremendous hard-work in putting meticulous efforts to pull of the foreign sequences. Together with Subha, the trio has been scripting the next-gen of commercial entertainers, with smart themes and intelligent packaging. Here, they have handled a myriad of unique themes such as genetic engineering, baby designing, drug enhancement research works, political motivations and etc, all into one single script. Though its a brilliant effort, it takes the toll on the audience because, they're good intentions of laying out all the justifications for the proceedings of the movie, stretches or drags the duration of the film, which makes the viewers a little uneasy. Plus, the stunts and songs are to be factored in as well by the audiences ! The story has racy and fiery elements in it, but the dragginess factor, takes out the racy effects. Their writing, be it dialogues of humorous scenes, are charming, intelligent, and naughty, too ! The intentions of pushing in a social message in a uniquely-themed commercial entertainer film, is praiseworthy. Though the trio presented a smart and interesting story with the correct commercial packages, few questions are left unanswered, which leaves some logical loopholes in the film. The USP of the film was the conjoined-twins factor, but that was just a gimmick, in order to pull in the audiences. Also, the trio could have avoided revealing the surprise or major twist of the film much earlier in the film, which actually gives away the excitement factor.
'Maattrraan' is definitely worth the watch. Its an interesting commercial entertainer and also has good social messages intertwined in the script. Hope, K.V Anand, D.Suresh and A.N Balakrishnan continue their quest in coming out with intelligent next-gen commercial entertainers.
Ratings: 3.5/5 STARS
BY:TAMIL
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