Its the season of Thai Pongal and what better way is there to unwind the festival day, other than watching the brand new film releases ? And kick-starting 2014 with a bang is Ajith Kumar, in the elegant shirt-dhoti combo, living up to the spirits of Pongal ! After a string of urbane roles, Ajith Kumar has reverted to the traditional, rural look (remember 'Attagasam' ?) and teamed up with Siva of 'Siruthai' fame. Can "Thala" start the year with a bang and a back-to-back hit-ratio ?
As the main lead, Ajith Kumar helms the entire film on his shoulder and the film would not have sustained even a single bit, without his sheer presence. The man is majestic and charming, suave yet rural and as always it has been, performs all the action sequences by himself ! His mild changeover in the second half, in terms of facial hair, suits him still and he carried the role with aplomb. "Thala" had a field-day with this project and he has flexed his acting and fighting muscles, in every sense. And the train fight sequence ? Bravo to this gutsy hero ! Tamannaah, is there and that's about it. DOT ! The next person to take the cake is definitely Santhanam, with his wacky one-liners in the first half, who is in sizzling form whereas Thambi Ramaiah takes up the second half, and makes a buffoon out of himself. A National Award and still willing to take up such ludicrous roles ? Time for assessment ! Bala and Vidharth has the meatier roles among the band of younger brothers and they did what they are allowed to do by the character. Suhail Chandok and Munish are the remaining ones. As for the protagonist, Atul Kulkarni did what he was told and Pradeep Rawat was made to look like a fool, in the end. So much so for being a villain ! There is a huge group of peripheral character artistes in the film such as Nassar, Ramesh Khanna, Avinash, Appukutty, Abinaya, Suza Kumar, Mayilsamy, Vidyullekha Raman, Devadarshini, Ilavarasu, 'Crane' Manohar, Sujatha, R.N.R Manohar, Kalairani, Manochitra, Pawan and etc, who were simply there in the frame for no reasons. Waste of budget !
T.Rajan's costumes were okay, the characters looked their parts, just like what a commercial film, would demand. Milan has done a very detailed and labouring work in the production design department. The were just plenty of set work and numerous set properties, which gave the film a resplendently, rural look. Most of the film was done on artificial sets, and Milan and his team must have been on-the-run, all the time. A very well designed production, indeed ! Mu.Kasi Vishwanathan, could have done more trimming because the second half was just simply lagging in pace, but the stunt sequences were very well presented. Silva, K.Ganesh, Pammal Ravi and Vicky have handled the action choreography, and they sure did have a gallery of time, composing the shots ! Silva handled the train fight sequence, which had very dangerous moves, especially with Ajith hanging in the balance from the train, with 300 feet of depth below him. K.Ganesh handled the climax fight sequence, which was a little over-the-top. And the same applies to the works of the other two. Demands from director ? Perhaps, so. Vetri must have studied Ajith Kumar's body language a lot, and its pretty obvious that he has projected "Thala" in a very manly manner ! The rain shots are the best shot sequences of the film !
Devi Sri Prasad aka DSP, or whatsoever has tuned way, below-average compositions for the film ! None of the songs were really catchy nor did they linger in our minds. "Nallavanu Solvaanga" is the introductory song of Ajith and his band of brothers. There are plenty of montages in the song, with some action sequences as well. The set work by Milan, was of top-notch quality, though. The market set-up had all the little, intricate details needed to bring out the authentic look. "Thangame" and "Ival Dhana" were shot in the picturesque Switzerland (where else can they go !). The former had the usual foreign back-up dancers, and was shot in the city landscape. Whereas the latter had the best shots, with beautiful images of snowy mountains, lush & green landscape and etc. "Jingu Chikkan" is the customary temple festival song, with most of the character artistes, being involved. Once again, neat work Milan ! The pick of the lot among the songs, will definitely be the "Ratha Gaja" theme track, which was played out during the high-octane action sequences. Suits "Thala" to a T ! The background score was passable. Complement's the script.
The story was developed by Siva and Bhupathi Raja, and its pretty obvious that their reference were the corny village movies of the late 80's and 90's. A very, very, very old wine in a not-so-new, bottle ! Siva has teamed up with Bharathan for the dialogues, and some of them packs some punches, especially when delivered flawlessly by "Thala" himself. Tailor-made dialogues, aren't they ? Siva has single-handedly managed the screenplay and direction department. The first element was just a mess, second half, especially. Direction ? He nailed it. How difficult can it be to simply direct a film, which can be easily slotted into the films belonging to previous decades ? Its pretty obvious that some elements of the script has been simply thrust, just for the sake of a grandiose effect, and to extract the "larger-than-life" star power of Ajith Kumar. One must switch of their brains and leave the logical thinking at work, if you are to watch flicks, such as these. Siva should be appreciated for smartly incorporating Santhanam into nearly all the scenes of the first half, because if it wasn't for him, the screenplay would have been absurdness played for the entire duration ! Siva has certainly brought Tamizh cinema backwards by a few steps with 'Veeram'.
'Veeram' - The rating below is purely for the "Thala" Ajith Kumar factor, alone. Santhanam can take some credits, too.
Ratings: 2.75/5 STARS
BY:TAMIL
After more than a year hiatus, Dhanush hits the ground running with by teaming up with acclaimed ac advertisement film-maker Bharat Bala, known for his classic "Vande Maatharam" video clip, teaming up with A.R Rahman. One of the most eagerly anticipated films of 2013, 'Maryan' tells us an inspired tale of three Indian workers being abducted in Sudan, and the protagonist being one among them, and how and why he landed in Sudan in the first place. Backed by a fantastic acting cast and a brilliant technical crew, did 'Maryan' blew us away ?
Dhanush has been doing a balancing act between doing out-and-out commercial 'masala' entertainers and well-scripted films. His acting prowess needs no extra introduction as his National Award speaks on behalf of him. In 'Maryan', Dhanush delivers another masterclass performance and is slowly raising the bar higher and higher among the younger lot of Tamizh heroes. His emotional outbursts, intense agony, shone through his expressive eyes, and the extreme physical difficulties he had to endure for challenging scenes, all paid big time for him. The emotional projection by Dhanush of Maryan, was simply brilliant. Awards galore, is certainly ticked in Dhanush's planner for 2014 ! And keeping him company would be Parvathi. She has given Dhanush a very tough competition in the acting department. She's neck-to-neck with Dhanush in delivering emotional sequences and also for grasping her character of Panimalar, very well. Her dialogue delivery is brilliant as well, and her timing is perfect. Its such a pleasure to watch an A-class performance from an actress in a main lead role, after a very, very long time ! Fellow National Award winners, Salim Kumar and Appukutty, alongside Jagan Purushottam, Uma Riyaz Khan, Vinayakan T.K, Ankur Vikal, Immanuel Annachi, Hari Krishnan and etc have done decent jobs with their limited scope of screen time presence. The African cast such as Christopher Minnie (the antagonist), Dogbe Tweh, Barry Mydou and etc were pale in comparison with the Indian cast in terms of acting, but they are ought not to be blamed, since they are not professional artistes.
The stunt choreography has been well handled by Dhilip Subbarayan and 'Action' Prakash for the Indian episode, while Kareen Noorist handles the African portions. The action sequences were well shot and conceptualized and adds strength to the emotional core of the script. Sheenu and Ingrid Bergman's costume designing for the Indian and African episodes, respectively, was functional and fulfilled the nativity factor needed. Vivek Harshan's editing quality is a mix-up, as his works in the melancholic songs were pretty good, but the overall film editing was a little less smooth. Especially with the non-linear mode of story-telling being implemented, here. Bharat Bala's line productions have taken care of the production design and their detailing for the fishing village of the fictional Neerodi and the interiors of the character's small hamlet-style houses, were intricate and precise. One among the three pillars of the film is the cinematographer. Mark Koninckx AFC, BBC from Belgium, known for his works in the French film 'Johnny Mad Dog', has given an outstanding output from his camera. Fantastic wide-angle shots of the coastal sea areas, dry and brazen desert, and the beautiful close-ups of the artistes, which captured the intense and lovely emotions of the performers, are dazzling piece of works. A real celluloid poem !
As for the second pillar of the film, it has to be none other than the music composer, A.R Rahman ! He has created magic with his compositions, which were actually reminiscent of his earlier works of the 90's. The tunes were simple but the mastering of the instrumentation, brought the level of the songs, several notches higher. "I Love My Africa" is a theme music for the African episodes, used sparingly for certain situations, especially during the opening and interval sequences. "Sonapareeya" is a celebratory song, shot in the coastal areas of Kanyakumari and Nagercoil, featuring the lead pair and also some of the character artistes. "Enge Pona Raasa" is a montage song, showcasing the agony of the heroine not knowing what has happened to her hero and the sense of longing for him, which has some poetic rain shots. The song also appears briefly, just before the end credits. "Innum Konja Neram" is a melody song, shot on the lead pair , also in montages, picturing them falling in love and their romantic escapades in their village. Some of the shots taken in the interiors of the house, are brilliant. "Netru Aval Irundhal" was the best picturized song in the film, with shots oozing in splendor and beauty, which comes right after the interval. The wind-angle canvass was wonderfully utilized for this song, shot on the lead pair. "Kadal Raasa Naan", a chart-busting song was the most disappointingly picturized song, of the whole album. The opening of the song, though emotional, falls completely flat, and fails to capture the actual mood and feel of the song. The dual visual tracks of the coastal flashback and the current African desert, is of no help either. "Nenje Yeazhu" is the other best shot song of the film, with the harsh, plain deserts, with Dhanush as the focal point, wonderfully shot by Mark. The background score by A.R Rahman is a huge complementary factor to the screenplay and for most of the time, aides the artistes in bringing out the true essence of script.
Bharat Bala's vision and direction is astute and focused. His conceptualization of the scenes pertaining to the actual core point of the script, the love portions of the lead pair, is top-class. The struggle of the hero, the sorrowful departure from the heroine, the abrupt and painful loss of friends and the intense yet beautiful love portions were all well scripted. The poetic nature of the story telling brings the script further forward and the romantic scenes ties up our attention. But, when the story shifts gear to other elements, especially the abduction and torture episodes, the script loses the intensity and this is where Bharat Bala's story starts faltering. The same detailing in the love scenes, were not devoted to other other portions, which is the main negative point of the film. A main reason was the weak characterization of the African antagonists role, whom doesn't thrill or shock us, nor were the characters being convincingly, terrifying enough. A powerful villain could have done wonders to the role, alas the weak screen presence of the African artistes, played foil though they were actual child soldiers. The non-linear screenplay by Bharat Bala and Sriram Rajan, does not help either, as the languorous pace tests our patience at certain points. R.N Joe D'Cruz's dialogues were functional, though not memorable and powerful enough to be etched in our memories forever. Some continuity mistakes are there, especially with Dhanush's appearance in the African episode. A complete, stronger plot would have done great wonders to the overall script, with more punch and style.
'Maryan' - Intense acting, poetic cinematography, soul-stirring music. The actual and only three pillars of the film.
Ratings: 3.25/5 STARS
BY:TAMIL
Director Perarasu, or comically called as 'Oorarasu' for titling his movies based on names of towns and cities, is back with a film which has been long in the making. After his back to back successes with 'Thirupachi' and 'Sivakasi', none of Perarasu's following films made bucks at the box office. Yet, it still amazes to see him churning out movies, and that too without deviating from his usual formulas ! Here, he teams up with Bharath, who himself badly in need of a hit film, in order to survive in Tamizh cinema.
Bharath, appears as a gym instructor in this film, and does what was required by the director. He aptly mouthed all the 'punch' and fiery dialogues written by the director. In order to to be realistic, he has buffed up his physique a little. He dances, fights, emotes and 'wins' the approval of the audience An archetypal 'commercial cinema hero' ! Sunaina looks okay but she stutters a little with her dialogue delivery, which looks out of sync with the dubbed voice. Rajkiran as an ex-military, was at his usual self. Pandiarajan, Ashish Vidyarthi, M.S Bhaskar, Chitti Babu, Appukutty, Kottachi and etc all were just there for apparently no reasons, except for Ashish who is the antagonist of the film. Its bewildering for us to watch him essaying the same role again and again and again, and yet he still continues to do the beaten-to-death roles without any remorse !
A.Seenu, the costumer of the film did not do his homework well, because the lead pair were dressed in designer clothes, though they were portrayed as ones from the middle-class segment. 'Theepori' Nithya's action choreography was awful G.K's art work, Jaysankar's editing and Bala's cinematography were all pedestrian. Perarasu decides to take the mantle of music director as well and churns out unnecessarily 7 songs in the film and none of them were interesting ! "Vaana Vedikkai" is a typical Perarasu's hero-intro song, with plenty of dancers and shot around packed streets. "Nee Enakku" was shot in European cities against established landmarks. "Yemma Yemma" was shot in a village-festival environment, with minimal set-work "Saamikku" and 'Evano Oruvan" were situational numbers, one of a sad situation and the other of an uprising situation. "Adi Vaanavil" a melodious number is also shot on European cities and finally "Vannarapettai" was shot in Binny Mills which resembles like a garage set work and also around some mining areas.
Perarasu's script is poor in quality and taste, very old-fashioned, formulaic, bland and ridiculous. Perarasu sticks to his pattern of screenplay and sketches compilation of scenes containing plethora of emotions. This film makes us skeptical of Perarasu's knowledge of contemporary films, and the latest trends of Tamizh cinema. Is he still trapped in some 'inescapable' time warp ? The tidbits appearing in the film, reminding us of Vijay and Ajith's films with Perarasu gives credence to that doubt.
'Thiruthani' - a shame for the actual Thiruthanigan !!
Ratings: 1/5 STARS
BY:TAMIL
M.Sasikumar is back after the lacklustre performance of his previous film 'Porali' at the box-office. This time he is back into his own territory, that is the Madurai-based script with friendship at its base intertwined with a simple love story. He has given his assistant S.R Prabhakaran a chance to direct a film for his own, Company Productions. Also, Sasikumar dons the mantle of hero in this film as well but this time, with some little difference from his previous angry, sickle-carrying, violent roles. So will this 'Sundarapandian' seduce the audience, successfully ?
Sasikumar, with his usual thick beard, is a good performer here but what is different from his previous films is that, here he gets to romance a girl and also carry less emotional dialogues and expressions. He gets to perform more comedy portions and his adeptness in doing such sequences is a big plus for the film because it helps us to get off the image of his previous films, from our minds, while watching this film. He appears nearly throughout the film and his subtle dialogue delivery gives a touch of class for his acting chops. Debutante Lakshmi Menon, looks very cute and homely and with her big eyes, manages to show emotions appropriately and her subtle performances makes her to be the next good performing heroine in Tamizh cinema. Kudos to her ! Soori is a revelation in this film, with a more subtle and relaxed dialogue delivery and body language which works very well for the scenes and his character is a complement for Sasikumar's protagonist role. He underplays his comedy sequences and is impressive throughout the film. The core strength of the film is the good characterizations and each artistes performing their roles, had done justice to their work and nearly everyone comes out a big winner, performance-wise. National Award-winner Appukutty, Vijay Sethupathi, Inigo Prabakaran, Naren, Thennavan, Sujatha, Sounthara Raja, Thulasi and even minor artistes have the depth and screen presence to make their mark. The director has won half the battle with his excellent casting !
K.Natraj's costumes were very apt and befitting for the characters, especially for Sasikumar, in order to bring out the naughtier side of his and also for the rest of the cast, which gives them the authentic rural look. Dhilip Subbarayan's stunt choreography is good, with the orchard fight scene, being the highlight, where the artistes uses the starches and coconuts as weapons. The stunts looked realistic, which was fitting for the size and physique of Sasikumar. Debuting art director, A.K Muthu gets it right with appropriate props to fill the houses of the township homes, shown in the film. V.Donbosco has done a neat job in the editing department, especially in the climax fight sequence. C.Premkumar of 'Pasanga' fame dons the mantle of cinematographer and he has done a neat job as well. He has captured the rustic and rural look very well, especially in the barren, dry lands in the climax. The bus portions too were well shot, though it involves tight spaces and crowded areas. N.R Raghunanthan's music is hummable with only four songs in the film. "Kondaadum Manasu", the introductory song of the hero, was picturized with many dancers, with a good mix of old and young folks, with plenty of close-ups and wide shots against temple and paddy field backdrop. "Kadhal Vandhu", is a situational song, with many montages involved, mostly inside the bus and along the journey of the bus route, with funny scenes, overall. "Rekkai Mulaithen", was shot on the lead couple, also on a montage method, showing them happily being in love with each other in many locations such as bus, hills, roads and college areas. The final song, "Nenjukkule" is another situational song, this time involving more dramas between the lead pair and the other characters surrounding them. The background score too gels very well with the look and mood of the film, which complements very well for the sequences in the screenplay.
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S.R Prabhakaran, gets his inspiration from his mentor's films, because there is a heavy feel of 'Nadodigal', 'Porali' and 'Subramaniapuram' evident in the film (also thanks to Samuthirakani's voice-over for the introduction scenes) . But the strength of the film is the rather fair screenplay and good humor scenes infused throughout the script. The first half serves as good build-up for all the serious dramas in the second half, with light and funny comedy scenes. But the sucker punch is at the climax, where a couple of surprising twists and turns are revealed, though some cinematic liberties were taken. Also, the director should be lauded for sketching strong and colorful characters. His dialogues too are a big help for the script, as the right words brings out the emotion quotient of the scenes, appropriately and spontaneously. The screenplay is rather neat and direction looks promising. Overall, S.R Prabhakaran has done a decent job, indeed !
'Sundarapandian' is engaging and entertaining but Sasikumar should venture out from his comfort zone and do different themes besides, the usual love, revenge and friendship because, stereotyping will be a bane for his cinematic career, be it for any role (actor, director or producer).
Ratings: 3/5 STARS
BY:TAMIL
Suseendran, is back with his third film and this time too, has chosen a totally different genre from his previous film. He's also made a daring and unthinkable move by appointing Appukutty as his hero which many others will choose not to do. Having Ilaiyaraja as a major asset for the film, Suseendran has made a simple and heartwarming film which emphasises the fact that story is always the king.
On the acting front, Appukutty has delivered his best or finest performance and it was a correct move by Suseendran to appoint him as the hero because no one else could have done justice to the role other than Appukutty. With the dark skinned, curly hair and plump body, Appukutty stole the show with his sincere performance and the best scenes of him would the part where he fights back with the villagers for his horse and the emotional bursts of him revealing the importance of the horse to him. Saranya Mohan appeared in a small role and she did her act well though she doesn't suit the role of a villager perfectly but it can be excused as the director wanted to project an unimaginable beautiful girl from the perspective of a average village guy (Appukutty). Prabhakaran and Advaitha, the other pair was life like and did a neat portrayal of their characters. Besides that, Krishnamoorthy, Soori and the others in the cast was very much life like and should say lived they're role. All the minor characters, from the intelligent small boy, to the local shaman, the 'minor', the village president and teacher and etc has done their role to near perfection and most of them had a scene or two where they scored brilliantly with their performances.
On the technical side, the film was good with the crew delivering exactly what the script demanded. Isaingani Ilaiyaraja kept it subtle with his songs, and Kuthikira Kudhiraikutty song being the pick of the lot which has fantastic delivery by Raja sir himself. The background score has also been delivered neatly and was not overpowering. Theni Eeshwar, the debuting cinematographer did a good job by capturing the natural beauty of the hillside villages of Theni and also for using proper angles in important scenes. Being a good photographer has helped him a lot. Anal Arasu choreographed a near perfect fight sequence involving Appukutty and the villagers which was very natural and kudos to him for bringing not over doing the stunts. Kasi Vishwanathan, the editor could have done a better job in the first half which was moving slowy to establish the scenarios and milieu of the film.
The real hero of the film is definitely the story and dialogue writer Bhaskar Shakthi. His simple and sweet story of the relationship between the horse(s) and the protagonist/villagers was very direct and heartwarming. His dialogues were a big plus to the film with all the situational comedies woven into the film beautifully. Certain scenes do stand out for the comedy aspect like the long drawn fund-collecting scene by the village heads, the parotta shop scene involving the small boy (it was cheeky of Suseendran to bring in Soori in that scene) and how the atheist village youths makes fun of the village's festival predicament. Although the whole plot revolves around the village areas and set in the 80's period, yet nothing was boring or cliched and Suseendran must be applauded for showing the villagers in a different light yet presented them in their natural elements.
Azhagarsamiyin Kudhirai, a whiff of fresh air for the audience but some degree of patience and love for cinema is needed to appreciate films of such genre. Hope such efforts come more often in Tamizh cinema.
Ratings: 3/5 STARS
BY:TAMIL
Actor Vishnu who's one of the decent performers of the current young batch of Tamizh cinema made a good debut in Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu and also showed he's quite good adapting to comedy in Bale Pandiya. In Kullanari Koottam, he has joined hands with a débutante Sri Balaji who happens to be an assistant of Suseendran in Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu. Almost all of the cast who made an appearance in Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu has a role to play in this movie as well. It had a decent trailer and promises to be a typical Tamizh cinema rom-com based in a Madurai milieu devoid of all the sickles and gang war elements.
Coming to the performance of the artistes involved in the film, the male lead Vishnu has dished out a decent performance but still he has a lot to improve in facial expressions and timing of his dialogues. He has the capacity to turn out into a decent actor. Meanwhile the female lead Ramya Nambeesan was the surprise packet as she took the best role of the film of a middle class orthodox girl. She has essayed her role finely. Besides this the variety of other characters including the hero's family, friends and the heroine's friend did a decent job. Suri and Appukutty as well as the heroine's roommate delivered the laughs with good one liners and comedy timing.
On the technical front, this movie has nothing much to boast about. Music by Selvaganesh of has the Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu hangover. Songs are hummable like the Vizhigalile and Aadugira Maattai tracks. Song picturization of the former was also neatly presented. Other than that no other department really stands out. Coming to the captain of the ship which is Sri Balaji in this case, has divided the film into 2 halves. First half belongs to Vishnu and Ramya throughout with all the sweet and lovely moments between lovers, typical of any rom-com. The second half takes a more serious tone, with majority of the scenes taking place in the police selection interview process. Although most of the characters are depicted as down to earth type, in the latter half they turn out to become the cunning foxes and hence the title. The problem is the script which wanders aimlessly in the second half after a pretty good first half. Kullanari Kootam had the potential to be an entertainer but the ends abruptly in a whimper. Sri Balaji should have made corrections in the second half to keep it more engrossing and entertaining.
Overall, this movie was a decent film with no item numbers, hardcore villains, loud and jarring music or double entendre dialogues. If only the director had polished the script, it would have been a real winner.
Rating: 2.5/5 STARS
BY:TAMIL
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