NEDUNCHALAI MOVIE REVIEW

N.Krishna, the former associate of Gautham Vasudev Menon, known for the candy-floss melodrama 'Sillunu Oru Kadhal', is back with a different project. A period film, 'Neduchalai' has been in the making for quite some time, and the promos have been promising, with its gritty and dark look. A good plot setting and a young cast and crew, can N.Krishna pull it off this time ?

Aari, who last made an appearance in 'Maalai Pozhudhin Mayakathile', makes a stunning entrance into the film. His toned physique and rough & tough demeanor, shows his hard-work and commitment towards the demands of the role. His controlled dialogue delivery and apt expressions makes him inseparable from the role he essays. Great going, Aari ! Debutante Shivada Nair is no less impressive either, as she is a wonder as the talkative, bold and loud Manga. Her voice and accent suits the role pretty much and she is just flawless in her dialogue deliveries. A little more composure, and she is a talent to watch out for ! National Award-winner Salim Kumar plays a comical and scheming character and is a riot, with his dialogue deliveries. The high-point of his performance is the nuanced balancing act of the comical and villainous facets of his character. The main antagonist, Prashant Narayanan of 'Murder 2' fame, rocks as the weed smoking, dirty cop ! His casual body language and measured performance adds zing to screen. The rest such as Thambi Ramaiah, Ashwin Raja, Sevvazhai, Kishore Kumar, Dheeraj Kher, Thavasi, Sree Raam and etc are adequate.

P.R Ganesh's costume designing sufficed the needs of the script, especially with the detailing, pertaining to the era portrayed and the people belonging to various socio-economic classes. Meena Prang's costume for the final song, works out beautifully too. The stunts have been handled by the father-son duo of 'Super' Subbarayan and Dhilip Subbarayan. The action choreography is riveting, especially with the highway chase, and the bonfire fight sequence was excitingly staged. Apt and measured choreography ! T.Santhanam takes care of the art direction and his works are quite interesting, especially with the set properties. The rundown auto rickshaw used by the protagonist was impressive ! Also, the 'dhaba' setting and the rural homes are well detailed. Kishore T.E's editing though flawless, has its little minus, especially with the duration of the film. The film moves at a slow pace in the second half, and with more tighter approach in the editing, the film would have been even more racy. Rajavel Olhiveeran's cinematography stands out for the excellent framing and picturesque shots. The shots have its purpose and Rajavel's picturization is in sync with the mood and need of the script. The vision and purpose of the director, is well resonated on screen by the cinematographer !

C.Sathya's music score is good and is definitely one of his better scores. The title track, "Kadal Thaandi" comes as the introduction background score of the protagonist. The highway chase & robbery was splendidly shot by Rajavel. "Vaigai Nadhi" plays throughout the mini-flashback portion, which chronicled the childhood days of the protagonist and had a red-color tone throughout. "Nandooruthu" is an item song featuring the sexy Rachana Maurya as the item girl and had Salim Kumar and Prashant in the act as well. The song had good lighting using fire elements against a night backdrop. "Ivan Yaaro" is a bit-song coming at a crucial point in the female lead's scene and was shot in a slow-motion manner, with a well set up court background. "Thamirabarani" highlights the love episode of the lead pair and had plenty of postcard worthy shots, mostly canned in and around beautiful rural sceneries. "Injaathe" was the best shot song, though the picturization does not warrant a place in this film's gritty context, with some flashy dream-song like setting to it. C.Sathya, also does well with the background score, which gels well with the story and sequences. 

N.Krishna, has come out with well-written characters, who all comes with a grey shade, including the heroine. The binary feature of having both good and negative sides to each characters, adds more realistic touch and a also a gritty element to the script. N.Krishna keeps us engaged with the screenplay, with enough twists and surprises in his story, which is claimed to be inspired by a real life character. Also, his detailing of the eras he portrayed in the film is noteworthy, especially in the way he incorporates it, such as the reference to M.G.R's demise and Kamal's popularity due to 'Nayagan'. Admirably, he constructs his film, (which has all the tailor-made elements of an 80's tearjerker), in a very contemporary style. He avoids all the unnecessary sentimental cliches, always associated with such period films, which is another welcome relief. And aiding N.Krishna's contemporary take is R.S Ramakrishnan's dialogues, which are concise and in sync with the needs of the script. But the script has its drawback, especially with the inconsistent non-linear screenplay, which takes out the fizz, along with a stretched running time. The film could be a tad too simple for some viewers, but still N.Krishna must be applauded for keeping true to his vision and approach with the script.

'Nedunchalai' - A surprisingly good and engaging, B-grade film !


Ratings: 2.75/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL

SUNDARAPANDIAN MOVIE REVIEW

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.

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

ATTAKATHI MOVIE REVIEW

This film initially made news for the unique posters created by the makers. The curiosity increased several folds once critically acclaimed directors such as Vetrimaran, Thiagaraja Kumararaja, Chimbudevan, Venkat Prabhu and Pandiraj endorsed it. Directed by Pa.Ranjith, a former associate of Venkat Prabhu, Studio Green purchased the distributing rights and through good promotional activities, 'Attakathi' received the right attention it wanted. The promo trailers and songs captured the imagination of the youth audience and promised something casual but different.

Half the battle of winning the approval of the audience and critics is won, if you have the perfect casting and Pa.Ranjith scores very well in this department. Most of the cast are newcomers and obviously the film belongs to the protagonist Dinesh, who has done a remarkable job. Having a theater background and experience acting in small roles in films such as 'Aadukalam' and 'Mouna Guru', Dinesh has done really well considering the fact that he is not accustomed to the lifestyle of the character he played, yet performed very naturally. His transition from a higher secondary school boy, to 'Route Thala' was well captured and depicted. His dialogue delivery too was very well done. Kudos to him ! There are many girls in the film and it takes some time to understand who is the actual heroine. Nandhitha who eventually dons the heroine's role looks very homely and cute, especially in her school uniform attire. Besides, her we have Sofia, Shalini and Aishwarya, who did what was required for their role. The rest of the cast has no known artistes, and this makes the film look very fresh and natural.

The film carries very good technical work. First and foremost, R.S Raja, should be appreciated for the stills which were the attention-grabber, pre-release. Dilip Subbarayan has choreographed very natural fight sequences. The body language of those performing the stunts were casual and realistic, with the kicks and punches, captured well with the camera. Most of the stunt scenes takes place in the latter half, once the hero has positioned himself as 'Route Thala'. Ramalingam, the art director has done a simple yet effective work in the art department. The setting is quite tricky because, the plot revolves around the beginning of the 21st century and centered around a semi-rural, semi-urban surroundings. Though actual locations helped a lot in projecting the correct setting, his props such as posters and household items were realistic touch. Leo John Paul would have had a tough time in the editing department, because the whole movie is a light-hearted one and filled with humorous scenes. So the editing, needs to be carefully done in order to avoid tedious and slow pace. His work in the songs was good. Cinematography was natural and earthy, thanks to P.K Varma's natural lighting and with the assistance of RED Pro 5.0, his camerawork was solid, especially in night sequences and the late evenings, where he captures the soft and warm, earthy dew moments.

A major highlight and USP of the film is the music by Santhosh Narayanan. In tune with the mood of the film, the songs too were light-hearted and mastered crystal clearly by Leon Zervos, a multiple Grammy and BAFTA awards winning sound engineer. The pick of the lot from the Blues-genre songs was "Aasai Oar Pulveli". A warm and breezy song, it was shot with montages and wonderful lighting, capturing lovely evening moments of the lead pair in colleges and their surroundings. "Aadi Pona Aavani", a song which got popular due to its singer 'Gaana' Bala is the other best one from the album. Picturized mostly inside the bus, the lead artist performed and emoted very well for the song, making it look very natural and lively. "Adi Yen Gana Mayil" is a pathos song, shot humorously at a real funeral house, which involves funny dancing by the protagonist. "Podi Vecha" is also shot with montages and involves lots of chasing and fights, which highlights the rise of the protagonist as a 'Route Thala'. "Nadukadalule" is another funny and quirky song, shot at night which was picturized having the protagonist singing, and surrounded by his friends and family. The lighting was very apt for the song and captured the mood perfectly. "Vazhi Parthirunthen" is a situational song, which comes with the flow of the song, showing the pain of the protagonist waiting anxiously for his girl. Santhosh has done quite well in the background score too but he must avoid inserting music during dialogue portions as well, cause it is a unnecessarily deviates our attention.

Pa.Ranjith has crafted a simple and natural film, which does not deal with any serious issues. He has captured the life and times of the youths who are from the semi-rural, semi-urban area very well and depicted what were their activities and mentality, which will be an eye-opener for those who are not accustomed to those areas where the people belong to the lower-middle class category. The film has plenty of light-hearted, humorous scenes laced with casual and natural dialogues. The film slows down in pace in the second half and a minor turn-off for those who would want to watch serious cinema is that, the film has no solid story to tell ! We are just taken into a journey of the protagonist, who keeps on falling in love even after failures over failures. The climax has a small shock for the viewers, which takes us back a little. Having a background in drawing comics, Pa.Ranjith was able to visualize his scenes properly and at the same time, keeping them crisp and short. Besides that, he has done the role of the narrator of the plot as well.

In short, 'Attakathi' is recommended for those who would want to watch something ligh-hearted but at the same time, fresh and natural. The sweet and charming moments in the film will compensate for the lack of a serious story and the slow paced second half. Thumbs up for the first-timers !


Ratings: 2.5/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL

AARANYA KAANDAM REVIEW

Expectations started to grow once the movie was announced and the initial posters which was designed on the theme of graphic novel style, captured the attention of cinema goers. After a lengthy post-production, as well as the 'war' with the censor board, Aaranya Kaandam finally got released with less cuts.. Thank GOD for that. The following trailers and teasers really intrigued the audiences who were expecting a different film from débutante Thiagarajan Kumararaja. Aaranya Kaandam is the first neo-noir film to come out in Tamizh cinema and judging from the teasers, it's very obvious the director is very much inspired by Quentin Tarantino and Alejandro González Iñárritu style of film making. For those who watches this film, they will fall into two categories. Either they hate it for wasting their time or love it with a big grin on their faces.

The film is ably supported by fantastic acting by all the 6 protagonists. Starting of with Jackie Shroff. The veteran has shined in this film and he has done it effortlessly. Be it the agony of not able to make love to his mistress, or the attempts to learn English, delivering humor dialogues and expressions, he has brilliantly performed the role of an ageing gangster head akin to a old Lion. The initial scene of him checking himself out on the mirror and baring his teeth is the proof of this metaphor. Besides that, the scene where he gives some money to Ravi Krishna and then pulling back a note, and the final scene of him in his room after the shower are the highlights. It would have been great if he dubbed for himself. Sampath, as the simple and daring/smart henchman is at his best. His voice modulation was good especially for the chasing scenes and the tea shop with his fellow henchmen. Besides that the performance in the final action scene was brilliant as well. Ravi Krishna, surprises everyone with a stunning performance as Sappai. As the weakling, he draws the sympathy of the audiences and also performed very well especially in the scenes showing his vulnerability. Somasundaram and Master Vasanth as the father-son duo was eccentric and marvelous. Somasundram was too good in his role as the loud-and-foul mouthed loser and his dialogue delivery was hilarious especially in the rooster-fight sequence. Master Vasanth showed lots of maturity in handling a complex role and kudos for him to pull it of in a such young age. The highlight of their relationship was the affection between both father and son which was covered all the while in their arguments and bickering squabbles. The final scene of Master Vasanth is the testimony to this. Yasmin Ponnappa, the débutante did a good job as the naive mistress and her dialogue delivery with a modulation style of her own is good. All the other co-artists gave out restrained and cool performances without no over reacting and exaggeration.

Technically the film delivers high quality results. Cinematography by Mumbai based PS Vinod was very natural with no artificial lighting and the angles chosen was apt for the film which was gloomy and dark, highlighting the underworld. Editing by Praveen K.L and N.B Srikanth is smooth and they should be applauded for the editing of the chase sequences which had fantastic sound engineering as well. Stunts by Dilip Subbarayan was superb and the climax fight sequence deserves a big applause from the audience. Violence has never been captured 'beautifully' in Tamizh cinema so far. Yuvan Shankar Raja, was absolutely fantastic in his background score which was very pleasant, different and unique and it really complemented the scenes very, very well. After Illaiyara and AR Rahman, it's Yuvan he does brilliant background score in Tamizh cinema. The melodious scores, though contrasts with the violent scenes action scenes, elevates and 'beautifies' the shots. Bravo to Yuvan!!

Thiagarajan Kumararaja should be appreciated for delivering an international class film. It is experimental in nature which might not work for normal audiences who just wants to have some good time, but it satisfies the thirst of different film lovers. His script was solid with no hiccups and he should be applauded for not making any changes to it and for fighting with the censor boards for getting the film released with no cuts. His dialogues are a class apart and it's loaded with lurid details and also with awesome dark humor which rarely gets shown in Tamizh cinema. The "Kamal-Rajni" episode, the Gajendra and Gajapathy narration by Sampath, the banter between Somasundaram and Master Vasanth as well as the wailing of Somasundram, are loaded with dark humor which really makes people to smile cheekily. Not to forget, his dialogues were of high intelligence and are true gems for examples, the comparison of wearing dhotis between the rich and the poor, a woman's point of view of being a woman, the "worm-fish-man" explanation, the love of a son for his father, the flawed identity of human nature and the also highlighting the point that an enemy's enemy is a friend but more important, they are still enemies. These are the biggest highlights of the film. Besides that, Kumararaja should be appreciated for bringing out the best from his actors and that is due to the near immaculate characterizations of the artistes and framing of scene sequences. The film is a bit sluggish in it's pace but as the film progressed, that sluggishness turns out to be the best choice in moving the film. A special thanks to him for incorporating classic 80's period songs, which really adds zing to the film. The simple title credits and the beautiful and metamorphosis-tic title of the film, are the indications of the director's brilliance.

Aaranya Kaandam, a rare film in Tamizh cinema and kudos to the SPB Charan for coming up with this daring and experimental film, which leaves the cinema lovers, smack their head and feeling "Damn, that was cool".

Ratings: 4/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL