The evergreen song from 'Punnagai Mannan' has its title borrowed for this film featuring a quadruplets for the first time in Indian cinema ! Besides that we have popular director & elder brother of 'Jayam' Ravi, 'Jayam' M.Raja making his acting debut alongside with Maanu, of 'Kadhal Mannan' fame. So, what is this film about and will it catch the attention of audience ?
'Jayam' M.Raja and Maanu has very less screen timing and their importance of their role is a big question mark. Both of them appears to have poorly written roles and M.Raja managed to somehow pass through thanks to the director in him. Maanu is just there for the sake of it. Nithin Sathya's role was such a poorly written characterization, it just irritates us the moment we see him on screen ! Sorry dude, but that's the sour truth. Debutante Malavika Wales, looks confident in her role and has a good screen presence, due to her experience in the Malayalam film industry. The quadruplets of V.Aditi, V.Aakriti, V.Akshiti, & V.Aapti looks very identical and performs cutely, but why they were limited to being deaf & dumb is another big question mark. Some of the other artistes who appear in the film are Manobala, Sivashankar Master, Immanuel Annachi, Vaiyapuri, Swaminathan, Puralavan and etc.
Sai Naresh's costume work was very functional and it fits the story, since the the script's story takes place in a single day. Rajesh Kanna's action choreography also was more functional and there are no fight scenes, actually. Art direction is taken care by Suresh Kallery and his work for the properties of the interiors of the female characters' homes, were spot on. Also, the office set was well propped too, alongside the entrance set-up of the depicted zoological park. Editing is taken care of by veteran V.T Vijayan and T.S Jay and their cuts has no gimmicks whatsoever and the veteran has kept the duration of the film, very short. Sanjay B.Lokanath's camerawork sufficed the needs of the script. The shots on animals were good, but apart from that everything else looks normal. Naga takes care of music and only one song appears in the film, titled "Vizhiyaal", which was shot on the kids and their adventures in the zoo.
Now, this film's content has no relevance at all to its beautiful title, but what irks us the most is the below-par standard of the script and its making ! The film is about a dangerous monstrous snake, which is on the loose in the national zoo and the quadruplets who are stuck in the zoo ! The idea might sound good, but the attempt was worse than amateurish, especially with the screenplay and the characterizations. There's no logic, no continuity, no maturity and no attempt to convince us at all, with the script. The cute quadruplets have nothing to do, except for the climax and the whole film is filled with unwarranted sequences and elements. The helpless police officer, the idiotic news reporter, the unintentionally funny minister, and etc adds more discontentment to the audience ! John Mahendran's dialogues, especially for the comedy portions involving Vaiyapuri and Immanuel Annachi are okay but apart from that, the rest are just below average. Hope Guru Ramesh comes up with a story & screenplay and direct it, the next time !
'Enna Satham Indha Neram' - Nothing said is much better than less said !
Ratings: 1.25/5 STARS
BY:TAMIL
'Goli Soda' made the right noises for the return of the 'Pasanga' boys in their early teenage years, but this time in a totally different world. S.D Vijay Milton, the popular cinematographer takes up the baton of director for the second time after 'Azhagai Irukirai Bayamai Irukiradhu', a film which got released in 2006. Produced by his brother Bharath Seeni, under the Rough Note Production company and distributed by N.Lingusamy's Tirrupathi Brothers, can 'Goli Soda' quench our thirst for good cinema ?
The 'Pasanga' boys consisting of Kishore, Sree Ram, Pandi, and Murugesh have equal screen presence and importance in the film and they have shown complete understanding of their characters and have shown good maturity. Each of them had their own unique personalities, and all of them have pulled it off, effectively. Promising talents ! The debuting girls, Chandhini and Seetha too were very adequate. The former, projecting the sweet and homely character, whereas the latter is the firecracker and actual scene stealer of the film ! Madhusudhan plays the main antagonist role and he is certainly someone to watch out for. Besides that, Samuthirakani's dubbing for Madhusudhan, was very apt and a good choice made by the director. Sujatha and Immanuel Annachi, had very likeable and natural roles, and both of them were good to watch. A.Manoharan, Meenal, Senthikumari, R.K Vijay Murugan and etc filled up the remaining roles, quite well.
R.K Vijay Murugan, who has acted as the second antagonist, is in charge of the art direction as well. Nearly every scene was shot in the actual locations of Koyambedu market and whatever props needed, especially for the "Aachi Mess" setting, was neatly and aptly done. 'Supreme' Sundar's action choreography was raw, gritty and superbly done. The first action sequence, though lengthy, was splendidly shot and executed by the boys and stunt artistes. The climax fight sequence too was edgy and fast-paced, but the first action block, simply takes the cake. This would definitely be one of 'Supreme' Sundar's best works. Adding more zing to these action sequences, is Anthony's editing. His fast-cuts and no-gimmicks approach worked very well for the movie's overall presentation and elevated the raw and gritty look. The film is also very racy and slickly packaged, with perfect running time of just over 2 hours. S.D Vijay Milton's cinematography brings the story forward and his guerrilla technique, with candid shots gives the film a natural and raw look. Nothing looked staged and purposely choreographed at all, and that's the biggest plus, when it comes to the cinematography aspect.
S.N Arunagiri's songs were all shot in montages. Though they don't stand out as brilliant tracks, they do gel well with the theme and mood of the script. "All Your Duty" is the opening first song and was shot on the boys, with their small fun in their limited world. "Killadi" depicted a shopping spree sequence, and "Silusilunu" is about the urge of the boys to earn extra. "Oyyale" was picturized on the boys, girls and Sujatha which showed the boys' next progress in business. "Aaru Adi" was shot as a night sequence, bit song in dim lights. "Jananam Jananam" had plenty of other locations such as Himachal Pradesh, Murudeshwara, Allepy and etc which was essential for the songs, in order to project the boys' separation. "Kadhal Panne" had the guest appearances of 'Powerstar' Dr S.Srinivasan and 'Dancing Sensation' Sam Anderson and had a cinema song-shoot theme, which was shot in and around Koyambedu. The background score meanwhile, is handled by Kannada musician, Anoop Seelin. Although it served the purpose, the score is quite archaic and uninspiring, especially when you have new talents doing great in Tamizh cinema.
S.D Vijay Milton has used Koyambedu, the biggest market in Asia as his base and the lost individuals, dwelling in this ultra-busy place, as his protagonists. The bone of contention of this script, is the non-existence of identities for his protagonists and their struggle and fight in developing and keeping one. S.D Vijay Milton has scripted the screenplay in a nice fashion, where the second half develops slowly and leads into an explosive second half, which holds our attention greatly. And most of the scenes are well crafted and genuinely staged and enacted by good artistes. The director should be applauded for developing characters of flesh and blood and giving most of his artistes, the ample screenplay time and apt scenes, in bringing out the nuances of their respective characters. Dialogues by Pandiraj is definitely a highlight, especially for the humor sequences, which give us the chuckles. What S.D Vijay Milton and Pandiraj, could have avoided though, is the preaching and over-emphasis on the question of identity, which gets repetitive after some time. Also, the director could have parted ways with some of the songs, which does not serve much purpose. Nevertheless, the makers can be proud of their product, which is a commercial entertainer, yet different in making and approach.
'Goli Soda' - Smashingly original and a brave attempt.
Ratings: 3.25/5 STARS
BY:TAMIL
'Naiyaandi' made its news due to the unwarranted "body-double" accusation pointed at the makers by the upcoming "next-big-heroine" of Tamizh cinema, Nazriya Nazim. In her first big-hero project, Nazriya's claim to fame suddenly became infamy. All's well that ends well and the movie got released smoothly. A.Sarkunam's first big hero project with Dhanush, promised a good family entertainer, on the lines of the director's 'Kalavaani'. Was all the hype and hoopla, justified in the end-product ?
For Dhanush, its back to the light-material scripts, and 'Naiyaandi' turns out to be too light for him. He simply waltzes through his role. The National Award-winning actor did not strain a bit, acting capability wise and shares good rapport with his supporting cast members. When expectations are sky-high when this man comes out with a film, and its tad disappointing that 'Naiyaandi' does not meet that expectations. After her claim to fame with 'Raja Rani', Nazriya gets a solo heroine role and she looks pretty much in her comfort zone. Looking cute and bright, she displays her acting skills convincingly. Among the glut of comedy actors, Sriman and Sathyan were an amusing pair in the second half, with their comedic antics. Soori vibes well with Dhanush whereas Vamsi Krishna was resorted to a farcically written antagonist character. Meera Krishnan, Pyramid Natarajan, Sathish, Immanuel Annachi, Singampuli, Ashvin Raja, Naren, Sachu, Manobala, Prof Gnanasambandhan and etc were adequate fits for the supporting roles.
K.Natraj's costume designing was apt for the rural-based characters and Nazriya looked cute in the songs, especially. R.K Vijay Murugan's production design sufficed the needs of the scripts. Be it the elobarate village festival setting, or the for the songs, the sets were neatly erected, with good detailing. The lamps and bells stacked in the protagonist's house is one such clear example. Dhilip Subbarayan's stunt choreography suited Dhanush's personality and the final climax sequence reminds us of the 'Sandaikozhi' climax action sequence. Raja Mohammed's editing was a letdown, and some sort of connectivity is missing in the transition from one sequence to another. R.Velraj's cinematography work is a big plus to the film. The visuals are crystal clear and the rural landscape is a pleasant sight for the eyes. Also, R.Velraj's lighting was commendable for the sequences featuring the lead pair, surrounded by lamps and bells.
M.Ghibran's work just passes muster, though he is a creative person with unique sounds infused in his song arrangements. "Marriage Marketil" was uniquely done, with a full animation concept, featuring the debacles faced by Sriman and Sathyan, in finding brides, respectively. "Ae Le Le" was shot on the lead pair, and has some majestic and beautiful Swiss localities in the background, such as lakes and mountains. "Yendi Paathagathi" is a bit-song shot on Dhanush and featured some good framing by R.Velraj. "Munnadi Porapulle" is a duet shot on the lead pair and accompanied by foreign dancers. The song featured more urban landscapes such as rivers and harbors. The much publicized "Teddy Bear" song was picturized keeping kinds in mind, with vibrantly colored sets with a gaming arcade backdrop and costumes for the dancers. "Inikka Inikka" is a sensous number, which was shot cleverly by R.Velraj with plenty of close-ups of the lead pair. Nazriya was looking very good in her sarees. Though the background score had plenty of unique ideas, they don't linger in our minds.
A.Sarkunam, known for his nuanced handling of his scripts, fails to entertain us this time. An inspiration from the 1993-Malayalam super hit film 'Meleparambil Aanveedu', starring Jayaram and Shobaran, the script is almost farcical in entirety and turns out to be a quintessential damp squib ! The entire comedy portions in the first half is a big letdown and only with the presence of Sriman and Sathyan, funny elements serve its purpose. The performances of some supporting artistes are too casual. The script has no purpose at all, and there seems to be no serious element at all, apart from the climax, which is rarely palpable. The screenplay is a letdown and there seems to be no smooth progress from one scene to another nor any logic or continuity. Some sequences stood out like a sore thumb and has no purpose in the film. Dialogues were insipid and boring. It really boggles our mind, thinking what convinced Dhanush to accept this film. A.Sarkunam's script has a time immemorial formula written all over, if you view it with a hindsight. Throw in some exaggerated sequences and characters, and all you get is a complete mess and wastage of good artistes and technicians' capabilities.
'Naiyaandi' - An appalling product from A.Sarkunam ! Its shocking to see it coming from the director who gave us 'Kalavaani' and 'Vaagai Sooda Vaa'.
Ratings: 2/5 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
