Vishal is back in action for Deepavali once again and he has joined hands with director Hari, who is fresh from the blockbuster success of 'Singam II'. After a lengthy 7-year gap with 'Thaamirabarani', this duo is back in action with a typical, commercial "masala" film, full of sentiments, action, glamour, song-and-dance and comedy and produced under Vishal's own Vishal Film Factory banner. With the usual huge supporting cast and his trusted technicians, can Hari and Vishal score back to back hits in their respective careers with 'Poojai' ?
This is a perfect platform for Vishal to flex his muscles and showcase the machismo side of his. This is a very apt and comfortable setup for Vishal and he has come out clean, with an energetic yet subtle performance. He has matured more as an actor and manages to stamp his mark with his screen presence. Job, well done ! Shruti Haasan is only making her third appearance in Tamizh, after a two year absence from '3'. She replicates her Telugu cinema act, with a simple modern-day, girl-next-door performance and ups the ante in the glamour department, for the songs. Mukesh Tiwari as the main antagonist was passable, though a better actor would have created an heavier impact. Soori, 'Black' Paandi and Immanuel Annachi takes care of the comedy portions, and though one or two scenes are funny, thanks to the quirky dialogues, their tracks were redundant, on an overall basis. The huge supporting cast, consisted of some of the best character artistes such as Sathyaraj, Raadhika Sarathkumar, Jayaprakash, 'Thalaivasal' Vijay, Prathap Pothen, and also other artistes such as Manobala, R.Sundarrajan, Abhinaya, Kausalya, Renuka, Sithara, Aishwarya, Janaki Sabesh, Awadesh Mishra, Vinay Bihari, Mathumila Mano, Sanjay Singh, Sounthara Raja, Barath Raj and etc. Most of them do fill up the spaces but their relevance and importance to the film, is another question entirely.
Costume designing by Vasuki Bhaskar and Chaitanya Rao fits the bill, and the lead pair looked natural and realistic. Shruti Haasan was particularly, glamorous in the sons sequences. Some of the character artistes, costumes could have been better and not over-done. Action choreography is by the once-in-demand-once-upon-a-time, Kanal Kannan. As it has mostly been with Kanal, the action sequences were over-the-top, repetitive and unwarranted. The opportunities were there in the screenplay for an pulsating action choreography, alas it was wasted for good ! K.Kadhirr's art direction was splendid, especially with the elaborate market set-work, which looked realistic and also with the grand & posh mansion, apartment and office settings, which had all the necessary props to enhance the setting. Veteran V.T Vijayan and T.S Jay duo takes care of the editing department, and their quick-cuts helped overcome the obvious flaws of the action sequences. The film moves at a good and steady pace, but there are many redundant scenes, which could have been edited out, to make it racier. Hari's right-hand man and regular, Priyan is the cinematographer here as well, and his work suffices the need of the script and complements, Hari's presentation style, very well. Especially with the top-angle and chopper shots.
Yuvan Shankar Raja's musical score is below average for his standards and only a couple of the songs are really hummable numbers. "Soda Bottle" is the opening item-number song, shot on Vishal and has a cameo appearance from Andrea Jeremiah, who had a glamorous make-over for this song. K.Kadhirr's market set was well shot by Priyan for this song and most of the detailing of the art work was visible on screen. "Devathai" is the pick of the lot and was shot on Vishal and Shruti Haasan, dancing in scenic urbane and hill stations of Switzerland. Shruti Haasan was at her glam-best, for the first time in Tamizh cinema. Some montage sequences were interspersed along the choreographed portions. "Ippadiye" is a folk dancer number, with elements of trance music from Yuvan Shankar Raja. Its an atypical Hari song, shot on the lead pair, in a simple yet colorful set, accompanied by colorfully-attired group dancers. "Uyire" is a situational pathos song, also shot on the lead pair and comes at two different places. "Odi Odi" is the final situational song and was had plenty of chases and sentimental scenes, and serves as the prelude for the climax portion. Yuvan Shankar Raja's background score was functional enough but for his standards, it could and should have been way much better.
As with all Hari films, 'Poojai' too has the commercial, mass "masala" template with its script. Hari has repeated the same formula for the umpteenth time and arranges the screenplay in an sequence of comedy, action, song, sentiment and this sequence repeats throughout the whole screenplay. There are no twists and turns in the script and the story has a very linear and straightforward timeline. The story only picks up pace just before the interval and stutters occasionally after that, with some redundant songs and comedy portions. There's no cohesion nor coherence in the screenplay and many scenes do not gel well and sticks out like sore thumbs. There's not enough of emotional depth, be it in the hero/villain episode nor the hero/heroine portions, as well. The action sequences tire you after a point of time and it doesn't really fire up the emotion in us. Though all of Hari's films has the same template, he gets it right with some scripts, which has the right proposition and proportions of the "masala" quotients. But with 'Poojai' there seems to be miscalculation and obvious flaws, in the execution of the script and even in the directorial department as well.
'Poojai' - An average 'darshan' with some working bits and pieces !
Ratings: 2.5/5 STARS
BY:TAMIL
'Thirumanam Enum Nikkah' has been lying in the cans for quite sometime and finally, Aascar V.Ravichandran's production has released. Directed by debutante Anis, this was suppose to be the debut venture of Nazriya Nazim, though her other ventures managed to release earlier. A film touted to be on the lines of 'Monsoon Wedding', did Anis come up with a decent product ?
Jai was in his usual elements and he fits such lightweight roles. If you are a Tamizh cinema film-buff, you would have by now guessed the level of performance from Jai. Meanwhile, Nazriya Nazim looks charming and has her moments, but the characterization was poor, hence the lesser scope for performance, for this lass. Heebah Patel looks good, but her role has no purpose and leaves no mark. The rest of the cast such as Jamal (voiced by Nassar), Dinesh, R.Pandiarajan, Mayilsamt, Deekshitha Manikkam, Badri Narayanan and etc were okay with their performances.
Vanitha Srinivasan's costume designing was good, especially for the lead pair, and her homework on two distinct cultures of Hindus and Muslims, was evident on screen. The costumes, especially for Heeba were gorgeous ! Action choreography was handled by Kanal Kannan and there was only one action block in the film. The initial chase and fight sequence was well executed and was not so over-the-top. Mu.Kasi Vishwanathan's editing was very functional and there were no gimmicks from the editor's table. Art direction is handled by Crawford and Dharmendra and both of them have done a good job with their respective tasks. The detailing for the Shia Muslim household, as well as Tamil Brahmin community's homes is notable, especially with the set properties. Loganathan Srinivasan's cinematography sufficed the needs of the script. His work in capturing the rich culture of Shia Muslim and Tamil Brahmin, is commendable.
The silver lining of the film is the brilliant musical score from M.Ghibran ! The songs are fantastic and it complements the mood and feel of the script. "Yaaro Ival" is a situational song, which was used initially as Nazriya's introductory song. The song appears sporadically throughout the film, in bits and pieces. "Rayile Raa" has Jai trying to impress the heroine and was shot on a railway platform and a medical camp-like set was put up for the song. Loganathan's rain shot, with the rays of sun, deserves mention. One of the pick of the lot, "Kannukkul Pothivaipen" is a cute and lovely song, shot on both Jai and Nazriya, in a Tamil Brahmin household environment, with the Golu Festival as the backdrop. The rooftop shots, with different rangolis looked lovely, especially with Loganathan's lighting for the particular portions. "Khwaja Ji" is picturized on Jai attending a Shia Muslim ritual, and is an eye-opener (literally !) for those who are unaware of the traditions of that particular Muslim denomination. "Chillendra" was shot on Jai and Heebah and is another celebration song, and this time it's the Ramzan festival. Jai's costume designing in this song, deserves mention. "Enthaara Enthaara" is the other chart-buster song and it was shot on Jai and Nazriya, developing their feelings for each other, which had plenty of montages. M.Ghibran's background score elevates the boring and half-baked sequences and its a pity that his brilliant scores are simply wasted !
Did Anis come up with a decent product, as asked earlier ? The answer is a resounding NO ! The script has a very wafer-thin plot and there's no connectivity at all between the sequences and the proceedings of the screenplay. There's no proper explanation of the dilemma faced by the lead pair and Anis did not convincingly portray the actual feelings of the lead pair. Were the pair in love with each other ? Or did they actually fall in love with the other's religion and not the individual ? Did they feel unconnected with their own community's trappings ? On an even serious note, was Anis trying to 'promote' Shia Muslim teachings and practices and not bother about story-telling and character development ?Only Anis has the answer ! To make it even worse, Anis falls for the commercial compromises, such as songs, an unwanted action sequence, half-baked romance portions and woefully portrayed serious/emotional scenes. There is no effort in detailing, in terms of writing & execution and Madhan Karky's dialogues too were abruptly cut short, which leaves the characters with unfinished dialogue portions !
'Thirumanam Enum Nikkah' - A blunder of an attempt in making a good film, which unfortunately had excellent musical score and interesting plot ideas !
Ratings: 2.25/5 STARS
BY:TAMIL
After a very long gap of 11 years, the master story teller and an auteur among the contemporary Tamizh cinema directors, Mani Ratnam has delivered a straight Tamizh film, with no whatsoever simultaneous, side-by-side Hindi production. 'Kadal' was one of the most eagerly expected projects in Tamizh cinema, due to brand 'Mani Ratnam' and also of the excellent cast and technical crew working behind the film, including Mani's personal favorites such as Sreekar Prasad, Rajiv Menon and A.R Rahman. So what's the impact of the 'Kadal's waves on us ?
Starting off with the lead pair of the film, debutantes Gautham Karthik and Thulasi Nair were very much natural and perfect. It is something truly unbelievable that Gautham's father, Karthik and Thulasi's mother, Radha made their debuts together in Bharathiraja's 'Alaigal Oivadhillai' 32 years back, and now their offspring are making their respective debuts under Mani Ratnam, and that too in a coastal based film ! Gautham was truly remarkable in his performance and it is hard to believe that this is his first film ! Apart from possessing good dancing and action-based skills, Gautham, scores big in the emotional quotient as well and has performed very maturely. This chap definitely has a big and promising career in Tamizh cinema. Thulasi was lively and chirpy and has good dialogue delivery sense. More coaching can do wonders for her career, as well. The other lead 'pair', the two veteran Arjun and Arvind Swamy were impeccable in their roles. For a change, Arjun dons a character of truly black shades and pulls it off with ease. Its pretty evident that he enjoyed doing the role, and 'Kadal' will definitely be an important film in his entire career. Way to go, 'Action King' ! And what a comeback from Arvind Swamy. His charming and sincere performance is the actual scene stealer. With a variety of emotions on display, Arvind Swamy proves why he is an all-time favorite of Mani. 'Kadal' surely belongs to these two, gentlemen ! Lakshmi Manchu plays a small role, and though it was a good performance, her presence was wasted. The film has a big star cast such as Ponvannan, Somasundaram, Singampuli and etc doing small roles, and all of them were natural and authentic for their roles.
When it comes to a Mani Ratnam film, technical aspects have always been top-notch and it follows with 'Kadal' as well. Eka Lakhani and Sai's costume designing was perfect and kudos to them for the well-done research on the background of the fisher folks from a particular dialect-speaking region. Everyone looked their part and credits must definitely go to Eka and Sai. Tapas Nayak's sound designing deserves appreciation, especially for the stunt scenes and sequences involving the sea side area. Action choreography by Kanal Kannan and Kecha Khamphakdee of the Jaika Stunt from Thailand, was well choreographed.The fish market fight sequence and the climax fight sequence on the storm-hit boat are the main highlights. Shashidhar Adapa, who works for Mani for the very first time, has done a brilliant job with the set work. The dilapidated church, the fish market and the boat set which appears in the climax, were too good to be true. Truly brilliant ! Sreekar Prasad's editing was flawless as usual, and as a veteran of Mani's camp, his work complements the narrative setting of Mani Ratnam. Rajiv always reserves his best for Mani and in 'Kadal' some of the shots were just too beautiful and magical. The dark blue- storm skies, the dry and barren sandy seaside, the beautiful beach, everything was simply superb. Rajiv's specialty is his slow, poetic and soft cinematography with no tinges of glariness and blazing color tones and he applies the same to 'Kadal' as well. Exquisite work, indeed !
A.R Rahman is back after a three-year gap in Tamizh cinema (the last of his Tamizh score was for 'Endhiran'). The songs are typical Rahman, where one needs to spend time listening to them over-and-over again for liking it. "Chithirai Nila" is a slow, melody number which was used sparingly in the film, in accordance to situations, usually for some particular scenes. "Adiyae" is a refreshing song from Rahman which blends folk and jazz in a Christian gospel-type song. But the picturization was little awkward as it suddenly springs out like a dream song and the choreography by Brindha, reminds us of the evergreen "Nenjinile" song from 'Uyire'. Some might find it as weirdly picturized song, but it was definitely a different attempt. "Moongil Thottam" is a soothing , romantic number, picturized on the lead pair. The beautiful images of the crystal-clear sea, dark forest, pristine beach and etc complements the camera movement. A song on the ranks of "Pachai Nirame" in terms of visual ! "Elay Keechan" was shot in a lively manner, with full dance and vigor. The coastal areas and the fish market set was captured well by Rajiv, and the rain portion in the end, brings more charm to the song. "Nenjukkule" was shot in montage style amidst dialogue sequences between the Gautham and Thulasi. "Anbin Vaasale" appears during the end credits, with cuts between the sequences of the lead pair getting back together and Arvind Swamy being featured in a lively church procession. "Magudi Magudi" appears during the opening credits, and also in the middle of the film, with plenty of montage sequences being used. The background score was good but there are no standout pieces, as one can listen in previous collaborations of Mani and Rahman.
Mani Ratnam has joined hands with writer Jeyamohan and adapted his novel into a screenplay. The story, a major part of the screenplay and dialogues, all belongs to Jeyamohan. Mani handles only the direction department and made some contributions in the screenplay writing as well. Usually, we get to see characters of grey shades, which presents us different dimensions, in a Mani film. But in 'Kadal' Mani has split the white and black from the grey and gave it each to the two important artistes, Arvind Swamy and Arjun, respectively. The main focus of the film is the battle between "good and evil", which is between Arvind and Arjun here, but it gets to be played in the form of the protagonist Gautham. As the film moves on, the focus swings from the personal battle between the duo and of Gautham's travails and love-life. As the focus shifts back-and-forth, the length of the film gets a tad too long and the pace gets even more slower, especially in the second half. Also, the actual crux of the film is the personal duel between Arjun and Arvind Swamy, and sadly this angle was not exploited to good use. A few questions were left unanswered/unexplored, which should have been rectified. The dialogues are steep in Christian vocabulary and one might find alienated if they are not accustomed to such terms or phrases and the dialect is an added challenge to us. There are lots of subtle but hidden themes/symbols sprinkled throughout the film, and only those who pays close attention, can identify them. Mani does not spoon-feed every single explanations on the "whats" and "whys" of the film, and only by good analytical skills, one can comprehend the true essence and meaning of some of the sequences and also to admire the directorial skills of Mani Ratnam.
'Kadal' might not be in the league of some of Mani's classic films but its still "A Mani Ratnam Film". One does not get to see regular mainstream cinema at its best, with high-quality, glossy outputs and fantastic execution of a script.
Ratings: 3.25/5 STARS
BY:TAMIL
Vishal is back with another action film, which is directed by Thiru, who has collaborated with him in the dampener, 'Theeradha Vilaiyaattu Pillai'. For Vishal, this is a very critical film, because he has been treading the wrong path where a slew of his previous releases, all were failures. In order to survive, this must click for him. With an interesting star cast, and picturized in Thailand for most duration of the film, 'Samar' intrigued viewers with its slick trailer, which did not give out any particular hints. So how did the movie fare ?
For Vishal, this movie is a throwback to his 'Sandaikozhi' and 'Thimiru' days were he underplayed his role, with controlled performance. He has put his strong and built physique to good use in the action scenes. The no-nonsense and introvert characterization was carried out well by Vishal and it is enjoyable for us to watch him perform in this manner. Well done, Vishal ! Trisha, does her part well and was confident in her dialogue delivery and for dubbing in her own voice. She looks good and was at ease throughout the film. Sunaina barely had anything to do other than to act in a couple of scenes and to dance for a song, though her character was needed. Critically acclaimed performers Manoj Bajpai and J.D Chakravarthy fall way short of in delivering strong and outstanding performances, though they are very much capable of delivering it. Blame the director, for the poorly sketched characters of Manoj and J.D. The rest of the cast such as Jayaprakash, Sampath, Sriman, Azhagam Perumal, John Vijay, Uma Padhmanabhan and others are adequate.
Vasugi Bhaskar's costume designing was very apt for each characters, where the costumes reflected the personality of each characters. Sound designing by Renganaath Ravee was good, especially in the stunt sequences. Jacki's art work was adequate, considering that the majority of the film was captured in real life locations and his work blends in well with the surroundings. Ruben's editing is just nice, especially for the stunt scenes, which is the trump card of the film. Stunt choreography is the highlight of the film. Each stunt scenes were solidly choreographed and most importantly, was very natural and realistic. It is a delight to watch such pumping action scenes, neatly executed in Tamizh cinema. Kudos to the stunt choreographers, Kanal Kannan, Rajashekar, Jimmy from Singapore and also to Nang of the Baan Rig team from Thailand. Great work by them ! Complementing the stunt sequences, is Richard M.Nathan's stunning cinematography (who also makes a small cameo appearance in the film). He has used plenty of aerial shots in and around Bangkok. His color tone and lighting aptly follows the changes of locations in the film, as the story progresses. Another good job well in his portfolio !
Yuvan Shankar Raja's music is a letdown for this film. His score is average considering the fact, he can deliver chart-busting songs. "Oru Kannil Vegam" is the introductory song of the protagonist and depicts his life as a forest ranger. There are plenty of pleasing aerial shots by Richard in this song and captures the beauty of the forest in different lights. "Azhago Azhagu" is the pick of the lot from the album. It was picturized on the three characters of Vishal, Trisha and Sunaina and was shot entirely in and around Putrajaya city of Malaysia with some iconic buildings and landmark being the backdrop. "Poikaal Kudhirai" is an interesting number, which was well placed in the film. There are plenty of cut-shots, which are mostly picturized at night and features many facets of Bangkok and its surroundings. "Vellai Mayil" is a romantic number shot on Vishal and Trisha, with aerial shots along the sea shore and besides that, shot mostly within posh hotel premises. The final song "Raajavin Thottathil" is a hot, club number shot on sexily-clad item girls and features the two antagonists of the film, enjoying themselves. The lighting and camera movements by Richard M.Nathan complements the mood and feel of the song. Background score was handled by Dharan Kumar and he shows is prowess in good sound mixing with apt background music, be it for suspense scenes or for romantic scenes.
Director Thiru has delivered an interesting plot and theme, laced with the right amount of commercial aspects for this film. He has handled the majority of the screenplay quite well, maintaining the suspense, gripping twists and turns and some surprises towards the last 15 minutes of the film. The film keeps us guessing until the last 15 minutes, on what is happening in the film, until the secret is revealed. But once the suspense is unraveled, the film looses its fizz and ends on a rather tepid manner, which makes us to feel that the overall end product could have been better. The director rightfully avoided inserting any comedy scenes into the screenplay. Dialogues by Thiru and S.Ramakrishnan was very much suitable for the script, being straight-forward and not overtly dramatic, except for those uttered by the antagonists. The idea of the script definitely has an inspiration from some Hollywood and Korean films, but Thiru has cleverly adapted the idea to suit the taste and sensibilities of Tamizh audience.
After a long time, we get to see a good movie from Vishal and though it could have been presented in a better manner, it still delivers a decent action thriller, with enough thrills and chases in keeping our attention. Not so great, but not bad, either.
Ratings: 2.75/5 STARS
BY:TAMIL
