Love - the only theme which our Tamizh cinema directors will never get bored of dwelling in. And what a beautiful title, especially when the film is set in the 1980s' era ! 'Amara Kaaviyam' has been making the right noise, due to it being actor Arya's film, under his own production of The Show People. Jeeva Sankar of 'Naan' fame directs this second film of his career and feature's Arya's brother, Sathya in the lead role, alongside Malayalam heroine Miya George, who makes her Tamizh debut. With M.Ghibran's critically well-received musical score, can this flick attain 'immortality status, in the annal of Tamizh cinema ?
Sathya, who's debut 'Kadhal 2 Kalyanam' is still yet to see the daylights, makes a good impression and has shown improvement in regards to performance. He looks confident, has a good screen presence and composure in dialogue deliveries. He performs well in the action sequences too and with better directors and script, he can definitely become a talent to watch out for. Debutante Miya George, looks super confident, thanks to her experience in doing Malayalam films. She has what it takes to be a very good actress and has a very sweet and pleasing screen presence. Her next choices of film roles, can dictate her place in Tamizh cinema. Wishing these two youngsters a great career ! The rest of the cast such as Ananth Nag, Thambi Ramaiah, Arul Jothi, Vaidyanathan, Elizabeth, Rindhu Ravi, Sudeepa and etc were apt choices for their realistic and earthbound performances.
The film has very good production values and quality technical outputs from the technical crew. V.Sai's costume designing was apt, and is in adherence of the social, geographical and time period elements of Ooty and Kodaikanal areas. Om Prakash's action choreography suits Sathya's physical built and the fight sequences were realistically shot and executed. The second half fight sequence, shot in slow-motion is a highlight of it. V.Selvakumar's art direction is a big plus for the film's production values. The set properties, be it from vehicles, to furniture, household items and even grocery items were well set up and established the 1980's era, perfectly. Kudos to him ! Editing by Suriya, complements the pace and narrative style of the director and all the cuts are very smooth and doesn't create any jarring effect. Jeeva Sankar handles the cinematography himself, and the cameraman in him has excelled to the core ! Visuals played an important role in the film and it carries the movie forward. The beautiful locations of Ooty and Kodaikanal were magnificently captured by Jeeva Sankar and the watercolor like tone gives the film a misty/dreamy and almost ethereal look, throughout the film. Jeeva Sankar definitely keeps up the reputation as an assistant of the late Jeeva.
Its definitely not an overstatement, if one says that M.Ghibran's musical score is the soul of the film. His songs complemented the script's style and all songs are appropriately placed in the screenplay. The peppy "Saridhaana" is the introductory song of all the main leads and has more montages of Sathya, in establishing his role as a school-going teenager. "Edhedho Ennam" is the first melody shot on the lead pair and has plenty of montages, with some of them having beautiful landscapes, as backdrops of the song. The hill station effect was very well brought out, especially. "Deva Devadhai" is a rather intimate melody and was shot indoors completely and has plenty of reaction shots from the lead pair, which was well cut by Suriya. The haunting melody, "Mounam Pesum" sung by the legendary K.S Chitra, also has montages of the lead pair, temporarily staying away from each other, due to a decision taken by themselves. Though the song has an interestingly tricky situation as its backbone, the love feel was very well conveyed. "Thaagam Theere" is a pathos song, and has montages of the lead pair living separate lives, away from each other. M.Ghibran's background score certainly upraises the mood and impact of the scenes and some portions will definitely strike a chord with the audience, for the soothing background score from him. Another feather in the cap for M.Ghibran !
This film will definitely remind us of the classic 1980's film 'Panneer Pushpangal', directed by Santhana Bharathi and P.Vasu, (not to forget the beautiful songs by 'Isaignani' Ilaiyaraaja) due to the geographical aspect of an Ooty hill station location and the theme of high school romance. Juvenile love story is a tricky element to tackle, a wrong approach of the theme, will end up with the filmmakers sending out a wrong message. Jeeva Sankar, handled his subject decently and has come up with good characterization for all the artistes, but the intensity of an infatuation turned love feeling, among the young teenagers is just missing in 'Amara Kaaviyam'. Jeeva Sankar tries to sink in the love mood and feel of it, with slow-motion reaction shots and a very langoriously paced screenplay. But the dramatic moments are often brushed off so casually and almost, most of the scenes are underplayed. Though its applaudable, that the characters are portrayed realistically, not every single individual is going to be very practical in their approach to the issues and dilemmas, affecting them. Also, the non-linear approach with the story-telling doesn't really make sense, especially when you give away the end of the climax, right at the interval point. There are some minor loopholes in the film's screenplay and though the climax portion is touted to based on an real life incident, which took place in Tanjore, it does send a wrong message and the almost glorification of such juvenile act of love, is totally unjustified. Nevertheless, the film is an decent attempt and hope it becomes a good platform for those involved, to enhance their careers in Tamizh cinema.
'Amara Kaaviyam' ? - Nah, not really. No way, it'll be one !
Ratings: 2.75/5 STARS
BY:TAMIL
'Neethane En Ponvasantham' a beautifully-titled movie, is one of the most expected films of the year, thanks to the expectations which bounds to arise when the director, Gautham Vasudev Menon comes back to his comfort zone, that is love stories. Added to that, the blockbuster hit of the soundtrack, scored none other than the genius, 'Isaignani' Ilaiyaraaja, elevated the film's expectations several notches higher, since the score was one of the best to come out from Raaja sir's stables. With excellent technicians and gorgeous looking casts, this film had all the necessary elements to score at the box-office.
Jiiva has delivered a refreshing and thumping performance as the cool, casual and handsome chap. His dialogue delivery and body language were so precisely, he embodies the character Varun Krishnan, perfectly. The spontaneous reactions and composed expressions, are the highlights of his character, though he was not entirely convincing as a school-boy, looks and physique, wise. Samantha Ruth Prabhu, was simply gorgeous in the film, and she too delivers a fantastic performance as Nithya Vasudevan. Her transition from a teenage 'angel' to a beautiful woman, looks and mentality/behavior wise, was smoothly handled by her. Its an advantage certainly for Samantha to dub in her own voice, which gives an authentic feel to her character. With more such roles, she could hone her acting skills even more, and she is definitely a good performer, in waiting. Jiiva and Samantha, literally lived and breathed as Varun and Nithya. Kudos to both of them. Santhanam was absolutely rib-tickling and smashing in his comedy portions. Though his usual teasing and double entendre dialogues were there, it was presented in a different style, which makes him look fresh. His scenes with debutante Vidyullekha Raman, parodying 'Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya' was a scream, with 'VTV' Ganesh, making a surprise cameo !! Ravi Raghavendra, Ravi Prakash, Sriranjani, Anupama Kumar, Christine Thambuswamy and etc were very apt for the film, and incorporated mannerisms and body language of typical Gautham Vasudev Menon's film characters.
The core of Gautham's favourite technicians are present in this film as well. First off, M.Ravi's stills, especially for the promotional posters, were beautiful and chic. Nalini Sriram's costume designing was a pleasant to the eyes of the viewers. The lead pair was looking simply ravishing, especially Samantha (Gautham's heroines are always portrayed beautifully). Rajeevan's art work was neat and in-tune with the script. The simple but wonderful sets for the songs, and the props for the plot settings, were very original and appropriate. Anthony was at his best as usual, with no gimmicks and tricks in the editing department. His work in the songs, especially the smooth transition from one scene to the other, was class. The cinematography was catchy, with correct color tones and appropriate angles for the important scenes. The pre-interval, lengthy scene, was shot well, capturing the emotional outbursts and body language of the lead pair. It was nearly impossible to differentiate the works of the three cinematographers who worked in the film but, S.R Kadhir, M.S Prabhu and Om Prakash, all share the credit for a neatly and aesthetically shot film.
'Isaignani' Ilaiyaraaja comes up with a beautiful and heavenly soundtrack. Most of the songs are gems in their own respective genres, but the instrumentation was fresh from the genius. Gautham Vasudev Menon, utilized Ilaiyaraaja extremely well, and the latter produced a wonderful, wonderful album which was recorded and mastered at the Angel Studios, England for which Anglo-Indian Music Productions was hired, providing singers, an 108-piece orchestra and percussion. "Pudikile Maamu" a half rock-half folk song, is the introductory song, with Santhanam opening it up, humorously. The dance for this song was stylishly choreographed by debutante Sathish Krishnan. There were plenty of cut-shots and it was precisely edited by Anthony, with good camera angles. "Vaanam Mella" is a flashback song, rewinding the past of the lead pair and a different color tone was used for the song, which was stretched for a longer duration. The pick of the lot, the melodious, "Saayndhu Saayndhu" was perfectly composed for the situation. It was placed when the love was proposed by the lead pair to each other by each other. This one too, has plenty of cut-shots and montages and smoothly edited by Anthony and some gorgeous art work by Rajeevan. "Mudhal Murai" is a situational song, showing the agony of the heroine living a lonely life without the romances of the hero. The song used montages and has plenty of close-ups of the heroine, but it sounds too heavy for the flow of the script. "Kaatrai Konjam", another situational song, highlights the travel journey of the hero in meeting the heroine after a gap. Actor Nani makes a smart cameo, in this song. "Ennodu Vaa Vaa", has some good camera movements and highlights the hero trying to woo back the heroine, and is also another situational song. "Pengal Endral" is a high-octane pathos song, showcasing the painful break-up of the lead pair, in montage sequences. "Satru Munbu", the final song, beautifully fits into the script and shows the sorry state of the heroine, fearing for the worst. This song too was stretched for the entire climax, portion. Ilaiyaraaja's background scoring is legendary and needs no specific mention, but here the magical touch was missing, since part of the songs were used sparingly as background score and dialogues taking more prominence, where Ilaiyaraaja, keeps everything else, muted.
Gautham Vasudev Menon has collaborated with Reshma Ghatala, in regards to the story, screenplay and dialogues of the film, and the pair has produced an excellently written script. The script was minutely observed and broken down, casually laid out, has in-depth and detailed dialogues. This is definitely Gautham's most maturely written love story, so far. He has taken off from where he left in 'Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa'. The complexities of the nitty-gritty details of love affair and arguments between the love couple, were explicitly and articulately portrayed. Gautham's success starts from the sketching of his characters. They all look familiar, just like any other individuals next door, but to shape them up in just pure writing, is an extraordinary feat. The lead pair has depth in their characterizations and look realistic, believable, and contemporary, which makes it relatable for any young, urban folks out there. The imperfections, the egoism, the hustle and tussle, the pressure, the disappointments, joy, sorrow, and the powerful, deep love between the lead characters, were just beautifully portrayed. Dialogues are extremely nuanced, and measured, smartly written but are of the heavy-duty category. And also, Gautham smartly makes sure that the names of the lead pair are mentioned constantly throughout the film, which convinces our minds to register those characters as Varun and Nithya, instead of just Jiiva and Samantha. The love portrayed here is more organic and natural since, it has a beginning from childhood and we see it develop through their teens and early adulthood. All these does not stop only with the characters of the lead pair, but also extends to the supporting characters, especially to family members of the hero. However, the pace of the film suffers, especially in the climax, which moves in a leisurely pace, which can test the patience of many viewers.
'Neethane En Ponvasantham' is not just another love story from Gautham, but a complete dissection of the love relationship between a man and a woman, who are filled with imperfections, but are expected to behave favorably towards each other. A definite cult-status worthy film in a decade or two and a classic in the romance genre in Tamizh cinema.
Ratings: 3/5 STARS
BY:TAMIL
Director Sargunam is back with a fresh, period film after the sleeper hit Kalavaani. Sargunam should be praised for handling a difficult subject in his second film itself, though this was his first script. He is known for the minute detailing, which was evident in Kalavaani and his earthy comedy portions. He teams up with the same team which delivered Kalavaani apart from few artistes and technicians.
Vimal continues his good run here, this time as an aspiring teacher. He got all his emotions and mannerisms right. He could have dealt more with the voice modulations and dialogue delivery because it sounds the same in all his movies. Apart from that, there's nothing else to complain about him. The debuting heroine Iniya aka Shruthi, who made an appearance as Cheran's sister in "Yudham Sei" has impressed us with her emotions and body language. She scores in the scene where she pours her heart out to Vimal and getting disappointed with the end result. Sargunam has etched out the heroine's role very well but her mannerisms are more contemporary and does not look like someone who belongs to the 60's era and that too from a remote village. Anyways, she should he applauded and it's a good chance missed for Amala Paul who was the original choice for that role. The supporting casts like Bhagyaraj, Thambi Ramaiah, Ponvannan, Thennarasu, Suri and etc are life-like and very natural. Kumaravel should be accounted for special appraisal for his role as the old "Kuruvikaarar". The group of small kids are natural as well and they make the scenes more lively.
Vaagai Sooda Vaa is of high-quality product when it comes to the technical aspects. Cheenu, the assistant of Sabu Cyril has done a wonderful job in recreating a whole rural/rustic village of the 60's from scratch. All the detailing from, the hut houses, to the properties on the set, the vehicles used, everything drips in hard work and minute details. Cheenu has certainly made his mentor proud. Debuting music director Gibran scores very well in both soundtracks and background score department and certainly raises the question of why he was not used in films before this. The songs are very contemporary yet it suits the period film very well."Senga Soolakaara", "Porane Porane" and " Sara Sara Kaathu" are the pick of the lots. Gibran has a very bright future in Tamizh cinema and looking forward to seeing him coming out with more film soundtracks. Cinematographer Om Prakash adds weight-age to this film and Vaagai Sooda Vaa will be one of his best works in his career. He gives the right sepia tone throughout the film to match the sets created and to bring the barren, dry looks of the hot land. "Sara Sara Kaathu" song was picturized beautifully and each shot was done in a very poetic manner. The fish going up the tree shot was brilliant. Editor Raja Mohammed could have done better in the first half to make the movie move faster. Costume designer Natraj's work was also natural and he should be commended for doing a hard research. KP Sasikumar's make-up especially on Kumaravel was brilliant.
Sargunam has a very good and tender message to convey through this film but it takes a long time to deliver the message, especially with the lengthy first half and the songs in the second half slow down the proceedings even more. Sargunam's detailing is very evident throughout the film. The settings, the society of that generation, the culture, the beliefs and customs, the communication style, everything was done in detail and class with no mistakes or faults. He has included lots of smile-worthy scenes such as the maths riddle between Vimal and Thambi Ramaiah, Vimal's problem with a particular goat, the kids' apprehension towards a new teacher and their mischievousness, Iniya's interest in Vimal and etc.
In conclusion, Sargunam has dished out a neat, decent, thoughtful movie with pleasant emotions, wonderful music and in-depth perfect detailing. It would have been better if the screenplay was trimmed a little.
Ratings: 3/5 STARS
BY:TAMIL
Veppam, became the first film produced by Gautham Menon's Photon Kathaas, after the company pulled out of Suseendran's Azhagarsamiyin Kudhirai project. This film which happens to have a former associate of Gautham, Anjana Ali Khan as the director, evoked good initial curiosity among the viewers with the slickly made trailer and for Joshua Sridhar's music. It has a very young cast and crew and it was expected to deliver a good product. In the end, the film did not click much with the audience, because of the lack in-depth in the script.
Nani, the Telugu actor made a decent entry to Tamizh cinema with this film in a rugged character. He maintained a good body language throughout the film and he can improve more on the expressions aspect. Karthik Kumar finally came out of the stereotypical roles of "foreign mappilai" which he is always associated with. As the mechanic, he has given his best acting so far and he did very well in the emoting section, especially with the good use of his eyes. Nithya Menen has nothing much to offer plus the dubbing voice used for her doesn't match at all with her character. The voice is too polished and suave for a character brought up in a slum. Bindhu Madhavi, scored more on acting front among the ladies as a commercial sex worker though both the ladies has limited screen presence. Muthukumar who did the role of Nani's elder brother was riveting and rugged too and the use of Gautham Vasudev Menon's voice for him was very much apt. The rest of the cast was true to their roles though not all of them has a well-etched out ones'.
The biggest asset for this film on technical front is Joshua Sridhar's music. After chartbusters in Kadhal and Kalloori, this man was missing in action and it's a very much welcomed relief to have him back. Among the songs, Mazhai Varum and Kaatrile Eeram are the standouts and are his personal best as well. Om Prakash's cinematography is another added support to this film. His picturizations resonates the mood of the scene and switches alternatively from dark, to bright to soft and warm. He captured the interiors of the small, cramped houses of the characters very well, and the Mazhai Varum song was brilliantly shot with the correct choice of colors in that song. Rajashekar's stunts, especially the climax fight was impressive. Anthony must have had a walk in the park in the editing department.
Anjana Ali Khan has set this film in North Madras, which is turning out to be the favourite of Tamizh cinema directors after Madurai in terms of geographical aspect of a film's setting. She should have perfected the script even more, as the story only picks up the heat in the second half and added also it moves back and forth for a few times, thanks to a number of incidents thrown into because of unnecessary number of characters, which doesn't really sit well with the audiences making them to feel disconnected with their interest for the film.
Veppam could have been more riveting and nail biting, if the script underwent more work though the intentions of the director was honest and sincere.
Ratings: 2/5 STARS
BY:TAMIL
