'Ilayathalapathy' Vijay coming back to do his 6th film for 'Super Good Films' is quite a news, because it was this production house which produced most of his selected, few hits at the beginning stages of his career. Throw in one of the finest actors India ever produced, Mohanlal into the frame and the the expectations just ballooned sky-high. R.T Neason's 'Jilla' made all the noises for its commercial entertainment value. Did the director justify the presence of two larger-than-life heroes ?
As for Vijay, there's literally nothing new, when it comes to differentiating 'Jilla' from his previous flicks. He has firmly cemented himself in his comfort zone, and he had a gala time enacting the lead role of this film. Dance, comic timing, punch-dialogues, action sequence performance, a couple of sentimental scenes and that's about it. The man's definitely going to pull it off with aplomb, when he is doing it for the umpteenth time. Mohanlal comes out with a very dignified performance, befitting his age and repertoire. Even his facial muscles, can pull of the toughest of scenes ! A true legend, but sadly this movie does nothing much to accentuate that statement. Kajal Aggarwal looked pretty. Sufficed the need of the script. Soori dons the role of the main comedian for the first time in a big-hero flick and he comes out clean, though there's nothing much of scope for him. A battalion of character artistes are there in the film such as Mahat Raghavendra, Niveda Thomas, Sampath Raj, Pradeep Rawat, R.K, Thambi Ramaiah, 'Black' Pandi, Ravi Mariya, Poornima Bhagyaraj, Gautam Kurup, Vidyullekha Raman, Madhumitha, Jayabalan and etc, where most of them have been thrust with inconsequential roles and making a presence, for no apparent reasons.
Komal Shahani and S.Rajendran have done neat work with their costume designing, especially for Vijay and Mohanlal. Could have been better for Kajal's, though. The stunt department of the film, must have worked over-time, plenty of times for this film, with so many action blocks ! Silva's action choreography was very apt for Vijay's body language and one can say Silva had a big role in further elevating Vijay's heroism aspect. The first, the one in the middle (right before interval) and the climax fight sequences, were the best among the lot. Rajeevan's production design was rich and its quite obvious that no expense was spared, in terms of production, with so many props and set-work, especially for the songs. Editor Don Max, must have gone on snooze mode while editing, because the nearly 3 hour duration, has no single justification at all ! To be frank, the first one hour was just a total waste of time (and Money !). Ganesh Rajavelu's cinematography complemented the need of the script. Kudos for him for presenting Vijay and Mohanlal, in the right angles and frames, which gives their characters, the larger-than-life look and feel. Action sequences, are the highlights of Ganesh's work.
D.Imman continues his fine form, with some nice tracks in the film. The "Jilla Theme" track is present throughout the film, in important scenes. "Paattu Onnu" is the opening song which featured both Vijay and Mohanlal together, in a grand village festival kind of atmosphere, which was looked rich and mass ! The bonhomie shared between the two male leads, was cute. "Verasa Pogayile" was shot on a purpose-built set of streets, with colorful Tamil Nadu traditional folk dancers and their respective, elaborate costumes. The entire song was shot in a slow-motion effect, in tune with the song's feel. "Jingunamani" is an item song, which featured Scarlett Mellish Wilson in a special appearance. The set work by Rajeevan imbibed the mood of the song well, and Ganesh's lighting is a highlight. The pick of the lot from the album, "Kandaangi" sung by Shreya Goshal and Vijay himself, was shot on the lead pair, in the cool climates of Osaka and Kobe. The beautiful temple backdrop and colorful landscape is a treat for fans of such visuals. "Yeppa Mama" is the last song, which is atypical of commercial films, with back-up dancers, colorful sets and crazy dance movements. D.Imman is slowly becoming an acute composer, when it comes to background scoring, and he has proved his mettle with 'Jilla' as well.
R.T Neason, who previously directed the low-budget 2007 film 'Muruga', has the sole intention of making a mass, 'masala' film with two high-profile male actors. There's clearly no intention of writing a decent and engaging screenplay (apart from the climax), proper characterizations for the artistes, continuity and logic sense in the script. The writing is just simply farcical, and he has placed his bet only on Vijay & Mohanlal's pairing, coupled with some twists in the story-line. But apart from that, 'Jilla' is just a over-the-top film and its certainly a few steps backwards, when it comes to improving Tamizh cinema's quality. Most of the comedy sequences fell flat, completely and looks silly to the core ! The sole purpose of projecting Vijay as a mass, action star was the only thing R.T Neason has and could achieve with such a below-average script.
'Jilla' - Watch it if you don't mind adjusting your sensibilities and tastes for good cinema. The rating below is purely for the R.B Choudhary's production values and for the combo of Vijay & Mohanlal.
Ratings: 2.75/5 STARS
BY:TAMIL
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Suseenthiran, who made a promising start with 'Vennila Kabbadi Kuzhu' and followed up with successful films such as 'Naan Mahaan Alla' and 'Azhagarsamiyin Kudhirai', took a beating with his last project, the dreadful 'Rajapattai'. After a two year hiatus, he is back in his forte and has churned out a juvenile love story, with a relatively unknown and young cast and backed by a good script. Will 'Aadhalaal Kadhal Seiveer', be a springboard again for Suseenthiran ?
Santhosh Ramesh makes his debut as a lead actor, and he fits the role of an immature and hasty teenager. He has plenty of scope to improve on every facets of film acting. Timing is a very important aspect which he should improve a lot, if he wishes to pursue acting. Manisha Yadav Suresh performs well as the vulnerable and joyful youngster. Her role seems to be like an extension of her debut role she carried out in 'Vazhakku En 18/9. Better directors and stronger scripts and character writing could bring out better performances from her. The two character artistes, Jayaprakash and Thulasi as the parents of the heroine, were absolutely terrific in their performances as the distraught parents. These artistes brings out the best in them and made use of the scope offered by Suseenthiran, fantastically. It is almost unbelievable to believe that they are actually just artistes and are acting ! Hats-off to both of them. Poornima Bhagyaraj had a strong role as well but had quite limited time and screen presence in this film. Arjun brings a few chuckle as the 'Godfather' of love among the bunch of friends. The rest of the cast such as Ramnath Shetty, Archana Raha, Srinidhi Vasudevan, Anburaj and etc are apt.
D.Venkatesh's costume designing and H.K Suriya Prakash's make-up was very functional and apt, and all the characters looked very natural and realistic. Anal Arasu's action choreography was very realistic as well, since there were no actual fights and stunt sequences. S.Jayachandran's art direction expertise, sufficed the needs of the script. The props of the interiors of homes, were well noticed and arranged, since most of the film are shot in real locations. Anthony's editing was flawless and sharp, as the duration of the film is very crisp, keeping the proceedings neat and tidy. Soorya A.R's cinematography is functional and has captured the pertinent moments very well, with good usage of close-ups.
Yuvan Shankar Raja delivered good numbers in the film. "Mella Sirithal" is the opening track and was shot like a music video, on Marina beach, focusing on the bunch of youngsters involved in the script, with interspersing montages of various couples falling in love. "Alaipaayum" is another montage song, shot on the lead pair and their love escapades, in their daily lives. "Thappu Thanda" is a sensuous song, shot on the lead pair, in a set resembling a hotel room, which was very well designed by S.Jayachandran, with apt color palette, suiting the song. "Nenje Kel" and "Kaadhale" are situational bit-songs, used appropriately, while the final number, "Aaraaro" is a heart-wrenching one, which was shot on a small child in a foster home. The delicate and moments of the child was very well captured by the technical crew of the film. Yuvan sizzles in the background score department as well, and has delivered one of his best works in recent times. The score complements the needs and moods of the script, perfectly.
Suseenthiran has written this story based on an idea, pitched by Lenin Bharathi, who has been credited in the film. The screenplay has been well structured by a team of writers, including Suseenthiran himself, besides Nagarajan and Vijaya Ananth. The first half is a smooth and light-hearted delight, with funny and lively moments, among the bunch of friends portrayed in the film, as well as the blossoming love episode of the lead pair. There are a myriad of characters involved and kudos to Suseenthiran for having a keen eye of detail, and presenting them in an realistic and unforced manner. Also, Suseenthiran must be appreciated alongside C.Clyton for the simple, natural and realistic dialogues, be it for any episode in the film and any characters involved. It takes a lot of hard-work and proper research and some good maturity to handle such delicate but actual matters. What particularly strikes the most, is the nonchalant manner in which the love is portrayed between the lead pair without any gimmicks nor purposely written scene to enforce the love. It takes guts and lots of conviction to deliver such simple episodes, perfectly on the screen and Suseenthiran has done it like an ace ! The only minus one can come up, is the less sizzling and powerful emotional connect between the lead pair. Though juveniles are expected to be like that, a more powerful portrayal could have done more justice to the script. But still, kudos to Suseenthiran for the climax, which leaves a lump in the hearts of all viewers.
'Aadhalaal Kadhal Seiveer' - A brilliant comeback from Suseenthiran ! Concisely and conscientiously, done.
Ratings: 3.25/5 STARS
BY:TAMIL
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