Vetrimaaran's production company Grass Root Film Company, has produced this medium budget flick, interestingly titled as 'Poriyaalan', meaning an engineer ! The film's plot is based on civil engineering projects and the protagonist plays a civil engineer (Vetrimaaran and Dhanush, seem to be on the same wavelength !). Written by Manimaran, who previously wielded the megaphone for Vetri's 'Udhayam NH4' and directed by debutante Thanukumar, can Vetrimaaran produce a quality output ?
Harish Kalyan looks comfortable and at ease in essaying his role. But he lacks screen presence and charisma to hold our attention, which he should improve, if he's to do more protagonist roles. Rakshitha/Hasika/Anandhi (hope she zeroes a name, very soon !) looks demure and fits the bill. She has a pleasing personality and comes out with subtle performances. With better directors and scripts, she can go places. Achutha Kumar was functional was the atypical Tamizh cinema villain, whereas its veteran artiste Mohan Raman, who surprises us with a terrifically nonchalant performance ! The rest of the cast includes 'Delhi' Ganesh, Naren, Mayilsamy, Ajay Rathnam, 'Munnar' Ramesh, Udhayabanu Maheshwaran, 'Crane' Manohar, Bava Lakshmanan and etc.
'Tiger' Babu's action choreography may seem to be functional, but it just did not suit the personality of Harish Kalyan, and gives out an exaggerated feel, which definitely, is a turn off. G.B Venkatesh's editing is slick and he keeps the pace of racy, especially in the second half, bar some unwanted songs and stunt scenes. R.K Vijay Murugan's art work sufficed the needs of the script. His set properties were very apt, especially for the middle-class homes depicted in the film. R.Velraj is in charge of cinematography and though the ace cinematographer tries his best to come up with good visuals, the quality is obviously missing. The songs look lackluster and even his forte of night shots, look dull.
M.S Jones' music is below average and none of the songs, manage to stick with our minds. "Porappu Erappu" is the introductory song for the protagonist and the song has a celebration theme, with low-cost flats, as its background. Gana Bala makes a cameo appearance in this song. "Kan Rendum" sung by G.V Prakash Kumar and Saindhavi, is a melody shot on the lead pair and has full of montage sequences, which doesn't really leave any impressive impression on us. "Yedhedho Sila" is another melody shot on the lead pair and this romance track was shot on the backwaters of Alleppy, Kerala and has its famous houseboats, as a venue. "Haryana Devathai" is an item number, which was unfortunately, very boring. The background score was overwhelming and often drowns the proceeding of the screenplay. M.S Jones, should be more careful with his rerecording and try not to overdo his work.
Manimaran's story is a very simple thriller plot line, which has the typical scandals and scams being the main theme. The screenplay was neat and plays safe by incorporating all the commercial elements into it, but the story picks up pace in the second half and the detailing is worth mentioning. We get to see the other side of civil engineers, real estate projects, brokers & agents and all the hanky-panky issues of that side of the world, which we might not know. Though the film is filled with realistic approaches, the negative points of the film, brings down the thrill quotient. The film lacks energy and strong characterizations. The characters have a basic sketch about them, but other than that, the characters lack depth and is pretty insipid. Mohan Raman's character was a surprise exception ! The romance, comedy and song sequences really pulls down the momentum of screenplay but Manimaran tries to keep us engaged with some poignant touches here and there, especially in the manner the protagonist faced and managed his love affair, once it becomes an open secret. The dialogues are crisp in those portions, but the execution in the direction department by Thanukumar is not up to mark. The film has a good content and subject matter but it faltered in the making.
'Poriyaalan' - A B-grade thriller, not going right !
Ratings: 2.25/5 STARS
BY:TAMIL
After 'Udhayam NH4', the main technicians of that team has regrouped again for another of Vetrimaaran's assistant, Prithvi Rajkumar's debut film. 'Naan Rajavaaga Pogiren' has Nakul making a comeback after a 4-year hiatus, accompanied by some new and old faces of Tamizh cinema, filling up the character artistes quotient. Aided by Vetrimaaran, did Prithvi Rajkumar live up to his mentor's name ?
Starting off with the cast, Nakul shows some improvement in his performance. He shows more ease and comfort in the action sequences and his dialogue delivery. But as Jeeva, his diminutive-in-heroism act was on the poorer side of the acting scale. The acting was not convincing and natural, and the 'forced' attempt to act was visible. Poor extraction from the director, perhaps ? Chandini, has the more substantial role of the heroines. She has been accorded more screen space and the heavier performance-enhancing scenes. Avani Modi, is too static and conscious of the presence of the camera. Savitha dubs for the former, while Chinmayee takes care of the latter's. But Avani Modi's performance suffers, due to the mismatch in dubbing sync. Directors Gaurav and A.Venkatesh carry the antagonist roles, and they look apt for the characters they portrayed, though there's nothing particular to praise about. The film has a glut of character artistes such as Nishanth, Manivannan, Kasthuri, Suresh, Vanitha Vijayakumar, Chetan, Muthuraman, Simhaa, Vasu Vikram, 'Delhi' Ganesh, Thiyagu, Mayilsamy, Aarthi and etc and all of them were functional.
Dhilip Subbarayan has choreographed solid action sequences, with the element of kick-boxing, fitting the style of Nakul's. The cricket ground and mall fight sequences, were very professionally done. G.Durairaj's art direction was decent. His art work for the posh apartment sequences, the half-built construction sites, and minute details such as posters and props, were decent works, indeed. Mabbu Jyothiprakash's editing work is functional, but he could have chopped of plenty of scenes, so that the film could have been more racier, with better continuity. R.Velraj proves his class again, with very good framing and camera movements, which creates and aura of suspense and thrill. His night shots are very well shot, and his best works of the film is evident in the mentioned action sequences !
G.V Prakash Kumar, who has been on a role, with a string of decent hits, takes a dip in form in , 'Naan Rajavaaga Pogiren'. The songs were dull and none of the number's were catchy enough ! "College Paadam" is a customary college-intro song, with plenty of good looking female dancers and shot mostly in and around the college campus. Plenty of cut-shots and good camera movements are incorporated into the song. Vetrimaaran, R.Velraj and G.V Prakash make cameo appearances in the song. "Raja Raja" is a montage song, showing the moments shared by the characters played by Nakul and Avani Modi, with dialogue sequences interspersed. "Kalaaipom" is a party song sung by Silambarasan, with all dancers appearing in particular dress codes. The song was shot on all three lead artistes and with different lights used in the backdrop to create a party atmosphere. "Yaar Ivano" was shot on Nakul and Chandini, romancing along the picturesque Goan beaches and landmarks. "Malgova" is a typical item song and Zarine Khan does the jig this time around. The song was poor in quality and the choice of totally-out-of-shape Zarine as an item girl, is a bewildering one by the director. The song was set in a shooting-like scenario. The background score was better than the songs, to be frank. Especially for the tensed moments.
Prithvi Rajkumar has an interesting knot to his story and a clever title. But what's totally missing is an acute and engrossing screenplay ! It is obvious that, Prithvi's style of film-making has a heavy sense of Vetrimaaran's touch, but the screenplay and direction was poorer in quality. The film moves in a very slow pace with a barrage of social messages, thrust into the film, unnecessarily. The usage of monologues was excessive, which gets boring after a certain period. The direction was hurried and there's no proper execution in canning important sequences. Characters were very not properly developed nor the artistes were properly utilized. Surprisingly, Vetrimaaran's dialogues were just handy enough and nothing impressive, in particular.The only plus point one could think of is the cleverly used red herring element in the screenplay, and the rest of the film is just a cover-up for it, which unfortunately plays spoilsport.
'Naan Rajavaaga Pogiren' - Good idea, below average execution.
Ratings: 2.25/5 STARS
BY:TAMIL
'Udhayam NH4', was an ambitious project of Vetrimaaran with his buddy Dhanush, which unfortunately did not materialize into a full-fledged film. Now, the script has been handed down to an associate of Vetri and has a different cast, than what was initially drawn. With the big contribution of Vetrimaaran, who is known for his fantastic writing, in the scripting stage, this film promises a good and neat thriller. So, did Manimaran live up to Vetri's standard ?
Siddharth, is once again back after his last success, 'Kadhalil Sodhapuvadhu Eppadi'. He pulls in a very restrained and nonchalant performance. There is a no non-sense approach to his character, which is kind of laid-back and casual, but smart and witty. His dialogue delivery was very measured. But, somehow his role looks too obviously written with Dhanush in mind, and there are plenty of sequences, where you can imagine Dhanush and see how fitting he is for the character. No discredits to Siddharth, but the 'presence' of Dhanush in the script was inevitable, in the end. Debutant Ashrita Shetty (Devapriya has dubbed for her), fits the role of an under-aged girl, but more emotions and expressions are warranted, if she aspires to survive in the industry. Veteran Hindi artiste, Kay Kay Menon was terrific in his role as the cop. His timing and cool persona, added with the rough and arrogant nature of his job, helps him to pull off a brilliant performance. Welcome to Tamizh cinema, Kay Kay ! The rest of the cast such as Naren, Avinash, Surekha Vaani, Karthik Sabesh, Deepak, Ajay, Rohit Balaiah and etc, especially the friends characters of Siddharth were adequate.
The film carries very good technical works from the technical department. Anu and Priya's costume was adequate for each artistes' roles. Dhilip Subbarayan's stunt choreography was raw and gritty, especially the ones' done in the climax and in the clubbing arena. G.Durairaj's art work was good, especially when one is has to deal with lower budgets. The interiors of the Bengaluru apartments, as well as clubbing houses, were well detailed and convincing, but the tight spaces do show off. Kishore T.E's editing was razor sharp. There are no spaces in between dialogues, and the cuts comes in a rapid manner ! S.Saravanan handles the editing for two of the songs, which were neatly handled. R.Velraj once again proves that he is one of the best cinematographers in Tamizh cinema. The gripping, stylish and roving cinematography complements the thrill element of the script. And he is certainly one of the best, in filming darkly-lit sequences. Check out his cameo appearance in the film, as well !
G.V Prakash Kumar, who is on a roll with big films in his kitty, continues his decent form in 'Udhayam NH4' as well. "Vaa Iravugalil", is the opening number, picturized on the gang of Siddharth and his buddies, getting used to the colorful and lively night life of Bengaluru, especially in clubs and discotheques. The fast-cut editing by S.Saravanan, keeps the racy element intact and the creative statutory warning infused in between the song, was interesting. "Ore Kannaale" is a situational song and has the singer Gaana Bala, making an appearance as well. The song was picturized on a street-stage performance model, and has quirky dance moves. "Yaaro Ivan" is the melodious number, with plenty of montage sequences, shot on the lead pair, romancing in and around Bengaluru, along the beaches, streets, mall, college campus and etc. "Indrodu Thadaigal" is another fast-paced song, with neat editing by S.Saravanan and colorful lighting by R.Velraj, and G.Durairaj's set work was adequate. The background score was a little loud, and could have been more racier.
Vetrimaaran, once again proves that he is very good with his writing skills. He takes credit for the story and dialogues, and also pens the screenplay along with the director Manimaran. There's nothing new in the story, but the racy screenplay and clean narration, makes the film to click. The intelligent and unexpected twists and turns adds to the fun quotient. The comedy portions were very well handled, and Vetrimaaran's organic dialogues played a big part. The director has handled the script well, by infusing sensible, small detailing in the film, which adds more authenticity to the film (including the voice dubbing by Deepa Venkat). But Manimaran could have given more attention to the hero's role, in order to erase the 'presence' of Dhanush's personality into Siddharth's role. Besides that, disappointingly, there are some small loopholes and loose-ends in the script, which should have been rectified. The films moves in a fast pace in the first half, but looses the tautness in the second half, after key moments have gone through.
'Udhayam NH4' is a clean-cut film, which delivered what it promised. Nothing less, nothing more. A simple and clean commercial thriller, with good performances and technical outputs.
Ratings: 3/5 STARS
BY:TAMIL
One of the most eagerly expected movies of the year. After the big success of Polladhavan, the Dhanush-Vetrimaaran duo is back once again with this rooster-fight based film and what a show it was!! Vetrimaran has surely cemented his place as one of the finest contemporary directors of Tamizh cinema and thank GOD, Polladhavan's success was not a fluke. Making a rural based film is not new to Tamizh cinema, considering the fact that after the success of Paruthi Veeran and Subrmaniapuram, more Madurai based films have come out with it's share dose of violence and bloodshed. But what makes Aadukalam stand out is the different backdrop it's based on and the realistic portrayals of the human beings involved in such backdrop, in this case the playing field of rooster-fights. Definitely this is an international class film which makes us to be proud of.
One man which makes this movie so commendable is the lead hero Dhanush. What a performance from this guy who proved all the naysayers that he's a hero with substance and for breaking the stereotypical mould of a hero. This is certainly one of Dhanush's best performance after Kadhal Kondein and Pudhupettai. Vettrimaran has done a fantastic job of extracting the best from Dhanush after Selvaraghavan and Balu Mahendra. Every single movement, emotion and dialogue delivery of Dhanush is so life like that we must say that he has lived as Karuppu. No matter which scenes they are, from the joy he showed hearing the heroine loves him, the disappointment he faces learning the bitter truth, the loyalty he shows towards his mentor, the emotional scenes after the death of his mother and the determination of keeping his rooster still in the match, Dhanush has simply lived the role and his performance was mind blowing with the fluent accent of Madurai, delivered flawlessly. Certainly he's on the list next year for the best actor's awards nominations list. Literatuer Jayabalan as Pettaikaaran was a revelation with stunning body language and emotions conveyed through his eyes and not to forget the almost perfect dubbing of Radha Ravi for him.. Simply marvelous. Kishore once again was a powerhouse and the dubbing for him done by Samuthirakani was apt with the slang but it would have been much better if Kishore spoke in his own voice which would have been more impactful. New gal Tapsee carried the role of and Anglo Indian quite well but she still has a lot of catching up to do. All the small roles done by junior artistes were real and life like.
Technically the film is top notch with Velraj's cinematography being the important backbone of the film. All the small details of the ring side of rooster fight, the small and dingy houses and the shots of the roosters was awesome. The night effect shots was beautiful as well with minimal lights giving the surreal feel. The color tone used for the film is well matched with the theme of the movie. GV Prakash once again struck big time with his songs especially Yathe Yathe and Aiyaiyo Nenju being the highlights. The BGM adds weightage to the films quality. Art direction was perfect with every minute details drawn out from the ring side, the farm houses, the bar sets and also the Anglo Indian houses. Stunts by Rajasekhar was realistic with the last fight scene being the best of all the fight scenes in the film. All credits should go to Vetrimaaran the director for doing intense research and presenting the audience a totally different world of rooster fighting with sheer quality in presentation. The only drawback in the script is the slow second half where the screenplay takes time to unravel the reasons behind the riveting climax.
Final verdict, Aadukalam is just a touch of class and hope Vetrimaaran continues to present us with different themed films in the future with more quality in mind. A big thumbs up to him for making Tamizh cinema proud..
Rating: 4/5 STARS
BY: TAMIL
