ANJAAN MOVIE REVIEW

Thirrupathi Brothers has finally released their biggie of the season, and its none other than the very, very highly anticipated Suriya-N.Lingusamy project, 'Anjaan' ! Both Suriya and N.Lingusamy is back after personal highs with the 'Singam II's success for the former, whereas the latter enjoyed his run of success in distributing some medium-budget films. In collaborating with UTV Motion Pictures, which released it in record number of cinemas, the project has created a huge anticipation among fans of Suriya across the globe. Can they hit the bull's eye and rake in the moolah ?

For the powerhouse performer in Suriya, 'Anjaan' seems to be a pedestrian affair for his caliber. The stylish makeover, makes him look fantabulous on screen, and he has good screen presence, throughout the film. He carries the entire film on his shoulders and its an out-and-out Suriya flick, indeed. Samantha Ruth Prabhu is at her most glamorous avatar thus far in Tamizh cinema and that's about it. Nothing more, nothing less for a quintessential Tamizh cinema heroine ! The buff and manly Vidyut Jamwal has a role of equal importance as with Suriya's but the dubbing and light-hearted manner of his character leaves no impact on screen. But still kudos to this guy, for pulling off his elaborate stunt sequence all by himself ! The most unforgivable inclusion in the casting is of Manoj Bajpai's, as the antagonist. Its a sheer waste of talent for casting him in this poorly-written role, which is a disgrace to the brilliant performer's acting histrionics ! Soori and Brahmanandam (obviously as an attraction for the Telugu folks !) are there for the unwanted comedy portions and the others in the cast were Dalip Tahil, Murali Sharma, Asif Basra, Joe Malloori, Chetan Hansraj, Manobala, Sanjana Singh and etc and most of them looked so out of place, due to the bad lip-syncing and dubbing !

Deepali Noor, one of the most sought after costume designer of the industry, takes care of the costume designing in 'Anjaan'. Her warm and dark colored attires for Suriya, gives him a smashing makeover and it suits this specific hair/facial hair style, used for this film. Samantha looked gorgeous, be it in the conservative attires or even the skimpy clothes, worn for the songs. Better handling and focus could be given for Vidyut Jamwal, whom lacked style and Manoj, who looked unnecessarily too colorful. The action choreography is handled by Silva and his work needs special mention. The action blocks looked fantastic, yet powerful and realistic at the same time. Suriya's aptitude in pulling of such action blocks, adds more zing to the sequences and Vidyut Jamwal too has his own action block, in the second half. Excellent work by Silva ! Hot-shot editor, Anthony's cuts were brilliant as usual, and there's a very good smooth transition between each shots, but he should have definitely trimmed a bulk of unwanted scenes, due to the excessive running time of nearly 3 hours ! Rajeevan handles the art department and his work have the film a rich and glossy look, especially with the bar and hotel sequences and the set properties for the song sequences. Ace cinematographer Santosh Sivan ASC, ISC rocks with the Red Dragon Camera, fitted with 'Angenieux Lens'. His cinematography work and the bright yellow and warm color ambiance, adds more sheen and glossiness to the film. His angle placements, framing and camera movements for the action sequences, are the real highlights of the film, especially for the pre-interval stunt scene ! 

Yuvan Shankar Raja has delivered chart-busters, with his previous N.Lingusamy collaborations. But with 'Anjaan' the songs are just pretty passable and sounds ordinary, without the touch of magic and charm in them. "Bang Bang Bang !" is the opening introductory-sort of song for Suriya's mobster role. There are plenty of action montages interspersed in this song, which had a rich in color, upmarket bar setup, done by Rajeevan. Also, do check out the song for the special appearance of the hot Swedish-Iranian model/actress/choreographer Maryam Zakaria ! "Kaadhal Aasai" is a love song, shot on the lead pair, with plenty of montages and some dialogues, beautifully framed by Santosh Sivan, though the Sufi-styled song did not suit the proceeding. "Oru Kan Jaadai" is a fast number shot on the lead pair, and has the popular Miramar beach in Goa, as its backdrop. Fans of Samantha, don't miss out this song ! The pick of the album, is the peppy dance number, "Ek Do Theen", sung by Suriya himself. The song was shot in the picturesque location of Morjim, Goa. The cinematography and dance choreography complemented the feel and nature of the song's mood. "Sirippu En" is an item number and the final song of the film. Bollywood actress Chitrangada Singh, dons the item girl role and the lighting of Santosh gives the song the right mood, though the final output lacked the oomph factor. Yuvan Shankar Raja's background score was a letdown in many places and some of the film's signature hook-lines sounds insipid and unintentionally funny. Least expected from Yuvan Shankar Raja !

Let's get straight to the point. 'Anjaan' is possible the worst product to come from N.Lingusamy's directorial stable ! Its not because he is a bad filmmaker, but he has set high standards for how a contemporary commercial/'masala' Tamizh film should be and its time he has a retrospective view of his own past films, to amend his mistakes. The film is so lifeless, dull, uninspiring and has gaping loopholes, with no attempt in coming up with an organic development of emotional contents ! Brinda Sarathi's dialogues may sound powerful, but it all fell flat, due to the below average staging and execution of the sequences by N.Lingusamy. Giving a stylish makeover for the lead protagonist and having a maverick cinematographer will not hold the audience's attention for much longer than 15 minutes. What's inexcusable is the languorous approach with the screenplay, which takes its own sweet time in unraveling and delivering the guns. How is it possible for N.Lingusamy to overlook such fundamental aspects, especially when his previous films such as 'Run' and 'Sandakozhi', had brilliantly fast-paced screenplays, with the right amount of 'masala' elements ? Because of this, even the atypical, N.Lingusamy's trademark surprises and twists in the plot, which always ooze wonderful zing and power, goes kaput ! There's no character delineation in the film, which leaves us with half-baked characters and as mentioned earlier, its totally unforgivable, especially when you have talented artistes such as Suriya, Manoj Bajpai, Samantha and etc as your cast ! Like it or not, Suriya & N.Lingusamy has 'Anjaan' as a very ugly mark in their repertoire of films. D-I-S-A-P-P-O-I-N-T-M-E-N-T ! Big time !

'Anjaan' - Reportedly, Suriya & N.Lingusamy have discarded 3-4 scripts before zeroing on this. Now, that sounds scarily worrying !


Ratings: 2.25/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL

THUPPAAKKI MOVIE REVIEW

An eagerly awaited film, especially by the fans of 'Ilaiyathalapathy' Vijay, 'Thuppaakki' ticks all the boxes of a potential box-office hit must-haves. A big hero, a big director, a legendary cinematographer, decent music director, good action, drama, comedy, songs and etc. Every ingredient is there, so did 'Thuppaakki' fire on all cylinders ? Pretty much, yes !!

The film obviously belongs to the hero, Vijay. He oozes confidence and style throughout the film. He carries the film for most period of the screenplay duration. His experience in dancing and fighting skills are very well written and watched, so there's no need of more elaboration on it. Its the actual acting performance which must be scrutinized and Vijay comes out unscathed. There is nothing to complain about his performance. He had a field day throughout this project and it must have been a walk-in-the-park for him. His comfortableness with Hindi and English gives his character more realistic touch and ingenuity  Vidyut Jamwal, plays a perfect foil to Vijay's lead role and he was menacing in his role. Brooding, full of machismo and debonair looks, Vidyut underplayed his character, which elevates the intensity and tension of the battle between the protagonist and him. Kudos to him ! Kajal Aggarwal though has nothing to perform and was there just as an eye-candy during comedy and song sequences. Though Ragini Sri's dubbing matched the tomboyish character which Kajal Aggarwal played, sadly it did not fit for her image and looks awkward. Sathyan makes a commendable presence throughout the film, and he too underplayed his character, which was heartening. Jayaram, was a scream, especially in the coffee-house sequence, and was a pleasant comedy relief. The rest of cast such as Manobala, Zakir Hussain, Anupama Kumar, Deepthi Nambiar were adequate with Meenakshi and Akshara Gowda making cameo appearances. 

A.S Lakshmi Narayanan's sound recording was apt and neat, especially during the encounter sequences. Kamal Shahani and S.Rajendran's costume designing was simple yet stylish for Vijay and also pretty for Kajal. Sunil Babu's art designing was adequate and apt for the movie with minimal touches, especially for the song sequences and props for some sequences involving the antagonist, which made things look natural and realistic. Kecha Khamphakdee of the Jaika Stunt team, has choreographed some stunning action sequences, especially in the warehouse, during the kidnapping sequence though, the climax fight sequence could have been better. Sreekar Prasad's editing was a big boost for the film, because it kept the pace of the film from not slowing down and his fast-cuts for the action sequences were flawless. India's most popular and celebrated cinematographer Santosh Sivan delivers his flawless work as well and this time, his work is more gritty and captures the raw and urbanized mood of Mumbai very well. Die-hard fans of Santosh might be disappointed because of the lack of scenes, which has his trademark establishment-shots. Overall, it was a flawless work indeed from Santosh Sivan. The usage of ARRI camera lends more authenticity to the look and feel of the film and it must have been a proud issue for A.R Murugadoss to have his film as the first to bear Santosh Sivan's name with the honorary ASC-status. 

Harris Jeyaraj's numbers were hummable and listen-worthy, though nothing was excellent or extraordinary. The opening song "Kutti Puli Koottam" was a refreshing one, for a Vijay film. It has some of Santosh Sivan's trademark misty shots, captured in lush, green fields and at a riverbed, with military men having fun, fooling around and dancing with the protagonist. "Antartica" is a peppy song, shot within a stadium and gym complex surrounding, with the hero trying to woo the heroine, who is an active sportsperson. "Alaikka" is a typical dance number which captures Vijay's wonderful dancing skills. The lighting and set properties were grand, yet looked simple and perfect with gold-themed set work. The chart-buster song, "Google Google" was shot in a Bangkok club, with dazzling lighting and funky dance movements with Santosh Sivan and A.R Murugadoss making cameo appearances. "Vennilave" was shot in Geneva around snow-capped mountains and green fields. Interestingly this song was shot by Natraj, the popular Bollywood cinematographer and has his trademark Bollywood-style glossy cinematography. "Poi Varavaa" is the situational finale song, depicting the leaving of military men to their camps after their holidays, which was shot in the railway station, capturing the poignant moments of the military men and their family members. The theme track, "Jagdish on Mission" plays throughout the film, which sizzles during the crucial moments. Harris's background score was better compared to his recent releases and he has tried some unique scores, keeping the Mumbai milieu in mind. 

A.R Murugadoss, did what he can do best - to come up with a racy and taut screenplay, with some interesting action sequences. The highlight of it was the encounter scene of 12 sleeper cell members, which was brilliantly conceived and shot. The cat-and-mouse chase between the protagonist and antagonist, keeps the audiences hooked to the film. The film was packaged very well and works out big time due to the engrossing screenplay which has some sensibilities in it. Though the majority of the script was well conceived and executed, some minor blips are here and there, with plenty of questions going unanswered and the director taking some liberty by infusing typical commercial dramatic elements or sequences into the screenplay, adhering to elevate and propagate the mass image of lead hero Vijay. Additional brownie points to the director for some intelligent dialogues here and there and for not overdoing the commercial formula of Tamizh cinema. After an unfavoured reception for '7am Arivu', A.R Murugadoss has bounced back strongly, with a tautly written script, which is his specialty and reminds us of his previous works such as 'Dheena' and 'Ghajini', which were all good commercial films. 

'Thuppaakki' is a sure-shot winner for the makers and an engrossing entertainer for the audiences. Party time for Vijay and A.R Murugadoss !

Ratings: 3.5/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL

BILLA 2 MOVIE REVIEW

Billa 2 - The most expected film of 2012, not only because of Ajith Kumar but also for the character that he played. Thanks to the excellent marketing and promotional activities, the hype and expectations grew many fold. The trailers and teasers were a class apart from the other films, and the standard was expected to set the bar of commercial cinema several levels higher. A gigantic opening is ensured since it has Ajith but will it satisfy the audiences' expectations completely?

The film has a different set of artistes performing and making their debut in Tamizh cinema. First and foremost, the heart and pivot of the film Ajith is a magnet. He just pulls the attention of the audiences, even if he just walks or appears in a scene. His mannerism and appearance were stylish to the core. His usage of his eyes to convey emotions is a strength to his character. Of course, not to be missed is his daring stunt sequences, especially the fight in the helicopter. The charismatic and gorgeous actor, could have reduced his weight to look younger since this is a prequel, so that it is in tune with the first installment. Two leading ladies, Parvathy Omanakuttan and Bruna Abdalah make their debut here. Sorry to say, they don't have anything to offer except to showcase the rocking body, especially the latter. No dialogues, no scenes to emote. (Not their fault, though). Sudhanshu Pandey and Vidyut Jamwal make their debut as the antagonists. Sudhanshu prepared well for his role to look older than his age (kudos to him for dubbing himself) and Vidyut performed his deadly stunt scenes perfectly. But they too have nothing much to contribute or to make an impression. The rest of the cast, Yog Japee, Manoj K.Jayan, Rahman, Ilavarasu, Sriman, Sricharan, Rohit Khurana, Dinesh Lamba, Daniel Kaleb, E.Karthik, Janaki Sabesh, Sarath Mandava, 'Theepatti' Ganes and etc did what was expected from them. We get to also see some hot girls such as Meenakshi Dixit, Gabriela Bertante and Nicole Amy Madell appearing in the songs.

This film has very high technical work and they should be individually appreciated and for their wonderful work. Nithya and Rafi's costume designing was stylish, in order to make the lead artistes to look good and the style was not too contemporary keeping in mind, the period the script is set in. Choreograph by Raju Sundaram, Aadil Shaikh & Fareeda and Ahmed Khan was okay, and only "Madurai Ponnu" had good dance movements. The VFX work under the supervision of Madhu Sudhanan by Reliance Media Works, Tata Elxsi and Future works was okay as well but the sequence where a car was shot and burst into flames, had bad quality in graphics. Stephen Gomes' sound effects was brilliant, especially the action sequences where gun shots, machetes, bomb blasts and etc were recorded realistically. The highlight of the action sequences is the stunt. They were very well choreographed and neatly executed. German based Stefan Richter, Kecha Khamphakdee's Jaika Stunt team and K.Rajasekhar are the stunt choreographers and their stunts were in sync throughout the film and apt with the characters that they choreographed for. V.Selvakumar's production crew did well with the sets, be it the whore house, gun factory, small restaurant, club house and etc. The props used, especially cell phones, cars and weaponry were specifically designed keeping in mind with the older period since this is a prequel. Suresh Urs's editing could have been better by making the film look racier with the screenplay as it lags, though it runs for just above 2 hours. Cinematographer R.D Rajasekar has done an awesome job with the RED EPIC Camera. Every shot has good detailing and the camera gives the film a very glossy look, with right correction in the color tones. The sequences shot in Georgia was beautiful and R.D once again proves why he is the man to can action sequences. A search is always visible and that makes the action sequences look better. Definitely it will be one of his best work in his career.

Yuvan Shankar Raja's music especially the background score is good but there's nothing much of variation from the previous installment of 'Billa' and some portions reminds one of Hans Zimmer's score in 'The Dark Knight'. Songs are average though but the picturization was even more average though the RED EPIC camera was used. "Madurai Ponnu" was the best picturized with good lighting and art work with earthy colors and top of that hot girls as dancers with Meenakshi Dixit leading the troupe. "Idhayam" is a mellifluous song and one of the best compositions from Yuvan. It was picturized on Parvathy running in slow-motion along the beach with intercepts of her scenes prior to the song. "Gangster" song had Yuvan making his cameo but it was reduced to a mere credits song with intercepts of blooper scenes. "Yedho Mayakkam" the best dance number had awesome girls like Nicole Amy Madell and Gabriela Bertante with Ajith, Sudhanshu and Bruna as well but the concept was poorly etched out and was boring to watch. The color tone and lighting was good, though. "Unakkulle Mirugam" was shot with many scenes of Ajith showing his rise to the status of a don but it was infused with graphics, resembling graphic novel style used by Guy Ritchie in his 'RocknRolla' film. Though its an interesting idea, but it was totally unnecessary and an awkward thing to do. The "Billa 2 Theme Music" is a fantastic score from Yuvan and will be remembered for its haunting mood.

There is saying which goes like this, "Too many cooks spoil the broth" This film had the story written by Chakri Toleti, Eric Felberg (creative consultant) and Sarath Mandava (assistant director) and the screenplay was written by the same trio with an additional member in another assistant, Mohammed Jaffer. So did they "spoil the broth" indeed? Actually no. They did not even cook a broth!! What these four individuals can do, is to take the script of Oliver Stone's 'Scarface' and simplify or 'Indianize' it. Except for Ajith and Yog Japee, and Ilavarasu, the rest of them, all looked like caricatures. There's no strength in the characters and most of them are shallow. The film has no spark or zing or charisma and contains plenty of loopholes and unnecessary graphic violence. They should have realized that the film has grown from just a mere attraction of Ajith, to the intriguing factor of David Billa. Being a prequel, this film should have addressed how David Billa became the dreaded mafia of the underworld. Instead, we were just shown snippets of some photographs and the process of few dozens of shootings and man-slaughterings by Billa to raise his stake. There's no connectivity between the audience and the characters and no one understands why Billa is the kind of a person he is, which is what the main aim of a prequel should be! Instead we only get to see gun shots, bomb blasts, people dying and hot gals prancing around. The sad fact is that, the movie did not even evoke 5% of satisfaction which you get by watching the trailers. If there is any relief for the fans, it is the brilliant dialogues of Era.Murukan with the assistance of Mohammed Jaffer. The film is replete with stunning dialogues for Ajith and when he utters them, the effect manifolds. 

Conclusion: Billa 2 - HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT.......


Ratings: 2/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL