'Attakathi' fame Dinesh, who had a decent outing with 'Cuckoo' has taken up a lead role with some commercial elements for the first time. 'Thirudan Police' is touted to be a melodramatic comedy fare, with some serious moments in between. Co-produced by S.P.B Charan, can debutante Caarthick Raju come up with a decent feel-good entertainer ?
Dinesh has chosen an apt script for him, where he can showcase his acting histrionics and at the same time, try his hand at comedy. He is convincing as the loafer turned constable, but at some places, he looks quite stiff and rigid. He must certainly improve his dancing capabilities and be more natural in the songs, as his uncomfortness romancing the heroine, is quite obvious. Iyshwarya Rajesh has nothing to offer here and only appears for some romance portions and song sequences. Muthuraman as the main antagonist was okay but its Rajendran and John Vijay who steals the thunder with their comedic acts. The pair complemented each other well and brought out the better comic timing from each other. The climax scene was hilarious ! Upcoming comedian Bala Saravanan is a riot with his dialogue deliveries and voice modulation. His natural demeanor works as a charm for him and sooner or later, he is sure to reach new heights ! Veteran Rajesh sparkles in his short role as a strict constable father and the others like Naren, Nitin Sathya, Krishnamoorthy, Renuka, Uma Iyer, Rajendranath, Vaiyapuri and etc make up the rest of the cast, with a very dignified special appearance from the legendary S.P Balasubrahmanyam.
Sruthi Kannath's costume designing sufficed the needs of the script and most of her work would have been on the heroine since the hero and the other main characters appear in police constable outfits, most of the time. Dhilip Subbarayan's action choreography was very realistic and apt and the highlight would be the jail lock-up fight scene involving Dinesh, Rajendran and John Vijay. The colony chase and the ensuing fight sequence, during the beginning of the movie. Art direction is by Jacki and the set properties for the police station set and also for the police housing colony was very realistic. The difference in class between a superior and a lower-level police officer was well showcased through the projection of their houses. Praveen K.L's editing was clean as usual and the fight sequences were very well edited. Siddharth's cinematography is functional and there's nothing really outstanding with his work, except for the fast movements through the housing colony, involving a fight sequence between Nitin Sathya and Dinesh.
Yuvan Shankar Raja's musical score is way below average for his standards and its pretty much run of the mill, stuff. "Moodu Panikkul" is a duet shot on Dinesh and Iyshwarya Rajesh in the highlands of the lush, green Kodaikanal. The panoramic views are the usual stuff, we are accustomed to. "Dheivame" is a situational bit song, which was shot on Rajesh and is also used during the end credits, and highlights the love of a father. "Ennodu Vaa" is a party dance number and featured Vijay Sethupathi and Aruldass in cameo appearances. Rajendran and John Vijay amuses with their lady get-ups for this song ! "Pesadhe" is the pick of the lot and melody number and has montages of Dinesh and Iyshwarya Rajesh, which was mostly shot in the housing colony area. Yuvan Shankar Raja's background score was just functional and nothing more than that.
Caarthick Raju's story is nothing new and the revenge element is as old as the hills. But the lighthearted treatment of the script is a bit refreshing and the melodramatic moments were kept bare minimum, apart from a fiery verbose speech by Naren. The song placements looked forced and disturbs the flow of the screenplay. Also, there plot development could be more organic and less jarring. The script highlights the pitiful and poor lives of the lower-level police constables and their daily miseries. Their lifestyle and struggle were well captured and how their higher officials make use of them, were explicitly shown. Caarthick Raju has infused the comedy element well into the script but at times, it makes us to ponder on how are we suppose to treat certain scenes, as either being serious or as light-hearted moments. The dialogues are a big plus to the film, especially for the comedy portions, and in particular for Bala Saravanan, who mouthed it perfectly. The end credits, which has photographs of all the technicians with their respective fathers, is an ode to fatherhood and was a nice touch. A film without lofty ambitions, 'Thirudan Police' is meets its expectations, though there are rooms for improvements.
'Thirudan Police' - Funny hide-and-seek !
Ratings: 2.5/5 STARS
BY:TAMIL
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
'Vaanavarayan Vallavarayan' marks the second inning of Rajamohan, who previously did the 2009 rural drama, 'Kunguma Poovum Konjum Puravum'. He has gone back for a rural subject once again and its about the bond of two brothers played by Kreshna and Ma Ka Pa Anand, a popular television anchor, who makes his cinema debut. With Yuvan Shankar Raja in charge of music, can Rajamohan strike a hit with this flick ?
Kreshna, whose previous 'Yaamirukke Bayamey' was a super hit, keeps and energetic presence to his character, and is seen bubbly all the time. But that counters the serious and emotional scenes of his as well, and his portrayal did not leave the desired results. Other than that his dancing and action scenes are good enough. Ma Ka Pa Anand, shows his good timing sense during dialogue deliveries and has tried his earnest best, in performing the sentimental scenes. He looks adept for the action sequences as well, but struggles a little in the dance routines. Monal Gajjar has the rare distinction of 'debuting' in two films, wherein her other film 'Sigaram Thodu' releases along with 'Vaanavarayan Vallavarayan'. She passes off as a typical village belle and has a pleasant personality. Acting wise, nothing much thus far. The film is replete with character artistes such as Thambi Ramaiah, Kovai Sarala, S.P.B Charan, Jayaprakash, Niharika Kareer, Meera Krishnan, Krishnamoorthy, Chelladurai, Shanmugasundaram and the legendary Sowcar Janaki, who makes a comeback to the silver-screen after nearly two decades. Though they are quality artistes, the film leaves no scope for them to utilize their skills. Finally, we have our Superstar Comedian Santhanam, who makes a small cameo appearance towards the end of the film. As usual, his counter-lines were a real treat and lifts the mood of the film.
The film's technical output is just functional and there's nothing outstanding about it. T.Ramesh's action choreography was adequate and it was not so overboard. Moreover, it complemented the physical attributes of both Kreshna and Ma Ka Pa Anand and kudos to T.Ramesh for that. Remiyan's art direction sufficed the needs of the script. Most of the film was shot in real rural locations and the set properties for the rural scenes were well matched, in accordance to the social status of the characters depicted. Editing is taken care by Kishore T.E and his work was pretty ordinary. Lots of montages were involved in songs, which were well edited but he could have trimmed the length of the film, which meanders aimlessly. M.R Palani Kumaar's camera catches the lush green areas of Pollachi but other than that, the cinematography was just functional.
Yuvan Shankar Raja's songs are pleasant and foot-tapping, though the songs fail to lift up the film, due to bad placing. "Kongunaatu" is the introductory song of the two male leads and has plenty of montages depicting the hot-and-cold relationship of the brothers. "Vangamma Vangappa" is a situational turned dance number, which was shot in a marriage situation. The set was well designed by Remiyan and resembles a real-life wedding scenario. All the main leads were present in the song. "Tharaimele" is a peppy folk melody sung by Yuvan himself. It was shot on Kreshna and Monal Gajjar, with Ma Ka Pa Anand, appearing in some montage shots. "Thakkaalikku" is a folk melody shot on the lead pair and Remiyan's minimal art work, fits the bill. The green surroundings of Pollachi is a treat for the eyes. "Vidungada" is a dance number featuring both Kreshna and Ma Ka Pa Anand and is a typical girl-bashing song for the guys. The song was shot in night effect and has street locations and bar scenes as the backdrop. Yuvan's background score would have made better effect on an another film but alas it goes to waste here.
Taking the names of the protagonist and antagonist from 'Superstar' Rajinikanth's 1992 hit film 'Yejamaan', Rajamohan has based the entire story on the relationship of the two brothers and how it plays havoc in the love life of the elder one. Lets be frank, the film is just out of touch with contemporary standards and is just a throwback of screenplay and scripting of late 80s and 90s. The melodramatic moments just fail to click and at times are unintentionally funny. Rajamohan infuses some unwanted vulgar moments in the film, which were just gross. The ending was made in an contrived manner, just for the sake of an happy ending. The comedy portions too were not rip-roaring material and gets too loud and insipid. The film may appeal the rural folks, but then people have improved their taste buds so much, this film could just be a reminder to other directors and producers to not venture into film-making, if your product is not up to the mark.
'Vaanavarayan Vallavarayan' - A cool title, abused !
Ratings: 2/5 STARS
BY:TAMIL
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
With expectations comes great responsibilities. For Venkat Prabhu though, those responsibilities are meant to be light at heart, no matter how huge the hype is. The fifth from the 'Venkat Prabhu Brotherhood', the expectation was generally high, due to Karthi being in the cast and also for Yuvan Shankar Raja's blockbuster music, which ironically is his 100th milestone film. Produced by Studio Green, can Venkat score another super-hit, following the blockbuster success of 'Mankatha' ?
Karthi, who has been facing a career crisis with continuous flops, bounces back with a refreshing and likable portrayal. Venkat has exploited the charm factor of Karthi's and turned him into a smooth-talking, girl-magnet playboy. He wins over his legion of girl-fans with his naughty smile and good looks. He has adopted an apt body language for the role, and his dialogue delivery was spotless. More brownie points for him in terms of dancing and fighting skills, as he has shown marked improvement from one film to another. A sigh of relief for Karthi, indeed ! His partner Premgi, was at his usual best and underplays his capabilities, by allowing himself to be ridiculed all the time and be the butt of jokes. It works well for the movie and his character is the perfect foil for the hero. But typecasting will catch up with him, sooner or later ! Hansika Motwani looks ravishing and seems to have a good hold of her character. There's a big contingent of supporting casts such as Nassar, Jayaprakash, Sampath, Prem, Ramki (a good comeback - the man still looks the same !), sizzling & hot Mandy Takhar, Madhumitha, Subbu Panchu, Uma Riyaz Khan, Shanmugasundaram, Nithin Sathya, Sam Anderson, Aadhavan, Badava Gopi, Tharika, Vijayalakshmi and etc. And there's even cameo appearances of Venkat's boys such as Jai, Aravind Akash, Vaibhav, Mahat, Ashwin, Vijay Vasanth and etc. That's some star-casting, atypical of Venkat Prabhu films !
The film carries excellent technical outputs from all the technicians involved. Vasuki Bhaskar's costume designing plays a big role, in projecting the characters in a very urbane manner, while not losing the essence of the each characters. Very good job ! Silva, who also scores his 100th assignment with this project, has handled some high-octane action sequences. The car chase sequences have been very well handled and executed, while the climax fight sequence, shot in an construction site, takes the cake among all the fight sequences. Production design by Videsh is at top-notch quality, with plenty of detailing for all of the set works. The interiors of posh hotels and also of different types of homes, were well set up. The outdoor sets such as the roadside biriyani stall and etc, were very real-like and natural. Fantastic output from Videsh ! The film would not be as good as it is without the editing duo of Praveen K.L and Srikanth N.B. They have experiment with different cutting patterns, and has done meticulous work in many sequences, especially with the opening title card and also for some song sequences. They keep the story tight and gripping but at the same time, did not lose the fun elements to their scissors. Venkat's regular, Sakthi Saravanan cinematography is a big plus-point for the film. The glossy look and rich colors, with perfect lighting, brings out the joy and fun factor of the script. His Steadicam usage is commendable and adds more zing, to the action sequences.
Yuvan Shankar Raja reserves some of his best for his cousin Venkat and 'Biriyani' is no exception. The soundtrack is a big hit and complements the script, perfectly like hand in glove. "Biriyani" title track fits perfectly as the mood-setter and has clever editing works by Praveen and Srikanth, who presents the title credits by infusing some scenes of the film, in a graphic novel style. The pick of the album, "Naah Na Naah" was shot on a beach-house party atmosphere and involves most of the star casting. The setting was glittering in glitz and glamour and has some cheeky comedy portions, interspersed. "Pom Pom Penne" had elaborate set works, such as Moulin Rouge and Mary Poppins-like setting. The lighting by Sakthi Saravanan adds more glamour to the richly produced song, and Karthi proves his mettle in dancing. "Mississippi" is the sultry song shot on Karthi, Premgi and Mandy Takhar, who was simply irresistible with her sexily choreographed dance moves ! Some light-hearted moments are there too, thanks to Premgi. "Run For Your Life" comes as a situational song, where two drastic sequences were interspersed together. One is of a clubbing scenario featuring Malaysian artistes Psycho Unit and the other, the high-octane chase sequence. Brilliantly edited by Praveen and Srikanth ! "Edhirthu Nil" is the emotional climax song, shot on the hero and other important characters, making a daring, action plan. Yuvan nails it in the background score department as well, with complementary sound effects.
Venkat Prabhu's USP is his screenplay, and with 'Biriyani' he has managed to maintain the suspense element until the very end, by keeping the cards close to his chest. He has a very clear picture of what he wants and how he wants it from his technicians and his artistes, and that delivers most of the final output wanted. As always with Venkat, he infuses humor in the most unwanted and gravest of situations, which sometimes results in a crackling, comedy portions. Venkat has given most of the important characters, a good detailing and depth, with their identities and mannerisms. The dialogues, though are not family-friendly and incorporated lots of double entendres, which would find reception among the youngsters. For those who was expecting a different attempt from Venkat, they might find it a little tad disappointing, because the run of events, featured in the screenplay will definitely remind us of Venkat's previous ventures like 'Mankatha' and 'Saroja'. Also, some of the proceedings are a wee-bit farcical and out-of-place, but as promoted, its a Venkat Prabhu 'diet' after all and why care of logic in the first place ! And as it is always, don't forget to watch the fun and funny bloopers in the end !
'Biriyani' - A hearty meal, for those with the correct expectations !
Ratings: 3.25/5 STARS
BY:TAMIL
After the colossal flop of 'Billa 2', Ajith Kumar aka "Thala" is back once again, and this time in a true multi-starrer, with Vishnuvardhan at the helm. The stylish 'Billa' remake still linger in the minds of movie buffs, and its a tricky tight-rope for this combo, as they have to ensure the hype is met and at the same time re-launch the career of hit-maker A.M Rathnam as a producer in Tamizh cinema once again. Backed by good technicians and a solid cast, what does 'Arrambam' has for us ?
For "Thala" Ajith Kumar, this is a piece-of-cake sort of role, and he waltzes through it with style and elan. His impeccable timing in dialogue delivery, broods excitement and adds more classy touches to his performance. His look is an added element, which further elevates his stylish avatar as AK. The man, pulled off all the stunt sequences by himself, in a very professional manner and deserves a big round of applause for taking the risk. There are plenty of shots, which highlights the stylish element of Ajith's and it is a treat for his die-hard fans. Though the grey-shaded role is repetitive, no one actually bothers about it, as Ajith is enjoyable in such roles. Arya is lively with his comic timing and his antics and a little surprise is there in store, in regards to his appearance. Though his role pales in terms of screen appearance, he still makes his mark. Nayanthara is the stylish diva here and she pulls of some action sequences effervescently, and also manages to oomph the glamour quotient, nonchalantly. Taapsee Pannu was cute as the naive amateur journalist, though her character has not much relevance to the script. Kishore rocks as the tough cop, while Mahesh Manjrekar is a good addition to Tamizh cinema. Atul Kulkarni, Suman Ranganathan, Akshara Gowda, Naren, Murali Sharma, Krishna and etc had stylish rendering in their characterizations. Not to forget, Rana Daggubati made his official entry to Tamizh cinema with a solid cameo appearances.
Action choreography is a real highlight of the film, and there were plenty of them, induced into the screenplay. 'Billa' Jagan, Lee Whittaker and Kecha Khampakdee of the 'Jaika Stunt' team, rocked in the action choreography. The bomb-threat encounter scenes were very professionally choreographed and executed by the team. And the shoot-out sequence shot in a warehouse, was very well planned as well. Anu Vardhan and Pinida P.Shamdasani's costume designing was fantastic and all characters looked brilliant in the stylish costumes, especially Ajith Kumar, Nayanthara and Taapsee. Production design by Lalgudi N.Ilayaraja blends well with the script's needs and was very realistic. The interiors of apartments and buildings were very well detailed and each props complements the mood and plot setting of the script. Multiple National Award-winning editor, the veteran Sreekar Prasad's editing is taut and he manages to tighten the grip on the screenplay, by ensuring there's no over-stretched sequences. The story moves fast and kudos to the veteran for a neat work. Cinematography is big highlight of the film, done by Om Prakash with some few sequences canned by P.S Vinod. The camerawork is stylish and the aqua-green color tone, complements the mood of the script. There were plenty of hand-held shots and appropriate usages of steady-cams. The Dubai sequences were very stylishly done, but the real highlight is the bomb-threat action sequence, which was brilliantly shot and edited.
Yuvan Shankar Raja always had a great combination with Vishnuvardhan and they have churned out chart-busters But 'Arrambam' is a disappointment, because the tunes were repetitive and not enthusiastic enough, to further spur the energy of the script and cast. The opening song "Adada Aarambame" was shot on Ajith, accompanied by dancers, and the heavy Maharashtrian percussion instruments. The fort in Maheshwar was the backdrop, and the bright daylight adds more gloss to the song. "En Fuse Poche" was shot on Arya and Taapsee and had some cute montages, with colorful ambiance The simple special effects complemented the mood of the song. "Melaala Vedikkuthu" was shot on Ajith, Nayanthara and Rana with splashes and splashes of Rangoli Colors, which was a visual treat in terms of color palette. "Stylish Tamizhachi" was Akshara's introduction song and featured her in a glam-doll role and was shot in a clubbing arena. Yuvan's background score is a letdown and it does not capture our attention. Not the best of works from Yuvan and Vishnu combo.
Vishnuvardhan, known for his stylish, visualistic story-telling, engrosses us most of the time in the screenplay, which was co-written by the 'Subha' duo, D.Suresh and A.N Balakrishnan. The sequences were well etched and executed and some of them very well exploited the stylish mannerisms of Ajith Kumar. Nonetheless, there were a few drag moments, especially in the second half, which could have been avoided. This is due to the very cliched flashback sequences and some sentimental and emotional ones, as well. The letdown in their script, is the predictable nature of the story-line, which kills of the excitement factor. And for ardent movie buffs, they would have spotted that the entire script is a clever adaptation of the 2001 Hollywood action-thriller 'Swordfish' starring John Travolta, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry and Don Cheadle. Vishnu and 'Subha' duo have taken the basic plot of 'Swordfish' and adapted it with some real-life Indian scandals. There are plenty of loopholes and logical gaps in the script and screenplay, which are to be ignored if one wants to enjoy this film thoroughly. The 'Subha' duo have written some killer, punch-dialogues in the film, which will definitely be well received by the fans. Vishnuvardhan has a neat directorial touch and has good grip of his script and end-product, but still 'Arrambam' is not as gripping as his 'Pattiyal'.
"Lets make it simple" - 'Arrambam' is a Vishnuvardhan, 'masala' entertainer. Enjoyable and neat. Nothing more, nothing less.
Ratings: 3/5 STARS
BY:TAMIL
Director Ram, renowned for his dark and critically-acclaimed 'Katradu Tamizh', is back after a hiatus with 'Thanga Meenkal'. To be initially produced and acted by Karunas, the film has undergone transformation in casting and production, with Ram himself making his splash as a lead actor and Gautham Vasudev Menon co-producing it with J.Sathish Kumar. Ram's intense and thoughtful writing, is a pleasure for those who crave intellectual script-writing. Will this be a proper follow up to the outstanding, 'Katradu Tamizh' ?
Ram, as a lead actor is undoubtedly fabulous in his role as an affectionate, but with a different sets of strong but radically different views and philosophies, against his conventional folks. He has breathed life into the role of Kalyani and being the writer himself, there can be only a select few in the industry who can pull it off, other than the director himself. The character does look over-emotional and hyper-sensitive, but the traits are the actual elements, which adds myriad of shades to the emotional content of the film. Sadhana, makes a very strong debut as a child artiste in this film. It takes a lot of conviction and maturity beyond her tender age to pull of the character, envisioned by the director, with utmost ease. And Sadhana did just that, with a magnificent portrayal of Chellamma. Hats off to this child prodigy ! Nabhukumar Shelly, who plays the mother of Sadhana, is another splendid performer, whose nonchalant and nuanced performance, marks her firm presence in some sequences. 'Poo' Ram and Rohini were befitting of Ram's old-school parents, and they were natural and realistic in their respective portrayals. Another child artiste, Sanjana makes her debut as well, and she's an absolute sweetheart, in her own rights ! The rest of the cast such as Umapathy, Lizzy Variyar, Ramya and others were very apt for their roles. Padmapriya makes a very noble and lovely guest appearance. Kudos to Ram for a great casting !
Ram has the privilege of having the best of technicians as important film crew members for 'Thanga Meenkal'. Rajashekar has choreographed very natural and realistic action sequences, wherever it warranted. Production design was handled by Rajeevan and since most of the film were shot on actual locations, Rajeevan has appropriately put in necessary props for the settings, especially with the classroom setting and also with the protagonist's home. Veteran master editor, Sreekar Prasad's editing is flawless and though the film is a little stretched, the flow was not disrupted at all, and the slow-moving screenplay was a necessity for this script. Arbhindu Saaraa's cinematography was beautiful, especially with the scenic, hillside and lush mountainous landscape, wonderfully captured with his lenses. Also, the rustic beauty of Nagercoil was well captured as well. Ram has extracted the best of works from a newbie, pretty much !
Yuvan Shankar Raja, reserves some of his career-best works for Ram, and 'Thanga Meenkal' is not an exception. "Aanandha Yaazhai" is a beautiful melody, shot on Ram and Sadhana having their little escapades, in the spectacularly, breathtaking Achankoil hilltop region. Its an absolute treat for the eyes and the coloring for the graphic portion was well handled. "Nathivellam" has plenty of montages shot in and around Cochin as well as Nagercoil, with very well-shot frames. "First Last" was shot on Sadhana, in an exam-oriented backdrop, with the school, serving as the location. "Yaarukkum Thozhan" is the final song, which also has few montages and some of it were shot in the deep regions of Wayanad, with its misty and surreal greens pastures, serving as perfect backdrop. The background score was superbly handled by Yuvan and 'Isaignani' Ilaiyaraja would have been proud by his offspring's achievement. Hats off, Yuvan !
Though the entire focus has been projected on the deep and loving relationship shared between father and daughter, Ram has actually brilliantly veiled the issue of the dark-side of private-funded schools, which runs on donations done by parents. Ram has wonderfully weaved in the agony gone through by poor-performing kids in such high-demand private schools, who vouch on their false-promises, of providing excellent education. The theme is something very topical and contemporary in nature, in respect to the current living conditions of middle and upper-middle class sections of the Tamil Nadu populace. As for the crux of the film, Ram has etched out many beautiful and poignant scenes for the father-daughter relationship episodes, and has also not forgotten about the other obvious characters present in the family, with equally well-written sequences. The story has been given credits to Ram and Shri Sankara Gomathy Ram. For those who were expecting another hard-hitting, high intensity, 'Katradu Tamizh'-type of film from Ram, 'Thanga Meenkal' might be a slight disappointment, but nonetheless, Ram proves yet again that he's a fabulous and well-read and well-thought writer. A big round of applause for the producers, for showing real passion by producing such a gem of a film.
'Thanga Meenkal' - A passionately done, sweet film with the highest order of acting and writing.
Ratings: 3.75/5 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
'Thillu Mullu' is a legendary film, directed by K.Balachander and ably performed by Superstar Rajinikanth and Thengai Seenivasan, who made their roles memorable ! And when one is to remake one of the classiest comedy films of Tamizh cinema, it takes a bucket load of guts and dare to do it, and to have Shiva to reprise the role of Rajini's, the stakes just shoot several notches higher. Badri has taken the extremely daunting challenge, by remaking the cult hit. Did he succeed in making any sort of justifications for his actions ?
Shiva, does what Ajith did when the latter donned the role of 'Billa', another role made memorable by Rajinikanth. He made the role as his own, without any imitations of the Superstar. His stoic expressions, with a poker face, is his USP and he plays to the gallery with them. He pulls of his comic portions with consummate ease ! The naughty and quirky smile adds more sheen to both character(s) he portrays in the film. Prakash Raj, dons the role of Thengai Seenivasan's, and he too follows Shiva's way by not imitating the legendary actor, and utilizing his own creativity to the hilt. It must have definitely been a cake walk to the veteran performer. Isha Talwar makes her debut in Tamizh cinema, and is lucky enough to have an easy role to do. A big bunch of comedians such as Kovai Sarala (in her usual loud self), Soori, Sathyan, Manobala, Ilavarasu, Sachu, Monisha, Devadarshini, Ajay Rathnam, Swaminathan, Ashwin Raja and George contribute to the fun quotient of the film. As for cameos, there are Venkat Prabhu, cinematographer Sakthi Saravanan, rapper Blaaze, Bosskey, Valeri Nobbe, and Shivashankar but the grandest of it, goes to the one and only Santhanam, who was in his usual wise-cracking elements ! He takes center-stage in an extended cameo, and happily entertains us, with his one-liners !
The technical department of the film was functional with their contributions, and there's pretty much nothing to rave about in particular. 'Thalapathy' Dinesh and 'Dragon' Prakash's stunt choreography was quite overboard, though it fitted the style and presentation of the overall film. R.K Vijay Murugan's production design was okay, especially with the interior props of the protagonist's middle-class home and the posh bungalow and office premises of Prakash Raj's character. Praveen K.L and Srikanth N.B have done their best, to keep the film racy and not languorous in its pace, though two songs in the second half were absolute speed breakers. J.Lakshmanan's cinematography was adequate, though his song picturization was quite ordinary, considering the brilliant works being showcased in contemporary Tamizh cinema by fellow cinematographers.
M.S Viswanathan and Yuvan Shankar Raja join hands for the first time in composing songs for a film. The legendary latter's two songs have been retained for this film, while Yuvan has composed another set of two fresh songs. The cult opening title song, "Thillu Mullu" had both the composers making a cool cameo, along with Canadian singer Tha Prophecy, in a video song mixed with funny montage clips. "Kai Pesi" was shot on the lead pair, in nice locations with simple building landmarks, and interspersed with funny montage sequences of Shiva day-dreaming of his heroine. "Aaja Aaja" was shot in a Dubai club, and also had scenic views of Dubai, with a glamorous Isha Talwar. "Raagangal Padhinaaru" was also shot in more picturesque locations in Dubai, especially in the desert landscape. The background score was just functional, along with some nice touches of melody, sprinkled in few moments.
Badri has taken the basic thread of Sachin Bhowmick's story and Hrishikesh Mukherjee's screenplay and made a more contemporary slapstick mould of the original comedy film. The film is enjoyable, especially with the funny and wacky one-liners of T.Balaji and Ramesh Vaidhya's. But for those who have watched the original, the unchanged storyline might bore you, since one is familiar with all the twists and turns. Badri has made use of his artistes USP to good use for the film and incorporated all of their pluses into his style of presentation of 'Thillu Mullu'. As mentioned earlier, the crisp film could be even better, if the songs did not play as mere speed-breakers, especially in the second half. Some sequences have been especially inserted into the screenplay, just for the sake of making use of the artistes' performance style and ability. The eccentricity and zany attitude of the original is not present in this, loud and clumsy film, which might be a turn-off for the fans of the original.
'Thillu Mullu' - Badri comes unscathed in his remake attempt but still some classics can be just left untouched.
Ratings: 2.75/5 STARS
BY:TAMIL
Director S.M Vasanth, known for his critically acclaimed hits such as 'Keladi Kanmani', 'Aasai', 'Nearukku Ner' and etc is back after a long 6 years absence, with 'Satham Podathey' being his last release. A unique compilation of artistes, S.M Vasanth tried to weave three different story-lines, based on three couples, from three different landscape backdrops. How did all three story-lines merge or complement each other, is what we are looking for. So, is it worth a shot ?
Veteran Arjun, looks very fresh and shines in the role of a swimming coach. His body language and composed dialogue deliveries, are indicators of his vast experience. One sincerely hopes, that Arjun continues to choose such films henceforth and stop continuing mindless action 'masala' scripts. Cheran breezed through his role but is not entirely convincing as a foreign-returned. Also, its Cheran who has the lesser number of screen time among the heroes. Vemal, struggles as a smooth-talking charmer and its clearly evident that he is finding it hard to shake off the rural/town guy image, for which he is known for. Muktha Bhanu had the best of the female roles, and kudos to her for stealing the show, with her nuanced performance. Debutante Lasini is not bad, but has a long way to go, as her expressions were still not so organic and natural. The other debutante, Surveen Chawla tries her best to fit into the role of Arjun's student cum lover, but she misses her mark. The rest of the cast such as Thambi Ramaiah, Appukutty, Sathyan, Naren, John Vijay, Ravi Raghavendar, Shanthi Williams, Bosskey, Sivakumar, Chandramohan, Rajan and etc were functional.
The technical department of the film, dished out just above average works, except for the soundtracks. Sathya N.J's costume designing was apt, as each characters looked their part, but Vemal's look could have been altered for the better. Magi's art direction was neat, as most of the scenes were canned in real locations and the props matched the backdrops, showcased in the respective story-lines. The editing was handled by S.N Fazil and S.M Vasanth together, and probably both minds did not gel well during the cutting process. The film looked very choppy, with loose hangings and non-cohesion in the transition from one scene to the other. Bhojan K.Dinesh's cinematography work was very good and he captures the mood of each the three distinctive backdrops of hillside, coastline and city landscapes, very well. But the framing and close-ups could have been better.
S.M Vasanth's films always had fantastic soundtracks, and 'Moondru Per Moondru Kaadhal' is no exception either. This film is probably one of Yuvan Shankar Raja's best works in recent times, and nearly all the songs were fantastically scored and well mastered. Brilliant work, Yuvan ! But sadly, the song picturization quality was not up to the standards of the soundtrack. "Kaadhal Endhan Kaadhal" is a haunting, yet peppy number which comes during the opening credit sequence, with the backdrop of the Kovai sea and also appears in a montage sequence during the Cheran-Bhanu episode. "Unakkaagave Uyir" is an experimental dub-step type song, and was picturized on the Vemal-Lasini pair, also in montages. Lasini was shot beautifully by Bhojan, with good framing sense. "Padapadakkudhu" also appears during the Vemal-Lasini episode, but was shot on Robert and Blaaze making cameo appearances as 'Sanjay Ramasamy' and 'Sivaji The Boss' wannabes. The song had simple set work of light bulbs and dim-lighting for the backdrop. "Aaha Kaadhal" is a montage song, shot on Bhanu falling for Cheran and was mostly shot along the coastal lines of Kovai. "Mazhai Mazhai" was shot on Arjun and Surveen, who was in scanty sarees. The song was lacks any imagination and was shot in and around Binny Mills. "Stop The Paattu" was shot on a food court premise of a business complex and had Ritvik Varun, the son of S.M Vasanth, making a cameo. Ritvik does dance well, but is too camera conscious and looks uncomfortable in performing in front of the camera. The background score is handled by Tubby-Parik and is average, though most of the soundtrack is inspired from the songs. Not up to the expertise of Yuvan, but it was still functional.
S.M Vasanth should be appreciated for coming up with decent and believable characters and dilemmas faced by the characters. But what leaves a lot to be desired, was a proper screenplay ! Shankar Raman and S.M Vasanth's joint screenplay-writing was very badly structured and there's no proper connectivity between each story-lines. The pace was very lackadaisical in nature and the film moves in a very tepid manner. Though the songs were good, they were ill-fitting for the screenplay and as said before, poorly picturized. The message is something laudable, but falls flat and the writing is lethargic. Dialogues were pretty archaic, if you take into the current standards and tastes of the younger lot, but there were some sparkles, here and there. But still, kudos to S.M Vasanth for not thrusting unnecessary double entendres and glamor into the screenplay.
'Moondru Per Moondru Kaadhal' - definitely not on par with S.M Vasanth's earlier films. And definitely not the cup of tea of the present youngsters !
Ratings: 2.25/5 STARS
BY:TAMIL
Director Pandiraj, who debuted with the charming 'Pasanga', has dabbled in different attempts before, such as 'Vamsam' and 'Marina'. All three films were different from each other, but he has realized that his forte is comedy, and that's a safe bet in current circumstances, at the box office. With two upcoming small budget, safe-bets in Vemal and Sivakarthikeyan, Pandiraj has promised a clean film with a good dosage of comedy. Did he succeed ?
Vemal was flawless in his role, as it is his comfort zone, playing middle-class, youngster. He certainly has improved very much, in dialogue delivery and voice modulation. He looks more confident in dance and emotional scenes as well. Neat job ! Sivakarthikeyan was exploited of his terrific comedy timing and good mimicry skills. It is second nature to him in delivering 'killer-blow' punch dialogues, since he was a versatile television presenter before. His dancing capabilities are not bad, either. More good films, and this top-notch entertainer, will find huge success in Tamizh cinema ! Bindu Madhavi, plays a good foil as Vemal's pair. She gets to play a "different" Tamizh heroine, contradicting the norms of such backdrop-based films. She gets to bash the hero, for a change and plays the more assertive one, rather than the hero ! Whereas, Regina Cassandra is a breathe of fresh air, and this girl is good in what she does. With her experiences of doing Telugu films beforehand, her expressions and performance have an unbidden nature to it, a far cry from her 'Kanda Naal Mudhal' days ! If she dubs in her own voice, it would do wonders for her. Soori was havoc in the film, with his exceptional dialogue delivery and comedy timing ! He was at complete ease in his role, and delivers the dialogues at the right note, ensuring the comedy hits on the right moment ! This film will be one of his best in his repertoire. The rest of the supporting cast such as 'Delhi' Ganesh, Sujatha, Gopal, Muthuraman, Manoj Kumar and etc were apt for the roles they played.
K.Natraj's costume designing and G.Vijayakumar's make-up sense, was very much in tune with the script. They ensured the lead folks, looked their roles, without being too flashy. Especially for the heroines, as both girls were looking as the simple and sweet girl-next-door. Rajeevan's art direction was spotless, in terms of quality. He created authentic market and bar settings for the songs and the props for the election sequences, were very authentic and immaculate. Athiyappan Siva's editing was smooth, but he could have done a little trimming in the first half, as there are couple of standalone, unwarranted sequences. Rajashekar's stunt work was over-the-top, but it was in dictation of the script and scene. Vijay's cinematography complements the backdrop of the film's setting, and he captures the native look and feel of Tiruchi quite well, with the RED Pro 5.0. His poised handling of the camera movement, adds strength to the scenes, especially those which were shot indoors.
Yuvan Shankar Raja's tunes were simple and neat for 'Kedi Billa Killadi Ranga'. The peppy "Oru Porambokku" sung by him, together with Silambarasan, was picturized on the triumvirate of Vemal, Sivakarthikeyan, Soori and as well as with the other friend character. The song is about the negativeness of drinking and ironically, it was shot showing the characters enjoying drinking and dancing for the apparent "one, final time". Rajeevan's set work, especially the brightly-lit street set-up was very authentic. Vijay's framing sense was apt as well. "Konjum Kili" was shot on the Vemal and Bindu. It was shot in real locations, such as temples, streets and markets. The color tone of the song was suitable and he captured the facial expressions of the artistes, quite well. "Suda Suda" was shot on Sivakarthikeyan and Regina, and has plenty of montages, edited into the song. It too was shot on plenty of real locations such as railway station, market, streets, railway tracks and etc. "Ulladha Naan" has the backdrop of a campaign election, and was shot on the main leads, in their council election campaign. The props and set-up by Rajeevan was top-notch. "Deivangal Ellame" is a situational song, with montages of the difficult moments in the lead heroes' lives. The background score was good as usual, with some typical melodious hook-lines, used sparingly.
Judging from what Pandiraj has done, its quite evident that he has put his bets on comedy. His clarity in it is laudable, and kudos to him for coming up with a neat and family-friendly film, with plenty of fun-filled moments. The strength of Pandiraj, is his witty dialogues. Starting off with Samuthirakani's voice-over, Pandiraj has packed the first half, with gags over gags. The dialogues were very cleverly written, and shines with good creativity. Pandiraj (he does appear in the film along with the editor Athiyappan and dance choreographer Dinesh, before the credits) has come up with novel, but funny sequences throughout the film, and has extracted the correct level of performance from his artistes. His antithetical situations and dialogues reminds us of Pandiyarajan's movies of the 80's and 90's, unmistakably. But, the script takes a sharp diversion in the climax, and out of a sudden, you get to see some melodramatic moments and sentimental dialogues. And that's when we realize Pandiraj's notion of wrapping his intended message, with loads of comedic gags. Also, its a little bizarre to notice his heroines mellowing to the charms of the heroes out of the blue, in the second half, whereas they were in resistance, throughout the first half ! Apart from this minor blips, the film was presented neatly and packaged properly, with the correct dosage of comedy, romance, songs and sentiments, without going too preachy nor draggy.
'Kedi Billa Killadi Ranga' is levity-filled fun film, which is good for unwinding on a stressful day.
Ratings: 3/5 STARS
BY:TAMIL
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