NAGARAJA CHOZHAN MA, MLA. MOVIE REVIEW

When the announcement came, it really intrigued the interest of viewers. That's because the legendary character of Nagaraja Chozhan perished, under the vengeful anger of his illegitimate son. So how does this 'Amaithipadai 2' will work out as a sequel ? Nonetheless  the combination of Manivannan and Sathyaraj, will still invoke the interest, especially of those who are fond of sarcasm, since these two are the best of the best of that category. So how did this film fare ?

Being his 200th film, Sathyaraj proved that experience matters and he is definitely a class above, when it comes to performing quintessential sadistic and sarcastic characters. His perfectly-timed dialogue delivery and casual expressions were top class. He oozes the brashness and arrogance demanded by the character. Its just a pure delight to watch him taking potshots at others ! And playing the perfect foil fro him, is his 'partner-in-crime', Manivannan. These two veterans share fantastic chemistry between them, and their respective uniqueness, complements each other's styles and variations. This particular combo has been sorely missed in Tamizh cinema ! The only sore point was the younger Sathyaraj role of an CBI officer, which lacks screen space and time. Raghu Manivannan plays a small but significant role in the film and passes muster. Directors Seeman and Jegannath were very stiff and stoic in their performances. The rest of the cast such as Mrudula, Komal Sharma, Varsha Ashwathi, Anshiba, M.S Bhaskar, Vaiyapuri, Krishnamoorthy, Rajkanth, Sujatha and etc were just functional but insipid.

The technical department's work were just adequate and there's nothing much to speak about. Bhuji's costumes and Durai's make-up for the titular role of Sathyaraj's was spot on. The veteran looked perfect as how he would have aged from the original 'Amaithipadai' days. 'Supreme' Sundar's stunt choreography was overdone with excessive usage of ropes and outdated choreography. B.Sai's art direction was adequate, though he could have done better with the tribal episode and also for the interiors of the posh bungalows of the lead characters. R.Sudharsan's editing was functional and so does D.Shankar's cinematography. There are a couple of some good shots of the forest, but other than that, there's nothing else to discuss about. James Vasanthan's musical score was drab a humdrum. "Malai Mele" is a song shot on the celebration of a tribal wedding ceremony, which eulogized the importance of the pristine jungle. "Kannadi Paapa" is a typical item song, with two gals prancing around with dancers, amidst a house party. "Viraivil Vidiyum" is a situational song, picturized on the affected tribal community mourning their losses and their uprising against the corrupted titular character. The background score was too bland and unimpressive.

As his 50th directorial venture, Manivannan has taken the classic Nagaraja Chozhan character from his cult-hit 'Amaidhipadai' and made an unrelated spin-off. The movie is filled with current social problems and takes a liberal dose of mockery about the sorry state of the Tamil Nadu political scenario and its politicians. The problem with the script is that, its only enjoyable when the hot-shot combo of Sathyaraj and Manivannan is there. Other than that, there are no engaging scenes, pertaining to the other characters. The success of the original was due to the sarcasm-filled writing and also a strong emotional quotient, attached to the script. But in this film, the latter is missing, and what we have are just mere 'bullet-points' like highlights of all the scams and wrongdoings of the current politicians, narrated in a repartee between the two lead roles of Sathyaraj and Manivannan. And also, we had the fantastic musical score of 'Isaignani' Ilaiyaraja in the original, which added more color to the film, but alas, its the other way around in this unrelated sequel.

'Nagaraja Chozhan' is definitely no where near the quality of its original, but fans of Manivannan-Sathyaraj combo might as well just enjoy the combination scenes, alone !


Ratings: 2.5/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL

PUTHAGAM MOVIE REVIEW

Vijay Adiraj, a veteran of television shows and drama serials, makes his splash on the big screen as a director, with a script which was borne out of an idea, he came across 14 years back ! He goes for the safer route by employing a very young and new cast, aided by veteran character artistes and good technicians. Touted to be a smart thriller, did this 'Puthagam' made us turn its pages, in excitement ?

Starting off with the lead, actor Sathya, the younger brother of Arya, finally makes his screen debut through this film. He passes muster with a decent performance, though there are evident sequences in the film, where he tries to ape his more-popular brother. With more experience, Sathya can climb up the ladder, but definitely he has a lot to catch up, especially in the emoting and dialogue delivery. The pretty Rakul Preet Singh, makes her debut as a leading lady in Tamizh cinema, after her small role, in the decent, gritty thriller, 'Thadaiyara Thaakka'. She looks more comfortable in her role and got her lip sync (dubbing done by Renuka Kathir) right, but her final output needs more conviction. Sanjay Barathi (the son of actor-director, Santhana Barathi) and Vignesh of 'Kadhalil Sodhapuvadhu Eppadi' fame, delivered sincere and honest performances. Jagapathi Babu was nonchalant in his role as the cool private detective, and aided by a less-convincing Rachana Maurya. There's a big gang of seasoned artistes such as Suresh, Aishwarya Rajesh, Manobala, Santhana Barathi, 'Thalaivasal' Vijay, 'Crazy' Mohan, Delhi Ganesh, Uma Padhmanabhan, Fathima Babu, MJ Shriram and etc, enacting important and minor roles in the film. All of them lived up to the expectations and most of them would have just cruised in their roles, with ease.

The film carries decent work on the technical front. Gita Gurappa's audiography was spot on. Dhilip Subbarayan choreographed decent stunt sequences, which suited the characters performing those sequences, be it the nervy Sathya or the composed Jagapathi Babu. G.K's art direction was simple and neat. His detailing for the bachelors' apartment, the middle-class home interior, club settings, television channel office suits, everything was just fine and good enough for the script. Kevin's editing was flawless and he made sure that the progression from one scene to the other, was smooth. One person, who must be credited for making the film look colorful, is the cinematographer, J.Laxman. He has brought out the colorful and fun-loving life of the youngsters and at the same, maintained a dark-look theme for the more serious portions. Also, he has portrayed Rakul in a very pretty manner, through his lenses. His camera-movements, especially for the action sequences are noteworthy. 

James Vasanthan's music was passable, but not good enough to hold our attentions, thoroughly. "Kondaadathaan", is a typical youngster's opening song, which had quite a few cut-shots and picturized in theme parks and a few Chennai landmarks. "Mella Pookudhe", is a typical James Vasanthan melody, which was picturized on the lead pair, romancing around a majestic looking building, in Thailand. Rakul was looking pretty in the sarees, which were designed by S.Subbarao. "Italica" is a dull and lame club song, shot with the item girl Rachana, performing in typical, night-club settings, which had decent lighting. "Say That You Love Me" was shot on the sandy and picturesque beaches of Pattaya, Thailand on the main lead artistes of the film. The final song, "Money is Funny" was shot in a music-video style, picturized on all the artistes involved in the film, with a stage and LED-screen as its backdrop, showing currencies of various countries. The song appears during the end-credits and has also some bloopers, inserted in it. The background score was a tad decent enough for the film.
 
Vijay Adiraj's intention was to make a taut and neat thriller. Though the intention was honest, the execution was far from being flawless. A thriller needs to be engaging and be crisp in the length of the film. But 'Puthagam' drags a lot in the first half, which makes us wonder, where is the film heading to. The suspense and thrills only begin just before interval, making us to endure all the unnecessary comedy and sentimental portions, which looked more suited for a normal television serial. Though Guhan Sreenivasan's dialogues are quirky and smart in some portions, the film had plenty of lengthy dialogue sequences, which extends the duration of the film, even longer. A knock-on effect of being a veteran of the television circle, Vijay ? Though it was cheeky of Vijay to add a small twist in the end, the audiences could have already lost interest in the film, due to its uninteresting narration. The final twist does hint us of a potentially exciting sequel, but the question of will it be worthy or not, depends on the improvisation skills of Vijay.

'Puthagam' - A flawed attempt in making a racy, crispy and taut, commercial thriller.


Ratings: 2/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL

PAAGAN MOVIE REVIEW

Srikanth, makes a comeback through 'Paagan' under the directorial debut of Mohammed Aslam, a former associate of Ameer. This is indeed a crucial project for him, as it can salvage his career as a hero in Tamizh cinema. Along with a relatively small cast, this film promised us a decent comedy with some sentimentalism attached, to make itself appealing for the mass audiences. Will 'Paagan' save Srikanth, who had a decent outing in 'Nanban' ?

Srikanth, is a good performer but he needs solid script and acting scope, if at all he wants to make it bigger. Sadly, in 'Paagan' he has nothing much to offer, other than being comical throughout the film and being emotional in certain scenes. He is a total miscast in the film because and this proves to be one of the biggest drawbacks of the film. He looks too polished and refined for a character who hails from the village and is an out-and-out rural folk. Also, his costumes did not help to counter-balance the effect, because it is illogical to see him wearing neat and tidy attires, which contradicts with the character he plays. Other than that, there is nothing much to speak about his performance. Janani Iyer makes her second appearance on screen after 'Avan Ivan' and this is a proper heroine role for her, though it was strictly just a Tamizh-cinema conventional heroine. Looking pretty and petite, it is refreshing to hear her dub in her own voice and adds authenticity to her character. Soori and 'Black' Paandi appears as sidekicks for nearly throughout the film, with each of them performing in styles which they are popular for. Some sequences do evoke laughter but majority of them fell flat and was boring. Kovai Sarala was in her essence but it was a little too loud and over-the-top. George, Anu Mohan, director A.Venkatesh makes small appearances in the film, though they have nothing much to contribute to the flow of the film.

The technical team of the film was just functional and none of the department was outstanding in their work. 'Supreme' Sundar's stunts were a little innovative since it involves bicycle chase sequences and the usage of the bicycle as part of the stunt choreography. N.K Rahul's artwork was simple and natural, with the village house props and bungalow house props noticeable  Kevin's editing could have been better since the movie moves at a very slow pace and also the climax portion should have been better. J.Laxman has captured the essence of Pollachi and Tirupur quite well with his camera, utilizing the lush greenery of the former and the industrial backdrop of the latter. Also, many shots were taken with the camera mounted on the bicycle, to get the feel of the ride of the protagonist. James Vasanthan's music was melodious and soft but it was boring ! None of the songs were hummable or interest-evoking. "Thatti Thavi" is a sequential song, featuring the 'bonding' of the protagonist with his bicycle and featuring many bicycle shots, obviously against picturesque Pollachi. "Poonthendral" is a typical heroine introduction song, featuring Janani Iyer prancing around with a couple of dancers and this too was shot against a lush and green Pollachi. "Simba Simba" was shot on a market set featuring the main casts of the film, minus the heroine and featured few cut-shots. "Ennai Mannipaya" a sad song shot on the lead couple, uses the Jimmy Jib quite well along the high terrains and hill-side areas. "Ippadi Oar" a typical dream song, was shot along temple lakes, with soft and breezy color tone and ample usage of the Jimmy Jib. The background score of the film was just functional and hearing all these poor scores, makes us wonder what happened to the man who gave beautiful scores in 'Subramaniapuram'.

Mohammed Aslam, who is in charge of the writing and direction department. As a viewer, one has no idea who Aslam wanted to project as the protagonist of the film, is it Srikanth or himself (since he gave the voice-over for the bicycle). The direction was poor because none of the character were believable and the direction of the script is also confusing because the viewers have no idea whether is this a full-length comedy film with little sentiments or the other way around. None of the events in the film looks serious and there are big gaps in the screenplay with many questions left unanswered. The climax too was a perplexing because, the viewers have no clue, why the sudden turn of events are taking place and it has nothing to contribute to the story as well !

'Paagan' is a poor product from Aslam, as there's no good direction, proper characterization or even story to tell in the movie.


Ratings: 1.5/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL

Eesan Movie Review..

After the trend-setting/ path breaking smash hit Subramaniapuram, Sasikumar is back once again with his second innings as a director.. I was eagerly waiting for this flick because Sasikumar made name as a producer in Pasanga and as an actor in Naadodigal in between. He scored a hat-trick, sort of.. But I really wanted to see the director Sasikumar to really see the quality of his work, whether Subramaniapuram was a one time wonder or not. Eesan, a city-based flick contrary to Subramaniapuram, is a well-made dark film which is very hard hitting.. Although, it's not on the levels of Sasikumar's earlier film, it's still a very riveting and well made movie..

What really caught my attention was that, there's no typical hero or heroines involved and all the characters in the movies had a role to play in the story. Coming to performances, each and every one of them deserves a pat on their shoulder for brilliant performances but the special kudos to Samuthirakani and AL Azhagappan for their outstanding acting. Samuthirakani as ACP Sangaiah played his cop role wif conviction and determination and the angst he portrayed when his hands are tied by political connections were class.. Surprise packet is AL Azhagappan who did the role of a corrupted politician who's willing to do anything for the sake of his beloved son and at the same time be cold blooded, was really brilliant and almost life like. All the others like Vaibhav, Blessy, Aparna, Abhinaya, Namo Narayanan and the guy who did the title character were very good.. When it came to performances every scored in their respective scenes. Vaibhav as a party animal, Blessy as the father of Abhinaya, Namo Narayanan as the right hand of Azhagappan and Abhinaya as the mute gal portrayed good emoting skills and kudos to Sasikumar for bringing out the best from each of them.

Camera by Kathir was apt for the film especially the movement of the camera in important scenes and the tight angles complemented the grim and dark look of the film. Kathir has proved that he's the man to handle this type of stories in the cinematography department. James Vasanthan was a letdown here except for the Jilla Vittu song and the bit-song played when Vaibhav eyes his gal. Kannil Anbai was not bad either and James did good work on the BGM especially in the flashback and the climax scenes. Art direction was fine especially when it came to depicting the posh houses of the rich kids and the clubs. Editor should have done a better job by trimming the film as that was the setback for the film because if at all it was shorter it would have been a taut and tight film.

Coming to the captain of the film, Sasikumar, he should have made the first half shorter and more direct towards his main theme. Why I am mentioning this is that, until interval we're not sure where the movie is heading into or what the director really intends to show us, as the first half has shows the life of the spoilt rich brats and some political chess game played by the bigwigs of the society. Only after the interval, Sasikumar made the screenplay more racier we were able to grasp the theme of the film and finally he nailed us with a stunning and intense climax filled with violence. Im not sure whether all the violence shown was necessary but it can be justified with all the emotions running in the minds of the characters strewn together in the end. Besides that Sasikumar's 'kusumbu' and subtle mannerisms instilled in the characters, which blended into the film flawlessly, shows the directing skills of Sasikumar.

Sasikumar deserves appreciation for bringing another quality film and for outlining an important message to the society. The film would have been more riveting if it was shortened but then after watching Eesan, I am officially a fan of the Sasikumar, the director. Thanks Sasikumar for sharing the same angst which I have inside me..

Rating: 3/4 (stars)

BY: TAMIL