'Chennaiyil Oru Naal', if the official remake of the critically acclaimed Malayalam film, 'Traffic', which actually piqued the interest of 'Ulaga Nayagan' Dr. Kamal Haasan, who wanted to remake it himself. Though course of nature diverted it from him, the script did come to Tamizh, and has been produced by Raadhika Sarathkumar, in collaboration with Listin Stephen. With a noble message, in the form of organ donation, how did the film fare ?
Whom to start with, in regards to the cast ? Especially when you have a stellar cast list, wherein one can find tons of experiences !! The main roles were all played by exceptional actors. Sarathkumar as the smart police commissioner, Cheran as the redemption-seeking constable, Prakash Raj as the narcissistic film star, Prasanna as the guilt-driven surgeon, Raadhika as the frustrated by supportive wife and mother, Parvathi Menon as the heartbroken girlfriend, Jayaprakash and Lakshmy Ramakrishnan as the grieving parents, each and every one of them were strong in terms of performance. Adding more strength to the film, the rest of the cast such as Iniya, Sachin, Mithun, Aishwarya Devan, Mallika, Manobala, Santhana Bharathi, Subbu Panchu, Vijayakumar, Bala Singh, Raju Krishnamoorthy 'Kitty', Udhayakumar, Devan, R.J Dheena, Akshara, Vaishali and Gabriella Charlton were equally good, in their assigned roles. Also, we have Suriya making a cameo appearance towards the climax and also during the end credits, giving his thoughts on the issue of organ donation. Its a rarity in Tamizh cinema, to have such an ensemble cast in a single film, and that too with very good acting ! Kudos to the team!
Selvam's costume designing and Muthukrishnan's make-up was very much apt for the cast, who all looked the role they were carrying. Perhaps, the make-up could have been handled more diligently, for some characters, in order to have a proper continuity. 'Miracle' Michael's action choreography was more of vehicle handling, and it was not bad. Vinesh Banglan's art direction was simple and efficient. Be it the hospital setting, the interiors of the different styles of houses, shown (be it posh apartments, bungalows or middle-class flats), the hi-tech police chamber and etc. All the backdrops looked perfect and spotless. Job, well done ! Mahesh Narayanan's editing work was interesting, and adds strength to the film, especially when the script has multi-narration and characters, with several timelines. The necessary fast-cuts, adds to the excitement and tension the script, creates. Shehnad Jalal's cinematography was good, especially for the super-fact chasing sequences, and also for his interesting angles, especially when it involves several characters in one scene or sequence. Mejo Joseph's music score was average, though. "Un Thozhil" is the introductory song for Sachin and Parvathi Menon, who play a couple-in-love. The song was picturized with typical dance and montage sequences interspersed and was shot in multi-location such as highways, harbor, malls and etc. "Mannil Ulla Manithan" has montages of all the main characters, living their daily life. Mahesh's smooth editing for the song, is commendable. "Yen Yen Yen", comes at the climax, which has a race-against-time theme and plenty of rapid cut-shots. It was picturized on Cheran, Prasanna and Mithun on their mission to deliver the donated heart, in a dense housing colony. The background score, was too melodramatic and loud in certain sequences, which devalues the intended impact of some sequences.
Starting off with Samuthirakani's voice-over, Bobby and Sanjay's hyperlink script, which has multi-narration, multi-character and multi-timeline, was brilliantly written. The screenplay unravels slowly but steadily and picks up plenty of pace in the second half, especially with the unpredictable twists and turns, during intense moments ! They have struck a nice balance of emotional quotient and thrilling moments in the film. But the overtly done, frenzied, mad-rush climax with a heavy and fast song playing in the back, only gives a 'filmy' effect, rather than a class act, which could have been avoided. The emotional quotient of the film, could have easily warranted highly-charged dialogues, Ajayan Bala must be appreciated for penning simple dialogues. But there are scenes which could have been accentuated by intellectual dialogues, which would have given more depth to the screenplay. Besides that, there is an uncanny dose of Malayalam flavor in the writing, which should have been altered, to suit Tamizh nativity. Shaheed Kader has earnestly tried his best to be sincere to the original Malayalam script, and kudos to him for lucid vision in the execution of the script. Applaudable work from the writers but there are continuity mistakes in the film, which the director, should have taken note off.
'Chennaiyil Oru Naal' could have been a classic and classy film, if it was handled by more experienced and talented crew. A potential unforgettable great film, becomes "just" a good film. But still, congratulations for the brilliant effort of the cast and crew.
Ratings: 3/5 STARS
BY:TAMIL
'Maranthen Mannithean', is touted to be based on real life events which occurred in Andhra Pradesh during the 1986 floods. With a captivating idea as the backbone, debutante director, Kumar Nagendra, has assembled a cast, which is acceptable for both, Tamizh and Telugu audiences. With 'Isaignai' Ilaiyaraaja on board, what does this film hold for us ?
Aadhi, back after his 'Aravaan', looks good and fit for the role of a fisherman. He has worked out well on his physique and is at ease during stunt and dance sequences, but he has to have more clarity, in terms of emoting, as he goes too contemporary. Lakshmi Manchu, who has also produced the film, plays the role of the heroine. She tries her best to emote and act, but she looks too 'polished' and matured for the role of a young village belle, and her appearance doesn't help either, as she looks much more matured and older than her male pairs ! Chinmayee's dubbing for her, further accentuated the 'polished' element of hers. Sundeep was not bad in his role. Taapsee Pannu, plays an irrelevant and insignificant role in the film. Her character is highly sexual in behavior, who seems to always lust for the hero, just because he accidentally touched her, once ! Her slim and trim figure has been exploited by the camera, purely for titilation factor ! The rest of the cast such as Ravi Babu, Bala Singh, Ramesh, Jeeva, Annapurna, Suja Varunee and etc sufficed the need of the director's script.
The work of the technical department, leaves a lot to be desired, considering the scale of the script. Murali Kondetti's art direction plays a vital part in the film. The village and after-flood scenario of the village has to be created convincingly enough, in order to have the authentic look. Blame it on lack of funds, the art director had to resort to using miniatures to create the village, and to cover it up with VFX. Unfortunately, the result was very tacky, added with the below par VFX work by ECS and EVA Motion Studios. The usage of green screen and miniature was very much evident in the film. M.R Varmaa's editing was not bad, though better works could have been carried out, especially for the flood scenes. M.R Palani Kumaar's cinematography, is the only highlight of the film. He tries to cover-up the below-par patch works, in the art department and also canned some beautiful shots of the magnificent Godavari river. Ganesh's stunt choreography was well handled, especially the night fight sequence, shot on the riverbed.
'Isaignai' Ilaiyaraaja's music was sadly, bland and boring. "Kuthikudhamma" is the introductory song for Aadhi and has plenty of shots of the Godavari river. The song was picturization on Aadhi and his gang, dancing around lakes and riverbeds, interspersed with some montages. "Chikki Mukki" was shot on Aadhi and Taapsee, also shot on riverbeds and barren lands, coupled with some shots taken on simple and decently erected sets. "Raathiri Nerathu" is a rehash of 'Isaignani's' classic "Aasaiye Kaathule" from 'Johnny'. The song was shot in a very crass manner, focusing on the ample assets of Mumaith Khan, and also with shots of Aadhi and Taapsee, having an illicit tryst of one-night-stand. "Alaiyodu" is a montage song shot on Sundeep and Lakshmi, picturizing their growth from kids to young adults. The song was mostly shot in and around the village areas. "Engu Irukku" is a song, again shot on Sundeep and Lakshmi, who are on a mission of spotting and buying the 'perfect' rooster for cockfight. "En Ooru" is another crass song, this time shot on Suja Varunee, gyrating and prancing with the villagers and Sundeep, in a simple stage backdrop. Raja sir's background score is impressive in certain places, but sounds too contemporaneous.
Apart from the shoddy VFX, the biggest drawback of the film, was the horrendous dubbing. What was the intention of the director and producer ? To do a bilingual film or a straight Telugu film, which can be dubbed into Tamizh ? End of the day, it is indeed a straight Telugu film, which has been dubbed for the Tamizh market, sparing a few scenes. What's the need for a couple of original scenes, when all that you're going to do is to simply dub ? The directorial work was poor, with bad continuity issues, unimpressive story telling and unemotionally-charged sequences. Though the story is based on P.V.S Rama Rao's novel, the flood element, was only used as an initial attention-grabber, rather than being the main backdrop of the film. There's no cohesion in the screenplay, and the script is just plainly insipid, in terms of writing.
Tamizh cinema audiences are known to forgive and forget. 'Maranthen Mannithean' - No pun intended, Kumar Nagendra ?
Ratings: 1.5/5 STARS
BY:TAMIL
Tha. Prabhu Raja Cholan, a former associate of Shankar makes his debut as a director in the uniquely titled, 'Karuppampatti'. Started three years ago, 'Karuppampatti' finally sees the day, and luckily the hero Ajmal, has a better market, thanks to the big success of 'Ko'. With interesting locations such as Paris and the extreme opposite of it, in rural Tamil Nadu villages, 'Karuppampatti' promises a good and family-friendly time for the viewers. But is it really good as a film ?
This is Ajmal's first film as an out-and-out hero or as the protagonist. It is quite evident that he has performed sincerely, though his reactions do tend to go overboard at times. Probably, more experience could have helped him to be more composed. But kudos to him for attempting to play two diametrically different roles and has worked well, in displaying the difference between both the roles, which are set in different eras. Ajmal shows some promise and with more films, he can scale the heights of stardom. Aparna Bajpai would have probably bagged this role, thanks to her role in 'Eesan' which she did long time back. She too has the opportunity to perform in two roles but sadly, her roles were not sketched out properly, nor do they have any significant importance to the film. Her sweet smile and pleasant appearance, is a plus for her, though. M.S Bhaskar handles the comedy portions of the first half, and he was good with his dialogue delivery and modulation. Meanwhile, its Jagan and Srinath, who takes care of the humor quotient in the second half. Jagan, was pretty good, particularly with his dialogue delivery and expressions, whereas Srinath was too loud and irritating. A big troupe of supporting artistes are there, such as Devadarshini, Chetan, Ganesh, Alex, Mahadevan, R.S.G Chelladurai, Balasubramaniam, Prem and etc, and many of them have left their mark, wherever they could.
The technical output of the film was not bad, surprisingly. Vasugi Bhaskar has done a good job, on a low budget, especially when it comes to the fashion styles of the 70's and the current generation. But more work could have done to make the characters of the village folks of the 70's to look more authentic and believable. Abdul Razak's make-up sufficed the needs of the artistes. 'Rock' Prabhu's stunt was simple and cleanly executed by Ajmal. Production designers, Vengal Ravi and Veeramani should be lauded for their simple, yet efficient art direction. The props and background were convincingly done to represent the specific eras portrayed in the film. The interiors and props for the 70's era, was the highlight, together with the sets for the songs. B.Lenin's editing was just perfect for the film, without making it too draggy. Santhosh Sriram and Sanjeevi Sathyaseelan, handled the cinematography department very well. The camera movements and framing were perfect, as well as the clarity in their works, especially for the village portions.
Kannan's tunes for the film was average and not really hum-worthy. "Kannamma" is the first song, which is a bit song, picturized on village girls, celebrating the festival, by playfully pouring turmeric-contained water on men. It has good camera movements and nice black-and-white tone to it. "Oh Indira" has Telugu actress Archana doing a dance jig with Ajmal, in a simple, yet flashy club set. The lighting was particularly bright, which captured the essence and mood of the song quite well. "Naughty Raja" had very bright and colorful lighting in the set work, which resembled the 70's hippie disco backdrop. The editing for the song was neatly done, so that it resembles similar type of songs, picturized in those days. "Karuppampatti" is a typical village song, with the Pongal celebration as the backdrop. It had plenty of dancers and the colorful festivity mood, in the air, especially with the big number of sugar canes used for the song. "Adaleru Kaalai" is another celebratory village song, this time glorifying the victorious state of the protagonist in a bull-fight. It too has similar colorful ambiance and plenty of dancers, with plantation fields, serving as the backdrop. The background score was just normal, and there's nothing much to discuss about it.
Tha. Prabhu Raja Cholan, must be credited for earnestly trying to be as original as he could, wherever the script necessitates. For example, the liberal use of French during the Paris portions, the non-stereotyping of villagers as the supreme good human and the usage of black-and-white tone for the flashback sequences. The detailing is evident, but it is not enough, in terms of his script writing. We are not given enough justification or rationale explanations on why the senior Ajmal was averse to his fellow villagers, though he is one among them. Some characters just vanish without leaving any mark on the screenplay and the the junior Ajmal's comfortable assimilation into the supposedly, "alien" village, is too good to be true. And the integration of all the characters into the village once again, was just too simple. All these only showcase the lazy writing of the director. Its puzzling to note how the director can leave out a simply detail in the dialogues portion, especially for the younger Ajmal, who seems to be uttering more English, instead of French ! He grew up in Paris, didn't he ? The director has set his sight in capturing the family audience's attention, but the script lacks the zing and the intensity of the emotional quotient, needed for such family dramas. Perhaps, Tha. Prabhu Raja Cholan would have intended for a light-hearted, simple film yet, it fails to fully engage us.
'Karuppampatti' is watchable in bits and pieces. A more deft, script-writing could have helped the film, to achieve its actual intention.
Ratings: 2/5 STARS
BY:TAMIL
Set in the 1990's era of the violent North Madras area, 'Sundaattam' has the culture of carom board gambling as its backdrop, with a love story laced within it. Irfan of 'Kanaa Kaanum Kaalangal' series fame, plays the role of the hero, accompanied by a debutante heroine, Arunthathi. Debutante director Brahma G.Dev, shows some promise, with good detailing, but will his directorial and writing skill, be worth the watch ?
Irfan may have the camera-exposure experience, but he is certainly, no hero material. For now ! He lacks the energy and fizz needed to carry the machismo of a Tamizh cinema hero. He has to fine tune his voice modulation and also experiment more to make up for the lack of screen presence. Meanwhile, debutante Arunthathi, shows some promise with her confident performance. She carries her role well, and its not often we get to see such tall heroines. More good roles, and she has a good career, in front of her. Madhu as the antagonist, had the looks required for his role. But his voice lacks the grittiness, needed. The rest of the cast such as Naren, Stalin, Sendraj, Harris Musa, Sree Latha, Kumar, Sujatha, Misha and Vinoth, were apt for their roles.
Jeyaraj's costume designing was apt for the characters, pertaining to particular sections and area of society. 'Super' Subbarayan and 'Action' Prakash's stunt choreography was neatly done, with no exaggerated kicks and punches. Mohana Magendran's art direction was not bad, especially for the market street set-up as the main backdrop for the film and as well as the interiors of the carom club and the protagonist's house. Good job, indeed. L.V Thasson's editing was crisp, keeping the film not too boring and lengthy, with no abrupt jumps. But he must avoid making mistakes by retaining shots for different time period of the film. P.Balagurunathan's cinematography was in tune with the mood and backdrop setting of the script. The raw and edgy look was maintained throughout the film, and the night shots, were well handled, with good exposure lights. The color tone of the film, further complemented the cinematography, pretty well.
Newcomer Britto handles the song compositions of the film. "Adi Unnale" is a good melody number, which was picturized on the market set, with typical rain-and-dance mode, showing the hero falling for the heroine and dreaming of her. The lighting for the song was well handled. "Vizhiyil Vithai" is a situational song, which glorifies the uprising of the hero in the carom gamble scenario and his rivalry with his nemesis. With plenty of montages, the focus was on the hero and the villain, depicting their emotions, in the up-rise and downfall, respectively. The pick of the album, "Narumughaye" is a beautiful and sweet melody, with typical montage picturization of the hero-heroine couple in their love escapades, shot mostly in streets, beaches and in running buses. "Nethiyile" is the only song composed by Arunagiri, and is about the death of an elderly man. A situational song, it was shot with a good number of dancers with song montages slipped in between, in a funeral backdrop. "Kan Kondu" is a pathos song, showing the hero in search of his missing heroine, in sequences of montages, with plenty of close-ups. "Kadhal Varum Varai" is the final song, which was used only like a bit song, picturized on the hero and heroine, getting back together, with the beach and highway as the backdrop. The background score was handled by Achu, and he shows his promising talent, with fine touches of melody here and there.
Debutant Brahma G.Dev's script is shown to be based in the 90's, but honestly, nothing in the film reminded us of that particular time period, except for some film posters and the absence of 21st century gadgetry. It still puzzles, as to why he decided to have that aspect. The only element which reminds us of that time era, is the outdated love-blossoming sequences, which were as old as the hills. His attempt in capturing the dark and gritty North Madras ambiance, is laudable, though. Brahma G.Dev's script lacks the same grittiness needed, as it is too simple and straight-forward. There is nothing interesting which hooks us to the movie. There is no coherent screenplay and certain sequences stands out like a sore thumb, for no reasons. The antagonist lacks attitude needed for the role and though the voice modulation was good, it was not sufficient enough. Brahma G.Dev fails to notch up a clear-cut theme line for his film, which results in his screenplay wandering aimlessly.
Brahma G.Dev could have been roughly inspired by Vetrimaaran's 'Pollathavan'. Hence, the raw output.
Ratings: 1.75/5 STARS
BY:TAMIL
'Vathikuchi' is an interesting venture from A.R Murugadoss's production company, which he has co-produced with none other than Fox Star Studios India. With the intentions of churning quality movies, Murugadoss and Fox Studios are collaborating for the second time after the successful, 'Engeyum Eppodhum'. This time too, its a former assistant of Murugadoss, who is calling the shots as director. P.Kinslin's debut directorial venture has Deliban, the younger brother of A.R Murugadoss, being introduced as the hero. So, how did this project fare ?
Like it or not, Dileban is being promoted as an action-hero material by A.R Murugadoss. To some extent, Dileban does deliver the basic outputs expected out of an action hero. He is adept in pulling off action scenes, puts his bulky and well-built physique to rough treatments, and has good stamina. But that alone will not make the audience to root for you. There is the acting performance side to being an actor, and Dileban has way lots of room to improve. He maintains a single expression throughout the film (its not convincing, even if the director wanted Deliban to be projected as the as-cool-as-cucumber type !) The dialogue delivery has no modulations in it and he looks stiff in certain sequences. If he is to survive, he needs more practice in acting ! Anjali's role looked like an extension of her 'Engeyum Eppodhum' Manimegalai, with a little modification, with more naughtiness and chirpiness. Her own dubbing makes it perfect for the role but she has to start taking care of her physique more. Saranya Ponvannan was the archetypal sporty and casual mother, we had seen in many recent movies. Sampath Raj and Jayaprakash have easy roles, as they would have done such roles several times, in their previous films. The rest of the cast such as Ravi Maria, 'Pattimandram' Raja, V.C.R, Rajshree, Bala Singh, Sri Ranjani and etc sufficed the need of the script. But what was the director thinking by having Jegan play a negative role ? It was a terrible miscast as he is nowhere near being convincing enough, and ends up looking comical. Its either perfect his acting skills or just concentrate doing on what Jegan is comfortable at !
The film carries some decent technical work. R.Krishnamoorthy and M.J Raju's sound works were good, especially in fight and shoot-out sequences. Sanjey Karan's artwork was decent enough for the simple script, with appropriate props, as most of the shooting was in live locations. Praveen K.L and Srikanth N.B's editing work, keeps the film compact, even with the accomodation of the lacklustre romance and comedy portions. Their handling of the flashback portions and also the fight sequences, was very professionally and maturely done. Rajasekar's action choreography was a big letdown with excessive and terrible rope usage, in the fight sequences. The bad handling of the ropes, makes the action sequences too exaggerated and fake in nature. R.B Gurudhev handles the camera skillfully, with clever usage of the slow-motion techniques for the action sequences and his choice of lighting and color tone, gives the film a raw look, but with a blue tinge.
M.Ghibran's musical score was fantastic, with quirky tunes and background score. "Kuru Kuru" has montages of the hero, going after the heroine, after getting the green-light from her. This song has some well framed, shots. "Amma Wake Me Up" is a groovy and impish song, picturized on the heroine and her bunch of friends, with their shopping 'adventures' and antics. In tandem with the lyrics, the song has been mostly shot in and around shopping malls. "Kanne Kanne" is a dreamy song, where the hero imagines being married to his heroine, and has plenty of montage sequences. "Ari Unnai" is a situational song, showing the hero, getting caught in a dangerous situation. M.Ghibran rocks in the background score with unique sounds, and he is definitely a cut above the rest, among the upcoming young music directors. Expecting more from him, after this and the brilliant debut in 'Vaagai Sooda Vaa' !
P.Kinslin's script is engaging in bits and pieces. The narration was interestingly told in flashback mode but the narration must grow organically and not forced upon. Kinslin shows some talent in handling his script, but his dialogues were not up to the mark, where better writers would have done wonders, especially in the monologues. Also, Kinslin's unnecessarily injects his film, with typical hero machismo, where he is portrayed as the do-gooder and struggles to come to a smooth end. Kinslin's character development was half-baked, especially with the antagonists. The worse was Jagan and his bunch of scheming friends. Which schemers would go on mouthing-dialogues, instead of seizing the opportunity to kill off their targets ? But here, you can see all sort of silly antagonistic antics, especially by Jegan ! But Kinslin should be appreciated for portraying lives of the middle-class characters from a myriad of raw outskirts of Chennai, such as Tambaram, Avadi, Ambattur, Samathuvapuram and etc.
'Vathikuchi' does not live up to the promises it made, but a little more of deft handling and maturity in the script and direction, would have made this film, much better. Keep improving, P.Kinslin !
Ratings: 2.75/5 STARS
BY:TAMIL
The name Bala, spells awe and astonishment among the crème de la crème of Indian directors. Revered for his stunning narration and unimaginable characterizations, Bala's 'Paradesi' is his first period film (set in the 1930's) and also the fastest to be shot (in record 90 days time !). Loosely based on Paul Harris Daniel's 1969 novel, 'Red Tea' which records the author's experience of having first-hand experience, witnessing the deplorable and agonizing state, of the tea plantation workers. With a relatively young cast and crew, Bala has perfectly titled the film and how shocking is the auteur's newest release ?
This was a lifetime role for Atharvaa Murali, and boy, did he grab it with such adroitness ! To have a lead role in Bala's film at such a young stage of his career, Atharvaa was simply outstanding as Raasa ! As the innocent and somewhat gullible chap, he delivered a stellar performance, right from the beginning and till the final crescendo. His climax performance was simply too good, as he brought out the intense pain and frustrations of the torturous hell he is trapped into. Take a bow, Atharvaa !! Vedhika, who resembles the yesteryear Srividhya in some sequences, was not far behind, either. Its amazing to see her grasp the inputs of Bala and to perform with aplomb, in a character and setting which is totally alien to her. She delivered perfect and beautiful expressions, and also kudos for her climax performance ! Dhanshikaa delivered a very matured performance, and its highly commendable because the grittiness and seriousness in her character, was very well brought out by her. Besides that, her voice modulation was fantastic, and she got her pronunciation perfectly. A real talent, to look out for ! Popular advertisement filmmaker, Jerry was natural as the vicious and cold-blooded 'Kangaani'. He has different shades to his role, and came out with flying colors, in his first acting assignment. Debutantes, Udhay Karthik and Riythvika, were brilliant and so too the other odd characters and not to forget, the hundreds of hard-toiled junior artistes. Bravo to the whole casting crew !!
The technical crew, worked in sync with the needs of the script. Poornima Ramasamy's costume designing was splendid, and her hard-work, put in research payed off, very well. All the characters were accurately costumed, and the clothes became part of the nature of the characters. Dheepak Bhojraj's opening titles and credits sequences, with those sketches, had a touch of poignancy. M.J Raju and Raj Krishna's sound work was perfectly in sync with the story, as some minute sounds, makes big mark in the film. Debutant art director, C.S Balachander created the perfect environment and setting of the pre-independence Salur village and the pathetic tea plantation squatters. The huts, the 'Panchayat' temple and the rugged terrains were in tandem with the script and he certainly brought out the village alive, for us ! And cinematographer Chezhiyan, captured those important structures, beautifully with his camera. The cinematography, narrated the script in a visualistic manner, thanks to the camera movements. The very dark color tone, further brought out the gloomy environment needed for the script. Fantastic work by both Balanchander and Chezhiyan ! Kishore T.E should be applauded for his concise and crisp editing, by shortening the length of the film to be just above 2 hours.
G.V Prakash Kumar, collaborates with Bala for the first time and he comes out with in-sync tunes. "Kannaalamam Kannaalam" is one of G.V Prakash Kumar's best and different score. The song was written by director Thiagarajan Kumararaja of 'Aaranya Kaandam' fame and it was picturized on a wedding sequences of the people of Salur. Avatha Paiya" is a beautiful melody picturized on the love trysts of the lead pair, Atharvaa and Vedhika, in and around the Salur village. The emotions and expressions of the lead pair, were captured beautifully by Chezhiyan. "Sengaade" has wonderful lighting, and chronicles the treacherous and long journey of the 'Paradesis' to the tea estate. The camera angles brought out the pain and trouble of the junior artistes, who performed in this song. "Senneerthaana" is a pathos song, highlighting the early hardships and troubles faced by the folks, who has started working in the tea estate. Chezhiyan's framing and color scheme for this song, is commendable. "Or Mirugam" further highlights the continuing pain and agony of the characters, which have now realized that, they are trapped in a hell, waiting for their death. The final song, "Thannai Thaane" is the only dance number, which had Master Sivashankar, along with a foreign artiste, dancing and singing in praise of Jesus Christ. G.V Prakash Kumar, scores well in the background music as well, but he should have toned down some overtly melodramatic score, such as the shehnai sound, just before the climax. An experienced composer would have done wonders, but still kudos to G.V Prakash Kumar, for trying his best, in achieving something different.
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To those who are accustomed with Bala's style of film-making, they would know that he shows no remorse in dealing with extremely dark and undocumented topics and settings. Bala's expertise, is his remarkable and extremely bizarre characterizations. In 'Paradesi' too, we get to see intense, raw, gritty and powerful characters. The vision of Bala in sculpting and giving life to his characters, is just unsurpassable by anyone and he continues his terrific form in 'Paradesi' as well. This film, is definitely Bala's most straight-forward and honest film, so far as there is no sugar-coating or deviation in the storyline. Its just a simple, "start-take off-bang-the end" type of narration. Bala's previous films had shocking, brutal, violent and unfathomable climax sequences, but here, its just kept simple. There's only extreme pain, agony, torture and a heart-wrenching ending. There is just pain, after pain, after pain, with no place for whatsoever other emotions, in this latest Bala's offering. Bala's usual "dark comedy" or macabre in nature, is present as well but the humor, is very limited but Nanjil Nadan's dialogues, were in tune with Bala's taste. Especially the in-your-face, crude jokes ! And also the mockery and pot-shot taken at the Church missionaries, who comes for proselytizing purposes, in the pretext of curing people, was hilarious ! Having Rajkiran narrate the starting monologue, was a touch of poignancy from Bala. 'Paradesi' is a laborious and grueling effort from the cast and crew of the film, deserves great appreciation from all
'Paradesi' - Not the "cup of tea" of many, but so much for just a cup of tea in the 1930's ?
Ratings: 4/5 STARS
BY:TAMIL
P.T Selvakumar, the manager of 'Ilaiyathalapathy' Vijay for nearly 30 years, turns director with 'Onbadhula Guru'. With an interesting ensemble cast of youngsters, P.T Selvakumar promised a good comedy film, which will make us forget our worries, and enjoy the comedy, unabashedly. Did he deliver, as he promised ? Did the years of experience, being a manager of a very popular star, help Selva in his tryst ?
We were reminded that the movie is about 4 Idiots, but then it should have been captioned as 4+1 Idiots. Vinay Rai, makes his mini-comeback in this film, and he has more of the screen space among all the 'Idiots'. He tries his best to deliver his dialogues well and maintain a good timing in his comedy. Though far from being perfect, he is passable and with more experience, he can improve his acting capabilities. Sathyan's dialogue delivery was good, as he is always funny with his voice modulation and not far behind him was Chaams, though he had limited screen timing. Arvind Akash, was okay and the additional 'Idiot', Premji makes his presence felt by mocking Tamizh cinema heroes and Tamizh cinema's landmark films and scenes from those films. Lakshmi Rai, makes an entry late into the second half, and was adequate, though it must be noted that she is a little out of shape. The film has a host of artistes doing minor roles such as Manobala, Manthra, Sona Heiden, Geetha Singh, Karthika Shetty, Roopa Shree, Yogi Devaraj, Chitra Lakshmanan and etc. All of them were sincere to their roles, though whether did it leave any impact, is a different question all together. Besides them, we do have 'Powerstar' Dr S.Srinivasan and director K.S Ravikumar, doing cameo roles !
The technical department's job were ordinary and nothing to rave about. N.J Sathya's costumes were too colorful and loud. R.Janaa's art work was simple, especially for the outdoor sequences, though his detailing could have been much better. Silva's one stunt sequence choreography was sufficient enough for the scene. P. Sai Suresh's editing and P.Chelladurai's cinematography were just okay. Music director, K's songs are not even hum-worthy, and is immediately forgettable. "Alayaadhe Summa" is the song which is played during the opening credits and has 'Powerstar' Dr S.Srinivasan doing his funny dancing jigs. He is accompanied by Sathyan and Arvind Akash, and the song is shot mostly in the outdoors, such as parks. "Theera Theera" was picturized in a college setting, and has plenty of merry and dancers, regularly associated with such type of songs. "Vaa Machi" is a song which pokes fun at marriage and the tune is eerily similar to K's previous "Bar Anthem" in 'Mugamoodi'. The picturization is not much different from the earlier mentioned, two songs. "Maidha Maidhaanam" is a club song, which has Lakshmi Rai shaking her legs. It has some creative editing, but with minimal impact. The song had cheesy lighting, and costumes of the artistes, should have been better.
First things, first. Mr. P.T Selvakumar, what genre does your film belong to ? Is it a regular comedy movie, or is it an out-and-out spoof movie ? We have no clue on what were Selva's intentions, and all we can see is just an onslaught of spoof scenes, from the start, till the end ! A majority of the film's scenes were irrelevant and has no purpose. Tamizh cinema stars were made fun of repeatedly and apparently, Suriya was the most targeted, conspicuously. As the spoofing goes on tirelessly, the audience starts to get tired fast and lose interest in the proceedings. What's even more pathetic ? Most of the jokes or spoofs, fall flat and fails to evoke even, the slightest of chuckles, barring one or two, here and there. And the credits can go to the co-dialogue writer M.Ashok Kumar. What's really shameful, are the crude and crass jokes made out of women, which is unacceptable at all ! There is no connectivity between the scenes and a coherent screenplay, as well. Slapstick comedy is a tricky tread, and one can only pull it off, if there's an excellent writing and an equally excellent casting. 'Onbadhula Guru' fails badly, in pulling off such an attempt.
'Onbadhula Guru' - Its even more shocking to see the film ending with a note that there's a sequel to it, with 'Powerstar' as the main lead ! P.T Selvakumar, should seriously consider not going ahead with a sequel, unless it changes hands, to another director !
Ratings: 1.25/5 STARS
BY:TAMIL
'Patheyaram Kodi', has Vivek enacting the main comedy role of the film and the whole movie is just about his buffoonery antics and some slapstick comedy sequences, with some songs thrown into the frame, with moderate low-budget VFX usage.
Vivek, is at complete ease as the silly and amusing CBCID officer, but sadly his jokes are outdated and barely makes us to chuckle. The lead pair Dhruv and Madhalasa, were just caricatures and were used for the sake of having a hero and heroine. Gokul, was credited as having a "special role" but most of the times, he is not in the frame at all, since he is invisible ! There's a big bunch of comedy artistes such as Madan Bob, 'Cell' Murugan, Alwa Vasu, Chelladurai, Thiyagu and etc and were there just to make up the numbers and do not have any meaningful roles or characters of importance.
The technical works are of sub-standard. Sheela Armani's costumes were just below average, even for Madhalasa. Shankar's simple stunt work sufficed the need of the script. Vijay Anand's art work was passable. Sujith Mahadev's editing was just plain simple and C.H Rajkumar's cinematography was just ordinary. Shockingly, the VFX was badly handled and supervised, with remnants of the patchwork, being visible. Yet, there were three companies (Passion Studios, Criya Infotainment and Cerebrums), which worked behind the VFX portions ! The film had unnecessarily plenty of songs and all of them were below average ! G.D Prasad's title score, "Patheyaram Kodigal", was used during the opening credits and in between the chasing sequences. The rest of the songs were composed by K.S Manoj. "Padichi Padichi" is a typical college-opening number, which was shot in and around the college campus. "Bhoomika" is a pathos song, shot on the lead pair and was picturized in scenic locations such as hillside, sandy beaches and serene forests, with few montage portions, inserted. "Azhagaana Poi" is a duet, shot on the lead pair again, with hilly landscape, serving as the backdrop. "CBI Singam" is a item song shot on Vivek and Kanishka Suri who did a small role in the film. The song was shot within the perimeters of a bungalow house and Vivek just casually walks in and out of the frame. "Idhu Enna" is another duet, which had plenty of graphic usage and was primarily shot on Madhalasa, who looked pretty in her casual dress, with an apartment backdrop. "Kaigal Ondraaga" is used in the end credits. Prashant's background score was in tune with the script - silly and comedic.
V.Srinivas Sunder has written the story, screenplay, dialogues and directed the film, with having veteran Muktha V.Srinivasan as the co-writer. We are not sure of the actual intentions of the writers, but judging from the script and screenplay, we can presume that they were intending to deliver a comedy film. With no logic, common sense and any touch of seriousness, that is ! The writing cannot even qualify as half-baked and the script is littered with plenty of lame, stupid jokes. There's not even an iota of depthness, in terms of story-telling and we do wonder, if this film was actually intended for small kids. The proceedings depicted in the film, were absolutely absurd and is way too simple and uncomplicated !
'Patheyaram Kodi' - quintessential sub-standard, lame comedy movie of Tamizh cinema !
Ratings: 1/5 STARS
BY:TAMIL
Karunas is a good comedian, provided that he is given a good scope and character to perform. His tryst as lead actor in films such as 'Dindigul Sarathy', 'Ambasamudram Ambani', might have produced mixed results, but it has not stopped him from doing further lead roles. 'Chandamama' is one such venture, and here, he plays the role of a untalented novelist-wannabe.
The cast comprised mostly of experienced artistes, so it was just a walk-in-the-park for most of them. Karunas, was in his elements doing comedy scenes, but also gets to try out more emotional sequences as well and is passable overall. Shwetha Basu has potential to be a good artiste, if she tutelage under a good director. Harish Kalyan, though was very poor in all aspects ! R.Sundarrajan, M.S Bhaskar, Ilavarasu, Sujatha, G.M Kumar, Madan Bob, Mohan Ram, Kottachi, 'Crane' Manohar and etc all were decent enough for their roles.
'Mafia' Sasi and 'Fire' Karthik were credited for stunt practices, but what was their exact contribution, is a mystery. Mani Suchitra's art work was simple and apt for the low budget of the film. G.Murali's editing should be noted for keeping the length of the film from being over-stretched. Anandha Kuttan's cinematography was sufficient enough. Nothing more to discuss about the camera work. Srikanth Deva's score was pretty bad. "Koyambedu Silk" is a regular dance number, which was shot in a market setting and had Raghasiya as the item girl. Kudos to Karunas, for attempting to dance well. "Yaarodi" is a melody, which was shot on the lead pair in villages, lakes, paddy fields and dams. "Kandene" is a bit song, which comes in as a situational song, which was shot on Harish, recording it in Srikanth Deva's studio. "Narayana" is a dance number, which was shot on Sridhar and also a few montage sequences were inserted, into the video clip. Srikanth Deva's background score was worse, as he fails to balance the synchronization between humor and emotional scenes. The movie, almost had a complete melodramatic score, throughout !
R.Radhakrishnan's script, was a very poorly written one, which is not in tune with current circumstances. Songs are simply thrown in for the sake of having them. Dialogues by P.S Ramnath were just adequate. The screenplay was too boring, which makes us to lose interest in watching the artistes perform. Its still a puzzle, if the director wanted to come out with a comedy film or a melodramatic, one. But whatever it is, he fails miserably in both genres, if you go according to the scenes.
'Chandamama' - might have been bearable for the audiences of smaller towns and villages of a couple of decades ago !
Ratings: 1/5 STARS
BY:TAMIL
Haridas, piqued our interest with its trailer, which promised a clean-cut film, with very good artistes, in Kishore and Sneha, doing the lead roles. G.N.R Kumaravelan, who's last venture, was the pathetic 'Yuvan Yuvanthi', has handled a more serious but delicate theme of autism and the tough life of parents of an autistic child. Can the director redeem himself of a good career, with this sensitive theme as a backdrop, aided by good artistes and technicians ?
'Haridas' is fueled with very good performances, from the two main leads, Kishore and Sneha. The former plays an encounter specialist, who's life comes to a sudden halt, due to situations leading him to take care of his autistic child, all by himself. This film could be one of Kishore's most sincerest and honest performance, ever. His composed, yet heartfelt emotions and subtle reactions makes us to sympathize or even empathize with his character, especially in scenes where he is clueless on what to do next with his autistic son. Also, his macho and charismatic screen presence, makes him perfectly fit into the role of an encounter specialist police officer. Sneha, puts her heart and soul into the 'Amudhavalli' teacher character. Lucky for getting such a role, she pulls off a beautiful performance and her experience, gives her the edge in enacting the emotional scenes. Also, she has mastered the dialogue delivery capability and has handled the dubbing herself, which adds more realistic element into her role. Master Prithviraj Doss, has a very good entry and he was too very much natural in his role as the autistic boy. His body language, mannerism and screen presence gave the character more color and life. The rest of the cast such as Pradeep Rawat, Soori, G.Rajesh Kumar and etc did what was expected out of them, and Rajkapoor, as well as Yugi Sethu make wonderful cameo appearances, especially the later, who was in his usual witty elements.
Rajashekar's action choreography was good enough for the script, though it could have been handled well, especially when you have an able actor like Kishore. Lalgudi N.Ilaiyaraja's production design was simple, yet class. The opening posh apartment setting, the police quarters, and the climax warehouse, all were well set up and designed, giving the film a simple, but beautiful look. Raja Mohammed's editing was neat and the opening sequences were well handled. But the length of the film could have been shortened, which would have made the film even crispier. The movie, would not have been made to look high in quality, without the excellent cinematography by R.Rathnavelu. Randy's simple color palette, with natural lighting worked out brilliantly for the film. Each shot was picture-perfect, and the warm ambiance implemented throughout the film, complemented the script very well. Great work, Randy !
Vijay Antony, had delivered simple songs for the film, which fits well for the film. "Vellakuthira" is a pathos song, used in a particular sober situation. It was shot with few montages and the old house charm was captured beautifully by the cinematographer, with perfect natural lighting. The "Police" song, is a comedic take on the miserable life of police officers. It has an item girl with plenty of dancers, and was shot in the streets. Again Randy, has handled the natural lighting available for this song, pertaining to the situation and this time has more darker shots. "Vaazhkaiye" is a situational song, which acts out as a motivational one, too. It has lots of montages and small sequences interlaced in between those montages. Also, the camera angles, are an highlight of this song, as well. "Annaiyin Karuvil" was shot in a very photographic manner, with picturesque shots along the white, sandy beaches and also few montage sequences, fit into it. The background score was handled well, in most of the scenes bar some, which was too loud and melodramatic at times.
The film has plenty of heartfelt, emotional scenes, which adds strength to the film. The gradual transformation of the autistic son, was very natural and well presented. Although, the police scenes were well sketched, it takes the focus out of the main theme, though it can be excused. A little more maturity in the direction and script writing, would have made this film, an even much better product. Some melodramatic sequences could have been avoided, or as said, handled with more maturity. A.R Venkatesan's dialogues were simple and there are some good dialogues, peppered here and there in the script. But an even more astute writer, could have put in fantastic outputs, in terms of dialogues. Nevertheless, a good job by the dialogue writer. The build-up to the climax was fantastic but the end could have been different, since it felt a little forced and unnecessary. Yet, G.N.R Kumaravelan deserves a pat for handling a sensitive subject, without going too preachy or overtly sentimental. Also, kudos to him for glorifying the pains and sacrifices parents of such special kids, go through in bringing up their kids, in this complicated and tedious life.
Films like 'Haridas' should be encouraged and supported by audiences. Though the script has potential to be developed into an even much better film, yet bravo to G.N.R Kumaravelan, for a simple and family-friendly film. 'Haridas' - Is this from the same guy who gave us, 'Yuvan Yuvathi' ? Wow !
Ratings: 3/5 STARS
BY:TAMIL
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