THADAIYARA THAAKKA MOVIE REVIEW

With a chaste Tamizh title to the film, Magilzh Thirumeni has changed tracks from the soft romantic, 'Mundhinam Parthene' to this action-packed thriller. The former assistant of Gautham Vasudev Menon has lots to prove with this new attempt on a different genre than his previous work. Arun Vijay is coming back to screens after a two-year absence, with his home production 'Maanja Velu'. This film is produced by the same firm as well and Arun Vijay needs a solid hit to cement himself as a saleable actor in Tamizh cinema.

Arun Vijay, has put in a sincere and honest effort in his role as the private vehicle driver Selva. His buff body was apt for this action packed role and he pulled off the stunts scenes effortlessly. His body language and restrained emotions was very life-like. Not to forget, a decent dialogue delivery, in sync with the characterization warrants him a good dosage of appreciation. Wishing him luck for serious success, which has been eluding him for a very long time. Mamta Mohandass makes a comeback after three years after 'Guru En Aalu'. This is her first Tamizh film post-marriage and she was the perfect foil for Arun Vijay's protagonist role. The chirpy and bubbly personality is a fresh breathe of air, in this otherwise dark film. Rakul Preet Singh, a former finalist of Miss India pageant makes her splash as an actress through this film, and though she was okay, her character was not properly exploited, hence limiting her histrionics skills. Murugadass and the other bunch of friends roles provides some laughter here and there. But the real scene stealers are the antagonists artistes, Maha Gandhi and Vamsi Krishna. Both of them were menacing and gritty with their performances with their brooding screen presence and non-exaggerated expressions. Kudos to both of them!

The team comprises of technicians who knows their work well and the film has some decent efforts. Costumes were apt and perfect for the roles, not being too flashy and tacky with Ganesh doing for Arun and Deepali Noor for both the ladies. Mohana Mahendiran used proper props to complement the scenes, which were shot mostly in real locations. Praveen K.L and Srikanth N.B's editing had fast-cuts and the movie moves in rapid pace with the duration slightly more than two hours. Thaman's music was simple with only two songs making it into the film. "Kelamale" was shot in a breezy manner with only a single location with various angles and simple choreography by Nagendra Prasad. "Poonthamalli" is a typical dance number and had fast movements by Noble with the addition of Debi Dutta as the 'item' girl. Thaman should improve more on his re-recording in order to avoid the 'heard-before' feel. 'Anal' Arasu has choreographed simple and neat action sequences and the blows delivered looked very real especially the back alley fight featuring Arun Vijay and Aruldass and also the climax fight scene in a factory warehouse. Sukumar's camera work was efficient with the well-shot night effect sequences, heavily used in the second half and the tone used which was apt for the script.

The script was concise and intelligently written, which is a welcome relief among the glut of nonsensical crass commercial flicks churned out these days. The intelligence does not stop only in the twists and turns but also continues in the form of light and subtle humor of the characters. The innocence of the protagonists friends, the quirkiness of the protagonist, the stubborn-yet naive heroine and even the antagonists had subtle humors to their characters which is a refreshing thing to watch. Magilzh has etched out each characters well and established them with correct dialogues and mannerisms which doesn't give them a caricature-kind of feel. The romance scenes between the lead pair is quirky, cheeky and mature and guess its the rubbing off of the charm of Magilzh's mentor. The best aspect of 'Thadaiyara Thakka's' script is the twists and turns which is shown in the second half especially. It keeps the audience guessing and waiting for 'the moment'. But the same factor is the minus point of the film as well. The amount of twists and turns are plenty and they are thrown to the audience at a rapid pace which actually makes the audience to be unsettled and confused. The second half takes a dip in pace but overall it was a decent effort of intelligent writing from the director.

'Thadaiyara Thakka' has a decent script, good action scenes, life-like characters and neat performances from the artistes. If the second half was polished with a neater screenplay, the movie would have been even better.


Ratings: 2.5/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL

MANAM KOTHI PARAVAI MOVIE REVIEW

Siva Karthikeyan, the television superstar has donned the the mantle of a proper protagonist role for the first time in this S.Ezhil directed film. Hot on the heels of a successful run in 'Marina' and a welcomed acclaim from the masses for his performance in '3', 'Manam Kothi Paravai' will be his proper launch pad into the league of Tamizh cinema protagonists. S.Ezhil is back from a sabbatical, after doing the mediocre 'Deepavali' with 'Jeyam' Ravi and Bhavana way back in 2007. Trumpeting to be a feel-good comedy film, this venture is targeted at the family audience and with a big cast of comedy artistes, it promises to be a nice time-pass film.

Siva Karthikeyan, makes a decent performance in the film and he is known for his superb comedy sense and timing but in this film, it was less exploited as the director wanted his protagonist to have shades of seriousness to the role as well. Hence we can see Siva Karthikeyan doing emotional scenes, and he underplays it well. If Siva is to reap more success as an actor, he has to try out different roles, though this type of boy-next-door kind of roles suits him to the T. Debutant heroine Aathmiya has to improve her expressions and body language if she wants to survive in this heavily competitive world, though she was suitable for the homely, coy girl role and looks like Meera Jasmine. The film has a big cast like Naren, Ilavarasu, Ravi Maria, Sampathram, Jay Kumaar and etc who did their roles as it was expected from them, the comedy roles carried by Soori, Kishore and led by Singampuli keeps our attention. Singampuli was at his usual form with his funny one-liners and his expressive dialogue delivery with a peculiar diction. Adding more fun to this trio is the introduction of Srinath and Chams as well as 'Venniraadai' Moorthy in the latter stages of the film, which brings more funny moments. The episodes after the marriage breakdown are the highlight scenes.

Technical wise, this film carries very average work. Logu's stunt was for a particular scene which doesn't involve excessive punches and kicks which was adequate for the scene. Sivaraj's artwork was kept simple with the interiors of the small town homes, and office premises being the highlight but he could have done better with the set work of the riot scenes. Costumes by Sai Siva was appropriate but Gopi Krishna could have dealt a little better with his editing. Sooraj Nallusami's cinematography was kept simple and no gimmicks were used. D.Imman, who is still basking in the success of 'Mynaa' has given decent songs in this film. "Jal Jal Oosai" shot in the backdrops of a riot and the travel was ok but the choreography could have been better. "Po Po Po", a typical pathos song was shot in a typical manner, with the protagonist sulking in lonely places. "Dang Dang" tries to replicate the big success of "Jingu Chikka" from 'Mynaa' but its not as peppy as the latter. The dance choreography by Dhina on the backdrop of a construction site was lively involving the other artistes as well. "Yenna Solla" is a romantic number shot in the plush, green hill-stations with very minimal choreography and finally "Ooraana Oorukku" shot with many dancers is the song for the frontbenchers with fast dancing and a sizeable crowd.

S.Ezhil who has given decent and sensitive hits in the past like 'Thullatha Manamum Thullum' and 'Poovellam Un Vaasam' wants to cash in on the popularity of Siva Karthikeyan, decided to come up with a film laced with comedy scenes mostly with a couple of necessary sentimental scenes. What makes the audience a little unsettle is the unpredictable arrangement of scenes and the plot. When one thinks that the next scene should be a serious one, the director turns it into comedy and vice versa. Though comedy keeps the audiences entertained, the overall mood and story of the film is important and comedy alone is not going to be sufficient unless the film is an out-and-out comedy flick. S.Ezhil should have concentrated more in perfecting the screenplay. This is because he wanted to give a right balance of good comedy and heart warming sentimental scenes but both elements did not gel together which makes 'Manam Kothi Paravai', a bumpy ride. Also the way the film ends, reminds us of the love movies made in the 1990's and especially 'Kadhalukku Mariyadhai' comes to the fore.

'Manam Kothi Paravai' does entertain us in some sequences but the overall presentation of the screenplay could have been much better. Siva Karthikeyan makes a decent mark but he needs better films if he intends to really make it out as a hero in Tamizh cinema.


Ratings: 2/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL

ISHTTAM MOVIE REVIEW

Vimal and Santhanam who have recently enjoyed success in the form of Sundar.C's 'Kalakalappu' is back with their next offering as a pair in this film. 'Ishttam' is a remake of the moderate urban-hit Telegu film 'Yemaindi Ee Vela'. Debutant Prem Nizar takes his bow as a director and he is backed by the current hot-shot music director Thaman. Also its a project Vimal was looking forward to as it was supposedly be the film which will change his 'village' image.

Vimal, for the first time, has donned a urban boy role which was a good change over for him. But sadly that was the aspect which is the biggest sore point of the film. He did not fit the role at all. Being projected as one in a IT-based industry, certain mannerisms are expected and Vimal missed them. His English pronunciation was bad, making him totally unconvincing as a spoilt city-brat. Nisha Aggarwal, the younger sister of Kajal Aggarwal makes her debut here and she too disappoints with her performance. She is glamorous but her expressions were plastic-like and emotionless and her lip sync was out of out of place, as well. The lead pair had no chemistry between them and both were uncomfortable in pulling off intimate scenes convincingly. Santhanam, the current King of Comedy, tries to evoke some laughter but most of his one-liners were pretty average. Being repetitive in making crude jokes on women and beer, will not do any favor for him anymore. Anoop Kumar, Parvathi Nirban, Pragathi, Yuvarani and the others make up the cast and dished out what was expected from them.

Technical wise this film has average works. Sai Suresh kept the work simple but the continuity of the screenplay was a little wobbly. Mohanjee C.H makes his debut as an art director. His work is kept pretty much simple as well with ordinary daily-life settings used mainly. The interiors of the lead pair's house as well as the girls hostel room are the examples. Camera work was nothing to talk about except for Shekhar V.Joseph's foreign locales but that too is not an uncommon thing in Tamizh cinema these days. The only technician who shone was Thaman. His songs were peppy and had various styles. The pick of the lot are the "Dhinakku Dhina" and "Oru Megham" numbers. Both were shot in typical foreign locations amongst old buildings, snow-capped mountains, green hill-stations and city centers. "Yenmele Indru" was shot indoors involving intimate moments between the lead pair and finally "Aaruyire" was a typical pathos song shot in montage sequences.

The story is by Sampath Nandi and it revolves around the mentality of the current youngsters and how rash are their decision-making skills, especially when it comes to life partner. Dealing with the issue of pre-marital sex needs conviction and Prem Nizar loses out on that element. His screenplay was very average and it gets sentimental and preachy towards the end. The scene which was the turning point in the script was averagely executed, leaving no mark or effect on the audience.

'Ishttam' is a poorly done film, with weak script and poor screenplay which makes it a dull affair.


Ratings: 1.5/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL

KALAKALAPPU @ MASALA CAFE MOVIE REVIEW

"Kalakalappu @ Masala Cafe" is the film which brings us back the Sundar.C which everyone recognized. A director with fantastic comedy sense. Some of his films are cult classics for slapstick comedies such as "Murai Maaman", "Mettukudi", "Ullathai Allithaa" and etc. Even commercial films of his have fantastic comedy sidetracks and "Ullam Kollai Poguthey", "Winner", "Rendu" being the examples. Since he took a sabbatical from directing and venturing into acting, the director in Sundar.C was sorely missed. This film did bring up hopes, with Sundar.C directing for the 25th time and that too with Shiva and Santhanam in the cast, the expectations were high.

Usually Sundar.C has his films centered on a few characters and the comedic situations will be based on them. But in this movie, though you have two heroes and two heroines, there's a host of artistes and all of them plays fantastic comedy roles. Starting off with the lead heroes. Vimal as usual was casual and comfortable in his role. The soft-nature and naive character suits him very well. Meanwhile Shiva was a scream throughout the film, especially in the first half. His one-liners were fantastically delivered by him and the movie is replete with them. Lines like "Kathirikka Knife & Katrina Kaif", as well as "Aduthan figurekku aasaipaduranukku ellam, thannode figure sappeya thaan mattum" are exemplary of the hilarious lines in the movie. Anjali as the health inspector was apt for her role and she was good with her comedy lines and showed her glamorous side in songs. Oviya delivered what was expected from her as well, and she too upped her glamor quotient in songs, but her comedy timing was not up to the mark. Santhanam, the current King of Comedy makes an entrance in the second half as a comedic villain and the second half belongs to him. He raises the bar even further with his one-liners and the second half chasing scene, involving him, Vimal and Manobala was a laugh riot. Ilavarasu, John Vijay, Subbu Panchu, V.S Raghavan and etc, everyone did their roles very well and each of them had something to contribute, comedy wise.

The film was made on a moderate budget, so the technical aspect of the film was just average but still good enough. Rajendran's costumes was apt for each and every artistes, making them look perfect for the characters that they played. Praveen K.L and Srikanth N.B's editing was good as usual, but they could have trimmed a little in the second half. The comic-book style pauses was well done. 'Thalapathy' Dinesh's stunts were funny and a little over-the-top, which was necessary for this genre of film. Gururaj's artwork was decent. The "Masala Cafe", before and after revamp, both was well done by him. U.K Senthil Kumar, a regular of Sundar.C's films has done a neat job, especially in capturing the mood of the small, beautiful town of Kumbakonam. The mansions, temple ponds and street views were pretty sights. The interiors of the cafeteria could have been done a little better. Music director, Vijay Ebenezer has come out with simple and sweet songs. The pick of the lot will definitely be "Thirumbi Paarthu" picturized on Vimal and Oviya in the green fields. Simple artwork and choreography was enough for that song, which looks nice on screen. "Unnai Patri" picturized around mansions and houses of the film plot, but still proved enough to hold our attention with the proceedings happening in the screen. "Mokka Manusha" was done within a tight area, that is around the cafeteria set and it involved lots of dancers in a small, congested area, which could have been done a little better. The opening song "Masala Cafe" and "Angelina" has montage sequences and some of them did have the necessary comedic elements to it. "Ivalunga Imsai" was picturized on the four lead artistes of the film. Both ladies were pretty glamorous in it and the lighting work and set work matched very well.

Sundar.C has scripted the film with full of slapstick comedy scenes. Flaws and illogical sequences are aplenty in the film, but that's overlooked for the fun factor Sundar.C promises. The basic plot of the film was taken from a German film titled "Soul Kitchen" but Sundar.C has aptly modified the story and added sequences apt for the Tamizh audience which actually brings the roof down with the silliness and humorous manner in which the scenes were done. Definitely Sundar.C's biggest asset is his dialogue writer, Badri. His dialogues were a scream and nearly each scene had its own one-liners and they were aptly written for the characters which mouthed those lines. Sundar.C should be appreciated for his choice of artistes for each roles. The choices were very well made, even for the small characters which comes in one or two scenes. 


Kalakalappu @ Masala Cafe is just a silly, plain and enjoyable fun ride for all viewers. Logic, common sense, rationality and seriousness are not to be associated with the script but that's not a complain because the film doesn't need those factors. Sundar.C is back to what he is best at and thoroughly fulfilled the expectations of the film.


Ratings: 3/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL

VAZHAKKU EN: 18/9 MOVIE REVIEW

Balaji Sakthivel was a trendsetter when he came up with "Kadhal", a movie which left a lump in the throat of all viewers. That story and his next, "Kalloori" were all based on true incidents. This time, he has came up with a script which is not based on an actual incident, but what one regularly reads in newspapers. His "Kalloori" didn't fare well and he had to face brickbats for the unpopular climax and ending of that film. Its been a long five years since that film released, and Tamizh cinema has seen different attempts of film-making. Balaji took a long time to script this film "Vazhakku En:18/9 and even took another few years to fine tune it. His cautious approach is understandable because the pressure is there to deliver and that too, when he has his friend, director Linguswamy producing it. The promos and trailers were impressive, and it promised another hard-hitting, realistic film from the director.

Half the battle is won for the director when it comes to making a hardcore realistic film, when he chooses the right face for the roles and making them to perform. Hats off to Balaji Sakthivel for painstakingly going through the arduous process of picking the right people for the roles. The film is based on four main characters and all the new artistes who took up the role was excellent. Sri, as the street vendor, has literally lived the role and hats off to him for taking strenuous approaches to perfect his body language and appearance necessary for the role. Urmila Mahanta as the maid too did a decent job, and she was very natural and convincing, although she's from Assam. Mithun Murali and Manisha Yadav as the school goers were perfect and they did their roles in an convincing manner as well. Muthuraman as the corrupt police officer is another revelation and it would be wonderful to have him in more films. Chinnasamy, the young boy and a street performer was a wisecrack with his mannerisms. All the others in the cast was very natural and life-like. Literally, all of them have lived the roles. A big applause to the whole acting cast!

All the technicians should be applauded for delivering a good product with detailed and minute inputs. The DI work by Nilesh Sawant and VFX by Sasi Kumar was very good as the film had cinematic feel to it, although it was shot digitally by the cinematographer. Sound recording by A.S Lakshmi Narayanan, the veteran and the dialogues recording by R.Ravichandran and T.Ramesh was in sync which highlights the natural look the film intended to be. All the dialogues were captured naturally at the given scenario, and it gives the impression of listening something live, to the audiences. A.Seenu's costumes was apt and kudos to him for being very minute in the costume details. L.V Raja's make-up was perfect as well. Silva's stunt work was just a struggling scene which was very natural and mild, and Mayil Krish's set work was spot on. Especially with the interiors of the apartment and the police stations, Mayil Krish has done a very decent job. Gopi Krishna's editing was flawless, though the second half could have been trimmed a little. R.Prasanna, a Carnatic electric guitar player, makes his debut as music composer. Known for his Carnatic music shows and also for composing the score of the Academy Award-winning documentary "Smile Pinki", he has given refreshing musical score, the style contrasting with the characters the music score associated with. Also, the decision of not using any instruments for the two songs worked out very well. Karthik's "Oru Kural" and Dhandapaani's "Vaanathaiye" plays throughout the movie, and enhances the feel and mood of the film, especially the latter, which gives a haunting feeling in the end. S.D Vijay Milton, did a fantastic job with his cinematography. Although the film was shot in digital format using the Canon EOS 7D, there look and feel had no difference than any other cinematic film. His camera work in the police station sequences was very well done, and the gloomy color tone together with natural lighting gives the film an excellent cinematography appeal. Job very, very well done by Vijay Milton.

Balaji Sakthivel, should be applauded for sketching his characters in a very minute and detailed manner. Every expressions, body language and movements was meticulous but yet natural. The characters were developed very well, keeping out any unwanted loopholes. The screenplay is gripping to quite an extent, but the back and forth method of showing flashbacks and present situation makes audience a little unsettled. But that's not an excuse to not appreciate for the sincere and realistic work by him. The climax was definitely hard-hitting which makes us to realise how bitter and unfathomable, the real world is. The film certainly carries a thumping message but at the same time, was very subtle and not preachy, which is a very tough thing to do for a film maker. Balaji Sakthivel definitely deserves a standing ovation for his in-depth study on the lives of Chennai citizens, stretching from the poor and downtrodden, to the desperate middle class and ending with the corrupted rich folks.


Once again, Balaji Sakthivel has proven that, he is no ordinary film maker but a sensitive and master craftsman. He deserves credit and appreciation for highlighting the subtle message of how cruel and harsh, humans can be. The issue of how corrupt middle class folks, take advantage of the poor's vulnerability and naivety, together with the desperateness and lackadaisical mentality of the rich, stands testimony to this.


Ratings: 4/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL

LEELAI MOVIE REVIEW

Leelai was started way back in 2008 and was completed nearly two years later, but it took another additional two years to be released. Movies which took a long time to release from the time of its completed stage, usually falter because of the out-dating factor. Issues, events and even lifestyles change dramatically within a short period of time and considering that Leelai was made four years ago, it is a risky affair for the producer to finally release it and to expect a warm welcome from the audience. Also, the fate of technicians and artistes behind the film, will be decided in if this is their debut venture. In this case, the lead artistes and director, all are debutantes. Also, music director Satish Chakravarthy would have made his debut here as well, if at all his "Kanimozhi" was not released earlier. A urban-based film, it promises to be a light-hearted film with ample of romance of good music.

Debuting hero, Shiv Pandit a male model and actor in Bollywood is refreshing and looks debonair. He plays his role with confidence and charm and he doesn't slip at any given moments. He projected the character very well and maintained a cool and calm composure throughout the film. Even in scenes requiring him to be angry, he didn't step out of his character's personality and enacted his scenes diligently. Debuting heroine Manasi Parekh was equally impressive and she wins the hearts of the audience with her lovely smile and sweet, pretty face. She emotes very well and her expressions were light-hearted, fitting for the theme and mood of the film. With more opportunities, a girl to stay in the industry. Kudos to both the leading artistes, for getting their lip synchronization perfectly done and that too without knowing the language. Santhanam, the man of the moment was not up to the mark. His jokes and one liners fall flats in many places and only evokes laughter with one or two sequences. Out-dated jokes from him, perhaps. Suhasini did her role as a friend to the hero, very well. Others like Vibha, Lakshmi Ramakrishnan, Maya Krishnan, Sindhu, Rajan and etc filled into the screenplay was just nice. Nothing great, nothing bad.

Gayathri, the costume designer should be appreciated for her chic,suave and classy costumes for the lead pairs. They mirrored the exact nature of the IT-based folks and also made both the lead pair to look good. S.Saravanan's editing was neat, and Edward's art direction was simple. His works had touch of class and modern look, especially with the interiors of the lead pair's house and also hostel room and etc. Brindha, Tarun Kumar and Nagendra Prasad's choreography was just plain simple. R.Velraj's cinematography is a big plus for the film. Though it was captured nearly four years ago, the shots looked very cool and breezy. His usage of soft, natural lights added extra points for the light-hearted feel of the film. His song picturizations was noteworthy. Also, he captured the class and urban feel of the posh and cool IT-firms based in Chennai. A neat and classy work from him! Satish Chakravarthy, who was suppose to make his debut here, came out with lilting and sweet tunes. "Oru Kili" is the pick of the lot and it was well picturized at the Devi Ahilya Fort in Maheshwar, Madhya Pradesh. Also the lead pair's costumes, especially Manasi's sarees was beautiful. "Jillendru Oru Kalavaram" was the first song to get popular among the audience and it was shot in a simple manner, with breezy camera work by R.Velraj. Soft motifs such as white was generally used for this song. "Ponmalai" was colorful thanks to Edward's prop sets and the choice of location by the crew. Finally "Unnai Partha Pinbu", a pathos song was done in usual montage sequence format. Satish's background score was chirpy and hip but there are clear instances where it sounds pretty obvious the score was inspired from his mentor, A.R Rahman's songs. Yet, overall a decent work from him.

Andrew Louis's script is a very simple, straight-forward and light-hearted script, so there's no unnecessary twists and turns and and complicated situations. The dialogues too are light in manner and Andrew should be appreciated for penning dialogues in Tamizh with mild sprinkles of English, here and there. He has avoided the usual cinematic cliches such as fights, introduction songs and sentiments which is a welcome relief for audience. Though the story was straight forward, there are some a few gaps and holes when it comes to logic points. The loopholes are a bit obvious but then the charm and sweetness of the lead pair holds our attention pretty much, we tend to overlook the mistakes. The climax was a bit predictable but nonetheless, a decent one for the film.

Leelai, is a light-hearted and breezy film which overcame the worries of the outdatedness factor. More is expected of the lead pair in the coming future, especially of Manasi. A decent, sincere, simple and sweet film.


Ratings: 2.5/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL

ORU KAL ORU KANNADI MOVIE REVIEW

'Oru Kal Oru Kannadi', was eagerly anticipated solely for a single reason  - the combination of Rajesh and Santhanam. They've rocked in their previous two hits 'Siva Manasula Sakthi' and 'Boss Engira Baskaran'. Both films' comedy tracks have eventually become cult classics and the expectations on this combo to repeat it again in this film, was big. Also it is the entry ticket of popular producer and distributor Udhayanidhi Stalin as a hero into Tamizh cinema, which is an interesting aspect as we don't get to see producers turning into heroes. The expectations soared high when a short teaser trailer was released, which was amusing and humorous to the core. Added to that, Rajesh is teaming up with Harris Jeyaraj this time instead of Yuvan Shankar Raja who gave him chart-busting tracks 'Siva Manasula Sakthi' and 'Boss Engira Baskaran'. Is this a hat-trick for the Rajesh-Santhanam duo?

Udhayanidhi Stalin who makes his debut here, has chosen very wisely. He chose a script which was easy going and a good starter for his acting career. As expected from debutantes, he did have his flaws here and there, with ordinary dance moves and some expressions not being performed to the fullest, but still he did a decent job. His appearance on screen was pleasant and neat. His emoting skills are decent but certainly he should do much better in his upcoming films. His innocent, yet naughty personality was apt for the role and he should be patted for making a decent entry into Tamizh cinema. Hansika Motwani is a perfect choice for the heroine's role and kudos to both Udhayanidhi and Rajesh for choosing her. As Meera, she was looking lovely and her expressions, her body language, her comedy timing, and the lip-sync for Savitha's dubbing, everything was near-perfect. No mistakes, no over-acting and no letdowns. Job very well done! Saranya Ponvannan shows her histrionics in comedy and its a welcome relief to see her in comedy roles, a throwback to her "Veettuku Veedu Looty" television serial-days. The scene where she goes comes back to home only to realise that her loved ones' were looking for her was a joy to watch. A lovely and beautiful veteran, she is. The others in the cast like Azhagam Perumal, Sayaji Shinde, Uma Padhmanabhan, Swaminathan and delivered what was expected from their minor roles. Sneha, Arya and Andrea made cool and refreshing cameo appearances. But the whole movie belongs to one man and its none other than Santhanam. A total SCREAM and a ROCKING performance from him!!! As usual, he is at his best with his witty one liners and the movie is replete with it. His expressions, dubbing and dialogue delivery, everything was oozing in comedy and he deserves to be called the current King of Comedy in Tamizh cinema. Many scenes are testimony to this but the highlights are the in-flight sequence, the attempt to save the hero from committing suicide, and also the "Adiye Kolluthey" scenes. Santhanam carries the film on his shoulder and he has proved that he is indeed a very, very bankable star in his own rights.

The technical department in the film carries simple and neat work. Stunt choreographer Rajasekar basically has nothing to do other than the one small chasing scene and art director Jacki's work was limited due to many real locations being used throughout the film. Jacki's work of the interiors of the hero and heroine's homes was simple. Nalini Sriram's casual costume for Udhayanidhi made him look very presentable on screen which is vital for his boy-next-door role and Priya Manikandan's costumes for Hansika was very chic and credit goes to her for making Hansika look lovely on the screen. Vivek Harshan's editing was neat but he could have trimmed some portions as the movie was a little long, stretching to nearly 3 hours. Balasubramaniem's cinematography was very breezy and cool and it was a commendable job by him to shoot in live locations with popular artistes and also for showing Hansika beautifully on screen. Harris Jeyaraj is the other asset to the film. His song reflected the mood of the script which is being simple and breezy. "Azhage Azhage" was pictured in the deserts and harsh lands of Jordan and it involves simple choreography and cinematography. Hansika's costumes was eye-catching. Following the same trend is the "Akila Akila" song which was also shot in Jordan but in urban atmosphere. "Adada Adada" was done in montage style and it was the best-placed song in the film and mostly shot in real locations such as streets and malls. "Venam Machan" is the most favourite track of the masses and it has been a long time since Harris came out with a foot-tapping dance number. For the first time, Santhanam appears and dances throughout the song along with Udhayanidhi and it has simple and catchy choreography by Dinesh. Another typical catchy number of Harris is the "Kadhal Oru Butterfly" number. It has a mixture of montage plus choreographed sequence with the latter part having the choreographer Dinesh himself dancing to the tunes. Once again simple and catchy moves from him.


Rajesh's script is a very pretty thin one, which is the same as his previous films, where the story and logic are not to be searched for, but what makes the film enjoyable is the feel good, light-hearted screenplay along with the fantastic comedy portions. 'Oru Kal Oru Kannadi' shares certain similarities with his previous films such as the drinking sessions, comedic mother of hero, friendly banters and repartee and also Santhanam. Yet, Rajesh still manages to keep us engaged with the film, thanks to his witty dialogues and the chemistry he shares with Santhanam. He does brings in the twists and knots at the right time which gets us hooked on to the screenplay. Though the romance portion didn't really work out well and the angst of Azhagam Perumal's character towards Saranya's character was not well etched out and convincing, it still doesn't matter much as the logic and sensitivities are not bothered here. Enjoyment and fun was expected and that is what was delivered.

Is it okay for us to say Rajesh and Santhanam scored a hat-trick? Its not only okay, but OKOK! A movie to be watched with your best buddies around you.


Ratings: 3/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL

'3' MOVIE REVIEW

One of the most eagerly expected film of the year, thanks to the popularity and craze of one particular song ie, "Why This Kolaiveri", '3' has been gaining popularity thanks to marketing techniques of the production team, Wunderbar Films which belongs to Dhanush and Aishwarya R.Dhanush, the director and wife of the protagonist of the film. Anirudh Ravichander,the debuting music director, makes a sensational debut, with a refreshing and soulful album. The relatively young cast, invokes more curiosity around the film. So, did the film live up to all the hype it created ?

The performances of the lead artistes were poignant, soulful and were of heavy duty-material. Dhanush, has been having an extremely good time and with his previous, 'Mayakkam Enna' earning him rave reviews, he continues his form in this film as well. Though the role he played looked like an extension or evolution of the one he essayed in 'Mayakkam Enna', he makes it up with different portrayals of moods and emotions. Its no easy at all, to perform strong emotions, facing the camera single-handedly with no cues for support, Dhanush came up with a brilliant and fantastic performance. His additional advantage is his looks and physique, which enables him to portray different age-periods of his character. Take a bow, Dhanush ! Shruti Haasan, who is into her second film in Tamizh cinema after '7am Arivu', makes a decent outing in the film, with much improved performances. Her dialogue delivery was good but she struggles a little, when it comes to very heavily, emotional sequences. With more experience, the starlet of 'Ulaga Nayagan' can make it up. Sivakarthikeyan and Sunder Ramu provided som funny moments, especially the former, with fantastic comic timing and dialogue delivery (expecting more from him) and the latter continuing what he did previously in 'Mayakkam Enna'. A big suppor to all of them were the veterans, Prabhu, Bhanupriya and Rohini whom, needless to say, were brilliant with very subtly nuanced performances. A special note must be made of the little girl, Gabriella who was splendid as the mute sister of Shruti.

The film boasts of very talented technicians. Resul Pookutty and his associate Amrit Pritam, handled the sound designing portion very well. The subtle and minute sounds were audible, especially during the rain and fight sequences. Chaithanya Rao's costume designing was classy and efficient at the same time, with the characters looking how they should have been portrayed, especially for the different time-periods. Silva's car-park stunt sequence was well choreographed and was natural, though it was picturized in a little dramatic manner. Kola Bhaskar's editing was flawless and crisp, but it could have been smoother during the song sequences. Kiran's art work was a touch of class as well, especially the posh apartment sets and also of those middle-class house setting, which looked very natural. R.Velraj's work is a big asset for the film, because his cinematography work was excellent. His framing and lighting was very apt for the changing nature of the mood of the script. His picturization was crystal-clear, especially for the rain sequences. Not to forget, as usual, he shows his prowess during the darkly-lit sequences, with minimal or no lights. Brilliant work from him !

Anirudh Ravichander, the cousin of the director makes a smashing debut through this film. His musical score was melodious and soul-stirring, which is another vital importance for the film. Almost all of his songs were already super-hits before the release of the film. "Idazhin Oram" was picturized in a montage manner, with many cut-shots and depicted the teenage lives of the lead pair, falling in love with each other. "Kannazhaga" was picturized in a small, and middle-class type apartment in a night sequences, against the lead pair. R.Velraj's close-ups on the lead pair, helps to elevate the mood of the song. "Come on Girls" was shot in a club sequence, with plenty of dancers in a party mood, celebrating the marriage of the lead pair. "Nee Partha" is another song shot in a montage style, depicting the happy and romantic post-marriage period of the lead characters, shot mostly in a posh, apartment setting. "Po Nee Po", is a soul-stirring, emotional and situational song, which is also shot in montages, featuring the emotional travails of the lead pair, late in the second half. The smash-hit song of the album, "Why This Kolaiveri" was surprisingly, disappointingly-shot. The protagonist was shown dancing with dancers in a beach-side hawker vendors' stalls setting. The zing of the audio was not visible in the video, and it's a big letdown from the team, considering the fact, that it was shot only during the ending period of the film's production process ! Anyway's, Anirudh made sure that his background score too gets noticed, and he did not fail in his endeavor. The background score was simple, yet melodious and beautiful. A fantastic work by the young musician. Welcome to Tamizh cinema, Anirudh !

Aishwarya R.Dhanush makes her debut as a director, after assisting her brother-in-law, Selvaraghavan. Not surprisingly, her script and screenplay have the remnants of her mentor's touches. She has good writing skills, which is evident in sensitive, poignant and subtle sequences she has penned in the screenplay. The humor portions and the songs, were well inserted into the screenplay. The dialogues were simple and pretty straight-forward. What pulls down the quality output of the film, is the slow screenplay and also Aishwarya R.Dhanush's decision in depicting her script in a non-chronological order, which takes the impact of the suspense element out from the film, in the beginning moments, itself ! Also, few questions can be raised, regarding the proceedings of the screenplay, which are quite implausible and inadvertently, leaves some loopholes in the script. However, she should be appreciated for sketching strong and in-depth characters, whom looks original and believable. 

'3' actually did not live up exactly, to the expectations it evoked, but this is a very good effort from Aishwarya R.Dhanush on behalf of her husband's home production team. If the flaws are overlooked, this film is a good-watch.

Ratings: 3/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL

KAZHUGU MOVIE REVIEW

Tamizh cinema has grown in leaps and bounds technically but in story/script wise, it has achieved very good progress in dabbling with different genres and novel themes. In "Kazhugu", a similarly novel theme line has been chosen as the backdrop of the story. The movie revolves around the people who does the extremely challenging job of corpse retrievers in the Kodaikaanal hills. It shows a different side of world and people whom we are not accustomed or familiar with. In that sense, "Kazhugu" is intriguing to certain extent. Sathyasiva, a debutant has dared to come up with a script revolving dim characters and the trailers and teasers projected a thriller-kind of genre for this film.

Starting of with the protagonist Krishna. He has put in good effort to pull of the character of 'Sera' since it demands a good physical energy to portray such character but his emotions could have been much better. Especially in comedy portions where, good comedy timing is important. It's even more important to have one,when you have Karunaas and Thambi Ramaiah with you throughout the movie. Also he has to try to improve more on his voice modulation. With more experience, hope he can master the art of dubbing. Bindhu Madhavi, who did a small role in "Veppam" has done a small and sweet role in this movie. She has a good smile but then when it comes to acting, she has lots more to improve. She got her basic emotions right, but in some portions it could have been much better. Karunaas was good in his character role and it would be nice to see him more in such roles. His dubbing was very well done and the scenes done in the bar was a funny one! Thambi Ramaiah continues his good run in this movie too and he mixes serious and comedy into his role very well. His funny dialogue delivery adds more fun into his role, especially with the banter he shares with Karunaas. Jayaprakash has another grim role but his character was not very well utilized, considering the fact he plays the antagonist.

The movie has average technical works done. Pinida P.Shamdasani's costumes were limited but it does work for the movie since the movie demands such attires for the lead artistes. Remiyan has done a decent art work especially when it comes to the little houses, tea factory, interiors of Karunaas house and etc. Praveen K.L and Srikanth N.B does a neat job in this film as well, especially in the opening sequences besides the climax portions. T.Ramesh's stunt choreography was decent. The fight between the protagonist and the henchman, in the factory was well done. Satya.J's cinematography captures the edge of the high hills in Kodaikanal very well and the scenes done in the deep forest was beautifully shot. He maintained a grim and dark look throughout the film, thanks to the natural surrounding of Kodaikanal. Yuvan Shankar Raja's music was needed to make this film marketable and he did justice by delivering a hit song in "Aambalaikkum Pombalaikkum" ghana-song. The simple beats and quirky lyrics by Snehan makes the song a fun-filled one. It was neatly shot roadsides and the additional neat touch was delivered by dance choreographer Dinesh with his simple and enjoyable dance moves. Added to that Karunaas and Thambi Ramaiah did deliver their part into making the song a hit. The "Aathadi Manasudan" was done in montage sequences which had cute expressions from Bindhu Madhavi. "Paathagathi Kannupattu" is another montage song and it was wonderfully sung by Yuvan, which sounds like a soft lullaby. His background score was simple and adequate with the love bit music being the best score. 

Debutant Sathyasiva has come with a simple and straight-forward script but the story was not as gripping and thrilling as on expected. Especially in the second half, the movie didn't look like heading into anywhere and only late climax, we got to see some actions. He should have given more importance to the antagonist role done by Jayaprakash. What keeps us entertained though is the lovely banter shared by Karunaas and Thambi Ramaiah. The initial body-recovery scene, the wine bar sequence and the marriage sequences were done humorously. The dialogues by the director was differently and interestingly done. Especially regarding the corpses being retrieved, the spats between Karunaas and Thambi Ramaiah and also the love proposal methods by Thambi Ramaiah. The climax fight scenes were done in a violent way, and it could have been toned down a little.


"Kazhugu" offered a different and interesting backdrop for the audiences which can make them to sit up and take notice but in order to maintain the interest, the story should be gripping. The homework was very well done by the director, but the script work could have been much better to incorporate more suspense and thrills into the screenplay. Anyways, this movie is a welcomed effort and happy to see director Sathyasiva not succumbing to pressures of adding unnecessary commercial 'mass-masala' ingredients to pep up the script. "Kazhugu" is a decent time pass movie but could have been much better.


Ratings: 2.5/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL

ARAVAAN MOVIE REVIEW

Vasanthabalan, a film-maker who makes films which revolves about deep human emotions and harsh realities of the unforgiving world, comes up with a period film this time. Vasanthabalan's handling of his script is a well-known fact and there i no doubts in his capabilities of offering a good film. His past records speaks for him with "Angaadi Theru" nearly missing the National Award and "Veyil" managed to get itself showcased in Cannes Film Festival. This time he has chosen to make a film based on India's National Academy of Letters/ Sahitya Akademi-winning novel "Kaaval Kottam" by Su.Venkatesan. Vasanthabalan has only taken a small subplot of the novel comprising 10-20 pages out of the 1000 pages and made it into a film. A film long in the making, it was much waited as Vasanthabalan has promised a racy and fast-paced entertainer. Did he deliver on his promise?

Characterization is very important for a period film because the artistes involved in such projects need to be as convincing as possible to portray the character that they play, or else it will fail to register in the minds of the viewers. The problem in "Aravaan" is that, all the characters were not properly etched out. The body language and dialogue delivery of most of the artistes was very contemporary in nature and did not reflect the 18-th century Madurai, which was portrayed in the film. Aadhi who was dishing out back-to-back failures in "Ayyanar" and "Aadu Puli" has done a good job, especially in scenes involving heavy physical movements such as the "Jallikattu" and racing sequences. His buff body is the result of extreme hard-work and he deserves a pat for it. A spirited performance from him and he was accompanied by another good performer, Pasupathy. It's been 3 years since the last we saw him and he too has not failed to deliver good performances. His hard-work is evident in the opening burglary sequence. Both Aadhi and Pasupathy has literally carried the film on their shoulders. Dhansikha and Archana Kavi dished out what was needed for their characters with Archana Kavi coming out as a better performer, though the former had more scenes. International performer Kabir Bedi was given a loose character with not much scope to perform. Singampuli's dialogue delivery do tickle the funny bones but its not in-tune with the timeline of the film. Bharath, Anjali, Swetha Menon and Sruthi Prakash makes cameo appearances to fill out the roles needed to push the story further. All the other extras should be credited and applauded as well for toiling in harsh conditions portrayed in the film.

S.Rajendran's costume department did a decent job with appropriate costume and detailings such as tattoos, jewelries and other accessories. Rocky Rajesh's stunts looked fake at certain sequences, especially when the "flying" effect comes into the fray. RK Vijaimurugan has done a wonderful job in the art department. His work on the village area brings to life the Madurai of the 18th-century and that too the life of thieves not kings and queens, only. Praveen KL and Srikanth NB's editing work was fine especially in the first robbery sequence and flashes of the good work comes sporadically throughout the film, though they could have shortened the length of the film, which was unnecessarily slow. Siddharth was brilliant with his cinematography. The opening robbery scene was the highlight with tight angles and interesting rotation shots, in the picturization of the houses. Also the running and chasing scenes in the forest as well as the "Jallikattu" scenes which were shot on normal photography camera's were very well made. Job very well done. Singer Karthik has made a decent debut in "Aravaan" as the music director. His songs vere simple and "Oore Oore" and "Nila Nila" being the pick of the lots. The former was the best shot song in the film with good camera movements and choreography, which kept the energy level of the song sustained throughout, and the latter with some postcard-worthy frames. "Naagamalai" and "Unnai Kollaporen" were done with montages and some good choreography evident in "Naagamalai" and also Vijaimurugan's good set-work of the local deity temple.

The script of "Aravaan" has its good and its weakness. On the positive aspects, this film manages to capture the attention of the audience due to its different periodic portrayal which revolves around an interesting group of ethnic tribes. Their culture, practices, lifestyle, custom are well portrayed and the "Oore Oore" song is the testimony of this statement. The minute details of the burglary methods of the tribal thieves, piqued the interest of the viewers. The hard-work of the entire crew is applaudable as its is no joke to film in barren lands with no basic necessities and its even more difficult to shoot action scenes in dense forests. Also, Su.Venkatesan's dialogues are a big help for the film. The flip side of the script is its length and screenplay. Vasanthabalan fails to sustain the excitement of the audience and the engrossing factor goes missing. The second half of the screenplay was not properly written with the movement in the timeline going back and forth which confuses audience, plus some sentimental and song sequences acted as speed-breakers to the pace of the script. A good suspense factor was kept secret until the climax of the film, but it was not put to use to its maximum effect, which pulls down the excitement level. Vasanthabalan could have avoided including additional stories and should have taken a better look at certain aspects of the screenplay, regarding the time-frame and appearance of the people. In the end, Vasanthabalan did come up with a message regarding the abolishment of capital punishment, but it doesn't really settle into the script well, and it baffles audiences on why he came up with that idea in the first place.

Vasanthabalan failed to keep his promise of producing an engrossing film but nevertheless, "Aravaan" is a good attempt at different cinema. A decent rating for the efforts of crew.


Ratings: 2.5/5 STARS

BY:TAMIL