Slumdog Millionaire - more disappointing

Let me be frank and honest - the best thing, to me, about Slumdog Millionaire was that it was Siddharth's first ever visit to a cinema hall. My wife and I were so excited about taking him to the theatre, once we decided to do it with Slumdog Millionaire. We are also victims of the hype. Now I think we could have done with some other movie to mark his debut. One of my friends has been telling me that this movie getting so many awards is a con job. Today, I can't agree with him more.

Infact, I am shocked that it has won so many awards. Yes true, I don't know anything about the technical aspects of the movie. But, if it has won the Best Movie award, I have every right to doubt the other awards as well. By no means, this can be the best movie. Either all the awards were made-up or all the judges were completely blind and deaf. I was so happy for Rahman & Resul, but now I have second thoughts. I have no clue of why they have to make this up, but definitely this movie doesn't deserve so much. I myself have seen many more movies much better than this one - in terms of story, screenplay, music, etc., etc. You can't even dismiss it as 'D. It's written'. I am fairly sure Rahman himself would be baffled thinking why for this, when he has delivered many more marvellous songs and some extremely awe-inspiring background scores recently.

All in all, Slumdog Millionaire was very mediocre to me and you will agree if you think outside of all the hype and more so if you have listened to many more Rahman's scores. Not worth it!

படிக்காதவன் - half nice

I had high hopes on Padikkaadhavan after the recent performances by Dhanush and decided to watch it even ahead of Villu. The first half of the movie had a very good mix of comedy, fun, twists and action inflating the expectations, but only to disappoint terribly in the second half.

Dhanush has not disappointed, but the screenplay has let the movie down. The so-called comedy track of Vivek slackens the movie to the extent that it completely makes you forget the good start and irritates you to the core making you look for the end. Suman & Atul Kulkarni have been wasted like rotten food, when a lot could have been made out of them as worthy villains. Dhanush going to the villain and requesting to excuse him for a mistake without any beatings is a repeat from his earlier movies and can't stand it anymore. Anyway, he beats the baddies finally - so, why go for non-violence especially again and again.

If you can afford to spend the full money, spend it. But go back home during the interval.

தசாவதாரம் rocks

You would have, by this time, heard a lot about the Magnum Opus Dasavathaaram. Though Kamal's brilliance is showcased yet again in a lot of ways, one thing he has missed out on this movie is getting a Rahman or Ilayaraja to score the music. Yes, the storyline isn't strong enough, but Kamal makes it up in ways more than many. Not many understand Kamal's abilities and are very happy to point fingers at him. The ten different avatars, he has donned, are classy atleast in terms of the differences he has been able to render to those roles. The body language, the dialgoue delivery, the slangs - all these make you feel as if you are watching 10 different people. Not once, you feel its the same person doing it.

The movie definitely rocks and Kamal saved everything for the final punch when he utters that he doesn't say that God doesn't exist, but it would be nicer if he existed. But, he could have avoided the love exchanges amidst deadbodies. Whatever, don't waste time reading reviews - just don't miss the movie on the big screen, especially the first 20 mins. You may not get to see such a movie for a long time to come.

Jodhaa Akbar - Stunning Grandeur

Don't even think of missing Jodhaa Akbar. I was lucky to watch the first show on the day of release. Ashutosh Gowariker has come out with yet another marvel on screen. Hrithik fits into Jalaluddin Mohammad Akbar so aptly that I can only map his face to the Mughal Emperor from now on, though all the images I have seen in old history books were completely different.

Everything is splendiferous and dazzling about the movie except the fact that there could have been a few catchy face-offs between Jodhaa & Akbar....oops....Aishwarya & Hrithik. The battlefield cinematographies are worth a mention anywhere and Rahman has given the perfect foil with his background score. But, I would definitely believe that he has hasn't done the justice he did to Lagaan with his music for the songs. Azeem-O-Shaan Shahenshah is worth watching on the big screen even if you had to travel miles.

It is neither a commercial movie nor an art movie, but an inbetween which has been rendered almost perfectly by all those involved. One can look at this aspect as the negative about the movie, but having taken an historical, the portrayal is superb having touched all aspects without going too much in depth.

All the support cast have done a commendable job as you would expect from an Ashutosh movie. I don't want to write in length about the movie as I want all of you to watch on the big screen, without fail - even if you can't understand Urdu/Hindi.

Kaalai - a bull wasted

Another mass movie with Simbu. Tharun Gopi has tried his best to cash in on the Simbu antics and the regular masala mix in giving an usual commercial movie. In the bargain, he has failed to latch on to a storyline which is where he has gone wrong awfully inspite of roping in people who can deliver like Sangeetha, Seema & Simbu. One thing is that the movie never seems to drag at anytime and the tempo is maintained. Since the movie would have been terribly short, the director has tried to place the name confusion wherein for sometime you think that everyone is called Jeeva in the movie, irrespective of sex, age or color. Tharun Gopi has used similar things like in his earlier movie Thimiru - a tough lady, the lady burnt by fire and you are kept guessing why everyone looks for Jeeva (Ganesh in the earlier movie). And also a Nila-song, like the Kiran-song in the earlier version. Too many shades of his earlier movie and I definitely feel that a talented person like Simbu is being wasted by many directors when he can surely take up meaty roles and do justice too. Vedika, the heroine, is pretty much similar to the audience as she doesn't even know what's happening and why. Overall, the movie didn't disappoint me as I didn't have any expectations and also I enjoyed the comedies like Simbu's introduction, the way even politicians and police revere him, the title song and the muted gross dialogues.

Definitely deserves a miss.

Azhagiya Tamizh Magan - not as beautiful as expected

Twice on the same day and I liked the movie better after the second seeing. Still, it's not a complete satisfaction for all I expect from Vijay. But, I heard some cribbing from people in the theatre and they don't like Vijay doing something different from his usual masalas. It's these same people who never stop complaining when Vijay comes up with similar movies one after the other. Can't they see him differently, especially for a talented actor like him should be breaking monotonies and do a lot of variety.

The movie surely hasn't lived up to the expectations it has created, more so after the song release. The songs have been a whopping hit already (Rahman super!) and movie may not be close to that. It's a bold initiative to break Vijay's sameness, but the screenplay lacked the grip that people expect all the time from Vijay, but not from many others. First time in dual role and Vijay has done very well in different style of dialogue deliveries and body language though the appearance isn't any different. Shriya & Namitha are the ladies and the latter is literally seen on only one song. Shriya isn't looking as beautiful as she was in Sivaji, but still has nothing much to do as the usual tamil heroine. There are some good comedy shots from various actors. After Pokkiri's dance let down (inspite of Prabhudeva & Vijay), the choreography for Azhagiya Tamizh Magan is splendid and we have got to see new steps mostly which is very refreshing. Though, one can feel a little disappointed about the picturization of Valayapatti... One other glaring mistake in the movie was that there were a few scenes which were shown on the wrong side, ie, like printing a photograph from the wrong side of the negative, showing mirror images of the real picture. Vijay's dances have been fabulous as usual and he has started to look more and more gorgeous - really azhagu!

All in all, with ESP and a look-alike double role in your hands, you definitely expect a much better screenplay and some real nach scenes. The director has missed it totally there inspite of having a lot of scope to keep the viewers captive. A completely different Vijay movie, not handled that well. Importantly, the fans should also learn to see Vijay in such movies too rather than the usual flat movies and roles. I wouldn't want to miss any of Vijay's movies anyway.

Ridiculous movie

Yes, we have done it at last. But, it was definitely not worth it. Literally, we were there for the very last show of Sivaji at AVM Rajeswari yesternight. Even if I had watched it in the first week, I wouldn't have bothered to come out with my version of the review as the movie doesn't deserve one. It was a huge disappointment from Shankar & Rajini - making huge profits is different. Infact, I would attribute the profits to the hype.

Shankar should have stuck to his style or resorted to Rajini-style. Instead he has tried to blend both or has tried not to make it in the Rajini-way and in the process has failed to follow his way too. The result is gimcrack. Rajini, inspite of all the efforts, is losing his charm and the worst part is his dialogue delivery in this movie which didn't have the usual flavour or vigour at all. To me, it was a real letdown.

Just couldn't digest that this is a Shankar-Rajini movie, but the songs deserve a positive mention, thanks to Shankar, Thotta Tharani & AR Rahman.

Paruthi Veeran - realism overdone

Somehow, village based movies have never attracted me. I don't have a definite reason, but I couldn't recollect any such movie which I love. Paruthi Veeran looked like coming quite close, but fell apart towards the end. I have liked Ameer's earlier movies which drove me eagerly to this movie. The director has once again made his mark in many ways. The way he has chosen people for every character in the movie is commendable. Each and everyone fit the respective role aptly and makes you feel like living inside the screen.

The movie is a typically realistic village story and every character is completely villagish. Their language and body language are also taken proper care of and the accent is excellent. The realism is so much that it hurts us back towards the end by being coarse and as a normal human you wouldn't want to see some of those scenes. Yuvan's background music is too good to suit the village moods, but disappoints when he has used a similar tone from his recent Thaamirabharani. The maestro has done his bit for his son by voicing a super melody.

Veeran & and his uncle Sevvaazhai fear towards nothing and are even willing to kill anyone who come against them. Going to jail and coming out in bail keeps happening one after the other and they aren't ashamed of it. They have no boundaries in life and lead an absolutely carefree life. Muthazhagu, who has been friends with Veeran since childhood is madly in love with him and is willing to do anything to marry him though Veeran resists and later accepts her love in the second part of the movie. As you would expect, her father is against this citing his character and more importantly caste. The movie moves very fast and in no time you are at the tragic scenes towards the end which are overdone and as I have said earlier, it definitely hurts the viewer.

Karthi does not look like a debutant at all. He is so much at ease in a demanding role, especially in his first movie. Ameer has to be credited for extracting so much out of him who hails from a family which already knows the nuances of performing well on screen. Saravanan, as his uncle, is unexpectedly refreshing after all the dullard in the few movies he has done till date. Karthi & Saravanan have taken care of some comedy as well which makes us laugh well. But, the graamiya songs and the beats are a bore and you want it to stop soon, though it doesn't. Priyamani fits the best for a village girl, being stubborn to her parents as well as to her lover. She has been given good dialogues which reflect a dogged village girl and comes out shining all through.

Overall, it's a good effort from Ameer & co. in breaking the shackles and giving an entertaining movie but for some crudeness later in the movie. When you look at the flow and depiction, it may be unavoidable, but a good film-maker has the responsibility of not hurting the common-man. The tragedy runs in you for a longer time even after the movie.

Pachaikili Muthucharam - very different

All of us know Gautam Menon's film making capabilities and he has just added another feather to his cap with Pachaikili Muthucharam. Before watching the movie, I heard mixed reactions from friends - some saying that the movie is excellent and some saying its crap. I could sense that the movie's opening hasn't been great, but there is something different about the movie which has made people pass extremely opposite judgements. This made me so open about the movie and I watched it with clarity without any bias.

The movie wasn't anything great as hyped, but definitely very different and made me watch with awe. It wasn't slow as some suggested. It was not fast, but brilliantly paced for such a story. Its not a love story, not an action movie, isn't a thriller - but a good movie worth watching at the theatres. Nothing is overdone, but I wonder how a few unparliamentary words escaped the censor. Harris' songs are mellifluous as you would expect. Aravind Krishna's camera should be one of the top highlights of the movie. Inspite of giving us a lot of close-ups, he doesn't hurt us in the eye. People have been shown so real, adding a huge tinge to their performances.

Venkatesh leads a happy and contended life with his wife Kalyani and a school-going son, Nanda. He isn't too ambitious and works for a pharmaceutical company and is stuck to Chennai and even avoids promotions to stay back there. Suddenly, the couple face a huge setback when their son is diagonised with diabetes and he has to take insulin injections daily. Venkatesh, though worried inside, is brave enough to continue the life confidently while Kalyani is downhearted and the beauty of their lives is thrown out of the window. This is when, Venkatesh meets Geetha and their friendship grows, though he is a bit guilty about the friendship. Before the relationship could shape up into an affair, he faces another blow and he loses all the money he had saved all these years. Gautam has moved the play exceedingly well as the hero uncovers some mystery and gains back all that he lost.

All these years, Sarathkumar does well either with a gun in his hand or some grey hairs on his head. Gautam has brought out the best in him without the gun or the grey hair, though he wields the gun towards the end. His skills come to the fore in many scenes like travelling in the call taxi with Jothika, finding his son and giving him an injection (starting scene), pleading with Andrea and many more. Andrea as Kalyani is not a let down. She does well when she is unable to forgive her husband and also later when she forgives and probably forgets. Jothika, I read, was the best part of the movie - but I have to disagree. The director has to be appreciated, yet again, for moving Jothika out of her usual stereotyped roles. But, Jothika was nowhere near the best she can normally deliver. She wasn't looking very pretty too - may be a deliberate attempt to portray her character. Milind Soman doesn't have much to do and one thing Gautam should stop is dubbing for the villain. Its too predictable and not at all gratified. Larger-than-life heroism is absent in the movie which makes you feel like watching the happenings next door and another good aspect of the ending is that the boy's disorder doesn't disappear cinematically.

All in all, I wonder why some people don't like the movie as its definitely a very different and bold movie which has been rendered extremely well by Gautam Menon with the help of Sarathkumar and Aravind Krishna. Though not a great movie superficially, don't miss it as the handling makes it a distinguished one.

Pokkiri - next only to Ghillli

After hearing nice reviews, needless to say, I was so excited to watch Pokkiri on saturday and the movie didn't let me down. No doubt, the movie has been made for Vijay, but its a lot more sensible than a lot of other movies. Vijay detractors keep talking about the movie being a remake and not a original. But, what's the point of giving original flops? It's better to give remade hits. After all, even Sholay is being remade in the same language. All said and done, Vijay's charisma and his screen presence make this movie a good-watch.

The movie opens with a fight, a regular punchline and the usual Vijay intro song. One of the good things about the movie is that the punch dialogues aren't overdone inspite of having a lot of scope. Prabhudeva, as the director, has done well to keep the screenplay moving fast and the viewers don't feel a lag anywhere, unless you are there to find some fault with any Vijay movie. Generally, movies defy logic - Pokkiri also has some of those. Otherwise, even small things are paid attention to and there is no goof-up to be pointed out majorly. There are some gory killings and some adult scenes which could have been avoided, given the children following for Vijay. The Vijay-Asin scenes/dialogues and the "Yen Chella Paeru..." songs are definitely a bit too much considering the recent Vijay movies which have been decent to watch with the family. Vadivelu's comedy is good, though its not rib-tickling except the Surya impersonation. With Prabhudeva & Vijay together, if you expect some fine dances, you would be disappointed. Mani Sharma hasn't let down the Vijai fans with his tunes and all the six are already super hits.

Stay away from hearing the story, as the suspense would definitely thrill you. But, I was thrilled inspite of knowing the storyline, but you see, I am a proud Vijay fan. If you liked Ghillli, you will like this too, but this is not as racy as that.

Thaamirabharani - flows quite well

A typical Hari movie with his usual ingredients, but a good one to watch this time around. Let me not get into the storyline as it isn't anything excitingly new. The director has to be praised for handling the many characters he has twined into the tale. With every movie, Vishal keeps getting better which is definitely a scary news to those whose performances and movies keep hitting the bottom. As all of us know, action & stunts come easily to Vishal. In this movie, he has done a good job at sentiments too, especially in the latter part of the movie. Such elderly roles suit Prabhu very well and he has outdone anyone else in the movie and Nadiya also has played her role to perfection. Nasser, Rohini and others too contribute well, though Rohini still doesn't look like Vishal's mother. There are a few dragging instances in the first-half but the director wakes up and makes up for it in the second-half. Yuvan's music isn't great, but nothing to complain as well.

The two definite negatives of the movie are the heroine and the comedy. Vishal's pair Bhanu, atmost, looks suited for a weighted sister role or maybe a heroine in one of those everlasting serials on TV. Ganja Karuppu is yet to graduate to be a prime comedian for a movie - he can play the second comedian's role to perfection. But here, he has bored the watchers with atrocious comedy sequences. Hari could have done better on both these aspects.

Alwar - please don't go

I live in Alwarthirunagar and my workplace is in Alwarpet and hence I feel the responsibility to pass you all the message that Alwar sucks bigtime and please don't waste your time going to a theatre for that movie. Yes, I have done it already and that's probably what you call fate. If you still want to take the risk, go ahead and do it, but I will have enough room to tell you "I told you" with a wry smile.

Rendu - doubly disappointing

Nothing to write about the movie - such a bore. It was very disappointing that it has come from Sundar C and especially Madhavan. Even Vadivelu & Santhanam's comedy isn't anywhere near what they can really do. It just deprived us of some sleep. But, in hindsight, I would have anyway kept myself awake and watched the yet another embarrasing loss to South Africa. In that way, I am sort of happy that I didn't watch the loss, but don't ask me about rendu too - intha padathukku website onnu thaan kaedu.

Sivappathigaaram - yethaavadhu seyyanum saar

Starts like naattupurapaatu and ends with a very good message, but the screenplay definitely lacks the vigour to make it racy. The opening village shots are very exciting and green which make you (atleast me) feel like being at those places sometime in life.

The voluntarily retired professor Ilango (Raghuvaran) comes and settles down in his native picturesque village along with his daughter Charulatha (Mamta). His best student Sathyamurthy (Vishal) also joins him as they both settle down to do some research on folk songs in the country side. Later we realize that they are against bad politicians/politics. Infact they go about killing them and the killings even postpone the elections in the state. The police eventually close in on them and Vishal has a good lengthy talk in the climax which seems to have valid points. A lot of people would have thought all these, but taking the next step isn't possible in reality and hence we can atleast see it on screen. On the other hand, its a bit deadening that some things only get worse in this society. The ending rightly says - Yethaavadhu seyyanum saar. But, who? where? when?

Needless to say, Raghuvaran has played his role to perfection with subtle smiles and dialogues. Vishal also gets better with every movie, but seems to imitate Vijai more often. Mamta looks good at times and not-so-good at times, but definitely, just a normal heroine in the movie and has nothing to do, except for two songs. There are many eye-pleasing natural village scenes as the movie moves slowly. There is also an unnecessary kuthu naattupura paatu, while the hero is introduced, with a damsel in very little clothes. Atrai thingal..., which is a superb pleasing song to hear has been videographed horribly indoors with a sexy theme - a huge disappointment to those like me who were eager to see the song on screen. The comedy track is taken care by Ganja Karuppu and he hasn't let us down badly. Showing the blood in black when the politicians are murdered conveys the message clearly.

Karu. Palaniappan has definitely done a good job in opting for this message, but hasn't been great in dealing with it - be it the first half or the second. He has only bored the audience in trying to bring up the crux a bit late in the movie and when its in, he has missed the bus flight, as such should have been the speed of the movie.

E - just short of Excellent

Online ticket booking again and a different disappointment this time. I booked tickets for row G and as I expected it was the seventh row from behind. But, to my shock, it was also the third row from the front and that's Studio-5 for you. Definitely, the audio effects and visuals were not as bad as I thought. Anyway, this movie was the closest to me in terms of seating.

Getting to the movie, I, personally, had a lot of expectation about E, due to Jeeva & director Jananathan. I started to develop a liking for the director from his first movie Iyarkai as it was completely realistic and it even won the national award. Again the director lives up to his reputation of showing reality in his movie, but for the last 20-30 minutes where he gets carried away by the latest graphic effects.

The hero is not a do-gooder like all heroes are. He is just an important character for the story and Jeeva excels in that role. The characterization is splendid that the hero does not turn good, for the sake of anything - even for his lover (played by Nayantara). Infact, he is not even too committed in his love. The scene where he casually says "yaarukku theriyum, nee kooda yengappana irukkalaam" sums up his character. Though a bit slow, the movie moves realistically as the ruffian hero leads his driveless life. He accidentally, saves the life of doctor Ramakrishnan (played by Ashish Vidyarthi) from Nellai Mani (played by Pasupathi) at the mortuary. The doctor thanks him and tells him that he could make a lot of money if he killed Mani. The hero is enticed by the offer and goes to get Mani who is in police custody. There he realizes that he is not a normal rowdy and decides to stay away doing his petty crimes. After a while, Mani dodges the police, but couldn't dodge their bullets and is severely wounded and falls in Jeeva's hands, who is delighted for the money he can make with Mani. Jeeva does not realize that its the doctor who is the criminal who tests banned medicines on the poor from the slum and makes a lot of money from alien hands. Jeeva develops a relationship with Mani and understands from him that the doctor has even used his grandma for the test. I feel, there is a deviation from reality here when Jeeva understands and turns over a new leaf. The movie has a very nice unexpected ending, but for the graphics. Not a great suspense, but I wish you watch it on the screen.

One could easily say that Jeeva is the most improved actor currently, be it acting or dance. Nayantara appears with more flesh in some scenes and with a nice slim structure at times. She has done her part well too, but doesn't fit into the slum as Jeeva does. Karunas plays a good friend to the hero with some comedy as well. I think, it's Pasupathi who is more important to the movie than Jeeva in a lot of aspects. The movie also has good camera, decent background scores and songs which are neither bad nor good. One refreshing thing is the absence of a duet. There is not a lot of negatives to talk about, but the utterance of a gross-word, not once, but twice could have been avoided. I don't understand why such words are muted in some movies and not in many others. Also there are no boring flashbacks even though there was good scope to insert one or two.

As said here, E is definitely a very bold attempt with a new concept and it makes us wonder about going to doctors for treatment. A completely fresh movie worth going to the cinemas to watch. Don't miss it.

Vallavan - what's that?

It's official now that any movie will fail badly or atleast fall short of expectations, if I watch it on day one, with Vallavan being the latest addition to that list. After Manmadhan, I have always thought that Simbu is a talented actor and hence my expectations for this movie was more. I tried online ticket booking for the first time and I thought that I was lucky enough to get the tickets, which I later realized was a mistake.

Simbu, a (rich?) college student, is introduced with a song along with hundreds of kids. He has his own friends circle and they have their own fun. Sandhya is one of those close friends and hence goes out of the equation for Simbu's romances. Nayantara enters as a lecturer in the same college and Simbu does all sorts of things to make sure that Nayantara loves him and he succeeds as well. All this happens without her knowing that he is student of the same college. When she comes to know of it, she rejects him as he is three years younger to her.

Now comes the much needed/awaited interval where I sip my cup of pepsi and then back to the movie to find out if there is any storyline hidden somewhere. Simbu walks past his school and there comes the flashback where he, Sandhya & other friends, supposedly, studied. A useless song to start the flashback with too much noise and you hardly know if there was any lyric in that. Simbu bumps into (literally) Reema Sen in an inter-school culturals and believe me, she is also a school student wearing pinafore uniform. Both of them fall in love, but soon he realizes that she is a selfish girl. She inflicts a lot of pain to him which the hero bears easily as he is in love with her. But, it crosses the limits one day and he discards her which she is not able to bear at that point of time. Out of the flashback and Reema again meets Simbu. She is very happy this time as he has been deserted by his lover (Nayantara). Reema wants him back in her life while Nayantara is engaged to another bulb-person. Simbu manages to change Nayantara's heart and she now ditches the engagement and comes back to the hero. This is where I thought the movie could end, probably in another 10 minutes. But, the director (Simbu himself) decides against it and goes on to make us restless in the seats, for another 30-40 minutes. Reema kidnaps Sandhya and pushes her down from the mottai maadi and the doctors are helpless. But, God Simbu doesn't allow his friend to die by pleading, scolding, etc. And you thought they happily lived ever after? NO! Reema is treated in a mental aslyum and after three years she looks neat and the doctor says that she is alright and can get out from there. As she trudges out, she removes her hairband to leave the hair flowing (like Anniyan) and then says that she would never relent (like Neelambari). As you are so keen to see 'The End', this flashes on the screen - 'to be continued...'

Santhanam, as usual, has done good comedy on his part. S Ve Shekhar has been wasted, to say the least. Nayantara, who has reduced a lot of flab & Sandhya don't have much to do, especially the latter. Reema has done a commendable job in demanding scenes as an egoist. The vulgarity in the movie is also as much as you expect in a Simbu movie. Simbu has shown glimpses of his acting talent in some of the scenes, but there is not much of a scope. I still believe he can do far better than this as he has let himself down with such a storyless movie - I have confirmed with my friend as well that there was no trace of any story in the entire 3 hours and 15 minutes. I am not sure of what Simbu has got against some girls - he continues to convey that all women aren't worshippable. Like in Manmadhan, this movie also does not have a villain, but for Reema's sadism. The music is also a let down by Yuvan with just one or two songs good enough. There is too much of noise on the others and the background score is also not anywhere near his previous efforts.

The movie comes with the byline "He knows what to do". If you think that you know what to do, stay away from this cinema.

Update : I got this Tamil review of Vallavan in one of the forwards. Read this and then this.

Sillunu Oru Kaadhal - a complete crap

I restrained myself from writing this review yesterday as Surya & Jothika got wedded yesterday and on such an important day of their life, I wasn't willing to give such a bad opinion about their latest movie.

After all the hype, even before the movie's release, I was skeptical about the movie and it exactly turned out the way I had doubted. Some months back, when the shooting of the movie started, there were posters all around with Surya, Jo, Bhoomika. One of the posters which caught my eye had AR Rahman in it - I think sitting with a guitar. I was wondering why so much publicity for a man of such fame and calibre. Only now I realize that they did it because they were sure that he was the hero of the movie as there was nothing more in it. If the songs are removed, the movie itself isn't there. Infact, not all songs are enticing. The movie absolutely has no aim in it - and its a let down with such cast.

Surya (Gautham) & Bhoomika (Ishwarya @ Ishu) love each other while in college and they even marry in the registrar's office, but the very next minute they are separated by her politician-father. Surya is beaten up badly and isn't out of bed for sometime. Meanwhile, we understand that she is moved to some far away place out of Surya's reach. And then, to fulfil his uncle's wish, Surya (a bit reluctantly) marries Jothika (Kundavi) from a village and settles down in Mumbai. The couple get into a very happy life with their daughter, Ishu (Kuch Kuch Hota Hai connection?). Jothika happens to read her husband's old diary and comes to know of the Bhoomika-Surya relation. Without revealing to Surya, for all the love he has on her, decides to give him a day with Bhoomika. Goes around and finds her and invites her home without Surya's knowledge and then leaves both of them together and goes out for a day. A torrid bore gets even worse at this point of time for about 20-25 minutes and then she comes back home to realize that they both spend just an hour together as Surya loves Jothika more these days and there is no place for anyone else in him.

I wonder why AC Durai's name was mentioned as there is absolutely no story whatsoever. And the screenplay and direction have wrecked further havoc. As you would expect, there are scenes and some lyrics relevant to Surya-Jo's real life wedding. Munba Vaa... comes out as a wonderful melody, while Kummi Adi... is a nice country-side mix. Rahman's voice in Newyork Nagaram... is so captivating with some nicish and innovative picturization. Cinematography deserves a good mention definitely for being bright and colorful all through the movie.

One thing that was nice to me was that Surya drives a car that I own, though a different colour.

Vettaiyaadu Vilayaadu - a definite disappointment

Caught up with Gautam Menon's Vettaiyaadu Vilayaadu (VV) on the second day after its release at Albert cinemas. Heavy rush as you would expect and it took a long time to get a parking space for my two-wheeler. The tickets were ready the previous day itself and so I was delighted to watch VV so early.

The start and the Karka karka... song along with the titles were very striking and I was happy again that I was inside the theatre watching them all. The movie seemed to move fast as a girl (d/o Prakashraj & Rajashree) is kidnapped and one of her fingers is sent to her house later. DCP Raghavan (Kamal) comes into the scene to investigate and figures out that she has been raped, murdered and buried. This happens in Keeranur in Tamilnadu. The DCP vows to catch the crook, though the motives are unknown. After 6 months, the girl's parents move to New York for want of peace of mind and soon they are murdered too in the foreign land, but not buried by the killer.

Now, the movie takes a different turn with Kamal going to New York. The most significant turn is that it gets slower and boring. Probably, Gautam Menon was so overwhelmed by Kamal, thought his presence would do wonders and didn't bother to handle the screenplay better. You even press that button in your watch to check the time and the interval is not there yet. There is a flashback which shows Kamal's bond with Prakashraj (who is also a police officer) and more importantly you also hear the excellent Paartha Mudhal... song. Kamalini Mukherjee appears just for the song and is killed by the villain immediately, who is later encountered to death by Kamal. As Kayalvizhi, Kamalini looks very cute, but too little time on screen to pass any judgement on her skills. As you would expect, there is no finding fault with Kamal's acting - romance, action, grief - his versatility is underlined every now and then. How could a man of his age look so jaunty and fit into any role? To me, he is the greatest ever actor and I don't even want to talk about any doubts. With such a genius at his disposal, Gautam has let everyone down with this product, especially after the Kaakha Kaakha success.

In New York, Kamal saves Aradhana (Jothika) who tries to commit suicide and gets to know that she has had a bitter broken marriage. Later, he accepts Jo and her 11-month old daughter as any hero does. He also investigates the murders along with a NYPD officer, played by Lev Gorn. Both of them find more buried dead bodies, all females - raped and murdered in similar styles to the one found in Keeranur. Now you think, "Oh ok, there's something here and it should be a nice suspense until the hero eventually grabs them by the collar". This is when the greatest disappointment shows. The culprits are shown to us and they kill two policemen as we get the much-awaited snacks break.

Soon after the break, Kamal & Lev zero in on them and enter their locked house. The culprits also come home later and during the confrontation, they accept all their misdoings, but aren't willing to give up. This completely results in tortoising the movie. Then, the villain's justifications, not-so-unusual hero-villain challenges, kidnapping the heroine, chases, some fighting and shooting and finally the villain is killed.

Harris Jeyaraj, somehow has the knack of giving very good tunes for Gautam and has not disappointed. The background scores are laudable and the songs are very good too. New York has been visualized beautifully. Other than that, not many positives to drive home about - atleast nothing that comes to my mind right now. Worthy of waiting for the DVD instead of rushing to the theatres.

Thambi - a violent plead to end violence

I may be very late to comment about this movie, but I got the time only yesternight to watch it and I was very surprised when I noticed that almost 90% of the theatre was filled up for a week-day night show especially after so many days of its release.

To start with, Madhavan has done a commendable job in doing the character of Thambi Velu Thondaiman. As usual, he fights against the social evils. But, he has been portrayed well here who thinks before he acts. He is not just a action hero who goes about ruthlessly killing the villian's henchmen. The hero's parents and sister fall prey to the villian's revenge for Thambi's act of identifying a murderer. Thambi gets angry and rushes to kill the villian. But, changes mind on seeing a family for the villian and doesn't want to continue with the violence and hence starts the full-stop by pleading them to give away the violent ways, but in vain. He is beaten up and thrown with garbage and that's when he decides to oppose the villain in all his acts and from then on Thambi is a big thorn in their flesh. Finally, he helps even the villain's family in riot-time and makes the villain change his mind and then the climax follows.

Director Seeman clearly conveys we people are afraid of some acts around us and we don't have the guts to question them or oppose them, fearing life. As Manivannan's character utters, though some of us have the strength to question evils and rowdyism, we don't do it due to family ties. It reminded me of many instances when I have wanted to fight and didn't actually - there is a life to be led trouble-free as there are stomachs to be fed. At any cost, rowdyism & violence should not continue and its not a good sign for the future is what Seeman has conveyed and has done a cracking job at that.

The songs aren't bad either. Ennama Devi... is quite nice and Sudum Nilavu... rendered by Unnikrishnan and Harini is the best.

Of courses, there are some blips too. Some scenes make you think that this movie is a poorman's Anniyan, though there is no connection to split personalities. Vadivelu has been wasted as there is not much of comedy in the movie. And Pooja, though looks cute from some angles, is clearly a misfit as of now. She has just appeared on screen and has forgotten to act. The director was probably so engrossed in the subject that he didn't bother about making her act. At times, Madhavan's rotund stares and screaming dialogues upset you a bit, but its worth taking it for such a good movie.

Official Website

Aaru - Review

Surya has tried to do a Vijay in his latest film Aaru. His last effort at that was a flop with Sree. This time, its better than the last time but still needs a lot of tuning. Director Hari is becoming too predictable and you get to see a ratha aaru very often. This time, he has given quite a racy entertainment, but with a few glitches and drags.

Surya doesn't fit in the shoes of a rowdy role yet - probably a few more miles to go. A Sanjay Ramaswamy or Anbuselvan suits him much better. His tone and dialogue delivery isn't good enough for the local slang and he doesn't get that Vijay-like style in uttering those slangs. Aaru would have been a wonderful script for Vijay and his fans, but it is not bound to be a great hit with Surya playing Aarumugam. Surya shines in the stunt sequences and has the physique to fight those gundas and its not looking like a joke.

What is the Censor Board doing for obscene dialogues? There seems to be too many in this movie and its muted only at very few occurences. A few years back there was a huge roar about the usage of vakka** in a Bharathiraja movie, but this time no one seems to talk about the usage of *tha in this movie - does this mean that the public has improved and don't bother about such language or has such language become way of life? If not the censor board, I think the directors and heroes themselves have a responsibility and they shouldn't invest in such lewdness. More irritating when it is mouthed by women, by Ishwarya in this case.

One good thing about the movie is not using Trisha as just a glamour-doll as she has something to do too. Though, she hasn't done complete justice to it is another matter. Its high time she improved her acting skills and dancing - dance isn't just about moving the limbs. But I feel, she looks her best paired with Surya - Mounam Pesiyathey and this one. There is senti mix also to the movie through Malawika Avinash, but with her good looks and her decent acting abilities I think that she's been wasted for such a trivial role.

Devi Sriprasad's tunes are quite hearable but not great hits. Those who like the kuthu songs will like Freeya Vudu... and Soda Bottle... and the picturisation of Dhurogam... is nice, but reminds you of a song from Ghillli.

Overall, the movie isn't as bad as some suggest, but not a great movie too. Good enough to watch it once for the entertainment, but could have abbreviated the violence.