Bigil - Yes, it looks like there's still a Vijay fan inside me.

I was a Vijay fan, the kinda fan who had his posters pasted on a random window, tried copying his hairstyle, dressings, etc. But, everything changed after Kuruvi, Villu and after college, I stopped caring about his movies at all. And, then came Sura and the rest is history. After many years and some good, bad and ugly movies here we are at Bigil.

Another Deepavali, another Vijay release, another Atlee film and another usual mass masala film disguised as women-empowerment-sports-drama. But, I must confess I thoroughly enjoyed the show with fans dancing for the Verithanam song which was shown once-more for the fans.

I have my expectations right when Atlee joined Vijay for a sports film. And, right after the FL and trailer I know we are not in for a Chak De and I was right. It's about a footballer who couldn't make it big at the national level get a chance to coach a women's team at the national level and take it to glory. And, we don't have to mind about the opponent team's strategy or the players to win the cup, all he has to do is to handle the villain like any other Vijay film to win the cup.

The first half was everywhere, we get a college student protests, a minister, Vijay, referred to as CM (Captain Michael), thrashing the goons, etc which has zero connection to the story just for the sake of a hero intro. Then the love angle, before we get to know about this guy, we get to know about the football team, then a flashback about the footballer Bigil. Even before I could register himself as a player we get another Vijay as a don Rayappan. And, everything ends with a tragedy just to know the reason for how Bigil couldn't make it big at the national level.

And, the second half at least was focussed on the mission or on that football team and the players. It still got some fights, some "mass" scenes, etc. But, football matches weren't as interesting as it should be, we all know they are going to win. And, the pep-talk from the coach was the worst I've seen in any sports-based movies :D. But, at least after he was done with the villains, he gives some motivational speech to him as well, he let the girls play and win the cup though.

And, it's high time cinema stops showing those who are fat will be always eating something at any given time. And, some thousand other cliches were present as well. And, Atlee tries to make it as interesting as possible and few things work.

But, in spite of all these and despite the three hours running length, the movie works for me thanks to Vijay. He was so good as Michael @ Bigil. And, also good to see him show a little variety with the characters like Jeevanandham in Kaththi and Rayappan here with grey hair and stutters in this movie. But, it was hard to make him look old though. And, definitely, he is my inspiration to look fit.

As usual, Atlee's film was colorful and GK Vishnu's camera makes everything look rich. But, most of the dialogues were just too old, we can actually find the movies in which those dialogues were present. And, the songs work well on screen than as an album. Especially the prelude scene to Singapenney was nicely staged. And, Atlee somehow found a way to keep the heroine involved by giving her the role of the team's physio. All other actors like Jackie Shroff, Daniel Balaji, etc were just there. None of them make any impact though.

I think we have had enough of Atlee-Vijay combo. It's time for Atlee to do something more original with some other actors and I am already excited to see what kinda movie will be Vijay's next with Lokesh.

Overall, I had a fun time at the theatre, the kinda movie I would like to watch on a festival day.

Yes, it looks like there's still a Vijay fan inside me.

96 - பேரன்பே காதல்

மாற்றங்களே வினா. மாற்றங்களே விடை.

What-ifs are always beautiful. Everyone has at least one moment in their life where they would still think what-if I've done that differently. 

That's a hat-trick of good movies in Tamil cinema I've seen in a week. This is rare, a very rare phenomenon. And, the hat-trick is 96 after Pariyerum Perumal and Ratsasan. It's not necessary that you should be a Ram and have a Jaanu in your life to enjoy this. Ram and Jaanu story itself was so beautiful we can very well feel the love. 

96, right from the title design we know it's going to kindle our 90s memories. And, even the story and what we can expect was pretty clear from that teaser and a trailer. And, also it was evident that the music was gonna play a bigger role. Never ever in Tamil Cinema, I've seen a musical piece receiving the applause as much as this "Kadhale Kadhale" musical bit got right when the credits rolled or when Trisha introduced. The third hero apart from VJS and Trisha is obviously Govind Vasantha and his violin.

The story starts with "Life of Ram" song, where we see him travel around lonely and ends with a long shot of him writing his name and I think "Jaanu" too in a beach. So, that's Ram, unmarried, single, wanderer, who still loves Jaanu. So, who's this Jaanu? When Ram accidentally crosses his hometown, he visits his school and where he wanders around, but I was expecting them to cut to the flashback, no, the director didn't. So, it rekindles his memory and that leads to the get-together of 96 batch after 20 years. When Ram hears Jaanu's name, we get the much-awaited flashback and get to know that Jaanu. And, also a night Ram and Jaanu get to spend together after 20 years.

Jaanu, short for Janaki Devi, who is a good singer, sings only S. Janaki's songs. These school days portions are cute and we see the innocent love that develops and how the friends find out and help them. And, Ram kept forming waves in his hands asking his friends to tell Jaanu to sing Yamunai Aatrile, but she keeps singing other Janaki songs which are subtle message to Ram. And, she does sing Yamunai Aatrile, but not when he expects her to sing.

After seeing Jaanu in the flashback, everybody was expecting Trisha and there she comes after almost an hour with the much-loved BGM, the whole theatre erupts. I don't remember any of the heroine introduction this much loved like this in recent times. Then, like the famous red-velvet scene in Premam, we have a fried-rice scene here where Govind Vasantha once again just elevates it with his beautiful music. Another scene, where they go through his suitcase with his memories which contains his school uniform shirt, her dupatta which oozes "palaya vasanai". And, that end shot too, so good where her jeans and dress goes into that suitcase and this night too as a memory.

Ram and Jaanu, both the young actors and VJS, Trisha have done wonderfully. And, their friends as well, Divya Darshini, Aadukalam Murugadoss, and Bhagavathi and their younger version actors as well. Also, nice to see Janagaraj in a small role.

And, half the credits and praise for Jaanu goes to Chinmayi as well for her dubbing and singing all the songs. Not just the songs in the album, those beautiful Ilayaraja songs as well, Thendral Vanthu and Yamunai Aatrile. Everyone clapped instinctively after her Thendral Vanthu rendition at the reunion. And, whoever sang for the younger Jaanu as well.

So, Premkumar makes an excellent debut and also amazing screenplay to keep you hooked for nearly three hours with just two characters. A very natural VJS and Trisha, Govind Vasantha's music and songs help big time. And, so many beautiful shots around Chennai in that night by the cinematographer.

And, the most beautiful part of this movie is even here there's a 'what-if' portion that comes in the second half where Jaanu narrates her imaginary story of VJS's proposal to VJS's students. Both, of them, know that was a big moment which changed both their lives. 'What-if' Jaanu had seen Ram or 'what-if' Ram have waited and met her in person. So, we get Jaanu's version of 'what-if'. No other visual could have justified the "Kadhale Kadhale" song as well. That was literally the best part of this movie for me. I wish the movie ended right there I could have just imagined Ram and Jaanu are now together in some other parallel time.

Ratsasan - High Intense Thriller

Not often you get to see back-to-back great movies in big screen. And, it happened this week. After Pariyerum Perumal, here comes another contender for movie of the year Ratsasan. Director Ram Kumar is back after four years with Vishnu Vishal, Kaali Venkat and Munishkanth again after Mundasupatti. And, oh boy, this is completely different and vera level.

Ratsasan, right from the trailer we are clear that we are in for a treat if we love this genre involving Psycho serial-killer. And, yes those who love this genre are gonna enjoy this much, just like me. I felt like I forgot to breathe for the most part of the movie. I don't remember watching a Tamil movie with this much intensity right from the first scene till the very end. And, in these kind of movies the intensity could be missing once we get to know the identity of the killer, but director Ram Kumar made sure it doesn't slip even after we know the killer.

So, the story, hero Vishnu was an aspiring filmmaker who wants to make a movie based on a serial-killer, but he couldn't get the green light from any producer. After struggling for years and due to his family pressure, he joins as an SI in the police department. And, then a murder happens and because of his research, he thinks it's a serial-killer. And, how he convinces his colleagues, who were not ready to take orders from "nethu-vantha-unnakku-ennada-teriyum" SI, especially his lady chief officer and proceeds to find the killer is the story which was told without even wasting a single second. Even the heroine character was not the typical love story which runs parallel to the main story, the director somehow involves her as well.

The two pillars of this movie are Ram Kumar's screenplay and Ghibran's music. It was absolutely spine-chilling. He just turns simple shots to a different level with his work. Those BGMs still rings in your ears even after you have left the theatre. This is not a horror movie, yet you have the constant fear of what's 'bad' going to happen.

This is director's second movie after four years. I think he took so much time in perfecting the script and rewriting so many rough draft before locking into this perfect script. Even the title written on a piano has a significance and all the gift boxes as well.

Vishnu looks perfect as a policeman, but it is Munishkanth who impressed me a lot with not just his laughs, but also in emotional scenes, what a changeover. Even Vishnu's egoistic chief police officer was good who couldn't let herself to accept Vishnu is right. And, there was a creepy maths teacher as well. Whose character is to make people aware of whom might be around us.

I feel this kind of film doesn't need a soppy flashback to justify the actions behind the psycho killer, but at least it wasn't cliched or boring as well. The only logical question I have was how did the police department get that hearing aid of that girl? I don't think the killer would have packed the girl with that hearing aid or even the police don't know where the murder took place. But, it is just me nitpicking in an otherwise flawless thriller. 

Ratsasan, a well-researched movie with a gripping screenplay which doesn't lose it intensity and doesn't have any unwanted comedy track or love track or unwanted songs. Keeps you hooked and it will make you follow Vishnu for the clues in finding the killer and also in a constant fear of what might happen.

Pariyerum Perumal B.A B.L

After a disappointing first half in 2018, Tamil cinema is giving us some best movies with some entertaining and important movies like CoCo, Merku Thodarchi Malai and this. And, this, Pariyerum Perumal is the best movie of this year 2018. Not just because of what it talks, but also how it talks. The "how" was far more interesting than most of the commercial movies. It never gets into the brooding Bala movie mode and also doesn't compromise like Ranjith's commercial mode as well. It was a well balanced bloody good movie, even if you don't care about the message. I usually think we should see a movie as just a movie, but definitely not for this one. This one shows us the reality and it's ugly.

Mari Selvaraj starts the movie with a gory murder of Pari's pet Karuppi. It will literally shock you and make you feel his pain and also register Karuppi with an awesome song by SaNa. And, yes our hero knows who's behind, but doesn't want a revenge, he knows what's more important, he joins law college to study and become a doctor (yeah, watch the movie). He introduces himself as Pariyerum Perumal BA BL, mela oru kodu, whose only aim is to study. He doesn't want to get into any fight and just want to study. He was literally 0 in English and was ridiculed in his class and heroine Jo (Ananthi) helps him learn. He wasn't against English, he just needs someone to teach him. Also we get some good back stories about how he passed English in his 10th, 12th and also why he took Law. And, like Jo some of us may wonder "wow, he has a story behind everything", unlike us where we just did what we are told to do.

Jo is obviously from an upper class and she develops love feelings over Pari. She invites him to her sister's wedding. Where we know what's going to happen and it did happen. Jo's relatives beat him for accepting her invitation for coming to the function. He just saw her as a classmate, but her relatives don't. From, then on everything changes with Pari, he asks himself "Naan Yaar", with a soaring song from SaNa and then begins to ask himself, why he's not allowed to attend that wedding? why he can't sit in front of the class? He distances himself from Jo, without telling her the actual reason, even to his friend played by terrific Yogi Babu.

Wonderful performance from Kathir as Pariyerum Perumal. He was just terrific, we can easily feel his anger, pain both physical and emotional. Aanandhi as Jo too with a cute performance. Yogi Babu is having a terrific year and he's growing high in every movie and with a fantastic character which never ridicules his appearance to make fun.

Mari Selvaraj in his first movie has asked a lot of troubling questions, just like his song Naan Yaar. But, what made me more surprised was the hero's father character. Haven't seen anything like this in Tamil cinema before. And, an old man who does murders thinking he's doing a service. The principal who understands what he's going through and also his dialogues, "room la thooku maati savurahukku bathila sandai pottu sagattum", "avungala thirutha mudiathu la, ivana mattum ethukku adakka ninaikureenga". I would say this was even better than Pa. Ranjith's Madras or Kabali or Kaala. And, SaNa was terrific with the songs and BGMs. That one scene where Karuppi comes back to wake up Pari at the railway track with SaNa's Naan Yaar prelude, literally had goosebumps. SaNa's collaboration with Ranjith always produced better songs, here even though he was a producer, not a director. The visuals, editing, dialogues everything was just perfect.

And, obviously, Jo and Pari love doesn't succeed, but did Pari really love her? He never confessed that he loves her or not. The climax was so good that leaves you heartbroken without any tragedy. You cannot say this as a negative climax, like what Bala does, but still, it will leave you with a heavy heart, especially Pari's last dialogue to Jo's father.
"நீங்க நீங்களா இருக்குற வரைக்கும்.. நாங்க (நாயாக) தான் இருக்கணும்னு நீங்க நினைக்கிற வரைக்கும் இங்க எதுவும் மாறாது". What's most troubling in this line is that நீங்க, it not only represents Jo's father, even Jo's generation, her brother and cousins the current generation as well. That's more troubling, how many more generations it will take to change these?

Kaala - பெரும் மகிழ்ச்சி

This is what I wrote after watching Kabali FDFS,  மகிழ்ச்சி, சற்று குறைவே. But, Kaala was பெரும் மகிழ்ச்சி. This is the Rajini movie I should have watched in the early morning FDFS show. It was very surprising that Rajini wanted to do another movie with Ranjith. I was happy to know that at least Rajini himself was happy doing a Kabali. And, Ranjith didn't really disappoint the Rajini fan as well as director Ranjith's fan in me. I feel this is the most balanced Rajini-Ranjith movie we can get.

It was like Ranjith heard every comment about Kabali and decided to do something about it. Right from the voice-over at the start of Kabali, I felt Ranjith's voice didn't suit and it was replaced here. Then, the cast, everyone complained about Ranjith is using the same faces in all his movies. So, he went for some fresh combinations here and it worked well. Then, the weak villain in Kabali, who was no match at all for the Superstar and he gets Nana here and their combination scenes sets the screen on fire. And, everybody felt the portions where Rajini travels in search of his wife was too stretched, though I liked it. Kabali had too many assassination attempts on Rajini and none were powerful. Even here there were a few, but each one was handled really well. Here, he does give enough space for some sentiments, but doesn't overdo it. And, the final product was one of the best of Rajini and also Ranjith's as well. 

Let's talk about the ladies in the movie, Ranjith brings back Eswari Rao and what a power packed role and she aces it with an fantastic performance as Selvi which matches Rajini. Her first scene was enough to show her power, a long scene (single shot ?) which introduces us to the whole Kaala family, mind you his family was really big. As the lyric in Thanga Sela song says, "Nee illati naan onnum illa", it was really evident, wasn't written just for the song. Then, we get a reunion of ex-lovers with an amazing song Kanamma with Huma Qureshi, I really felt she was too young to be Kaala's ex, but she wasn't just for the song though. She was very much part of the movie, so is Anjali Patil. The way Anjali says, "oh you really want me to bow before my in laws", just thought how "Padayappa" would have reacted to that :D :D. Kudos to Ranjith for writing these roles in a Rajini movie.

Then, the next big thing is SaNa's songs and scores. Man, he just continues his terrific form from Kabali with his non-Rajini-but-Ranjith style sounds. When we get that Katravai Patravai in the climax it was terrific and so is his other BGMS especially for that rain fight. And, the way Ranjith uses Rap again was really too good like that "nikkal nikkal" before the interval. 

And, Rajini was at ease here as Kaala, once again he surrenders himself to the director. The opening scene itself, he doesn't hit a six, he gets out without scoring a run of the final ball. Then, even after that famous "Kya re, setting ah" scene we didn't get a mass fight scene, his son and others saves him. And, then we get to see "mass" rain fight, just like the famous Badshah, after enough waiting. That was easily the theatre moment of this year. And, his "I love you di" scenes with Selvi and his awkward scene with Serina, keeps reminding us about the Rajini the performer. And, the "Kumaru, yaar ivaru" scene, waah.

The villain Nana Patekar, his uncanny resemblance to you-know-who and his scheme's name "Pure Mumbai", his favorite god Ram everything points very clearly who he is and Ranjith doesn't hold anything back he tells you everything clear about whom he wants to project as villain. It was surprising that Rajini accepted it, cos he was the one who rejected Mudalvan.

Ranjith's very clear about what should he talk about and for whom he should talk about. And, also what are all the cliches that should be changed, like Kabali wearing a coat or the name Kabali itself. Here, the color black and white and what they represent.

At the end of the movie, my only question "Does the Real Rajinikanth saw the Reel Rajinikanth's Kaala?"

Pongal Releases 2018

Gulaebaghavali: Started Pongal with an unplanned decision to watch this movie first. After a very long time, I went into a movie without even watching the teaser and trailer. So, it kinda worked in its favor, since I went in without any expectations and not knowing anything about the story helps too.

The story is about four cons tries to pull off a heist, a "puthaiyal", from a village and it is told with a lot of comedians and less comedy. I was expecting a ghost to jump out at any moment, but thank god there isn't any ghost here.

I really liked Revathi's character, it was a surprise to see her in this kind of a role. And, also loved the "Arengetra Velai" connect. There was her retro pic and also VK Ramaswamy's in her place. Among others Munishkanth, who kinda did more talking than the hero Prabhu Deva himself. And, he kinda looked uninterested, the usual charming was missing.

The songs were real drag should have skipped them and the visuals didn't help either, though he dances brilliantly. And, the romance between Prabhu Deva and Hanshika was worse than romances in recent ARM movies. But, at least the heroine is not a loose ponnu here. And, enough of Motta Rajendran doing dubsmash for some popular songs. I really wish he isn't part of every movie.

Overall it was just watchable since the stakes were really low and Revathi's character was a surprise which made me make it through the movie.

Neither funny nor a thriller.

Thaanaa Serndha Koottam: Special 26 was one of my favorite of Neeraj Pandey's movies. When I heard this is a remake I was excited, but the director kept denying the rumors. When the teaser released it was finally out that they have "adapted" the same for Tamil Cinema.

The problem with this "adapting" are they completely ruined some of the best moments in Special 26. Special 26, has a perfect screenplay, except the heroine portions, with enough twists and a fantastic climax. Vignesh ShivN added more comedians, songs, etc and the movie doesn't even look like a period film at all. Failed. When the heroine was introduced as a part of their gang, I thought Vignesh ShivN fixed the only problem Special 26 had, but he didn't. Again, she gets a separate track with some unwanted songs and who knows what happened to her at the end. Failed again.

Surya was having fun after his Singam. He even gets a scene to mock his height. Ramya Krishnan for Anupam Kher's character was one casting idea I liked. And, Suresh Menon with Gautam Menon's voice didn't work for me at all. Gautam's voice is very well known so it was little out of sync. Too much of build up for Karthik who did nothing at the end. Senthil with petromax light was a good touch, but he overdoes it too.

The dialogues were good and he conveniently mocks current situation in a period movie. Anirudh's Sodakku was good, the visuals looked colorful, which completely ruined the period setup. You can't show "MOUNTROAD 1987" to make us believe it is 1987.

Since I loved the original, he didn't fix the only problem the original had with the heroine character, added too many back stories and completely ruined the ending with adding some fights and the way he escapes was just too much and I really missed that Manoj Bajpayee's laugh at the end. 

I am not sure whether Vignesh ShivN did all these changes on his own or he thought Surya won't accept the original. But, he sure makes things funny and colorful, which could have worked for the people who haven't seen the original.

Why fix something which ain't broke?

Sketch: One movie you still wonder how does this combination actually happen? Vikram with a director of Vaalu? You read these rumors before the movie starts, but it wasn't a rumor and this really happened. So, obviously, I had zero expectations with this combo since I hated Vaalu.

I made up my mind even before entering that this is gonna be a hell of a film because of the buzz in social media. And, almost the whole first half, except for the last 15 mins was so bad. Towards the interval, with Vikram finally putting a Sketch the movie picks some momentum. The second half was not bad either, batting the cliched romance portions with Tamannah. And, the climax twist was good, but the message at the end was too much, suddenly the director wants to convey something to the society it seems.

Thaman's BGM was a real plus, except someone shouting "sketch potta, sketch potta" in the middle. And, Vikram's screen presence was a real plus. Really liked him in this character, but still, his age is very evident, he is getting too old for the romance. He doesn't have to do anything special here after a long time.

I want to know, who wrote the punch dialogue, "Sketchu sketch potta sketch miss eh aagathu", I can understand this line and it sounds like a punch dialogue. But, the next line is "apdi miss aachuna sollu pisire illama senju mudipen". Is this even a punch, why would you miss your sketch and why would redo it if someone points out that you failed. So, will you put a "sketch" without failing or not?

I don't know what made Vikram accept this at this time, maybe he thought it is time to do a quickie. I really think if he doesn't want any experiment like I or IruMugan, he should try his hand with a bunch of newcomers like Logesh Kanagaraj, etc. I am sure they can do a quickie with a meaningful script.

Offers nothing new and didn't even try either.

My final ratings and best to worst, so it is evident that I enjoy watching Vikram more than Surya.

1. Sketch - 2.5/5.0.
2. Thaanaa Serndha Koottam - 2.5/5.0.
3. Gulaebhagavali -  2.0/5.0

'Thala' Deepavali 2017 - Aalaporan 'Thalapathy'

Meyatha Maan - Since we have already booked to go Mersal the next day to Deepavali. I haven't booked any movie to watch on Deepavali. But, my Deepavali would be incomplete without a movie, so booked this a few hours before the show-time. But, thank god it wasn't a disappointing at all. Actually, it turned out to be a best decision on my 'Thala' Deepavali

 

 

 

The movie was totally fresh and entertaining. It has one-side love, friendship and also sister sentiment. The movie is all about the four characters, our hero 'Idayam' Murali, his best friend Vinoth, his one side lover Madhu and his sister Sudar.

 

I loved most of the dialogues. I burst out laughing for most of it. And, Vaibhav's Chennai slang also helps. He really fits 'Idayam' Murali perfectly, who owns a local orchestra and the lead singer in it. But, the show stealer for me is Vivek Prasanna, who has done Vinoth's role. He was last seen in Vikram Vedha as Ravi.

 

Between the two ladies Indhuja, who's Vaibhav's sister was terrific than the heroine Priya. Priya doesn't have much scenes or I don't remember seeing her much in the first half.

 

The most important department in a rom-com is music, so that you don't feel bored. Here, SaNa and Pradeep are in terrific form. I felt the second half was little dragging and reminded me of SMS movie. Also, couldn't find out how exactly Madhu falls for Murali.

 

Overall a fantastic debut for Ratna Kumar. Solid writing, brilliant characters and witty dialogues make this a wonderful watch. I don't know how wise to release it with Mersal. I hope people don't miss this as well.

 

Mersal - Once again Vijay is back with Atlee after their blockbuster Theri. And, once again I've no idea why this movie is titled 'Mersal' just like 'Theri'. First thing first, after the atrocious look in Bairavaa, Vijay looks terrific in this movie. He seems to be getting younger, ya I know this sounds cliched. But, after Theri once again he's making me to look myself and feel bad about my fitness.

 

My fav shot from this song.

 

 

For the third time Atlee has remade a classic. After Mouna Ragam, Satriyan this time he decides to go with Apoorva Sagotharargal (but it reminds many other movies as well). And, he has done his work very well to fit an ordinary revenge drama with some social message and it worked really well.

 

The main positive factor is Vijay, no atrocious hairdo, no irritating voice modulation. And, ya he speaks too many punch dialogues directed at the audience, which works well in this setup rather than Puli kind of film. His dance movements were terrific after some time. And, he smokes on screen after quite some time I guess. If you are wondering why this is to differentiate between the two look alike Vijay. One who smokes is Vetri, the magician and who doesn't is Maran, the doctor.

 

Other than Vijay only Nitya Menon gets some role and shares a good chemistry with Vijay in the 80s flashback portion. Next comes S J Surya, the villain, who was good in few scenes. The other two heroines character comes for maximum 10 mins with a song each. And, Satyaraj to listen to the flashbacks. Vadivelu is back, again still expecting a proper comeback for him, this movie doesn't have enough screen time for him.

 

Atlee always does well in presentation. Each and every frame was glossy and the cameraman Vishnu has hit a century on debut. Also, the screenplay was engaging enough which made me sit through almost 3 hours without any complaint. Vijayendra Prasad's touch was visible especially in the flashback portion.

 

And, ya this movie did remind me of many of many other hit Tamil movies. Sivaji, Ramana, Kaththi, etc., to name a few. Also, a lot of questions comes to mind. How Kovai Sarala met Maran? Vadivel met Maran? Why Vetri didn't meet his brother all these years? Why Dr Arjun didn't recognize Maran? Why wait so long for taking revenge? Has Vetri killed any other doctors before? And, that mandatory "aal-marattam" scene in the second half with the look alikes. Maran isn't a Jeevanantham, who can't fight, so that was not needed I guess.

 

But, the thing is none of this came to mind while watching. And, that's the success of a mass movie. Overall Mersal was a satisfying festival movie for me. It would be great if Ajith and Vijay does movies like Managaram, Vikram Vedha, but still Vijay's next step is clear (political) we can only get these and as far as Ajith's concern looks like his next is also going to be with Siva, so we better don't discuss it.

 

Meyatha Maan - 3.5/5.0.
Mersal - 3.5/5.0.

 

So, we are quite satisfied with both our outings in our 'Thala' Deepavali.

Baahubali 2 - An Epic Conclusion as well

I haven't blogged for a while, so I thought I couldn't have better thing than writing about Baahubali - The Conclusion, even though it's a bit late. Here's what I wrote about Baahubali - The Beginning.

I was never excited about a film in recent times after Kabali. I was so looking forward to this and was extremely happy when I reached my seat minuted before the start of the movie. The Baahubali part one was not complete since it ended in a cliffhanger after that epic battle which raised the expectations for this movie even higher.

Coming to the second part, it starts straight from the flashback portions. Now, all waiting for Baahubali to be crowned. And, we get a few comic moments between Prabhas and Kattappa while he romances the astounding beauty Anushka. And, we have a battle sequence as well with Oxen running with flames in their horns and Prabhas shooting three arrows at once and as well as teaching Anushka the same. And, a similar interval block where Rana once again feels small even after becoming the King of Mahismati. I was already got more than what I expected just from the first half itself. It had a lot of whistle worthy sequences. One of my favourite parts is when Baahubali's identity was revealed to Devasena and her people.

In the second half we see the fight between two powerful ladies Sivagami and Devasena. And, it was disappointing that the most powerful lady Sivagami was easily deceived and manipulated by Rana and Nasser. Which eventually let us know the reason behind WKKB. But, the flashback was the best it almost runs whole movie. Thankfully there isn't any interruption. The present part we know what was about to happen and it just did. It looked a bit rushed on a movie which was already running for three hours time.

Prabhas completely owns the show here, especially as Amrendra Baahubali, the father. Just like Mahismati the movie belongs to him as well. And, Rana scores well in the flashback portions. Devasena looks perfect as a princess, she looked just amazing. We didn't have much of new characters in this part. Except for Devasena's relative guy. And, yeah totally forgot that Tamannah was even present, I think she had about maximum 10 seconds screen time. And, found Kattappa's current age, its nearly 85. He doesn't look bad for a guy at the age of 85.

I liked the theme music used in the first part than the one used here. But, overall a satisfying BGM once again from MaragathaMani. Also, they have avoided unwanted song placements here, no kuthu song out of nowhere like the part 1. And, the art department got bigger and better. And, kudos to Karky for all the dialogues in Tamil. And, even the VFX looked better than the part one when we compare to that fight in snow filled mountain in part one.

Baahubali is the peak of mass masala movie in an epic setting, peak of glorifying heroes, peak of visual effects, peak of SSR's imagination. And, surprisingly a sequel I liked better than the first part, it looked like SSR deserved the best for the last. Yes, once again the stunts were unbelievable, but who cares, I liked the way it was executed.

Now, where will SSR go from here, he had scaled the Himalayas, it will be very difficult to better this, but I am sure he will. Thank you SSR and team for making this mammoth project, I am completely mesmerised by SSR's world. I am looking forward to more from this world.

Baahubali - The Conclusion - 5.0/5.0. If you are a movie lover, its a crime if you miss this.

Si3 - Singam's Swachh Bharat Mission

Our Tamil cinema's most successful franchise returns with its third installment in the series Si3. S2 wasn't as good as S1, since its S2 Hari had two heroines, two comedians, two or more villains, etc., but the movie wasn't as good as S1. S3 was better than S2, but still S1 is the best in this series.

The plot is Surya is now deputed to AP, to solve the murder of a Police commissioner. And, how this mystery turns into a big "Swachh Bharat Mission" is the plot.

Surya once again gave a ferocious performance. He keeps shouting and fighting and transforms into a "Lion" whenever he jumps in a fight scene. I hope his eyes don't pop out during S4 or S5. All others are either boring or not relevant at all. Even, the villain, who has one of the most ridiculous intro scene, spends 80% of his screen time talking over phone. And, his father, played by Suman spends almost 99% of his screen presence talking over phone.

S3 follows S1 formula, so the movie wasn't boring. But, the problem is, we get to know the bad guy before Surya so when he actually finds out, there isn't much surprise twist or a big revelation in the first half. The second half deals with Surya getting the Villain down which is once again as fast and as loud as the first half.

Anushka, finally gets married to Surya and has a pathetic role in this movie, she is present just because she acted in S1. Shruthi and Soori were the most boring combo and they bore you even when they come alone. And, the characters keep mouthing rhyming words in the name of comedy. Their characters were totally not needed and could have chopped off those scenes.

What happened to Harris, the songs were too bad and the BGM weren't impressive. Hari could have done it by himself. The Samy chemistry was definitely missing. I think DSP could have done better.

The editing was usual Hari style trying to fit everything within seconds, hats off to the editor. In one scene the villain literally spits on the camera, but they didn't even bother to re-shoot that. And, the sound mixing were too loud, whenever there was a pause you get your breath back.

And, director Hari have reached an extreme level in "fast-screenplay". Like most advanced stage in a game where everything happens too fast. I couldn't even keep up with the movie and didn't even get what was happening in the few scenes. Everything happens within seconds and he doesn't believe in the slo-mo for mass scenes. And, I guess he doesn't direct those duets where things happen little slow.

Barry Allen, you could be the fastest man alive in the DC universe, but we have Hari who's "THE FASTEST MAN ALIVE" in our Tamil Cinema. And, I bet Hari's favorite superhero is "The Flash".

S1 > S3 > S2.

My Rating - 2.5/5.0.

Bairavaa - Mudiala

First of all the wig, I could have seen him going bald rather than him sporting this atrociously bad wig. How the hell the whole team approved this? I can't take my mind of it and in each and every scene it keeps reminding me and I'm already hating the movie. None of the dresses suits this atrocious hairdo. Sorry Barathan and co you lost me right there.

Next, the opening song, this is the essence of every commercial movie which sets the tone of the whole movie which should make you dive right into the festival mood. SaNa has delivered an uninspiring tune with some lyrics relating to demonetization. Sorry, SaNa this isn't your forte after Kodi this was another missed opportunity. And, Anandhu's voice doesn't suit at all.

And, the first half goes on and on with an XXL sized flashback surprisingly which doesn't involve Vijay and another surprise it involves the heroine unlike any other mass hero commercial movie. And, the interval was the high point in an otherwise boring movie. And, SaNa and Arunraja rocks with the varlam varlam va theme, couldn't imagine this film without it.

After setting up the first half somewhat like Kaththi, Barathan executes the second half in very old style like how Perarasu would have done. IT raid, still we are using this, come on. This is why ARM is one of the best commercial movie directors we have today, who mixes the commercial elements with the social message well.

Vijay's dialogue modulation was irritating again, wonder why nobody asks him to change it, but hey they didn't even bother about the wig. And, Daniel Balaji was good, but wasted here who was not even needed, when the villain is gonna kill him easily why bother having a separate track for him. And, what was Thambi Ramaiah doing there who doesn't even have more than two or three dialogues. Same goes to Harish Uthaman, Mala akka, etc.

Overall, this wasn't a surprise going by the FL, teaser and trailers. For Barathan as a director, I feel ATM was better than this. When you can do movies like Thuppakki, Kaththi why bother doing Jilla and Bairavaa? And, please never ever come in this hairdo any other film again.

Rating - 1.5/5.0.

Deepavali 2016 - KODI Parakuthu

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil - Started Deepavali’s eve with this KJo’s romance starring Rambir, Anushka, Fawad and Aish. Pritam’s music was already topping the charts and the movie ran into enough controversy to raise the hype for this film.

This is another version of Rockstar, KJo’s version with Aish mixed into it. There was too many similarities which cannot be ignored. Right from the hero Rambir, who's trying to become a singer. And, someone advising him that he should have a heartbreak to give soul stirring music and the similarity doesn't end here.

The first half is how Ranbir gets friend-zoned by Anushka, who already had a bad breakup. And, it was fun, Ranbir and Anushka mocking some old Bollywood movies. Ranbir gets so attached, but Anushka sees him only as a friend. So its Ranbir’s Love vs Anushka’s Friendship till the end. 

In the second half, after he gets friend-zoned, Ranbir meets Aish. OMG she was stunning. But, Ranbir still struggles to forget Anushka who was now married to her ex-boyfriend (Fawad). The final moments gets too emotional. Also, the second half was little dragging.

Rabir as Ayan and Anushka as Alizeh has given some fantastic performance. Ranbir was too good for this role. Anushka too equally performed well. And, few nice cameos from Alia and SRK as well. Aish and Fawad have done their part well.

Pritam was biggest strength for this film, all his songs were too good aptly supported by Arjit's voice, just like Mohit's voice in Rockstar. We get two songs back to back and nobody complained. Cinematography was excellent with pleasing visuals and pleasing lead actors, shot mostly abroad.

So ADHM was too romantic and too emotional movie I have seen in recent times. It has some good performances, songs and a smoking hot Aish and most of all it's running with subs.

Kashmora - My most expected movie of this year Deepavali releases. After in the making for quite long time, this movie's first look posters and teasers were interesting which increased my hype even more. Gokul, who has given two contrasting movies, Rowthiram and iDhaba has come up with totally different genre again this time.

The plot, it was disappointing. After seeing the pre-release buzz I was expecting a totally different movie, but what we get was just another horror comedy. What ra?

First half introduces us to fake god man Karthi, as Kashmora and his whole family doing the same as business. Vivek as Karthi's father and Sri Divya as a student who was trying to expose them. And, a glimpse of what's in store in the second half. It has few fun scenes, but not much interesting. 

The second half we get to know about the much awaited historical sequence with Rajnayak, Karthi and  Rathnamadevi, Nayan, who was gorgeous. And, we get to know their history and why Kashmora and his family was selected by Rajnayak. And, it shares some funny moments as well.

Karthi was excellent as Kashmora, we get to know the meaning of this name as well, and as Rajnayak, a brutal "Thalapathi" of a kingdom, as well. Sri Divya does a regular role, nothing interesting. Nayan as Rathnamadevi was really good. I wish to see her as Nandini if someone decides to  make  Ponniyin Selvan into a movie.

The BGM was not great, but does it job in most parts. The songs were disappointing from SaNa, The movie could have been made a little crisp and all the marketing focused into the historical part which occupies less time. 

Overall, leaving my expectation, it was a good attempt for a horror genre except for its pace issues. 

Kodi - Dhanush's first dual hero role directed by Durai Senthilkumar of Ethir Neechal and Kakki Sattai fame. And, it comes after a disappointing Thanga Magan and a forgetful Thodari.

The first half shows the rise of Rudra and Kodi in their respective party (Republic and Democratic, just like USA ) and their love story. Also, Anbu, the twin brother's love story with egg seller Malathi, Anupama Parameshwaran. The politics keeps getting interesting and finally Kodi and Rudra face each other in a by-election. The second half was even more interesting when Kodi (or Anbu) and Rudra starts playing political game against each other.

Most of the scenes seems to be inspired from the headlines we have seen in recent times. And, I just wonder what really happened to all those news. And, Durai keeps us guessing with some interesting cat and mouse game with enough twists.

Dhanush has performed wonderfully both as Kodi and a timd Anbu. It was good to see him do both the characters at ease. Though its still hard to believe him as someone who can beat ten men. Anupama, gets a good debut in Tamil, though her character has lesser time. Trisha, gets one of a better roles in recent times, and she has tried hard to justify this role. And, I kept wondering how Nayan would have carried this role.

SaNa gets the songs right here, but the BGM was totally bad, felt silence in many scenes or is it the theatre's fault. I guess, maybe a deliberate effort from director and him. And, in some of the scenes could have had better scores. Other departments have done their job pretty good, stunts, editing, etc,.

Overall, an excellent and much needed comeback for Dhanush in his first dual role movie. Durai Senthilkumar's writing was better and he delivers a neat political drama. 

So, my pick of this Deepavali's releases is Kodi hands down.  KODI Parakuthu.

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil - 3.0/5.0.

Kashmora - 2.5/5.0.

Kodi - 3.5/5.0.

Pooja Weekend Movies - Rekka, Remo, Devi

Rekka - The first movie I saw this weekend. The hero’s name in this movie is Siva so you can easily guess the genre of this movie. VJS decided to have some fun and wanted to smash the goons in the air like our mass heroes do.

The plot is like any many other commercial movie. The comedy with Sathish works in some places. And, the second half have some senti scenes and a nice song “kannama” featuring a gorgeous Sija Rose as Mala akka in half-saree. I wish she had little more screen time.

The negatives are, couldn't take VJS as a guy who will send 100 men in the air with a single punch. The mass scenes didn't work much, but Imman’s bgm helps get pass them. And, Lakshmi Menon, it's very hard to see her with too much makeup. And, the good thing was she doesn't come into the movie for the first 45 minutes at least.

Overall it's just another passable commercial movie from VJS. And, Im sure he won't attempt another movie of the same kind soon because his Aandavan Kattalai released two weeks before was too good.

Remo - The much hyped SiKa’s movie which has soa top technicians and result was evident. The movie looks rich and colourful roping in PC helps big time.

Another movie on the line of Kadhal Mannan, Minnale, Titanic ;) where hero tries to woo the girl who's already engaged. And SiKa changes his getup and joins as a nurse in the same hospital where Keerthy Suresh works as a doctor.

The first half was fun, SiKa, Sathish and co takes care of the comedy and SiKa’s nurse getup looked good on screen and the nurse character does enough to confuse Keerthy Suresh. And, filled with enough cliches.

But, the second half was a let down. SiKa doesn't do anything to convince Keerthy Suresh to break up from her engagement other than just stalking her. SiKa doesn't do anything like Ajith in Kadhal Mannan or Madhavan in Minnale or Jack in Tittanic to win her over. But, as usual “that guy” with whom Keerthy was engaged was shown as a bad guy.

Overall SiKa does manage to deliver another commercially successful movie without worrying much about logic. And, the team thought the nurse getup was enough to sell this movie. But, I'll watch Kadhal Mannan or Avvai Shanmugi over Remo anyday.

Devi - AL Vijay’s back with a trillingual which brings back Prabhu Deva as a lead. And, its yet another horror comedy which has 2% of horror or Vijay didn't even try to scare us in any scene.

The plot is, thank god, not an usual revenge story like every horror movie in Tamil cinema. It's about a model’s wish to become a successful actress and uses Devi to fulfill its wish.

It's good to see Prabhu Deva as an actor instead of his nonsense crap bolly movies. He does excel in this role which brings out his comic best. And, Tamannah too has done both the roles well, dances well too. RJ Balaji with his limited screen timings works well.

But, the movie looked like a dubbed one in many scenes and Sonu Sood looked odd. And, there isn't any interesting twists or shocking scenes. At least the movie’s running length was just over two hours.

Overall Vijay’s attempt in this genre has few good moments and watchable. Better than his previous movie Idhu Enna Mayam. Watchable.

All three movies were better than Thodari, but not as good as Aandavan Kattalai. Not unbearable and nothing extraordinary.

Rekka - 2.5/5.0.
Devi - 2.5/5.0.
Remo - 2.5/5.0.

Thodari - Train-wreck

The first thing that came to mind after watching Thodari's teaser was a dialogue from "Kandukondein Kandukondein", "train speeda poittu iruku, ellarum nega kadichittu parthittu irupanga appa Hero velia poi duet padittu varuvara", here our hero does that. Right from the teaser and trailer this movie doesn't invoke any interest to watch it even though it involves Dhanush, Prabhu Solomon, etc,. Even Prahu Solomon - Imman combo songs didn't help either.

The plot, it's another love story on an unstoppable train between a pantry boy, Dhanush and touch-up-cum-aspiring-singer-cum-loose-ponnu Keerthy Suresh. What starts as a love story with usual comedy later becomes a thriller when the train's engine driver dies and the train becomes "unstoppable".

The first half was filled with many characters like Karuna, Darbuka Siva, Thambi Ramaiah, Radharavi as a minister, Harish Uthaman as his guard on duty, etc,. The first half was mostly filled with comedy and unnecessary Tamil vs Kerala fight and Dhanush's love. The second half, what should have been a thriller was even more funnier than the first half. It was unintentionally funny in many places.

Dhanush, no idea why did he even accept this. It wasn't enjoyable to watch closeups of Keerthy Suresh sans makeup and what's with directors giving this "loose-ponnu" character to heroines. Tamil cinema is overusing this and it is not cute any more. And, here she is a complete loose who believes a tea-vendor is a close friend to Vairamuthu, and the list goes on and on till the climax, where you think she has escaped from mental asylum. Harish Uthaman's character was the most irritating throughout the first half. And, Radharavi as minister was only solace in this movie.

The thing with Prabhu Solomon A.M, (After Myna) is that he started making these "dheiveega kadhal-at-first-sight" movies. Be it Myna or Kumki or Kayal, it's all about "dheiveega kadhal-at-first-sight". And, here Dhanush feels like he won't get another girl if he misses this "loose ponnu", and we want to believe this is another "dheiveega kadhal". We don't even feel for this couple.

Prabhu Solomon, wants to take a dig at inefficient government employees and especially the over glorifying media, who does anything for TRP without knowing any facts. And, also mock their debate shows. He really lost the plot here, it isn't a complete love story or a satire or a thriller. And, the run-time of nearly three hours looks as long as a journey between New Delhi to Chennai that too with terrible VFX, even for the songs.

Everyone praises Prabhu Solomon for his realistic filmmaking, so he decides to make some unrealistic movie and thus Thodari was born. He makes the hero to dance, fight, romance, etc, on top of a moving train with 700 passengers, which is going at more than 120kmph. And, that's not the only unrealistic part here. People inside the train watch all the action live in their phones and laptop with the Jio connection I guess. And, this nonstop train was about to reach Chennai Centrail in six minutes and they don't even start evacuating people earlier than that. And, even in near death situation Karuan and Thambi Ramaiah makes comedy connecting Thambi Ramaiah with terrorists. And, they go on and on which gets irritating after a point, I just remember Chandler from FRIENDS "You have to stop the Q-Tip when there's resistance!".

Tamil cinema already ruined horror genre by making them into horror comedy, now Prabhu Solomon wants to attempt to localize these kinda thriller films it seems and the result was terrible. And, a dialogue from this film, "nalla idea kodukka Hollywood padam pakanum illa arivu iruntha pothum" suggesting this was his idea, I just wish he could have watched the Hollywood films instead.

My Rating - 0.5/5.0.

Kabali - மகிழ்ச்சி, சற்று குறைவே

Kabali, the biggest movie of this year is finally here. My first FDFS (5 am) in Chennai for a Superstar movie. And, it's off my bucket list and it must be experienced once, even though I paid much for a ticket. What started as a small budget film from Rajnikanth with new team, but the over the top promotions made it as a huge movie.

When the announcement came that Rajini was going to do a movie with two-film-old-director Ranjith it came as surprise and what made it interesting was Rajni playing his age. And, Ranjith retained his Madras film crew for this movie.

The plot is an old gangster in Malaysia after getting released from prison resumes his fight against the gang and also searches his family. Ranjith once again adds some his political touches in this film as well, but it didn't work well in this film.

Rajnikanth was as usual wonderful, especially as aged don. He totally rocks in mass scenes and in emotional scenes as well. Especially in the second half when he reunites with Radhka Apte, best scene in this film. Even at this age, his mannerisms and expressions are good, even the fight sequences. Radhika Apte proves she's an excellent actress and fits the role perfectly. All the scenes involving her are the highlight in this movie. Also, Dhansika who was equally good in her role, two excellent castings. Among the others John Vijay and Kishore does their part well. And, Dinesh made people laugh unintentionally. The villain character Tony Lee, was a dud.

I really loved the first half, which had the mix of mass scenes - terrific first 15 mins or so, emotions, the flashback portions and an excellent interval point. Luckily the flashback wasn't too big and it wasn't shown in a usual way and Ranjith carefully avoided the romance scenes and all. The wig doesn't suit well in the flashback portions. The second half turns the movie into a usual commercial flick which wasn't expected from Ranjith. All his talks about close to reality was really missing. The screenplay wasn't much engaging either which flows predictably.

SaNa once again gives terrific BGM, everyone's wish of watching Rajni in his BGM was fulfilled. Whenever the "Neruppu da" BGM plays, the fans went berserk. And, also in the emotional scenes as well his scores does the job perfectly. The costumes for Rajni and Dhansika should get a special mention. The editing could have made the film even more trimmer.

Kabali could have been more of a Ranjith film than a Rajni film, maybe some strong scenes in the flashback portions which depicts Rajni fighting for the Tamil people there. Rajni - Good, Radhika Apte - Good, BGM and Songs - Good, Story and Screenplay - could have been better, which would have made Kabali a much better film.

But, all said I really liked Rajni playing his age a big takeaway from this movie and also working with young director. I wish Rajni continues to do more films playing his age here on.

FDFS @ Sri Brintha Theatre

Rating 2.75 / 5.0. - #Kabali > #Linga. #Madras > #Kabali.

24 - Basically a good movie

24, Surya’s ambitious sci-fi movie directed by Vikram Kumar and music by none other than ARR. Surya plays triple roles twin brothers Sethuraman and Athreya, Sethuraman’s win son Mani.

Mani is basically a watch mechanic and everything is “sarvasatharanam” to him. And, by everything I mean everything, he can suddenly become a scientist too. After, a fight between the bros where Athreya kills his bro and his wife in search of that watch we get to the present where Mani gets to know about that watch which was with him all these years. 

The first half was filled with romance and fun. Mani tries to woo Samantha with his watch. Few sequences were hilarious, the one where Surya tries to puncher Sam's scooty was damn funny.  Especially the Time Freeze concept and the way they have used it was a real treat to watch, should applaud Vikram Kumar's writing here. The second half is where Athreya tries to get back the watch and it has enough drama than thrills. And, he isn't deadly enough, he gets back to play Sethuraman in a wheelchair for most of the second half so once again he acts like a good guy. 

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Surya as usual brilliant as a good guy, scientist, Sethuraman and watch mechanic Mani. His Athreya role was good as well, but it isn't deadly. I felt Athreya had very little screen time, but the posters like "Villathi Villainai Surya" and all little too much. Samantha was so cute in each in every scene. Saranya as Mani’s mom, another cakewalk for her. And, Nithya Menon just did a cameo and she was good.

The movie’s technical team delivered a knockout job. The VFX were brilliant and the art direction department as well. And, Thiru’s camera work is stunning, especially the initial sequences and chases. I'm slightly disappointed with ARR’s BGM, it really stayed back in every scene. I never went wow in any scene which was really unbelievable, But, the songs Mei Nigara and Naa Un was brilliant and pictured beautifully as well. 

For a movie with time travel concept 24, isn't confusing at all . And, they didn't have too many restrictions and rules as well. The director’s vision was clear and he didn't deviate from it. There were enough twists and turns as well once Athreya comes back to Mani’s life to get back the watch. And, a sci-fi film with a lot of drama and sentiments was how good they managed to fit this to local taste. And, the interval block was really a high point in the movie.

The romance portion in the second half was a bit lengthy followed by a song which really drags the movie. It could have been trimmed. Mani, basically a watch mechanic, who adds some feature to that watch which was invented by a scientist was really too much. And, the climax looked rushed could have been more detailed with some more twists maybe.

Overall 24 wasn't disappointing at all. It has its moments which really worth a WATCH. I must say Project 24 is a success. Vikram Kumar once again comes up with an exciting project after 13B and Manam, really looking forward to his next, but definitely not for Surya's next S3. I would be really disappointed if people didn't support this movie as much as they supported Vedhalam or Theri.

My Rating - 3.5/5.0.

Theri - Usual masala, usual taste, watchable.

After "Therikidhu therikudhu mass", "Therikka vidalama" here comes Theri. Theri, director Atlee's second movie after his successful debut RajaRani and for Vijay an important movie after his ambitious movie Puli turned out to be disastrous.

This FL increased my curiosity.

The plot, which can be guessed easily after watching the trailer and there isn't a much of a surprise there either.

Vijay, after trying few films a cop he gets act right in this film. He looks really fit and the dress suits him perfectly this time. And, he really can pull off a character of 30 year old with ease. In some of the scenes his dialogue delivery was still irritating, but better than Jilla and Puli. Even with three different getup he didn't offer much difference, it was much better in Kaththi.

Amy’s character was totally not needed and her look was oh god! Samantha was cute, but some of her romance scenes were little boring. And, her dance was better than Selfie Pulla. Mahendran wasn't used much, but he was good in those few scenes he appeared. Mottai Rajendran’s scenes with Vijay provided some comic relief. He was good throughout the film. And, the baby Nainika was real cute and her scenes with Vijay in the first half were cheesy and must laud her dubbing as well.

The movie talks about few social issues like women safety, child trafficking, but I felt they were lost within this package. The biggest drawback of the movie is the screenplay which was slow and predictable. I felt there were too many sentimental scenes, few worked, few went overboard. And, the movie was like a mix of many old movies and the hangover of recent Yennai Arindhal was unavoidable.

The real hero of this movie is the DOP George Williams. Not just the lead actors, each and every character looks good. And , the movie was colourful from the start just like Raja Rani. The visuals really elevate the film. And, GV in his 50th movie has come up with few good songs and Vijay as usual made it  watchable with his dance moves. Few mass moments were equally complimented by his BGM and loved the theme mixed with Kerala style melam. And, thanks to Atlee for not including the Raangu song into the movie which was already long.

The film could have been little shorter. The villain could have been little deadlier. The romance portions could have made little more enjoyable. The investigation portion could have been made little more exciting. A cop story's usual element, cat and mouse chase, between the hero and villain was missing. But, even with all those flaws the movie didn't make me yawn or groan in my sit, somehow it was watchable.

Theri, doesn't offer anything new in this tried and tested genre. But, the rich visuals made this bearable. It wasn't as good as a Kaththi or Thuppaki, but at the same time not as bad as Jilla or Puli either. It may not live upto the curiosity and expectation it created with its firstlook and other promotional activities. So, Ajith goes back to Siva again after Vedhalam and with Theri Vijay returns to commercial route as well, god save our "Mass" heroes.

Theri -  2.5/5.0.

Pongal 2015 - Rajinimurugan shows Gethu

This Pongal saw four new releases with each and every movie carrying its own expectation and its own genre.

Rajinimurugan - Nambi Vaanga Santhosama Ponga, wasn't a lie.



After a long delay, Rajinimurugan has hit the screens this Pongal. SiKa back with his VVS team, which was a huge hit, has again come up with another movie on a similar line with some few added elements.

The story is nothing new, SiKa stalks his "Murai Ponnu" till she says yes and then make his father accept him after a misunderstanding between the two families. Just to make the ball rolling Samuthrakani character was added or else this would have  been ended as a remake of VVS itself.

This one works as well as VVS. It was good to see SiKa and Soori chemistry works well. It's been a while since people laughed for Soori's comedy in theater and this film is an exception. SiKa's really improving in his acting skills and he really impresses in few scenes. Rajkiran does his part well as SiKa's grandfather and Samutharakani scores well as a villain. And, Keerthy Suresh looks prettier than Idhu Enna Mayam, but the Madurai slang didn't suit her very well.

Imman once again comes up with his stock and simple tunes which works really well give the context of the movie. Balasubramaniam's cinematography made sure the film looks colorful.

Rajinimurugan offers nothing new every scene is to woo the audience and Ponram have played it safe by knowing their strengths, but it works big time thanks to SiKa. He doesn't want to make any scene serious so he made sure he finishes it with a comedy at the end of any serious scene.

My Rating 3.5/5.0. For entertaining.

Kathakali - A little more practice needed for this kind of a dance Pandiraj.



Here we go, another Vishal movie within a short span of time and another Pandiraj film within a  few weeks after his Pasanga 2.

The first half was mostly boring with very few laughs here and there and Vishal as an American return doesn't work at all. It was as good as Vimal playing an IITian. And, the dialogues were very worst, they keep repeating the dialogues at least twice within a scene. Pandiraj has written the second half first and decides to just fill the first half with some mandatory opening song, romance, duet I guess.

The story is, villain gets murdered and everyone thinks it was Vishal or his brother, so he is out there to prove he is innocent.  So, the film picks up in the second half. And, kudos to Pandiraj for keeping the running length to two hours and also avoiding songs in the second half (total film has just two songs). And, second half was really engaging which makes this film a decent thriller than Payum Puli.

Vishal is on his league in the second half, with enough mass moments that Selfie scene was one example. Catherine Teresa looks pretty, but she didn't have much job to do here especially in the second half, those scenes were fit in the trailer itself. The Policeman as a Villain is a good casting. And, Hiphop Thamizha's BGM towards the end was perfect for the film.

So overall Kathakali was a decent thriller, but again this film looked like hurried, didn't do much work on the script.

My Rating - 3.0/5.0. For its running length, second half and for keeping just two songs.

Gethu - Only in the name.



So Udhay decides enough is enough with stalking Nayantara, Hansika with help of Santhanam and decides to get into action mode here.

The movie's starts with Vikranth getting an assignment to kill one Scientist and he does some elaborate plan. Somehow, Udhay and his father Satyaraj gets involved in the middle of this mess and as usual the hero beats villain at the end.

The first half again was nothing here, the songs placement are the worst I have seen in recent times. For example, the ThilluMullu song comes out of nowhere and we must believe it was Amy's dream song, but the lyrics was Udhay "kenjyfying" the lady to love him. I think the lyricist decides the situation must be Udhay stalking the heroine as usual and written the whole song.

Udhay still needs a lot of improvement to convince himself as an action hero. Vikranth was good, but a slow motion for every scene with Harris's BGM was really overdone. Even though the film runs less than two hours it has some three to four songs, which means nearly 15 minutes are filled here, which was really a lazy writing from the director.

The director knows to present the visual very pleasing, the whole movie happens in Kumizhi which was an excellent location and the only positive thing in the movie.

The one liner of this movie is good, but the director fails to make it into an engaging thriller. But, kudos to Udhay for trying something new rather than stalk-a-girl-with-santhanam-till-she-says-yes kind of movie.

My Rating - 2.5 / 5.0. For excellent visuals.

Thaarai Thappatai - Why Bala why?



I was really afraid to go to a Bala movie because of the violence and a depressing ending. But, anyhow couldn't avoid seeing his movie as well. So I have prepared myself for the worst, but this was even more than what I have imagined. I really couldn't take it at all.

We are introduced to one of a talented artist in a village in Thanjavur who doesn't compensate his art for current commercialization, Sasikumar's father. Then, to Sasikumar's troupe they travel to Andaman to give a performance. As usual tragedy starts from there itself, and it also shows us Varalakshmi's love towards his "Mama" Sasikumar. But, Varalakshmi's mom wants her to get married to a different guy with a fixed income and Sasikumar also convinces her. Varalakshmi gets married to this guy and whatever you think going to happen, happens in the second half.

Why does the Sasikumar keeps hitting Varalakshmi and also other girls as well. The violence shown against Varalakshmi in the second half was really too brutal. And, the Villain R K Suresh was really a maniac, only Bala can find someone like this. I don't think I learned much about the dying are Karakattam, which was my expectation when the movie started.

It was one hell of  a performance from Varalakshmi as Sooravali. And, Illaiyaraja in his 1000th film (ammov), returns to his home ground, folk, and hits every ball out of the park with ease. It was his excellent BGM and songs that I liked in this movie.

I know what to expect from a Bala movie, but this was really overboard even to his standard I felt. It was really a torturous experience in theaters.

My Rating - 0.5 / 5.0. For torturing myself getting into this.