Singam II (2013) - Tamil Movie Review

Singam 2 (2013) - Tamil Movie Review

Cast :

• Suriya as Durai Singam
• Anushka Shetty as Kavya
• Hansika Motwani as Sathya
• Vivek as Erimalai
• Santhanam as Susai
• Danny Sapani as an Danny
• Radha Ravi as Duraisingam's father
• Nassar as Mahalingam
• Vijayakumar as The Home Minister
• Rahman as Thangaraj
• Mukesh Rishi as Bhai
• Mansoor Ali Khan as Karim Bhai
• Nizhalgal Ravi as Muthumanickam
• Manorama as Kavya's grandmother
• Sumithra as Durai Singam's mother
• Janaki Sabesh as Kavya's mother
• Anjali in a special appearance (In the song "Vaale Vaale")
• Rajendran as Sagarayam

Directed by : Hari
Produced by : S. Lakshman Kumar
Written by : Hari
Music by : Devi Sri Prasad
Cinematography : Priyan
Editing by : V. T. Vijayan
Studio : Prince Pictures
Distributed by : Prince Pictures

The much-awaited Hari-Suriya combo is back in this landmark 25th film of Suriya. The story was initially narrated to Vijay for his 50th film by Hari but for some reasons Vijay could not do it and Suriya lapped it up.

Throughout the career graph of Suriya, the actor has diligently worked towards balancing the niche and the mass and this time around he has proven once again that he can deliver a commercial masala flick with as finesse as he can deliver a performance-oriented film. It is Suriya all over; the guy stumps with some gravity defying stunts, mouths a few intense sentimental dialogues, floors his lady partner passionately and challenges the baddies and cleanses the society from obnoxious elements.

Durai Singam is the SI of Nallur police station who is into the police force mainly to satisfy his father. His ambition is to expand his provision stores business to a super market. All the same, he is sincere in his work and is the darling of his town as he settles many disputes in his town amicably. Mayilvaganan (Prakash Raj), the fraudster from Chennai, involved in criminal activities, gets trapped into a police case which requires him to sign in Nallur police station for a period of 15 days. There is a proxy who comes to do this job in the police station which triggers an encounter between Prakash Raj and Suriya that leads into a series of events between the two which form the rest of Singam.

Meanwhile, an offshoot of this plot is the love angle between Anushka and Suriya, the former comes to the village to her grand parents place for vacation and bumps in to the latter. Thankfully, it is not love at the second meeting but something that happens gradually with believable events.

Vivek as Erimalai takes charge of comedy in Singam as Suriya’s subordinate and acquits himself well. The comedy scenes do bring the intended effect and the lorry scene which results in Vivek’s suspension tops the list. There are many such enjoyable instances which are sure to get into the comedy channels soon.

Anushka looks good and acts too. When she is on the phone with Suriya and gets caught by her father Nasser, the instant play of expression to get out of the situation is noteworthy. The lady does have a good future. She rides on twin horses with glamorous costumes in the song sequences and a homely demeanor in the rest of the film. Radha Ravi and Sumithra as the parents of Suriya do a convincing job. The other supporting cast members are satisfactory.

Music by Devi Sri Prasad is nothing to rave about except the En Idhayam number. However, the morphing technique adopted to cover a few frames in this number is unwarranted. Background score is also ordinary. True to the name Singam, the film is dominated by action sequences but there is no blood and gore. Cinematographer Priyan has done a decent job.

Director Hari has stuck to his genre and has delivered a crisp film. Although the events and the premise are not something new in Singam and the formula of one scene each of ‘action-romance-sentiments-comedy', is strictly adhered to, he should be credited for rendering an engaging and entertaining product. He succeeds in holding the interest of the audience to a larger extent and satisfies the viewers.

However, in the second half, the interactions between the villain and hero get a bit drab and seem to drag on. There is not much of an intelligence displayed by the villain to counter the hero except in the climax. On the whole, Hari has concocted and packaged his masala contents in the right proportion and has served a tasty dish.

Verdict: Engaging masala

Kanna Laddu Thinna Aasaiya (2013) - Tamil Movie Review

Cast :

• Santhanam as Kaalkattu Kaliyaperumal/ K.K
• Srinivasan as Power Kumar/ P.K
• Sethu as Shiva
• Vishaka as Sowmiya
• VTV Ganesh as Krishnamoorthi
• Kovai Sarala as Sowmiya's Aunt
• Vithusan as Koundan
• K. Sivasankar as Sowmiya's Dad
• Pattimandram Raja as Shiva's father
• Vanitha Krishna Chandran as Shiva's mother
• Devadarshini
• Ganeshkar
• Lollu Sabha Swaminathan
• Lollu Sabha Manohar
• Robert in a cameo appearance
• Silambarasan Rajendar as himself (Special appearance)
• Gautham Menon (Special appearance)
• M. Rajesh Director as Voice over

Directed by : K. S. Manikandan
Produced by : Santhanam, Rama Narayanan
Written by : Santhanam, K. S. Manikandan
Singers : Suchitra, Ranjith, Rahul Nambiar, Naveen Madhav, M. L. R. Karthikeyan, Senthil, Sam P.Keerthan, Muralidhar, Gaana Bala, Mukesh
Lyricist : Viveka, Gaana Bala, Vaali
Music by : S. Thaman
Cinematography : Balasubramaniem
Editing by : G. Ramarao
Studio : Hand Made Films, Sri Thenandal Films
Distributed by : Red Giant Movies

Based on the 1981 hit-film “Indru Poi Naalai Va” this “Kanna Laddu Thinna Aasaiya” is a comedy riot throughout. Santhanam who also happens to be the producer of this film is normally known to be a crowd-puller with his comedy and in this film with Power Star Dr. Srinivasan as his company there is no dearth of comedy. Sethu forms the third member in the gang.

The introduction sequences of each of the three lead characters carry enough excitement, the most being that of Power Star’s. After their characters are explained (with the narrator cursing his own fate for having to introduce these characters) the movie rolls on to the main storyline.

Shiva’s (Sethu) house is the base for all three to meet. One fine day, Sowmya (Vishaka) comes as a tenant to the opposite house. Its love at first sight for Shiva and the same feeling is also with his other two friends. K K (Santhanam) and Power (Power Star) along with Shiva decide to fight it out for who would win the girl’s heart.

Each one of them follow their own way, the original had it as one would do household work, the second would learn Hindi while the third will come to learn Kusthi. In this version, Shiva does the household work, K K comes to learn singing while Power Star comes to learn dance. What happens from now on and who does what to win over Sowmya’s heart is told in a funny way in the film which has a running time of 140 minutes. For those who have seen the 1981 film, there is nothing that has changed in this version except a few cosmetic ones.

Music by Thaman is commendable and so is the Cinematography (Balasubramaniem). With Red Giant Movies acquiring its distribution rights, this film is sure to be a winner at the box-office for the only reason that after a long time one can enjoy a laugh riot in Tamil cinema.

In terms of acting, each actor has been exemplary in their roles but at the same time have made sure that they do not carry the resemblance of their characters from the original. Vishaka having got a heroine role has been pretty impressive in acting as well as in glamour. VTV Ganesh, Devadarshini, Pattimandram Raja play supporting roles while STR and Gautham Vasudev Menon play guest roles.

Director K S Manikandan has treated the subject with respect and hence has come out successful with flying colors.

“Kanna Laddu Thinna Aasaiya” is an impressive adaptation of “Indru Poi Naalai Va” and at the same time enjoyable to the core.

Alex Pandian (2013) - Tamil Movie Review

Cast :

• Karthi as Alex Pandian
• Anushka Shetty as Divya
• Santhanam as Kaalayan
• Milind Soman as Alvin Martin
• Suman as Dr. GKM
• Prathap Pothen as Radhakrishnan
• Visu as Chief Minister
• Mahadevan as Swamiji
• Nikita Thukral as Gayathri
• Sanusha as Sneha
• Akanksha Puri
• Manobala as Captain Divakaran
• Renuka as Rani
• Rajkapoor
• Santhana Bharathi
• Saravanan as Parthiban
• Vaiyapuri as Nandu
• Lollu Sabha Manohar

Directed by : Suraj
Produced by : K. E. Gnanavelraja
Written by : Suraj
Singers : Mukesh, Priyadarshini, Karthik, Devi Sri Prasad, Anitha, Baba Sehgal, Priya Himesh, Javed Ali, Ranina Reddy
Lyricist : Vaali, Viveka, Karunakaran, P. Vijay
Music by : Devi Sri Prasad
Cinematography : Saravanan
Editing by : Praveen K. L., N. B. Srikanth
Studio : Studio Green
Distributed by : Studio Green

With "Alex Pandian", Karthi has proved that he has been swept away by the tide of commercial cinema and it is very unlikely that he would be washed ashore anytime soon. The film, which was promised to be a better follow up to "Saguni", only qualifies to be called a disappointing commercial pot-boiler.

Alex Pandian (Karthi) earns a livelihood by doing odd jobs for money. Having spent most of his life in prison, he is freed on bail by an NRI businessman (Milind Soman) and his partner (Suman) to help them in the abduction of the Chief Minister's daughter, Divya (Anushka).

Milind and his partner plan to use Divya as bait to make her father sign a deal, which will allow them to distribute thousands of crores-worth medicines, considered fatal for consumption in Tamil Nadu. They leave Divya in the custody of Alex, who later comes to learn about the motive behind the kidnapping and decides to help.

Alex hands over Divya to the personal assistant of the Chief Minister without knowing that he led the kidnapping plot at the first place. Alex is double-crossed and held captive along with Divya, forcing the Chief Minister to sanction the deal. Will he sign the deal and what happens to Alex and Divya?

"Alex Pandian" remains commercial throughout the first half, with good amount of action and comedy. But alas, it turns irksome post interval. While one may wonder what would have happened to this film without Santhanam, who keeps the movie alive with his wit and one-liners, what is even more surprising is that the film struggles to evoke interest despite the presence of actors such as Milind Soman and Suman.

In an effort to make the film a crowd-puller, director Suraaj randomly throws in five songs, plenty of action sequences and good amount of comedy, without any purpose or passion. His definition of entertainment is to make three heroines look cheap and drool over the protagonist. The first half progresses at good pace, but the second meanders at snail's pace and makes one very impatient.

Karthi and Anushka make a good pair, but the romance between them looks artificial and it definitely lacks the oomph factor on screen. Karthi shines in his part, but Anushka hardly delivered anything worth discussing. Santhanam helps the film to live through certain cliched and boring moments and so does Mano Bala in the second half.

This is probably the first time that a composer like Devi Sri Prasad has created an album, in which not even a single number is worth listening to. Typically, at least one track from most of his films lingers in the minds of the audiences as they leave the cinemas, but it doesn't happen here. The background score helps in elevating certain moments of the film, but overall, it lacks energy.

"Alex Pandian" may be presented as a high energetic commercial entertainer, but it gives no reasons to cheer.

Mayakkam Enna (2011) - Tamil Movie Review

Cast :

• Dhanush as Karthik Swaminathan
• Richa Gangopadhyay as Yamini
• Sunder Ramu as Sunder Ramesh
• Mathivanan Rajendran as Shankar
• Pooja Balu as Padmini
• Soni Barring as Ramya
• Shilpi Kiran as Vindhya
• Rajiv Choudhry as Ramesh
• Raviprakash as Madhesh Krishnasamy

Directed by : Selvaraghavan
Story by : Selvaraghavan
Singers : Selvaraghavan, Dhanush, G. V. Prakash Kumar, Harish Raghavendra, Naresh Iyer, Saindhavi
Lyricist : Selvaraghavan, Dhanush
Music by : G. V. Prakash Kumar
Cinematography : Ramji
Editing by : Kola Bhaskar
Studio : Aum Productions
Distributed by : Gemini Film Circuit

"Mayakkam Enna", one of the most awaited films of the year, brings together the celebrity brothers - Selvaraghavan and Dhanush - after a long time. The duo brings a touching story of a young man's dream on screen.

The movie has all ingredients to attract youngsters - friendship, romance, betrayal, heartbreaks and passion to achieve. Selvah has stepped out of his comfort zone to touch upon new elements in life. With an astute performer like Dhanush by his side, Selva has hit the bull's eye.

Karthik (Dhanush) is a freelance photographer who lives life on his own terms and conditions. He is called genius among his group. He works hard and wants to leave a mark as a photographer. He has a special eye for capturing the elements of life and in its best possible moments. Though he does portfolio and weddings assignments, his passion is wildlife photography.

Karthik spends his time with his close friend Sundar (Sundar) and their gang and they have a typical lifestyle that today's youngsters enjoy. One fine day, Sundar comes with Yamini (Richa), his girlfriend.

Unfortuantely, in their first meeting Karthik and Yamini have a bitter experience but they slowly develop some special bond. Though Karthik tries to stay away from the girl since he doesn't want to break his friend's heart, but sequence of events brings them closer.

After some drama Karthik and Yamini get married but their married life starts on a disastrous note as Karthik is insulted and cheated by a renowned photographer.

The man is shattered. The young couple is in turmoil. Yamini tries her best to bring back Karthik's charm and enthusiasm, but he has gone to a stage which is termed as madness by others.

The rest of the movie deals with what happens to the couple's life and Karthik's dream.

Selvaraghavan has presented the story in a sensitive manner and has avoided cliches. The story develops at a natural pace without compromising much on the entertaining aspect.

Selva has the guts to show a girl falling in love with her boyfriend's friend. The romance between the lead pair comes as a surprise. but the developments after that are predictable though executed well.

The way Richa's character shapes up in the second half is appreciable.

Though the movie tends to become slower in the second half, emotion packed climax compensates it. Though the climax is predictable, the way it has been executed could bring tears in eyes of the viewers.

It's Dhanush special. The actor, who surprised one and all winning national award for his performance as a rustic youth in "Aadukalam", plays a contrasting role. As a freelance photographer, who is city-bred, he gives his best. His expressions and body language are the hallmark of the movie.

Newcomer Richa fits the role well. She brings out right emotions. She has proved her worth as a powerful performer.

Cinematographer Ramji and music composer G.V.Prakash should be complimented - they have done what they did in "Ayirathil Oruvan" - complimenting the theme with their work. GVP's back ground score is marvellous.

Selvaraghavan has succeeded in presenting a sensitive and engaging movie. Though the developments towards the climax look dramatic the impact of the climax compensates for it.

Deiva Thirumagal (2011) - Tamil Movie Review

Cast :

• Vikram as Krishna
• Baby Sara as Nila
• Anushka as Anuradha Ragunathan
• Amala Paul as Swetha Rajendran
• Nassar as Bashyam
• Santhanam as Vinod
• M. S. Bhaskar as Murthy
• Sachin Khedekar as Rajendran
• Y. Gee. Mahendra as Ragunathan
• Krishna Kumar as Victor
• M. R. Kishore as Nandhakumar
• Priya as Priya
• Surekha as Rajee
• Pandi as Muruga
• Karthik Kumar as Karthik (Guest appearance)

Directed by : A. L. Vijay
Produced by : Mohan Natarajan
Written by : A. L. Vijay
Singers : Vikram, Saindhavi, G. V. Prakash Kumar, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Haricharan, Maya, Rajesh, Kalyan, Navin Iyer
Lyricist : Na. Muthukumar
Music by : G. V. Prakash Kumar
Cinematography : Nirav Shah
Editing by : Anthony
Studio : Sri Rajakaliamman Medias

Call 'Deiva Thirumagal' an honest attempt once again by director A L Vijay. And, perhaps the need of the hour too. It's far from the madding crowd of commercial masala films.

With no double meaning dialogues or flashy song sequences shot abroad or 'high-voltage' stunt scenes, the film is an emotional journey between a father and daughter and their love towards each other.

The USP of the movie is immaculate performance by Chiyaan Vikram. He plays a dotting father to a five-year-old daughter. But he is not the usual dad - he is an adult with the mental maturity of a five-year-old. The actor in Vikram seems to have taken it in his stride to deliver a power-packed performance.

Matching him by scene-to-scene is young Sara who plays his daughter. The sequences involving Vikram and Sara are the major highlight of 'Deiva Thirumagal'.

Anushka as an advocate and Amala Paul besides a huge star cast that includes Nasser, Santhanam and M S Bhaskar among others have given their best on screen.

Krishna (Vikram), who has the mental maturity of a five-year-old, works in a chocolate factory in Ooty. His wife delivers a baby girl and dies. The girl, Nila (Sara) is brought up in his own way by Krishna.

He showers all his love and care on her. But fate takes a quick turn. Nila's grandfather Rajendran (Sachin Khedkar), a powerful and influential man in society, enters the scene. Fearing that his grand daughter is not safe under a mentally-challenged dad, he takes away the girl from Krishna.

His other daughter Shwetha (Amala Paul) takes care of the child. Krishna runs from pillar to post to get back his daughter. He gets acquainted with advocate Anuradha (Anushka) and Vinod (Santhanam), her junior.

They listen to Krishna's past and promise that they would do their best to get back the custody of Nila. Bashyam (Nasser), a leading advocate, appears for Rajendran. The rest is legal battle and arguments in court and who wins at last.

It is one of the best performances by Chiyaan Vikram. Right from the first scene when he is thrown on street till the last court sequence, he is there playing his part well. Anyone who watches the movie will love Krishna. Such is Vikram's performance as he brings out the innocence of the character well. As a father, friend and guide, he is scintillating.

Sarah is rare find. She is cool in her emotions and performs with ease. It's a different Anushka in 'Deiva Thirumagal'. No glamour but leaves a mark with her decent portrayal.

Amala Paul impresses in few scenes. There is Nasser, playing his part as advocate and Santhanam is good not just in humour but also in emotional scenes.

Nirav Shah's extraordinary visuals and G V Prakash Kumar's music are life and blood to the tale. Na Muthukumar's lyrics add pep to the songs. Vijay has handled things in a mature manner. He is sure to leave an impression.

With engrossing performance by Vikram, backed by strong technical team, the movie is sure to impress you, despite the fact it is predictable in parts.

Vellore Maavattam (2011) - Tamil Movie Review

Cast :

• Nandha as Muthukumar IPS
• Poorna as Vidhya
• Azhagam Perumal as Gurumurthy
• Santhanam as Kumaravelu
• Jayaprakash
• G. M. Kumar
• Singamuthu
• Mayilsamy
• Sathyan Sivakumar
• Vaiyapuri
• Alex

Directed by : R. N. R. Manohar
Produced by : Kalpathi S. Aghoram, Kalpathi S. Ganesh, Kalpathi S. Suresh
Screenplay by : R. N. R. Manohar
Story by : R. N. R. Manohar
Singers : Senthuil Das, Manikka Vinayagam, Navven Madhav, Maanasa, Malgudi Subha, Hariharan, Shruthi, Krish, Mahathi, Shaan, Anitha, Martyn
Lyricist : Na. Muthukumar, Kavivarman, Thamarai, Ezhil Arasu, Viveka
Music by : Sundar C Babu
Cinematography : Vetri
Editing by : Suraj Kavee
Studio : AGS Entertainment
Distributed by : AGS Entertainment

The politician-cop-criminal nexus takes yet another form in Vellore Maavattam. An honest, gutsy cop's effort to break the nexus and cleanse the city of the criminal elements, forms the core of the plot. It's a familiar scenario, with no effort at novelty by way of script or narration.

Director Manohar( of Masilamani) has tried to spring a few surprises in the story. But it's nothing that we haven't come across before. And it all gives a sense of déja vu.

Nandha has put in a good effort and it's evident throughout the film. He plays the role of an angry young cop. His grim no nonsense demeanour, and his whole body language and expressions, go well with the character of Muthukumar, an IPS officer. The cop,after his training, has been given his first posting at Vellore. Within a short time, he gains the confidence of the public, addressing their various grievances and meting out justice to the wrong-doers.

The kingpin of criminal elements is Gurumurthy (Perumal), a front for minister Nachiappan (debutant Neelakantan), who has a hand in every criminal activity around the place.

Ticked off by his superiors, and humiliated by the duo, a frustrated Muthukumar, at one point, even hands over his resignation. How Muthukumar bounces back after a near fatal assault and achieves his goal, forms the rest of the story. There is this scene where after suffering public humiliation at Gurumurthy's hands, an inebriated Muthukumar pours out his woes to wife Priya (Poorna). Nandha has honed his acting skills over the years, and the confident way in which he has handled this scene is evidence of that.

Poorna is totally deglamourised here. After the initial scenes of romance with the hero, she has less to do as his wife. Santhanam's comedy is totally out of place and jarring. One can pick out a few interesting moments in the film - like the one where after a shoot out at the court, Muthukumar warns Gurumurthy to be wary of his mentor and Gurumurthy nearly escaping a death trap. The cop handpicking his own team, and the betrayals he faces from some of them, are predictable 'surprises'. For the audience, Vellore Maavattam offers nothing that they haven't seen before!

Sadhurangam (2011) - Tamil Movie Review

Cast :

• Srikanth as Thirupathisamy
• Sonia Agarwal as Sandhya
• Ganesh Yadav
• Mahadevan
• Ilavarasu
• Bose Venkat
• Manobala
• Saranya Ponvannan
• Manivannan
• Sriman
• Vinodhini

Directed by : Karu Pazhaniappan
Produced by : S. S. Durairaj
Written by : Karu Pazhaniappan
Music by : Vidyasagar
Cinematography : R. Divakaran
Editing by : Suresh Urs

The long wait is over. Director Karu Pazhaniappan’s Sadhurangam has finally hit the halls after five years of waiting. Thankfully the movie looks latest though it has come late!.

Karu Pazhaniappan was working as a journalist before entering into the cine field. He has used his experience and in-depth knowledge in journalistic field in making this movie. The director, who is known for making films with a different idea hasn’t disappointed us. He has chosen to tell us the life of a bold journalist. He has done this with an engaging script.

The basic premise of the story may not be new (the eternal fight between the good and evil). But Karu has chosen a different backdrop and worked meticulously to present it with a different flavor.

The storyline goes like this: Thirupathisamy (Srikanth) is an investigative journalist in a Tamil weekly. His investigative reports and articles expose the corrupt politicians and the nexus between politicians and the business people. He also exposes the horrible status of the jails. His works create awareness and political problem. The persons affected by him woes to take revenge.

Meanwhile he falls for Indhu (Sonia Agarwal), a college student, who also likes him so much. They decide to get married but someone plays havoc in Thiru’s life. Indhu is mysteriously abducted before they get engaged.

Clueless Thiru gets raged and desperate to find his lover. He gets some lead through a phone call. His brain work and the power of fist manage to save the girl.

Karu Pazhaniappan talks about the challenges faced by a journalist, who wants to tell the truth without bothering about the consequences. The nuances of journalism are depicted in a realistic manner. The pleasant love story – a stamp of Karu – has also been told without diluting the storyline.

Pithamagan Mahadevan’s character is a surprise, as the person chooses to help the hero despite being affected by him. Karu has shown that a person with questionable reputation in his business need not be a bad person in all aspects. Karu shows Indhu’s unhappiness over the ‘unromantic’ nature Thiru. This reflects the impact of the one’s obsession towards his profession. Anyone who takes his profession with a missionary zeal is likely to lose some charm in his or her personal life. Karu has beautifully shown this in the depiction of the love affair between Thiru and Indhu. These two segments show his maturity as a creator.

Pazhaniappan’s dialogues are sharp. He takes on everything including the media.

However, the kidnap drama could have been handled better. The clichéd climax is a big letdown.

Srikanth’s powerful performance is the major strength of the movie. Sonia Agarwal has handled the romantic girl with some maturity well. Pithamagan Mahadevan, Ganesh Yadav, Bose Venkat, Manivanan, Sriman, Saranya Ponvannan have added value to the movie. Ilavarasu’s character provides some fun.

Vidyasagar’s songs have flair and the song Vizhiyum Vizhiyum sounds good. But the placement of the song mars the impact.

Overall, Karu Pzhaniappan’s Sadhurangam has come out as a neat movie depicting the life of a young and bold journalist. The movie would have been an excellent one had Karu paid more attention on the pace in the second half, the kidnap drama and the climax.

Watch it for Karu’s presentation.

Raa Raa (2011) - Tamil Movie Review

Cast :

• Udhaya as Bharathi
• Shweta Basu Prasad as Gayathri
• Ponvannan as Shivashankaran
• Adithya as Dhana
• Sathyan Sivakumar
• Meera Krishnan
• Susan George

Directed by : Sandilya
Produced by : Keerthika Udhaya
Screenplay by : Sandilya
Story by : Sandilya
Music by : Srikanth Deva
Cinematography : R. Saravanan
Editing by : S. Surajkavee
Studio : Jaeshan Studios

It might not be in the league of Madras to Pondicherry but despite its strange little title, Royapuram to Royapettai as a movie doesn’t fail you in many counts. For one, the title is delightfully suggestive of the movie’s story. And then the actors play their parts almost flawlessly without further ado. Add to that an unpretentious story and a near cliché less narrative; you get nothing less of a wining combination. Here’s one more small-timer movie that does not solely depend on the star power but only on the strength of its story and the vigor of its actors’ performance.

Royapuram to Royapettai is a simplistic love story about two people with background that is so disparate, it’s seemingly impossible for them to unite in marriage. But if they give up, where is the story for us? So they do, not before trying their best leaving no stone unturned to convince the hard-nosed, orthodox father, often conning him into believing lies about the background. Although the story reeks of good old masala movies, the director has consciously stayed away from being typecast.

Udaya is from an orthodox family, whose father Ponvannan lives by Thirukkural and the conventional principles dictated by his Brahmin clan. When Udaya falls for Shreya Basu who hails from a fishermen village, no less, all hell breaks loose. However, the couple decides to play it cool and win over the orthodox father’s heart. Do they do it is what Royapuram to Royapettai is all about.

As you can see, the script has immense potential for comedy and it’s being fully exploited. For instance, the scenes where Ponvannan is invited to the girl’s house and everybody pretends to belong to a Brahmin household. Their crude Tamil peeps in between their put up Brahmin accent and you end up smiling without a choice when the actors put up an earnest performance. And the comedy seems quite natural and not contrived. In the same breadth, when Shreya Basu’s family tries and learns Thirukkural to appease the likes of Ponvannan, it’s side-splitting.

Although Udaya as the unfortunate youngster who falls for a girl whose family is totally unlike his, delivers his role as is required, it’s Ponvannann who takes the cake for donning the role of a tough, orthodox dad with a dark past. The Thirukkural fanatic who also dictates terms at his house is also a mellow man at heart. He after all wants the best for his children. None of these emotions can be brought out this effectively by anyone other than Ponvannan. Shreya Basu is a cutey pie but she will need lessons in dialogue delivery if she wants to stick around for longer.

First half of the movie revolves in comic indulgence. Scenes of Udaya’s falling in love with Shreya, the meet up of the families and so on and so forth keep the pace of the movie. Director Santilya has efficiently laced comedy and drama and it works to an extent. Srikanth Deva has turned to melody here and the song featuring Thirukkural is a winner.

Royapuram to Royapettai is a family entertainer to put it in plain words. It has everything going for it – excuse the slackening pace during the second half and the negligible clichés – for a neat commercial entertainer, and it might not be a bad idea to spend an afternoon over the movie.

Verdict: Family comic drama!

Mankatha (2011) - Tamil Movie Review

Cast :

• Ajith Kumar as Vinayak Mahadevan
• Arjun as Prithviraj
• Trisha Krishnan as Sanjana Arumugam
• Vaibhav as Sumanth
• Mahat Raghavendra as Mahat
• Premji Amaren as Prem
• Ashwin Kakumanu as Ganesh
• Jayaprakash as Arumuga Chettiyar
• Lakshmi Rai as Sona
• Aravind Akash as Faizal
• Subbu Panchu as Kamal Ekambaram/Praveen Kumar
• Anjali as Suchitra Sumanth
• Andrea Jeremiah as Sabitha Prithviraj
• Vijay Vasanth in a cameo appearance
• Kainaat Arora in a special appearance
• Debi Dutta in a special appearance

Directed by : Venkat Prabhu
Produced by : Dhayanidhi Alagiri, Vivek Rathnavel
Screenplay by : Venkat Prabhu
Story by : Venkat Prabhu
Singers : Yuvan Shankar Raja, Ranjith, Sucharita, Anita, Premgi Amaren, S. P. B. Charan, Bhavatharini, Krish, Mano, Haricharan, Tippu, Naveen, Madhushree, Karthik, Vijay Yesudas, Anusha Durai Dayanidhi
Lyricist : Vaali, Gangai Amaran, Niranjan Bharathi
Music by : Yuvan Shankar Raja
Cinematography : Sakthi Saravanan
Editing by : Praveen K. L., N. B. Srikanth
Studio : Cloud Nine Movies
Distributed by : Sun Pictures, Radaan Mediaworks, Ayngaran International (United Kingdom), FiveStar (Malaysia)

Mankatha after having played ‘uLLe veLiye’ for quite a while, strikes finally, AND in style! For his golden jubilee flick, Ajith, the ‘golden hearted’ lad of Tamil cinema teams up with the uber cool Venkat Prabhu and his gang of boys and the effect is exciting to say the least.

When you have the handsome Vinayak Mahadev (Ajith) team himself with a few boys on his ‘Money’ mission and when there is cop Prithviraj (Arjun) who is hot on their trail, what you get is a heady cocktail of events that suck you into the premise of Mankatha albeit a bit late.

For Venkat Prabhu, it is a huge responsibility to fuse in his irreverent style of film making with the sensibilities of Ajith’s image and the director has not compromised one bit here and kudos to him for this.

Mankatha unfolds languorously and takes its own sweet time to establish the premise when the major portion of the first half keep flitting in between many tracks with three romances. When you start wondering whether the movie is going anywhere at all, it shifts to third gear to be only brought down by a song or two. And when the director finally decides to cast everything else away and focus on the central plot, the story takes an interesting detour and mutates into a Grand Prix race all the way from the second half with Venkat Prabhu reserving all his aces for the climax.

There is always no dearth of humor in Venkat Prabhu’s films but in Mankatha it is a bit muted when compared to his other works. Mostly the comic lines are at the expense of Premji and the best example is his analogy with Youtube sensation Sam Anderson. Dialogues like - “Light pottutu daan otta koodadhu, lightaa pottutu ottalam” bring cheers. And the typical Venkat Prabhu’s conceptualization of humor in a serious situation still finds place but they are few.

The cat and the mouse game is exciting and the best part is you are never able to realize how many cats and mice are involved in the game. Even better is the fact that you cannot be quite sure of who is playing the double cross on whom and it is not until the final frame that you can put all the pieces together. Hats off to Venkat Prabhu for keeping the audience guessing all the way and scripting an absolute cracker of a climax! The chess board sequence just before the interval block is unique and intelligent.

The portions that looked unnecessary additions in the first half are all neatly explained in the context of things at the end, leaving no loose ends.

With an ensemble cast, there is every likelihood that at least a few would be relegated to the sidelines but all of them are there deservedly.

When we talk about performances, Ajith is unarguably the pièce de résistance of Mankatha and it is his uninhibited performance that captivates the audience. For him, it is a superb knock on the field well laid out by Venkat Prabhu. He simply sizzles in his action shots and his cute expressions in dance sequences are a revelation. The consistency in Ajith’s characterization is a major plus for the film. Next to Ajith, it is action king Arjun who has held on to his fort. Premji, Jaiprakash, Vaibhav, Mahat and Ashwin round out the supporting cast who blend in with ease with the story. As it is a men’s film, women have nothing to do in Mankatha.

On the downside, the number of gun battles and their lengths may tire you a bit and the vital heist which should have been extremely powerful lacks the fizz. Songs are not a value addition to the film at all and are mostly road blocks sans ‘Machi open the bottle’.

Success of a cinematographer and editor lies in their unobtrusive work in sync with the subject, and cinematographer Sakthi Saravanan and editors Praveen & Srikanth score in this department.

“Unakku ide maadiri 500 pondaati kedappa daa.” - with this dialogue, Ajith completes his mission of breaking all the syntax of a Tamil hero and has gone on to prove that an actor should strictly treat the script as the hero. Take a bow Ajith! It is a memorable 50th film indeed.

Verdict : Ajith's 'Golden' gamble with Venkat that has paid off !

Yuvan Yuvathi (2011) - Tamil Movie Review

Cast:

• Bharath as Kathirvel Murugan (Kathir)
• Rima Kallingal as Nisha
• Santhanam as Sakkarai
• Sampath Raj as Kathir's father
• Mayilsamy as Auto Owner
• T. P. Gajendran as HighCourt Judge
• Anuja Iyer as HighCourt Judge's daughter
• Sakthi Vasu as Saravanan

Directed by : G. N. R. Kumaravelan
Produced by : Baija
Singers : Vijay Antony, Vijay Prakash, Madhumitha, Haricharan, Snehga Lock up(Malaysia), Karthik, Ramya, Krishnan Mahesan, Sangeetha Rajeshwaran
Lyricist : Annamalai, Kalai Kumar, Priyan
Music by : Vijay Antony
Cinematography : Jagadeswaran
Editing by : G. K. Prabhkar
Studio : Ram Pictures
Distributed by : Reliance Entertainment


Having tackled a college premise in his debut directorial project Ninaithale Inikkum, G N R Kumaravelan shifts gears to a different plot in Yuvan Yuvathi with Bharath and debutant Rima Kallingal.

With a simple and an unambiguous title, the film is about Yuvan Bharath and Yuvathi Rima with Yuvan’s dad Sampath and friend Santhanam thrown in as embellishments to decorate the proceedings. Director has woven his tale around the young Indian’s American dream for a trouble free life, the conflict between a village based dad and his fashion conscious son, their communication gap and its fall out.

Undoubtedly the film’s hero is cinematographer Gopi who has painted through his lens a picturesque canvas of Seychelles and its lovely beaches. The song picturization definitely deserves a special mention as it captivates the aesthetics with panache. Gopi’s work is a bolstering aspect of YY which helps the director to narrate his story interestingly. The fun moments of YY, expectedly, belong to Santhanam who with his comic timing steals the thunder from the other cast members. Mostly the humor is situational, well woven in the script.

Sampath is as usual very comfortable in the role that is being assigned to him and dishes out the character of Sevaga Pandiyan with consummate ease. Bharath as someone from a rural background aspiring to make it big in America, has portrayed his role convincingly. Rima Kallingal who is making her debut in Tamil has a different kind of look that does not instantly please you but she comes across quite spontaneously in her character. However it is Sathyan who earns brownie points in just a small cameo as a gay. And there is also a surprise couple in YY which if revealed would give away the suspense.

Under Vijay Anthony’s musical baton, YY is like a musical with seven tracks. Oh My Angel and Mayakka Oosi create a mellifluous impact while Kolakuthu is unwarranted and forced.

Despite the positive features, YY fails to make an impact hugely due to the epic gaffe in the climax which is the major let down for the film. The entire story collapses due to a very flippant portrayal of Sampath in climax that is completely the antithesis of his character through out the film. Kumaravelan should definitely have worked on this. The screenplay is doddering with ennui setting in quite often although the necessary buoy is being given by Santhanam and cameraman Gopi.

Yuvan Yuvathi fails to create that lasting impact due to these features that go against it. Narration does slip into dull tones and monotony on and off as Kumaravelan finds it difficult to hold the attention of his audience. In all, a film that could have worked well with its positive features, goes south due to the week screenplay, narration and the badly conceived climax.

Verdict : Could have made a bigger impact with better climax.

Venghai (2011) - Tamil Movie Review

Cast:

• Dhanush
• Tamannaah Bhatia
• Rajkiran
• Prakash Raj
• Ganja Karuppu
• Livingston
• Y. Gee. Mahendra
• Oorvasi
• Charle
• Sudha Chandran
• Srithika

Directed by : Hari
Produced by : B. Bharathireddy
Screenplay by : Hari
Story by : Hari
Written by :
Singers : Benny Dayal, Baba Sehgal, Karthik, Devi Sri Prasad, M. L. R. Karthikeyan, Tippu, Harini, Mukesh, Suchitra
Lyricist : Viveka
Music by : Devi Sri Prasad
Cinematography : Vetri
Editing by : V. T. Vijayan
Studio : Vijaya Productions
Banner :
Distributed by : Vijaya Productions

By now you would know what to expect out of a Hari film: four fights, two duets, honest hero, a vengeful politician and an unreasonably beautiful heroine. You have it all in Vengai. As is customary with his style of movie making, he doesn’t go overboard with any of these by toning down the melodrama and peppering the script with whatever’s necessary to make the movie fast paced. And that works to his favor; although the script has gaping holes as wide as a huge elephant, you tend not to notice it because of the movie’s pace.

If you are only looking for some time pass and do not mind a hybrid of a movie between Singham and Thamirabharani, Vengai is the perfect movie for you. There is Dhanush, getting even with Prakashraj in an effort to outsmart his villainy, the ubiquitous ‘nattamai’ of recent day Tamil movies Rajkiran and Tamannah who is endowed with a passable role and a passable performance.

The story, as mentioned earlier, is nothing phenomenal. Prakashraj is a politician who secures an MLA position after support from the Good Samaritan Rajkiran and his villagers. But, not so surprisingly, Prakashraj misuses his position, earns the wrath of Rajkiran and eventually loses his political career. Now the shamed Prakashraj wants to teach Rajkiran, his son Dhanush and family a lesson. And the rest, as Hari says, is Vengai.

If you begin to nitpick, there will be nothing left of Vengai. The movie can be torn into pieces for its lack of a credible plot, presence of a cinematic and beaten to death plot, and many such details. But the point is, Hari knows his onions and the movie flies like you are on a speeding jet. There are vicious sickles, villagers in dazzling white clothes and blazing fast vehicles of a politician. But none of these come in between Hari’s assiduous story telling technique.

Hari creates Dhanush’s character with all the intelligence his heroes usually have. Dhanush laps the role up greedily and leaves nothing more to be desired. He sports the aforementioned dazzlingly white shirts during fight sequences and makes Prakashraj go mad with the help of just a cell phone. Hero, you see!

Since he didn’t want Tamannah to be typecast as a two-songs-few-love-scenes heroine, Hari seemed to have genuinely tried to assign some depth in her character. That turns out to be just about ok, albeit tolerable. But why the sorrow-laden eyes Tamannah? She looks like a pale of gloom has descended on her, all the time. Prakashraj and Rajkiran are in serious danger of being stereotyped (if it’s not done yet to them). Another thing about stereotyping is that even Prakashraj’s serious dialogues tend to tickle your funny bones. On that note, Ganja Karuppu’s comedy is intolerable as well. Having said that, it’s only fair to mention that there are some razor sharp dialogues that flicker and disappear in the movie.

Devi Sri Prasad’s songs aren’t the greatest things to happen to Venghai although he made it up with rerecording. Few fights, predominantly the climax fight, will be loved by action lovers.

If your idea for a weekend is to just unwind and not care much about the cinematic liberties the director has freely taken, Vengai might just be the film for you. And if you like Dhanush and Tamannah, you get a bonus!

Verdict: A caged leopard, raring to go!

Nootrenbadhu (180) (2011) - Tamil Movie Review

Cast:

• Siddharth as Ajay Kumar/Mano
• Priya Anand as Renuka Narayanan
• Nithya Menon as Vidya
• Mouli as S. V. S. Murthy
• Tanikella Bharani
• Geetha as Jayam
• M. S. Narayana
• Lakshmi Ramakrishnan
• Janaki Sabesh
• Misha Ghoshal
• Sricharan as Sambasivam
• Cees Van Toledo
• Xango Henry
• Manager Cheena

Directed by : Jayendra
Produced by : Kiran Reddy, Swaroop Reddy, C. Srikanth
Screenplay by : Subha, Jayendra
Story by : Jayendra
Written by : Subha, Jayendra
Singers : Tippu, Vidhu Prathap, Ramya S. Kapadia, K. S. Chitra, S. Sowmya, Unni Menon, Sharreth, Ravisankar, Karthik, Shweta Mohan, S Vidhyashankar, Master Aswath, P. Ajith, Master Sharath
Lyricist : Karky
Music by : Sharreth
Cinematography : Balasubramaniem
Editing by : Kishore Te.
Studio : SPI Cinemas, Aghal Films
Distributed by : Ayngaran International

There is something sweet about 180 or Nootrenbadhu, Jayendra's debut film as director.

It has sweet people, sweet songs and a sweet sacrifice, that gives it a youthful flavour. The film has been shot in some exotic locations with all its lead characters wearing designer wear and having expensive lifestyle, mostly in the second half.

Jayendra and his writer Subha seems to be influenced by Mani Ratnam style of gossamer romantic films of the 80's. However the story here is hard to swallow. Despite the director's best efforts though, the film drags along because of a rickety screenplay that leaves you with too many questions unanswered.

It is a languorous look at the agony and ecstasy of love. The film opens with hero doing rituals for a lost soul in Kasi and story is told in intermittent flashbacks. Ajay Kumar aka AJ (Siddharth) is a doctor in US who falls in love and marries Renu (Priya Anand) a happy-go-lucky girl. All seems hunky dory till, till fate intervenes and AJ is forced to leave his sweetheart and settle in Chennai for six months with a new name Manu. He stays with a Brahmin couple (Mouli and Geetha).

Manu's philosophy in life is to live for the day and not to worry about the future. Manu is a do-gooder and messiah of sorts as he starts a mess for his landlady and arranges sponsors for newspaper boys in the neighbourhood! A photo journalist Vidya (Nitya Menen) falls hook-line sinker for Manu after two meetings and soon confesses her love to him. But our hero is in no mood to listen and he decides to leave town. But once again fate intervenes and he is forced to take Vidya with him to US! Now can we expect a twist, as Renu is in the same city?

On the up-side, 180 first half is light and peppy and a major plus point is the pleasant music score of Sharreth. The rhythmic 'Rules Kidayaadhu' and the melodious 'Nee Korinal' are the pick of the album. The picturisation of Rules using a phantom Flex camera captures the magic of each moment in ultra-slow motion.

It has compelling cinematography by Balasubramaniem, especially the outdoor street scenes in San Francisco, rich look thanks to colourist Kevin Shaw and sound designer Tapas Nayak gives it that extra edge.

The entire film is held together by one-man Siddharth. He has given a matured sharp-edged performance bringing out the joys and hidden fears of the character. Nithya Menen glides through her role effortlessly conveying the jovial nature and anguish of a young woman who dared to love the wrong guy. Priya Anand has the more author backed role and wins our sympathies. The guy who plays hero's friend in US along with Mouli fit into their roles.

If the director and his writer had paid a little more attention to the hero AJ's characterisation, it would have worked big time. The film follows the path of love, misunderstandings, heartache and long drawn attempts to define and redefine love.

However 180 is totally different from the assembly line mass masalas that is flooding the screens. The film is worth a look for its superior packaging with a touch of class.

Udhayan (2011) - Tamil Movie Review

Cast :

• Arulnithi
• Praneetha
• Ashish Vidyarthi
• Santhanam

Directed by : Chaplin
Produced by : Prabhakaran
Written by : Chaplin
Music by : Manikanth Kadri
Cinematography : S. D. Vijay Milton
Editing by : Te. Kishore
Studio : Muthamizh Padaippagam

Action satisfaction

Arulnidhi, grandson of former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi garnered all attention making his debut in director Pandiraj's Vamsam. His second - Udhayan has hit the screens today. Directed by Chaplin, it is a city slicker and expectations are high. Lets check out how the movie is.

Story

Udhayan (Arulnidhi) works as an assistant manager in a bank in Chennai. A fun-loving youth, he falls in love with a young girl Priya (Praneetha). He straightaway urges her to marry him. Clear in his thoughts and actions, he is admired by all. Santhanam works in the bank as his colleague. Meanwhile an old man (Ashish vidyarthi) runs from pillar to post searching for Udhayan. Meanwhile Priya's father who works as an auditor with a baddie in the city wants his boss help to separate the lovers. As it happens Udhayan and the gang have scores to settle. Udhayan is knifed. The latter part is all but how Udhayan sets all things right and crucial part played by Ashish Vidyarthy in it.

Performance

Arulnidhi, who played a soft-spoken rustic youth in Vamsam has taken the other way round here. He dons the role of a city-bred youth. He looks trendy and appears in stylised costumes. He has proved his mettle in stunt sequences and shakes his legs too. Praneetha appears as cute bubbly girl and utilise the opportunity well. Santhanam is as usual in a prime form evoking laughter with his one-liners. Ashish Vidyarthy is back in Tamil playing a pivotal role. He emotes well. All the characters b;lend well and give the desired output on screen.

Analysis

Chaplin, who worked as associte to many filmmakers has used all his experience to weave a thrilling storyline and the fact is that he executes it well on screen. He has given an image makeover for Arulnidhi. The film proceeds in a lighter vein and takes an action-packed turn as it progresses. The twists are set at right places and Chaplin's understanding of audience's pulses is evident . The last few minutes are really racy and rivetting.

Technicalities

S D Vijay Milton has been a pillar of strength for the director. His lens captures the events in a racy and rivetting manner. Editing by Kishore is razor sharp. It adds pep to the whole proceedings. The highlight of the movie is however the songs by Manikanth Kadri, Son of saxophone player Kadri Gopalnath. He mesmerises with his catchy tunes. Also the background score livens up the proceedings.

Plus points

- Arulnidhi and Manikanth Kadri's music
- Stunt sequences

Minus points

- Familiar theme
- lacks pace in latter part

Box office predictions

The movie is rich, trendy and stylish. Targetted at youngsters, positive reviews might help the movie make decent opening.

Eththan (2011) - Tamil Movie Review

Cast:

• Vimal as Sathyamoorthy
• Sanusha as Selvi
• Jayaprakash as DK
• Singampuli as Veerasingam
• Pragathi
• Mayilsamy
• Manobala
• M. S. Bhaskar
• Ilavarasu

Directed by : L. K. Suresh
Produced by : Nazir
Written by : L. K. Suresh
Music by : Taj Noor
Cinematography : KPR Ramesh
Editing by : Raja Mohammed
Studio : Sherali Films

The hero’s ruffian image, along with a solid script and neat packaging worked big time for Vimal in Kalavani. Sadly all these basic elements are lacking in his new film Ethan. It is directed by LK Suresh and a remake of his Telugu Kalavar King (2010) which had Nikhil and Swetha Prasad in the lead.

The first half of the film moves at a bullock cart pace while the second half drags at snail pace. The screenplay dips and is monotonous making it a tedious watch. The only silver lining is Vimal who tries to carry the entire film on his shoulders, helped some wisecracks and his mimicry act which is a riot.

Our hero Sathyamurthy (Vimal) is from small town Kumbakonam. Satya is basically a con, as he borrows money from hardened moneylenders by sweet talking them and does business which fails. He is only son of a disciplined school teacher DK (Jayaprakash) who has never borrowed a single pie in his life and a naïve mother (Pragathi). Most of the time Satya is running around the town looking for cover from his angry creditors.

The smooth talking Satya meets up with a girl Selvi (Sanusha), who is trying to escape from her cousin, a thug who wants to marry her by force. Due to his over smartness Satya and Selvi become the hunted from the villain. This leads to the twist as Satya tries to change a new leaf but is caught by the unfolding situations.

Vimal, tries his best to overcome the inherent weaknesses in the script, as he is able to get the audience sympathy. He is the one bright spot in the film. Sanusha has to smile, look perplexed and then cry. Jayaprakash as the father does his routine role effectively while Singampuli’s comedy makes you smile. Taj Noor’s music is let down, not even one hummable number.

On the whole, Ethan does not work. The film is laboured, slow and one gets the feeling it is outdated.

Final Verdict: Disappointing

Mappillai (2011) - Tamil Movie Review

Cast and Crew :

Starring : Dhanush, Manisha Koirala, Hansika Motwani, Vivek, Ashish Vidyarthi, Sathyan Sivakumar, Vaiyapuri, Madhan Bob, Chitti Babu, Pattimandram Raja, Sri Ranjani, Kadhal Thandapandi
Directed by : Suraj
Produced by : Nemichand Jhabak, Hitesh Jhabak
Singers : Vijay Yesudas, Saindhavi, Ranjith, Mukesh, Rahul, Rita
Lyricist : Pa. Vijay, Snehan, Viveka
Music by : Mani Sharma
Cinematography : S. R. Sathish Kumar
Editing by : T. Kishore
Distributed by : Sun Pictures

After a lull in Tamil silver screens owing to World Cup Cricket, the summer season begins with the Suraj-Dhanush combo Mappillai, whose last outing Padikkadhavan impressed quite a few. Expectations surrounding Mapillai are high primarily because it is the remake of Rajnikanth’s yester year hit of the same name and his real life son-in-law plays the role essayed by the superstar himself with consummate ease in the past. Secondly Dhanush, after establishing himself as a versatile actor in Aadukalam, is stepping onto a mainstream commercial venture once again and thirdly the humor quotient associated with Suraj and Dhanush concoction also aids in augmenting the anticipation levels.

Story wise, Mapillai adheres mostly to the original premise but Suraj has added a few and deleted some portions from the old to suit to the current times. An established and a proven template already lies in front of the director and all that is required from him was to retain the original magic and add pizzaz to the proceedings.

Having chosen to remake a hit and that too of a superstar film, Suraj has to bear the burden of comparison. It is only but natural. To sail through this, it is evident that he has relied heavily upon the caliber and capabilities of Dhanush and the talented actor has not let him down. In fact it is Dhanush’s nonchalant performance and screen presence that takes the audience through the happenings. The false compliance when he first meets Manisha, the look on his face when he checkmates her in the climax and the scene where he lectures Hansika in the mall are a few samples.

Vivek as the ardent Namitha fan with coiffured hair attempts at comedy but annoys for the most parts with his accent and logorrhoea. Thankfully, as JP, he makes up for his quirks and provides the necessary laughter that was intended.

Mapillai suffers from weak characterization especially of its lead character Manisha Koirala and this cannot be pardonable as the main premise itself is the confrontation between mother-in-law and son-in-law. There is no zing or fizz in the altercations between the duo which is where the epicenter of the film rests. One cannot but stop remembering the brilliant performance of late Srividhya and her body language.

Manisha as Rajeshwari provides a frail foil to the effervescent Dhanush and this evinces an indifferent reaction from the audience. It is like a lopsided match. To top it all, the lip sync of both Manisha and Hansika does not match making it difficult to relate with the characters. Rohini dubbing for Manisha has done a good job but Manisha mouthing the dialogue should have brought out more power emoting them. Hansika makes her debut and the girl looks plump and cute and excels in midriff exposition. The costume designer has done a good job and Manisha’s sarees and accessories are stylish reflective of her opulence.

Mapillai opens up with the comedy track of Vivek, Sathyan, Balaji and cell Murugan and its lengthiness tires. There are many logical loopholes. While Suraj can take umbrage under the mainstream cinematic lenience for few scenes, for some he cannot. An entire village unable to handle Dhanush because he is the son of a thasildar and Manisha very quickly accepting Dhanush meekly as her son-in-law are a few samples. There is no mention anywhere about Manisha’s husband. Mapillai is sprinkled with such foibles.

Some dialogues from Dhanush's previous film have been used with a twist like ‘onnai parthale pidikkanum, paakka paakka pidikka kudadhu'.

The climax scene though illogical evokes humor especially with the gymboy Gemini Ganesan and the dialogues spoken by Asish Vidyarthi who is wasted in Mapillai.

Music by Mani Sharma is peppered with the aroma from Andhra and 'ready readya' number is passable but the remake 'Ennaoda Rasi' falls below expectations.

Suraj has attempted a remake of super star’s film but has only been half way successful in his task.

Verdict: This Mapillai entertains in parts

Nanjupuram (2011) - Tamil Movie Review

Cast and Crew :

Starring : Raaghav, Monica, Naren, Thambi Ramiah, Priya, Anuya Bhagvath
Directed by : Charles
Produced by : Preetha Raaghav
Written by : Charles
Singers : Raaghav
Lyricist : Magudeswaran
Music by : Raaghav
Cinematography : Antony
Editing by : R. Sankar, V. Baalu
Studio : Ilusionz infinite
Distributed by : Sri Thenandal Films

Movies made on snakes always attracted attention in Tamil cinema. Taking cue from them, debutant director Charles, in the company of popular television actor Raghav, has woven a script that is entertaining and enthralling in parts.

‘Nanjupuram’ is more of Anaconda meeting Rama Narayanan movies. Interestingly, the distribution rights of ‘Nanjupuram’ have been bagged by Sri Thenandal Movies, a company backed by Rama Narayanan himself.

There are some interesting visual treat and pulsating scenes that sustain our interest. Raghav, besides playing the lead role, has also made his presence felt as a music composer too.

Monica plays the female lead. Charles’s intention to render a taut thriller should be appreciated. But at the same time, we should also say that it is the execution that goes haywire.

Magudeswaran’s dialogues are razor sharp at places, especially while taking a dig at caste system which is still active at many places of the State. Also, the makers have not gone too superstitious, for a movie on snake would mean too much of it.

The film is set in a village called Nanjupuram. Ridden deeply in caste system, there is often trouble between the upper caste and lower caste in the village. Also deeply rooted in superstitious belief, the villagers believe that anyone who hurts a snake there will get killed in 45 days.

As it happens, Velu (Raghav), an upper caste youth falls in love with Malar (Monica), a lower caste girl. One day, he attacks a snake and was asked by villagers to stay away for one-and-half month. But his love towards Malar makes him to elope with her. What’s next is the climax.

All actors, including Raghav and Monica have played their parts well. Due credit should go to Raghav. He is cool and casual. He has taken all the responsibilities to deliver hie best. Monica plays a de-glamourised character. She has a meaty role to do. Others in the cast are adequate.

Unfortunately, the script misses some novelty. Had Charles blended more of it and reduced cliches, ‘Nanjupuram’ would have been different.

Sattapadi Kutram (2011) - Tamil Movie Review

Cast and Crew :

Starring : Sathyaraj, Vikranth, Harish Kalyan, Seeman, Muktha (Bhanu), Komal Sharma, A. Venkatesh, Suresh, Livingston, Radha Ravi
Directed by : S. A. Chandrasekhar
Screenplay by : S. A. Chandrasekhar
Written by : S. A. Chandrasekhar
Singers : Vijay Antony, Sasirekha
Lyricist : S. A. Chandrasekhar, Vijay Antony, Vaali
Music by : Vijay Antony
Cinematography : Anjaneyalu

A name to reckon with in movies criticising the legal system, S A Chandrasekar took a break after his son (Vijay) entered the field and concentrated on films with romantic themes (Muthamidalama, Nenjirukkum Varai etc).

After a big break, the director is back to do what he knows the best- a movie coming down heavily on the corrupt system. From greedy politicians to corrupt officials to fake godmen, there is no escape for anyone from SAC, including the audience.

For the movie with its many loopholes tests our patience to a great extent. A script which hardly has any logic and scenes that fail to convince, Sattapadi Kuttram lives up to the title very well.

Chandrabose (Sathyaraj), a police officer-turned-revolutionary leader, runs a parallel government from the forest and ensures that youngsters join his movement with a sole aim to clean the corrupt system.

One fine day, he kidnaps judges, journalists, bureaucrats and police officials and preaches them the need to bring change in the society. They get convinced (but we are not) and follow the instructions of Chandrabose.

The entire country witnesses a sea change. There are no rowdies, corrupt politicians and poor people. All because of one man- Chandrabose. After ensuring that all is well in Tamilnadu, Chandrabose, along with his team, starts his journey to some other place.

Sathyaraj, though fit well to the role, fails to creat any big impact. Vikranth, Bhanu, Harish Raghavendra, Komal Sharma, Livingston, yesteryear chocolate boy Suresh and A Venkatesh are also there.

Vijay Antony’s music is average while Anjaneyalu’s cinematography is okay. If at all there is something that really needs to be commended in this film, it is Prabhakar’s dialogues. Otherwise, watching Sattapadi Kuttram is like listening to a street corner political meeting.

Vertict : Sattapadi Kuttram – Punishment

Muthukku Muthaaga (2011) - Tamil Movie Review

Cast and Crew :

Starring : Natarajan Subramaniam, Vikranth, Harish, Oviya, Monica, Ilavarasu, Saranya Ponvannan, Varshini as Vasanthi, Sujibala, Veerasamar, Singampuli, Gayathri, Janaki
Directed by : Rasu Madhuravan
Produced by : Rasu Madhuravan
Written by : Rasu Madhuravan
Singers : Vijay Jesudas, Chinmayi, Sriram, Mukesh, Janani, Baby Harini, Haricharan, Dr. Lavanya, Krishnaraj, Madhu Balakrishnan, Krishna, Roshini
Lyricist : Nandhalala, Uma Subramaniam, Kavi Periyathambi, Rasumadhuravan, Na. Muthukumar
Music by : Kavi Periyathambi
Cinematography : U. K. Senthilkumar
Studio : Pandiyanadu Theatres

Rasu Madhuravan's next movie after Mayandi Kudumbathar is Muthukku Muthaga which also falls under the same genre like his previous movie. The movie is all about the family's relationship with each other and the children's sacrifice for the sake of their parents. The director has been keen in using the character artist like Saranya Ponvannan and Ilavarasu to make his point clear.

The couple Saranya and Ilavarasu have five children and they are very much devoted them and they too are very much devoted to their parents. Ilavarasu raises his children decently with his little earnings. Each son vary like five fingers of the hand and Saranya and Ilavarasu help them to choose their path actively and passively.

The core of the movie is family sentiment and the movie's plot in not well planned and lacks the knot it should hold. There is been a jump in emotions frequently which does not keep the audience in pace and packed. For instance, the whole family is trying their best to bring their son out of jail and in the next scene one son his shown being with his girlfriend and in another scene there is a incident where there is no connection to the previous scenes. .

The movie also have some voyeur scenes which most of the tamil movies have now. The movie lacks behind in terms of screenplay. Singam Puli has tried to evoke laughter but has failed to do so.

As said before, the director has depended mainly on Saranya and Ilavarasu to hit the nail. The character portrayal has been good and Ilavarasu is the one to be mentioned. Natraj, Harish, Veer Samar, Vikranth are the sons whose acting do not make any impact. Monica overreacts and Oviya annoys.

Verdict : Five fingers down

Ko (2011) - Tamil Movie Review

Cast and Crew :

Starring : Jeeva, Ajmal Ameer, Karthika Nair, Piaa Bajpai, Prakash Raj, Kota Srinivasa Rao, Sona Heiden, Pattimandram Raja, Anthony, Jegan
Directed by : K. V. Anand
Produced by : Kumar, Jayaraman
Written by : K. V. Anand, Subha
Singers : Vijay Prakash, Tippu, Ranina Reddy, Priya Subramaniam, Solar Sai, Aalap Raju, Prashanthini, Sricharan, Emcee Jesz, Krish, Haricharan, Sayanora Philip, Sriram Parthasarathy, Bombay Jayashree, Naresh Iyer, Hariharan, Swetha Mohan, Chinmayi
Lyricist : Pa. Vijay, Madhan Karky, Sricharan, Emcee Jesz, Kapilan, Viveka
Music by : Harris Jayaraj
Cinematography : Richard M. Nathan
Editing by : Anthony
Studio : R. S. Infotainment
Distributed by : Red Giant Movies

Again, here's another story about a bunch of people taking on corruption. Only this time it's a political party comprised of youngsters assisted by a team of a photographer and a journalist. Thol Thirumavalavan's Minsaram told us that students are like electricity and they shouldn't be messed with ("Thota Sethudivenga"). This attempts to tell nothing. It's a purely commercial venture.

K V Anand did nothing in Ayan to provide realism to the film. His treatment with Ko isn't any different. Despite the suspension of disbelief, the film is too big a hairball to swallow. Once again, you have a contrived plot, music numbers and, acrobatic and choreographed fight sequences. Along with all of these, you have stick figures (instead of characters) that serve their respective purposes as plot elements.

Anand has scrimped on writing the characters and hence, the extrinsic acting. Yes, he's written a contrived, implausible plot but what drive the plot are stick figures saying things that you'd least expect them to say and doing things that'd be the last thing you'd expect them to do. In Ayan, the heroine romanced the hero in a song just minutes after the hero lit her brother on fire. Once again, he trivializes the death of a dear one in Ko. He doesn't know where he should or shouldn't insert music numbers (Harris Jayaraj succeeds at playing his part, solo). Don't worry; I'm not giving you more than I should be. The events of a film are as predictable as the results of a random number generator- which is what the film is. I certainly don't mean that as a compliment.

The film is well packaged. It's sold to you. It is wrapped with the prettiest gift wrapping paper. As you unwrap it, the expectations mount. Finally when there's no more to unwrap, what you're left with is a dazzling jewelry box. You open that and you're face to face with a steaming pile of crap. But, the average Tamilian won't dare open it. He's had a hard week at a job that he doesn't particularly enjoy and just the thought of Ko has helped him get by. So, he would rather delude himself about being satisfied with that jewelry box than open it and let his expectations be shattered. I'll tell you this much, Ko is going to be a big success at the box office. It's marketed well and instead of enriching the average Tamilian's life, it exploits his hardship and makes him a victim of crass commercialism.

I'll give K V Anand credit for what he deserves- he's a good music video director and he manages to keep you entertained throughout. I didn't think the film clocked in at anywhere close to three hours. But, he isn't a good filmmaker. Ko staggers throughout, pretending to take risks and after the first misstep; it's nothing but a free fall, all the way. The funny thing is the free fall isn't a smooth ride either. It hits every protruding rock. Just when I thought the film couldn't become more preposterous, it surprised me with the ending, which awakened memories of another film and made me want to throw something at the screen- maybe K V Anand himself.

Nil Gavani Sellathey (2011) - Tamil Movie Review

Cast and Crew:

Starring: Jagan, Anand Chakravarthy, Dhansikha, Lakshmi Nair, Adithyaa Dev
Directed by: Anand Chakravarthy
Produced by: Anand Chakravarthy
Singers: Karthik, Premji Amaren, Brodha V, Kalpana, Sri Madhumitha, Vasundhara Das, Sricharan, Ranjith, Vijaynarain, VV Prasanna, Krishna Iyer, Rashmi Vijayan
Lyricist: J Francis Kriba, Na. Muthukumar
Music by: Selvaganesh
Cinematography: J Lakshman
Editing by: MathanGunaDeva


I walked out of the theatre that had just screened Nil Gavani Sellathey thinking, "Wow, finally." After an entire month of film releases being nothing short of crap, this is just what I needed. Before I saw it, I read online that it was inspired from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I had to check out the trailer, which turned out to be impressive enough for me to invest some expectation in the film. "Hmm, looks good," I thought.

Five friends (two couples and a fifth wheel) are planning a trip. It doesn't start right there though; it spends the first forty minutes letting us peer into their lives. After bickering with each other, they decide on going to a small village called Thellur choosing to leave their cell phones behind. En route, they ask a passerby for directions and that's when they become part of ongoing trouble in the district.

For the first forty-five minutes, director Anand Chakravarthy gives the audience what they want to see and then he breaks into new territory. Characterization is well done; every character in the film has attributes that the others don't have. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre had characterization but didn't have character development. You know who the characters are but you don't know how they've become what they are.

Nil Gavani Sellathey has just as good characterization but in developing the characters, it exceeds the original. It provides explanation for everything adding more depth. It walks the line between horror exploitation and character drama without getting melodramatic. Few events might seem questionable but the characters have been developed well enough to make them possible, if not probable. The film's pace slows down and stalls to build the suspense, which is just why it works. While the acting is adequate, it is the sound design and Selvaganesh's score that play a major part at driving the film. J Lakshman's Cinematography is exotic with stunning visuals, mainly because of the sepia tint. You want to pause each scene and just stare. The film will give you jolts that you haven't felt in a while but due to its technical achievement, it lacks the raw intrinsic nature of the original. I'm not complaining; just wish it had more of a bang.

Every member of the crew demonstrates talent but this is Anand Chakravarthy's show. He succeeds in both the acting and the directing departments. He has a lot of tricks up his sleeve with which he misdirects you, again and again. Tamil Cinema has good directors but hardly any good screenwriters. With this film, Chakravarthy qualifies as both. He isn't interested in simply reporting events and telling you what happened. He wants to tell you how those things happened. Chakravarthy, continue your journey as an independent filmmaker and don't let bags of cash make you succumb into making Kollywood trash.

Nil Gavani Sellathey, inspired from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, is a hell of a remake. It is the most significant film that's come out this year.