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Archive for October 2011

Written by Hariharan Anbazhagan in


Velayutham – Delicious South Indian Masala!




If racy screen play, run of the mill wafer thin storyline, crude comedy, and mindless action scenes laced with some rocking numbers and punch dialogs are your cup of tea, then Velayutham is the best bet that you can ever have for this festive season.

Velayutham alias Velu is a simpleton living in a village, who is in awe of his sister. On the other side, in Chennai, there is a journalist (Genelia) who creates a fictitious character called Velayutham who is touted to be the super hero who fights against all odds to restore peace; this is to invoke awareness among the public and to keep the anti-social elements at bay. The rest of the movie is all about how one situation leads to another to make our village simpleton the super hero Velayutham.

The first half just zipped through and got over in a flash; the antiques showcased by Vijay and Saranya Mohan were enjoyable and was thoroughly lapped up by the family audiences.

The second half, though a bit lengthy, was saved largely because of Vijay’s action sequences laced with some sentiments which worked out big time with his huge fan base.

Vijay was the sole performer and was present in almost all the frames of the movie. He had a terrific screen presence and performed the high octane action scenes with zeal. He completely stole the show and walked away with the trophy as always.

Hansika Motwani as the bubbly village girl, who was touted to woo Vijay from the start till the end did her job with panache and obviously got rewarded at the end. There was ample space to showcase her glamor quotient and she made it fruitful to mark her territory in Kollywood.

Genelia, as the investigative journalist played the perfect second fiddle and was aptly cast. She delivered a seasoned performance and looked gorgeous on screen as the smart and happening contemporary lass.

Saranya Mohan was offered a plum role and this one was by far the best ever performance that she could have ever given. It was not special in any way, but it had a significant effect in taking the movie forward as far as the sentiment factor was concerned.

Santhaanam’s comedy, though crude at times, raises laughter and gelled perfectly well with Vijay’s body language and timing. I felt that he could have been given a much bigger canvas wherein he would have brought the house down big time.

There were around 3 villains including Vincent, who was killed as usual during the course of the movie. The other 2 survive till the end before falling prey to our super hero during the long drawn out climax.

Music by Vijay Antony was targeted at the masses and each and every song received a thunderous applause in the theatre. Another super hit music release from his stable.

On the down side, the movie had far too many clichés associated with Vijay movies like almost all characters were heaping praises for Velayutham, an unbelievable screen play, slow and predictable second half and tacky graphics.

Overall, I feel that ‘Jayam’ Raja has pulled it off this time with a formulaic story which balances the equation and satisfies the fans of Vijay and others alike.

It’s going to be Velayutham which is going to dictate terms at the box office for the next few weeks.

Verdict: A perfect family entertainer with hardly any logic!

Rating: 2.5/5

Written by Hariharan Anbazhagan in , , ,


7 aum Arivu (7th Sense): Our 6th sense goes for a toss!




‘Euphoria’ is the word of least magnitude that I can think of when it comes to the hype that had surrounded this flick. It is so obvious that on a Diwali day everyone wants to have a glimpse of their favourite star performing to their tunes on screen... but was it good enough to get the gallery sizzling?

7 aum Arivu unfolded flamboyantly briefing the life and times of Bodhidharman, who is considered to be the father of martial arts among the east Asian stock of Shaolin Monks. The rest of the movie dealt with the fascination of bringing him back to this modern world, to face the current challenges, with state of the art graphics and mindless action sequences.

A.R. Murugadoss has definitely taken the road less travelled and the plot seems to be fresh and out of the box. The focus and theme of the movie which deals with the unsung elegance of the Tamils is laudable; but I am afraid I cannot go on heaping praises only for this aspect as the movie had some unforgivable blunders during its course:

1. Screenplay – played spoilsport in a script which could have been a sure shot winner.
2. Songs looked pretty ordinary on screen with some run of the mill picturization.
3. Shruti Haasan – Fair skin and her last name is the only similarity that could be associated with her father.
4. Dialogues – though some powerful dialogues brushed the screen every now and then, the overall effort in penning the dialogs seemed to look dumb
5. Action sequences – absolutely mindless – the concept of ‘hypnotism’ was judiciously used such that during the midway one gets the feeling of watching a ‘zombie’ movie.

Coming to the Performances:

For Suriya it’s yet another rocking performance, though not really special in any way. Has managed to carry the role of Bodhidharman with grace and also convincingly performs that of the circus artist. Good show!

Johnny Tri Nguyen, sported a role that demanded extreme physical fitness and a suave personality to showcase his antiques – a sensational debut as a powerful antagonist.

Shruti Haasan – nothing much to talk about her acting skills, but I felt that she managed to get away with the role of a nerdy genetic scientist, which demanded bare minimal effort. But this girl was just not able to emote!

The rest of the cast had very little to offer and did not make any impression.

Harris Jeyaraj seems to have lost his form. ‘Mun Andhi’ is the only number which is hummable. The rest of the songs do not gel with the proceedings.

Cinematography by Ravi.K.Chandran was top class, especially the first 15 minutes was engaging.

Editing by Anthony was crisp in the first half but faltered during the latter. One could feel the pain and predictability in the proceedings as the movie neared the climax. As far as the predictability goes, Murugadoss should also share the responsibility for disengaging the audiences from the movie towards the climax.

No doubt there has been a lot of effort involved in collecting critical facts about the culture and times, but had the same effort gone into packing this movie with a punch with a much better screen play which was believable, laced with some savvy dialogues, it would have definitely elevated the movie watching experience.

Having heaped so many complaints, if I say that the movie is not even worth a watch, it would be harsh on my part, considering the budget and the effort involved, but can’t help it!

Verdict: Below Average

Rating: 2/5

Written by Hariharan Anbazhagan in


Vellore Maavattam (Vellore District) - A sober police story!



Honestly I had no expectations when I was about to watch this movie. After watching, I was rather not disappointed with it.

Cop stories are an old affair as far as Kollywood is concerned. This is yet another sober take on a cop's life. The story is all about ASP Muthukumar played by Nandha who had taken the hard route to the top and serves as an upright police officer in Vellore district. The rest is about how he manages to overcome the challenges posed by his foes.

Both the strength and weakness of the movie is its soberness. Also there is an inherent weakness in the way the scenes were shot. Every scene was as plain as a pikestaff with hardly any twists or turns. At times we feel that the movie moves with a steady pace and at times it lags big time. On the whole, we can feel the bewilderment in the script.

Nandha, who seriously wants to prove that he is an actor of substance with a hit has given his best shot. Though his performance cannot be called flamboyant, it is a neat and power packed one.

Poorna, as his love interest had very little to do on screen, but seemed to suffice the cause.

Azhagam Perumal, as the antagonist had a role which was cut to shape and fitted it to tee.

Santhanam's comedy was sadly below average, which raised hardly any laughter.

Editing had helped the movie to a large extent with a lighting fast first half, but sadly sagged during the latter.

Cinematography was tidy and there is nothing special which can be mentioned with regard to it.

Songs by Sundar C Babu was below average, but he has done a great job with the BGM. The subtle BGM augured well with the subtle narration.

On the whole this one neither fits into the genre of a time pass entertainment nor a serious cop flick, but it certainly does not disappoint.

Verdict: Worth a watch, but not a must watch!

Rating: 2/5

Written by Hariharan Anbazhagan in


Vedi (Bomb) - Absolutely Frivolous



Vishal, after a critically acclaimed performance in Bala's Avan Ivan has decided to re-visit his roots with Vedi (remade from 'Shouryam', a Telugu super hit). Claimed to be a 'mass masala' entertainer, it had all the cliches going for it:


1. A story line with revenge as the epicenter
2. A brainless heroine falling head over heals for the hero for no reason
3. A brassy villain with his bunch of long-haired henchmen
4. 3 duet songs with an item number
5. Some rehashed comedy
6. Action which will drain you off till the end.


If we mix all these in any proportion, we land up with Vedi. Obviously logic goes for a toss from the start till the end. By the time when the movie progresses towards the climax, one can easily get infuriated and nothing much can be done about it as every bit of energy is lost to tide over it.


Vivek's comedy, tried to raise a few laughter in the first half, but reminds me of his 'Dhool' days and is completely overshadowed with the mindless proceedings.


Sayaaji Shinde, who is portrayed as a powerful villain is reduced to a stature of a buffoon. All henchmen who were much heavier and better built than Vishal were beaten by him with a few kicks.


Music by Vijay Antony is a huge let down and BGM is completely cacophonous as a hen yard.


Technicalities for this flick have not reserved a place in this review.


Another mindless action movie from Prabhu Deva's stable.


Verdict: Avoidable - Its going to be 'Vedi' at the box office!

Written by Hariharan Anbazhagan in


Vaagai Sooda Vaa (Come and be crowned) - An ethnic painting on the big screen




'Kalavani' fame Sargunam directed Vaagai Sooda Vaa was a flamboyantly drawn ethnic painting on the big screen. The canvas on which the painting was drawn, that is the period and ethos in which the story takes place made the audience warp in time and transformed the movie watching experience, reaching new heights all together. 

Yes, right from the start of the movie, I was in awe with the narration. This is by far one of the most classy works to have hit the Indian cinema in recent times. 

I take a bow before Sargunam for the sheer audacity and determination to come up with such a movie at this point in time where meaningless commercial rehashes are ruling the roost.

The movie takes place in the year 1966 in a village (an oasis?!) in the vicinity of Pudukottai, where ignorant men, women and children work hard in a brick kiln to make ends meet. The rest of the story is all about how an erudite Vimal brings about a transformation in their lives. The audience were also given a peek into their lives and tribulation.

Every scene has been carefully researched and done. Be it the way in which the brick manufacturing was shown, the luxury of listening to a transistor, the usage of monetary terms like 'annas' and so on adds to the authenticity and strength of the script.

A poetic love between the lead pair of Vimal and Iniya was well etched out using the radio and immortal songs which were played in it.

Characterization and casting was perfect. The children, who were the anchor on which the movie traveled, were cast in a very unique and impressive way with each one having their own identity.

Vimal, as a helpless teacher among the ignorant breed has delivered a fantastic performance where he had to underplay for the most part of his role. He has a natural sense of humor and a great body language, which augurs well for his role.

Iniya, a surprise package. If Paruthiveeran has done any good to Priyamani, this role will do the same for Iniya without an iota of doubt. She has carried the role of a bubbly girl with grace. With multitude emotions, she adds charm to her role.

Bhagyaraj, as Vimal's father appears during the initial and final moments of the movie and adds the necessary spices to make the script delicious.

The other supporting cast including Kumaravel, 'Thambi' Ramaiyya, Ponvannan and others have helped the movie get its raw shape and authenticity and had contributed in their own capacity.

Music by debut music director Gibran was top class with 'Sara Saara Kaathu' and 'Porane' being the picks of the lot. The BGM was classy enough to bring in a feeling of nostalgia.

Om Praksh's cinematography captures the 1960's time line with elan and adds a classy feel to it. The picturization of songs were superb.

Editing could have been better to make the film a bit fast paced during the first half - one department which does not work in favor of the movie.

Will the movie ring in the cash registers? Does it have a mass appeal? Will it be a commercial success? These are debatable and difficult questions which will get answered in the days to come.

It might not be a commercially successful flick like 'Kalavani' but certainly has the potential to rake in some awards to its kitty.

Verdict: A must watch for parallel movie enthusiasts

Score: 3.5/5

Written by Hariharan Anbazhagan in , ,


Muran (Conflict) - Slick and Suave Thriller!




Touted as a road thriller, Muran was promoted aggressively by UTV creating some good pre-release buzz through offline and online media. But, has the film lived up to its reputation? Lets see...

The movie unfolded with a clear focus, right from the introduction of the lead characters, their confluence, how one gets influenced with another's story and then a spicy twist which leads to the climax.

A toast to the debut director Rajan Madhav for taking the road less traveled. He has managed to create a thriller out of a wafer thin story-line with mere screen play and some twists which packs the punch.

Though one could feel a bit weary in the first half, the proceedings started to gain momentum just ahead of intermission and there was no stopping till the climax.

Another intelligent move was to utilize the songs to take the movie forward by interlacing some scenes with them. Though the music was below average, one cannot do away with the songs as it was essential to follow the flow. Otherwise, a very ordinary music debut by the director's sibling, Sajjan Madhav.

The biggest strength of the movie was Prasanna, who was menacing as the suave and stylish brat, who was spoilt till the last bit. He had an electric screen presence and certainly compensated for Cheran's below average performance. Post this, lets at least hope that Prasanna gets spotted by our industry heavy weights and will have a new lease of life in his career.

Haripriya as Cheran's 'best friend' turned lover was refreshing to watch and had a terrific screen presence. She could have been utilized even more.

Nikitha Tukral as Cheran's wife has managed to put up a decent show as an arrogant witch, though she had little scope to perform.

Jayaprakash as a business tycoon was aptly cast.

Technically the movie was groovy. Camera, by Padmesh, which traveled through the highway had captured the grandeur of the golden quadrilateral with panache. Editing by Arun Durairaj, had managed to grip the audiences to their seats and added a slickness to the story telling with elan.

After leaving the theater, one cannot help but question the believability of the script which has its own flaws which was the only weakness that I was able to spot. 

Overall, the movie was a neat thriller on a platter spiced up with some satirical humor and a brilliant performance from Prasanna, which makes the movie worth a watch.

Verdict: Worth a Watch!

Score: 2.5/5