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Archive for December 2013

Written by Hariharan Anbazhagan in , , , , , , , ,


Endrendrum Punnagai (Everlasting Smile) - All Smiles!!



How long has it been since Kollywood churned out a real feel-good film that was devoid of action or sleaze or unwanted punch dialogs? After watching Ahmed directed Endrendrum Punnagai (EP) I can only remember it as an ode to late director Jeeva who was known for directing films like these. We were presented a bouquet with love, emotion and comedy in more or less the right proportions.

Gautham (Jeeva), Shri (Vinay) and Baby (Santhanam) are thick friends since their childhood. A sour experience during Gautham’s childhood with his mother makes him label all women are betrayers and consequently he hates the concept of love and marriage. He also infuses the ideal to his friends. But to his dismay, his friends decide to go about their own life by marrying their loved ones. How life kindles the ‘Romeo’ inside Gautham through Priya (Trisha) was told in a very lively way.

The narrative had nothing special but the first half greatly leveraged Santhanam’s expertise in moving the story at a gentle pace. Neither each character had a special introduction nor did they have a very significant role, but together they made it a special one. The characterization was good, especially that of Jiiva as the angry young man with a ‘king-sized’ ego and Trisha as a gentlewoman who knows her balance. The same cannot be said for Vinay as his role could have been done by any other actor. Santhanam has made a comeback as his last few movies appeared to be rehashed, but in this one he made it look really fresh and his character was also given an emotional appeal at some places. Nasser as Jiiva’s father was an obvious selection and one cannot get surprised if I say that he has carried it well. Andreah in an extended cameo as an arrogant model was perfect and fitted the bill.

Cinematography by Madhi was flamboyant and added beauty to every frame. The songs were picturized well. Editing by Praveen and Srikanth was also good except a few extra songs that slowed the pace in the second half.

Music by Harris Jayaraj was above average. “Vaan Engum Nee Minna” was the only number that was hummable and had his trademark tune but was catchy.

Director Ahmed should definitely be credited for having crafted a cool and breezy script without much fuss that was entertaining and also lingers with us for sometime as his take on simple emotional overtures like ego and love would always find a special place in audiences’ hearts barring the timeline of the movie’s release.

Verdict: Good

Rating: 3 / 5

Written by Hariharan Anbazhagan in , , , , , , , , ,


Biriyani - Yummy, even without the ‘leg piece’!



The very name ‘Biriyani’ would tease your taste buds upon hearing it. That was the sort of curiosity that this film garnered at the time of its announcement. Moreover it comes from the stable of director Venkat Prabhu who has had a dream run at the box office with a string of hits in the past including a massive hit like ‘Mankatha’ which was his last. Even the stars were aligned both on and off screen for Venkat Prabhu, thus allowing him to deviate off the track only a wee bit, but largely the film was well conceived and executed with his unique style that he has maintained since he debuted!

Karthi and Premji are thick as thieves and partners in crime who go about in their very own ways of luring girls with a happy-go-lucky attitude. Karthi’s quest to have the quintessential ‘Biriyani’ after a heavy booze puts the duo in a soup whereupon they become the most wanted criminals as they are on the run for the charges of murdering a business tycoon (Nasser). The way in which Karthi comes out victoriously washing away the slime forms the story for this sweetly made entertainer.

This movie had many cliches that was typical of any of Venkat Prabhu’s previous movies - a string of guest appearances, an item number that was way too hot, scenes depicting liberal use of alcohol and party animals who live their life for that; but everything was spun pretty well barring the logic (leg piece?!) and the narrative keeps one hooked with an element of suspense that lingers with the audiences till the end.

Karthi as a casanova was quite impressive. He needed to break the jinx and get the monkey off his back after a string of flops. In that context this movie might be a harbinger of good ones that is about to come. His performance was all the same, but his look was dashing. No comments on Hansika’s performance as there was nothing in it for her. In fact Mandy Takhar in a supporting role made her presence felt with a sizzling appeal when compared to Hansika who is supposed to be the lead in this movie. Venkat Prabhu had his usual beeline of supporting cast along with Nasser and Ramki in key roles and they were good enough.

Yuvan’s music was a big let down. Being his 100th project, the expectations were quite high, but there was not a single number that one is able to remember. Even the BGM just manages to pass muster.

Cinematography by Shakthi Saravanan was above average and editing by the duo of Praveen and Srikanth was just about okay as there was a drag in the second half.

This movie sparkles with it’s slapstick humor, burlesques spiced all over the script that triggers some funny moments every now and then and above all a decent script. On the downside, the move is devoid of any logic - to put it simply, it is like having a bowl of Biriyani in a hurry and then struggling with way too many burps because of that. So the movie engages you while you are in the theater, the minute you come out, you’ll start thinking about your sensibilities being taken for a ride. But that’s the name of the game and Venkat Prabhu should be given credit for creating such an illusion and so this Biriyani is well worth a watch.

Verdict: Time Pass Entertainer

Rating: 3 / 5

Written by Hariharan Anbazhagan in , , , , ,


Ivan Veramathiri (He is Different) - Not too different!



The story of ‘Ivan Vera Maadiri’ (IVM) is a rehashed one, been in existence since time immemorial and has been the darling of many screenplay writers and directors who have attempted and succeeded in making a mark for themselves starting from SA Chandrasekhar to Shankar to Lingusamy.

Director M.Saravanan who made a brilliant debut with ‘Engeyum Eppothum’ has decided to enlarge his canvas by swiftly drafting a commercial thriller. IVM is the story of a young man (Vikram Prabhu) who rises up in order to cleanse the society from the scumbags who ruin it. In this case he decides to take on a wicked politician (Hariraj), who happens to be the law minister, who settles his score in order to climb the power ladder with the help of his younger sibling (Vamsi Krishna). The sibling who is imprisoned and let out in parole, gets abducted by our hero in order to bring the politician down. When the sibling finds out about his abductor, he decides to go on a rampage by targeting our hero’s love interest (Surabhi). Whether our hero was able to overpower the evil forces and unite with his lady love (?!) is a no-brainer that was told in a not-so boring way!

IVM had its share of thrills and the script had an innate pace, but it was not very well exploited by the director. Had the script’s full potential been used this would have been an edge of the seat thriller. However there were quite a few scenes that were smartly spun and packaged. Also there was a rather naive twist that did not do any good to cater to our senses.

Vikram Prabhu was somewhat stiff and rugged in his role as he was meant to be, but for the promise that he displayed in ‘Kumki’, this role required him to do very little. I believe he deserves much better role in order to showcase his potential. Surabhi is beauty exemplified. Her tall stature and skin tone greatly compliments to the chemistry that the lead pair share. Hariraj as the wicked law minister was majestic and Vamsi Krishna as his virulent younger sibling was aggressive.

Music by Sathya which was a highlight in the director’s previous movie was way too ordinary in this one. Cinematography by Shakthi was good, especially the aerial shorts towards the end was convincing. Editing could have been better especially towards the climax wherein there was some unnecessary lag in the narrative.

This movie almost reaches the finishing line but fails to impress the way it was meant to, largely due to a half-baked narration and a loose packaging.

Verdict: Average

Rating: 2.5 / 5

Written by Hariharan Anbazhagan in , , , ,


Thagararu (Dispute) - Scorpion without the sting!



How cliched would it be when I label this movie as a ‘violent melodrama’ that is deep-rooted in Madurai? Well, 90% of the movie had those cliches, but a twist in the tale towards the climax made it a well-attempted thriller that had the twist under the wraps for the most part.

‘Thagararu’ is the story about 4 small time dacoits who indulge in dacoity through new techniques in the suburbs of Madurai. One of them, Saravanan (Arulnidhi) falls for Meenakshi (Poorna), who is the daughter of a loan shark, ‘Kanthuvatti’ Rajendran (Jayaprakash). His love faces stiff opposition not only from parents of Meenakshi, but also from his own companions who discourage due to an incompatible match. Then suddenly one of the 4 friends get murdered and the other three want to crack on the murderer and avenge for the injustice done. Finally when they discover the murderer its too late and realize that they could do very little about it!

What worked towards the climax was the twist that was camouflaged pretty well before it was unveiled. But otherwise, the movie was way too ordinary, especially the gimmicks by Arulnidhi which is supposed to make us laugh had us yawn many-a-times. He lacked the screen presence that ought to be there for a lead. There is lack of pace in the screenplay and songs that were intermittent spoilt the proceedings.

Poorna as the lead, has made a good comeback, given the context of her role in this movie. Jayaprakash as the loan shark had a look that was out of place and brought in some mild laughter as his costumes resembled that of a villain from the 80s. The 3 companions of the hero were impressive and each of them had a unique character spun around them.

Music, Editing and Cinematography were average and given the milieu, the technicalities demanded were not far too great and so it was an average fare.

A tested milieu, proven Madurai dialect, blood and gore, careless and haphazard hero with shades of grey and a revenge story with a twist makes this one a below average fare that neither can be passed as a hit nor a complete miss.

Verdict: Below Average

Rating: 2 / 5

Written by Hariharan Anbazhagan in , , , , , , ,


Kalyaana Samayal Saadham (Wedding Feast) - Sans Taboo!



KSS as it can be shortened as, it clearly falls into the adult rom-com genre that had a decent script which brought about some thought provoking laughter and wry smiles throughout! A toast to the debut director RS Prasanna who has handled such a delicate subject with care without compromising on the double entendre dialogs that lets loose of a spark or two every now and then.

KSS narrates the story of a big fat Tamil wedding and its associated age-old customs and traditions with a “twist” that puts the lead pair in jeopardy. The narration was such that we tend to take a walk down the aisle of the actual happenings as the dialogs and scenes were so close to real life.

Another aspect of the movie was that it did not fail to take a dig at the customs and rituals that has become a part of a Hindu marriage. Things like horoscope match, fixing a marriage hall for the auspicious day, ‘Puthira Paakiya Homam’ and other subtle gestures from the both the bride and the groom’s sides on various aspects on marriage gets the spine tickling at times.

Such adult-themed subjects have been handled in the past by noteworthy directors like Balachandar (Manmadha Leelai), Bhagiyaraj (Chinna Veedu) and SJ Suriya (New) - while Balachandar was treated like a revolutionist, the other two basked more on comical connotations of adult themes, but SJ Suriya added an element of sleaze to it only to be ousted by the conservative Tamil audience after prolonged impatience. So this subject comes with its price tag of “make or break” - RS Prasanna has handled it pretty well and also had a screenplay which was by and large engaging.

The casting was good and the lead pair of Prasanna and Lekha were supported by a slew of supporting cast who were tailored to perform such caricaturish roles that evoked laughter and farcical humor.

Music was used merely to beautify the narration - the song that was picturised and narrated with a Facebook theme was a sample to denote that an age-old custom like marriage has come-off age. Cinematography was easy on the eyes and the editing made the movie crisp at a little over 2 hours.

This is a sort of movie that can be enjoyed along with friends and is a clear signal that Tamil movies are trying to break the shackles and are coming off age beating the ever-so brutal and iron-clad fists of the censors that does unnecessary moral policing.

Kudos for the effort!!

PS: Adult Theme Alert!!

Verdict: Worth a Watch

Rating: 3 / 5