Neram Movie Review - Tamil(2013)

“I steal from every movie ever made.” This quote by Hollywood director Quentin Tarantino is like anticipatory bail for any filmmaker who fears being accused of copying, plagiarism or being inspired by another film. New director Alphonse Putharen has quoted it in his film Neram even before the credits start rolling.

The film stars Nivin Pauly and newcomer Nazriya Nazim in the lead.

Mathew (Nivin Pauly), who in spite of being tech savvy and highly qualified, finds himself virtually on the roads of Chennai one day as the US-based company he works for is in trouble. To top it off he has taken a loan from a dubious Vatti Raja (Simhaa) and has not paid the interest for the past couple of months.

The story happens on the day Vatti Raja gives the deadline for the settlement. On the same day his long time girlfriend and fiancé, Jeena (Nazriya Nazim) is forced to leave her house as her father Johnny Kutty (Lalu Alex) is adamant that she breaks up with the unemployed Mathew and marries a man of his choice.

The plot of the middle class hero always struggling to make ends meet or wallowing in penury which was common in films made some 20 years ago. Here it gets the 'new gen' treatment. So, instead of being helpless, the hero of our times finds innovative solutions for his problems and does not mind putting his friend in trouble to solve his own problems.

The narrative goes back and forth to make it more interesting and captivating for the viewer. The style of humour is of the kind prevalent nowadays and barely raises even a chuckle.

The ensemble cast consisting of Shammi Thilakan playing a policeman, Lalu Alex as Johnny Kutty, and Simhaa vye for our attention and succeed to a great extent. But, Manoj K Jayan steals their thunder by appearing in the last 15 minutes of this film.

As for the lead pair, we have seen Nivin Pauly playing a similar character in Chapters just a few months back, so one feels this is too much too soon. 

Nazriya Nazim has a striking screen presence and an in-your-face attitude that goes well with her beauty.

Neram is just ‘time-pass’; don’t expect anything more from it.

Naan Rajavaga Pogiren Movie Review - Tamil(2013)

Cast : Nakulan , Chandini

Director : Premkumar

Music : GV Prakash

Producers : K.Dhanasekar , V.Chandran

Story: It is the story which you have been seeing since you were born. Hero trying to protect the Heroine from the Villain gang. But, story is shown in the form of flashbacks (more than 10).

Nakul’s career in Tamil Cinema was pretty average. He has comeback again in a movie with very average script, which will not help his career. There is no change in his acting or dancing skills even after 4 years (Acting – Average, Dancing – Good).

Chandini’s first movie was Siddu +2 which got released 3 years back. It is also comeback movie for this tamil actress who can speak in T amil. She was born and brought up in Nungambakkam, Chennai. She looks very average with poor makeup in most of the scenes. She fails to show any reactions during emotional scenes.

Avani Modi is second heroine in the movie. She is completely fit to act as Hero or Heroine’s sister role in future.

G.V. Prakash’s music was very average in the movie. It is hard to believe that he was the music director of this movie.

Cinematographer Velraj who has done Vetrimaraan’s movies have captured beatiful locations in Himachal Pradesh. He doesn’t have much opporunity to show his skills in this movie

It is hard to believe that Kishor Te, National Award Winning Editor (Aadukalam) has done the editor role in this movie. Movie runs for 2 and half hours. You may feel like that you are locked in an empty room for almost 20 hours after watching this movie.

Most expected Vetrimaaran’s dialogue fails to make any impact in the movie. His dialouges were good in 3 – 4 scenes only

Director Premkumar makes his debut in Tamil Cinema with average story and poor screenplay. If we ask him the meaning of “Logic” – He may ask us the cost of it per kilogram? He had to be appreciated for keeping a scene supporting Srilankan Tamilians with guts.

He must have thought that his screenplay with twist in the climax, will save the movie which has average story. But, Screenplay is even worse and it really tests the patience of the audience throughout the movie.

Yaaruda Mahesh Movie Review - Tamil(2013)

Over a dark screen, we hear a man’s whisper, a plea to a woman to “show” him something. The leering sexual connotation is quickly dispelled when it’s revealed that the display being sought is that of an exam answer sheet. The man — if you can call him that; he’s really just an overgrown child — is Shiva (Sundeep), and he’s so lazy he cannot even remember to wake up on time for his exams. He cannot even remember what subject the exam is for, and instead of his hall ticket, he brings along a copy of his family’s ration card.

Somehow, the school brainiac Sindhiya (Dimple Chopade) falls for him. She invites him over when her parents aren’t home. On TV, Rajinikanth is panting alongside Gauthami to the strains of Maasi maasam aalaana ponnu, and elsewhere, Kamal Haasan is asking Ambika — in the Vanithamani number — if he can stick to her. Passions are aroused. The next day, we see Shiva in a T-shirt inscribed with the legend: “At last I did it.”

The plot, such as it is, kicks in at interval point, when Shiva is seen wearing a T-shirt patterned with a question mark — reflecting the title of R Madhan Kumar’s Yaaruda Mahesh. We’re meant to wonder, along with Shiva, who Mahesh is — but the film isn’t terribly invested in this revelation. It’s more interested in following the current trend in Tamil cinema, which is to clear aside character and plot development in favour of a wisecrack per minute. (Jagan plays the Santhanam equivalent, mistaking “dude” for “nude,” “bro” for “bra,” and a popular swear word for “duck.”)

Insomuch as it plays its hero for a chump — besides treating sex as a casual human activity without manufacturing melodrama from its occurrence — the scrappily put together Yaaruda Mahesh is mildly tolerable. But do the jokes have to be so sexist? Along with a supposed gag about a female body part (which the censors beep out to no effect), the ring tone that Sindhiya employs is Naan aalaana thamarai. She’s not seen wearing a suggestive T-shirt, but she could just as well be waving a banner saying: “At last I did it.”

Moondru Per Moondru Kaadhal Movie Review - Tamil(2013)

Come and fall in love’ invites the trailer of director Vasanth’sMoondru Per Moondru Kadhal. And watching it on the big screen, you do fall in love, but not with the story or the characters, you fall in love with the beautiful lyrics, the memorable songs and the breathtaking visuals.

Moondru Per Moondru Kadhal (MPMK) is written and directed by National Award winning director Vasanth, whose penchant for love stories is well known.

The film stars Arjun, Cheran, Vemal, and Muktha Bhanu along with newcomers Surveen Chawla and Lasini in the lead roles.  Director Vasanth's son Ritvik plays a cameo role, supported by Apppukutty, Sathyan, Thambi Ramaiah and John Vijay.  Bhojan K Dinesh handles the cinematography and editing is by S N Fazil.

Moondru Per Moondru Kadhal is a story about love featuring three couples, set in the backdrop of different landscapes, by the seaside, in the mountains and on the plains.  The film opens in the year 2016, with actor Vemal narrating incidents that occurred in the lives of these couples over the last few years.  Thus the entire film is in the form of a narration.

We are introduced to the first couple, Varun (Vemal) and Anjana (Lasini) in a beautiful hill station. Varun, who is a chartered accountant, meets and falls in love with Anjana, who is also a CA working in his father’s office.  Unfortunately, she is in love with someone else and is already engaged.

The story of the second couple Guna (Cheran) and Malliga (Muktha Bhanu) is set in a small town by the seaside.  Guna is a social activist who runs an organisation that helps ex-convicts to start a new life.  His dedication and sincerity for his work leaves him no time for love or marriage, thus shattering the dreams of poor Malliga who is in love with him.

The last couple, Harris (Arjun) and Divya (Surveen Chawla), lives in the plains.  Harris is a reputed swimming coach, who is training his star pupil, Divya to win an Olympic Gold Medal. They are madly in love with each other, so what is the twist in their story?  We learn this and more as the story progresses.

What is really surprising is that in spite of the large number of characters, the film is extremely slow paced. Some of the scenes really seem to drag and it gets tiresome.

Though none of the performances stand out, everybody seems to have done their bit. In fact, except for Vemal, who of late has become unimaginative and boring, everyone else has performed well, including newcomers Surveen Chawla and Lasini.

Music by Yuvan Shankar Raja is the only saving grace of an otherwise ordinary film. Every song has its own unique flavour and is incredible.

The beautiful lyrics make them even more romantic, especially Kaadhal Endhan Kaadhal and Unakkaagave Uyir Vaazhgiren.

Nandini Srikar’s amazing vocals in Aaha Kaadhal Konji Pesudhe definitely deserves a special mention. The song Mazhai Mazhai has been picturised beautifully on a dashing Arjun and a young Surveen Chawla.  MPMK definitely has songs you want to listen to over and over again.

Director Vasanth has always been a trendsetter with his heartwarming stories of love and romance. Be it Keladi Kanmani, Aasai, or Rhythm, he has never followed conventional standards.  He is known for exploring the different facets of love through his films. In Moondru Per Moondru Kadhal, he has attempted to highlight the fact that sacrifice is greater than love.  And love is all about giving.

But, unfortunately, what comes across does not seem very rational. He has not been able to bring out that depth of emotion required of such a sacrifice.

The passionate intensity that characterised his earlier films seems to be missing. Though Vasanth fails to recreate the old magic, Moondru Per Moondru Kadhal is undoubtedly a beautiful gift for music lovers.

Nagaraja Cholan MA, MLA Movie Review - Tamil(2013)

Synopsis: Nagaraja Cholan (Sathyaraj) rises from an MLA to the post of deputy chief minister and goes about increasing his wealth. Problems arise when he tries to help a Swedish company set up a factory in a tribal area.

Review: If you are familiar with Nagaraja Cholan as a ruthless politician, who rose from being Ammavasai in 'Amaidhipadai', this movie will definitely disappoint you. Though Cholan appears scheming, with a perennial smile on his face, his resurrection after almost 20 years ends up a failed attempt to build on the character. He comes out more like a comic here as compared to the earlier movie.

The movie is a pale shadow of the original, except for the few scenes involving Cholan and his trusted aide Manimaran (Manivannan). The duo share great on-screen chemistry, providing several witty one-liners and scenes.

The movie takes potshots at the contemporary political situation in Tamil Nadu. References to how new parties are formed by just swapping the order of colours on a flag do strike a cord. But in most cases, these scenes just stick out like a sore thumb as they don't add to the story. The movie also talks about the lack of awareness among the people on environment and how politicians work hand-in-hand with foreign firms to sell our land. It is at this point the crisis of the movie comes up with tribals protesting against their land being taken away, evoking images of the Chipko movement.

The movie leaves several questions unanswered, starting with how Cholan came back to life after he was shot down by his son in the previous flick. We are told that he has a son, Gangaikondaan (Raghu Manivannan), but in 'Amaidhipadai' he never had a legitimate one! Manivannan, who has written the movie, could have given it more thought rather than just borrowing the best scenes from 'Amaidhipadai'.

Seeman as a social activist comes out with a decent performance. Raghu's character is meant to be a chip of the old block, but comes out tame. The background score by James Vasanth is sometimes to overpowering, drowning out the dialogues, and the music is far from noteworthy.

The movie works in parts but with 'Amaidhipadai' playing in your head, 'Nagaraja Cholan MA MLA' comes nowhere close to it.

Soodhu Kavvum Movie Review - Tamil(2013)

Packed with several funny, outrageous twists, Soodhu Kavvum makes for a great one time watch. You can’t possibly enjoy the film a second time because most of the plot is closely attached to the twists

Treading the path few Tamil films have attempted, Soodhu Kavvum proves yet again that content is king. A brawl in a bar brings together four petty criminals hoping to make ends meet by pulling off small crimes. Three have no prior experience in any sort of criminal activities but Dass, the most senior amongst them, has been kidnapping for the last few years. Dass recruits the three wastrels and teaches them kidnapping techniques.

Before we know it, the team of misfit kidnappers are out on the streets, abducting random people for small amounts of money because they don’t want to get too greedy. However, things take an unexpected when they kidnap the son of a local minister. The supposedly easy task almost gets the four killed. What did they do to put their own lives in danger? This forms the rest of the story.

The film is similar to British comedy Four Lions, especially the plot revolving around the four lead characters. While the English flick was about how four misfit jihadis wish to blow something up to join a terrorist group, this is about four unemployed men who wish to pull off one last kidnapping to settle down in life. Of course, nowhere does Soodhu Kavvum appear to be a frame to frame copy of the English film so the possibility of a copy can be ruled out.

The humour in the film never evokes laughter, but entertains at regular intervals. It progresses at an unhurried pace, except for the extended second half that could have been easily chopped by few minutes.

The initial recruiting scene involving the three characters and their respective past stories result in some best humorous moments of the film. While most of the humour can be brushed off as passe, debutant director Nalan uses sarcasm at appropriate junctures to perfection.

Be it the misfortune of the only righteous character in the film of a politician or the highly educated group member-turned-kidnapper, Nalan highlights that society has no room for good people in his own way. All lead characters get equal amount of screen presence to prove their mettle.

Soodhu Kavvum is also one of the few films that doesn’t waste time on a romantic track. There is no such thing called a hero or a villain in the film as everything revolves around the lead characters. Nalan makes us root for a bunch of misfits and their acts of stupidity; this partly works in favour of the film.

Music does play an important role in the success of the film. Except for one song, you don’t find other songs disturbing the flow of the film.

Vijay Sethupathi along with a bunch of debutantes shine in their respective roles. The unlikely friendship between the four characters is a treat to watch.

Ethir Neechal Movie Review - Tamil(2013)

Actor-turned-singer, Dhanush turns producer with the much-anticipated, Ethir Neechal, a film produced under the banner of his new production house, Wunderbar Films. The film is directed by debutant director R S Durai Senthilkumar, a former associate of director Vetrimaaran.

Ethir Neechal is distributed by Vendhar Movies and has been cleared by the Censor Board with a ‘U’ certificate.  The music is by young sensation Anirudh Ravichander, cinematography by Velraj and the editing is handled by Kishore T E.

Sivakarthikeyan, Priya Anand and Nandita play the lead roles in the film supported by Sathish, Jayaprakash, Ravi Prakash, Vaali, and Suza Kumar. Dhanush, Nayanthara and music director Anirudh make a special appearance in the film.

Ethir Neechal is a city-based romantic comedy that is about a young man, Kunjithapatham (Sivakarthikeyan), who is embarrassed by his name. He is named after a family deity, Kunjithapatham Samy, after his mother developed some complications during his birth.  More than the actual name, he is shamed by its shortened version that makes him an object of ridicule among his schoolmates, friends and neighbours.

Fed up of being teased constantly, Kunjithapatham wants to change his name, but is afraid of incurring the wrath of God, who he believes will strike his mother.

Years fly by and his mother passes away.  Though much older now, he continues to be the butt of everyone’s jokes.  Since his mother is no more, he decides to go ahead and get his name changed to ‘Harish’, on the suggestion of a numerology specialist.

The very day he registers his new name, he meets Geetha (Priya Anand), a school teacher.  He takes this to be a positive sign and decides to make a clean break from everything connected to his old life.  He shifts to a new locality, gets a new job, pursues Geetha, falls in love and for the first time in his life he seems to be completely happy.

But does this happiness last?  What does fate have in store for him?  And most importantly, who is Valli (Nandita) and why does she come into his life?  All this is dealt with in the second half of the movie.

Simple and honest, Ethir Neechal is two hours of clean wholesome fun.  No goons chasing anybody, no unnecessary fight scenes, and no violence or bloodshed.

The only drawback in the film is the slow pace in the flashback scenes that tell us the story of Nandita.

And though the title Ethir Neechal (Swimming against the Tide) highlights the message of fighting against all odds to win, it is fun and laughter all the way.

Sivakarthikeyan, who has been giving good performances consistently, is fast emerging as one of the rising stars of Tamil cinema.

He received rave reviews for his performance in Kedi Billa Killadi Ranga. With Ethir Neechal he proves that he is full-fledged hero material.

Both the female characters, Priya Anand and Nandita have given good performances. Another important character in the film is Peter (Sathish), who shares the screen with Sivakarthikeyan in almost every scene. They complement each other’s comic timing, much like the Arya-Santhanam combo in Boss Engira Baskaran.

Much before the release of the film, the music of Ethir Neechal became the rage among youngsters, receiving innumerable hits on YouTube.

Music director Anirudh Ravichander of Kolaveri fame has certainly proved his mettle yet again with his exceptional music.

 With lyrics penned by Dhanush and vocals by Anirudh, Boomi Enna Suthudhe, seems to have become the most popular choice for ringtones and caller tunes. Not far behind is the inspiring, Ethir Neechal Adi and the melodious, Velicha Poove Va by Mohit Chauhan and Shreya Ghoshal.

What is undoubtedly the highlight of the film is the Dhanush-Nayanthara kuthu dance number that had the audience on their feet, whistling, clapping and screaming for an encore.

The man with the Midas touch, Dhanush, seems to have struck gold once again. Success seems to follow him in everything he does, be it acting, singing or producing.

He seems to have chosen the perfect vehicle to launch his maiden production venture.  There is beauty in the simplicity of R S Durai Senthilkumar’s script and along with his practical approach, the endearing characters and the sensational music, the film is sure to be a box-office winner. A must-watch.

Akaash Vani Movie Review

Like PYAAR KA PUNCHNAMA, AKAASHVANI also has a bond with realism. It's about the present times. It communicates the contemporary lingo. Yet, it has the old world charisma that still makes you go weak in your knees. It has shades of everything, from fidelity and commitment to resentment and mistrust to anguish and betrayal. Handled most efficiently, with several authoritative moments, AKAASHVANI is, without doubt, a delicate love story that triumphs. With PYAAR KA PUNCHNAMA, Luv Ranjan demonstrated he's a commendable storyteller. With AKAASHVANI, he only seals it furthermore! On the whole, AKAASHVANI appeals for the characters that Luv Ranjan has created as well as the buoyancy and gusto with which the principal actors bring alive the characters on screen. The movie contains just the right blend of sparkle and spice and is definitely worthy of a watch. Go for it!

David Movie Review

What’s similar to God and underwear? If this has you bemused or offended, David is that necessary kick-in-the-seat of your pants to remind you of what intelligent movies with style and substance look like.

Bejoy Nambiar’s David is the stories of three men, across three time periods and places who share little more than their first name.

Set in black-and-white in 1975 London, David (Neil Nitin Mukesh) is the dreaded gangster Ghani’s henchman. Loyal to Ghani since his father’s death, David protects Ghani with his life while his master holds him more precious than his own son. When Indian officials come to London to end Ghani, they realize that they can’t touch him with David in the way. Dirty secrets have a distinct way of persuasion that even threats don’t.

While this dreadlocked David (Vinay Virmani) spends most of his time strumming the guitar – giving lessons, playing gigs and buttering industry-people to give him a chance – his father (Nassar) is a pious man of the cloth. Though he can’t get enough of his tiffs with his father, David loves his sisters and dreams of getting them well-settled in life. But when the politician Malati Tai (Rohini Hattangadi) targets his father, David starts turning into something even he can’t recognize.

Sloshing his bottle, beating up people at the bar and going on eccentric bride hunts with his mother have made David’s (Chiyaan Vikram) life more than boring. Between talking to his father’s spirit (who possesses the bodies of innocent passers-by just to enjoy drink or two) and dawdling with his friend Peter (Nishan Nanaiah), David falls head-over-heels in love with the Roma (Isha Sharwani). While David loves her despite her “speaker and mike being (switched) off”, the problem is that she’s betrothed to Peter. Poor David only has his “spirited” father (Saurabh Shukla) and super-awesome friend Frenny (Tabu) to go to.

Inkaar Movie Review

Director: Sudhir Mishra

Cast: Arjun Rampal, Chitrangda Singh and Deepti Naval

Through the two odd hours that Inkaar played out on the theatre screen I kept twisting and turning, trying to recollect which film it reminded me of. Its boardroom politics, its corporate seduction and its weird love setting was engaging, but the thought that it seemed all too familiar just kept nagging me. Cut to, back in office, a simple Google search string ‘film on sexual harassment’ cleared my muddy mind. It threw up the name of a 1994 Hollywood film with Michael Douglas and Demi Moore called Disclosure.  Before the fancy lawyers of Inkaar send me a defamation notice, let me make it clear. Inkaar is not a copy of Disclosure. It just has a similar theme, setting and a few similar scenes.

Unlike Disclosure, Inkaar adopts a slightly philosophical mood while playing out its story. But like its Hollywood counterpart, Sudhir Mishra’s film mainly highlights how sexual harassment cases can destroy careers, end relationships and of course bring out the worst in people. That Mishra attempts to tell this not-so-conventional story (in Indian context) is fantastic. Inkaar is a brave film. Not every day do the lead characters of a Hindi movie exhibit such grey shades. Chitrangda Singh plays the ambitious Maya who doesn’t mind sleeping with the boss. Not because she’s an opportunist, she actually falls for his charming ways. But that doesn’t stop her from cashing in on the advantage and speeding up the promotions. Likewise, Arjun Rampal plays the self- absorbed boss who believes flirting; passing sexual comments etc is cool corporate culture. But the edge that the settings and characters lend to the film, its unimaginative writing robs away. The ‘love’ angle just doesn’t work.

What works is the chemistry between Arjun Rampal and Chitrangda Singh. Not just their individual performances but their love-hate relationship drives the drama of Inkaar. Both Arjun and Chitrangda handle their characters to great effect.

But good performances can give you a watchable film, but not a believable story. And that is the big letdown in Inkaar. The film’s logic and the climax just don’t make sense. Not from characters who spent the last two hours (or seven years in case of the movie’s narrative) convincing you that they’d do anything to come out on top. A film that promises to hit you hard in the solar plexus, doesn’t even tickle you.   

Table no. 21 Movie Review

“If you lie, you die… you die.” Cheesy as it may sound, there are some really good flicks made on that clichéd line (I haven’t repeated the “you die” for effect, it’s verbatim from the movie) with the brilliant Phone Booth being the most memorable. However, Table No. 21 tries hard to be a psychological thriller but ends up being a me-too, and then ruins things further with a social message type ending.

Vivaan (Rajeev Khandelwal) and Siya Agasthi (Tena Desae) have just won a free trip to Fiji. It’s a timely getaway for the couple who are not only in a rough patch due to Vivaan being out of a job, but also because it’s their wedding anniversary. Between the clink of glasses, a certain Mr. Khan (Paresh Rawal) makes them a mouth-watering offer. What lies between them and Rs. 21 crores are just 8 questions and answers. The catch? They have to answer all the questions truthfully and complete their dares.

Unable to resist, Vivaan and Siya sign on the dotted line and the game begins. Before millions of online viewers, Vivaan and Siya answer personal questions about each other and do things that they never imagined they would. While it starts off with something as simple as kissing in the middle of a crowded street, the tasks get more absurd and dangerous at the proceeding levels. When they try to escape, they are informed that the lie-detectors on their wrists will detonate if they go beyond a certain distance.

While Vivaan and Siya think they know everything about each other, the game shows them otherwise. How long does this sinister game continue? What is the real reason behind the questions? Will they win?

Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola Movie Review

Vishal Bhardwaj started out as an unusually rooted film maker. He was imaginative, he was experimental, he was original (yes, even when adapting Shakespeare). Vishal Bhardwaj of Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola (MKBKM) is still experimental and original but not rooted anymore. He is quirky and increasingly whimsical. The rootedness rears its head now and then but clashes badly with the quirks and the end result is part likeable and part absurd.

Mandola village is lorded over by an eccentric industrialist Harry Mandola (Pankaj Kapur). When not drinking himself silly, he dreams of usurping the villagers’ land and building an industrialist town there. Helping him achieve this dream is the scheming politician Deviji (Shabana Azmi) who wants her son Baadal (Arya Babbar) to get married to Mandola’s only daughter Bijlee (Anushka Sharma). Mandola’s Man Friday Matru (Imran Khan) seems like the perfect servant but has a hidden agenda of his own. MKBKM is basically a simple story about the common man vs the big bad system. What sets it apart is how it is told – slowly, whimsically, crazily.

Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola is as frustrating as it is enjoyable. It is downright banal in places but then springs such wonderful scenes and hilarious cuss-words-filled-dialogues that it is difficult to not keep smiling. The tone of the film keeps varying so much that it never lets one settle down to one mood. Unseasonal rains bringing misery to the helpless farmers and the absurd UFO sighting – both belong in different films. Bhardwaj tries to merge the pink buffalo with Special Economic Zone issues seamlessly but the satire just doesn’t work.

Unusually for a Vishal Bhardwaj film, the characterisation too is not strong. While Deviji is a political caricature, Harry Mandola is plain ambiguous. While the drunk Mandola is kind and compassionate, the sober man is a cruel and greedy tyrant. One never gets clarity on who exactly is the real Mandola and what drives him – love or ambition. Bijlee too comes across as strangely directionless despite being strong minded and well educated.

And yet the film works because it keeps throwing these odd little surprises that are so delightful that they don’t let one give up on it. The little touches like a eunuch being treated as just another person in the village, Mao-Lenin being used in a sentence originally worded as Maa-Bahen, the Macbeth reference.

A Vishal Bhardwaj film promises two things – good music and good performances – and MKBKM lives up to both. Gulzar’s lyrics weave their magic and Bhardwaj’s music provides ample support. Though Imran and Anushka are the token lead pair, the film truly belongs to Pankaj Kapur and Shabana Azmi. Despite an ambiguous role, Mr. Kapur owns every scene he features in and is a delight to watch. Shabana Azmi takes a caricature and raises the character to another level with her sheer brilliance. Anushka plays the same role here that she has played in all her films till now, and to her credit she manages to not look repetitive. Imran Khan is miscast as a Haryanvi but his sincerity and good-boy-screen-presence help him hold his own among the thespians. Arya Babbar is the surprise package with his perfect comic timing.

Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola is a noble attempt, though the treatment is not everybody’s cup of tea. The film is quirky in both a good and bad way. At times absurd, at times too clever for its own good. Watch it for its originality if nothing else.

Race 2 Movie Review

‘Race 2’ has every ingredient of an Abbas Mustan flick. It’s got oodles of glamour, scorching style, sleek Bond-ish heroes, gorgeous ladies, characters with more than fifty shades of grey, some enjoyable background music, talks of yachts, and oh boy - some cars, and overshadowing every other thing – money!
In all, ‘Race 2’ is a grand display of money. The adrenaline-pumping action is the plus point of the film, but too much of that does no good to it. Two and a half stars from me for this Friday’s ‘expensive’ release.

Samar Movie review

Starring : Vishal, Trisha, Sunaina, Manoj Bajpai, J.D. Chakravarthy
Direction : Thiru
Music : Yuvan Shankar Raja
Production : T. Ramesh

Story:
Vishal plays Sakthi the straightforward Forest trek guide unconventionally in Love with Roopa essayed by Sunaina. In search of his damsel he leaves to Thailand and gets stuck in a web of bizarre events. Trisha as Maya helps Sakthi who is facing everything new at his footstep. As evident it was in the trailer the hero is stuck in Thailand facing threats, unrelenting respect and as a millionaire at stake. Manoj and JD play the ruthless villains who are billionaires with little respect for humanity and the nature of it. The first half is racy and action packed with rich visuals of Bangkok and gives the audience a sense of anticipation on what’s in store, why, how and a string of questions unanswered.

Post intermission the answers unveiled makes us in search of a fitting reply which was expected and the justification is questionable. How the hero gets himself out of this chaotic maze, what happens to his love, forms rest of the plot. Thiru makes you predict and gives all the twists up his sleeve only to make the audience leave the theatre with a sense of “Could’ve been more!”

Kumki Movie Review

A piece of art can break the barriers and hold a position in everyone’s heart forever. Very rarely, filmmakers stick to this ritual as they succumb to the theory differentiating two terms ‘Offbeat’ and ‘Commercial’. An excellent art will diminish the gap between these so-called two terms gaining the favour of everyone.

Left with speechless words, one would boast Kumki to be one of such best exemplifications. What does it require to take Tamil cinema to next level? Going by Hollywood-fangled flicks of action and technological extravaganzas? Explore the unexplored is the absolute key and Prabhu Solomon touches it with a greater intensity. In the past, we have seen many filmmakers like Ramanarayanan showcasing animal creatures as the central subject, but it’s Prabhu Solomon, who portrays an elephant as a herculean hero.

Every frame sketched in the film marks the arduous effort of entire team to make a challenging film. Be it technical and narrative aspects, Kumki touch the surpassing graph. It’s evident that Prabhu Solomon had taken quality time over preproduction phase leaving no stone unturned over drawing perfect quotients in screenplay and other elements.

To make it simpler, as you walk out of theatres, it’s like getting out of a fantasy world, where you spent years with a friend like ‘Kumki’. It’s a crowned theory that animals exhibit unconditional love towards their masters and many Hollywood films have portrayed it elegantly. An epitome of such a colossal film was Richard Gere’s Hachiko that was based on a true story of faithful dog breathing its last outside a railway station awaiting the arrival of its master, who has passed before years. Kumki doesn’t follow the same route, but touches your heart with more mercy towards the heroic elephant.

Set in backdrops of an isolated village Aadhi Kaadu, the village folks are disturbed by the demonic wild elephant ‘Komban’ as it destroys the houses and farm crops. When their every source of aid fails including the forest department desolating their urge need, they have only option left – to bring in Kumki, the elephants that are usually utilized to tame the wild elephants. Here enters Bomman (Vikram Prabhu), a mahout of a Temple elephant Manickam, which is so harmless and gets scared of wild ox. Bomman tries to help his friend, who fails to bring the original Kumki due to some problems on the spur of moment. Assuring that he can manage with Manickam for couple of days until the original Kumki elephant comes in, the drama begins unaware about the consequences that will see the innocent creature rising with a new avatar to save its master.

Maybe, the film had the promotional lines of introducing Sivaji Ganesan’s grandson Vikram Prabhu. However, while walking out of the theatres, it’s the Kumki that overshadows everything in spite of the lead actors Vikram Prabhu and Lakshmi Menon exerting the best performances. Much alike Mynaa, the film is laced with humour, adventure and emotions. The scenes involving Vikram Prabhu training the temple elephant to gain some qualities of Kumki is pictured excellently. The elephant doesn’t miss to evoke laughter and finally to let you understand, what faithfulness, love and affection means. Lakshmi Menon as Alli looks cute as an innocent village belle and keeps us engrossing with her performance. National award winner Thambi Ramaiah is one of the greatest assets in this film. His performance in the climax alongside Kumki elephant is awe-inspiring. Ashwin Raja, the young guy, who tickled funny bones with his role as a tutorial student in Boss Engira Baskaran keeps you high on laughter with his comedy tracks. Being the third generation of actor from Legend’s family, Vikram Prabhu has clearly understood the present status of Tamil heroes and has chosen this film. It’s a grand start by the actor and his adeptness in emoting towards different situations is brilliant.

If Prabhu Solomon’s narration, elephant and lead actors contribute 40% to the finest outputs, the major factors determining the film’s top-notch quality are D Imman’s songs-background score and Sukumar’s cinematography. It’s quite unimaginable how he could get down to the steepest and the highest peak of Rock Mountains and waterfalls.

Watching Kumki over the big screens is more like an adventurous trip through the exotic locales with four friends that include the elephant. You’ll soon forget your identity as audience and feel like being a part of this drama. You laugh when the characters enjoy and cry when they weep.

Verdict: Strictly for everyone... Don’t miss to meet a new friend Kumki.

Kanna Laddu Thinna Aasaiya Movie Review

The story of KLTA is nothing new but,this movie has been widely expected by netizens around the world right from the day it was announced that Youtube sensation Powerstar Dr. Srinivasan was roped in the movie along with Santhanam.The movie lives up to all the hype surrounding it courtesy Santhanam-Powerstar combo , they bring the house down with their one liners .

The films premise is hugely inspired by K.Bhagyaraj’s yesteryear flick “Indhru Poi Nalai Va” , three people from various age groups who come across as friends try to woo a girl and who succeeds is the rest of the story.Casting plays a major role in this movie.Right from the introductory scene Santhanam and Powerstar score and make us continue to laugh.As this is the first time most people are watching Powerstar on screen , they get excited in whatever he does.Powerstar does everything effortlessly and he is the but of most of Santhanam’s jokes.

Sethu the main lead of the film has done a decent job , Santhanam and Powerstar steal the screen space from him most of the time.All the supporting actors VTV Ganesh,Kovai Sarala, Vishaka  Dhivyadarshini have done a good job.

The sequences involving Power’s family is the most interesting part of the film The cameo by Simbhu and Gautham Menon has been well utilized. But, the songs seem to be forceful at certain places  but Power’s presence makes it interesting.

Viswaroopam Movie Review

Kamal Hassan's biggest-ever film Viswaroopam, which has been delayed for one or the other reason, has seen the light of day in foreign countries but not in Tamil Nadu and other Southern states as the High Court has stayed the release after several Muslim groups raised objection.
After a gap of three years, Kamal Hassan is back with Viswaroopam, which is written, directed and produced by himself. The film was supposed to be directed by Selvaraghavan but as the director walked out of the film due to other commitments, Kamal took the responsibility of directing the film.
The film is simultaneously made in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. It is made with the budget of Rs 95 crore, which is the second highest budget Tamil film after Rajinikanth's blockbuster Endhiran. What does the multilingual action-thriller has to offer? A reader named Praveen Kumar from New Jersey reviewed the film, as the movie was not released here.
Read on for the review...
The movie starts in America. Viswanath (Kamal Hassan), who will be seen as Kathak trainer, is surrounded by girls and one among them is Andrea Jeremiah. This makes Dr Nirupama (Pooja Kumar) to doubt on her hubby's character and hires a detective, who gets killed by Al-Qaeda group.
The Al-Qaeda is planning to plant a Nuclear Bomb in New York and Kamal Hassan is well-aware of it. How? He has a past where he has a connection with the terrorist group, which is headed by Omar (Rahul Bose). Will the terrorist organisation succeed in their mission? What role does Kamal play? Is he a terrorist or an undercover agent? To know all these, you should watch the film. The story of the film begins on a slow note but it is gripping.
The first half is entirely shot in the US, and keeps you engaged and generate a lot of curiosity. When it comes to second half, the narration is dragging at parts but gets interesting with Kamal Hassan's past getting revealed.