Meiyazhagan, Lubber Pandhu & Devara: "More of a rewarding experience!!!"

It's been a while since I have penned about movies from other regional languages & it wasn't because I had stopped watching them, but only a few among them managed to get my attention. It has been a mixed bag be it Shankar's pathetic "Indian 2" or Pa Ranjith's "Thangalaan", that I enjoyed though it struggled at the box office. The latest list of movies that I had watched was more of the same, so which were the ones that gave me my time's worth. 

Meiyazhagan: "An endearing blend of nostalgia & self discovery!!!"

There might not be many who wouldn't have watched Prem Kumar's "96" & hence when it was announced that he was back with his latest flick that was bank rolled by Jyothika & Suriya's '2D entertainment', the expectations were quite palpable. As in his directorial debut, Prem has also penned the script for this which is essentially about nostalgia & self discovery in a nut shell.

The movie unfolds in 1996 (quite a coincidence) in Thanjavur where Arul (Saran Shakthi/Aravind Swami) & his family is forced to leave their home due to property partition. It left a deep scar in him to the extent that he never went back to visit his beloved town & relatives. However, on the occasion of his cousin sister's wedding he decides to head back despite the reluctance. At the event, he meets up with an extroverted individual (Karthi) who seemed a relative that knew him really well & absolutely worshipped him, though Arul could not quite recollect him. The interaction between the two on that night was a trip down memory lane & that is essentially what this movie is about.

If one has to talk about the story as such, there isn't much to say to be honest. But Prem's command over what he wants to convey that touches upon the past and the effect that it has on one and the people around him is both organic and soulfully picturized. There are quite a few sub plots & as such it stands as separate events without any connection, to the point that it felt like an unnecessary addition of run time. However, Prem's motive of making Karthi's character mention all of this does have a purpose & it is essentially about celebration of goodness in all walks of life that has a peculiar way of coming back to the people concerned. Another major positive was Govind Vasantha's music & BGM that gelled with the mood with the stand out being the track, 'Yaaro Ivan Yaaro' rendered by Kamal Hassan while Mahendiran Jayaraju's frames were also fine.

The main USP is undoubtedly the unusual casting of Karthi & Aravind Swami, with both getting characters that were diametrically opposite to each other (along the lines of Karthi & Nagarjuna in "Thozha"). Aravind definitely had the tougher role and he was impressive with the way he expressed the various emotions that the character goes through. Karthi's was endearing as the loud bindaas innocent individual, which is something that he excels in. The rest of the cast doesnt have much to do but all the female artists did their parts well be it Sri Divya, Swathi Konde & Devadarshini.

Verdict: Yet another winner from Prem that should do well at the box office, who continues to prove that when it comes to nostalgia, there is not many that could do it as well as him!!!

Rating: 3/5

Lubber Pandhu: "Well crafted layered sports drama!!!"

Cricket is an emotion & a religion in India, and that has inspired quite a few to makes sports dramas based on it. Being a movie buff & a sports aficionado, sports dramas has always been one of my favourite genre (if not, 'the most'). Last week saw the release of Tamizharasan Pachamuthu's "Lubber Pandhu" which belonged to the same genre & that was ample reason for me to check it out. It turned out to be the right decision. 

2011 is a year that none of us who are cricket lovers would forget & incidentally, Tamizharasan also begins his story from the same year. Anbu (Harish Kalyan), a talented all rounder is called to play for the once celebrated local team 'Jolly Friends'. However, despite the support of the captain, Karuppaiya (Kaali Venkat), Anbu was disheartened by the inferior attitude meted out to him by many of the other players primarily due to his caste & their egos due to which he leaves mid way through the innings. The opposition, "Sachin Boys" had their star player, Gethu (Attakathi Dinesh) unleash a blistering knock but the match gets interrupted when Gethu's wife, Yashoda (Swasika) intervenes & warns the villagers from involving him in further matches due to his apparent disregard in family matters because of his love for the game. Both Anbu & Gethu might have left the field on that day, but their paths were destined to cross & the impact that it has on their personal lives is what this movie is about. 

This is Tamizharasan's directorial debut for which he has penned the script as well which is packaged as a sports drama and touches upon various aspects such as caste discrimination, egos, relationship dynamics & inclusivity. Success is at times denied despite the talent at their disposal because of people being consumed by petty issues and it is conveyed in a natural manner. In a way it reminded me of Jayakumar's "Blue Star" which had a more pronounced political tone but over here as well, it has touched upon some critical points with a hint of humour. As such the focus might be on the two male protagonists, but Tamizharasan has written the female characters really well & at times, I felt they were better. The technical aspect was done neatly be it Dinest Purushothaman's frames or Sean Roldan's music, all of which has complimented the story perfectly.

Both Harish & Dinesh have done utmost to their roles, but their female counterparts, Swasika & Sanjana Krishnamoorthy were equal to the task. The last time I watched Harish's performance was in  "Parking" which was also about ego clashes & just in that flick, I was impressed with his performance over here as well. Equally impressive was Dinesh while Swasika & Sanjana did full justice to the meaty roles provided to them. Even the rest of the artists such as Bala Saravanan, Kaali Venkat, Devadarshini etc  have done their parts aptly.

Verdict: It will also go down as one of the most appreciated sports dramas in recent times!!!

Rating: 3.25/5

Devara: "Lacked authenticity despite Jr.NTR's effort!!!"

Among the South Indian movies, if there is one industry that have their noses in front when it comes to grandeur & mass masala entertainment, then it has to be hands down the Telugu industry. One director who has aced that is Koratala Siva & hence his latest flick that saw the entry of Saif Ali Khan & Jahnvi Kapoor with Jr NTR in the lead was more than ample reason to check it out. However, I was aware of what I was getting into & the question was whether he had pushed the envelope too much. 

Incidentally, this movie also unfolds in 1996 where the Govt is in talks with the law & order forces over concerns about the threats to the Cricket World Cup. The people in question where Daya & his brother, Yethi, and the efforts of the police to track down their whereabouts led them to the Red Sea villages in the Ratnagiri mountains. This is where they learn about Devara (Jr NTR), the leader to one of the four villages who was determined to curb the smuggling activities that happened in the region more than a decade back. It invariably meant that he had created numerous enemies in the region which included Bhaira (Saif), who was the chieftain to the adjacent village. So what was the connection of these villages to the main issue?

In terms of the story, the manner in which it is build up felt interesting though there were shades of other movies/series in some of the elements. But by the time, it is into the second half, it gets tiresome with the question in the end that was supposed to have made us sit up with anticipation lacking the punch that the makers would have hoped for. On the technical side, Ratnavelu's frames were top notch & Sabu Cyril's art direction was good but Anirudh's music & BGM lacked the impact that was expected. However, the VFX did not have the authenticity & at times, reminded me of the scenes happening within a swimming pool / warehouse. 

It is a Jr NTR show & he has done a fine job as the protagonist be it in the action or emotional segments. However, the second role was written poorly and the same applies to Saif as well who did have the appearance and performance for it. None of the rest of the cast deserves a mention as they did not have anything significant to do.

Verdict: Apparently, it is going strong at the box office but for me, it falls well short of expectations!!!

Rating: 1.5/5

Regards...Ben

 

Kishkindha Kaandam: "Slow burner that keeps getting engaging by the minute!!!"

When I first heard about the title of Dinjith Ayyathan's "Kishkindha Kaandam", it reminded me of the Ramayana series that I had watched in Doordarshan decades back. This episode of the epic marked the meeting of Rama with Hanuman and the tale of the vanar brothers (Bali & Sugriva). In the case of this flick, Dinjith has staged his story in Kallepathi where there is a significant population of monkeys who co-exist with the humans in the region. Apart from the title being interesting, the story was even more engaging as it kept me hooked onto it until the very end. So much so, it is likely to stay with you for some time even after it concludes. 

In response to the upcoming elections, the code of conduct mandated arms license holders to deposit their weapons at the nearest police station. However, even until the last day the pistol that belonged to the retired military officer, Appu Pilla (Vijayaraghavan) was not deposited. The authorities brought it to the attention of his son, Ajayan (Asif Ali), a forest officer who had recently tied the knot a second time to Aparna (Aparna Balamurali). It soon becomes evident that the pistol was missing & a couple of untowardly incidents in the vicinity, raised alarm bells as to whether it was in the possession of anti-social elements. In the meantime, the behaviour & attitude of her grumpy father-in-law raised concerns in Aparna & she decides to find out the reason for his alienating attitude with everyone including his own son. 

This is Dinjith's second directorial venture after "Kakshi Amminippilla" which was a pretty decent movie that also had Asif & Vijayaraghavan in its cast. In his latest release, he has joined hands with Bahul Ramesh who apart from being the DoP has penned an absolutely engaging script. The manner in which Bahul slowly reveals the characters and the meaning of their actions is reminiscent of peeling of an onion. They have made sure that the audience is kept interested by restricting the use of red herrings & also without spoon feeding them with details like in the form of flash backs or elaborate dialogues. In a way, it gave me the vibe of Sanu Varghese's "Aarkkariyam" while the story as such had a soul of its own. Kudos to Dinjith for having crafted it extremely well & for his smart choices when it came to the cast & crew, both of whom have complemented his efforts. 

Apart from the impressive script, Bahul's cinematography was also on point & Sooraj E.S made sure the transitions were smooth though I would rate Mujeeb Majeed's BGM a tad higher as it perfectly blended with the mood. Coming to performances, Vijayaraghavan was brilliant in his body language as it essayed the various shades of his character. Giving him perfect company was Asif who impressed in all aspects as it was a character that dealt with a great deal of emotional turmoil. Aparna's character literally represents us & she has done complete justice to their role. Jagadish as usual in recent times impresses while Ashokan & the rest have done their parts aptly.

Verdict: Undoubtedly, one of the best screenplays in recent times which is backed by excellent performances!!!

Rating: 4/5

Regards...Ben

ARM: "A cracking half century by Tovino!!!"

It's Uthradam paachil time & as expected we have a plethora of movies hitting the screens this Onam. There are quite a few that I am definitely keen on watching with Jithin Laal's "Ajayante Randaam Moshanam" being prominent among them. The news about this flick has been in the media for the last few years & hence there were considerable expectations that surrounded its release. Mounted at a cost of almost 30C, it is Tovino Thomas's 50th movie & shot in 3D format. So how will it fare at the box office???

A couple of centuries back, a meteorite had hit Haripuram & the Edakkal King (Madhupal) had a powerful deity in the form of a lamp (Chyyoti Vilakku) forged from it & had it set in his palace. A couple of years later, the King had to request the help of Kunjikelu (Tovino), a mighty warrior to settle the unrest in his region. In return, he was rewarded with the lamp that he had asked for, so as to return it to his village that it belonged to. In the present timeline (set in the 1990s), Ajayan was an electrician who led a honest living, but had to suffer from constant harassment as he was the grandson of Maniyan, the infamous thief who had terrorized the people during his time. To make matters worse, Ajayan found himself in a situation that would essentially brand him as a thief as well. Will he able to free himself from this tangle???

In terms of what genre it belongs to, it can be said to be an amalgamation of  action, drama, magical realism and folklore. The core theme of the story penned by Sujith Nambiar is the menace of caste discrimination that continues to persist to this day & the need for social justice. A classic example of that menace is the video from Lalbaugcha Raja which I presume most of you would have seen over the past day or so, where the Ganesh Chaturthi festivities took place and the evident difference in the treatment meted out to the elite and commoners was evident. Anyway coming back to the movie, . Jithin's vision & the command over his craft in building the world that Sujith had created with the non-linear narration & interweaving of the various periods was praise worthy. 

On the technical side, it was pretty much top notch in most of the departments be it the cinematography, action choreography, BGM & the music. The moment I saw that Jomon T John was the DoP, I was sure that it would be spot on & as expected, his visuals were exquisite. Dhibu Ninan Thomas's BGM was good while the music blended with the narration. The action choreography by Vikram Mor & Phenix Prabhu was impressive while the VFX/CGI work was neatly done.

This is undoubtedly one of Tovino's best performances ever especially the part where he portrayed the part of Maniyan. The attention to body language, expressions & dialogue delivery was precise as it made all the three characters distinct from each other. Surabhi Lakshmi is a proven talented artist though the opportunities that she had been offered has been far & few. Kudos to the makers for casting her as she impressed in the brief role & perfectly complemented Maniyan's character. Krithi Shetty has done her parts well with Mamitha Baiju deserving praise for her dubbing. The rest of the cast include Basil, Jagadeesh, Harish Uthaman etc., all of whom have done their parts well.

Verdict: It is certainly a movie that deserves to be watched on the big screen as the production quality & Tovino's performance makes it completely worthwhile.

Rating: 3.5/5

Regards...Ben

The Goat, Saripodhaa Sanivaaram: "Action entertainers that produces different results!!!"

This weekend saw Venkat Prabhu's "The Goat" being released which is undoubtedly one of the most awaited releases of the year.  As I have been a fan of Venkat's movies, I was eager to check it out especially since he was an expert when it came to blending in humour with action. Apart from this, I had also watched Vivek Athreya's "Saripodhaa Sanivaaram" as I was told good things about it. So did both the action entertainers manage to keep me engaged???

The Goat: "Expected much more from Venkat!!!"

With Vijay having announced that he would be drawing curtains on his acting career owing to his foray into politics, the expectations that surrounded the release of his penultimate flick was much higher than usual. From the trailer itself it was evident that Vijay was in a dual role & the question was whether the story & screenplay that Venkat had penned in the company of Gunasekaran, Manivannan, Chandru & Balasubramaniyam was credible enough to warrant such a decision.

The movie unfolds in Kenya where the Special Anti Terrorism Squad led by Gandhi (Vijay) were hot on the heels of Rajiv Menon (Mohan), their former chief who was charged with treason. Their mission concluded with the retrieval of uranium, that Rajiv unlawfully possessed & his possible death in the bomb blast that was set off. This was followed by another mission to Bangkok where Gandhi decided to take his family as well as part of holiday but it was a trip that changed their lives forever.

Without mincing words, I would have to admit that forget being the greatest, it is undoubtedly one of the weakest movie in Venkat's filmography. The first half was quite decent as it does have its moments with both humour and action both ticking the right boxes. However, after both the father & son come face to face, instead of having an inspired storyline, it is relegated to a very predictable plot despite a couple of twists. Except for one of the twist, none of the rest managed to arouse my curiosity. Obviously there are sequences where Venkat does a hat tilt to many popular pop culture references, but even as a fan boy worship, it failed to reach those levels. Another major let down of the technical aspects in general which to be frank was quite mediocre at times be it the tribute sequence in the beginning, the climax portions etc., to name a few. Though the visuals were decent, the music department on the whole be it the BGM or the songs from Yuvan Shankar Raja was extremely average and lacked the ability to enhance the impact of the scenes. 

Despite the drawbacks in the making, I felt that Vijay did a a fine job as the protagonist especially the elder version though his dialogue delivery could have been better while the younger version at times lacked the consistency. Kudos to Ayaz Khan for a fine performance in bringing out the apt body language for the younger Vijay. Both Prashanth & Prabhu Deva did a decent job while Jayaram, Sneha & Ajmal supported well in the limited screen time that they had. Mohan was a pathetic choice as the antagonist since the character was neither written well nor adequately performed. 

Verdict: Undoubtedly, one of the weakest in Venkat's filmography!!!

Rating: 2/5

Saripodhaa Sanivaaram: "Quite an interesting storyline & treatment!!!"

It's been quite a while since I had watched a Telugu movie & when Vivek Athreya latest release hit the screens about a fortnight back, I didnt give it much of a thought. However, later on when I started to hear good things about it & noticed that the star cast had Nani & S.J Suryah, I thought to give it a try & would have to admit that it did interest me.

As I haven't watched any of Vivek's earliest movies, I am not versed with his writing or film making craft. In this flick, he has penned about the protagonist, Surya (Nani) who used to vent out his anger for literally any petty issue. Eventually, his mother advises him of a method to vent his anger to matters that are truly relevant & to do so on one day of the week which happened to be Saturday. The latest matter that came to his attention was the atrocities that CI Dayanand (S.J Suryah) was inflicting on the people of Sokulapalem. So what was the reason behind all this & how was it going to be resolved???

On the whole, it comes across as a typical action masala entertainer but it has quite an interesting storyline with a liberal sprinkling of humour. At the same time, it touches upon some social messages in a subtle manner. The backstories of both Nani & SJ's characters are established properly, before their conflict take centre stage. Obviously, he tries to pack in a lot towards the end & some of that could have been trimmed off. On the technical side, Jakes Bejoy has done a praise worthy job while Murali G's choice of colour tone and visuals were impressive as well.

Whenever I have watched Nani's movies, I have always him to be quite authentic to the character that he portrayed & the same applies here as well. As for S J Suryah, he is a dynamite on screen especially when it comes to exposing eccentricities & his distinctive dialogue delivery is a delight at many instances. Abhirami was impressive while Sai Kumar, Priyanka Mohan & Aditi Balan did their parts aptly.

Verdict: Despite the long run time, it still manages to keep us invested in the flick. In short, give it a try!!!

Rating: 2.5/5

Regards...Ben

Vishesham, Level Cross, Secret, Adios Amigo: "Decent fare on offer!!!"

Over the past couple of months, there has been a plethora of movies that hit the screens and none of them have quite managed to get the box office ringing. At the same time, the news has been predominantly about off screen activities that has captured more headlines. Anyway the following are my opinion about some of the movies that had released in July-August.

Vishesham: "This vishesham does provide us with a smile!!!"

The word 'vishesham' is an oft used word in different context. However, whenever it is mentioned usually by a relative to a couple, it essentially means only one thing & I presume you would have guessed what it would be for. Anyway, Sooraj Tom decided to call the shots on that topic that Anand Madhusoodhanan had penned in which he had also donned the role of the protagonist. 

After a failed marriage that ended on the first night itself, Shiju (Anand) was reluctant to be drawn into another relationship. However, when he met up with Sajitha (Chinnu Chandni), a police constable who had also gone through a similar situation; they decided to give their lives a second chance. Both of them led a happy and contented life, until questions start to arise regarding having a family. The challenges that both of them face on the face of societal pressure is what is explored in this flick. 

There are quite a few topics that are being touched upon such as relationship stereotypes along the lines of "Thamasha", societal pressure on having a kid, pregnancy treatments etc. They have opted for a feel good track & in that sense, I feel they have done a decent job even as we would have felt that more intense situations were required in some instances. The technical aspects were neatly done, though it does not warrant special mention. On the performance front, Chinnu was impressive, Anand was able to convincingly portray the emotions of an ordinary guy though his portrayal at times felt like a caricature, while the rest of the cast were ok. 

Verdict: A neatly crafted feel good movie with decent performances makes it an enjoyable one time watch!!!

Rating: 2.5/5

Level Cross: "Interesting psychological thriller that lacks the punch!!!"

When the promos of Arfaz Ayub's directorial debut was beamed on YouTube,  I was keen to check it out primarily coz of Asif Ali's make over & the fact that it had just three main characters with the movie being shot predominantly in Tunisia. The movie unfolds in a parched deserted land that seemed miles away from any sort of civilization where Raghu (Asif Ali) was the gate keeper at a level cross where trains turned up only occasionally. Into his uneventful life, Chaitali (Amala Paul) turned up after having been discovered in an unconscious state next to the tracks. Apparently, she had jumped off the train to escape from her toxic husband, Zinjo (Sharafudeen). In due course of time, both of them warmed up to each other as they noticed a similar trait in their stories. But were they indeed telling the truth???

There is no doubt that Arfaz's script had an intriguing feel to it as the slow burner takes its time to steadily reveal the plot. The back stories of each of these characters were interesting though the dialogues lacked the punch and on the whole, it had an underwhelming feel to it. Kudos to Appu Prabhakar's frames & Vishal Chandrashekhar's BGM, both of which were crucial for the mood of the movie. 

In recent times, Asif's choice of movies & performance has been praise worthy & as the unkempt rugged Raghu, it reminded me of his act in "Ordinary". However, he has moved far ahead in terms of his skill set over here and produced one of his career best performance. Both Amala & Sharaf have done their parts well, though their dialogue delivery at times lacked authenticity.

Verdict: It is a slow burner & expectedly didn't find much takers at the box office. However, it is still worth a watch & might get more audience on OTT.

Rating: 2.5/5

Secret: "No secret that it was pathetic!!!"

There is no doubt that SN Swamy is one of our most  celebrated scenarist & hence when he decided to don the cape of a director for the first time, it made headlines. However, a couple of days after the release of this flick, SN Swamy made a statement that there was a concerted effort from some quarters to tarnish his movie. To be brutally honest, it was mediocre to say the least.

The movie unfolds with Midhun (Dhyan Sreenivasan) & his friends making a trip to Thanjavur to attend the wedding of their buddy. During their time over there, they happen to meet an astrologer who was of the opinion that his horoscope denied Midhun of being married. This puts him in distress as his wedding with Shreya (Ardra Mohan) was already fixed. But was this prediction indeed true & was there any way to change his fate???

According to SN Swamy's script there is a chance to change the fate by making a potpourri of various topics such as synchronicity, entropy, thermodynamics with a dash of psychology courtesy of noted psychiatrist Carl Jung. There is no problem to touch upon such topics as long as one has a fair idea how to weave a creative thread from it. This is exactly where the movie faltered as it turned out to be nothing than a verbal diarrhoea without any sense of coherence. None of the technical aspects deserves special mention while Dhyan Sreenivasan, Aparna Das & Gregory Jacob did what was possible from their side.

Verdict: By the end of the movie, Dhyan's character manage to save six people but Swamy will struggle to find as many people who would genuinely like his flick!!!

Rating: 1/5

Adios Amigo: "Performances just about manages to salvage it !!!"

After having worked in a plethora of moves as Assistant Director, Nahas Nazar finally made his directorial debut with "Adios Amigo". The main reason as to why I was interested to watch this movie was that the script was penned by Thankam, who had also worked on "Kettiyolane Ente Maalaakha" which was a movie that I had really enjoyed. Incidentally both of them had worked together on that project which was headlined by Asif Ali, who is also the protagonist here along with Suraj Venjaramoodu. 

Priyan (Suraj) struggled to make ends meet & his track record of failing to repay debts on time, meant it was always going to be a struggle especially in the case of an emergency. It so happened that such a scenario arose when his mother had to be admitted for a medical emergency & he ran from pillar to pillar to settle the expenses. Eventually, one of his friends agreed to help him & he was asked to wait for him at the Vytilla hub. This is where he met Prince (Asif), a carefree perpetually intoxicated guy from an affluent & influential background who seemed to spent money on random people. Both of them got acquainted & Priyan decided to stick on with him in the hope that Prince might be able to help with his financial struggles. 

In terms of the story as such, I felt that it was quite fragile as nothing much happens after we are introduced to both the characters. There is a sense of mystery to Asif's character as to why he had this bindaas attitude, concern for his ex-lover etc. But as the character is revealed in due course of time, it literally had nothing much to it & failed to make us empathize for the character if that was the intention of the makers. On the other hand, Suraj's character did manage to create more of an impact though it was a surprise as to why he preferred to not disclose his need for so long. At the same time, I would not say that it tested my patience & the credit for that goes to the performances. On the technical side, Jakes Bejoy's BGM and Jimshi Khalid's cinematography were fine.

Both Asif & Suraj have done justice to their respective roles and that is the main reason as to why this move works to a certain extent. The physical transformation that Asif brought to his character and his diction in the Thrissur slang was commendable. Suraj's emotional scenes in the latter half was impressive & the duo generates some genuine laughs. Anagha appeared in a brief role & did her part well.

Verdict: With a script with not much content & still running for a significant amount of time, it seemed like a recipe for disaster. However, decent performances from the protagonists somewhat managed to evade that!!!

Rating: 2.25/5

Regards...Ben