Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani

What is it all about?

Boasting a sensational cast that includes B-town's most hot and desirable Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone, the year's most awaited and hyped love story is a glossy, feel good mesh up of love, youth and relationship done with panache where Ranbir and Deepika sizzle the screen on fire with their superb chemistry making the audience fall in love with this ode to friendship, love, life, youth, and self revelation.

The Story

Writer director Ayan Mukherjee in his second after the inspiring Wake Up Sid starts this by the voice over of Naina(Deepika Padukone) a simpleton who remembers her eight year old past where she entered into a different world away from her books and studies in the mountains of Manali and Himalayas on a crazy track trip where she bumps into her school mate Bunny(Ranbir Kapoor) a popular happy go lucky type an instant charmer and his two 'deadly' friends Aditi(Kalki Kochin)and Avi(Aditya Roy Kapoor) where they discover themselves, then love in all the craziness.

They all meet again this time at the marriage of Aditi, now situations, priorities have changed.. Will the 'Badtameez Dil' remain the same..

What To Look Out For

Ayan Mukherjee in his second feature after Wake Up Sid proves that he sensibly observes his characters studies them and then introduces to us.. There is a high degree of connection between the characters of YJHD and the audience.. be it Naina, Bunny, Aditi, Avi all these people stumble in and out of trouble, very much like  us.. Sometimes they are knowledgeable; sometimes they are innocent in their relationships.

The characters seems to grow and transform as the film progress.. Ayan tells us the story in a stylishly tender way bringing gentleness, warmth and lightheartedness to the film. The camaraderie between the friends is tremendous and the chemistry between Rambir and Deepika is piping hot..

YHHD in the beginning seems to be designed for the young at heart but as it progresses it makes certain statements on the choices we make and the path we take for our dreams which many times comes at a cost of a dear one and while doing so Ayan smartly balances the whole adage on screen with popular elements of dance and masti where Pritam Chakraborty does a commendable job with the extremely peppy 'Badtamez Dil', and 'Delhi wali girl friend'.. great job.

Hussain Dalal dialogues are easy with a dash of humour. .. V. Manikandan's cinematography is simply amazing it's a treat to the eye and the shots of Himalayas are sheer poetry. Akiv Ali editing is brilliant. Production values are exceptional.

Coming to performance Ranbir Kapoor is simply outstanding as Bunny.. he is energetic, exuberant, innocent, charming, maturity.. Roackstar, Barfi and now YJHD.. the appetite of this marvelous talent increases film after film.

Deepika Padukone is simply superb. Adding more glass (read class) to her repertoire the actress shows her tremendous growth from Love Aaaj Kaal, Cocktail to YJHD where she excels in her part with remarkable poise and grace.

Aditya Roy Kapoor is brilliant. He impressed all of us with Aashiqui 2 and with his performance in YJHD he seems to be saying that he is never going to look back.

Kalkie is wonderful and seems to be enjoying her role to the fullest. Farooq Shaikh plays Ranbir's father and he again proves why he is such a good actor. Tanvi Azmi is fine. Kunal Roy Kapur does his part very well. Dolly Ahluwalia is good. Evelyn Sharma is beautiful. Rana Daggubati makes his presence felt in his small cameo.

And last but not the least 'Ghagra' number reminds that Madhuri Dixit Nene can be 'Maardaala' at her will.

What Not

The second half is laid back and takes it own time. Wake Up Sid had more depth in its coming of age angle.

Conclusion : smitten by Ranbir and Deepika's charm and their electrifying chemistry YJHD is an enjoyable, youth centric,  feel good, roller coaster ride of love, friendship and relationship.. A must mast watch.

Kuttipuli

The last movie before the summer vacation is here folks and after some recursive promotion and a lot of hype n hoopla the movie has hit the theatres today. Sasikumar and Lakshmi menon, both fresh from their success in Sundarapandian reprise their chemistry, thanks to the director Mutthiah. Village centric movies have always been Sasikumar's strength and this will be yet another movie in that genre. Ghibran of Vaagai Sooda Va fame is crooning music and Production by Village theatres and the distribution rights have been grabbed by Red Giants, with Sun pictures presenting this movie. So let's take our magnifying glasses to see what this movie about.

The Small Tiger:

Sasikumar's role is quite nostalgic as we have seen him many a time portray the angry lad who spares no hair when it comes to injustice. Well then again this is another story with a lot of mother-son sentiment niched into. The film is set in and around the vibrant towns of Sriveliputur and Rajapalayam has Sasikumar who plays Kuttipuli an honest son of a father who gave up his life for avenging a girl's abuse, and the son takes up his Dad's legacy and continues doing that. Saranya is a heartfelt mother who wants her son to stay out of all this ruckus and lead a serene life. But it's easier said than done when it comes to Kuttipuli, who is also affectionately called as "Puli".

Now, enters the new damsel (Lakshmi Menon) in the town with all the flimflam and usual "figure" worship song, which is a little more portrayal than we could have imagined. As we could imagine, a flower without a swarm of bees is nothing and so is Bharathi (Lakshmi). She has a whale of Romeo's trying to win her heart, however after a series of mix ups and all the Samaritan work from Puli's store makes her fall in love. The screenplay piling up to these scenes are pretty good and they move up quite stealthily.

Elsewhere a Silambatam match breaks out into a haphazard fight between Puli and a local gang; the events turn out to become a bloodbath after the goons beat Puli up pretty badly. Post the trauma and pain, will Puli avenge his pride? What happens to Bharathi's love? Can Puli lead a normal life that his mother always wanted to? The rest of plot unveils with all these questions answered.

What's right and what's not:

For starters, the director's outright intention of making a movie from a personal real life character he happened to know is pretty appreciable and Sasi kumar has done a decent job out of it. Be it comedy, or sentiment, Sasikumar has grown as an actor to live up to the director's intent well enough. Comedy by the team from a Tamil TV channel vibes well in the first half.

Ask anyone in Kollywood as who is the best "mom" type character and hands down the answer is Saranya, and she is at her usual best. Sasi plays the perfect son and the bond between them is director's special. The climax is a revelation of all sorts with some emotional ending, though defying logic does gives a sense of sentimental finish. All said somewhat a stereotypical feel from Sasi and Saranya oozes out into our minds, as their character is almost reminiscent of so many of their own films.

All said, the violence in the movie is quite unwanted and a lot of blood bath could've been avoided As for the background score, which was very average jarring the emotional scenes and the songs did not live up to the expectation as well. The visualization of the songs was nothing special to hit a nail in the memory. Another big letdown will be the punch dialogues, which quite did not match the hero every time he quotes for "Kuttipuli".

The movie could've been a clean family outing if not for the violence scenes, and all said the screenplay lacks the pace in the second half with some stingy scenes not quite connecting well. Lakshmi menon though fresh and charming, her role is more like an extended cameo with songs clubbed to.

Ishkq In Paris

What is it all about?

Pretty Priety Zinta turns producer with 'Ishkq in Paris' which is finally seeing the light of the day.. Priety's debut as a producer is beautiful and picturesque as the ever lovely Paris but the movie helmed by Prem Soni who also directed the disastrous Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor starrer Main Aurr Mrs Khanna (the 2009 Diwali bomber), Prem seems to be so overwhelmed with the city that he makes his camera fall in love with Paris but while doing so he forgets to peep into the audience heart and wink for a charming new love story for Bollywood.

The Story

Prem along with his producer Preity appears to be suffering from some Imtiaz Ali syndrome from Love Aaaj Kaal where two Ajnabee Akash (Rhehan Malliek) and Ishkq (Preity Zinta) both non believers in the institution of love meet on a train from Rome to Paris, end up spending the evening together in the romantic city. The cupid doesn,t strike.. they drink, the  do make mock movies, they share their disturbing past but still...

The two part ways the next morning without a proper goodbye. Ishkq, being the strong-headed independent girl, moves on, while coming back to London Akash ends up falling for Ishkq. A friend's marriage makes them cross paths once again and we see our dear Salman Khan in full form making Ishkq dance to his bollywood tunes by that time Akash is in love with Ishkq who just can,t accept the proposal due to her parents' divorce when she was seven. Finally she says yes ties the knot.. and yes we do see that Punjabi wedding in the end.. so predictable...

What to look out for

Prem Soni makes Paris looks so beautiful, charming and loving making you falling in love with the city again and again. Cameramen Manush Nandan does a marvelous job. Priety looks good and carries the entire film on her shoulders.. She does a good job. Salman Khan pleases everyone with his delightful cameo.

What not

Prem Soni story telling is tedious, the moments are there but it fails to charm the viewers as the writer director just couldn,t not establish the lead characters for the audience who fail to identify with them. The chemistry between Priety and Rehan is ice cold.. the pair fails to beat the heat.. Priety is a photographer her mom played by the firang Isabelle Adjani (no comments) is an actress but who is this Rehan and what sort of an agent is he who can afford overnight trips from London and Paris at his will. First of all Rehan opposite Preity was a bad choice. Sajid Wajid music further adds to boredom while one watches the film.  Its not at all an offence to be suffering from Imtiaz Ali syndrome who himself is subscribed to the belief of Chupke Chupke or Roman Holiday in a way.. but he does it with smart twist adding great Indian ethos (Jab We Met, Love Aaj Kaal).. here Prem as a director and more as a writer fails terribly.. even the dialogues are pale and uninspiring without any link and connection to the characters.

Conclusion: Ishkq in Paris never posed itself as a game changer in Bollywood rom coms but certainly it could have been developed as a decent sweet love story for those who believe and for those who want to believe in Love but alas Prem Soni's 'Ishkq in Paris' the cupid just couldn,t strike for the audience... Priety's double comeback after Heroes (2008) as an actress and debut as a producer only manages to be a lovely postcard of the world's most romantic city 'Paris' you can see it, admire the beauty but can,t 'feel' it....

Aurangzeb

What is it all about

From Dad Ki Maruti to papa ki gaddhi (read throne) YRF ode to fatherhood continues this time with their current favourite Arjun Kapoor with 'Aurangzeb' a baffled action drama helmed by first timer Atul Sabharwal who is guilty of making the film struggle to find its true successor as he shifts the genre from crime thriller to mobster drama without checking on the emotional connect which is most of the time low even after having a snaky script.

The Story

Thank god in this year of remixes writer director Atul Sabharwal doesn,t pays his tribute to Don or Trishul as it was rumored. Atul Sabharwal in Aurangzeb (meaning successor to the throne) adds almost every aspects (read masala) that can make a hit bollywood action drama..  Aurangzeb has policeman, gangster, politicians, brokers, businessman, father son relationship, mother son relationship, brother sister relationship all half baked in this story where Yashwardhan (Jackie Shroff) posing as a sahriff aadmi runs a parallel world, a world where he is the Emperor. When Vishal (Arjun Kapoor) is planted in Yashwardhan's world in place of Ajay (Arjun Kapoor), the lawmakers (Rishi Kapoor and Prithviraj) roll the dice and a sequence of events unravel something much more than what Vishal bargained for, as he finds himself in a predicament that puts him to test.

What to look out for

The tagline the crux of the film the idea which says 'Apne, Sapno Se Bade Hote Hai' is good. Fathers and sons, and the uneasy bonds between them, receives some solace at the end in this film. The script is snaky enough for a potential action packed gripper.

The performances are the major highs here where Arjun Kapoor who is lucky to be in the list of those legends like Dev Sahab, Dilip Kumar, Mr. Bachchan, Rajesh Khanna, SRK, Mithun doing a double role so early in his second outing.. Arjun's sober version attracts more attention the gangster boy part seems to be an extension of his debut 'Ishaqzaade'... certainly he is a talent to look out for and for him it's just beginning.

Rishi Kapoor excels in his grey shades and again throws a debate.. why during his prime he was not considered and looked upon beyond a chocolate hero.

Prithviraj is earnest and looks in complete command. Jackie is fine. Amrita Singh is okay. Tanvi Azmi does well.

Technicalities are fine. Production values are upto mark.

What not

Well directing crime series on tv and making a crime thriller is a different ball game all together and Atul Sabharwal just couldn't get it right after the initial impression. Even after having a script with satisfying twists the helmer is so relaxed in this outing that the viewer gets disinterested in the proceedings and fails to feel for the characters.. with so many solid emotions in the plot like greed, dream, ambition, aspiration, jealousy, love, sacrifice lost, gain.. Atul leisurely pace robs the movie and the audience from this emotions..  poor execution. Not done with this Atul wastes talents like Deepti Naval, Anupam Kher, Swara Bhaskar, Sikander Berry and what was the point of having Sasha Aagha.. Amartya Rahut music adds to the disappointment.

Conclusion: Aurangzeb was a potential game changer for those who are involved but it goes horribly wrong. Even worse the idea had decent twists in its tale and involved almost every feature of potential bollywood hit.. but alas the helmer couldn,t read.. what a miss..

The Great Gatsby

What is it all about?

Warner Brothers and the celebrated Baz Luhrmann no doubt get ambitious in turning jazzy, flashy and glittering in their adaptation of the Fitzgerald novel (fourth one in hollywood movie history) which is drop dead spectacular in vision which intoxicates your mind but fails to take your breath away as the heart doesn,t pound to the level as Luhrmann's over enthusiasm to please his dazzling 'broadband' fanaticisms ends up in stealing those matters of 'heart' that concerns..

 The Story

Based on F. Scott Fitzgerald novel by the same name Baz Luhrmann and Craig Pearce start from wannabe writer Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) narrating this story set in the 1920's where America was loosening morals, in the company of bootleg kings with sky-rocketing stocks.  Nick had left Midwest and landed in New York City to chase his own American Dream.

Nick stays in a rented house next to a mysterious, party-giving millionaire, Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio), and across the bay from his cousin, Daisy (Carey Mulligan), and her philandering, blueblooded husband, Tom Buchanan (Joel Edgerton).

Nick is lured into this world of Gatsby who has 'something' about him.. Gatsby frequently throws loud parties where movie stars, politicians, athletes and all rich and the famous of the town coming to have a time of their life.

Nick soon finds out that Gatsby who always had 'something' about him and the mysterious ways how he got all the wealth once knew Daisy...

Rest is a mix of love lost and gain compelled by personal ambition and the great American dream..

What to look out for

It needs guts to even think of transforming America's widely read novel into screen in a 'fashion' like this.. Baz Luhrmann gets all the credit for this visualization..  he is just superb in what he is famous for.Turning the screen into a great damn broadband theatre with all the Jazz.. like Moulin Moulin Rouge!.. apart from showing us the parties of the rich and famous Baz Luhrmann does succeeds in giving us some gem of moments like the peeping Gatsby from a window and the introduction Nick to the mysterious smiling Gatsby at his high profile party is just brilliant.. Leonardo  Di Caprio is in complete command. The high tea sequence is just amazing. Tobey Maguire supports well. And yes the magnificent Mr. Amitabh Bachchan's most awaited Hollywood debut is amazing.. he is superb and steals the show in whatever time he gets.

Baz Luhrmann makes his technicians work overtime for fulfilling his broadband passion.. the production values are out of this world.

What not

Oh Boy.... You just missed some emotional connection.... Old sport... did 'Australia' just happened Mr Luhrmann....

Baz Luhrmann flashiness steals the movie's emotional thunder.. the director who dared by using his over the top pop culture technique  to sync the Shakespeare classic Romeo and Juliet in the 90's culture with Romeo + Juliet and became a favorite.. 'Australia' was high on drama and emotion which changed the general perception of Luhrmann to be a broadband devotee...  but here Luhrmann and his screenplay partner Craig Pearce are guilty of not making the viewers feel for the characters..  the great impact made at the introduction of Gatsby to Nick doesn,t go any further..  the movie moves at an uneven pace and fails to register the required space. No matter how gorgeous the images turn out to be on screen but Luhrmann fails to make us go back to the 1920's.. the 3D effect works as a spoiler as the parties turn repetitive. The music is good while listening but doesn,t gel with the narrative and comes suddenly. Unfortunately Carey Mulligan as Daisy was a bad choice same for Joel Edgerton as his husband Tom Buchanan.

Conclusion: The Great Gatsby was a challenge daringly taken by Luhrmann who proved his credentials with 'Australia' and as not just a sheer worshipper of Jazz. The novel which had all the ingredients for a for a great movie experience riding on solid emotions like ambition, love, mystery, jealously, lost, gain and hope.. but alas sometimes you just can,t get away with your first love and Luhrmann falls prey to his love for over the top extravagance which in all its glittery and sparkle fail to capture the 'green light' for Luhrmann, his cinema and Hollywood as a whole. Anyways.. Decaprio and Luhrmann lovers will lap it up while Mr.Bachchan's followers might peep in for his Hollywood debut which may swell Warners business prospects in this part of the world.

Kallapetty

It is true that we live in an age of brokers. We have brokers for marriage,  investment, used cars etc. But thanks to director Ra Ra we have found one more niche broker : he introduces us to a broker bartender who  mediates over 'cutting'.  ( For the uninitiated, cutting' is when two strangers pool their money in a bar and share the booze). That is the only time when you marvel 'eppadi ellam yosikarangapa'. Other than that the film spins a story that takes a predictable turn everywhere.

Yogi is a carefree young man, who hangs out with his friend mostly, and spends a little time trying to be a two bit broker, for everything from real estate to eggs of a 'pon vandu'. His mother, a vegetable vendor,  has borrowed money from Dandapani (Namo Narayan) at usurious rates, and is at his mercy. He is the kind of guy who dreams of lakhs in commissions, but is lucky to get a couple of hundreds. Most of his time is spent drinking in the bar, and once after a 'cutting' session with a father he meets Jyothisha (Veni)  and Rosin (Bhoomika) and finds out that their mother died  after being victimized by the money and women crazy  Dandapani. The two girls make a living as 'dance girls'.  Jyothisha, who had been a sorrowful person slowly begins to find happiness in Yogi's company.

However, their happiness is short lived. Dandapani, who has a wife who is so accommodating that she not allows her husband to keep another woman, but also fetches him whoever he fancies.. and that is how Jyothisha ends up dancing for the usurer. The situation gets further complicated when Yogi beats up Dandapani's assistant who comes for collecting the due interest from his mother. A clever Dandapani files a police case, Yogi is arrested and questioned by Jayaprakash. Dandapani meanwhile delivers an ultimatum to Jyothisha to come to his room. You must be asking , Does Yogi clear his name? Does Jyothika fall prey to Danapani's vaillainy . We don't want to put down spoilers here, but don't go expecting surprises.

There are five songs, and Sabesh Murali has tried to do a good job. But the songs do not haunt you even after you leave the theatre. Jayaprakash and 'Black' Pandi have done a neat job. The three lead characters do an average job. Selvakumar's cinematography remind you of the 1990s, which is where the film too belongs. Editing is sleek and the film has a running time of around 90 minutes. Thank god for small mercies.

Karimedu

For a film that is centered around the brutal real life story of the infamous Dandapalya gang that wreaked havoc in and around Bangalore during the late 90s by slitting the throats of women before raping them, "Karimedu" at times walks on some really silly and (inadvertently) cliched terrains.

I walked into the theater without a reference point (it came to my knowledge only later that the film was in fact a dubbed version of the Kannada hit "Dandupalya") and while director Srinivas Raju does deserve a fair bit of credit for touching upon a really sensitive topic; particularly at a time when the entire nation has its arms up in fury and protest with regards to what happened in Delhi, "Karimedu" doesn't really work well as a feature film.

From the get go, poor dialogues (perhaps lost in translation) accompany the narration. To save time, the film literally opens with the police character narrating the film's plot to the villains while interrogating them.

The characters are forcefully thrust onto the screen, without any back story or explanation regarding their motivations whatsoever. We are introduced to the world of these evil "mirugams" who stalk, capture and kill their prey on a continued cycle. It makes for an interesting premise, no doubt, but the very haphazard nature of the screenplay coupled with some abhorrent gore makes for a very difficult watch.

Indeed. For a good while now, cinema goers have been coerced (or influenced?) into believing that realism amounts to good cinema, which isn't exactly true. There is realism. And then there is plain nauseating. Unrestricted use of blood, sleaze and (Pig) meat only add to the repugnance.

The casting is alright, for the most part, even if the characterizations aren't. We are to accept that Makarand Deshpande is a terrifying rapist because of the eyelashes; and that Pooja Gandhi is all bad because she smokes a beedi and carries a Pig on her back. That's fine.

It's almost as if even the film isn't sure of what it exactly is, often fluctuating between a (needless) love story and the Inspector's fairly fruitless pursuit of the villains, which are both interweaved within the "rape" episodes.

It gets to a stage where the rapists become so central to the story, that we are almost being egged on to root for them. The slow motion shots of these men walking away from their victims like Reservoir Dogs would testify to this claim.

And speaking of testifying, how apt that such a film should end in Tamil Cinema's age old and favorite "court scene"?

We have the evidence. We have the criminals, and we have the proof. But no. It is only the long, exasperating speech about righteousness and justice from the cop that will convince the Judge to give out a fair and favorable sentence and cause an uprising amongst the (till then quiet) public.

For a film that has mutilated bodies and bloodshed galore, the only time I freaked out was at the final shot which alludes at the possibility of a sequel.

Oru Nadigayin Diary

Even after her demise, she is the darling of the masses! During her time, she was portrayed as a demi God of seductive acting, and now after these many years, her life is being depicted across in different languages. After Vidhya Balan's "Dirty Picture" here comes Kollywood's own version of Silk Smitha's story and the tag line of the movie screams aloud as "This is as it is version of her story". And why not, the screen writer is Kaloor Dennis, who has been writing more than ten of her films in the past. Directed by Anil the movie has Sana Khan donning the role of Silk Smitha, and the supporting cast includes Suresh Krishna, Arvind and Subin.

A Page out of the Diary:

As said, there are many versions of Silk's story and this is yet another girl coming from very na�ve backgrounds to reach the top. Sanakhan is Pongkodi an orphan brought up by her Step mother, portrayed by Shanthi Williams. Through the hardships of life, she crawls and her life gets a U turn after she grabs the attention of a director who takes her to the city. He introduces her to one of the movies, which turns out to be a blockbuster thanks to her. She is christened as Sumitha and that's when the climb to stardom weaves out.

Now Suresh Krishna is a millionaire businessman better known as RK. Sumitha falls in love with him crazily and slowly enough the couple get together as predicted. The movie flows enough predictably and the businessman slows puts the immense confidence on business and his all other personal commitments on her. Life is smooth for Sumitha as she settles down in one of his sprawling houses with luxury never a problem.

All hell breaks loose when RK's son Subin also falls heads over heels on Sumitha. The lad is just in his college, and the vivacity of Silk's is no match for his feelings, and he tries to grab her attention. When the millionaire comes to know of this, the plot unveils something surprising and the tale gets the much required grip.

Good and Bad:

To compare this movie with Vidhya Balan's "Dirty Picture", apart from the unfathomable oomph factor in both the movies, Oru Nadigayin Diary has a decent narration, thanks to the director. Though he screenplay is sluggish and you might wonder a lot of oomph from Sana, well this is Silk's movie.  Music is nothing to take notice of, with just whiskers of instruments, so is the background hardly ear catching.

Sana deserves a bit of appreciation for her role in this movie, as to take up and depict a bombshell of yesterday requires a lot of research and hard work; she manages to pass the litmus test. She oozes the dynamism pretty well and as usual the movie is full of ah's and oh's not to forget. However when you see her in distress in the early stages of the movie, it's like a sexy siren bound for hardship and doesn't even fit the scenario. The cinematography is uncanny and a lot of zooming on private parts without any justification, the notion is simply induced to showcase Silk's glamour quotient.

Screenplay falls behind by a long way with losing steam in places, clearly missing the train by a long way. An honest attempt no doubt, however it misses the wow factor that Silk's movie used to deliver those days. At the end of the day, it fails to make a complete impression, with only delivering the intention in places.

 

Masani

Tamil cinema has continuously churned out religious supernatural films to cater to the sentiments of a large section of the masses, predominately the womenfolk. Sri Green Productions’ Masani provides yet another offering for that specific market.

During an early part of the film, the young hero Akhil schools a bratty young girl, played by Sija Rose, about the simplicity and intelligence of the village-folk, clearly spelling out the film’s target audience. Masani’s story is centered around an unfinished idol of a deity that continues to haunt the town of Kalvadagam. While the idea attracts interest the nature in which it is exposed is rather taxing for the viewer.

A fair bit of the first half is spent detailing petty one-upmanship between a young pair, lengthy comedy sequences which are simply below par and a couple of songs that do nothing to compliment the narrative. Masani’s saving grace is definitely its established star cast that features the likes of Sarath Babu, Roja, Aadukalam Naren, Uma Padmanabhan, Mano Bala, Y.Gee.Mahendran and several other familiar faces. While they might not have been challenged by the characters that they portray they can do no wrong with their performances. In addition, their involvement does add more credibility to the project.

Masani also boasts of the re-entry of Ramky, and one must say it is nice to see him back! His role has scope for comedy, romance and action and he gives the impression that he’s picked up exactly from where he left off. The central character of the film is undoubtedly Iniya. Apart from possessing enchanting looks, the young lady continues to show that there’s no shortage of talent within her. But sadly for her this film may just slip under the radar despite delivering yet another strong performance. The other pair in the film, Akhil and Sija Rose, is just about adequate.

The production value of the film is quite decent with good camera work and follows all the usual cues required to creep out the audience from time to time. One feels that the scope of VFX in this film has been wasted with below par graphics when compared to the standards the audiences have been exposed to. Clocking at nearly 2 and half hours, the film certainly overstays its welcome and the engaging factor takes a beating. Composer Fazil has definitely put some effort into the songs and the BGM and it shows, even if it’s occasionally loud.

With no 3D factor to add value, Masani turns out to be a normal fare. The film could find acceptance with the B & C centre audience.

Neram

Neram widely publicized in online media acquired a fillip when Udhaynidhi Stalin’s Red Giant movies entered the fray to distribute it. A bilingual, made in Malayalam and Tamil, directed by newcomer Alphonse Putharen witnessed the release of the Malayalam version last week.

An opening Tarantino card with his famous quote ‘I steal from every movie made’, gives a feel that Neram might offer a different time at the movie hall. To add to it, a long line up of thank you notes also suggests that it might be an unusual ride that the audience would be subjected to. However what unfolds in a span of under two hours is a product that has its few bright moments but which are not powerful enough to tip the balance in Neram’s favor completely.

It is palpable that Alphonse Putharen had attempted to tell a story in a different manner but is successful only to certain extent. Sometimes the pretentiousness does get to you.

Good things happen to you if your time is good, otherwise, you suffer. And in life you are bound to be subjected to good and bad times. This is the premise around which Neram is woven. This universal truth could have been effectively used to narrate a story. However theme of the film alone is not sufficient enough to make an engaging tale. What matters is the form this theme takes on in terms of its characters, story elements and its overall presentation.

Nivin Pauly playing the role of Vetri is subjected to a torrent of mishaps and how the situations turn in the course of a single day forms the story of Neram. Alphonse has mildly touched upon ‘Chaos theory’ in the opening frames. That apart, Neram appears to be a short film that is stretched to a length of a feature film with quite a few slow-mo shots in the scheme of things.

Simha who was seen in Soodhu Kavvum does the role of a loan shark Vatti Raja and appears totally different and aggressive from his earlier role. But after a point, he gets repetitive. For R J Ramesh, his role as ‘Lighthouse’ is more of a cameo but is pivotal in its own way. Nivin Pauly finds it difficult to pull off few scenes that had the potency to showcase his talent. It’s only when the veterans like Thambi Ramiah and Nasser come in, the film takes on an engaging form.

The scenes involving Thambi Ramiah and John Vijay are easily the high points of the film and the dialogues by Pradeep in these scenes are the top of the pick. John Vijay sitting inside the lock-up in the police station as the station is getting painted results in some practical cheeky lines. His repartee when Thambi Ramiah who tries to boss over him evoke the necessary laughter. John Vijay sparkles here. Nazriya Nazim is sprightly but most of the scenes she is made to appear clueless of what’s happening around her.

When Nivin is robbed off his cash envelope, the ensuing chase is well conceptualized and a song placed there is a good touch. But the momentum that has been set in this scene is not maintained throughout. Rajesh Murugesan’s tracks don’t impede the flow of the film including the Pista track. It is interesting to note that Beethoven’s famous Für Elise is used at different speeds as BGM in scenes involving the chase of Lighthouse and gang which was aptly labeled as Thiruttu Isai! Anand Chandran’s deftness with camera was evident especially in the opening scenes with intentional shakes creating a suspense feel and a well handled color tone warrants mention.

With a premise that has the potency to engross the audience completely, Neram sparkles in bits and pieces. Intentions may be honest but execution could have been done with more finesse.

Go Goa Gone

Stoner films and movies based on zombies are an often seen and enjoyed genre in Hollywood. In India, due to stringent certification rules and the general conservative mindset among the audience, such films aren’t tried by our film-makers. But now, we have Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK presenting a zombie comedy (India's first zom-com as they say), backed by a brave producer in the form of Saif Ali Khan.

We have a typical trio of friends, roommates and colleagues - Luv, Hardik and Bunny. Bunny is the straightforward one in the gang while the other two are easygoing and have their share of booze and drugs. After Luv gets dumped by his girlfriend and Hardik loses his job, they happen to get the chance to go to Goa along with Bunny. They see this trip as their chance to drown their worries in more booze, drugs and girls. But, after a wild rave party in a Goan island, organized by the Russian mafia, things go crazy and zombies start cropping up all over the island.

The rest of the movie is an adventurous chase filled with thrills, spills and plenty of unsettling and bloody visuals of the zombies. The fun aspect is maintained throughout too.

The charismatic and stylish Saif Ali Khan plays a ‘desi’ Russian mafia ‘zombie hunter’, replete with a totally blonde crop of hair and a perfect Russian accent. His screen-presence is admirable and he passes off authentically as a Russian. There is the hot and pretty Puja Gupta providing some female charm in the chase as Luna, another youngster who is trapped in the island after the party.

The guys in the movie have had a jolly ride and they pretty much behave like how urban guys are. Kunal Khemu as the flirty and easy going Hardik scores high while Vir Das reprises the role which he played in Delhi Belly, as the down-on-luck and desperate dude. Anand Tiwari has good humor sense and he makes the nerdy chap Bunny, an endearing one.

This is one of those movies where conservative cinema rules have been broken coolly. We see our lead guys rolling a joint and smoking-up throughout the movie. Expletives fly all over the place in scene after scene.

These guys have surely had a lot of irreverent fun and it is targeted at the urban youth all the way. There is of course a message in the movie against alcohol, drugs and smoking and it gets emphasized more than once. They ask us to just visit Goa for the beautiful place it is, and not for the other adult aspects that Goa has come to symbolize.

The music by Sachin - Jigar is trendy and gels with the hep and youthful tone of the film. The madcap Babaji Ki Booty in the end, is very interestingly conceptualized. The Goan visuals are scenic and vibrant as always.

The filmmakers have taken the zombie aspect very seriously and we have many gory and gross visuals of the zombies devouring and tearing apart human body parts and flesh. If you can tolerate such visuals, Go Goa Gone is worth a trip as it provides enough entertainment.

Nagaraja Chozhan MA MLA

Amaidhi Padai released in 1994 talked about the emergence of an ordinary man in the world of tricky politics. Nagaraja Cholan, M.A., MLA picks up from where Amaidhi Padai left and chronicles the happenings in Nagaraja Cholan’s political life where he is the power centre for regional politics.

Nagaraja Cholan becomes significant for two reasons, firstly it is the 50^th directorial work of Manivannan and secondly it is the 200^th film of veteran artist Sathyaraj.

Undoubtedly, the highlights of the film are its razor sharp dialogues and the crackling chemistry between Sathyaraj and Manivannan. This is a different school of performance but hits the bulls’ eye. Dialogues dipped in sarcasm, reflecting the current political scenario occupy the centre stage of Nagaraja Cholan. And there could be no better artist than Sathyaraj who can deliver such emotion nonchalantly with an air of arrogance; it’s a breeze for this veteran. His body language and the timing sense elevate the character of a seasoned, corrupt politician to a higher notch.

Manivannan plays the perfect foil for Sathyaraj. Having brought Nagaraja Cholan to limelight, Mani knows him inside out and in a way, the characters are made for each other in pulling the other down. There is one more character in the form of Sathyaraj’s son played by Raghu Manivannan who is adequate in his role.

In the world of politics, there is nothing called honesty or ethics which has been clearly brought out in the film. Betrayal, backstabbing, weakness for women and money are some of the features that are dealt with in Nagaraja Cholan in a very objective manner. There is also the aspect of selling of our nation to foreign forces by politicians, displacement of Tribals and their livelihood and the Naxal forces. The scenes associated with the Tribals putting up a fight are the least convincing in the film.

Although expectations were raised with the introduction of the CBI officer Sathyaraj, he does not have much of a role to play in the film. Seeman as the socially conscious individual becomes responsible for the unintentional laughter when he mouths powerful dialogues as stoically as possible. There are many women characters but none of them make a mark. Varsha Ashwathi who made an impression in Neer Paravai is reduced to an item girl in Nagaraja Cholan.

There are plenty of dialogues taking abundant digs at the present political scenario from power cuts to freebies to Vijaykanth. These are the enjoyable moments of the film.

Technically camera work is neat and functional and James Vasanthan’s music is not anything that you will recall when you leave the theatre.

Although the dialogues and chemistry of Sathyaraj-Manivannan combo are the positives of the film, the strong punch that should have been created due to these factors is missing in Nagaraja Cholan. The movie does not grip you for the 150 odd minutes, nor does it bore you. There are dips but they are not much felt mainly due to Sathyaraj and Manivannan.

Shootout At Wadala

Sanjay Gupta is known for his movies which are high on machismo and extravagance. He showcases his heroes in all their glory and some of his works like Kaante and Shootout at Lokandwala are a case in point. His new feature, Shootout at Wadala shows on screen, the first ever registered encounter by the Mumbai police in 1982 and it is partly based on the book Dongri to Dubai.

After being sent to jail for a crime that he didn’t commit, Manohar decides to become the kingpin of the Mumbai underworld as he realizes soon enough that there is no place in society for a timid and straightforward human being like him. He starts from scratch and becomes the dreaded gangster Manya Surve, in the company of a handpicked set of fellow henchmen. Obviously there are gang wars aplenty and the Imtiaz Haskar brothers and Manya’s little gang don’t see eye-to-eye.

The Mumbai Police finally decide that enough is enough and Manya is framed as the target for their first-ever bloody encounter.

This is one of those raw and loud action movies that keep coming from time to time and the action on screen is riveting in parts with the climatic encounter taking the cake for its sheer bloody impact and the way it has been presented in graphic detail. The dialogs carry a lot of punch and are filled with liberal dose of expletives. Watch out for those wicked yet funny double entendre peppered across the lighthearted scenes.

The cast of the movie is required to be macho, heroic and filled with pride, and each of them fits the bill perfectly, be it the cops or the gangsters. The stone-faced John Abraham puts his mountainesque physique to good use and his muscles look their brutal best in this movie, which is among his career best acts. But when he hams at the top of his voice, it is an ear-sore. Tusshar Kapoor has played such loyal sidekick roles plenty of times and he is at ease here as well. Sonu Sood and Manoj Bajpayee display authority and some cold-blooded menace as the gangster brothers. Anil Kapoor, Ronit Roy and Mahesh Manjrekar portray the ambitious, honest and effective side of the Mumbai Police and it is a solid display by them as well.

The ladies in the movie are either there for the numerous item numbers or for some really explicit love making scenes. Kangana Ranaut takes care of the latter in the company of John Abraham in two steamy bed sequences while the likes of Sunny Leone and Sophie Choudhary deliver their share of sleaze in the raunchy item numbers. Priyanka Chopra also makes an appearance and gives the movie some superstar appeal in the Babli Badmaash number.

The movie suffers from a really loud background score which overshadows the dialogs and the three item songs aren’t special either, with Babli Badmaash and Laila Teri getting good mileage in the promos on air.

The film carries a gritty and raw look and cinematographers Sameer Arya and Sanjay.F.Gupta have given it lot of energy and life.

Ultimately, even though the movie is pretty long at around two and a half hours, it doesn’t lose grip or pace and delivers enough drama for the price of the ticket money.

Soodhu Kavvum

Soodhu Kavvum marks the entry of yet another young director, Nalan Kumarasamy, following Pizza’s Karthik Subbaraj, whose claim to fame was a TV show designed for likewise aspirants.  Nalan Kumarasamy shows his gratitude in the opening slide by thanking the judges of the show - Prathap Pothen and Madhan.

The aptly titled Soodhu Kavvum tells the story of petty criminals who are engulfed by their own occupation volunteering to ride the high tide, knowing well of its repercussions. Scheming the perfect crime and executing it is only half the story as Soodhu Kavvum offers some radical and sometimes outrageous twists and turns.

The actions and decisions of a motley crew led by Das, played by Vijay Sethupathy, with amateur miscreants enacted by Simhaa, Ashok Selvan and RJ Ramesh, is what drives Soodhu Kavvum forward, but at an unhurried pace. While Vijay might be the leader of the pack the screen space is fairly shared with other members in the gang but Vijay’s paunch and graying beard does earn him a sense of seniority. The actor does have the guts to play a forty year old, so early in his career. Sanchita Shetty’s character is a surprise as Vijay Sethupathy’s doll faced confidant and ‘dream girl’. Nice touch, sharing a different chemistry with the hero. The other cast members include familiar character artists such as Radha Ravi and MS Bhaskar in integral roles and a common face in the short film circuit, Karunakaran, appears in a role tailor-made for him.

Soodhu Kavvum’s scoring area is definitely its characterizations as Nalan Kumarasamy offers each of the central characters a back story that’s unique and more importantly contributing to the character’s present circumstance. Essentially the only righteous character in the film is that of M.S. Bhaskar who plays a spotless politician. Without being all too preachy or self conscious Nalan Kumarasamy paints a picture to portray that there’s hardly any room for such individuals in the modern day. Neither is he tempted to be ironic. Having said that, the writer director seems to have been consumed by his own thoughts, and probably even overwhelmed with his own project, that sees him go on a creative overdrive. Sure there is always room for cinematic freedom, and it is filled to the brim in Soodhu Kavvum in a bid to offer something different.

Santhosh Narayan peppers the background score with processed beats and hard rock rhythms that work well for the numerous dramatic slo-mo scenes. He also employs his own version of a popular score from Dr. Strangelove. The songs are well shot and its position in the film is justifiable. The camera work and editing is slick and seems to have drawn inspiration from post-modern filmmakers.

The film introduces us to several quirky characters and ambitious sketches, all delivered with a light heartedness. The director is rather successful in making the audience root for the anti-hero group and their reckless ways but the viewing is lacking of a certain stranglehold because of many long drawn-out scenes and the leisure manner in which the story unfolds to an end.

Moondru Per Moondru Kadhal

Director Vasanth has a special place in Tamil cinema for his films have always dealt with human relationships in a sensitive manner and have struck a chord with the audience. After his Satham Podadhe in 2007, he is back with Moondru Per Moondru Kadhal with Arjun, Cheran and Vemal. Very true to the title, MPMK is about the love stories of three sets of people with three different landscapes.

The emotion called love is ubiquitous and it touches people at different frequencies and at different dimensions. What this wonderful feeling does to its lead characters and its effect in the trajectory of life is what MPMK all about.  While mountainous terrain is the backdrop for Vemal and Lasini’s love, it’s the coastal belt for Cheran and Muktha Bhanu and its plains for Arjun and Surveen Chawla.

Vasanth has made the film in his usual style but a tepid pace works against MPMK. The styles of film making have changed and so do the sensibilities of the audience. For the current crop of audience who is low on patience and is restless to slow unfurling of the plot, MPMK may not work. That said, the plot is quite succulent and lofty which has a lot of positivity going with it.

We generally don’t find ‘cinematic’ family in Vasanth’s films and MPMK is no exception either. Be it Vemal’s parents (my family is such a happy one that we even laugh at the mention of the word ‘joke’) or Cheran’s parents (a father who is so happy helping mom and a mom who is so sensitive to son’s feelings) or Surveen’s practical father. 

It is not something new that Vasanth’s films are clean and are devoid of glamour or double entendres. Moondru Per Moondru Kadhal also follows the same path. Narration follows a very languorous path and hence the engaging factor fluctuates quite steeply. Arjun’s segment is the best followed by Cheran and Vemal. Dialogues sparkle on and off.

In the performance section, it is Arjun who scores over others and is aptly cast as a swimming coach. Cheran and Vemal are their usual self and there is not much for them to showcase their histrionics. Among the lady members, it is Muktha Bhanu who delivers perfectly as the love struck Mallika and she fits the role perfectly. Surveen who looks like a mix of Amala Akkineni and Kiran is adequate and her shots are well captured. Thambi Ramaiah, John Vijay, Appukutty, Shanthi Williams and Sathyan round out the supporting cast.

The songs of Yuvan Shankar Raja are already popular and gel quite well with the narration. Even though Aaha Kaadhal has been filmed fairly well, the power that the lyrics and the music had created has not been totally translated visually. Mazhai Mazhai number comes out trumps with cinematographer and music director having a field day with their respective departments. That apart, Ritwik Vasanth appears for ‘stop the paattu’ number and shows his dancing prowess.  Bhojan K Dinesh is in charge of camera and resplendently captures the moods of the different terrains.

Toting up, Vasanth’s Moondru Per Moondru Kadhal, although eulogizes love, works in parts with music and camera helping the story but his style has not been felt powerfully in the film.

Ethir Neechal

Dhanush’s Wunderbar Films presents Ethir Neechal, featuring Siva Kathikeyan with two pretty women for company in the form of Priya Anand and Nandita. There is also an experienced support cast comprising the likes of Jayaprakash and Raviprakash to back the main leads.

The main protagonist in Ethir Neechal feels that the name that was bestowed on him after birth, is his biggest undoing as he becomes the butt of ridicule due to this unique name. He then gets himself a new name and just as things start falling in place for him thanks to a new job and a pretty girlfriend, they come back to square one due to his original name. He then decides to get rid of his ‘slacker’ attitude and wishes to achieve something in life.

The Chennai Marathon gives him that opportunity and the rest of the movie is about how he swims against all odds and proves a point to himself and his dear ones and also how he uncovers a pertinent issue to the society as a whole.

Ethir Neechal provides a wholesome package which combines elements like comedy, romance, hardship, inspiration and ultimate fruition in the end. The first half is mostly a breeze thanks to the situations arising from the hero’s unique name and his efforts to change it. There is a whole lot of wordplay involved such as Kenayan being addressed as K9.

Siva Karthikeyan and his friend are the typical cinema combo where the friend stands by the hero all along and provides plenty of light moments. These two rule the first half. Priya Anand is the romantic interest of Siva and she plays a beautiful teacher and has a small role in Siva’s transformation. The scenes when Siva woos Priya, using a small school kid in his neighborhood, provide some healthy laughs.

Nandita has a more substantial role from the second half onwards as Valli, Siva’s trainer and a former promising athlete whose prospects are ruined by a doctored hormone test.

The film throws light on the hardships that humble athletes have to encounter in the face of the rich, influential people who matter. In these segments, the ambitions that a dad has for his daughter and his efforts in bringing her talent to light, have been portrayed well. There is also a subtle mother sentiment angle earlier in the movie, between Siva and his self-respecting mother who struggles to raise him single-handedly.

Anirudh is the biggest backbone of the movie with his background score lifting each scene and putting it on a pedestal. This youngster is surely a tremendous talent and watch out for him in a cheeky cameo as a bartender. His songs are already fan favorites and each of them earns the whistles and claps from the excited crowd.

Dhanush’s cameo in a Kuthu song at the bar will please his fans while Nayanthara, in another cameo, doesn’t have much screen-time in the same song.

The movie’s production values come across in the way the marathon has been picturized in an intricate manner. Though the action in the marathon is cinematic, the milieu appears authentic and Velraj’s work behind the lens spells quality as always. The training period that Siva goes through before his appearance at the marathon has also been presented seriously but with a tinge of lightheartedness running through it.

On the whole, though the movie isn’t very racy, it offers something for the entire family. Beyond just being a mindless romantic comedy, it also makes some valid points about the state of poor athletes in the country.