Review: Kaavalan (2011)

The 'Friends' trio is back with 'Kaavalan'. Only this time with more of rom-com and a tinge of commercial elements. Kaavalan is an emotional drama and is sure to keep vijay fans and the general movie goer alive and fresh.

The movie starts off on a letdown-ish note with some stupid fights and awkward dance steps for the folk song. The first 15-20 minutes resembles 'almost' previous vijay flicks. But as soon as these annoying minutes are over, the visuals are bang on target. Siddique has portrayed a 'different' vijay. A 'vijay' which we all would have seen a decade ago and forgotten but the only difference lies in his 'backward ageing' and his cool charisma which is sure to woo the lady folk and some men too. (:P)

I don't think i'll be letting off the story because of 2 reasons. One that there is nothing special and the other that there are pretty decent twists and turns.

Vijay is back in his chocolate boy image. The college lover. His comic timings are laughable and his stints with vadivelu sure sprouted both silent and gape open laughs.

Asin looks homely in most parts of the movie and super hot in the few other parts. Her over make-up sometimes spoils the mood. She has acted well and her performance otherwise is laudable.

The most talked about 'Vijay-Asin' chemistry was missing as quoted by many critics and viewers. But that is definitely not a negative point and its absence had a meaning. Watch the movie to know more.

Raj Kiran, Roja and Mithra Kurian do their parts well although i felt 'Nizhalgal' Ravi and 'Delhi' Ganesan were underplayed. But there is a reason for this, there was no space for too many characters. Siddique has given enough treatment to the story and it is Vijay who rules. His screen presence is just amazing.

The costumes department has surely made Vijay look a lot better than his previous flicks. He looks handsome and stunning.

The movie definitely needed lot many cuts. Too many unwanted scenes spoilt the actor's charisma. If Kaavalan went under proper scissors, the movie would easily be declared the 'Movie of the year' for it being a perfect recipie made out of specially treated ingredients.

Vidyasagar's music is simply mesmerizing. His melody tunes are simply superb. The background score in action sequences were noisy yet astounding.

Although there are a few loopholes in the story, the movie ends with an intriguing and emotionally gripping climax, one of the best in recent times. Hats off to the director.

Director Siddique has made an attempt to break free Vijay from the shackles of illogical and dumb commercial cinema and the attempt is 'near' perfect yet successful. There sure are a lot of changes in the actor and Kaavalan is definitely not a usual Vijay flick.

Watch it! Not for a different tamil film but for a different vijay film. Vijay is back to Acting. ( :) :D)



Rating: 3/5


Kaavalan - 'Some'thing Different!

Review: 127 Hours (2010)

Here is my 60th post!

Academy Award Winner Danny Boyle's adaptation of Aron Ralston's real life story is 127 Hours. A truly inspirational and mesmerizing movie. Definitely not better than Inception but doesn't fail to raise awe either.

127 Hours is the true story of a canyoneer Aron Ralston's, brilliantly portrayed by James Franco, remarkable adventure in saving himself after he traps himself in an isolated canyon in Utah. The title signifies the amount of time he's been trapped in the canyon with his hand stuck under a boulder. Watch the movie to experience the adventure.

Danny Boyle has a vision, a wide 360 degree panoramic vision. Never seen any director give so much importance to minute details. 127 hours has a stylish narration, something totally different from what the oscar winner Slumdog Millionaire had to offer. Danny Boyle's style of story telling has changes. 127 hours is a complete new experience.

The movie is centrally based on a single character and the ways he takes to survive and save himself. Since the story is true, some of the methods adopted by the protagonist makes the viewer shed tears and literally feel the pain.

James Franco has done a fantastic job. Danny Boyle has the squeezed the acting out of him. But to such a story, one had to do justice and James Franco does it with ease.

Cinematography by Enrique Chediak and Anthony Dod Mantle is utter brilliance. Music by A.R.Rahman is divine and also gives an Indian touch to the movie in a few places.

Although i could find minor mistakes, especially with the shadows (they haven't been mastered properly in a few places) , 127 Hours is a dark and an emotional adventure brilliantly treated by Danny Boyle. Hope it wins him an oscar this time too. Kudos and All the best to him!


Rating: 3.5/5


127 Hours - Brilliance!

Review: Man-Madan-Ambu (2010)

'Universal Hero' Kamal Hassan's short term flick Man-Madan-Ambu had arrived a week back and is here to stay in the viewer's minds. A heads up for all those who still haven't watched the movie, it is not a comedy movie and is nowhere close to 'Panchathantitram' in terms of comedy but equals 75% of its entertainment value.

Though drawing inspiration from 'Emotional Atyachaar' and other infidelity cases, Man-Madan-Ambu is a romantic drama set in lovely locations including venice, barcelona, kodaikanal to name a few. It thrills and chills with its subtle plot twists.

The movie starts off on a rather sober note with things going too slowly but as Kamal enters the frame, every moment is CLASS. He doesn't fail to entertain. He has his own comedy dialogues told in a way pertaining to the sadness of the character.

Trisha has acted so brilliantly and also dubbed her own voice. She looks stunning and her mere presence seems so suave.

Madhavan's character did not have any scope for acting but he does well. Sangeetha's local voice is sometimes cacophonous but her dialogues had some good comedy moments.

Oorvasi and Ramesh Arvind play touchy roles. Especially Ramesh Arvind, never seen him getting down to the skin of the character. Real class.

Kamal's screenplay was sluggish at places but later it compensated churning out a good movie although the plot was debatable.

My favourite song 'Neela Vaanam' was picturised beautifully. Something that was never seen before in Indian Cinema. A different choreography and camera work. Whose ever brainchild it was, kudos to you!

The movie makes you cry, LOL but definitely not ROFL like Kamal's earlier Panchathantiram, PKS and Vasoolraja did.

The quantities of romance, comedy and thrill was apt for a breezy entertainer.

All in all, Man-Madan-Ambu definitely deserves a one time watch. Do not miss it.


Rating: 3/5


Man-Madan-Ambu: Touchy and Classy!

Review: Mirch (2010)

Writer-Director Vinay Shukla's Mirch is fascinating. The movie's pace is fast and it keeps you asking for more.

When i first watched the trailer, i gaped at the steamy scenes and was startled that such movies make it to the big screen. But when i sat to down to watch the movie, with all great expectations, i was in for a surprise. Of course, the scenes in the trailer were there in the movie, but that wasn't all. The viewer is taken on a ride with a good dose of thrills and chills.

The Indian film industry seems to be getting inspired from UTV Bindass' Emotional Atyachaar, a lot these days with many movies coming up on infidelity. Though Mirch is on the same lines, it is also slightly different.

It is definitely not an ordinary adult movie. It is just like those chicks you come across with both beauty and brain. An all in one stuff. A definite must watch.

Upcoming actor Arunoday Singh plays the protagonist and performs well. He is lucky to share the steamy screen space with two hot 'bong' chicks, viz. Konkana Sen Sharma and Raima Sen.

His acting is par excellence and the guy has some future in the industry.

Konkana Sen plays her usual best. She gets to the bottom of the character and plays it with ease. Raima Sen, on the other hand, has shown some grit and has come up with an laudable performance.

Boman Irani, the legend, does his part well. He will definitely remain one of my most unforgettable actors in India or say even the world.

Ila Arun, Prem Chopra and others come up with decent portrayals of their characters.

All-in-all, Vinay Shukla's Mirch is fantabulous and a movie to cherish. It was a thorough entertainer. On the personal side, i saw my future in Vinay Shukla. If, sometime in the future, i get to make a movie, it will definitely be in the lines of Mirch. Hats off, Vinay Shukla!

Rating: 3.5/5

Mirch : Spicy Hot!!!

Review: Raktacharitra (2010)

Ram Gopal Varma's 'Raktacharitra' is an out and out gory and violent film. Seemingly better than his recent attempts, Rakthcharitra is spellbinding and exciting.

You see a vengeful and raging Prakash (Vivek Oberoi) growing into a hero of the masses. RGV shows you the politics, 'goonda raj' in a place called Anantapur in AP and also the many different ways a person can be killed using brain, brawn and other utensils.

The story starts cliched as one of the party members starts feeling jealous about another lower caste man who grows higher and faster in the party leader's eyes. Thus, he arouses a misunderstanding between them and that further leads to bloodshed and killing and finally ends with a personal vendetta coming out successfully.

RGV captures this thrilling drama in his trademark style, only that blood is given more importance. The background music does the trick, you feel the energy in every swoosh of the weapon, you get angry when something unlawful happens to the innocent and you feel extremely happy when the people get the treatment they need.

Raktacharitra's plot is not something new. It is the usual revenge but the portrayal of the revenge is shown in a never before seen way. Too much of blood is shed and the wounds are blatantly shown. Some might even puke watching them. As RGV rightly said, this movie is not for the faint hearted, it is not to be watched with family, it is not for the ladies and housewives, it is only for the true RGV fans and movie fanatics who don't mind outright gore and violence.

Yea, for people who have digested, Saw, Hostel and films of similar lines, RGV's Raktacharitra is a cakewalk but for people who didn't, please donot watch this flick.

Technically, there were a certain flaws in the action choreography. Most of the dialogues lacked the punch while some of them aroused a few laughs. There is hidden comedy between the frames.

The actors deliver their dialogues with a telugu accent which is apt for the plot's location. Kudos to RGV for keeping that in mind. Editing was good but not great. The way the suspense builds up, and paves a way for the sequel, RGV definitely needs a pat on the back.

RGV was quoted saying, “Raktacharitra is like a hardcore porn DVD. Some might hate it, some love it, some may be disgusted by it, but if it is there in the room, everyone wouldn't resist watching it” and Raktacharitra lives up to it.

Rating: 3/5

Raktacharitra – Gory and vengeful vendetta!

Review: Endhiran - The Robot (2010)

Disclaimer: There are no spoilers. So, people who haven't watched the movie yet can also read. Enjoy.

Magnanimous, Grandiloquent, Pompous, Pontifical, Portentous, Awesome, Magniloquent, Gargantuan, My word web couldn't give me more words as i run out of them to describe the movie. The most awaited movie of the century, in kollywood, has arrived and is here to stay. Shankar and Sun Pictures' magnum opus 'Endhiran' has been under production for 2 years, and its worth the wait.




Rajinikanth grows younger and younger in his movies. This time he doesn't demand an introduction scene, neither does he dance to a self appraisal song nor does he fly in the air defying the laws of gravity, he opens up his screen presence in a subtle manner, as a scentist making his robot after continuous hard work for 10 years.
The first half is totally logical, you can see the protagonists introducing their characters slowly and maturely. There are enough comical sequences, enough songs for the first half. Director Shankar has given robotics a lot of research and one cannot find any flaw whatsoever. The viewer will enjoy the movie and go gaga over every scene until the climax. The first 30 mins of the second half is where things go wrong, the viewer gets vexed watching 3 songs in quick succession. Though the songs are awesome to watch on the big screen, they tend to plant an ache in the viewer's mind. Once the songs are over and the robot's character changes moods suddenly, the movie is back on track and you start enjoying again.




For people who argue that robots should follow Isaac Assimov's three principles, our protagonist has a proper reason as to why his creation wouldn't follow the rules. He makes the robots with an aim and he tries his best to put things in place but as usual they go wrong. What you can expect from this movie is that, even though you can predict the storyline, it doesn't fail to entertain you. The movie has its own crispy n crunchy twists. Watch it to experience it!




Ash, starts off showing her age in 'Kadal Anukkal', one can clearly note the aged look on her face. But as the movie progresses, she slowly becomes more beautiful scene by scene. You can easily make out the way, you know probably, has a hip size of X and finally ending up with a hip size of X-5. I personally don't like her much, but the way Shankar has shown Ash in this movie clearly makes me her fan. She is sexy, she is hot, she is beautiful, she is gorgeous in all her outfits, be it the casuals, be it the traditional saree or be it even the tribal kinda outfit in the song 'Kilimanjaaro'. She has rocked. There is enough screen presence. Shankar must be lauded for he gives all his heroines an equivalent screen presence. Her negatives in this movie include, no proper lip syncing in songs, sometimes she does it correctly, sometimes she blabbers, clearly visible.

Danny Denzongpa, of course dubbed by some other stylishly speaking dubbing artist, performs his part well as the ego centric mentor of Dr.Vaseegaran(Rajinikanth). He dies also quite quickly, because he isn't the villain of the movie anyway.

Santhanam and Karunas, are good comedians otherwise, but their performance in Endhiran is below average, they portray serious characters although their bullying of Chitti the Robot sure springs up some laughs.

Art director Sabu Cyril has erected some wonderful sets, especially where the song 'Arima Arima' has been picturised are astounding and you literally gape over his work. He has also made a cameo in the film. Hope everyone figures out.




Cinematography by R.Rathnavelu, an upcoming technician, has captured the moments well and is sure to grab a lot of projects in the future. His way of picturising the 'Kilimanjaro' song in the heights of Machu Pichu is highly laudable and a commendable effort overall.

Dialogues by Sujatha, Shankar and Karky are wonderful. They amuse us as well as makes us think in a specific direction towards certain situations.

P.S. There is a hidden social message towards the end of the film.

Music by A.R.Rahman is outstanding. Brilliant background music. Even the firing of the bullets, the sounds made by robots, the carnatic touch, everything shows that only ARR can give so much detail into the background score. Two thumbs up to him.




Special Effects, is par excellence for a tamil film, although the viewer could make out easily the graphic sequences in many places. But the climax robot formations are awesome and never before seen even in hollywood. I think Shankar has taken Tamil cinema to a new level where most of the hollywood movies would hav difficulty in catching up with.




Last but not the least, the man who wielded the megaphone, the man behind the movie, Director Shankar, has his basics of robotics right but he too falters in many places. Like the locations are ambiguous, he shifts from Chennai, Mumbai, Vellore quite fast and in fact he shows all of the above as existent in Chennai only. He should have given more importance to it. Anyways, Rajini overshadows everything. He has brought out the 'actor' in Rajini after a long time. No director could do that in recent times. I hope people can understand what i'm trying to convey because you don't see the commerical stylish Rajini in this film, you can only see the intellectual sober Rajini, who doesn't know how to fight, how to dance, how to even crack jokes. Although, Rajini in the robot form is all powerful. So his fans don't lose anything. Shankar has tried at a different genre. You can't call it pure sci-fi. Its something else. Something bigger and better. Although, there are some scenes lifted straight out of the Will Smith starrer 'I-Robot', including the general look of the robot, this movie is something new to Indian Cinema and people must appreciate it. Kudos to Shankar.


So, i end my review here. I didn't want to write much but i ended up with more than i expected just like you would walk out of the movie with just two words, 'Exceeded Expectations'.

The movie has flaws, i don't want to go into it, but yeah i'm sure people can digest it. They are small and do not affect much as movies are made just for entertainment.
So watch it for Rajini, watch it for shankar, and watch it for Ash. And you sure are in for a treat and full paisa Vasool. Here's your movie critic signing off. Please do NOT miss Endhiran.




Rating: 3.5/5


Endhiran - Masala Sci-Fi

Review : Inception (2010)

Whoa! The motion picture of the decade is here. From the director, who brought you ‘The Dark Night’ which is currently is in the 11^th position of all time-best movies, Christopher Nolan, comes a masterpiece which is par excellence and brought out of sheer creativity. Inception, the movie sticks on to your head and even one flicker in your eye might change your discernment.

Christopher Nolan could righteously be called the ‘living legend’, for he has brought us THE motion picture of a lifetime. Perhaps, one must be blessed to have born in the era of Christopher Nolan.

I normally say, watch it for this, watch it for that, but for Inception, i would rather say watch it for everything. The Director has made the impossible possible, he has shown all elements of art in this flick. One of the first movies, where the viewer is literally in the edge of the seat but still tightly glued so as not to fall. In Inception, Nolan does the unthinkable : He folds a mirror version of Paris back upon itself; he stages a fight sequence in a gravity-free hotel room; he sends a train plowing through a busy city street. Whatever you can dream, Nolan does it in Inception. Then he nestles those little dreams into even bigger dreams, and those bigger dreams into gargantuan dreams, going on into infinity, cubed. He stretches the boundaries of filmmaking.

Inception is, by itself, a dream. No human would have ever attempted to think of such a script. Such a subject which is sure to woo even the worst of the movie-haters. Dreams, ever thought the physics of it? Inception shows you the most advanced of the physics but just like how you fail to remember the start of a dream, the movie fails to show the basics of Inception.

Inception is about stealing your secrets when you are in the dream state and when the mark wakes up, he/she has no idea of what happened.

Talking about the technicalities, all are perfect, the visuals, the sound, the editing, the costumes, the sets, the cgi, the camera, one word for all of them, STUNNING! Hans Zimmer has rocked the sound department, Cinematography by Wally Pfister and Editing by Lee Smith (of ‘The Dark Night’ and ‘The Prestige’ fame) is stupendous, no further words to describe their work. Nolan has this specific crew with him in most of his movies and no wonder that they are a part of what they turn out to be, AWESOME.

Coming to the protagonist, Leonardo Dicaprio, the man has been choosy in the selection of his films’ script and director, for he has always worked for the best in business and he delivers, he delivers in a way that you start to adore him for his natural acting. Hats off, Caprio. You are on my all time favourite list.

Christopher Nolan, the first of his kind, eccentric, crazy yet a winner all by himself. I always wondered that someone should come up with a movie about dreams, for dreams have been my forte and from now i will continue to dream to explore Nolan’s cognitive skills unless someone wakes me up with a ‘KICK’.

Rating: 4.5/5 (The highest rating that i have ever awarded a movie)

Inception – Movie of the century.

Review: Boss engira Baskaran (2010)

'Boss engira Baskaran', directed by M.Rajesh of 'Siva Manasula Sakthi' doesn't fail to disappoint this time although the storyline is nothing new. Arya, Nayantara and Comedy king Santhanam play lead roles in this comical entertainer.

The story is about Baskaran (Arya), a lousy wanderer, who isn't interested in studies or work. All in all he is totally jobless a.k.a. vetti. He meets Chandrika (Nayantara), who is a professor. What follows is total roll on the floor entertainment. Amazing performance by Santhanam. He literally carries the whole movie in his shoulders. His comical one-liners, as usual, rock and has the viewer in splits.

Music by Yuvan Shankar Raja is just spellbinding. 'Yaar Andha Pendhaan' is already a chartbuster and the visuals too sing in unison with the tune's magic. The song may seem cliched, but come on, this is what one should expect from the future, the music directors and composers have run out of tunes. There is nothing new to offer. All other songs are good and Yuvan proves it once again that he is the lone leader of tamil cinema music, of course in ARR's absence.



Other technical aspects, like cinematography, stunts, editing, costumes, etc. need no mention as they are usual and nothing about them is strikingly different from the usual.

Acting wise, no one deserves a special mention except, Santhanam, who emerges out of nowhere to save this film. Because, storywise, screenplay wise, and even acting wise, there is nothing innovative in this movie, the only thing to watch out for is Santhanam's comedy.

Let me keep this review short. The only reason for that is, i have nothing else to praise about in this movie except Santhanam and nothing to criticize negatively about because everyone have put in their best and their best doesn't amuse us much.



On a closing note, Santhanam has proved his mettle. 'Nanbaen da' is sure to be the dialogue of the month, until Superstar's 'Endhiran' overshadows it soon.


Rating: 2.5/5


Boss (e) Baskaran : Comic Caper!

Review: Dabangg (2010)

'Hud Hud Dabangg...Dabangg...'
Oh, i shouldn't be singing, it's review time and i'm back with the most sought after movie in recent times.
Abhinav Singh Kashyap's 'Dabangg' is nothing new. Its the same old masala story and in the same old illogical screenplay. But there sure are some important things to watch out for. The first and foremost is Salman (Sallu Bhai), I wasn't his die hard fan but now i am. Sallu Bhai Rocks!
The next is the background score and the songs. Gosh! The stunts, the dialogues and the protagonist's mannerisms all dance in unison to the background score.
The last but not the least is Sonakshi Sinha. She looks gorgeous, not at all amateurish. She does it in flamboyant style. Hats off to her!


Above all, the credit must go to the dialogue writers, Jalees Sherwani-Faaiz Anwar-Lalit Pandit. I mean, each sentence spoken by even the junior most actor is both comical and apt to the story-screenplay. One would wonder where these people were till now. Salman's each dialogue was what a south indian would call a 'punch dialogue'.

Oh, the story, Forgot about it totally. Its nothing, there is this eccentric police officer (Chulbul Pandey) and the movie is about his chronicles in his era in that area. There is nothing much to worry about the story because it is totally garbled. Leave your brains at home or at your workplace and watch this movie to relieve off all your stress. No further arguments.


Dance directors and choreographers need a special mention here. The whole world knows Sallu Bhai cannot do complicated steps, so they have given him funny and cranky steps which will literally make you roll on the floor and laugh.

Munni (Malaika Arora Khan), one might question as to why she was the item girl here even after having 2 kids. Well, i donot have an answer to that and i object her casting but yeah she does have the 'pivotless' hip shake which is sure to make your heads bang and jaws drop.

Stunts by S.Vijayan (probably 'FEFSI Vijayan' of kollywood) is damn amazing. Each stunt perfectly choreographed and acted out. Really deserves a special appraisal.

Cinematography by Mahesh Limaye (of 'Fashion' and 'C U at 9' fame) deserves special mention for his brilliant and artistic work. The combined effort of the editor and cinematographer adds up magic pixels on to the already glowing Sallu Bhai studded screen. Kudos!

All in all, Dabangg is wholesome entertainment, an adrenalin rush, an amalgam of all south indian commercial entertainers. Something which Bollywood lacked in a long time. Don't miss it. Watch it for Salman and the dialogues. 'Hum tumme itne ched karenge ki conphuse ho jaaoge ki saans kahaan se laen aur....... hehehehe.....'


PS: Please throw out all false allegations that Dabangg will only be enjoyed by Sallu Bhai's fans. It is completely wrong. Anyone with a decent comic sense should like the movie throwing all illogical mistakes out. Otherwise, the better option for the dislikers is to go create a world of their own and let live others in peace. And Dabangg means 'fearless' for people who don't know.


Rating: 3.5/5


Dabangg - Kick ass Jhakaas!

Review: Naan Mahaan Alla (2010)

From the director of ‘Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu’, comes yet another master flick. ‘Naan Mahaan Alla’, the title might raise some eyebrows once the end credits start rolling. But the title is justified and apt. Never before would you have seen such a justification. I couldn’t infer it at first but a little thought into it and some inputs from my friend made me succumb to the fact that director Suseendran is a ‘genius’.

Naan Mahaan Alla was one of the most awaited movies of the year for me. Why? Not for Karthi, Not for Suseendran and definitely not for Yuvan or Studio Green K.E. Gnanavel Raja. It was for Kajal, the hot and happening chick in south Indian tinsel town. Ever since Magadheera, I’ve been mesmerized by her. Kajal looks ravishing and her every move is certain to move you. The Scenes between Karthi and Kajal in the first half is quite popular these days and sometimes it does give you goosebumps. (What if i had such a life and such a girl? :P )

Start watching this movie without any expectations, because its not a romantic movie that couples would enjoy watching together, it is a fast paced logical thriller with few social issues to ponder about.

Suseendran has aptly chosen his cast, giving perfect roles to the perfect artistes. None in the movie are well known stars, they are just soap opera famous faces and a bunch of young blood from Suseendran’s previous flick. But no one gives you the amateurish feeling.

Karthi has been doing the same, there is not much scope for acting here but his voice doesn’t seem to modulate from movie to movie. It sounds to be the same. He plays a chocolate boy kinda role in the first half and a ruffian in the second. Good character transition. His first punch comes in the last quarter of the movie which is good and a welcome change in today’s Tamil masala movies.

Yuvan Shankar Raja’s background music tingles the senses and at the same time grips us on to the seats. Songs are minimal and are placed beautifully in the movie. Thanks to the editor.

Cinematography by Mathi is sheer brilliance. The Slow motion and certain gravity defying sequences are shot wonderfully. Stunts by Anal Arasu are par the usual masala standards, you tend to almost feel each thud or punch, just like in the case of Lingusamy movies.

An average movie goer would come out of the movie in ebullience and director Suseendran deserves all the credit. Mr.Suseendran, Where were you all this while? Kollywood needs you badly.

Yuvan used the pitchblende artfully in ‘Iragai Pole’ traversing from crest to trough and back, Director Suseendran uses the same but only that it never reaches the trough, it takes a U-turn from the zero axis only. You end up getting goosebumps and the movie makes your brain think in a specific direction. Such is the after effect.

For all the revenge lovers out there, ‘Naan Mahaan Alla’ is specially dedicated to you. Do not Miss it!

Rating: 3.5/5

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