A bold initiative to bring a semi-historical (facts based) mystical adventure of epic proportions to the contemporary Tamil cinema succeeds to a certain level and leaves room for a better sequel to follow. Kudos to Selvaragavan as he has attempted what was perceived as unimaginable by other movie makers of his era, by daring to make a high budget epic with fantasy and adventure foremost in mind. This is an effort that would even make a director like Shankar , gifted with the knack of making colossal movies with unerring direction and tons of patience, proud.
It is easy to criticize the movie in the many places it has faltered, but the superlative effort in creating this extravagant epic of colossal undertaking and patience to Tamil cinema, more than compensates. Glaring weaknesses are the special effects that proves amateurish at best, and the fantasy that goes beyond disbelief at times riddled with ideas and scenes that were extracted from Hollywood. But nothing to be taken away as the movie excels in the manner it was able to reproduce the feeling of an era bygone by way of meticulously designed sets, succulent Tamil that is as pure as we have ever seen in contemporary Tamil cinema and matching music score by the talented GV Prakash.
The story keeps us engrossed and the intriguing plot revolves around the enmity between Chola and Pandya dynasties and how this rivalry is far from over, even centuries later. Its a case of vivid imagination meeting hard facts, and the movie takes us to an imaginary yet captivating encounter and duel between the remnants of Chola dynasty against their arch rivals, and the consequences. Karthi impresses again, this time as part of a trio who embark on a once in a lifetime adventure. Parthiban makes an impact as always does, albeit in a role that he is not accustomed to.
Considering the hardship one would face in making such a movie its not surprising that it was delayed in production and was in the making for years. This is a testament to the director’s perseverance and his valour against odds, and it is no luck that this movie finally came out as a movie that is both intriguing and watchable. For those who may have failed to understand and appreciate the finer nuances in the historical facts that this is movie is vaguely based on, storyline and dialogue, its worth watching again if and when the original Bluray or DVD release is out.
Rating ***
Watch the Movie Trailer here
Director - Selvaragavan
Producer - R. Ravindran
Writer - Selvaragavan
Cast - Karthi, Reema Sen, Parthiban, Jeremiah
Music - GV Prakash Kumar
Cinematography - Ramji
Editor - Khola Baskar
A parody that makes mockery of some of the memorable scenes from Tamil Cinema turns out to be a watchable entertainment, even if it is not as good as some of the movies satirized! Formula based movie making, masala scenes and Tamil sentiment are part and parcel of Tamil cinema, and poking fun at them is acceptable as long as the movie can cleverly exploit this and make the audience have a few hearty laughs. Thamizh Padam does this and the manner in which scenes have been picked and stitched together and the witty dialogues pass the muster and keep audience entertained till end. Low budget and with no major names, the movie proves worthy of watching by striking at the heart of Tamil cinema, with wit and humour to bring a refreshing movie going experience.
Rating **1/2
Watch the Movie Trailer here
Director - C.S. Amudhan
Producer - Dhayanithi Alagiri
Writer - C.S. Amudhan, Chandru
Cast - Shiva, Disha Pandey, Vennira adai Murthy, M.S. Baskar, Manobala, Paravai Muniamma
Music - Kannan
Cinematography - Nirav Shah
Editor - T.S. Suresh
How a storyline that we are already tired of having seen time and again has been transformed into an enthralling thriller with a low profile cast and a matching low budget is quite remarkable. The strength of the film is the well assorted fresh young cast with limited acting skills adequate for this low budget flick. This team reminds one of that was seen in the movie Vennila Kabadi Kulu, yet another that boasted of an assortment of odd characters who prove to be effective in their role. No doubt that in Renigunta we see an immature team but they do complement well, and the one that proves far ahead in all abilities is the shortest and funniest character. This character (Duppa, in the movie), provides much needed humour and excitment through his indomitable style and steals the show. The mastery of telling story based on a saturated plot, by adding elements of surprise and well created characters saves the film from becoming another third grade movie.
As the story unfolds we see an innocent person’s life is shattered with the cold blooded murder of his parents, and then slowly destroyed even though he teams up with a gang of good hearted criminals (!), fighting his own battle in the meantime against the non-violent nature of self before he acquiries some of the blood thirsty qualities of a mafia. There is something eerie about the movie as the hero narrates parts of the film, and when this drama eventually reaches a tragic climax, we cannot help the feeling having seen an inevitable ending. The title of the movie, which raised my eyebrows till I saw the movie, Renigunda being the name of the place in Andra where the gang seeks to seek new lease of life in their own ‘business’, and where the tragedies shatter them slowly, eventually destroying one by one, is a masterstroke of a title. Just proves how well the film revolves around events where Renigunta is the centerstage. The downside is that the film is that hinges on violence and one could get sick of the traumatic nature of the movie with excessive violence, at times, and parts of the plot being dramatised in the same old fashion. The romantic interludes impress mainly beacuse of the pleasant looking girl who can only speak via signs, who does her role very well.
Despite its shortcomings, the film is able to captivate the audience for most of its duration and Panneerselvam who has written and directed the film deserves credit.
Vadivelu overshadows Surya in this comedy hit. To be put more factually, comedy is the only saving grace, but on the positive side the comedy was prevalent for most of the movie. This may well become a trendsetter where comedians playing a pivotal role to leave the protagonist second, bringing back memories of yesteryear where the legendary Nagesh outshone many of his contemporaries. No doubt, this is a masala movie with a nonsense storyline, but KS Ravikumar, who has a penchant for delivering entertainment to masses, doesn’t disappoint this time either. Worth watching simply for some of the most brilliant comedy scenes of recent times. Ramesh Khanna who deserves credit as the writer also plays a minor role. The surprise package is Saroja Devi , who doesn’t seem to weaken nor go out of shape like of other stalwarts of the MGR and Sivaji era. Surya and Nayanthara play their part well, but the one who leaves us with a lasting impression is the Vagai Puyal.
Rating - **
Watch the official trailer here
Director - K.S. Ravikumar
Producer - U. Stalin
Writer - Ramesh Khanna
Cast - Surya, Nayantara, Vadivelu
Music - Harris Jayaraj
Cinematography - R. Ganesh
Editor - Don Max
Effortless, Nonchalant and classy.. Its hard to describe the manner in which Kamal has portrayed a common man with a mission. Arguably the best film of the year, with the most intriguing star cast combination in the recent times. Seeing Kamal and Mohanlal faceoff could not have come in a better movie. It is debatable whether the Tamil version is better than the hindi original, A Wednesday. However it is less controversial to say that no one else could have done it better than Kamal.
The film is a real time narration of events as they unfold on a day in the life of Mohanlal,the police commisioner , where he meets his match, Kamal the common man. At the end of the day Mohanlal is a transformed man and lessons learned, while Kamal earns our respect. This is in sharp contrast what initially seemed a terror mastermind toying with the lives of people and the pride of the police commisioner. Thus the script needs to be appreciated for its originality (A Wednesday) and the remake applauded for the manner it matches the quality of the original.
The script and the star cast keep us on the edge of the seats, and us heavily involved with the events as they unfold. There are no songs nor romance, but we are left with is a lasting impression of a well made movie, that made best use of an acting genius. What more, the daughter (shruti) delivers a stunning background score that belies her age. All in a all a movie that we needed badly, to show the direction for future of Tamil cinema.
Director Radha Mohan delivers another family entertainer after his successful ‘Mozhi’. Like ‘Mozhi’, this film too could have ended up as a top grade movie if the director had avoided unnecessary scenes and comical situations that has no impact on the storyline. Prakashraj has been flawless despite being tested by Director in some seemingly inappropriate and poorly inserted scenes. Aishwarya plays her character perfectly and with Trisha in the cast, one has to say that Radha Mohan has the knack of forming good teams, just like in ‘Mozhi’. Despite drawbacks, this is clean family entertainment with emotions, humour and lessons to be learned. Vidyasagar doesn’t live upto his reputation, although most songs go well with the storyline.
Parvathy (aka Parvathi) has put the rest,including Srikanth, to shame by her impressive debut which is well worthy of an award. Although directed by Sasi, this movie has shades of Seran. Tamil cinema has not seen better demonstration of a deep rooted and utterly selfless love, than one that Mari (Parvathy) shows for her cousin Thangarasu (Srikanth). The extreme nature of this affection becomes fanatical at times, but yet beautifully controlled and enacted by Parvathy.
One of the better movies of the year, worth watching for the simplicity and the beauty.
Veteran movie actor-comedian Nagesh passed away peacefully this week. This is a massive and irreparable loss to the the Tamil Cinema. If Sivaji and MGR left their legacies behind and if Kamal and Rajini are making their own, its not an understatement to say that Nagesh is in the same class and has left an even deeper impact. He starred in over 1000 films, mostly Tamil, and made a brilliant debut as Server suntharam in 1964. He was moulded in to an all time great by the likes of Balachander and Srithar. Although Nagesh flowed with abundance of talent, it is only the likes of these stalwarts who made the best use of him and made him into not just a top class comedian but a great actor who could star in sensitive and emotional roles. We will not see another like Nagesh. Although he leaves us behind, he is an evergreen and his contributions and memorable roles will live forever in our memory.
No star : Crap or trash whatever you may call, simply not worth your time, let alone a Rupee spent
0.5 star : non-existent!
1 - 2 stars : Film of some substance and some high points but generally disappointing. Don’t watch unless you have something compelling about the movie
2 - 3 stars : Film that can be watched although some critics may not agree. The film has some strong point in one or more areas to be applauded. Of course the movie could have been much better
3 - 4 stars : A fine movie by Indian Tamil Cinema standards, but has some weaknesses that may not be apparent to all. Go and watch if you haven’t as you may be missing that is good
4.5 stars : This is a far superior movie by any Cinema standards, and of course would be vying for the movie of the decade award, and top 10 Tamil movies of all time award.
5 stars : Movie of sheer class and something that needs combined skills of Maniratnam, K. Balachandar and Balu Mahendra, brainstorming with Kamal Hassan!. Such a movie may never materialise. If it does, it will be a D-Day in the annals of Tamil cinema
