Tamil cinema is inching towards technical excellence. Also a proof that Rajini keeps getting younger! A must watch not just for Raijini fans as this movie is a milestone..
My rating – ***/5
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Cinematography par excellence, and the movie creates magic by taking us back in time to the the great city now known as Chennai. What more, it also intertwines a beautiful love story. Arya excels, and Amy jackson does extremely well. Music is fabulous too. There is plenty of deja vu, as we see shades of blockbusters such as Titanic and Lagaan. But lets not take away the credit for a movie that is worth watching just for its visual splendour and splendid recreation of a bygone era.
My rating ***/5 (3/5)
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This modern day retelling of the epic Ramayana by Mani Ratnam was one of the most awaited Tamil films in the recent times. But if mythical Raama and Raavana were to witness this brainchild of the great Mani Ratnam, the ten headed one is sure to gleefully embrace Mani while the former boils in anger. Such is the depiction of characters in this modern day analogy that one would feel that Mani has twisted the story to his own liking. Sadly the story is the film’s undoing, with no complexity nor emotions that we have seen from Mani Ratnam’s A grade movies such as Kannathil Muththamittal and Bombay. His knack for handling controversial and complex subjects desert him this time, and what we see here is an average movie that is uplifted only because of the visual splendor which almost makes us watch this movie in awe, backed up by world class music from the genius AR Rahman. So from an aesthetic point of view, one has to accept that the movie is watchable.
The movie fails to produce the magic that was expected from the synergy when the best in business combine. The great movie maker, musical genius and a stellar cast including ever versatile Vikram and the lovely and talented Aishwarya, can only produce a below par performance (with the exception of AR). The film lacks substance and suffers from the fact it has been artificially manipulated with not just the characters, but screenplay too, to synchronize with the Ramayana. Mani Ratnam has overdosed the movie with the metaphor of Raamaya that it is not delivered as a gripping tale one would expect from an incredibly talented director.
Do directors get wiser with their age and experience? It is a question some may ask in the light of Raavanan. K Balachander produced some of his best movies during his early days. I believe Mani Ratnam is like Wine, gets better with age. Raavanan is not Mani Ratnam’s worst movie, nor is his best, same goes for AR Rahman, Vikram and Aishwarya as far as Raavanan is concerned. Its hard to imagine what could have been, had these greats saved their best in this much anticipated movie. Alas, it was not to be. This is a minor slip for Mani Ratnam, and this movie is no crap. But for once he is not able to produce a highly acclaimed movie. Expect him to bounce back with a classic in the next try.
My rating **/5 (2 out 5)
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Gautham Menon, Trisha, Simbu and AR Rahman combine to deliver an unforgettable melodrama.
My rating ***/5 (3 out 5)
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angadi theru
A Must Watch!
My rating ***/5 (3 out 5)
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Aayirathil Oruvan Review
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 ***
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Director - Selvaragavan
Producer - R. Ravindran
Writer - Selvaragavan
Cast – Karthi, Reema Sen, Parthiban, Jeremiah
Music – GV Prakash Kumar
Cinematography - Ramji
Editor – Khola Baskar
thamizh padam movie review
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
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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