Tamil Movie Reviews

Opening segment of the movie portraying the life and times of Bodhi Dharma was so brilliantly done, the movie fails to meet the same level of expectation for the rest of the movie. But overall a refreshingly different action masala which is of the sci-fi genre, and a must watch for every tamilian.

Surya has given his heart and soul and the hard work pays off as he impresses one and all in his dual role; the six abs physique that fits in well with the role just goes on to show his commitment to perfection. It is hard task to play such a challenging role and come out unscathed with no major criticism. Remember that in Tamil cinema we are not used to seeing such demanding roles – ones that sap the energy and require great transformation, taking the acting the next level. This is not your every day super hero role in a commercial flick. Well done Surya.

As the daughter of Kamal, one would expect Shruti to has some of her father’s genes. She doesn’t disappoint, and with age on her side, she should go on to improve her skills and become a leading star. The delivery of Tamil by Shruti in a role that we would expect to hear clear and articulated spoken Tamil, is a let down. It is not often we see an actress making debut in a movie of this size and hype, and to her credit Shruti has done reasonably well. She is yet to stamp her class, and that would not happen unless she polishes up on her acting skills too in future endeavours. No doubt she is talented and has the potential to reach the top. As for this movie, not an extraordinary performance, but good enough to make her father and fans satisfied.

The ‘imported’ villain, is no ordinary star, and fits the bill well. There are far too many scenes where he is seen hypnotizing and wreaking havoc . He is a Vietnamese actor and one who has earned reputation in martial arts, and Murugadoss has made the right choice and used him well. There is not much ‘acting’ to do for him, as he lets his action skills do the talking.

Harris’ songs have shades of his past numbers. Yet, songs are pleasing, the best being ‘Mun Andhi’. It is not his music, but the way songs have been inserted in a fast paced thriller that one may not enjoy the songs as much as when they were released as an audio album.

Murugadoss has produced another blockbuster although opinions may be divided as to whether the movie justifies the hype that surounded it. Movie is predictable at times, and lacks twists that a film such as “Ko” has given. The plot becomes childish at times, but then lets forgive all  that because this movie is essentially a sci-fi where fantasy thrives.

An apt Deevali treat, and the movie may prove to be yet another mini milestone for Tamil cinema. We have seen ambitious attempts various directors in creating a magnum opus in Tamil Cinema. We are yet to see the true colossal hit but then no denying that movies such as Dasavatharam, Enthiran, Matharasuppatinam, Aayirathil Oruvan, and  now the 7am Arivu are continuing to give us hope and also the much needed momentum to take the Tamil cinema in a new direction; this would one day take Tamil cinema to an envious position. Kamal in Dasavatharam, Rajini in Enthiran, and now Surya in 7am Arivu – remind us that they are capable of carrying it in their shoulders by sheer hard work, dedication and to portray roles that make up for lapses in these much hyped and high budget movies.

My rating ***    (3/5)

Watch the Trailer here

It is not often that we see offbeat political thrillers in Tamil cinema that keeps the audience on the edge of their seats. Ko stands out as a watchable thriller with interesting storyline with twists, right blend of human emotions and relationships evoking intrigue – All  delivered through a mix balance of characters – bringing a thriller with an explosive twist and end (no pun intended!).

My rating ***/5  /5 (3 out of 5)

Watch the Trailer here

For many reasons this is unlike any other film by Bala. For the first time he has tried his hand in a movie that can be classfied under comedy genre. Unfortunately it is below par by his standards, going by his past classy movies. The movie just as a comedy doesn’t pass the muster. The dark side of the story doesn’t really blend well as Bala would have liked, although the cast, including the impressive Ambika have done well to portray flaring emotions. Yet, the movie is watchable as the Vishal and Arya combo rocks. It is the comedy antics of the duo that carry the film through. However it is Vishal who steals the show. This movie may resurrect Vishal’s acting career as skills that were unbeknownst to all came to light, thanks to Bala. The pain (eye pain!) he may have undergone is not likely to go unrewarded (come award time!)

My rating **1/2/5    (2.5/5)

Watch the Trailer here

You cannot be everything to everyone, as the rule in marketing for selecting your niche and target market would testify. In movies, the best fall under one genre, and targets the audience well.  Manmathan Ambu blows hot and cold in the genre game, and ends up a slapstick masala at the end. However the better part of the movie is the when it was riddled with sentiments, witty and punch lines that we are accustomed to seeing from Kamal.

Kamal the actor, Kamal the writer, and Kamal the Singer, all par excellence! His rendering of the song “Neela vaanam” is exemplary and it is only befitting that song is delivered as a stunning visual and “reverse”. Perfecting a reverse lip syncing to synchronise with the video is no mean task and probably would have taken days to shoot. This piece of song would go down in history as a wonderful piece of art.

A reasonably good script with interesting characters, is made more impressive by how well roles were enacted by the right people, uplifting the overall viewing experience. The brilliant casting, camera and music are what keeps the movie watchable, and it is not often that we take notice of others in a Kamal’s movie where the rest are under his shadow. Mathavan, Trisha, Sangeetha and Urvasi, all seemed to have played their roles to the best as they can.

The movie is genre blind and is neither a classy romantic comedy nor a melodrama. But it does pack the punch to be a light-hearted entertainer.

My rating ** 1/2  /5 (2.5 out 5)

Watch the Trailer here

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)

Watch the Trailer here

Gautham Menon, Trisha, Simbu and AR Rahman combine to deliver an unforgettable melodrama.

My rating ***/5 (3 out 5)

Watch the Trailer here

angadi theru

A Must Watch!

My rating ***/5 (3 out 5)

Watch the Trailer here

renigunta tamil movie

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.

My rating  ** 1/2

Watch the trailer

Aadhavan Surya

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

Kamal in Unnaipol Oruvan

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.

My rating ***/5 (3 out 5)

Watch the Trailer here