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viduTHALAI?
Spotlight on Ultimate Star, 'Thalai', Ajith
What went wrong with this enthusiastic performer? None of his recent movies have been inspiring. I have not even seen his recent movie like Jana, Ji, etc. His last movie I saw was Anjaneya, which was a total disaster at the box office.
So, where did things go off-TRACK??
What went wrong with this enthusiastic performer? None of his recent movies have been inspiring. I have not even seen his recent movie like Jana, Ji, etc. His last movie I saw was Anjaneya, which was a total disaster at the box office.
So, where did things go off-TRACK??
- He got side-tracked heavily by the car racing fantasy. This is never going to help. He chose to get distracted when he had a nice potential to make it big. I am not sure how this helped him personally, but as far as his position in Kollywood, this was a crash on the race course to victory.
- He got married to Shalini, that is a good thing since the distraction of love was not for too long and he got into a wedlock pretty soon, but I am not sure how it impacted his performances.
- I believe he stopped being his natural self and instead chose to play roles with a pride that a star should not mix too much into his performances.
- His roles became stereotyped as a ruf n tuf guy with a good heart, this looked good in Dheena and a totally negative role in Asoka won him some praises, but he carried this too far. His fight sequences were also not all that novel with every new movie.
- His instinct for comedy also gradually disappeared in recent movies and tamil audience always enjoys a lead star with a penchant for comedy. Very successful examples are Superstar Rajinikanth, Kamal and of course Vijay.
- I think he began immitating some of the famous stars. I could see some evidence of he acting like Kamal instead of his natural self. His portrayal in Kandukondain went down very well with the audience. Similarly his sincere portrayals in Vaalee, Aasai were all blockbuster hits. We don't see that anymore.
- Directors and Producers lost interest in him since he was almost treating Kollywood as his hobby and racing as his profession, so none of his recent movies have really been a big banner movie and have not boasted of very good music or technicians.
- The competition in Dhanush, Simbu, and others have started warming up their young engines vociferously, so middle-aged stars need to get more creative when choosing and playing roles.
Padam Padam ariya aaval
Film Crew
I feel rather sheepish to declare that I am not all that good in instantly recognizing English Grammar terms such as Adjective, Adverb, Pronoun etc. I can categorize these by example, but not instantly by name. An uncanny similarity in terms of my inability to instantly understand things is in the world of Movie technical terms.
Yeah, I read that Ravi Verman did the Cinematography for Anniyan and Shankar did the screenplay. But what exactly each of these responsibilities constitute, I am not sure of. So, I did some research on this today and thought that if there is atleast one other person who did not understand these technical terms, this could serve as a handy reference. All the following are the people behind the scenes.
Obvious Film Credits
Director: Of course we all know this one. This is the person in charge of orchastrating the whole movie. This is the person that extracts performances from the actors. This is the person that converts the stone idols in the script to real moving characters. e.g. Shankar, Manirathnam
Producer: Finances the movie project and gets commitments on schedules and dates from all the pieces concerned, such as director, script writer, actors, music directors, etc. e.g. Prabhu, R.B.Choudhary, V.Ravichandran
Music Director: Another obvious function, this is the person that composes tunes for songs in the movie, based on situations specific to the movie. e.g. Illayaraaja, A.R.Rehman
Lyricist: This is the person that puts words into a song sequence. e.g. Vairamuthu, Vaali
Playback Singers: Persons who sing the songs to the tunes and by the lyrics.
Choreographer: This is the person responsible for mentoring the dance movements during a song sequence. e.g. Raju Sundaram, Dance Master Kala
Dialogue Writer: Person who writes the dialogues for the movie. e.g. Crazy Mohan, Balakumaran.
Story/Script Writer: The person who writes the overall story (not specific dialogues) on which the movie is based. Sometimes these are adaptations from novels or written by the directors. e.g. Kamal Hassan, K.Balachandar, Shankar, etc.
Less Obvious Credits:
Camera/Cinematographer: This is the person that records visual images for the cinema and later post processes them. Usually the director of photography is another term used for this function. e.g. P.C.Sreeram, Rajiv Menon, Ravi Varman.
Light Direction & Arrangements: This is the person that decides the amount of light required in the sequences in the movie, based on the script and situation involved. Very often, the cinematographer assumes this role. e.g. P.C.Sreera, Ravi Varman
Action/Stunt Director: The person who directs the fight sequences in the movie. e.g. Super Subbarayan
Art/Production Designer: The person(s) involved in the overall visual appearance in the movie, including but not limited to set design, location, art work, etc. e.g. Sabu Cyril, Thotta Tharani
Screenplay: This is the next stage of Story writing. It is the art of creating the blue print for the movie and its functions overlap with script writing. So, very often we find that the director and/or the story writer get involved in screenplay. This could sometimes be adapted from novels or other movies.
Editor: As the name mentions, this is the person who does the "anga oru vettu inga oru cuttu", which is chops the sequences to make the movie flow smoothly and to fit within the time window required. e.g. Suresh URS, V.T. Vijayan
Others: The other lesser known functions involved, include set decorators, clap boys, operators, stunt/body doubles, etc. Read this link for more information if you are still interested. Otherwise, enjoy the future reviews from a more informed, Ram, Ram, Ram! Monday, June 20, 2005 at 2:48 PM
I feel rather sheepish to declare that I am not all that good in instantly recognizing English Grammar terms such as Adjective, Adverb, Pronoun etc. I can categorize these by example, but not instantly by name. An uncanny similarity in terms of my inability to instantly understand things is in the world of Movie technical terms.
Yeah, I read that Ravi Verman did the Cinematography for Anniyan and Shankar did the screenplay. But what exactly each of these responsibilities constitute, I am not sure of. So, I did some research on this today and thought that if there is atleast one other person who did not understand these technical terms, this could serve as a handy reference. All the following are the people behind the scenes.
Obvious Film Credits
Director: Of course we all know this one. This is the person in charge of orchastrating the whole movie. This is the person that extracts performances from the actors. This is the person that converts the stone idols in the script to real moving characters. e.g. Shankar, Manirathnam
Producer: Finances the movie project and gets commitments on schedules and dates from all the pieces concerned, such as director, script writer, actors, music directors, etc. e.g. Prabhu, R.B.Choudhary, V.Ravichandran
Music Director: Another obvious function, this is the person that composes tunes for songs in the movie, based on situations specific to the movie. e.g. Illayaraaja, A.R.Rehman
Lyricist: This is the person that puts words into a song sequence. e.g. Vairamuthu, Vaali
Playback Singers: Persons who sing the songs to the tunes and by the lyrics.
Choreographer: This is the person responsible for mentoring the dance movements during a song sequence. e.g. Raju Sundaram, Dance Master Kala
Dialogue Writer: Person who writes the dialogues for the movie. e.g. Crazy Mohan, Balakumaran.
Story/Script Writer: The person who writes the overall story (not specific dialogues) on which the movie is based. Sometimes these are adaptations from novels or written by the directors. e.g. Kamal Hassan, K.Balachandar, Shankar, etc.
Less Obvious Credits:
Camera/Cinematographer: This is the person that records visual images for the cinema and later post processes them. Usually the director of photography is another term used for this function. e.g. P.C.Sreeram, Rajiv Menon, Ravi Varman.
Light Direction & Arrangements: This is the person that decides the amount of light required in the sequences in the movie, based on the script and situation involved. Very often, the cinematographer assumes this role. e.g. P.C.Sreera, Ravi Varman
Action/Stunt Director: The person who directs the fight sequences in the movie. e.g. Super Subbarayan
Art/Production Designer: The person(s) involved in the overall visual appearance in the movie, including but not limited to set design, location, art work, etc. e.g. Sabu Cyril, Thotta Tharani
Screenplay: This is the next stage of Story writing. It is the art of creating the blue print for the movie and its functions overlap with script writing. So, very often we find that the director and/or the story writer get involved in screenplay. This could sometimes be adapted from novels or other movies.
Editor: As the name mentions, this is the person who does the "anga oru vettu inga oru cuttu", which is chops the sequences to make the movie flow smoothly and to fit within the time window required. e.g. Suresh URS, V.T. Vijayan
Others: The other lesser known functions involved, include set decorators, clap boys, operators, stunt/body doubles, etc. Read this link for more information if you are still interested. Otherwise, enjoy the future reviews from a more informed, Ram, Ram, Ram! Monday, June 20, 2005 at 2:48 PM
Coming Soon: ANNIYAN
Dear Readers,
I have watched Anniyan, but am delaying my review of this movie to do justice to the film makers and to allow you guys some time to go and watch this movie in the theaters. I am willing to give you a peek into my feelings about this movie by recommending that you go watch this movie! It's definately worth taking a look at, not just for the amount of money that was spent, but also for the difference it makes to Tamil Cinema.
Also, I wanted some feedback about the format of the reviews on this website. Do you guys find it effective? How do you recommend I change the format to make it better? Do you think the format is universally applicable? How do you like this template? Please do convey your feedback as comments to this post. All good suggestions will be credited and applied from the Anniyan post onwards.
Thanks and keep reading!
Ram at 10:39 AM
I have watched Anniyan, but am delaying my review of this movie to do justice to the film makers and to allow you guys some time to go and watch this movie in the theaters. I am willing to give you a peek into my feelings about this movie by recommending that you go watch this movie! It's definately worth taking a look at, not just for the amount of money that was spent, but also for the difference it makes to Tamil Cinema.
Also, I wanted some feedback about the format of the reviews on this website. Do you guys find it effective? How do you recommend I change the format to make it better? Do you think the format is universally applicable? How do you like this template? Please do convey your feedback as comments to this post. All good suggestions will be credited and applied from the Anniyan post onwards.
Thanks and keep reading!
Ram at 10:39 AM
SUSIside
Virumbigiraen
Had been wanting to watch this movie for a long long time, since it is chronologically the first movie in which one of my favorite heroines, Sneha, has acted. I'd heard that her performance in this movie is a very good debut performance and perhaps that has led her to some great performances in the times that came.
What's New?
The plot is pretty good, and deals with a valid concern of caste and sect differences in Indian villages. This is something that I have not seen extensively in tamil movies.
The way that humanity, irrespective of caste, creed, sex, color, age or just about anything else, unites to save lives and their homes is impressive. However, the way that this is brought about is really dumb and destructive.
Noticeable
Sneha has delivered a very daring performance for her debut effort. She looks very young and slim and fits her role perfectly. Her romantic scenes are sometimes sizzling and we have not seen such a sizzle from her in her later movies, except in Chinna, coming up. She has done very well in her quadruple role, as a sister, daughter, friend and lover. Some of the scenes are pretty dumb, but she is not responsible for that. There is also too much crying at times, but her exchanges with Nassar give her a great thrust into Kollywood. The latter has delivered a professional performance that is expected from a star of his caliber.
Prashanth is a disappointment. He barely acts in this movie, which requires a mature performance. All his expressions and sequences seem really stupid for the role. Sneha has clearly overshadowed him. But this must not be new for Prashanth, who we have seen got outsmarted by Roja in Chembaruthi in his very first movie, and later by Ash in Jeans, even though there were two of him and now in Virumbugiren.
The story has not been done justice to. There is a cinematographical failure and the direction seems powerless with the likes of Prashanth at the lead. The disaster is completed with the songs not being up to the mark, with the exception of "Nejamma...", which was very melodious. The location in a village setting was pretty good for the story. I am sure Susi Ganesan will come up with better movies. We saw traces of this in 5-star, which was a nicely shot movie.
Verdict
Nothing much to this movie. If you can stand Prashanth, the story is pretty good and brings to light, an important issue in Indian villages. You can watch this for Susi and Sneha. Other than that, there is little hope that you'll enjoy this one. at 10:19 AM
Had been wanting to watch this movie for a long long time, since it is chronologically the first movie in which one of my favorite heroines, Sneha, has acted. I'd heard that her performance in this movie is a very good debut performance and perhaps that has led her to some great performances in the times that came.
What's New?
The plot is pretty good, and deals with a valid concern of caste and sect differences in Indian villages. This is something that I have not seen extensively in tamil movies.
The way that humanity, irrespective of caste, creed, sex, color, age or just about anything else, unites to save lives and their homes is impressive. However, the way that this is brought about is really dumb and destructive.
Noticeable
Sneha has delivered a very daring performance for her debut effort. She looks very young and slim and fits her role perfectly. Her romantic scenes are sometimes sizzling and we have not seen such a sizzle from her in her later movies, except in Chinna, coming up. She has done very well in her quadruple role, as a sister, daughter, friend and lover. Some of the scenes are pretty dumb, but she is not responsible for that. There is also too much crying at times, but her exchanges with Nassar give her a great thrust into Kollywood. The latter has delivered a professional performance that is expected from a star of his caliber.
Prashanth is a disappointment. He barely acts in this movie, which requires a mature performance. All his expressions and sequences seem really stupid for the role. Sneha has clearly overshadowed him. But this must not be new for Prashanth, who we have seen got outsmarted by Roja in Chembaruthi in his very first movie, and later by Ash in Jeans, even though there were two of him and now in Virumbugiren.
The story has not been done justice to. There is a cinematographical failure and the direction seems powerless with the likes of Prashanth at the lead. The disaster is completed with the songs not being up to the mark, with the exception of "Nejamma...", which was very melodious. The location in a village setting was pretty good for the story. I am sure Susi Ganesan will come up with better movies. We saw traces of this in 5-star, which was a nicely shot movie.
Verdict
Nothing much to this movie. If you can stand Prashanth, the story is pretty good and brings to light, an important issue in Indian villages. You can watch this for Susi and Sneha. Other than that, there is little hope that you'll enjoy this one. at 10:19 AM
punn-a-gai Mannan
Mannan
This is not the first time I am watching this movie, but only the second. The first stint was 12 years ago! This time round, my expectations have grown with me and hence the feeling was quite different. Perhaps this will not be a fair review to the movie since it does not reflect the sentiments I had, at the time when this movie came out.
What's New?
This is the first movie that I can remember seeing, which talks about Labor rights and the importance of workers to the factory. Rajini's Uzhaippaali, which came later, also dwells on this subject in a different sense. It also brings forth a female superstar in a Rajini movie. Something, you can relate to, when you see Padayappa. This one, Shanti Devi, is one generation older, so obviously not as powerful or effective as Neelambari.
Noticeable
Rajini's earlier movies did not require much to become a super hit. He was the celebrated super star of the 1990s. This movie did not have much of a performance from him, even in the emotional scenes; but the film has been so tailored for him in terms of dialogues and story, that he does not need to do much, his style and dialogue delivery will carry him through. His good comic timing adds great incentive for tamil audience.
I found the movie pretty childish, which is why I might have enjoyed it very much when I saw this 12 years ago! For a successful entrepreneur, Vijayshanti's character is surprisingly childish and volatile. She takes impulsive decisions without much thought or consultation with her father, who is shown as a much more level headed guy. He too, does not step in until the very last moment before all hell breaks loose. Also, she walks into her competitor's territory without a single ounce of protection to wage a verbal war with him. I guess I could go on and on.. there are several flaws in the logic, so better not to look for this!
Vijayshanti was the only one who could play a role like this back then and she has done a good job. It would be unfair to compare her with Ramya Krishnan in Padayappa since the stories are quite different. Some sequences like her burning the car, although illogical are a joy to watch for anyone who is short tempered. Visu has done an okay job as Vijayshanti's dad.
Kushboo was riding high from the success of Chinna Thambi at that time and does a bit to woo the audience with her dance sequences. Her role is very small and the ending in the movie, by making her the boss, is perhaps just to please her fans.
Rajini's mom in the movie is a real disappointment. She has barely done anything except shaking her hands (no offense to the handicap). The very famous and really well sung song by K.J.Yesudas, "Amma Yendrazhaikkadha...", will always be appreciated by moms all over the world. (Sometimes, in my experience, this appreciation can be overly hyped up!)
Rajni has sung in his own voice for "Adikkidhu Kuluru" and I am not surprised that he never tried that stunt again!
This is another movie with the exact same parameters in direction, production and lead actor, as Chandramukhi, but the latter is a much bigger success!
UPDATE: I am sorry to have forgotten the brilliance and significance of comedy in this movie. The comedy sequence between Goundamani and Rajini were excellent. Visu has played a good supporting role to the funny sequences. The comedy in the unnavirudham scene was fantastic.
Verdict
This movie did very well at the box office, so it is likely that you will like this movie in some sense. It is worth watching for Rajini and the songs. Some of the sequences and dialogues are idealistic and worth teaching your "vayasu" ponngal.
at 9:28 AM
This is not the first time I am watching this movie, but only the second. The first stint was 12 years ago! This time round, my expectations have grown with me and hence the feeling was quite different. Perhaps this will not be a fair review to the movie since it does not reflect the sentiments I had, at the time when this movie came out.
What's New?
This is the first movie that I can remember seeing, which talks about Labor rights and the importance of workers to the factory. Rajini's Uzhaippaali, which came later, also dwells on this subject in a different sense. It also brings forth a female superstar in a Rajini movie. Something, you can relate to, when you see Padayappa. This one, Shanti Devi, is one generation older, so obviously not as powerful or effective as Neelambari.
Noticeable
Rajini's earlier movies did not require much to become a super hit. He was the celebrated super star of the 1990s. This movie did not have much of a performance from him, even in the emotional scenes; but the film has been so tailored for him in terms of dialogues and story, that he does not need to do much, his style and dialogue delivery will carry him through. His good comic timing adds great incentive for tamil audience.
I found the movie pretty childish, which is why I might have enjoyed it very much when I saw this 12 years ago! For a successful entrepreneur, Vijayshanti's character is surprisingly childish and volatile. She takes impulsive decisions without much thought or consultation with her father, who is shown as a much more level headed guy. He too, does not step in until the very last moment before all hell breaks loose. Also, she walks into her competitor's territory without a single ounce of protection to wage a verbal war with him. I guess I could go on and on.. there are several flaws in the logic, so better not to look for this!
Vijayshanti was the only one who could play a role like this back then and she has done a good job. It would be unfair to compare her with Ramya Krishnan in Padayappa since the stories are quite different. Some sequences like her burning the car, although illogical are a joy to watch for anyone who is short tempered. Visu has done an okay job as Vijayshanti's dad.
Kushboo was riding high from the success of Chinna Thambi at that time and does a bit to woo the audience with her dance sequences. Her role is very small and the ending in the movie, by making her the boss, is perhaps just to please her fans.
Rajini's mom in the movie is a real disappointment. She has barely done anything except shaking her hands (no offense to the handicap). The very famous and really well sung song by K.J.Yesudas, "Amma Yendrazhaikkadha...", will always be appreciated by moms all over the world. (Sometimes, in my experience, this appreciation can be overly hyped up!)
Rajni has sung in his own voice for "Adikkidhu Kuluru" and I am not surprised that he never tried that stunt again!
This is another movie with the exact same parameters in direction, production and lead actor, as Chandramukhi, but the latter is a much bigger success!
UPDATE: I am sorry to have forgotten the brilliance and significance of comedy in this movie. The comedy sequence between Goundamani and Rajini were excellent. Visu has played a good supporting role to the funny sequences. The comedy in the unnavirudham scene was fantastic.
Verdict
This movie did very well at the box office, so it is likely that you will like this movie in some sense. It is worth watching for Rajini and the songs. Some of the sequences and dialogues are idealistic and worth teaching your "vayasu" ponngal.
at 9:28 AM
Master HASSan
Tenali
What's new?
With a Kamal movie, you can always expect something new. For the second time in a row (after Punnagai Mannan), I am watching a Kamal movie which has something to do with Srilanka. This time, it was a great feast of comedy that hides a great tragedy faced by Tenali Soman, a Srilankan tamil guy, whose father was killed and mom was raped in front of him, and his house was bombed. Since then, this guy is scared of everything.
Noticeable
Another movie, where the start was superb! Making Jayaram look like a hero in the beginning to paralyzing him in the end, was an amazing transformation over a period of 120 minutes and almost every minute of it was enjoyable, except the time-bomb part, which seemed like a drag. Kudos to KS Ravikumar, who makes a cameo appearance as usual!
Crazy Mohan's dialogues were superb and suited the situation very well. He has done an excellent job along the lines of MMKR and Avvai Shanmugi. Some of the sequences make you roll out of your chair in laughter. The Kamal-Crazy combo is one of the best when it comes to Kollywood comedy.
Jayaram has done an outstanding job in this movie. His acting equals or exceeds Kamal's in this movie. It was a tough role for him and he has done very well. This is arguably his best comic performance. Delhi Ganesh, Ramesh Kanna and Charlie provided good supporting comedy. Although the latter had not much to do, he was in the water most of the time! Diamond Babu was his usual one-track self but provided some good laughs over the course of the movie.
Kamal was great throughout the movie and his expression transformation from comical to emotional was swift and exceptional! His dialogue delivery was exceptional, he spoke the Srilankan tamil with such great ease! This is a master at work and I am one of those fans who believe that this guy is far more talented than Sivaji Ganesan, although the latter must have inspired him through his childhood.
Jyothika seems to have no problems standing on top of stools, as her heels in this movie indicate. However, it was a good strategy to make her look thin. Devyani had a secondary role and she was average. The kids were cool, specially the girl was cute.
A.R.Rahman's tunes were great, "Ho Jaye" is well remembered. These were well supported by good picturization and excellent locales.
Verdict
Great feast of comedy with some dragging sequences. But overall, it is very enjoyable. One word of caution though, you need to get used to the Srilankan Tamil accent, which can be somewhat annoying (due to lack of understanding). But since I had a Srilankan tamil neighbor, I got used to the dialect and was able to enjoy this movie. Thursday, June 16, 2005 at 11:20 AM
What's new?
With a Kamal movie, you can always expect something new. For the second time in a row (after Punnagai Mannan), I am watching a Kamal movie which has something to do with Srilanka. This time, it was a great feast of comedy that hides a great tragedy faced by Tenali Soman, a Srilankan tamil guy, whose father was killed and mom was raped in front of him, and his house was bombed. Since then, this guy is scared of everything.
Noticeable
Another movie, where the start was superb! Making Jayaram look like a hero in the beginning to paralyzing him in the end, was an amazing transformation over a period of 120 minutes and almost every minute of it was enjoyable, except the time-bomb part, which seemed like a drag. Kudos to KS Ravikumar, who makes a cameo appearance as usual!
Crazy Mohan's dialogues were superb and suited the situation very well. He has done an excellent job along the lines of MMKR and Avvai Shanmugi. Some of the sequences make you roll out of your chair in laughter. The Kamal-Crazy combo is one of the best when it comes to Kollywood comedy.
Jayaram has done an outstanding job in this movie. His acting equals or exceeds Kamal's in this movie. It was a tough role for him and he has done very well. This is arguably his best comic performance. Delhi Ganesh, Ramesh Kanna and Charlie provided good supporting comedy. Although the latter had not much to do, he was in the water most of the time! Diamond Babu was his usual one-track self but provided some good laughs over the course of the movie.
Kamal was great throughout the movie and his expression transformation from comical to emotional was swift and exceptional! His dialogue delivery was exceptional, he spoke the Srilankan tamil with such great ease! This is a master at work and I am one of those fans who believe that this guy is far more talented than Sivaji Ganesan, although the latter must have inspired him through his childhood.
Jyothika seems to have no problems standing on top of stools, as her heels in this movie indicate. However, it was a good strategy to make her look thin. Devyani had a secondary role and she was average. The kids were cool, specially the girl was cute.
A.R.Rahman's tunes were great, "Ho Jaye" is well remembered. These were well supported by good picturization and excellent locales.
Verdict
Great feast of comedy with some dragging sequences. But overall, it is very enjoyable. One word of caution though, you need to get used to the Srilankan Tamil accent, which can be somewhat annoying (due to lack of understanding). But since I had a Srilankan tamil neighbor, I got used to the dialect and was able to enjoy this movie. Thursday, June 16, 2005 at 11:20 AM
A tale of two Countries
Punnagai Mannan
What's new?
This is a classic from K.B and Illayaraaja. As I have said before, Balachandar is never shy to try out controversial topics in his movies. In 1987, the LTTE was a big topic that was disturbing India and Srilanka. The tamils in SL were hated by the local Sinhalese and this is one of the themes presented in this movie. We see the Lankan background follow up in Kannathil Muthamittal from Manirathnam.
This movie shows the emotion of guilty conciousness in a light that other movies have not ventured into. This has been nicely emoted by Kamal, who carries this burden throughout the movie, since he was the unlucky surivivor of a suicide attempt.
Noticeable
As I have said in the review of Raam, a thunderous start makes the rest of the movie very interesting to watch. In this case, it has a thunderous ending as well! I really loved the ending!
Kudos to the art work in this movie! The drawings of Godess Saraswathi and Kamal are both very realistic, considering the area they cover! Awesome!
Rekha and Revathi perform very well in their roles. The reason that Revathi was such a big success is that she makes you feel as if she's going about her business as you would, if you were wearing her shoes. She's a natural on screen and hard to beat. Her voice I guess was dubbed by Sulokshana and that was a slight mismatch, and reminded me of 'Bhairavi' a lot, although I was looking at Revathi.
Kamal has a very difficult assignment and has performed extremely well as Chaplin Chellappa. He is a real comedian and can give anyone a run for their money! His comic timing is classic and no one in tamil cinema could have immitated Chaplin as well as he has. He also emoted brilliantly in the not-so-happy scenes. The romance with Srividya added to this comedy, although it was more of a filler and not crucial to the plot.
The song and dance sequences were very key to the movie and have been brilliantly executed by the maestro and the choreographer. Kamal is known to be great for his dances and Revathi, albeit not known for dance sequences apriori, has set a standard in this flick. There is not much basis for who she could miraculously perform a 16 hour dance sequence after having faltered terribly in the class. But there is always some room for imagination in Balachandar movies.
The story itself is somewhat complicated since there is an interleaving of the Srilankan tale with the dance story consisting of Srividya and Kamal's family, Chaplin & Delhi Ganesh. Add into it the elements of Rekha's family and Delhi Ganesh's multiple wives, your head starts spinning as you read, but not when you watch! So, the director has done an excellent job. Although in some places the movie drags a little, especially where there are no English subtitles to Sinhalese dialogues. Other than that, the script has been dealt with outstandingly.
Verdict
This is a very good movie, which deals with a complicated subject with ease. It can qualify as a classic. But I am not sure how much you will like this movie if you are watching it for the first time only now, but since I have been watching it several times since its release, it has grown on me. If you are from the United Nations or a dance academy, you will love this movie. Tuesday, June 14, 2005 at 5:25 PM
What's new?
This is a classic from K.B and Illayaraaja. As I have said before, Balachandar is never shy to try out controversial topics in his movies. In 1987, the LTTE was a big topic that was disturbing India and Srilanka. The tamils in SL were hated by the local Sinhalese and this is one of the themes presented in this movie. We see the Lankan background follow up in Kannathil Muthamittal from Manirathnam.
This movie shows the emotion of guilty conciousness in a light that other movies have not ventured into. This has been nicely emoted by Kamal, who carries this burden throughout the movie, since he was the unlucky surivivor of a suicide attempt.
Noticeable
As I have said in the review of Raam, a thunderous start makes the rest of the movie very interesting to watch. In this case, it has a thunderous ending as well! I really loved the ending!
Kudos to the art work in this movie! The drawings of Godess Saraswathi and Kamal are both very realistic, considering the area they cover! Awesome!
Rekha and Revathi perform very well in their roles. The reason that Revathi was such a big success is that she makes you feel as if she's going about her business as you would, if you were wearing her shoes. She's a natural on screen and hard to beat. Her voice I guess was dubbed by Sulokshana and that was a slight mismatch, and reminded me of 'Bhairavi' a lot, although I was looking at Revathi.
Kamal has a very difficult assignment and has performed extremely well as Chaplin Chellappa. He is a real comedian and can give anyone a run for their money! His comic timing is classic and no one in tamil cinema could have immitated Chaplin as well as he has. He also emoted brilliantly in the not-so-happy scenes. The romance with Srividya added to this comedy, although it was more of a filler and not crucial to the plot.
The song and dance sequences were very key to the movie and have been brilliantly executed by the maestro and the choreographer. Kamal is known to be great for his dances and Revathi, albeit not known for dance sequences apriori, has set a standard in this flick. There is not much basis for who she could miraculously perform a 16 hour dance sequence after having faltered terribly in the class. But there is always some room for imagination in Balachandar movies.
The story itself is somewhat complicated since there is an interleaving of the Srilankan tale with the dance story consisting of Srividya and Kamal's family, Chaplin & Delhi Ganesh. Add into it the elements of Rekha's family and Delhi Ganesh's multiple wives, your head starts spinning as you read, but not when you watch! So, the director has done an excellent job. Although in some places the movie drags a little, especially where there are no English subtitles to Sinhalese dialogues. Other than that, the script has been dealt with outstandingly.
Verdict
This is a very good movie, which deals with a complicated subject with ease. It can qualify as a classic. But I am not sure how much you will like this movie if you are watching it for the first time only now, but since I have been watching it several times since its release, it has grown on me. If you are from the United Nations or a dance academy, you will love this movie. Tuesday, June 14, 2005 at 5:25 PM
Anniyan Preview
Anniyan
I saw the Anniyan trailor for the first time, when I went to watch Chandramukhi for the second time. No, I did not go to watch Chandramukhi just for this trailor!! If you do not want to know anything about the movie, this is your chance to click here and get off this preview to other posts :-)
I was taken by surprise at some of the breathtaking visuals, like Vikram getting stuck between two autos riding on either side of the median; he has one leg on each auto! I got reminded of The Matrix (I) in some fight sequences and when they showed Vikram's head shaved off and some under water scenes. There were certainly some traces of Spiderman, with Vikram literally flying over some buildings. Could this be a science fiction movie or comic inspired?
I got reminded of Gentleman, when they showed some creatures, tough to decipher whether they were rodents or insects biting Vikram. This seems to be a Shankar patented replica of Fear Factor in movies. I could not help but notice the tons of difference get-ups Vikram appears in during the movie. Prakash Raaj seems to have a pivotal role in this movie.
Then, there were the not so good aspects such as the music by Harris Jeyaraj. There was some fancy art work, such as those on the lorries, which were painted with faces, perhaps in an attempt to relieve the pressure built by the rest of the movie. It is left to be seen, if the song sequences and the picturization (Iyengar and Kaadal Yaanai shown in bits), could hurt this movie from Shankar, whose movies have always been known from some great music.
Boys will still be fresh in my mind as I go to watch Anniyan this weekend, but I am sure that the difference will be remarkable. Monday, June 13, 2005 at 11:32 AM
I saw the Anniyan trailor for the first time, when I went to watch Chandramukhi for the second time. No, I did not go to watch Chandramukhi just for this trailor!! If you do not want to know anything about the movie, this is your chance to click here and get off this preview to other posts :-)
I was taken by surprise at some of the breathtaking visuals, like Vikram getting stuck between two autos riding on either side of the median; he has one leg on each auto! I got reminded of The Matrix (I) in some fight sequences and when they showed Vikram's head shaved off and some under water scenes. There were certainly some traces of Spiderman, with Vikram literally flying over some buildings. Could this be a science fiction movie or comic inspired?
I got reminded of Gentleman, when they showed some creatures, tough to decipher whether they were rodents or insects biting Vikram. This seems to be a Shankar patented replica of Fear Factor in movies. I could not help but notice the tons of difference get-ups Vikram appears in during the movie. Prakash Raaj seems to have a pivotal role in this movie.
Then, there were the not so good aspects such as the music by Harris Jeyaraj. There was some fancy art work, such as those on the lorries, which were painted with faces, perhaps in an attempt to relieve the pressure built by the rest of the movie. It is left to be seen, if the song sequences and the picturization (Iyengar and Kaadal Yaanai shown in bits), could hurt this movie from Shankar, whose movies have always been known from some great music.
Boys will still be fresh in my mind as I go to watch Anniyan this weekend, but I am sure that the difference will be remarkable. Monday, June 13, 2005 at 11:32 AM
mugaWEARY
Mugavari
I first heard about this movie, when I was visiting Mississippi State Univ for a symposium in 2000. A tamil guy there was all praises for this movie, 5 years later, I did not necessarily feel the same.
What's New?
I would have left this column blank, but for the end. That was different from the usual binary nature of tamil movie endings, heavily biased towards the positive (1) rather than a sad ending (0). This one is fuzzy logic, as is most of the movie itself!
Noticeable
It is quite an irony that Deva is the music director of this movie. It is supposed to show, how difficult talented aspirants find it, to make their way into mainline cinema. Instead, we have Deva, providing a bounty of copied and patched tunes to this movie. If any other aspiring music director tries the same technique, he is sure to succeed, a la Anu Malik and Deva, but our hero does not find much success.
The story has surely taken some inspiration from the theme of Akele Hum Akele Tum. Some scenes are inspired from other tamil movies. For instance, take the beach scene, where some boys are playing; it is clearly copied from the beach scene in Kadalan, where Prabu Deva and his friends watch a group of boys playing along the shore. The movie drags on at unbearably slow speeds like the thatha driving in front of you along a one lane road.
Jyothika has really slimmed down in recent times and having seen her in movies like Chandramukhi and Kaakha Kaakha, it is tough to see her in movies such as this one. Her performance is good in a couple of scenes, especially when she talks to her dad about Ajith.
There are some assumptions that the director makes, which could have proved costly to the success of this movie, especially in the climax. It was quite difficult for me to understand the logic of changing priorities, when it comes to love, money or career. But that may just be me and not everyone.
Ajith's allies in Raghuvaran, Sitara and Manivannan have done a better than average job in the serious scene, but Ajith himself has not done to their standard. It could be partially because of the mistimed song sequences among serious scenes, even before the seriousness can sink in. Also, things in the family seem to go too idealistic for anyone to believe.
Vivek's comedy and the fight sequence complete the list of no-so-good things in this movie.
Verdict
All in all, this is a below average movie, patched up from several of its predecessors, whether it comes to music or scenes. There are lots of other movies you could watch instead of this one. at 11:12 AM
I first heard about this movie, when I was visiting Mississippi State Univ for a symposium in 2000. A tamil guy there was all praises for this movie, 5 years later, I did not necessarily feel the same.
What's New?
I would have left this column blank, but for the end. That was different from the usual binary nature of tamil movie endings, heavily biased towards the positive (1) rather than a sad ending (0). This one is fuzzy logic, as is most of the movie itself!
Noticeable
It is quite an irony that Deva is the music director of this movie. It is supposed to show, how difficult talented aspirants find it, to make their way into mainline cinema. Instead, we have Deva, providing a bounty of copied and patched tunes to this movie. If any other aspiring music director tries the same technique, he is sure to succeed, a la Anu Malik and Deva, but our hero does not find much success.
The story has surely taken some inspiration from the theme of Akele Hum Akele Tum. Some scenes are inspired from other tamil movies. For instance, take the beach scene, where some boys are playing; it is clearly copied from the beach scene in Kadalan, where Prabu Deva and his friends watch a group of boys playing along the shore. The movie drags on at unbearably slow speeds like the thatha driving in front of you along a one lane road.
Jyothika has really slimmed down in recent times and having seen her in movies like Chandramukhi and Kaakha Kaakha, it is tough to see her in movies such as this one. Her performance is good in a couple of scenes, especially when she talks to her dad about Ajith.
There are some assumptions that the director makes, which could have proved costly to the success of this movie, especially in the climax. It was quite difficult for me to understand the logic of changing priorities, when it comes to love, money or career. But that may just be me and not everyone.
Ajith's allies in Raghuvaran, Sitara and Manivannan have done a better than average job in the serious scene, but Ajith himself has not done to their standard. It could be partially because of the mistimed song sequences among serious scenes, even before the seriousness can sink in. Also, things in the family seem to go too idealistic for anyone to believe.
Vivek's comedy and the fight sequence complete the list of no-so-good things in this movie.
Verdict
All in all, this is a below average movie, patched up from several of its predecessors, whether it comes to music or scenes. There are lots of other movies you could watch instead of this one. at 11:12 AM
Website Spotlight: TrishaKrishnan.com
Star websites are seldom maintained these days. I came across one of them which seems to be alive and kicking right now. Trisha's website is a cool ensemble of press articles (mostly tamil), a bio, good pictures and some wallpapers. Even if you are not a Trisha fan, you will appreciate the effort put forth by the website design team. Some cool Java and Flash/Macromedia features make it a good surfing experience. I am sure Rathish was involved in some of the Flash Web Page design. Check it out www.trishakrishnan.com Wednesday, June 08, 2005 at 11:49 AM
RAAMpant!
Raam
I'd heard the songs of this movie many times over, thanks to Rathish. So, I snatched this movie as soon as I detected it on the shelves of Nilgiris. At the end of watching this movie, my wife and I were totally divided in our opinion and could not agree on a anything but the leading star performances. So I am sure this review may not be universally appreciated :-)
What's New
Don't Miss the Beginning! The first scene is a smashing start to this movie. The scene of mom and son lying dead was an awesome start to this thriller! Ameer has made this a very thrilling experience with great support from the background music. You've gotta watch it in the theater or at night with lights turned down. I was happy to watch it at home since I could avoid some skeptic comments from theater folks, that would bias my mind.
This is one of the few movies where the technical artists behind the scenes have made hay. They have done an outstanding job! The camera work and the locales for the song sequences were both amazing! Even in a totally indoor song, the choreography and camera work were great support to the tunes, making it music to the eyes and ears.
The comedian, Kanja Karuppu, has made an impressive debut as Raam's close friend. Some of his comical sequences in the jail provide a good change from the Vivek or Vadivel genre.
Noticeable
The mother-son sentiment has been shown many times over in Tamil cinema, but in this one, it is different. It is an obsession for the mother. The son is shown as really possessive. This is natural for a young man, who has been brought up with great difficulty by a single mom with virtually no assistance from family or friends. Naturally, his mom is his best friend. Although similar to M.Kumaran S/O Mahalakshmi in concept, very different in portrayal.
There has been substantial basis provided for the eccentricity of this lad. He gets involved spiritually from a very young age. Also, since he has no siblings, it is very natural for him to get immersed into whatever he gets involved in. This explains why he does not mix very well with his peers and why he thinks of himself as a messenger of God to remove all evil in this world. Jeeva has done a remarkable and mature job in his role, which is tougher because of the lack of too many dialogues. His eyes convey his expression very well. The funeral scene was brilliantly executed and the action sequences are powerful. On the lighter side, he could have done better in his saami attam and his bhakti paadal singing needs a lot of work. I could identify with his hairstyle better than anyone else can!
Saranya has delivered a very natural performance in this movie. Her throat seems to have deserted her on this one, but it hardly appears as if she is acting. It was very natural and this is the same reason why Shalini succeeded in Alaipayuthey. Saranya, the Nayagan fame, has a pivotal role in this movie and has not let down the director.
Rehman, the actor, makes an impressive comeback as the police inspector. His performance is very natural too. In his interaction with Murali, he shows the right mix of ego as a senior officer and respect for the elderly sub inspector. He also personalizes the enquiry process by saying he would act in a similar fashion, whether it was his own daughter or a total stranger. Also sharing homecooked dinner with an older constable to explain how much he values the job that feeds him, is a good scene.
Gajala has done a fair job in her role behind those glasses. If I were the director, I would advise the actress against wearing glasses. It makes her look old and diminishes the expressions that her eyes could have brought out. Glasses should only be used in situations such as for Rajeswari Singh in DDLJ, or Shamili in Kandukondain, where they are projected as studious girls. The romantic sequences were well done.
The song sequences have done good justice to the great music by Yuvan Shankar. I did not like these songs when I first heard them, but over time, I grew fond of the songs. My favorite in terms of song was BoomBoom, although it adds no significance to the plot. The music and choreography were good. The camera work for this totally indoor song is also pretty good. The last song has the best camera work I have seen in recent times. It has been totally shot in Kodaikkanal and I am inspired enough to explore that hill station better, the next time I get there. There is something in it for Chinmaya too, with his favorite song "Ram Bam Bhole", getting some screen-in-screen time, when Raam switches channels. The picturization of Araariraaro was pretty good and I was disappointed that "Vidikkindra Poyidhu", the most melodious song, was cut short in the movie. The picturization of this song was not on par with the others. For most of it, Gajala just walks on and on with different costumes and same posture (locked hands).
Verdict
This movie is technically brilliant! Director Ameer, always one of those who tries something different, has done a wonderful job. The music is a major boost to this movie and the techies do not let it down, like in so many other tamil movies. He has also interleaved a powerful social message into this Amma sentiment movie and that makes it special. The last half hour or so, would have been somewhat less interesting compared to the rest of the movie, considering that the climax after the suspense is out, was mostly a dragging filler, which takes out the fizz. But until that, it was gripping suspense. We keep comparing Tamil suspense movies to English and conclude that Tamil is no match. I disagree with that statement. It is easier to keep the suspense for the 90 minutes in English movies, but here in Kollywood, you need to keep that suspense for 150 minutes or more, and embedded with song-dance and comedy sequences. Even Speilberg would have a tough time doing that, so Ameer gets my hats off for his effort! Sunday, June 05, 2005 at 11:20 PM
I'd heard the songs of this movie many times over, thanks to Rathish. So, I snatched this movie as soon as I detected it on the shelves of Nilgiris. At the end of watching this movie, my wife and I were totally divided in our opinion and could not agree on a anything but the leading star performances. So I am sure this review may not be universally appreciated :-)
What's New
Don't Miss the Beginning! The first scene is a smashing start to this movie. The scene of mom and son lying dead was an awesome start to this thriller! Ameer has made this a very thrilling experience with great support from the background music. You've gotta watch it in the theater or at night with lights turned down. I was happy to watch it at home since I could avoid some skeptic comments from theater folks, that would bias my mind.
This is one of the few movies where the technical artists behind the scenes have made hay. They have done an outstanding job! The camera work and the locales for the song sequences were both amazing! Even in a totally indoor song, the choreography and camera work were great support to the tunes, making it music to the eyes and ears.
The comedian, Kanja Karuppu, has made an impressive debut as Raam's close friend. Some of his comical sequences in the jail provide a good change from the Vivek or Vadivel genre.
Noticeable
The mother-son sentiment has been shown many times over in Tamil cinema, but in this one, it is different. It is an obsession for the mother. The son is shown as really possessive. This is natural for a young man, who has been brought up with great difficulty by a single mom with virtually no assistance from family or friends. Naturally, his mom is his best friend. Although similar to M.Kumaran S/O Mahalakshmi in concept, very different in portrayal.
There has been substantial basis provided for the eccentricity of this lad. He gets involved spiritually from a very young age. Also, since he has no siblings, it is very natural for him to get immersed into whatever he gets involved in. This explains why he does not mix very well with his peers and why he thinks of himself as a messenger of God to remove all evil in this world. Jeeva has done a remarkable and mature job in his role, which is tougher because of the lack of too many dialogues. His eyes convey his expression very well. The funeral scene was brilliantly executed and the action sequences are powerful. On the lighter side, he could have done better in his saami attam and his bhakti paadal singing needs a lot of work. I could identify with his hairstyle better than anyone else can!
Saranya has delivered a very natural performance in this movie. Her throat seems to have deserted her on this one, but it hardly appears as if she is acting. It was very natural and this is the same reason why Shalini succeeded in Alaipayuthey. Saranya, the Nayagan fame, has a pivotal role in this movie and has not let down the director.
Rehman, the actor, makes an impressive comeback as the police inspector. His performance is very natural too. In his interaction with Murali, he shows the right mix of ego as a senior officer and respect for the elderly sub inspector. He also personalizes the enquiry process by saying he would act in a similar fashion, whether it was his own daughter or a total stranger. Also sharing homecooked dinner with an older constable to explain how much he values the job that feeds him, is a good scene.
Gajala has done a fair job in her role behind those glasses. If I were the director, I would advise the actress against wearing glasses. It makes her look old and diminishes the expressions that her eyes could have brought out. Glasses should only be used in situations such as for Rajeswari Singh in DDLJ, or Shamili in Kandukondain, where they are projected as studious girls. The romantic sequences were well done.
The song sequences have done good justice to the great music by Yuvan Shankar. I did not like these songs when I first heard them, but over time, I grew fond of the songs. My favorite in terms of song was BoomBoom, although it adds no significance to the plot. The music and choreography were good. The camera work for this totally indoor song is also pretty good. The last song has the best camera work I have seen in recent times. It has been totally shot in Kodaikkanal and I am inspired enough to explore that hill station better, the next time I get there. There is something in it for Chinmaya too, with his favorite song "Ram Bam Bhole", getting some screen-in-screen time, when Raam switches channels. The picturization of Araariraaro was pretty good and I was disappointed that "Vidikkindra Poyidhu", the most melodious song, was cut short in the movie. The picturization of this song was not on par with the others. For most of it, Gajala just walks on and on with different costumes and same posture (locked hands).
Verdict
This movie is technically brilliant! Director Ameer, always one of those who tries something different, has done a wonderful job. The music is a major boost to this movie and the techies do not let it down, like in so many other tamil movies. He has also interleaved a powerful social message into this Amma sentiment movie and that makes it special. The last half hour or so, would have been somewhat less interesting compared to the rest of the movie, considering that the climax after the suspense is out, was mostly a dragging filler, which takes out the fizz. But until that, it was gripping suspense. We keep comparing Tamil suspense movies to English and conclude that Tamil is no match. I disagree with that statement. It is easier to keep the suspense for the 90 minutes in English movies, but here in Kollywood, you need to keep that suspense for 150 minutes or more, and embedded with song-dance and comedy sequences. Even Speilberg would have a tough time doing that, so Ameer gets my hats off for his effort! Sunday, June 05, 2005 at 11:20 PM
200 days of Ghilli!
Ghilli - a Special Tribute!
I have not written a review of Ghilli on this blog and I was reading an article on Cinesouth about the 200th day celebration of this movie and this review is dedicated to this special movie.
Ghilli is a movie I could watch again and again and never get bored. There are several reasons, I love to watch a winning performance. I really like Illaya Talapathi as a person, an actor and a comedian. I enjoy watching Prakash Raaj and of course one cannot ignore the visual treat in Trisha. This movie albeit a masala entertainer has got some really good points going for it.
What's New?
Vijay and Trisha star together for the first time in a movie I have watched. They followed it up with a flop in Tirupaachi. For a change, we have a hero who cannot boast about his achievements and has to participate in the game presentation ceremonies in hiding.
Noticeable
Vijay's luck in a sports role seems to be pretty good given that Badri was a superhit and now Ghilli has even surpassed his earlier success. He is emulating Aamir Khan in this regard, the latter had great successes with Jo Jeetha Wohi Sikandar (original of Badri) and the timeless classic, Lagaan, among other movies. The action sequences are all well spaced and well played!
Trisha's role as a mami seems to be going down well with the Tamil audience given the success of Saami and Ghilli, although one must admit both of them were totally hero oriented. She has danced well to the tunes of "Appadi Podu". Her performance in the scene where she invites Aashish Vidyarthi to his own home was very fascinating. Also in an emotion "knee cap" scene, she has performed well. She has shown some signs of having a good potential in acting. But she's not going to get anywhere close if she dives deep into the telugu swimming pool with her skimpy swimsuit to find the gold underneath. But she will find the gold either way! I'm glad that she atleast turned up for this function :-)
Vijay's comic timing is amazing. He is well aided by "Otteri Nari", "Adi vaasi" and gang. Even Aashish Vidyarthi, who has grown up pretty fast in tamil cinema to the role of a father, has done quite well in the comedy sequences. Vijay's sister, Bhuvi, has done very well in this movie and proves that appearance is not even necessary to get praises from critics. Vijay is a proven champ when it comes to emotional scenes; a la Kadhalukku Mariyadhai and has shown this talent in Ghilli as well. The background music and Trisha's glycerine filled eyes help him in this effort.
Am I forgetting someone? No way. I have reserved a spot for him in this review. Prakash Raaj has done an amazing job in this movie as Muthupaandi. His is an unforgettable performance. To this day I keep imitating his "Chellam..." dialogue. He has shown great variety in his aggressive villainy aggressive scenes and the soft corner and concern he has for his Chellam. Outstanding performance and not much more needs to be said.
The songs have contributed in a major way to the success of this movie. Appadi Podu and Ghilli (title song) are even sung by several 2 year old kids in the USA! The other songs like Arjunar Villu and Shala la.. are very effective. Vijay is a natural when it comes to playing song and dance sequences. Trisha has given him good support.
Verdict
This movie has run for 200 days and has won showers of praise from the Super Star, does anything more need to be said about this? If you have not watched it yet and you love entertainers, then I don't know what you are waiting for... Go n Watch it!! Friday, June 03, 2005 at 9:59 AM
Music to the Eyes
Sindhu Bhairavi
Saw this classic for the 10th time (number chosen randomly, I don't recall exactly how many times). I cannot have enough of watching it.
What's New?
If you ask this question back in 1983, the answer would be everything!
Noticeable
The contrast between Sindhu and Bhairavi is awesome and hard not to notice. The acting of Suhasini steals the thunder away from the others. Her expressions as a music enthusiast is hard to imitate. The scene that I loved her expression most was when she returns to watch the comeback performance of JKB.
The support cast of Janakaraaj, Delhi Ganesh, Pratap Pothan, the judge dude and even the car driver, has been well used by the director and they have all delivered good performances.
Yesudas's voice suits Sivakumar better than anyone else. Chitra has done an amazing job too. Illayaraaja has put up one of his best performances in Tamil Cinema, all the songs are excellent and have great repeat hearability even after 21 years!!
The director has done a marvellous job in handling a sensitive topic with great subtlely! The analogies and coincidences he draws are simply superb. But the glaring oversight was the lack of taalam from the lead singer, something impossible in carnatic music (thanks to my father in law for noticing this fact, I am a gnana sooniyam and would not notice this either way).
Verdict
It is a classic! KB always dares to think differently and this movie uncovers bigamy with adequate basis, in a very beautiful way, Manirathnam has shown the same concept very stylishly in Agni Nakshatram, another classic. These two directors are really gems of Tamil cinema. This is one of Balachandar's best! Thursday, June 02, 2005 at 11:26 AM
Mumbai Express: Right on Track
Mumbai Express
Saw this Kamal flick a week after it released on DVD. I intended watching it in theaters, but I guess it would not have made much difference to this review. I really enjoyed the movie, which is an out and out total comedy flick.
What's New?
In Pushpak, we do not hear anything from anyone, here Kamal does not hear anything from anyone, unless of course he has his earphones locked into the groove!
We have seen several movies in which everything goes right for the hero, here, for atleast half the movie, everything goes wrong!
Pasupathy plays a comic role for the first time. He has done a good job.
Noticeable
Manisha has trimmed down and is looking gorgeous in her role as Ahalya. She has put on an acceptable performance though we have seen much better from her. This role was not all that demanding for an actress of her calibre. One of her dialogs that I will surely remember is "AC room la fan madiri....". This is a great analogy, that she draws when she speaks with the father of her Naajayaz aulaad, an Asst Commissioner (AC), on the way he uses her whenever he likes.
Nassar, the common denominator between Chandramukhi and Mumbai Express, has done a great job and looks like it requires a Kamal Hassan to realize the genius in this man. His performance and role in this movie is far more superior than the one in Chandramukhi.
Kamal himself has done a great job and this will be one of his more innovative movies for which he has also written the dialogues very well. The A,B,C sequence and the AC room are two dialogs not easily forgettable. Some of the stunt sequences are pretty good, e.g the one with the motorbike. It is tough not to notice his ghost direction throughout the movie.
This is almost another Kurudhi Punal in terms of the number of songs. There are two and neither of them are crucial to the plot. The school prayer song sequence was really funny and very memorable. All those kids have put up a very natural performance.
The support cast was average. Nothing much for Kovai Sarala. Saxena looked funny because of his role and Nassar, nothing much in terms of his own performance. The Daddu kid was a touch better than the fat kid in Panchatantiram. Vaiyapuri's performance is hyped in reviews, I did not find anything spectacular in his role as Johnson. I think the dialogs played a major part in making him funny, so the credit should go to Kamal.
I could not understand the rationale for the last scene. It could have been very well avoided, but I guess it does not make much of a difference.
Verdict
(suspense.... interval... watch Anniyan Trailer.. click below... BUT DO COME BACK!!!)
Verdict (for Mumbai Express... not Anniyan!)
A very good movie if you enjoy comedy. This time it is not vulgar, although some concepts are not suitable for children. It is also not an idealist movie like Kaakha Kaakha, so if you belong to or hold the police force in high esteem, avoid this movie. If you cannot keep up with the pace of Panchatantiram, watch this movie on DVD/VHS since you may need to repeat a few chapters if you don't follow. The plot could be fairly confusing for several average viewers and it requires reviewing to understand completely. I'll probably edit parts of this review if I watch it again.
Look for a comparison of the Tamil and Hindi versions of Mumbai Express... coming soon. Wednesday, June 01, 2005 at 9:35 AM
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