Angadi Theru - Movie Review

After the critical and commercial success of “Veyil”, Vasantha Balan strikes once again in this reality drama “Angadi Theru” - the market street. Definitely the movie sans the essentials of a commercial potboilers but what is rendered is a serious cinema which is quite raw and real. Mind that the truth is bitter. For all those who are in Chennai, needless to say about this busy street which is the epicentre of the movie. The story evolves around the salespersons, revolves around their lives and atlast convolves to the basic theme “Whatever happens, life must go on !!”






Hmm.. in a ways the movie is quite a parody on one of the famous shops in Ranganathan Street. It’s been chirstened as “Senthil Murugan Stores”.Hope you all guessed the real name ;). hmm.. now to the story..The sudden demise of his father makes Jyothilingam(Mahesh) as the next breadwinner of the family though being a school topper who aspires higher education. He comes to Chennai along with his friend to work in the shop. It’s in here Jyothilingam meets Kani(Anjali), a salesgirl with whom he often locks horns with. After a few instances love blossoms between the two.



The magnificient facade of the shop is a direct irony to the pathetic conditions of the salespersons within it. From restroom visits to falling in love, the salespersons are refused even the barest humanitarian treatment leading to a suicide of one of the salesgirls. This leaves the lead pair thinking about their future. Did the couples unite ? Did they start a life together ?? hmmm.. watch the movie to find the answers for yourselves. :)…



Alongside the main storyline, there are quite a few interludes involving street vendors in the busy street. These are carefully etched to tingle your thoughts about the lives of lesser-privileged people we could witness around us. Infact the plight of the salespersons were depicted in their true sense. Quite a few of them move your heart. Scenes involving Marimuthu(Pandi) render some slapstick humour and take-off a little in an otherwise gloomy screenplay.



Plaudits to the director for parodying one of the famous shops and the omnipotent owner ”Annachi” very boldly. The lead have done their parts well and Anjali is definetely an actress who could join the league of serious performers. The ‘director Venkatesh’ who comes as the ruthless supervisor ‘karungali’ is worth mentioning. The cameo by Sneha is again good and quite sticks to the base storyline. The music is adequate and “aval apadi ondrum…” is a breezy melody. But the ‘karangali’ song was an unsolicited add-on which could have been avoided.



The biggest strength of the movie happens to be it’s crude reality potrayed in it. The cinematagrapher has captured this reality in the very same rawness of the ever bustling market street.(i still wonder how the crew managed to shoot in that street :) ) The dialogues which are slang laden are another positive but are tepid at times when the lingo goes overboard. “Ela vanga la.. ela ponga la..” were lavishly used all along the movie.



On the flopside, the slower pace of the movie, certain deliberate inclusions and too much of rawness add to the demerits.

Go for it, only if you have a taste for reality cinema..

On a personal note i liked the movie :)

RITU - A change...

After watching ShyamaPrasad's 'Akale' i was with high anticipations.. hmmm .. more appropriately at the height of anticipations for this movie.. Though i wasn't disappointed much, the movie was tad below his past films. The previous of his films were filmi adaptations of novels, but this one was a straight original screenplay. Though the movie was released earlier i had a chance to see it only this christmas.. In addition, it was on a private television network which had innumerable commercial breaks adding to the burden of comprehension of the non-malayali viewer like me ;)

Review:

Ritu- comes with the tagline 'Seasons change. Do we ?'.. Well.. the movie is about a lot of changes in attitude, friendship, love.. each of which of the above changes as the story unfolds . The director has chosen the IT industry as the backdrop for his movie and the story primarily revolves around the childhood friends Sarath(Nishan), Varsha(Rima Kallingal) and Sunny (Asif Ali).

Sarath, Varsha and Sunny grew up to be bosom friends in the same neighbourhood and dream of a future life together. After graduation Sarat leaves for the US to live and work while the other two take up a job at Bangalore. It's been three years after, the trio meets again in their hometown to live their dreams. Sarath, who ardently anticipates this reunion slowly realises that things are not the same as before. The romantic spark he shared with Varsha seems to have eluded and so is his close frienship with Sunny. Both Varsha and Sunny betray Sarath at different points. What impact the changes had on their life forms the climax of the story.

Besides the main storyline, the movie also throws light on Materialism & Communism. The interludes pictured on the IT company boss Zerena Balakrishnan and her husband, the after-booze chat with Sarath's brother Hari, the house keeping guy at the IT SEZ are a few which warrant mentions. The cast of all the lead roles are fresh and the newcomers have done adequate to have them reckoning for their performance.

The music of the movie was good and the cinematography was novel. Another big plus were the dialogues which hit sharp on your wits. "Memories are dangerous beings.. ", "Betrayal is the code of life".. and a lot more hard hitting phrases. But the 'slower than slowest' pace of the movie played the perfect spoilsport. At times the delibrate procrastination makes you yawn.Though pragma being an excuse, the portrayal of IT people as flirts and boozers seems to be stereotyped.

In short, definitely a good movie exempting the sluggishness in the screenplay. Do watch it..!!Afterall 'coming-of-age' movies like these should be welcomed with warmth.

Thiraikatha- A story off the "thirai"

There was lot about this movie as it was termed as one of the "off - beat" type of movies. Also to add to it, the movie starred Prithviraj, my favourite actor.

It was the day of diwali, i was all alone in my apartment in Chennai as my housemates have left to their native for the celebrations. Too much of time to kill..

I remember seeing in the dailies that "Thiraikatha" was released in Chennai.. But was apprehensive if the new releases would have replaced this movie.. Anyways this time i was completely relying on the yellow page websites.. Well they said it was "Sangam Cinemas" where the movie was scheduled.. The sub- urban train was moving at a snail's pace for me and i was cursing my ownself for not starting a little early for the evening show.. No time to spare, i just got into an autorickshaw from the Chetpet station..

Alas !! Disappointment.. there was no Thiraikatha but some diwali releases... Atlast it was only on this sunday i got to see this movie after i got the original VCD from Music World..

Review:

Thiraikatha - As the name suggests, the movie is about the celluloid world. Not that, it completely revolves around the tinsel town, but on the life of an actress from her bloom to the gloom days.

Akbar @ Akki (Prithviraj) is a young director who is keenly working on the script for his second movie. For Akki movie-making is not a profession but a passion. He runs a restaurant along with his crew despite his successful debut. He narrows down to the life of an actress of yester years, Malavika(PriyaMani) for the storyline of his next venture.

As he explores more about the life of Malavika, the movie unfolds to the happenings of the recent past. As a reluctant actress Malavika debuts as the lead lady alongside Ajaychandran(Anoop) as the bad guy in her first movie. Despite her mother's disapproval the actress falls for the struggling actor Ajay. The movie turns out to be a success and so does the career bloom of the actress. With more films opportunities pouring in Tamil and Malayalam the actress is quite a star among the masses, but for Ajay is yet to get his bigger break as a hero.

Thanks to a common friend between the two, they get to act together in a movie in lead roles and end up in a secret marriage. But the marriage is short lived following difference of opinions and they soon part ways. Ajay's career takes an upturn and he grows to become a super-star who reigns on his popularity even in his 50's. Ironically, on the other hand Malavika's fades and due course of time she is totally forgotten.

Akki's inquisitives leads him to the ailing actress who is totally withdrawn from the gaiety and the glamour. This makes a transition to compassion and he persuades her to come with him for betterment. He also refrains from his decision of making a movie on her life. The actress who quite envisions her last days wishes to see her long lost love and the aftermath marks the climax of this touching movie.

Though based on a true story, the director has to be lauded for the impressive screen play. In fact he has given enough room for showcasing some excellent acting from lead characters.

In terms of acting it is Priyamani who omnipotently steals the show. Be it the glamour girl malavika or the ailing actress she excels in both. Next in line would be Prithviraj and Anoop. Well the rest of the characters like Samvrutha, etc complete the package of the decent movie.

Unlike most of the movies which throws light on the darker side of the actors, this one seems to have potrayed the emotional turmoil esp. that of the actressess in their fading end of careers.

The songs are good but the background score could have warranted more attention. Also the second half seems to drag a bit but the climax does the expiations for the little of shortcomings. A decent entertainer, infact the typical malayalam which vouches mainly on a solid stroyline.

Thiraikatha - The thiraikatha(screenplay) in deed shines bright in the thirai.

Movie Reviews - Santhosh Subramaniam

Review: The brother duo team of "jeyam" is back again as usual with a remake and had played safe to render a family entertainer this summer. As my friends told that the original telugu version "Bommillaru" was more impressive, I didn't get the drive to watch this movie. I read that the movie was about 'Father-Son' relationship and the intricacies caused by an over-caring Dad's love towards his son.

But it was my dad who made me watch this movie :)... Actually he had booked my return ticket on a State Transport AC bus but I had asked him to book my tickets for the ordinary deluxe bus which leaves 2 hours later than this one. Not always I gave my consent for my father's decision and deferred on this one too as didn't want to miss my extra 2 hours of stay at home this weekend. OMG.. They screened 3 movies in this bus that too movies which were hardly a month old.



K.. It's enough of beating round the bush.. SS's story line is about a son who craves for an independence from his father's over-powering love. Subramaniam, a millionaire pleasures in handpicking all choices on his son’s behalf. On the otherside his son craves for a love and career of his own choice. Santhosh (Jeyam Ravi) is deeply crestfallen when his dad betroths him to a girl ironic to his likings. But things change a lot for Santhosh when he meets the cute Hasini(Genelia), a girl still a child at heart. It 's love at first sight and don't try to explore any solid reasons :). When his dad finds about his lady-love Santhosh is ready to fight back his father. The girl is invited to Santhosh's home with a notion to win his dad's approval.

Did the girl won the approval ?? Did the dad realize his son's desires ?? Well watch out the rest on screen to find the answers.

The person who single handedly steals the limelight would be Genelia. Thanks to her innocent looks, the lass has indeed rendered her best in the role of Hasini. Next in line would be Prakash Raj and may be 'jeyam' Ravi cos' he 's the one who comes most often on-screen. The actor though had matured a little in his looks, there 's still a lot of scope for improvement in terms of performance and voice. Kowsalya, Cricketer Sadagopan Ramesh, M.S.Basker, Shayaji Shindey, Geetha, etc.. etc.. since this long list of actors merely make a screen presence and are quite used as fillups.

Though there's a separate hero’s friend's crew( an usual add-on in movies) to contribute for the comedy part, it is Genelia and her innocence which stirs more laughter.

The music is good, but still the deliberate unsolicited duets are again a pitfall.

So to sum up, a light-hearted movie this holiday season. Of course u would surely find it enjoyable.

Movie Review - Vellthirai

I am fan of Actor Prithviraj and that was the main reason i was to this movie on the very second day of release... Infact i was there in the same multiplex during the premiere but unfortunately missed out both the movie and my favourite actor..

Review The glitz and glamour could have camouflaged the gray areas of the tinsel town, but this movie happens to explore those areas and puts the spot light on them in the form of a story. It 's a movie about movies which tells the implications of the whims and fancies of Actors who rule the celluloid and often take the upper hand on their very own creators.



There is a famous saying "Too many cooks spoil the broth" and this adage quite holds good when it comes to anticipations too. Afterall audiences would anticipate more from the superhit crew of "Mozhi". Find out for urself in the theatre...Saravanan(Prithviraj) is an aspiring director who is working on his dream script for his first break. A struggling junior artist Kanniah(Prakashraj) who happens to find resort his place steals his script to become the superstar Dileep Kanth.. In the mean time Prithvi marries his lady-love, the reluctant actress Mythili(Gopika). While the new born "dileep kanth"makes it big in the industry, the hard working Saravanan is more into hardships. The crest fallen Saravanan is left alone by his lady-love just for his own sake. It is at this point of time the producer (Sarath Babu) comes in for his revival. The headstrong superstar troubles enough the director and the crew. Atlast how the crew completes the movie is the rest of the story.. Hope the storyline is quite similar to the original "Udayananu Tharam"..


The laughter quotient is quite carried well by Charley, M.S.Basker and the rest of the actors but the movie seem to be a serious one. In terms of acting Prakash raj is splendid and so his protege Prithviraj. The actors expressive eyes has done patch ups for the little shortcomings caused by his tamil accent. As for Gopika and Laxmi Roy have done their parts well..

On the flop side the movie lacks momentum.. The movie could have been in a better pace like the climax. Also next in line would be art direction. The struggling asst director cum taxi driver seems to live in a posh flat. The screen play could have been better to have an impact on the good story base.There are no duets for the lead pair except for a sorrowful sonnet.

Afterall VELLITHIRAI(The Silver Screen) could have shined even more brighter...

Movie Review - Dasavatharam

I started writing movie reviews while i was in bench without a project :)...

Dasavatharam -More than a year in the making, “Ulaga Nayagan” playing 10 different roles, Made in a whooping Budget of 65 crores and.. and.. a whole
lot of reasons which were ample enough to raise the anticipations for the movie.

No wonder the movie pulled in crowds of all sorts and the theatre was packed to the brim. Did the movie live it up ?? That’s a million dollar question which couldn’t have an assertive answer.

The movie starts with an event which happens during the Chola reign. The desperate attempts by a Vaishnavite priest to save Vishnu’s idol becomes futile when an overpowering king kills him by drowning him in the sea along with the idol. The next part of the movie which comes as a first person narration by the actor himself starts in the US in a biotech Lab. It’s where our Hero Govind(kamal) experiments on a Bio weapon. The first victim of this
bio-hazard happens to be a monkey. Owing to the ill implications caused by it’s misuse, the rest of the story is about how the Hero struggles to prevent it from falling into the hands of the evil. Well this one happens to be most omnipotent villain of all times in Tamil Cinema, Christian Fletcher, played by Kamal. Do mind to watch a different point of view of a natural calamity which shook us in the recent past in the climax.

The first 40 minutes of the movie keeps you glued to your seats transforming you to Hollywood style of movie with swift stunts and Hi-Fi events. The Japanese girl who plays Yuca deserves a special mention here. The good start seems to ebb away later in the movie when the vial is sent to India by mistake. Both the hero and the villain Kamal alongside Mallika Sherawat come to India to find the vial. Mallika plays the lady accomplice of Fletcher and
does an item number and few chasing scenes to her credit. The scenes where Govind tries to convince the old lady(kamal) and her grand-daughter Andal(Asin) to give him the vial makes you yawn. Infact, Asin seems to be much of nuisance in the movie chanting the same dialogue all along. She could be called the inevitable heroine since she has not much work but all tamil films ought to have a lady-love and so she has managed some screen space.

Kamal has once again proved his mettle by portraying 10 different roles. From the anguished Rangarajan Nambi to the Half lunatic ‘Patti’, From the stubborn Fletcher to the singer Avatar singh, you could witness the hardwork of the actor called “Kamal”. The actor’s immense research for each of the roles is very much evident from the nativity slang of each of the characters. Not to forget the make-up for the ten though some minor flaws in some of them.
The Japanese guy, Vincent Poovarahan, Fletcher are just awesome and keep you spell bound with their performances.

Most of the veteran Actors like Nagesh, K.R. Vijaya, Jaya Pradha ..etc.. and even a few of the avatars of “Kamal” come in as guest appearances making the
viewers realize that they are the desperate attempts by the director to justify the title “ Ten Avatars “. The crew seemed to have left no stones unturned
in bringing out the Ten roles but have quite failed to pull strings for a strong story base.

The second half of the movie is much like a collage of characters just as a tantamount to showcase the talent of the Actor. If in Sivaji’s “Navarathiri”, the story demanded nine different roles(navarasa’s), here in Dasavatharam you could find 10 roles desperately finding their way to fit in to form a story. This happens to be the major pitfall of the movie. Owing to this, the meticulous efforts taken seemed to have rendered a squander instead.

Both Himesh Reshmaiya and Devi Sri Prasad have done their parts well. Mukundah.. Mukundah.. is a noteworthy melody and Kallai Mattum kandal is quite strong on lyrics.

The cinematography and the art direction are on par with Hollywood and so is the graphics. Even with a lot of impeccable positives the movie is quite short to have struck a high note.

So to say “ Penny wise Pound foolish”- The crew could’ve concentrated more on the bigger picture rather than the smallest of the details !!