Two Line Reviews - #435

Movie: Thuppaakki (Thamizh, 2012)

Plot: An army officer comes home to Mumbai for vacation. Vacation time turns vocation time when he accidentally hits on a sleeper cell member and creates a plan to disrupt the terrorist group's plan. Things get riskier when he tries to find the instructor so that the sleeper cell network can be made dormant. In the middle of all this, there's time for some romance too!

What Works?

• AR Murugadoss shows in places that he is indeed the guy who made Ramana and presents a simple story in a thrill-filled impactful & intense screenplay of the Q&A/cat-and-mouse format.Watch out for the pre-Interval scene!
• I never wished I would say this someday but Vijay has finally shown he can deliver solid stuff without being preachy, angry or irkesomely kiddish (Something which you would see in almost all his films in the last decade). In specially designed outfits (especially those in the Aleikka song & the interval tuxedo he wears), with an ultra-fit body, spotless dubbing (English & Hindi as well!) and superb screen presence, he steals the show!
• One never gets reminded of a camera being held somewhere to can the shots and that shows Santhosh Sivan's stellar work behind the lens. Sreekar Prasad's Editing meanders between good and bad (abrupt cuts at places).
• Murugadoss has placed the action scenes where apt and the stunts have come out well. Vidyut Jamwal provides the thrills but for the climax. Sathyan's tiny presence doesn't go unnoticed.

What Doesn't?

• Kajal Agarwal does what is expected of her but in an otherwise racy film her portions (and Jayaram's) are speed-breakers.
• Climax could have been a lot better given what was promised before. Ghilli like act by Vijay to mend body damage was comical, atleast, for the 'not-so-fans'.
• Harris Jeyaraj's songs fall flat. There's no hummable number except maybe Kutti puli kootam. His deja vu background score leaves hell of a lot to be desired!

Bullets from this Thuppaaki hit the target, more or less!

Two Line Reviews - #428

Movie: Thaandavam (Thamizh, 2012)

Plot: A blind man with a secret identity lives in London to avenge his wife's brutal death in a bomb blast. The perpetrators are being helped by someone he knows. He gets them all and gets to the known helper in this predictable thriller.

What Works?

• A disappointment of sorts, given the potential of the men who have handled the film (Vikram, A Vijay etc.). If I had to list some positives, they have got to be the picturisation of Oru Padhi Kadhavu & the tunes of that and some other songs by GV Prakash.
• The flashback back at home had its moments, though wasn't all that refreshing.

What Doesn't?

• The film doesn't have any surprising twists one would expect from a thriller.
• Top RAW official travelling to London seeking a couriered pen-drive: may have been convincing in early 2000 but it ends up a joke given the timeframe of the film!
• There isn't much scope for performances too; Vikram and Santhanam somehow delay the sinking of the ship.

Yawn inducing predictable thriller.

Two Line Reviews - #274

Movie: Dheivathirumagan (Thamizh, 2011)

 

Plot: A person whose mental growth is retarded at 5 years isn't bothered by his ailment when it comes to fostering his daughter. The duo's bond breaks under unfortunate circumstances when the kid's maternal custodians take her away from him. With his relentless efforts & a lawyer's help, he presents his case of an able caretaker on court & ,finally,wins; only to make a sane decision at the end!

 

Highlights:

• Vijay presents a moving,emotional film; Inspired by I am Sam, except for 2-3 direct scene lift-offs, the film has been tweaked a lot (especially in the second half) and the smart screenplay ensures that the film reaches its target audience.
• Vikram - as Krishna from Avalanchi - plays his role to perfection , proving yet again that he's the next big thing (though a distant second) after Kamal. His mannerisms,voice tone are consistent right through the film which is a must & he takes care of all that with ease.
• The little girl Sarah is charming, cute, acts well and that makes her an instant darling.
• GV Prakash's songs and background score are significant points in the film - The theme & the Vennilave off-shoot background scores which get played time and again warrant a mention! 

Lowlights:

• The entire courtroom portion & the scenes from 'The Park' hotel were shoddy & bring down the quality of the film to an extent.
• The climax act between the father & daughter were highly emotional - true. But 'Was it substantial?' for a sudden change in decision from all parties remains a question.

Good, infact, a very good film, but has been enjoying more appreciations than what it probably deserves!

Dheivathirumagan - Unusal & Enjoyable songs!

There are some director-music director combinations that arouse expectations & interest. Not surprisingly, quite a lot of them produce scintillating music every time they shake hands. Only rarely do such combinations fail.On top of such a list is Ilaiyaraja/AR Rahman – Maniratnam, AR Rahman – Shankar & there are quite a few directors who team well with Yuvan. The tried and tested Gautham Harris team is yet another example. The latest to join the elite list is Vijay-GV Prakash duo. Their latest offering is the album of ‘Dheivathirumagan’. Looking at the promos and now with some beautiful songs, it is highly likely that the film is going to be a blast with Vikram at his best yet again.

Before any further praises, the dissection of all the songs now begins:

1. Kadha Solla Poren (Vikram, Kids)
This one , on the lines of Raja Chinna Rojavodu Kaatu Pakkam song will be children’s delight. With a pleasant guitar loop , some funny kiddish lines and a lively rendition by Vikram, the song is sure to hit the bull’s eye – the proverbial bull here being the kid in each of us. The grand interludes to depict a funny Raja story will demand some nice picturisation which, going by the lofty standards he has set with his picturisation of songs in Kireedom & Madrasapattinam, Vijay is sure to provide.

2. Jagada Thom (SPB)
What starts off like a gloomy number gets its kick with a nice unusual beat and turns into a pretty inspiring motivational song. Who’s better than SPB to sing songs placed for such situations. The lyrics are passable. The highlight is the repetitive tune that SPB and a lady sing together. The flute & humming in the middle is a nice fit.

3. Vennilave (GV Prakash)
This song is touching and emotional thanks to an inspired singing performance by GV Prakash – Here’s one music director who doesn’t have an unusual voice and can pass off as an effective run-of-the-mill and not-so-peculiar singer. He seems to have taken cue from his uncle’s Anbendra Mazhayile but has delivered a pretty moving song at that.

4. Vizhigalil oru Vaanavil (Saindhavi)
This is the staple GV Prakash melody of the album. He has been good in this genre of slow soliloquising melodies and this is not much different. It is sure to be appealing. The beats have traces of Akkam Pakkam and the delivery of the song by his to-be-wife Saindhavi is to be appreciated. The laudably good intermediate flute and piano portions are reminiscent of Ilaiyaraja’s influence on modern composers. A particular tune that comes time and again reminds me of some famous Yuvan song.

5. Pa pa paa pa paa (Vikram)
Songs of this type come once in a bluemoon. And when they come, they become instant pleasers. Full credits for GV Prakash for this mature composition that literally combines many instruments into a song of such a peculiar genre. Here again, he shows his brilliance in flute with yet another pleasant bit. Vikram , with his altered voice, is at his expressive best with this rendition and he seems to show his massive improvising skills in this area too! His effort is enjoyable (enviable, probably for some of his peers). The amusing lyrics add to the fun and this is my pick of the album.

6. Life is Beautiful (Theme)
There is a tune (a familiar one) that is first whistled. The same tune rendered with a flute makes one take notice. Then, the mother of all instruments Violin plays the tune adding value to it. What follows next is thorough improvisation of the tune with a violin chorus and that takes the note to a higher pedestal. This theme music, if used at the right places in the film, is sure to add to the emotional effect.

7. Aariro (Haricharan)
This is more or less a stereotype nonchalant melody that falls easy on the ears. The song starts off on a soft piano note and slowly gathers momentum to reach its high point at a high pitched note. The tabela flute medley in the middle is classy and bears resemblance to a similar note in the all famous Kannukku Maiyazhagu song. The singing of Haricharan would be best described as a dedicated effort.

With variety within a periphery, the album looks neatly poised to bring the apt feeling that the film is expected to evoke. Yet again, with a versatile show GV Prakash shows his calibre in giving different but winnable tunes for differently winnable genres of films. The combo has more than satisfied my expectations after all!

Madrasapattinam - Nostalgic!

The trip to Madrasapattinam is A trip worth taking!

Right from when the title credits appear showing the names of the technicians marked as places in a map to the end credits where the locations of Madras in 1990 & 2010 are juxtaposed, Madrasapattinam is aesthetically pleasing. Besides this, there is a beautiful narration of a love story of a local Dhobi & a British general’s daughter.



The narrative style takes cue from Titanic with an old lady going from London to Chennai in search of her lost love in Madrasapattinam. The 1900s and the 2010s are seamlessly intertwined and this makes for an interesting watch. The answer for the question ‘Is the story cliché ridden ?’ would be a Yes. But, what makes it an interesting film is the setup of the story. Set in a pre-independence India, there are scenes taken in famous landmarks of the old Madras & there is a scene that focuses on the lovers on the day of Indian Independence – There is a touch of brilliance in it.The director definitely scores with his creative imagination. He has been successful in giving a love story woven in a domain untouched.

At close to three hours, the film is lengthy but never does it sag thanks to the partly gripping & partly light-hearted line the film tows. Some of the lesser shown characters are used effectively for this purpose. Having said that, there has certainly been some build up for some characters but they fizzle out having not much scope in the end – Those of Nasser & Haneefa in particular.



Arya, once again, scores with his choice of films. It is disappointing that he isn’t getting success & acclaim. Hope Madrasapattinam gives him that. With his chiseled body & rocky expressions he passes with flying colors. He has limited dialogs but has ample scope for performance which he grabs to the fullest. He emotes well - the scene where he finds back Amy at Central station & moists his eyes being a typical example. He deserves a big break. He has performed the stunts very well, them being realistic – Credits to the stunt director.

Amy Jackson, the heroine, has done a neat job. This film doesn’t show the heroine a puppet who dances for songs. She has a role of substance and has done well. Her lip movements for the dubbing is much better than most of the Indian actresses’! The other important characters in the film are of the old Amy, Nasser, Cochin Haneefa (his absence will definitely be felt), Omar (of Poi solla porom), Travel agent ‘Eli’ and they have done their parts decently. There are some small but noteworthy roles – Those of the English teacher,the guy in eternal hibernation etc that tickle our funny bones effectively.

Editing by Antony is good with the mix and match of the two eras. Selvakumar’s art work deserves ample praise. We get to see the Madras which we might have only come across in framed photos – The central station,Cooum River,Elphinstone theatre and other such places. The attention to details shown deserves applause. Nirav Shah’s photography work is neat as it usually is. The SFX are pretty good as the graphics used for showing the Old Madras are not glaring. Infact, they make it look realistic.

One big plus is G.V.Prakash’s music. He has come of age and this film will definitely be a landmark in his career. ‘Pookal Pookum’ & ‘Aaruyire’ are ear pleasing songs. The Love theme that resembles (in style & not the tune) Nino Rota’s The Godfather Love theme lingers in the mind for long. It was satisfying to see that the director had not butchered the long songs. The picturisation of the songs were brilliant too with those of ‘Megame’ & ‘Vaama duraiamma’ taking the cake. The background score is pleasing & honest inducing nostalgia at moments.

On the flip side are some of the momentum breaking long scenes towards the end & the sudden appearance of a ‘Duraiamma trust’ which seems logically unfathomable. Also a heavy build-up is given for the search of the old Arya which ends rather inadequately.



To sum things up, Madrasapattinam is a nostalgic trip down memory lane for anyone related to Madras or Love in any small way. I could relate to it the Madras way! Vijay has been a promising prospect giving two good films in Kreedom and Poi Solla Porom. They were remakes and he had to break the shackles and come up with an original and he does that in style with Madrasapattinam.

A lovely trip this - from Madras to Madrasapattinam on a near smooth road with a few potholes