Thalaimuraigal Review from Rediff!!

After more than four decades in the film industry, ace filmmaker Balu Mahendra, who has given us some memorable films in Veedu, Sandhya Ragam and Moondram Pirai, makes his acting debut in Thalaimuraigal. He has also written, directed, edited and wielded the camera for the film.

This is the first time that the 74-year-old director, who started his career as a cinematographer, has shot a film in the digital format with a still camera, the Canon 5D DSLR. Thalaimuraigal is produced by M Sasikumar`s company, Film Productions, and he also makes a cameo appearance in the film.

The film stars Ramya Shankar, Vinodhini, S Sashi and Master Karthick. Ilaiyaraaja has composed the music for the film. The story opens with a phone call to Dr Siva (Sashi) from his childhood friend Govind, who informs him that his estranged father is recovering from a massive stroke.

It is 12 years since Siva has last seen his father Subbu (Balu Mahendra). Siva was thrown out of the house by his orthodox father for marrying a Christian girl, Stella (Ramya Shankar).

Though deeply upset at the news, Siva is in a dilemma as he is not sure that his father will accept him back. Stella, however, convinces him to go and Siva makes the journey to his village to see his ailing father. Subbu is rude and overbearing initially, but he cannot hide the joy and pride at seeing his son, a successful doctor.

Stella, who is very keen to give their son Aditya (Master Karthick) an opportunity to know his grandfather, also joins him after a couple of days.
At the very first glimpse of his grandson, Subbu is overjoyed, and all the anger and hatred just seem to melt away. Even the contempt for his Christian daughter-in-law vanishes.

Subbu is now just an old man trying to understand his grandson, who does not speak a word of Tamil. Unfortunately, Subbu not only does not understand English, but even hates the language.

Is there a common meeting ground? Can they break the strong barriers of caste, religion and language and find love and respect for each other? All this is revealed with a lot of sensitivity and simplicity in the second half of the film.
Balu Mahendra’s effortless performance in Thalaimuraigai proves that acting is yet another skill to be added to his already long list of accomplishments.
He plays an angry father, who eventually comes to regret his orthodox beliefs; his perception of caste and language differences are changed by his grandson and daughter-in-law.

Despite all the differences, the underlying love and pride between the father, son and grandson is brought out beautifully. Master Karthick plays the bright and intelligent grandson, whose curiosity and earnestness will definitely make you smile. All the others too, have excelled in their respective roles.

There are no songs to mar the narration and the background score by Ilaiyaraaja remains inconspicuous, subtly bringing out the depth and intensity of the film, while enhancing the natural sounds of the singing birds and the flowing water. Balu Mahendra is a master of cinematography and his love for shooting in natural light is evident throughout the film.

Director Balu Mahendra's Thalaimuraigal is a heartwarming tale of a grandfather coming to terms with his own conservative values and beliefs, while at the same time instilling in his grandson, a sense of pride and appreciation in his language and culture.

Rating:***1/2

http://www.rediff.com/movies/report/review-thalaimuraigal-is-brilliant-south/20131223.htm

Madha Yaanai Koottam Review from Rediff!!

Popular music director G V Prakash Kumar's maiden production, Madha Yaanai Koottam, is directed by Vikram Sukumaran, former assistant of the legendary Balu Mahendra.

JSK Film Corporation has acquired the distribution rights of the film. The film features newcomer Kathir and Oviya in the lead roles supported by Viji Chandrasekhar, Vela Ramamoorthy, P Gopalakrishnan and others.
Madha Yaanai Koottam, when translated means ‘Group of mad elephants’. The characters of the film do exactly what a herd of mad elephants would do, go on a senseless rampage destroying everything in sight for no apparent reason.

The film opens with a death scene and every 15 minutes there is another death.

Jayakodi Thevar is unfortunately the man whose death is being celebrated in a grand manner with loud music, dancing, fire crackers, and a continuous supply of drinks and food.  As a eulogy, the artists sing about the greatness of the dead man and the film shifts into a flashback.

Jayakodi Thevar has two wives and is currently staying with his second wife and their son Paarthi (Kathir) and daughter.

The older wife also has a son and daughter, but is living under the protection of her brother. She wants nothing to do with her husband as she feels he has betrayed her.

The enmity between the older wife’s brothers and his children and Paarthi is the crux of the story.

The minute the former hear about Jayakodi’s death, they carry his body out of Paarthi’s house stating that only the older wife has rights to the body.  They don’t allow Paarthi, his mother or sister to join in the rituals.

Paarthi, who initially remains passive, is forced by circumstances to join in this stupid, mindless fight, where there is absolutely no regard for life.

The first half of the film reveals the various rituals followed after death, in great detail. We also get to know about an interesting custom called seimurai, where the relatives have to buy new clothes and even gold jewellery for the surviving members of the family.

The second half is the usual revenge saga, which is totally unimaginative and boring. Oviya plays Kathir’s love interest and has absolutely nothing to do in the film.  Kathir seems to walk around like Vishal and though he does have the height and built to carry off the role, his face looks too innocent and guileless to express the intense hatred and anger. All the other characters, however, have been chosen well: menacing lungi-clad tough guys, with the ever present aruva in their hands and of course the authentic dialect of Theni.

The songs and background score by N R Raghunanthan and cinematography by Ragul Dharuman, who has skilfully captured the mood and setting of the film is definitely a plus.
Director Vikram Sukumaran’s Madha Yaanai Koottam deals with many emotions: hatred, vengeance, betrayal, fear. But pride and anger seems to take precedence and the film eventually ends in a mad rampage of revenge, brutally slaughtering everything in sight.

Rating:**

http://www.rediff.com/movies/report/review-madha-yaanai-koottam-shows-senseless-violence-south/20131226.htm

Veeram Review from Rediff!!

After the huge success of Aarambam, expectations were sky-high for the Ajith starrer Veeram. Directed by Siva, who gave the commercially successful Siruthai in 2011, the film is produced by Vijaya Productions, the prestigious banner of the late producer B. Nagi Reddy.
Set in a rural backdrop, Veeram is a slow-paced family drama that revolves around Vinayagam (Ajith) and his four brothers Vidharth, Bala, Munish and Suhail Chandhok. All of them are known to be extremely violent and get into fights at the slightest provocation.
Vinayagam has brought up his brothers single-handed and is determined to stay unmarried as he fears that bringing a woman into the house will disrupt the family and cause a rift among the brothers.
The brothers, however, have other plans.  Two of them are already in love and believe that the only way to make Vinayagam approve would be to make him fall in love, too.
On a mission to find an ideal match for their brother, they zero in on Kopperundevi (Tamannaah), who is part of a group that restores old statues in temples.
Along with Santhanam, who is their lawyer and friend, they devise several plans to bring Vinayagam and Kopperundevi together. After a few hiccups, the two do fall in love, but now there is a decided twist in the story.
Will it be Vinayagam’s violent past that destroys his chance at happiness or will Kopperundevi and her family’s past come to haunt them? All this in the second half that seems to be just as slow as the first.
The film seems to pick up momentum only during the action sequences. 
Ajith sports a different look in the second half, reminding us a little of the good old boy-next-door Ajith of Vaali and Villain.
After Billa, Ajith seems to have acquired this all-powerful indestructible image that seems to have struck a chord with the audience, and all his directors seem to be bending over backwards to nurture this image.
Though his dark glasses, black T-shirts and expensive suits have been replaced by a snow-white dhoti and shirt, he still maintains his larger-than-life persona in Veeram and effortlessly destroys the enemy with his power-packed punches and equally powerful dialogues, guaranteed to send his fans into a mad frenzy.
Tamannaah is totally unsuited to this sad, saree-clad boring character and has little to do in the film.
Santhanam lacks his usual spark, but Thambi Ramaiya in the second half provides some laughs. 
There are no terrifying villains in the movie either; their sole aim seems to be getting bashed up by Ajith.  The action sequences choreographed by Silva, however, do deserve some credit.
The song Nalavannu Solvanga has become quite popular, but otherwise there is nothing remarkable about Devi Sri Prasad’s music in Veeram.
Though there is no denying that the super cool, ultra stylish Ajith can carry off any movie on his broad and powerful shoulders, there is nothing remarkable about Siva’s Veeram. 
With an ordinary story line, an average screenplay and characters that are all overshadowed by one man, the film seems like an ode to Ajith and should be dedicated to all his fans.

Rating:**1/2

http://www.rediff.com/movies/review/review-veeram-is-a-treat-for-ajith-fans-south/20140110.htm

Biriyani Review From Rediff!

Director Venkat Prabhu, who is known for offbeat entertainers like Chennai 28, Saroja and the mega hit Mankatha, is back with a dark comedy called Biriyani. The film stars Karthi, Hansika and Premgi Amaren, along with a host of supporting actors.

Produced by Gnanavelraja's Studio Green, the film has all the ingredients of a Venkat Prabhu film. The sheer number of characters in an offbeat story with its unpredictable twists, liberally laced with humour and flavoured with great music makes Biriyani a well-packaged treat for the viewers.

Karthi, who seems to have had a style makeover with his trendy clothes, new hairstyle and coloured eye lens, plays the role of a casanova, Sugan. Despite having a gorgeous girlfriend, a media reporter, Priyanka (Hansika), Sugan flirts with all the pretty women he meets and they too, are besotted by him.

Premgi Amaren is his usual quirky self as Parasu, Sugan’s childhood friend and sidekick. Both travel to Ambur, for the inaugural of their Company’s new showroom.

The chief guest at the inaugural ceremony is a business tycoon, Varatharajan (Nassar), who is also suspected of several shady dealings and is currently being investigated by the CBI. On the return journey, Sugan insists that they stop at a roadside eatery for biryani, his weakness.

It is here that they meet the sensuous Maya (Mandy Takhar), who insists that they join her in her hotel room. Unable to resist the temptation, Sugan and Parasu accompany her and after several glasses of alcohol, they are totally disoriented and before they know it, it is morning and they are being hunted by the police for the murder of Varatharajan.

What actually happened in the hotel room and how Sugan and Parasu get out of this mess, forms the rest of the story.

The number of characters in the film is sure to make your head spin. Besides Premgi, there are several other regulars of a Venkat Prabhu film, who either play a supporting role or make a cameo appearance. Sampath Raj plays Riyaz Ahmad, a CBI officer; Jayaprakash is the Commissioner of Police, Nithin Sathya and Sam Anderson play Sugan’s friends, Uma Riyaz Khan, Subbu Panchu and Ramki play important roles. Hansika is forgettable while Uma Riyaz Khan gives an excellent performance.

Venkat Prabhu also continues his association with cousin Yuvan Shankar Raja, and incidentally this is Yuvan’s 100th album as a music director. He has made Biriyani special by adding some interesting touches, there are a couple of remixes, a rap song by Gaana Bala, but the highlight is the motivational song Edhirthu Nil sung by popular contemporary music directors, D Imman, G V Prakash, S Thaman and Vijay Antony.

On the downside, the film has a slow first half, and too many flashback scenes. Premgi is also getting repetitive and boring.

Though the film takes its own sweet time to get a move on, once it gathers momentum, there is no stopping till the end, where there is an exciting climax, as well as an anticlimax, in typical Venkat Prabhu style.

Rating:**1/2
http://www.rediff.com/movies/review/review-this-biriyani-is-well-made/20131220.htm 

Ivan Veramathiri Review from Rediff!

Ivan Veramathiri lacks the simplicity, depth and magic of Director M Saravanan’s last film Engeyum Eppodhum, writes S Saraswathi. 

Director M Saravanan hit the jackpot with his first film, Engeyum Eppodhum, which won him both critical acclaim as well as box office success. 

For his second venture, Ivan Veramathiri, which is already the talk of the town (releasing in over 500 screens worldwide), he has teamed up with Vikram Prabhu ofKumki fame. 

The film also stars debutant Surabhi, Ganesh Venkatraman, Vamsi Krishna and Hariraj. 

Ivan Veramathiri is produced by UTV Motion Pictures in association with N. Lingusamy's Thirupati Brothers. 

The film opens with a violent incident in the city law college, instigated by the law minister Sadasivam, who is angry that his demand for seats under the minister’s quota was not met. 

Even as the students are mercilessly beaten to death, indifferent policemen, curious onlookers and the media stand around doing nothing. A few insensitive ones even take pictures and shoot videos. 

Three lives are lost and as the incident is reported by all the TV channels and radio shows, people are outraged, but feel completely helpless because the culprit is a powerful minister. 

Gunasekaran (Vikram Prabhu), a student in search of a job, is deeply affected by the incident and decides to take matters into his own hands. 

The minister’s brother, Eeswaran (Vamsi Krishna), is out on parole for a couple of weeks and needs to be handed over to the police before a particular date. 

Gunasekaran kidnaps Eeswaran and keeps him hidden at a deserted construction site. His plan is to have the minister arrested for parole violation and helping a criminal escape. 

Malini (Surabhi) plays his love interest. She is a cute, happy and naïve engineering student. Surabhi is perfectly cast and brightens up all the scenes she appears in with her bubbly, innocent character and seems totally natural and fresh. 

Ganesh Venkatraman as Aravindan, a police officer, turns up only after the first half and though he has very little to do, he seems competent. 

Vamsi Krishna appears quite intimidating and has given an admirable performance. . 

Vikram Prabhu, who impressed us with his realistic performance as a simple lungi-clad mahout in Kumki, seems comfortable in the urban setting of this film. 

The spark, however, seems to be missing. His romantic scenes with Surabhi seem awkward and stilted and he really needs to work on his dance moves. 

His character of a common man, frustrated, angry and saddened by the unlawfulness and senseless violence that people have come to accept as an everyday occurrence, is not very convincing. 

The plot of the film seems to have been taken from the Chennai Ambedkar Law College violence that happened a few years ago. The film starts brilliantly but does not maintain the suspense or pace. 

It picks up pace in the second half, but some of the scenes are too cinematic. 

Director M Saravanan raised the bar for himself with his incredible debut; unfortunately, Ivan Veramathiri lacks the simplicity, depth and magic of Engeyum Eppodhum. 

Music by C Sathya, editing by A Sreekar Prasad and cinematography by Shakthi are all well done. 

Rating:**1/2

http://www.rediff.com/movies/report/review-ivan-veramathiri-is-an-average-entertainer/20131213.htm

Vidiyum Munn Review Rediff!

Rating:***1/2

Artist, photographer, visual designer, writer, director and producer, Balaji K Kumar is a man of many talents.  This Chennai-born, Los Angeles based filmmaker is already a name to reckon with in Hollywood.  His Twelve twisted tricks won him the Golden trailer award in 2002; while his film 9 lives of Mara, a cult classic,received a tremendous response and went on to receive a host of awards.  

Balaji makes his debut in Tamil cinema with Vidiyum Munn starring Pooja Umashankar and child artist, Malavika Manikuttan. 

Vidiyum Munn is a suspense thriller that revolves around a sex worker who puts her life in danger to protect an innocent 12-year-old from the clutches of pimps and prostitution. 

Rekha (Pooja Umashankar), a professional sex worker, is brainwashed by her pimp Singaram (Amarendran), into getting hold of a 12-year-old to service a high-end client.  Though reluctant at first, she is lured by the money and the prospects of a better life.

But even as she escorts an unsuspecting Nandhini (Malavika Manikuttan) to the client, she is filled with guilt.  Her conscience troubles her so much that she decides to save the girl and escapes from the city with her, but not before something goes terribly wrong.

Now a bunch of ruthless killers want to hunt them down.  Who are these men and why are they chasing two hapless females is what forms the rest of the story.

Pooja, who was last seen as a blind beggar in Bala's Naan Kadavul makes her comeback in Tamil cinema after a four-year hiatus.  She once again proves her versatility by her realistic portrayal of a seasoned sex worker who is resigned to her fate.

But it is young Malavika Manikuttan, who steals the show.  Her character is quite complex, requiring her to be bold, street-smart and defiant, while at the same time appearing vulnerable and innocent too. 

There are no dramatic flashback scenes to explain how Pooja and Malavika Manikuttan are caught in this dangerous web, but their quiet acceptance of the most horrifying events perhaps reveals even much more.

Vinoth Kishan, as Chinnaiah, one of the villains, appears absolutely terrifying with his compelling eyes and just a handful of monosyllabic dialogues.  Then there is Mani (Muthukumar), Devanayagi (Lakshmi Ramakrishnan) and John Vijay as Lankan, every one fits into their role perfectly and the results are impressive.

Music by Girishh Gopalakrishnan is sensational; it helps create the atmosphere heightening every emotion, and maintaining the suspense and thrill.  Cinematographer Sivakumar Vijayan, a debutant, has shot most of the scenes at night in dimly lit locations that intensify the story and provide the right ambience.

The only minus would be the length and the lack of pace, despite of the deadline of 24 hours, you don’t feel the clock ticking, the sense of urgency is missing.  But that takes nothing away from the anticipation and thrill you feel as each scene slowly unfolds itself.

Director Balaji undoubtedly is at the top of his game, narrating a tale filled with emotions; greed, lust, fear and desperation set in the backdrop of a cruel and aggressive world, where people only look out for themselves, it is either kill or be destroyed yourself.

The stark simplicity of the dialogues, the well-etched characters, the intriguing plot, the captivating music, the cinematography, but most of all the brilliant twist at the end makes Director Balaji K Kumar’s Vidiyum Munn a must watch.

http://www.rediff.com/movies/review/vidiyum-munn-is-brilliant/20131130.htm