Thagaraaru reviews from Times of India!

Synopsis: Four thick as thieves (literally) friends earn a lot of enemy with their roguish behaviour. When one of them is murdered, the other three thirst for revenge. But who among their foes is behind the deed?

Review: Saravanan (Arulnithi), Senthil (Pawanjiy), Pazhani (Sulile Kumar) and Arumugam (Murugadas) are orphans who are close-knit friends since childhood. They are bureau pullers who do not really think anything of life, drifting along as the wind blows. They invite the wrath of a local inspector when they steal from his house as an act of bravado. They also rub the big shot (Aruldas) who had hired them for a job on the wrong side by demanding more money. And, when Saravanan falls in love with Meenakshi (Poorna), he and his friends become the target of her goonda father (Jayaprakash). When Pazhani is murdered, the other three thirst for revenge. But who among their various enemies is behind the deed?
If there is one thing that Ganesh Vinaayac's Thagaraaru has going for it, it is the director's intention to not turn his film into a typical action film. The film is actually stock full of elements that we have seen in earlier Madurai-set films — as in Thoonganagaram, we have four friends who are the protagonists, they are aimless drifters resorting to a life of crime like the guys inSubramaniapuram, like Sriya Reddy in Thimiru, the heroine, despite all her love for the hero, has an arrogance, her father, who like the father in Kaadhal, is a fearsome man in the area, a self-important cop, who is one of the adversaries of our heroes, as in Aadukalam. And yet, the director manages to spring in a surprise or two in this tale which is a conflict between friendship and love.

At the same time, while the twists and turns help the film from never turning into a boring affair, we also wish that the film was sharper (like the countless sickles we see in it). It has tension but that isn't nail-biting. It has romance but that is so run of the mill. It has some emotional moments but we never feel that much for the main characters. The performances, while competent enough are never compelling (Arulnithi tries to be a charmer in the romantic portions but he is not helped by the broad characterization; neither his wooing in gaudy clothes nor his Dhanush-like lungi dance endear the character to us). Even the climatic twist, which is very good, at least on paper, is surprising but not truly shocking.

Rating:***
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/thagaraaru/movie-review/27118433.cms

Ivan Veera Mathiri Review From Times Of India!

Synopsis: Gunasekaran, a socially responsible youth, kidnaps Easwaran, the brother of Sadasivam, the law minister, after the latter orchestrates violence among students. Sadasivam loses his post and Guna releases his captive but Easwaran wants revenge...

Movie Review: You have kidnapped the brother of a minister. He is also a ruthless gangster but you have managed to keep your identity (read face) a mystery from him. You have reached the place where you are hiding him, and right at that moment, you get a call from your girlfriend. You attend the call rather than ignoring it (or even texting a 'will call bk ltr') and go on to discuss banking details, saying out loud her account number, despite the chance that your quarry could hear it and use it to discover who you are. If such a circumstance feels logical and plausible enough for you, then, Ivan Vera Maathiri is right up your street. Else, steer clear!
The film opens with visuals of violence unleashed on some students in a law college (with policemen remaining mute spectators), a not-so-subtle reference to the incidents that occurred in a Chennai law college in 2008. Gunasekaran (Vikram Prabhu), a 26-year-old advertising professional, is affected by the news, and decides to take on Sadasivam, the law minister, who orchestrated the assault. To do that, he kidnaps his brother and hit man Easwaran ( Vamsi Krishna), whom the minister has unlawfully brought out of jail in parole. Guna's idea is to hold the man hostage until his parole lapses, humiliate the minister in public and make him resign his post, and take away the power that made him a fearsome individual. Guna also meets Malini ( Surabhi), an airy-fairy college student, who falls in love with him.

Meanwhile, Sadasivam resigns and becomes the target of a police investigation, and a contented Guna releases Easwaran. Now, the prey becomes the hunter, searching for his captor, despite being pursued by the hard-nosed cop Aravindan ( Ganesh Venkatraman).

If the screenplay was the strength of Saravanan's debut Enageyum Eppothum, here, it becomes a weakness as the director's attempts to make a "different" vigilante film get lost in implausibility, patronizing (a line about girls who do not receive calls or SMSes being "good girls" is downright condescending) and sub-par acting. He has the outline of a terrific action movie plot; generally, it is the hero who is at the receiving end in the first half and goes after his tormentor in the latter portions after piecing together his identity but here, it is the opposite. However, the scenes aren't particularly interesting beyond a strictly functional level. Guna isn't directly affected by the violence in the college and so, his decision to turn a vigilante should have been compelling. But what we get are a couple of scenes where he is aroused by stray remarks. And, while his plan to hide Easwaran seems well thought out, the manner in which he goes about smacks of carelessness. He reveals his real intention to his captive, gives him a blatant clue to his identity, and worse, when the minister is arrested, lets Easwaran loose on the streets rather than ensuring that he gets into police custody. And, in the end, Aravindan is conveniently shown as someone who believes vigilantism to be good.

But the weakest section is the romantic track — Malini is certainly the latest in the ignominious list of daft heroines in Tamil cinema. She allows Guna, a stranger to her at this point, to use her house loo, and later carries a fish all over the city after he leaves it with her. Saravanan wants these scenes to be funny but they only trivialize Malini's character. And to add to her insult, we are repeatedly told, she has 18 arrears! Even after Malini and Guna fall in love, we never sense their chemistry. That Vikram Prabhu is far more convincing as an action hero than in the romantic scenes also doesn't help.

Rating:***
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/ivan-vera-maathiri/movie-review/27310587.cms

Jackpot Review from Times of India!

Story: Three con artists have their eyes set on some fast money. However, each of them are secretly trying to con the other as well. Who will outwit whom and get away with the loot?

Review: Goa forms the backdrop for this who-gets-the-moolah caper. Francis (Joshi) packs in the muscle and has a can of beer always close at hand. He is also street-smart enough to impress Maya (Leone), the oomphy voice of reason in the movie. Boss Man (Naseeruddin) is a veteran raver whose clothes are as colourful as his principles and punchlines. Slow in speech but quick to draw a six-shooter, he owns the Jackpot casino.
Boss, Francis and Maya hatch a plan to steal crores of cash. And while the deed itself is executed decently enough, the subsequent sub-plots and implications of intrigue amongst the schemers is laid on with the predictability and subtlety of a bull in a china shop.

Completely in character, Boss looks and sounds like a parody of a villain. While it's clearly understood that he is the owner of a floating casino, his lines flog every possible gambling pun to death. After a point, you can almost predict what the next one-liner will be. Francis and his other muscle-bound cronies often get into squabbles whenever some suspicion of duplicity arises amongst them.

And those expecting anything even close to a Sunny Leone steam-fest will be disappointed. In fact, she raps the knuckles of the local lads, scolding them if they dare lay their gaze on her bursting-at-the-buttons bosom. "My eyes are up here, not down there!" she reminds one local lad. She is also given lines like "Sarkar aur underworld mein kya farak hai?"

Similarly, Francis, who later in the movie reminds her that "Hum log artisthai - con artist!" and Boss, who reasons out that in his line of work, "Risky is like whisky". Makarand Deshpande's kooky cop character is genuinely funny, but corny lines aside, one of Jackpot's few redeeming factors here is that it moves along quickly.

Rating:**
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/hindi/Jackpot/movie-review/27297202.cms

Jackpot Review from Taran Adarsh!

Kaizad Gustad, who wowed moviegoers with BOMBAY BOYS, but got it all wrong with BOOM, returns to tell a story after a hiatus. Is his new endeavour, JACKPOT, sharp and intelligent like his first film?

JACKPOT is a thriller with comic one-liners and crazy characters, set entirely in Goa against the backdrop of casino boats. An amateur gang of young Goan con artists plan the perfect con -- no nuksaan, no pareshan. However, it doesn't take long for them to discover that a reverse con has been played back on them... 

JACKPOT starts off with a title track that seems highly inspired from the opening credits of a Bond film... also reminiscent of the one in SHAAN. Soon thereafter, we are introduced to the characters, with multiple subplots adding to the mystery... and confusion. Kaizad doesn't spill the beans at the outset and the non-linear depiction of happenings that constantly switch back and forth leave you confused, making you wonder, what's Kaizad up to? Actually, with multiple cons being played simultaneously, the viewer is at a loss when trying to figure out what the original con was. 

However, Kaizad links the uneven subplots wonderfully in the second half. With a run time of approx 1.40 hours, the post-interval portions move feverishly and the unanswered questions get an answer. The writing is smart, the pacing is just right, the twists and turns in the narrative are sharp and the culmination catches you completely unaware. Kaizad serves an intelligent thriller, while the DoP does justice to his vision, capturing the lush green spots, grey skies and the downpour with precision. The background score too gives the film an edge. 

Kaizad also integrates the songs smartly in the narrative and the romantic track filmed on Sachiin and Sunny, 'Kabhi Jo Baadal Barse', stays in your memory. Having said that, the romantic scenes between the lead pair aren't too convincing. Also, the pacing in the first half is quite erratic. 

Sachiin certainly manages to pull off a more convincing job as an actor this time. Sunny also shows a marked improvement in her performance. Naseeruddin Shah is, as always, tremendous. Makrand Deshpande does a stellar job of playing the laidback cop, getting the local dialect right. Bharath, who has a humber of South Indian films to his credit, makes his Hindi debut with JACKPOT. He's first-rate. 

On the whole, JACKPOT proves to be an interesting watch with a sharp and clever second half.

Rating:***

http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movies/reviews/type/view/id/1328

Escape from Uganda review from Rediff!

Malayalam film Escape from Uganda is a film that tries to thrill but fails to do so, writes Paresh C Palicha.

Sometimes title of a film is enough to tell you what it is about and your interest in watching that film is merely to know the approach of the director in tackling the subject.

Escape from Uganda is one such venture by director Rajesh Nair with Rima Kallingal and Vijay Babu in the lead. The story is said to be inspired by real incidents, but we can see influences from Indian and foreign films especially from the genre called prison movies.

Shikha Samuel (Rima Killingal) and Jayakrishnan (Vijay Babu) have eloped and made Uganda their home with the help of Advocate Firoz (Mukesh), who is practising law there. The couple is leading a happy life with a girl child of their own. Jayakrishnan is employed as a manager in a coffee shop and Shikha runs a designer boutique of her own. The tranquillity of their life is shattered when Shikha is arrested on the charges of committing two murders, one of the victim is the daughter of the local Mayor, who has pledged to keep her in jail for the rest of her life.

The situation is grim and the atrocities against our lady in jail increase. To add to this, Firoz is shot dead in his office, making Jayakrishnan sure that it will be impossible for him to free his wife by the book, so he calls Antony (Parthiban), who had offered to help him for money claiming that he was the only one who had successfully escaped from that high security prison.

The major part of the second half is devoted to the planning of the escape with characters moving from one place to next as if taking us on a guided tour of the African country. All this compels us to wonder how Antony, who has supposedly broken free from a jail, is moving around without a worry in the world. This is just one of the many questions that occupy our minds much after the movie is over and we are back in the comfort of our homes.

There are a few twists in the tale with the good guys and the bad guys turning tables on each other a couple of times before heading towards a very predictable end.

22 Female Kottayam as far as suffering in the jail is concerned. Thankfully the similarity ends there, here the lanky lady has to indulge in physical action like kicking and boxing policemen double her size. And, as if this was not enough, she is made to sprint with her leading man at a speed that would put Usain Bolt to shame!

Vijay Babu has to be consistent in keeping his face sombre throughout, except for the time he is shown taking care of his daughter virtually as a single parent.

Parthiban has to double up as the action man and the comedian, which he tries to do uttering the lines that would make the front benchers happy.

Escape from Uganda is a film that tries to thrill but fails to do so as desired.

Rating:**

http://www.rediff.com/movies/report/review-escape-from-uganda-is-not-up-to-the-mark-south/20131202.htm

Bicycle Thieves reviews from Rediff!

Paresh C Palicha says debutante director Jimson Joy tries to combine an old-style narrative with so-called ‘new gen’ cinema in Bicycle Thieves, but fails to get it right.

Two steps forward one step backward is what you feel after watchingBicycle Thieves directed by newcomer Jis Joy.

It begins with an orphaned child Chacko narrating his Dickensian life story of debt-ridden parents committing suicide and being raised by his evil uncle and aunt, who treat him worse than a servant.

One night, after watching the 1990 film Kalikkalam, Chacko runs away with his cousin’s new cycle and joins the gang of Bose Prakash (Salim Kumar).

The gang specialises in robbing cycles. There are two other kids with him, Ramesh and Rahim.

The grown up versions of the kids are played by Asif Ali (Chacko), Saiju Kurup (Ramesh) and Bineesh Kodiyeri (Rahim). They become more ambitious and plan to loot a rich businessman on the highway.

After the theft, Ramesh runs away with the bounty. The others accuse Chacko of being an accomplice of Ramesh. The gang splits due to this misunderstanding.

From here on it becomes Chacko’s story; the other three just vanish into thin air.

Chacko continues his thieving activities. Enter Meera (Aparna Gopinath), who eventually becomes his love interest.

Kashi (Vijay Babu), an alcoholic criminal lawyer employs Chacko as part-time chauffeur. KPAC Lalitha plays the owner of the house where Meera is a paying guest, and is the mother figure. We wonder where all this is headed as there is no connection between the initial build up and where the proceedings stand at the end of the first half. By the end of the film, your head is reeling connecting all the plot points.

Asif Ali does his best as the melancholic orphan who opens up when he finds love in people around him. But he needed a stronger storyline to make his efforts pay.

Another actor we feel sorry for is Vijay Babu, who gets out of his comfort zone to play a loud mouthed lawyer.

The rest of the cast, including seasoned campaigners KPAC Lalitha and Siddique, look clueless in a film that seems to have gone haywire from the first scene itself.

The director tries to combine an old-style narrative with so-called ‘new gen’ cinema, and falls somewhere in between. The film is neither here nor there.

Rating:**

http://www.rediff.com/movies/report/review-bicycle-thieves-fails-to-impress-south/20131203.htm