Punyalan Agarbaties from Times of India!

A Thrissur based man named Joy Thakkolkaran conceives the idea of making agarbathis from elephant dung and the film tracks down the challenges that await him in his venture. 
Punyalan Agarbathis derives much of its warm humour from the apparently ludicrous concept of the lead character Joy Thakkolkaran. He paints colourful dreams of entrepreneurship with his notion of using elephant dung for making agarbathis. Ranjith Sankar makes sure that he takes off from this cardinal idea and maintains a good flight, notching up light-hearted sequences and at the same time absorbing the dreams, despair and frustration of a man who wants to do something different.
The narrative is nourished with characters sketched with a fancy for the real and for satire. A bald-headed judge would chatter cheerfully with those in the dock and would lour at them in the same breath. A driver with his simpleton looks is invested with loads of childish naivete that he would weep for his mom when caught in police station.

Jayasurya infuses an easeful, sparkling wit into Thakkolkaran and he is enriched with a script that goes for slightly silly, but abundantly playful humor. This is one film where the dim-witted servants need not have to mouth obscenities to amuse themselves. They would rather seriously indulge in playing 'angry-birds', religiously treasuring each point they garner.

Even the woman characters, though a few, command a good-natured authority and presence on screen. Be it Anu, the wife of Joy or the advocate, the script treats them with respect, making them share the shine and glow of the lead character. Perhaps it's this genuine warmth about this film which helps it override certain scenes conjured up solely for the purpose of a meaningful conclusion. The lapses are easily forgotten for the rich presence of moments that make Punyalan Agarbathis a lovable film. Rating:*** http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/regional/malayalam/movie-reviews/Punyalan-Agarbathis/articleshow/26677940.cms  

Bicycle Thieves Review from Times of India

Bicycle Thieves narrates the tale of three youths who steal bicycles for a living. They later take up a contract for theft which changes the course of their lives.

Bicycle Thieves has quite a few scenes that are heavily redolent of some of the most popular hits. In spite of this resemblance, Bicycle Thieves works to a pretty good effect, mostly owing to its cast who remain true to the narrative.

The film tracks the lives of three boys from their childhood when they take the first steps towards turning themselves into bicycle thieves. The boys grow up, their bond thickens and they chance upon a contract to steal a fairly good amount of money. Betrayal, breach of trust and misunderstanding ensue and the trio split.

Jis Joy in his debut film does show promise with his ability to craft seemingly natural sequences even while bringing in complexities which sometimes fit and most often don't. There is a conscious attempt on the part of Asif Ali to add economy and measure to his acting. He doesn't strain himself playing a good-hearted thief with smart cunning. There is restraint to the way he portrays Chacko, something that adds to the appeal of the film.

The narrative appears a bit hurried towards the end with a sudden flow of twists. They are tailored with a fair sense of conviction, still they leave a jarring effect because of their rush. Vijay Babu pulls off a studied, neatly rendered act carrying different shades in an affecting manner. Rating:***  http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/regional/malayalam/movie-reviews/Punyalan-Agarbathis/articleshow/26677940.cms

Nenem Chinna Pillana.. Review from Times of India!

Story: Freedom is what she wants. Total freedom. Family ties are a strict no, no. She shocks a suitor by shedding some of her clothes to tell him away. The man is game but she's not fine with him and boots him out. Swapna's definition of freedom lands her in Sweden and she meets her match there.
 
Movie Reviews: Just one year of staying abroad is what Swapna (Tanvi Vyas) craves for. Her doting father, played by Suman, allows her to go, much against the wishes of the joint family. In Sweden, Swapna has an encounter with Krish (Rahul Ravindran) who is so money minded that she wishes him off. Krish is the kind of guy who would do anything to earn five euros by running any kind of errand. It takes a long while for her to understand what the guy is up to and why he does what he does. He's not the type who would sacrifice his freedom and do a job that deprives him of his liberty. She so much hates his nature but there's something about him that draws her to him.
When Swapna returns to India for her father's Shashtipoorthi, the family has problems accepting her friend Krish. Swapna's parents almost finalise an alliance for her when the 'would have been' father- -in- law drops a bomb saying that he saw Swapna buy a pregnancy testing kit once on a trip to Sweden. Swapan's family is shaken by the revelation. In a turn of events, Krish literally gets kicked out of Swapna's house.
It's not the end of life for Krish. He starts life afresh - not by getting involved with another girl but finding a family that he can call his own in Vizag. The villain in Swapna comes out when she hands over Rs 50 lakh hard cash to that family so that they can free Krish from their 'stranglehold'. The cash is accepted and it is the beginning of a tale of woes for Krish, a youngster who values family ties.
No fights, no heroism, no double meaning dialogues, and no indecency except for a five-euro challenge that makes Swapna detest Krish's attitude. The movie inculcates and underscores the importance of family ties and values and gets the message across without going overboard by making some character mouth boring dialogues. There's some sentimental stuff but you don't get put off with it. This is a movie for families - to stay together, to stick together and understand the value of relationships. Rahul Ravindran deserves appreciation for portraying his role in just the right manner. It is the kind of movie that doesn't draw the masses into the theatres but is worth a watch

Rating:***1/2
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/movie-review/25519327.cms 

Venkatadri Express review from Times of India!

Story: A train simple journey to Tirupathi goes horribly awry for Sundeep (Sundeep) and Prarthana (Rakul) after they miss boarding the Venkatadri Express.

Movie Review: The movie begins with Allari Naresh's voice over, introducing characters in Sundeep's home one by one, setting the context for what's to follow - how the black sheep of the family atones himself. The patriarch of the family is a retired school headmaster, Ram Murthy (Nagineedu), whose blood group we are told is K for Kramasikshana which translates into discipline. He has a rule book of do's and don'ts for the family and every slip-up a family member makes is duly recorded.

The rule of the house is simple. Anyone who makes more than 100 mistakes will be disowned. Anything Ram Murthy disapproves will earn a red mark - his infant grandson urinating on him also goes on record as a mistake. Then the protagonist is introduced bang in the middle of what turns out to be his 99th blunder.
 
It's a very painstakingly conceived introductory scene with Sundeep being chased by a bunch of goons amidst a riot of colours (ala the holi scene in Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani) exploding in slow motion. Only after he gets back home do we realize that the guy had gone out to get garlands for his brother's engagement only to return much after the ceremony is completed without the garlands!
When Sundeep rushes back home to fetch the magalasutram his mother forgets at home minutes before the family is due to board the Tirupathi bound Venkatadri Express, you expect him to miss the train. But Sundeep inadvertently drags Prarthana into the conundrum leading to long chain of mishaps as the duo tries desperately to catch the train.

The filmmaker has packed the movie with enough gags though. We have characters like Thagubothu Ramesh playing a drunk auto rickshaw driver, Sapthagiri playing a nerdy PhD scholar who's blackmailed to act like a railway hawker, MS Narayana playing an old man looking for thrills...that keep the entertainment quotient running.

We also have a handful of tastefully picturised song sequences and fight sequences as well. The acting is well goofy at best but it works largely. The stand out element is the cinematography albeit seeming a little too inspired in places. It's a kind of comedy that isn't entirely original but works nevertheless, largely at least. To sum it up, it's one of those movies that do more things right than wrong and ends up somewhere in between "not a bad film" to a "good film."

Note: The movie has got some gags, though mostly cliched but funny nevertheless. Carry a humorous disposition to make the most of it.

Rating:***
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/movie-review/26632060.cms

Jannal Oram Reviews from Times of India!

Synopsis: A bus conductor and driver accidentally hit a person on road and get involved in a murder mystery. Will they be able to clear their names?

Remaking the Malayalam film Ordinary, Karu Palaniappan gives us yet another family entertainer with a multi-star cast. The film, as the director tells in a voice over at the start of the film, is a journey into the lives of two characters — bus driver Karuppu ( Parthepan) and the new conductor Subbu ( Vemal) — and the characters that they encounter during their daily bus trip from Palani to Pannaikadu, a hillside village with a motley bunch of characters. Given that they have to spend the nights in Pannaikadu to make the return trip to Palani in the morning, they become almost a part of the village. Subbu even falls in love with one of the villagers, Kalyani (Manisha), who is also a regular passenger on their bus.

But, one day, an unknown man falls down in front of their bus and the duo thinks they have accidentally hit him, and send him to the nearby hospital on a jeep that happens to pass by. But, soon, Subbu is arrested for murdering the person, who is revealed to be Shiva (Sanjay), the son of Vinayagam (Rajesh), a respected man in the village, and the fiance of the school teacher Nirmala David ( Poorna).

Jannal Oram starts off as a routine village drama, populated with some interesting and some not-so-interesting characters. There is Saami ( Vidharth), an orphan who does odd jobs for everyone in the village, Justin ( Ramana), a teacher who has a soft spot for Nirmala, a church Father, a drunkard, a tea shop owner and his girl who flirts with Karuppu, an idler and so on. We get introduced to these characters and see the dynamics of the various relationships here. So, when the murder happens, the director provides us with many suspects, which helps to hold the suspense.

Overall, the film is competently put together and somewhat interesting but you cannot escape a lingering feeling that it should have been a little ambitious and much better. Too much time is spent in getting us familiarized with the characters that for large stretches in the first half, we wonder when the director will get to the story. The songs, which are shot indifferently, only add to the length. The second half is better paced but even here, some of the actions of the characters are cinematic and the beats feel a bit too familiar — Subbu's secret getting out, Karuppu chancing upon the jeep driver, the final revelation. But sometimes, familiarity can be comforting and in that aspect, the film delivers. 

Rating:***
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/Jannal-Oram/movie-review/26649086.cms

Naveena Saraswathi Sabatham Reviews Times of India!

Synopsis: Four friends go to Bangkok for a bachelor party, get totally drunk, only to wake up on a remote island with no recollection of how they ended up there. And, no, this isn't their 'Hangover'!

Movie Review: There is a scene in the second half of Naveena Saraswathi Sabatham in which Naradar (Mano Bala) tells Lord Siva (Subbu Panchu) that the story isn't progressing and by this time, people will be posting on Facebook and Twitter that the first half of the film is super while the second half is mokkai. It is delivered as a knowing wink at the audience, suggesting to us that the director, Chandru, knows he has hit a dead end. Sadly, it is also the most profound statement in the entire film — not only on the audiences of today but also on the films we get these days, including this one, which just turns dreary, minutes after we enter the second half.

The film does begin in a promising way, with Naradar showing videos of the main characters to Siva on his iMac! This Mt Kailash resembles the version we have seen in AP Nagarajan's mythological films from the 60s (including Saraswathi Sabatham) down to the costumes but with a difference — its inhabitants seem to be passionate consumers of Apple products. So, you see Parvathi using an iPhone, and Muruga playing Temple Run on an iPad (though the director fails to exploit the oddity of a God playing a game called Temple Run) and so on. We are thus introduced to the film's Earth-set characters — Ramarajan, a quack of sorts, who is in love with college student and reality show contestant Jaishree, his friends Gopi, a corrupt politician's son, Ganesh, a hapless husband whose wife does katta panchayat, and Krishna, a wannabe film star. These four characters are normal when sobre but turn into a nuisance when they get drunk, and that, Siva explains, is the reason he has chosen them for his thiruvilayadal.

So, in The Hangover style (which the movie acknowledges), the four go to Bangkok for a bachelor party after Ramarajan's wedding is fixed, get drunk there but, then, they wake up to find themselves on a remote island with no recollection of how they ended up there. They are clueless when it comes to getting out of the place and so does the movie itself. What was a mildly amusing affair turns tedious and we are left with the sorry sight of witnessing the antics of VTV Ganesh, a sloppy effort to integrate the original Saraswathi Sabatham into the plot, and an even cruder attempt to wash all this off with a "message" (about drinking) in the end. And, this takes the fun out of what could have been dismissed as pointless fun.

 

Rating: **1/2

 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/Naveena-Saraswathi-Sabatham/movie-review/26593007.cms