Sarvam - Grand ,glitzy and glossy
 Director Vishnuvardhan seems to have mastered the art of making a trendy, sophisticated and chic film. The young film-maker often led his films do all the talking. After touching the peak in ‘Billa’, Vishnu is out to face the litmus test with ‘Sarvam’. With his trusted lieutenant Arya by his side and the likes of cinematographer Nirav Shah and music composer Yuvan Shankar Raja around, he has come up with a movie that certainly lives up to his reputation. Vishnu has tried a marriage between commercial and real cinema in ‘Sarvam’ and seems to have succeeded fairly. Though the storyline seems to be familiar, yet with his typical visual narration, he walks away with all honours. As like his other films, Vishnuvardhan has blended romance and action at right mix. A convincing thriller is a rarity in Tamil cinema. Vishnu has taken it in his stride and rendered a movie that is convincing and makes the audience glued to their seats. What more, he has struck to his task without deviating from the storyline. Arya and Vishnuvardhan share a good rapport as was evident in their previous film – ‘Arindhum Ariyamalum’ and ‘Pattiyal’. With ‘Sarvam’, the duo seems to have struck a hat-trick. Polished by Bala in ‘Naan Kadavul’, Arya comes across as a cool, suave architect who runs behind Trisha in the second half and goes hammer and tongs flexing his muscles to save the life of a young innocent child. Trisha is gorgeous and as fresh as an apple. She fits the role of a medical practitioner in love with Arya. The only disappointment is that she fades away from the story very quick. Unfortunately she hogs very little space on screen.  JD Chakravarthy, who sizzled the screen in Tollywood, plays an interesting role. However the lack of conviction in narrating his character robs away the sheen from his character. Malayalam actor Indrajith makes his debut in Kollywood playing a desperate father running from pillar to post for his son. Karthik (Arya), a cool suave architect comes across a young doctor Sandhya (Trisha) at a Kart track. He falls for her instantly. Romance blossoms. Tragedy strikes in Karthik’s life when a kite snatches Trisha’s life. Desperate attempts to save Sandhya who is strangled by the thread of the kite ends in vain. However her heart gets transplanted for a young boy Imman (Rohan), son of Naushad (Indrajith). A flashback reveals that Naushad had run over a football coach Eashwar’s (JD Chakravarthy) wife. He is keen to take revenge on Naushad by plotting to kill his son. Arya develops a good rapport with the child after his ladylove’s heart is transplanted to him. Coming to know of Eashwar’s motive, Karthik steps in to save the kid. What happens then forms the climax. Vishnuvardhan deserves all credit for making it stylish from the first frame. Nirav Shah’s lens does all the magic capturing thrilling moments well. He captures the various locales of Chennai, Rajasthan and forest lands well. Yuvan’s brisk re-recording towards the second half is praiseworthy. On the whole, Sarvam, produced by Ayngaran International, is a visual delight that is sure to thrill the audience. |
Yaavarum Nalam
 Thriller or horror movies are a rarity in Tamil cinema. Even the little made are loaded with Computer Graphic generated visuals far from convincing the audience. Filling the void is 'Yaavarum Nalam’. All credit to director Vikram Kumar, who has come out an engrossing thriller in the lines of classic horrors by Alfred Hitchcock. An engrossing screenplay with no lagging moments bringing the audience to their seat-edges sums up 'Yaavarum Nalam'. Madhavan, who the audience got accustomed watching him romancing the heroines and much recently bashing baddies, play a different role. He plays a male protagonist who strives to save his family from the hands of a super natural power. As a caring hubby and a loving son in a joint family, one can see a refreshing Madhavan. He looks dashing with his sophisticated looks. Looking at ease on screen, he is casual in his dialogue delivery and his body language. He bubbles with enthusiasm in the first half and brings out the frightened look well towards the climax.  Bollywood actor Neetu Chandra makes her debut in Tamil playing a bubbly young wife of Madhavan. Though she has nothing much to do in the movie, she does full justice to her role. Saranya, who plays Madhavan’s mother come out good. She resembles women in the average household watching almost all the mega-serials that are being aired on the satellite channels. She sympathises with the character with innocence evokes applause. Manohar (Madhavan), is a civil engineer who lives in a joint family. His brother (Hari Nair) and his wife (Ameetha) and Manohar and his wife (Neetu Chandra) live happily together without any qualms. The brothers buy a flat 13 B in a huge apartment. They move to the flat with their mega-serial addict mother (Saranya). Strange things start to happen as they occupy the flat. Manohar’s image captured on his mobile appears distorted. The lift doesn’t work when Manohar steps in. But he gets more shock when he watches a mega-serial ‘Yaavarum Nalam’ on a private satellite channel. Whatever things that unfolds in the serial starts to happen in his real life. This hocks him. He comes across Dr Balu (Sachin Khanderkar), who speaks about paranormal things. A curious Manohar sets out to find the mystery behind the mega-serial’s story but is shocked to know that it was available only in his house. He with the help of a cop Shiva (Ravi Babu) begins research. The mystery gets unfolded. The sequences in the mega-serial are nothing but real-life incidents that happened three decades ago. The spirits of those who perished in a murder are back to avenge the real-killers. Did Manohar save his family from the spirits and who the real culprit gets unfolded in a riveting climax. P C Sreeram’s cinematography adds pep to the screenplay. Though shaky at many places, the tone and texture deserve mention. Tubbi Parik’s background score is good bringing audience to their seat-edges. Neelu Ayappan’s dialogues are crisp and simple. In the flip side, one wonders when Manohar can identify events on the serial with his daily life, how his family missed it out? Otherwise, it is a movie that is refreshingly different. |
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 Remaking films from Bollywood or Tollywood involves potential risk in Kollywood. Director Lakshmikanthan has tried his hand at redoing a recent Hindi blockbuster 'Taxi No 9211', which is racy and riveting. All credits should go to the director for not trying anything farfetched in the Tamil version, managing to retain the flavor of the original. Produced by GV Films, the movie revolves around two main characters - a taxi driver and a rich young man played by Pasupathy and Ajmal respectively. All credit to Lakshmikanthan for his apt characterization. They live the character coming out with a brisk performance. Unlike recent run-of-the-mill stuff, the movie has a good storyline to boast of with catchy dialogues sure to evoke applause in theatres. The aspirations of the poor and the rich, their outlook on life have been captured well. In a nutshell, it is about two different persons belonging to different strata of the society. They meet in a ride and a chain of reaction begins. Pasupathy plays Mani, a hot -tempered cab driver. He leads a contended life with his wife Subbulakshmi (Simran), who thinks that her husband is an insurance agent. Mani comes across Gautham (Ajmal), a rich spoilt son of a businessman. Gautham has a peculiar problem. He comes into contact with Mani and also comes to know that he would be losing several crore of his father's property to a trustee unless he produces his father's will.  An accident leaves Mani and Gautham part ways from the taxi leaving the locker key in Mani's cab. He gets arrested. Eventually, Gautham informs Subbulakshmi that her husband is behind bars and that he is not an insurance agent but a cab driver. Ruckus breaks in their house. What happens next forms the climax. Pasupathy plays the role of a cab driver with finesse. His rough looks and cool body language evokes applause. He has done justice to the role done by talented actor Nana Patekar in Hindi. It's not an exaggeration if we could term him as our own Nana for Tamil filmdom. Ajmal has left his bad boy image in 'Anjathae' and comes out with a new demeanor this time. He has brought out emotions well on screen. At many places, his character reminds one of a role played by Madhavan in 'Anbae Sivam'. He is cool, suave and trendy. His emotional turmoil has been brought out well. Simran hogs limelight with her decent portrayal. As a devout housewife, she fits the bill well. Meenakshi fulfills the oomph factor. Though she has no major bearing on the story, she plays her part well. Vijay Anthony's musical score is hip-hop and trendy captured well on screen. Lakshmikanthan deserves a pat for choosing a right script for remake in Tamil making suitable changes that would find favor with the Tamil crowd. All said, the very fact that it is a remake lingers on our mind ever since the word go. But for others, it is a movie sans any bumpy ride. |
Ayan - Commercial film with logic
| Yet another super hit movie from Surya and Sun Pictures. ‘Ayan’ - the title itself sounds very unique and different.it means one who is unique and stands apart, it also refers to Brahma, and in Arabic, it means God’s gift. The hero, a bubbly young man, is all these and more. Looks like K V Anand did a lot of research before zeroing this title.   Kudos to surya, his contribution and dedication towards the role. Surya played a complete contrast role from his previous film ‘Varanam Aayiram’, he is playing a soft hero in the first half and faces a transition into an action star in the second, he is playing almost a super hero role in second half and it works well for him. Interestingly the movie goes to various countries like Tanzania, Botswana and Namibia. A stunt sequence shot on Zanzibar, an island, is the additional highlight of the movie, surya did best job on action part. We has overtaken all young heros in kollywood. Luck girl Tamannah plays lead lady role. She proves again that she can act and dance well. Bollywood actor Akashdeep Saigal plays the baddie. he has good future in kollywood.   Another addtional highlight is Harris Jayaraj’s music, Surya and Harris combination continues thier magic after 'Vaaranam Aayiram' M.S Prabhu cinematography requires special mention. Don't miss his stylish shots on exotic locations of Tanzania, Botswana and Namibia. A special Hats off to Location Manager for zeroing down an unforeseen never-never land. A grand round of applause to director K.V Anand for such a commerical entertainer with logic sequence ‘Ayan’ is a sure block buster.In one word, 'Ayan' is a movie to cherish and celebrate. |
| Watch Now - 'Ayan' Press Meet |
| Watch Now - 'Ayan' Movie Trailer |
Siva Mansula Sakthi
| Star-casts: Jeeva, Anuya, Aarya, Santhanam, Oorvasi and others. Banner: Vikatan Talkies Story Screenplay and Direction: Rajesh Music: Yuvan Shankar Raja Camera: Sakthi Saravanan |  |
| For those multiplex audiences who were quite worried for the fact that Tamil filmmakers aren’t gearing up for flicks savoring to their tastes, here’s something special… Yup! Siva Manasula Sakthi indeed had a perfect title earlier as ‘SMS’. It was so peppy and stylish that it had to be rechristened later… Well, for Jeeva it’s a great change for he hasn’t something special in his performance but as a chilled-up youngster. Debutant Rajesh gears up for a best debut… At most parts of the film, he seems to have been influenced a lot from Bollywood films. But nothing everything’s perfect… Oh! That reminds us about how a film called ‘Sakkarakatti’ was made. Spare us if you’ve made us disturbed uttering the name of this home video… Like it happens in most of the love stories, hero and heroine’s meeting happens over a train journey.. For instance, even the stations of departure and arrival are the same as in Vaaranam Aayiram where you’ve Surya and Sameera Reddy catching up… As the train journey, it’s about Shiva (Jeeva) and Sakthi (Anuja) introducing themselves as bigwigs… Being a courier boy, Shiva pretends to be a part in Indian Army Services while Sakthi is nowhere far from him. She’s a radio jockey and tells him that her job is associated with Thai Airlines. Eventually, there’s we get to see that their job positions are revealed. Sakthi earns for his family’s bread and butter by taking up courier carriages. Most of the times, he is spotted along with his roadside romeo (Santhanam). Sooner, the young lad and missy get attracted to each other. But things are topsy-turvy once Sakthi’s dad finds a perfect match for her. For your greater surprise it’s Arun (Aarya) on the screens. Meanwhile Siva makes Sakthi realize that his love for her is insatiable and that goes to the more extended level that fall for each other romantically mesmerized for a night… But everything’s not fine and cool for next minutes as there are more ego clashes involved.  Jeeva is great in his performance on all situations. Be it playing pranks, during his tiffs with egoistic nature or adhered to emotions, he’s off with top-notching spell. Anuya is alluring and stylish in her looks. She never makes us doubt that she’s new to the screens and eventually, she will have a great time in Kollywood. Santhanam makes his best on comedy tracks with Jeeva, but it’s Oorvasi who causes you stomachache with her continual comedy tracks. In particular, the highlighting feature is about her act in penultimate sequences. Sathyan on the pars, fills the space on this panorama. Aarya on his guest appearance is nice to watch, especially for the girls. If you had seen him as a agory in his last week’s release ‘Naan Kadavul’, he’s so charming in this look. Yuvan’s song is quite laudable though not catching up your senses. Cinematography is again a mediocre and ditto to editing. Rajesh’s screenplay could’ve been worked far more better for a best show. Anyhow, this itself looks great and entertaining. On the whole, Siva Manasula Sakthi is a pleasant film to watch for the weekend or your evening after hard-day work… It’s cool and stupefying especially for the youngsters. Maybe, it’s bit odd for C centres and that we can figure out after couple of days… For now, our advice is to watch this film without any expectations and chill out… Bottom - Line: A Good Flick to watch Verdict: Nice… good job by Rajesh | |
Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu
All hope is not lost in Kollywood! At a time when the theatre-going audience has dwindled and a general criticism prevails that quality has taken a beating in Tamil cinema, 'Vennila Kabbadi Kuzhu' has come a whiff of fresh air. There is no bad mouthing villains and no crass comedy or needless romantic duets. Debutant director Susindhran has consciously avoided all clichéd commercial elements, yet managed to render an engrossing entertainer. But, the movie has abundant human emotions in it.  A refreshing and a different film, 'Vennila Kabbadi Kuzhu' lives up to the title, dwelling upon a group of friends for whom the valorous sport of kabbadi is everything in their life. Susindhran's engrossing screenplay coupled with pacy narration works out all the wonders. Glorifying the victory of underdogs never failed to appease the masses. Seemingly inspired by the success of films like Bollywood's 'Lagaan', 'Chak de India' and Tamil flicks 'Chennai 600028' and 'Lee' that were made around sports, Susindhran has churned out a film which is all about kabbadi, a hugely popular sport in rural Tamilnadu.  Every character in the film but for the kabbadi coach played by Kishore is new and hence provides a fresh feel for the audience. As an inspirational coach he reminds one of a similar role played by Shahrukh Khan in 'Chak De India'. He oozes charm and elegance in the role as a kabbadi coach. A dignified portrayal by him wins the heart of the film-buffs at the first go. Not far behind is Vishnu, the newcomer. He fits the role like a 'T' thanks to his innocent and the boy-next-door-looks. As Marimuthu he brings out on screen the emotions of a caring son, a yearning lover and a determined sportsman. The cute-looking Saranya Mohan as Vishnu's ladylove is adequate for the role. Clad in Pavadai and Thavani, she does a breezy role. A convincing cameo by her is praiseworthy. A host of other characters including newcomers Vairavan, Nithish, Sundar, Appu Kutti, Suri and Pandi does have a role to play in the film and they resemble the youngsters we see every day in rustic villages. The movie has threadbare storyline. In a nutshell, it is the triumph of a group of young men, who are considered the 'regular' losers in kabbadi by people in their own backyard. Touted as the fit for nothing bunch, these men go on to win accolades to their acquaintance with a skilled coach. The entire story unfolds in a remote village near Madurai. What begins as a soft romance between a poor young boy Marimuthu (Vishnu) and a young girl (Saranya Mohan), who comes to the village soon takes a turn. Marimuthu along with his childhood friends Ayyappan (Vairavan), Sekar (Nithish), Murthy (Sundar), Appu Kuttu (Appu Kutty) and Pandi (Pandi) yearn and crave to win a kabbadi tournament. Their Vennila Kabbadi Kuzhu is popular for they never managed to win a tournament. They manage to find themselves by chance in a State-level tournament where they are considered to bow out in the very first round. But the bunch of young men, who share different thoughts and ideas, with the help of Souda Muthu (Kishore), a professional kabbadi coach, emerge winner. But the story doesn't end here for there are more surprises that are thrown for the audience. The highlight of the movie is debutant music composer V Selvaganesh's (son of Ghatam exponent Vikku Vinayakaram) melodious music and background score. Especially, the pacy re-recording during the kabbadi match sets up all the momentum. Equally appealing is the art work by G C Anandhan. An able craftsman, he has created the rural village well before our eyes. Especially, the grand décor in 'thiruvizha' scenes is amazing. The soft lens of J Laxman and crispy dialogues by Baskar Sakthi brings before our eyes the innocence that prevails in the daily life in villages. K Anand Chakravarthy, the young producer, can walk proudly for he has rendered a movie that is entertaining from the word go, sans any glamour or double entendre. On the whole, 'Vennila Kabbadi Kuzhu' is a movie that is different from commercial clichés ushering hope and confidence in Tamil cinema. |
