‘Cool’ could be the right choice to describe ‘Kalavani’ in one word. Hardly the fact that the movie is directed by a debutant and there are no big stars in it would strike you, as you would be so glued to the film right from scene one. In other words, ‘Kalavani’, directed by fresher Sargunam (a former associate of ‘Kireedam’ fame Vijay) is a light hearted film that comes across as a whiff of fresh air, throwing light on the sense and sensibility of human relationships. The story is nothing new. It is about a boy and a girl from two different villages which are at loggerheads for years. Not just that, the girl has an elder brother too, who poses hurdles to the affair, a regular thing in most of the movies made in these parts.  But the treatment the director has given to the script and the way he narrated the story win all accolades. Aptly helping him is cinematography by Om Prakash and music by S S Kumaran (of ‘Poo’ fame), not to forget the support given by producer Nazir to make such a different venture. Arikki (Vimal), a good for nothing youth, is pampered by his mother (Saranya), with his father (Ilavarasu) working in Dubai sending money for their survival. Arikki is the one who also does some harmless minor heists and makes marriage proposals to every girl he meets. But things change when he falls for Maheswari (Oviya), a girl from a nearby village whose terms with Arikki’s place is not worth mentioning. The feud between the two villages is further fueled when one of Arikki’s friends crosses swords with Ilango (Thirumurugan), Maheswari’s brother. How Arikki successfully crosses all hurdles and ties the knot to Maheswari is the rest of the story, which is told in a lively and unconventional way that could even make you to roll over the floor laughing. For Vimal, it is an extension of his ‘Pasanga’ act and he does it with ease. Oviya fits well to the role of a village belle. The experience of Saranya and Ilavarasu is visible on screen while debutant Thirumurugan marks his presence. Ganja Karuppu as Panchayathu tickles the funny bone. If you are ready to forget some loopholes which you rarely come across and game for a fun-filled ride, ‘Kalavani’ could be a wise choice to spend some quality time. For films like ‘Kalavani’ is not a regular happening in Tamil cinema. |
Kalavani Movie Review
Milaga Movie Review
Two types of Madurai based movies are currently being made in Tamil cinema. One is the bunch that attempts to portray the life lived in the temple town and other set is loaded with commercial elements adding more masala to the place which already has many flavours. While the likes of 'Subramaniapuram' and 'Mayandi Kudumbathar', add value to the former, films like 'Ghilli' and 'Thimiru' stand testimony to the latter. 'Milaga', a film by Ravi Maria with popular Bollywood cinematographer Natraj as hero, is a mixture of both variants. However, Ravi Maria is only partially successful in striking a perfect balance. Despite being racy, the film somehow fails to work big time, thanks to predictable scenes, especially in the second half. Attempts to establish Nataraj as a mass hero too mars the flow.  Coming to the story part, it is the one we have already seen in umpteen number of movies- How a one-man army hero defeats all the evil elements and joins hands with his ladylove for a happily every after life. Azhagar (Nataraj) is a happy go lucky youngster, who looks after his family's red chilly business (justifying the title 'milaga'), in Madurai. But his main job is to be with his friends- roaming, singing and fighting for them all the time (justifying the sub title- 'Maduraikaara payaluga natupukkaga usuraiyum kuduppaiynga...'). When things are going cool, trouble starts to enter Azhagar's life in the form of three powerful brothers in the temple town, when he tries to save a girl Thenmozhi (Poongodi of 'Mayandi Kudumbathar' fame) at one point of time. The rest is all about how our hero teaches a lesson to the baddies with his own brainy and brawny ways, which is told in a clichéd way, and with Nataraj going the whole hog to establish himself as a macho man who can do anything and everything. Nataraj is okay as a Madurai youth and his hard work is visible on screen. But for his super hero attempts, the cinematographer passes muster as the protagonist too. Poongodi repeats her ‘Mayandi Kudumbathar’ act while Singam Puli & Co reminds us ‘Naadodigal’ and ‘Subramaniapuram’. Suja, the other heroine, scores well. Music by Sabesh-Murali is average with hardly any tune sticking to our heart while coming out of the theatre. On the whole, ‘Milaga’ would have been spicier, had Ravi Maria ensured that the latter half coped up with the first half. |
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Ravanan Review
Mani Ratnam returns to spread magic (or a blunder, as this review progresses) with his ‘Raavanan’ after a splendid show in the form of ‘Guru’. Well lets be positive to some extent now, his team is world class, with Santosh Sivan behind the lens, Srikar Prasad on the editor’s table and A R Rahman handling the music and besides that the stellar star cast! The movie looked like a bouquet of flowers but only the fragrance seemed to fade! 'Raavanan' is cinematic brilliance. Watch the movie without expectations and watch it for what it has to offer rather than searching for what you want! It is a celluloid adaptation of ‘Ramayana’ written by sage Valmiki (and interestingly, no name is displayed for ‘the story’ when the titles are showed.) with modern publicity techniques that will attract the audience. Let’s get to the analysis part and wrap this review up as soon as possible, because the movie is just above 2 hours. And about wrapping it soon, anyone among the audience will tell you to get out of the hall as soon as possible once the movie is over! Mani Ratnam, the master of creating art on celluloid has possibly over worked to not reach the hype! He is class apart no doubt but his class on screen is visible only in parts. He has delicately portrayed bits and pieces of modern day Ramayana. Well nothing offending here but Ramayana is a story that is imbibed in to our lives from childhood, seems like this movie was shot to associate every scene with the happenings in the holy epic. Characterisation and Performances Suhasini Maniratnam pens the dialogues of the movie. Her dialogues are intelligent, credible and most importantly, conveying information. Characters and their strengths are informed through these wonderful dialogues. The homework seems to have been done well. Mani Ratnam has sketched his characters amazingly. Every character has a purpose and every actor behind the character has been rightly cast. . Leave alone the fact he was inspired from Ramayana but here in this, the Raavanan is the hero. The title role is played by Vikram (like you didn’t know). He is Veera alias Veeraiah. A tribal leader who’s fighting for their rights. He is strong, genuine and loyal to his tribe. Even other characteristics of his are mentioned through an enquiry scene where the police talk to the tribals to find out what kind of a person this Veera is. Vikram’s performance is simply electric. The next in line is Prithvi Raj, who’s the dynamic Superintendent of Police. He is oozing with confidence as an actor and his chemistry with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is good enough on screen. He makes it quite obvious as being the Rama in this story. So you know the strings attached. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s characterization is simple. She is a loving wife who has been abducted (did we leak the story now?) and her expressions from thereon are simply amazing. She is beautiful on screen (sure is) and has come out with a noticeably extraordinary performance. Only a certain part of the credit goes to her, the rest goes to Mani for getting the best out of her. The other supporting characters like Karthik( apparently Hanuman) as a forest officer, Prabhu as Vikram’s older brother, Munna as Vikram’s younger brother and others are impressively handled characters. The director has made sure all the characters receive the deserved importance. Mani Ratnam is the master unarguably; he has made sure the actors have their presence felt on screen. At this predicament of the review, Priya Mani as Vikram’s step sister has done a commendable job. Her character as a bold sister to the strong brother is much appreciable. Her performance will definitely be applauded and as she’s playing the same role in the Hindi version, she has made an excellent start in her Bollywood journey. Technicalysis Technically speaking, Editor Srikar Prasad has sharp scissors. The screenplay in the first half, though nothing has been conveyed and is an utter waste of film reels, his editing is near precision. Stunts and bomb work by Peter Heines and Shyam Kaushal deserve appreciation and so is art director Sameer’s work, given the fact that most of the movie was shot in and around water. The tribal village, the police camp, a bridge and a marriage set were simply amazing and he would be one technician to make note of. The fight on the bridge just before the climax is an edge-of-the-seat scene that has been well shot and well directed. But there is one man who will be applauded for his work (perhaps the only respite in the movie) is Santosh Sivan and his camera work! Mani’s movies always have natural lighting and Santosh has used it to good effect. Green pastures, water falls, rivers, trees, and all that nature can offer in a forest are radiantly shown. Hats off Santosh, you’ve done a splendid job! Winding up this section, A R Rahman’s music is classy. His tribal beats merge with the movie’s theme. His rerecording could have been better but nevertheless, a great show! Hard work from cast and crew is evident in the movie, given that the movie was shot under incessant rain, blood sucking leeches etc, but what does it count for? The Minuses The list of minuses is being reduced with a lot of deliberation. Mani Ratnam has pictured beautiful movies in the past. ‘Raavanan’ was termed his magnum opus, etc but sorry it didn’t seem like one. The screenplay was a let down with only few scenes showing his directing supremacy. He has done another ‘Roja’ with only Aishwarya replacing Arvind Swamy and a few minor alterations. The movie was lost somewhere. May be because the first half was a major let down and the second half carried a lot to show (or burden) the audience. Verdict ‘Raavanan’ is for those who appreciate quality cinema ingredients. Director’s touch, camera, art, etc are prominent yet something is missing. Don’t look for the plot; it is quite obvious (from the trailers). Watch it for Mani Ratnam’s direction expertise, Vikram’s performance, Aishwarya’s beauty and the beautiful locations! This was branded Mani’s best movie by a few but on second thought, the master’s best is yet to come. |
Ravanan Movie Review
Mani Ratnam returns to spread magic (or a blunder, as this review progresses) with his ‘Raavanan’ after a splendid show in the form of ‘Guru’. Well lets be positive to some extent now, his team is world class, with Santosh Sivan behind the lens, Srikar Prasad on the editor’s table and A R Rahman handling the music and besides that the stellar star cast! The movie looked like a bouquet of flowers but only the fragrance seemed to fade! 'Raavanan' is cinematic brilliance. Watch the movie without expectations and watch it for what it has to offer rather than searching for what you want! It is a celluloid adaptation of ‘Ramayana’ written by sage Valmiki (and interestingly, no name is displayed for ‘the story’ when the titles are showed.) with modern publicity techniques that will attract the audience. Let’s get to the analysis part and wrap this review up as soon as possible, because the movie is just above 2 hours. And about wrapping it soon, anyone among the audience will tell you to get out of the hall as soon as possible once the movie is over! Mani Ratnam, the master of creating art on celluloid has possibly over worked to not reach the hype! He is class apart no doubt but his class on screen is visible only in parts. He has delicately portrayed bits and pieces of modern day Ramayana. Well nothing offending here but Ramayana is a story that is imbibed in to our lives from childhood, seems like this movie was shot to associate every scene with the happenings in the holy epic. Characterisation and Performances Suhasini Maniratnam pens the dialogues of the movie. Her dialogues are intelligent, credible and most importantly, conveying information. Characters and their strengths are informed through these wonderful dialogues. The homework seems to have been done well. Mani Ratnam has sketched his characters amazingly. Every character has a purpose and every actor behind the character has been rightly cast. . Leave alone the fact he was inspired from Ramayana but here in this, the Raavanan is the hero. The title role is played by Vikram (like you didn’t know). He is Veera alias Veeraiah. A tribal leader who’s fighting for their rights. He is strong, genuine and loyal to his tribe. Even other characteristics of his are mentioned through an enquiry scene where the police talk to the tribals to find out what kind of a person this Veera is. Vikram’s performance is simply electric. The next in line is Prithvi Raj, who’s the dynamic Superintendent of Police. He is oozing with confidence as an actor and his chemistry with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is good enough on screen. He makes it quite obvious as being the Rama in this story. So you know the strings attached. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s characterization is simple. She is a loving wife who has been abducted (did we leak the story now?) and her expressions from thereon are simply amazing. She is beautiful on screen (sure is) and has come out with a noticeably extraordinary performance. Only a certain part of the credit goes to her, the rest goes to Mani for getting the best out of her. The other supporting characters like Karthik( apparently Hanuman) as a forest officer, Prabhu as Vikram’s older brother, Munna as Vikram’s younger brother and others are impressively handled characters. The director has made sure all the characters receive the deserved importance. Mani Ratnam is the master unarguably; he has made sure the actors have their presence felt on screen. At this predicament of the review, Priya Mani as Vikram’s step sister has done a commendable job. Her character as a bold sister to the strong brother is much appreciable. Her performance will definitely be applauded and as she’s playing the same role in the Hindi version, she has made an excellent start in her Bollywood journey. Technicalysis Technically speaking, Editor Srikar Prasad has sharp scissors. The screenplay in the first half, though nothing has been conveyed and is an utter waste of film reels, his editing is near precision. Stunts and bomb work by Peter Heines and Shyam Kaushal deserve appreciation and so is art director Sameer’s work, given the fact that most of the movie was shot in and around water. The tribal village, the police camp, a bridge and a marriage set were simply amazing and he would be one technician to make note of. The fight on the bridge just before the climax is an edge-of-the-seat scene that has been well shot and well directed. But there is one man who will be applauded for his work (perhaps the only respite in the movie) is Santosh Sivan and his camera work! Mani’s movies always have natural lighting and Santosh has used it to good effect. Green pastures, water falls, rivers, trees, and all that nature can offer in a forest are radiantly shown. Hats off Santosh, you’ve done a splendid job! Winding up this section, A R Rahman’s music is classy. His tribal beats merge with the movie’s theme. His rerecording could have been better but nevertheless, a great show! Hard work from cast and crew is evident in the movie, given that the movie was shot under incessant rain, blood sucking leeches etc, but what does it count for? The Minuses The list of minuses is being reduced with a lot of deliberation. Mani Ratnam has pictured beautiful movies in the past. ‘Raavanan’ was termed his magnum opus, etc but sorry it didn’t seem like one. The screenplay was a let down with only few scenes showing his directing supremacy. He has done another ‘Roja’ with only Aishwarya replacing Arvind Swamy and a few minor alterations. The movie was lost somewhere. May be because the first half was a major let down and the second half carried a lot to show (or burden) the audience. Verdict ‘Raavanan’ is for those who appreciate quality cinema ingredients. Director’s touch, camera, art, etc are prominent yet something is missing. Don’t look for the plot; it is quite obvious (from the trailers). Watch it for Mani Ratnam’s direction expertise, Vikram’s performance, Aishwarya’s beauty and the beautiful locations! This was branded Mani’s best movie by a few but on second thought, the master’s best is yet to come. |
