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Reviews
Irandam Ulagam (2013)
Not a Selvaraghavan movie but the fantasy fulfill that .
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How far will you go for love asks Selvaraghavan through his latest film's tagline, but having seen the trailer of Irandam Ulagam the question on everyone's mind is how far has Selvaraghavan gone with his imagination and if he's taken Tamil cinema the distance with him? Irandam Ulagam is a tale of fantasy involving two worlds with several elements that are universal, including the pair of Arya and Anushka. In each world their relationship is provided with its own unique acts and dynamics.
The power of love and the warring between good and evil are not the only things that are universal, as it appears that superstitions of black tongued curses and bar songs too are common place around the galaxies. But the director uses those nuances to make the audience feel at home in his created landscape just as he points out the crimes of men ill-treating women – a thread which gives Anushka's character Varna her personality.
As the shy doctor Ramya and as the fierce warrior Varna, Anushka is simply at her best showcasing a wide range of emotions and stunts. It is her performance that stands as a pivot for the rest of the story to take shape. Arya as the warrior, with his massive physique reminds us that there is hardly anyone else in the industry who could have been so fitting for this role. The Georgian actors featured in this film definitely deserve a word of praise for their efforts to get their Tamil lip sync correct. But it does invariably add some kind of artificiality to the proceedings. The other peripheral characters like Venkatesh Hariharan and Padma Raman are good in their fleeting appearances.
The film's biggest strength is its visuals and credit to the creative director Merzin Tavaria and the team at Firefly Creative Studios for putting out one of the most VFX rich Tamil films without making it seem too jarring. It's easy for the cinematographer's work to be buried under such vast amounts of VFX but Ramji's precisional framing and lighting is what serves as the backbone for the VFX. The same can be said about Kola Bhaskar's editing as he painstakingly pieces together scenes that are heavily layered with CG work.
For a music director who's barely 3 films old scoring for this film could be a daunting task but Anirudh comes out triumphant with a great background score which doesn't let down the narration. Its a disappointment that a couple of Harris's songs don't have room in this 2 hour and 40 minute visual spectacle. 'Kanimozhiye' and 'Panangkalla' have come out well.
Irandam Ulagam, no doubt, is a movie made with lot of passion, courage and one which had demanded lot of effort from the filmmaking team. But Selvarghavan's idea of pure love may not necessarily find acceptance with everyone which results in the concept or the characters feeling emotionally detached from the audience. Also, the leisure paced screenplay and some character inconsistencies in the first half could add to the audience's restlessness.
Mayakkam Enna (2011)
it's a real Mayakkam Enna for us...
thanks to 1. Selvaraghavan 2.G.V. Prakash 3. Dhanush 4. T. Ramji 5. Kola Bhaskar 6.Richa Gangopadhyay .. Depicting the multi-layers of human relationships and its ramifications comes very naturally to Selvaraghavan and when he has a National Award Winner for histrionics as brother to translate his vision onto the big canvas, what more can one ask for? The combo has proved themselves in the past and reiterates the theory in Mayakkam Enna too.
Mayakkam Enna is about a man who rediscovers himself in the journey of life and the crucial role of a woman in it. The premise remains Selva's comfort zone and the director has played it with aplomb.
Firstly Selvaraghavan should be lauded for taking on a fairly bold subject and not bowing down to any commercial element in the form of inane comedy or such unnecessary detour. It needs immense courage and conviction and hats off Selva! And to weave a story about normal people and to tunnel into the innermost recesses of a tortured soul is a child's play for him and he has reveled in it.
Dhanush's biggest advantage is, the moment he appears on screen, you immediately invest your emotions with him and start caring for him (character) unmindful of its color. And in Selva's films, it definitely goes a few notches high. The scene where he expresses his anger, irritation and edginess to his friend on being rejected by the ace photographer is just one small sample of this malleable actor's prowess and Mayakkam Enna is sated with such performances.
Richa Gangopadhyay- Is she a debutante? Hard to believe! She is the perfect foil for Dhanush. Mayakkam Enna's finest moments belong to the scene where Richa reveals her impotent anger at Dhanush on losing her baby. There is not a single dialogue in this powerful scene and you only have Richa's emotive actions and GV's music. It's surely a masterpiece that would make your eyes go moist.
It is not an exaggerated statement to say that G V Prakash's RR is exceedingly brilliant bringing out the finer feelings so beautifully and Selva has utilized GV's music alone to convey his thoughts instead of dialogues in many sequences. After Ilayaraja's RR, it is GV's RR that is going to be well spoken for a long time. And of course, Oda Oda and Adida Avlai are situational and hence enjoyable.
Selva's narration is also aided well by the lyrically inclined work of lensman Ramji and the frames are a poem by themselves. When the protagonist is a wildlife photographer, there is always an additional advantage and Ramji delivers the best. Kola Bhaskar's editing enhances the brilliance of the film.
Richa's character in the first half is likely to be misunderstood as someone very frivolous but the second half has made her highly respectful and strong and her characterization is sure to find patrons in women audience.
On the downside, Mayakkam Enna is very languorously narrated with a lazy rhythm which may not go well with the mainstream audience. The characters of an attention seeking or a weak hero and a strong heroine may be viewed as Selvaraghavan's clichés.
To sum it all, Mayakkam Enna is emotionally rich and is an inebriating experience by itself.
Enthiran (2010)
Endhiran is Hollywood movie made by Indian
Hats off to Shankar, and ais costume's are wonderful, it's not a rajini movie its shanker movie, still ais is the most beatuful in the world.some about BW. With a bevy of machine guns in hand; all triggers locked, Superstar delivers a resounding punch line; 'Happy Diwali folks'. Yes, it was Diwali, minutes before the start of the first show here in Chennai with crackers going off in thousands, flowers flying around and people going delirious with excitement. This is Diwali; no matter even if the real one is still a month away, Superstar has arrived! Well, let us get down to the task. There is nothing much to reveal about the plot of Endhiran; one supposes. Thousands of speculations, predictions and of course, a mad frenzy about the trailer has given a rough idea about the plot. Endhiran is about Dr. Vaseegaran and Chitty, his creation- the robot with a 1 Zettabyte memory and a speed of 1 Terrabyte. From then on it is a 'Chitty showcase', of action, dance, emotions, fun and frolic. Watch Endhiran for the experience.
The foremost thing about any Superstar film is Superstar himself. He is the air the film breathes, right from the first frame. The biggest entertainer that India has produced, weaves magic on screen; even a nonchalant saunter on screen makes theatres erupt in celebration. Watching Endhiran one feels no doubt whatsoever that no one other than Rajnikanth could have pulled off this character. It is destiny that brought Endhiran to Superstar after travelling all through Kollywood and Bollywood. He delivers a tour de force performance – he owns the film. Be it as the workaholic scientist, the obedient Chitty or the destructive Chitty ('upgraded version – Chitty 2.0'), he scores; exuding brilliance and charisma in every frame. Yes, there are the trademark styles and mannerisms, but Rajnikanth transcends style and goes one better with Endhiran. His restraint while playing the scientist, the frustration that he shows while his scientific endeavours go wrong, underscore the fact that he is a brilliant actor who has been bogged down by commercial demands and compulsions. But, the focal point of the performance is definitely the robot. Chitty, the innocent child like robot is cute and lovable and dashing once romance starts flowing through his veins – wires. And, it is when the destroyer arrives that we see the Rajni in all his splendour. There seems to be absolutely no one who can come even close when playing a devilish destroyer. The outrageous and maniacal laugh as he proclaims his invincibility is a masterpiece – a throwback to the heydays of Rajnikanth the villain. The decades have not dimmed his brilliance and charisma one bit. And, the effort he has put into Endhiran shows in all frames; be it the fights or dance sequences; the desire to excel still burns bright. Aishwarya Rai looks ethereal as always. Though it is a bit difficult to still accept her as a college student, she delivers when it matters. Not the usual Shankar heroine (songs and dance only stuff) here, she is almost the fulcrum of the story.
Scripting wise, Endhiran does have its flaws, which is a bit disappointing. The first half is a smooth and jolly ride as the cute Chitty takes centre stage. A couple of fights set the tone for the fans to go overboard with excitement, a few lighter moment most of which are enjoyable and two songs make it a relatively light hearted affair. Shankar's ability to write commercial Tamil cinema elements (hero rescuing damsel in distress, witty one liners etc.) into a sci-fi script is commendable. That stops Endhiran from being a pure sci-fi flick, making it apt for all class audiences. Beginning of the second half is however not an apt extrapolation of the expectations raised in the first half. Though too much does not go wrong, there are portions which one feels could have been tighter. Some sequences, especially the 'Ranguski' part, are dragged along for more than a reasonable length. A couple of songs follow each other in quick succession which dampens things a bit. But, if you are willing to be patient through these minor glitches, the rest of the second half is racy, action packed and intelligent.
Action, as all might now, has been the talking point of Endhiran with world famous visual effects supervisors doing the job. The sequences have been conceived by Shankar (as shown in the titles) and do not lack in awe and magnificence. Be it on the train, on the truck or the highway – action is taken to a new plane in Endhiran. As expected, logic does fly out of the window now and then, but then, what is a Superstar film if there is no suspension of belief.
Hats off to Shankar for the vision and the effort! He has taken Tamil cinema to a new plane on technical terms, showing that nothing is impossible. The sets, effects, sound, style are all amazing and good enough to rub shoulders with Hollywood counterparts, give or take a few points. But, the basic story is still a desi love triangle! That is where Shankar has shown his skills; making state of the art film merge with our regional cinema tastes. His genuine desire to take Indian cinema to greater heights reflects throughout the movie. But, it is not just Shankar who has this vision, Superstar too shares it with him. The man whom we have known for total style and charisma has shown that he is game for something new that does not fit in to the conventional Superstar mould. Even after years of stardom he genuinely wants to bring in and be part of change that will take Indian cinema to higher levels.
Do Indian cinema a favour, watch Endhiran; let a 100 other Shankars feel bold enough to dream.
Paiyaa (2010)
Its a Karthik Movie
Once again lingusamy gives a Action movie. This time with Karthik . And Karthik proves his heroism. Some from BH Director Lingusamy traverses on an all new road show in Paiyaa in his home production Tirupathi Brothers and has acquitted himself fairly well. Although romance seems to be the axle in Paiyaa, Lingusamy has skewed away mildly from this and spiced it up with a travel (escape) event as a backdrop.
The film opens up with an ingenious manner of credits flipping on the road and dividers, lucidly indicating the genre of the film. A creative brainwave indeed! Karthi (Shiva), an engineering graduate with an attitude, is on the look out for a job. He does not seem to be much serious in seeking employment while his friends try their best to settle him. He spots Tamannah (Charu) in a bus stop and it is love at first sight. He finds her on a couple of occasions later and in fact misses an interview in her pursuit. Destiny seems to have something good waiting for him and he gets to spend themost beautiful phase of his life, giving her a ride in the car while waiting to pick the owner of the car at the railway station. Life takes an exciting turn from this point for Karthi who accepts to drop her in Mumbai and thus begins Paiyaa's journey of romance, action and emotions on a highway with a few turns, some with caution and some without.
Paiyaa zooms forward in the first half where Karthi is at driver's seat physically and metaphorically. An enjoyable performance from the young actor who appears to relish his role! For the first time in his career, he gets to cover himself with stylish costumes. He sparkles with haughty countenance, sideway glances, mischievous looks, 'know it all' attitude and an understated curiosity to know about Tamannah. He reiterates that he can essay any kind of role with aplomb. But there are still some vestiges of a villager in him which he needs to divest when necessary. Tamannah is fresh, youthful and emotes well too. Jagan has a small role in the second half. Karthi's friends are adept in their performance. Except for looking hot and handsome, the much talked about Milind Soman is wasted and any one could have performed his role.
Yuvan Shankar Raja is the major backbone of Paiyaa with lovely tracks suiting the mood of the film. Tamannah looks as fresh as the raindrops in thuli thuli mazhayai number. Suthude suthude boomi speaks of art director Rajeevan's work but he could have taken extra care especially about the stationery cloud hovering around the moon. The songs are all chartbusters and have all been picturized very aesthetically. Priya Manikandan's costumes are in sync with the nature of characters and the mood of the film. Brinda Sarathy's dialogues evoke laughter at the right places.
The second half slackens with some of the actions sequences appear contrived especially in the climax. How can someone even lift his head when beaten by a powerful metal rod? It is difficult to comprehend despite attributing it to cinematic liberties. The climax fights intend to be more for showcasing Karthi's heroism than for the story warranting it. And why is Karthi shown as someone who does not speak English despite being a city bred engineer with urban friends for company? Director Lingusamy has stuck to the genre that he has chosen for most part. He has recorded romance in a beautiful manner especially when Karthi communicates his feelings to his friends seeking advice and his dignified attitude towards Tamannah. The car chasing sequence in the open field is absolutely brilliant and so is Karthi going reverse in the opposite direction. Cinematographer Madhie needs plaudits here. Crisp editing by Anthony especially in the action sequences is a major plus point of Paiyaa and deserves a special mention.
Goa (2010)
once again Venkat Prabhu prove :
one hundred percent comedy movie. once again Venkat Prabhu prove's he is a young director. That the 4 th Goa song was super. thanks to yuvan. some B W :After courting many legal battles, Goa, the maiden production venture of Soundarya Rajnikanth is finally out. The two back to back success stints at the box office with Chennai-28 and Saroja has upped the expectation levels on Venkat Prabhu and his team and the young director raises only partially to the bar he has previously set in.
Goa implies pleasurable holiday spot and when there is a young team like Venkat Prabhu's at work, it is easy to place the genre of the film. Jai, Premji and Vaibhav are three naughty friends in a village whose antics lead the village naattamai to impose ban on their communication and interaction with each other. Not withstanding this, the friends escape to Madurai where they see Jai's mediocre friend happily settled in marital bliss with a white woman. This sets them off on a trip to Goa to seek a life like Jai's friend. The events that follow their escapade form the rest of the film.
The birth of Premji as God's gift is shown as a spoof from many old Tamil films. His frolics are enjoyable especially in the scene where he mimics Vettaikaran Vijay. The song 'puli urumudu' as a backdrop when he fights with the
Goa baddies and when he imitates Baba Rajnikanth increase the comedy quotient and bring the roof down. On his part Vaibhav with his weakness for women but suffering at the hands of Sneha has done well. Similarly Jai trying to speak in his broken English tickle funny bones. It is a laugh riot sans logical reasoning in these sequences.
Simbu, Prasanna and Nayanthara share a scene each. Pia is adequate. Sampath and Arvind Akash as gay couple (first for a Tamil film?) have performed well. Sampath is brilliant and gathers all the accolades. The scene where he clarifies his relationship with Premji to Arvind Akash moves the audience but the acceptance of their relationship by Tamil audience is uncertain. The issues and the ensuing dialogues when Premji comes in between this relationship have been stretched and blown out of proportion which could have been avoided. Perhaps the title of the film has let the director take such liberties!? Venkat Prabhu's screen play appears to be bewildered at times whether to travel on the comedy track or the serious one. The audience is left to judge for themselves. Adequate care in this department would have made a huge positive difference to the film. There is some respite when it comes to the characterization of Sneha as there is a suspense element tagged with it.
Songs by Yuvan Shankar Raja have been picturised well and re-recording is just fine. Sakthi Saravanan's cinematography works in tandem with the mood of the film. Venkat Prabhu seems to have lost his Midas touch and misses his hat trick!
Aayirathil Oruvan (2010)
Aayirathil Oruvan
"Aayirathil Oruvan is very good Adventure movie i never ever seen before in Tamil movie. Hats off to Selvaraghavan" by prakash. B W some :With Aayirathil Oruvan, Selvaraghavan has inadvertently opened the Pandora box of a new genre as yet unknown to Tamil movies – Zombies. It is the case of Pirates of the Caribbean meets Dawn of the Death where the ancient Cholas, albeit with whatsoever no connection to the real Cholas as the disclaimer maintains, are reduced to dark-as-charcoal skinned tribesmen living in an unknown island in Vietnam, who are ready to gorge at raw flesh at the mere sight of it since they are starved.
So the dark-skinned subjects largely set the tone of the movie and the darkness remains dominant throughout. There is blood and gore, but of a different kind: not the one that makes you squirm, but something that makes you gawk at.
Thousands of years ago, when the Cholas were ousted from their homeland by the Pandias, their throne Prince was sent into exile to a secret location by the last Chola King. The Prince also carried with him a priceless statue of the Pandias. No efforts were fruitful at tracing the location and archeologists attempting the same simply disappear without a trace.
Aayirathil Oruvan
Andrea's dad and archaeologist Prathap Pothen vanishes into thin air in his attempt to unravel the mystery. In comes the archaeologist-cum-gun-wielding-designer-sunglasses-sporting ultra modern chick Reema, employed by the Indian government to trace Pothen. Andrea, his daughter, obviously joins in and they employ Karthi and a gang of burly men as helps. Karthi looks as if he's stepped out of his Paruthiveeran sets to join Reema and Andrea in their quest.
Their expedition unfurls nasty surprises after surprises - body-painted weirdos with strange weapons, quicksand, snakes. Lest we forget, there is also a cat fight between Reema and Andrea on the topic 'Karthi'. They finally reach the zombie land where Parthiban is the ruler whose raw-flesh-eating subjects take them into custody. Reema reveals her real self and exposes the self-centric purpose of her quest.
Karthi has very little to spare for Aayirathil Oruvan. He plays the rustic help, who instantly falls for Reema and Andrea, who cracks witty one-liners much to our delight in the otherwise serious state of affairs. Being his forte, it comes much easier for him without even having to try.
Despite having to mouth profound verses in ancient Tamil, Reema manages to only mime them with improper synchronization and it makes her appear as if she's in a Chinese movie. Andrea is multi-talented, but acting, sadly, is not one of those. But her meager dialogues in Madras Tamil are bang on otherwise.
G V Prakash's music stands out in the 'Ommele Aasathaan' song and a word about the background score: it's a battle between the background score and the blood thirsty human screeches. We would've loved to write about Eerum Ali's costume designing if only Reema and Andrea were not strutting around in just one pair of satin-shirt-shorts-overalls and sleeveless top and baggies respectively. Karthi leaves no scope for Eerum squarely.
Selva's frenziedly unleashed creativity makes you hallucinate towards the end of the movie and delirium sets in soon. It's not enough that a solid disclaimer is in place, a little bit of research about the subject would've helped things in the process. The underdeveloped script lacks everything - starting from strong plot twists to captive locations to graphics to credibility, above all.
Aayirathil Oruvan also ends on a very scary end note: about the journey of the Chola prince continuing as Karthi takes up the mantle