Siruthai Fim Review

Karthi seems to be having a dream run in Kollywood. He is like a batsman in in prime form smashing all deliveries to boundary. As long as you are not ready to complain that 'Siruithai' lacks logic, the film would work big time, as it is an out and out commercial fare.

Having started his career convincingly being part of off-beat movies like 'Paruthuiveeran' and 'Aayirathil Oruvan', the sibling of actor Suriya is right here at a groove proving that he too is not far behind his elder brother, tasting success doing mass masala ventures.

Adding to his list of entertainers is 'Siruthai'. Fast and furious from the word go, the movie comes with a sole purpose to provide entertainment and with no pretensions achieves the purpose.

As if not happy scoring a ton in his earlier ventures, Karthi goes to score a double hundred here. Yes, the actor manages to pull it off convincingly donning a dual role in the film for the first time - that of a callous local youth and a tough cop.

Though a remake of Telugu hit 'Vikramarkudu', director Siva has taken Karthi's abilities in his stride to make some suitable changes in the Tamil script, that helps the movie cross the chequered flag with much ease and gusto. Be it the dialogues, comedy, action or romance, 'Siruthai' manages to sustain all interest - it is like a pot where you put your hand everytime you get a fortune.

Rocket Raja (Karthi) is a small time thief who is talented enough to steal anything he comes across. In the company of Kaatupoochi (Santhanam), he enjoys life to its extent and even falls for the charm of a beautiful girl (Tamannah).

However, his life changes forever when a small girl comes to Raja calling him dad. As Raja finds out the girl's past, a flashback reveals that she is the daughter of an honest cop Rathanavel Pandian (Karthi), who is a nightmare to baddies.

However, Pandian is now is on the run because his enemies are behind him and his daughter. Eventually, the villains find the whereabouts of Pandian and finishes him off.

So steps in Rocket Raja (with the help of Pandian’s colleagues who are behind the girl reaching him) into his shoes and finishes the unfinished work of Pandian. He also takes care of his daughter. A roller-coaster ride of fun, joy, camaraderie and romance is what 'Siruthai' is eventually.

Karthi has not merely run through the motion but gives his heart and soul in the characters. Be it a fun-loving Rocket Raja or the angry policeman Rathnavel pandian, Karthi brings both astute on screen. He combines the Anbuselvan of 'Kakkha Kaakha' and the Sakthi of 'Pithamagan', made famous by his brother Suriya. At ease and at his self in dual roles, Karthi spells his charm all through.

Not far behind is Tamannah. The 'Paiyaa' duo of Tamannah and Karthi recreates the same chemistry on screen. Tammanah as bubbly innocent girl spells magic. A complex character made with ease by her. After a brief interval, she gets a role in which she really sparkles.

Add Santhanam for humour, and the end product is breezy and entertaining. As usual the comedian has audience in splits with his one-liners. He combines the grace of veteran Goundamani and presents them in his unique way, scaling success movie after movie. Mega Nair (of 'Thangam' fame) plays a woman police and has a bearing in the script.

Then there is Avinash, Rajiv Kanakala among others who do the job given to them with consummate ease Walking away with honours is Vidyasagar. The man of melody has come up with a cocktail of peppy and soft numbers, while Velraj's cinematography is the talking point of the movie. The action sequences featuring Karthi as cop is major plus for 'Siruthai'

Produced by Studio Green, 'Siruthai' is fit and fine for a good leap. With Karthi trying new vistas not missing out on the entertainment quotient, it is a obvious sweet pongal for masses this Pongal. Action and satisfaction is what 'Siruthai' is.

Raajneethi Film Review

Raajneethi has inspired its theme from the Epic Mahabharatha and its characters resemble the same ....

there re traces of Mani Ratnam's Thalapathy (in many places ) , God Father etc ..... well handled in commercial format

All these years film makers who make movies on these genres take references from Cult Classic Movie GOD FATHER & present in different Format bringing in Underworld, Politics , Power ,Mafia etc ...

coming to the movie ...right from the start it is easy to identify the character (their roles )& compare it with the original epic ....

Ajay Devgan role is similar to Rajini in Thalapathy but here the situation is different ..

Arjun Rampal 's was like Rajiv Gandhi & the sequences which occur in the 2nd half tells us the director has brought in Congress Politics ...

Katrina role can be compared to Sonia Gandhi as after the death of Rajiv Gandhi she took up all the responsibility & stood in election at KA & won many times ...

The Political happenings were all the sum up indian politics ...

To bring in the emotional quotient in the movie Prakash Jha has brought in Mahabharatha where Ajay Devgan resembled Karna & Manoj Bajpai as Duyiyodhana ...

RANBIR WAS SIMPLY BRILLIANT & HE LL GIVE A TOUGH TIME FOR OTHER BIG ACTORS great mannerisms & attitude & good acting all over ..

Nana Patekar was like Lord Krishna through out the movie & climax will reveal more about him ...

After a long time they have taken this movie fully in MP .. Interior North India will feel the MASS & sure to rock in many states ..

Thank god there were no songs & it is fully political drama with predictable masala added to it 1st half was really good & racy & 2nd half slows down with roamance , sentiment etc

Overall , A Engaging Film with a mix of Mahabharath , God Father & Thalapathy ...

Rating : 3.5 / 5 -- Watchable movie for good performances from Multi star cast

Verdict :Super Hit in Metro Cities & Overseas & Blockbuster in Major Big States

A TOTALLY INDIANISED BOLLYWOOD MOVIE

Well Done Prakash Jha & Co ..

Raavan Film Review

After enjoying the modern day Mahabharata two weeks ago, its time for modern day Ramayana and the person who is directing this modern day epic is none other than the Master story-teller Mani Ratnam. Does the ace director show who the real guru is? Well, he almost has.

The story-line is simple, Beera (read Raavan)
 
abducts Ragini (read Sita) wife of Superintendent of Police Dev (read Ram), to avenge the death of his sister Serena (read Shurpanaka). But Beera instead of killing Ragini falls in love with her. The dense forest looks a mission impossible for Dev if not for an over enthusiastic and bubbly forest officer Sanjeevani (read Hanuman). And while Beera is getting attracted to Ragini more and more Dev is getting closer to Beera. Ragini's love for Dev never changes but she also feels sorry for Beera. Will Dev be able to rescue Ragini? Will Raavan avenge the death of his sister? Well, you do know the story don't you? Or do you want to guess?

Taking the story-line from the mythology is not new for Mani and he has come up with quite a beautiful way of presenting it. But where he falters is in the pacing of the script. Can the movie be any different if it was not a non-linear screenplay? Will it be any different if the climax was compelling (not that it was bad), if Mani hasn't taken so many logical liberties? Well, it could have surely made the experience better. The movie starts off fine but the pace drops considerably and until interval the movie goes in a more sluggish manner. Added to that the unnecessary slow motions. The second half picks up pace but the climax might get mixed reactions from the audience. The reason for that is, we don’t know who is right and who is wrong. Is Dev the bad guy? Yes, according to the movie he might have been, but morally he is right. The movie lacked chemistry between Vikram and Aishwarya Rai, their relationship demanded more screen time for the audience to feel the connect. Our heart never went out to Vikram and that might have been the reason the movie doesn't completely pull it off. But there are several brilliant scenes in the movie which does make a trip to the theatres necessary.

Abhishek Bachchan as Beera was good but not great, he lacked the toughness he showed in Yuva. But overall he did manage to carry the movie forward in his able shoulders and his hard work for the role did show. Aishwarya Rai as Ragini was looking gorgeous and acts like a pro. It’s a shame that only a few directors are able to get the actor out of her. Vikram as Dev, looks a tad overweight but as always reliable with his emoting. Govinda as Sanjeevani is good but if only he had smarter and wittier one-liners, the effect would have quadrupled. Priyamani was sensational in a cameo. Nikhil Dwivedi is competent enough for the role of Dev's side-kick (supposedly Lakshman). Ravi Kissan is a revelation as Beera's brother.

Technically Raavan stands out; every frame in the movie is picture perfect. Manikandan and Santosh Sivan have out done themselves. The camera goes in the most unlikely places to make the experience spellbinding. Editing by Sreekar Prasad is good but could have worked more in the first half. Music & Background by Rahman is a treat. Its awesomeness taking the form of chords. Action sequence choreographed by Shyam Kaushal and Peter Hein is mind-blowing but just because they are in the crew sending almost all the characters off the cliff is a little bit over done. Dialogues are well written but nothing sensational about it to quote.

Overall, Raavan is a visual spectacle, a modern day Broadway musical of Ramayana which might get mixed reviews from the audience but take this in, it’s in no means a bad movie. We expect greatness from Mani Ratnam, and maybe the expectation is at fault. But don't miss this in the theatres, for its visual poetry by Santosh Sivan and Manikandan.

Verdict: Raavan- looks great but lacks heart

Kola Kolaya Mundhirika film review

It is indeed a pity that a genius like Crazy Mohan is so under utilized in our industry, especially when we keep churning out disaster after disaster in the name of crappy masala entertainers. If we leave out his ventures with Kamal Hassan, it can be either a case of not able to use him to potential or it can either be a case where you don’t have the actors or team to do justice to his writing. The latest outing “ Kola Kolaya Mundhrika” somehow tries to almost strike a balance and make full utilization of him.

KKM is an out and out crazy ride. You have a Motif ( lost diamonds..some twenty years back.. hidden in a antique chair ( you have 4 similar chairs though diamond is in only one)) + petty thieves after it + comical villain with insanely dumb side kicks + outrageously silly police officer who is after them for a completely different purpose+ ..+..+…the list goes on :).

Its like bread and butter for Crazy Mohan or should I say Pongal Vadai with Filter coffee !! His word play is at its best and provides us several hilarious stretches. Be it the initial sequences at the Punjabi wedding or the instance where they talk about the “Mullu” that leads Luv dada’s death. Writing is at its wittiest best. These are just instances and there are many more and like any of his previous movies, am sure to find some 10 more jokes on a repeated viewing. With him the jokes keep increasing :).

On the flip side, like some of his previous movies here and there he does touches the borderlines of stage drama at times. You also have a completely ridiculous climax chase sequence which was pretty amateur to my liking. These are a few nitpickings here and there, nothing more. But the biggest let down are the songs which had no impact of what so ever.

The actors do a competent job. Karthik Kumar who looks like he is struggling a bit with his comic timing grows on you as the movie progress where Shikha who makes her debut is at completely ease. MS Bhaskar provides with some of the best moments in the movie while Jayaram pulls of his Closseau act competently. You have loads of other actors and veterans ranging from Radha Ravi to Anand Raj who all does justice to their roles. To top it all you have a cameo from the M(oh)an himself !!

Watch it if you like hilarious zany comedies. Watch it for its laugh out loud moments. Watch it for Crazy Mohan!! Do I have to say more :)

Kanagavel Kaaka Film

Karan tries to tread a different path in director Kavin Bala’s debut Kanagavel Kaakka. It is not a completely different theme as such, but the premises make it somewhat distinct to other films that we have seen that border on the same theme.

Kanagavel Kaakka takes a look at the judiciary of our country; how easy it is to find loopholes in the law and escape punishment. So, what is the solution to this? That someone has to take it upon himself to deliver the right judgment when the court of law is not able to do so. How he sets flawed judgments right is the story of Kanagavel Kaakka.

Karan plays the unassuming and ordinary peon in court, the guy who stands behind the judge practically playing no part in the whole process of the trial, just being there as a mute spectator. But, he is not the kind of peon that everyone thinks he is. He is in fact a lawyer who was forced by fate to take up the garb of a peon. The reasons for that are told; Karan’s father was a judge and naturally had to take a few tough decisions in his career and delivered judgments that irked a few bad men. He had to pay the price for it through his family and Karan who was witness to all the arson decides to be a source of support to his father than erecting a career of his own.

Now, as a peon standing behind the judge he is able to see right through the fake witnesses and hollow arguments of the other lawyers in court (because of his education as a lawyer). And, when a criminal walked off free he chased them down and delivered justice of his own kind. How long does he continue doing this, does the law wake up or does his struggle end up as a minor movement that never had any impact at all?

Kanagavel Kaakka does attract with its theme - that of one man against the system, which we never go tired of. But, there is a feeling that a director could have brought in a bit more suspense and intelligence to the proceedings. Right from the word go, there is no sense of excitement or whodunit in the movie. It is pretty plain and predictable in spite of the theme’s potential to be suspenseful as well as exciting. The other factor missing sorely from Kanagavel Kaakka is the intelligence. For all his law degree and shrewd eye to detect the criminal, Karan does not seem to plot his acts well enough. All the acts of punishments that he delivers seem too simple and straightforward. Depicting a little bit of planning and in depth thought behind this would have added more credibility to the movie. But, Kanagavel Kakka does impress basically because it has got a theme of universal appeal. Only, the execution leaves a lot to be desired.

Karan has played a role that is quite apart from the ones he has been seen in over the recent past. There is a sense of restraint and underplay which is good and suits the character well. Others in the cast live up to their experience like Kota Sreenivasa Rao, Sampath and Raj Kapoor. Haripriya as the heroine hasn’t got much to do except in the songs.

Technically, there is nothing much in the movie that garners attention. All departments are just adequate. Music by Vijay Anthony is passable, but not catchy and there seems to be one song too many for a film of this kind.

Kanagavel Kaakka has got an interesting subject. But, lack of suspense and intelligence in the proceedings are major drawbacks. A tighter and more focused screenplay was definitely called for.

Verdict: Legal drama: lots of loopholes!

My Sassy Girl Film Review

Love- There is both joy and pain in it, because that's exactly how the life is. There are so many different ways of expressing your love without saying 'I love you’. What if a film carries this with no pointless nail on sex, kiss and yet it turns out to be one of the most 'romantic' cinematic experience? My Sassy Girl (in Korean Yeopgijeogin Geunyeo) is the perfect mix of comedy, drama, romance and some of the best storytelling I've ever seen. This movie is so beautiful; has the most well defined characters you'll ever see on films that are true to how they really are. The situations are so interesting and absorbing that you tend to forget that you are being influenced by all the over-romanticizing.

I saw this movie with absolutely zero expectations; was almost asleep and watched it at a friend's place to pass the time. The uncut version of the film lasts 137 minutes (2 hours and 17 minutes), quite long for a romantic comedy. But it was so craftily written that one would not notice time ticking by. At no point in the movie does annoy, and that's a hard task indeed. There are little hints (Which at first may seem meaningless) thrown in the story which will come back to play a major part in the film later on. You can come back to it again and again and you'll always notice something new and this made me to watch it again and again.

The story begins when Kyun Woo, an immature but eccentric 25 year-old college student who doesn't have a clear direction in life meets the bizarre, drunken girl on a train platform late at night. Hilarity guarantees in the following scenes, how she becomes his girl friend, who has the faces of caring, psychopath and weird, seizing chances to slap him and humiliate him. The film has three parts- first half, second half and Overtime. The first half showcases the bizarre attitude of the girl to which the boy succumbs and does everything for her, setting up pure comedy and witty, hilarious sequences. The second half of the film explains the girl's bizarre attitude and unfolds all the drama behind the girl's comedic behavior in the first half. A very cleverly written script turns the laughing audience into a crying one in a short span of time. The odd sequences in first half are linked as the second half unfolds with pure melodrama. But the 'overtime' part brilliantly concludes all the comedy and drama that spread-out in the preceding two parts. The heart-warming ending (which I will not reveal, for I recommend that people watch it) left me laughing in tears.

The entire movie focuses on just two people, 'Kyun Woo' (Cha Tae Hyun) and Jeon Ji Hyun (Her name isn't even mentioned during the entire film, so we call her ‘The Girl’). The stars did a very good job of keeping up 'very' good chemistry. The guy who plays Kyun Woo has the most wonderful facial expressions. Since we see everything from Kyun-Woo’s point of view, his emotions varies from shambling, shy, pitiable and adorable for scenes when required. The girl just cracks me up with incredible expressions. Her enigmatic charm and acting (she laughs, threatens Kyun-Woo and cries in same scene) makes the film very appealing. Some of her expressions are just priceless; sometimes she needn’t say anything, her expressions speak for what we ought to know.

The exciting moments in the film were a surprise action scene, a blind date that bowls you in splits at the end, squash ball that always hits hero’s face, hero giving 10 rules to date to her new boyfriend. The cinematography of the film was outstanding, for it captured every scene perfectly, also showcasing the good-looking milieu of Korea. The soundtrack very much added to the emotion of the film's most significant sequences. I like the piano piece very much when Kyun Woo gives her a rose as she plays. Though the movie moves at a smooth pace, Jae-young Kwak's screenplay and direction, added with smart dialogues are incredible, keeps us occupied.

I'm sure some would avoid this film simply because it's Korean - but that's where you'd make a mistake. This one was certainly worth watching. Absolutely entertaining but maintaining a touching side to it. You'll laugh, you'll cry, no matter who you are. I guarantee it. Please avoid the poisoned lift of this film under same title in Hollywood (2008) and Bollywood version of Ugly Aur Pagli starring Mallika Sherawat.

Asin faints in Vijay's kaavalkaran film

Asin fainted due to a gas leak in the caravan allotted to her during the shooting of Kaavalkaran. The actress was not alone when the mishap took place as her father, and makeup assistants were also along with her. All of them inside the caravan fainted, sources report, and had to be rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment. However, after the initial treatment, they returned back to their hotels for rest.

The actress is camping in Karaikudi area along with the film crew of Kaavalkaran to complete the first schedule of the film.

Asin Not to bring her father to film sets

Don't bring your dad on sets, Bollywood heroes tell Asin

Asin Thottumkal became a household name after the success of the Hindi film "Ghajini". The actress, who is presently working for "London Dreams" with Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan, has stopped bringing her father on the sets after her Bollywood co-stars requested her not to do so.

Earlier, Asin used to be accompanied by her father on movie sets. But nowadays she comes alone.

According to sources, her Bollywood co-stars have asked her not to bring her father to shooting locations and the actress has obliged them.

Meanwhile Asin's "19 Steps" with Kamal Hassan, has been stalled.

Kamal, who was to play a significant role in the film, reportedly suggested some major changes to producer Bharatbala vis-୶is the script and the latter didn't take it kindly. As a result Kamal backed out of the film, forcing the movie's abandonment for the time being.

Hindi cinema-Film Fare Awards 2010

Like every year, we had numerous releases, but again, like every year, nominees & winners for technicians and performances were fairly predictable. After the awards, here are some thoughts around the awards and the movies themselves.

Three movies which really brought a paradigm shift in Hindi Cinema, swept away with maximum awards, and needs a special applause: Here it goes, in the order of release:

Dev D: Killer cinematography and refreshingly new songs which in bits and pieces formed the BGM for the movie. The regular Devdas movie with a modern outlook and a happy ending. Music and Abhay Deol in lead had already created buzz before the movie release. I still remember the night show on 2nd day with ppl whistling and clapping for a couple of off-beat dialogues and the song "Emotional Attyachar", a rare sight in a Decent Movie Hall in Mumbai. By the time the movie was nearing climax, i got the feeling of being intoxicated, like a drug addict.**

This movie won the Best Cinematography and BGM, also the Music Director Amit Trivedi won the R D Burman Award. Kalki Koechin won the Best supporting actress, and Mahie Gill Best Actress (Critics). Undoubtedly, these folks deserved to be credited for the great job they did in this movie.

Paa: - Well, this movie premiered on Television today, it was the first time I saw this movie. Heart-warming performances by Amitabh Bachchan and Vidya Balan, needless to say the winners in Best Actor and actress categories. Big B as Auro was a magic to watch and every mom could relate with Vidya in her flawless role of Auro's Maa. Well-deserved winners again.

3 Idiots: A lot has been written and said in clapsandboos - reviews & scribbles. As a layman movie buff, i liked the movie more than the book, because i felt the movie had a amazing screenplay (neatly modified) and wonderful performances. Not great songs but music added to the flow of the movie, some unbelievable plots but come'on - a movie is meant to be a movie, and so was 3 idiots - undoubtedly the Best Movie, Best Director and Best Story of 2009. Boman Irani won Best Supporting Actor award, no surprises from a man of his caliber.

Other movies of 2009 worth mentioning -

Kaminey - "Dan ta dan", Shahid's double-role stupendous acting, complicated screenplay, good BGM and Visual Effects worked wonders for this movie. The movie won Best Visual Effects. Certainly a stupendous movie from Vishal's stable and probably one of the best from Shahid too.

Luck by chance - Though the movie had a slightly dragging screenplay, it was a nice attempt by Zoya Akter for realistic projection on technicians & people behind the entertainment industry generating the end product called "MOVIE". A star-studded movie with a good storyline. Zoya won the best debutant director - Female. She probably deserves this award.

I missed watching three good movies - Wake Up Sid, RocketSingh Salesman of the Year and Firaaq. While Best Debutant Director - male was won by Ayan Mukherjee, Firaaq won the Best Editing.

Best Music won by Music Mastreo A R Rahman for Delhi 6 and Best Male Playback Singer for Mohit Chauhan for Masakali. There Tie for Best Female Playback Singer between Rekha Bharadwaj for Genda Phool from Delhi-6 and Kavita Seth for Iktara from Wake Up Sid. Best Lyrics & Choreography was won by Love Aaj Kal. I amn't commenting much on the music side as we know what our Mozart from Madras and others are capable of.

Last but not the least, i dint want to miss mentioning abt Shashi Kapoor, who won the best lifetime achievement award. Well, he's been a fab actor and producer, after all who can forget his dialogue from Deewar, the most famous Bollywood line "Mere Paas Maa hai".

Lets await the bigger awards happening this year. The Oscars 2010.

PS: I have covered the awards that struck me and might have even missed some awards / honors.

Vinnai Thaandi Varuvaaya Review

Vinnaithandi Varuvaaya is an intriguing tale about Karthik, a mechanical engineer / "wannabe" film-maker who falls in love with Jessi who hails from an orthodox Christian family. GM has pumped in a lot of effort and writing into the making of the movie , paying attention to minute details ... But, does his hard-work reap him the dividents that he deserves ???

The movie starts in an interesting fashion and the proceedings nosedive into the plot without much hiccups . ( with umpteen number of repetitive frames (and scenes), over-exposed lighting at certain places , Silenced dialogues - inspiration from Mani Ratnam's style of film-making is undeniable )

After a brief introduction of the lead pair , the proceedings give way to a romantic relationship between 'Karthik' - A simple , practical , go-lucky guy and a very complex female 'Jessy' . Their romantic encounters , the role fate plays in their lives and the complications that arise due to the confused nature of the character "Jessy" forms the rest of the story .

The characterization of the confused lady Jessy ( Thrisha is horribly miscast here ) is perhaps the biggest USP of the movie , the whole film revolves around her parents , her relatives , her marriage , her actions and her decisions . Even though , we ve seen heroine-oriented love stories before , VTV stands out as it offers something unique - None of the earlier movies in Tamil Cinema tried to explore the deep emotions of a confused & a complex mind of a woman ( not abnormal ) beyond one certain level , VTV scores a point in that aspect . Its very hard to erase Jessy out of your mind ( atleast i find it difficult to :P) - I have met a Jessy a lot of times in my life but i am not able to recall who it was :P- She is my neighbour ,my sister , my classmate , my friend , my online friend , my chat buddy etc etc . For me , Jessy is just EVERYWHERE .. Wherever i see a girl - I see a Jessy

As the movie progresses , we get to see a lot of fine touches and attention to minuscule detail ( A GautamMenon trademark ) When jessy gets up from the diner-table , her parents express their displeasure and the scene was well portrayed - even without any dialogues !! The movie does not posses any scene that is used as a "Filler". If GM wants a character to say a word - he justifies the usage of the word later on. Ex: Karthik asking for Joseph's( jessy's dad ) height was used later on , and Jessy expressing her family's repulsive nature towards Cinema and movies is later on used in the diner-table conversation between Ganesh and Jessy's uncle in Kerala . Such stuff are nothing fantabulous as they do not affect the grueling pace of the movie ...still , Such fine aspects elevate the feel of the movie and enhances the cinematic experience ( we ve seen such fine stuff in earlier GM movies already ).

Pace is definitely a point of concern with VTV , it falters very badly halfway into the 1st half , and later on picks up during the interval-block . The second half moves at a very grueling pace except for a very few places which holds the viewer's interest . I do agree that it is totally unfair to expect a racy narration from a soft romantic movie - But on the other hand, film-makers must not make movies that serve as unintentional lullabies for the audience ( VTV's 2nd half is one such lullaby btw :P ) The second half would have been better off without some unnecessary 20 minutes ( NOTE : those 20 minutes were not fillers - they had a relevance with the plot , but they were elements that induces sleep in large doses :P - removing/editing them will definitely act as a +ve factor that will favor the BO result of the movie )

Instead of positives and negatives - i will segregate the important aspects of the film as :::: a) good b) bad c)Could have been better :::

The GOOD :

1) The character - Jessy

2) The movie has a lot of "CLUTCH-THE-ARMS-OF-YOUR-PARTNER" kinda scenes ... esp the scene where Karthik describes about Jessy in the penultimate portion of the movie - was awesommmmmme - Love overflowed via the theatre screen :P

3) Minute attention to details

The BAD :

1) Trisha's acting was absolutely horrible , She fails to emote in most of the movies and her pathetic acting is a big let down to many important scenes . Jessy's characterisation is one of the best i ve seen in recent times - Trisha has successfully made a mess out of that role with her terrible performance (:x)

2) Irresistably slow 2nd half - that sends the viewers into a state of half-sleep . I was squirming in my seats after 20 minutes into the interval

3) Mannipaya and Aaromale were mindblowing numbers - But they did not go well along with the mood of the movie , I personally felt the placement of those songs looked rather too forced - and it disrupts the flow of the movie

COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER :

1) ARR disappoints with the BGM . It was just good in parts . The rock BGM that was used in the scenes involving the Coffee shop was absolutely horrible and the main theme song " Vinnaithandi Varuvaya" never suited the feel of the movie

2) Manoj Paramahamsa - a fantastic cinematographer who stormed the industry with a technical masterpiece Eeram fails to live upto the standards set by himself with his earlier movie . The frames were brilliant , the locations were exotic and the movie on the whole was extremely glossy , yet it failed to live upto my expectations . ( it was gud not great :P )

With a director of GM's calibre on his side ( who is known for churning out hyper-stylish movies) , Manoj must have taken extra care to do a better work in the camera department , but sadly the output is inferior to that of his earlier work - Eeram

3) Simbu's performance was quite decent , but its nothing great either. I can easily think of better choices for the role of Karthik.

He imitated surya in a lot of places and it looked quite funny on screen. Inspite of having an ace director to guide him , Simbu's version of Karthik is not convincing at all ! ( he does deserve a pat on his back for his pucca image make-over though ;) )

To sum it up - VTV ends up sumwhere between Average and Good. Its a perfect example for a movie that falls in the " Love it / Hate it" categorie. A lot of portions remind you incidents that takes place in your real life , yet the movie feels artificial and completely misses the "MAGIC" . If u manage to ignore the horrible pace of the 2nd half , u may end up liking the movie ;)

Yoovids

Hello mates it feels great to introduce the best to you people.Recently i came across this best thing Yoovids.We all would love to do things differently and be distinguished from others..The users can insert themselves into any part of a film or else any television serials and then post the resultant in the site.This interactive software has been developed by Yoostar
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So people with this Yoostar, you can just to do whatever you want rather just simply sitting and watch the movie.You can star in along side the favourite actors , play the most favourite role whatever you want and share them to the entire world.We can also simply say that yoostar is the next big wave, immense fun thing that gives us the extra connection between us and movies, we love with personal video creation, online sharing and social networking.

When buy a Yoostar system, You will get the tools that you require to turn your home into a movie studio.The Yoostar system comes with an initial set of scenes, and hundreds more of the most iconic, well-known scenes in video history are available for purchase and download from Yoostar's vast library.Once you've recorded your performance, you can upload it to Yoostar.com, a 24/7 online multiplex with an audience of millions. On Yoostar.com, you can share your performances with friends, view others' performances, and take part in contests.So what you people waiting for go and grab yoostar system now.For further information log on to our website and check it out.

ISHQIYA FILM REVIEW

I was confused to pick between Rann and Ishqiya but gave priority to the later coz of my belief in Vishal Bhardwaj and Nasiruddin Shah. Still I was expecting it to be an ‘just above average’ movie.

Nowadays you don’t need to watch a whole movie to know what the movie is about and what happens. You go and watch the movie only to know how it happens. Take MNIK, its two weeks from release n u know the story line and whats gonna happen in the movie. You may(im not) go to watch how its gonna happen.

With Ishqiya, the best thing they have done is that the promos never let you guess a thing on the storyline. I had felt the same about Kaminey.. Many important scenes never came on television but they did show some scenes which is not in the original movie. Watching Ishqiya songs and promos, I sometimes felt it was a movie inspired from a not so famous Malayalam flick “kannezhuthi pottum thottu”. But its not and I’m not gonna write what it is.

It may not be a perfect and superb movie but it’s interesting and entertaining. It has got some points where you wonder what direction it’s gonna turn. The UP-Bihari hindi is tough to understand but is nice. And the funnier part is here in around Delhi, most people come to watch this kind of movie to hear nice ‘gaali’ from the screen. The use of those ** words may be to attract these audience but it’s a reality, those words are so common and if the movie is about common people, it gives the real life touch to the characters.

The casting done is so nicely, makes you feel each character perfectly made for him/her. Vidya balan came up with yet another good performance. Arshad warsi is so funny and lively where Naseeruddin shah did a good performance for a role which didn’t ask for much of his talents and experience. Some other actors (I don’t know their names) like Shah’s brother-in-law and Vidya Balan’s Husband were other small but important charaters.

Another best thing about the movie is that you get to see something fresh.A different movie for people like us bored of watching goose bump movies based in NY and London. It shows a different part of India. Like Omkara, the locations are so close to original.

The music is very good, especially ‘dil to bacha hai ji’. The lines are so awesomely written to go with the ‘aam’ characters.

The movie may be about the common people or about the not so known areas in north India, but the film is not for them. That’s the fact. Here most doesn’t even know if a movie named Ishqiya is coming or has released. The movie is purely aimed at multiplex crowd. And with the number of multiplexes increasing we may get to see movies like this coming again.

Rann Film Review

What makes RGV take a social subject but make a movie that doesn't glorify the problem as much as a filmmaker like Madhur Bandarkar would, is probably why he doesnt end up getting an award(should I have said a National Award? ). But one must say this has always been the 'RGV treatment' or the style of presenting movies with his own touch of fiction. A solid reason why his movies are still in great business even if they are not the cult kinds .

Rann, probably one of the most anticipated movie to begin with for this year, is this one serious story of what media and mediamen are capable of. A tale that talks of how media can change the dynamics of a country, how greed of a few men can influence people through a strong medium called television channel and its sensationalism.

The movie talks nothing that we do not know of, it depicts exactly what happens inside the studios of all our famous television channels. It portrays the antics by media moguls to create news(than to report news) and to create sensationalism to increase their TRPs which in turn increases their ad revenues. Where Rann scores is that it does not show the warfare between media competitors rather its the battle between the judicious and malicious use of media. Salutations to RGV for not making this storyline as a surreal docu-drama, rather garnishing it with his own style of commercialism.

Vijay Harshwardhan Malik played by Amitabh Bachan is a very righteous person who thinks media is the third eye of the common man and it should bring out all the truth he needs to see. He has been running and heading his television channel India 24*7. His son Jai Malik, played by Sudeep joins him in business after returning from the US. Jai has his unconventional ways of running business, which Vijay is hesitant of but would like to give a try to keep his son's thoughts running.

In such a step, Jai is shackled in problems of competition. He ends up in the vicious circle of his brother in law(Rajat Kapoor) and a bad politician Mohan Pandey(Paresh Rawal). Mohan in the pretext of helping Jai, seeks to use India 24*7 to strengthen his political career. Jai, in greed to be among the top media guy plays a part in the plans of Mohan Pandey.

Rann has its own doses of cliches too. The underdog hero becoming the savior of the nation at the end, the final power-packed emotional outburst of Vijay Malik and so on.

With respect to the performances, I must say Sudeep topped it all. The gray character Jai Malik played by him is probably the most memorable performance of the movie. He has always been one of those good picks from the Kannada industry who has a lot of mettle for acting. RGV has definitely made a good choice in Sudeep for the character of Jai Malik, the over ambitious media tycoon who has his own dose of nervousness and vagaries as a character. Amitabh Bachan might have had a cake walk in this role. After seeing him as Auro in Paa, I felt this must have been something that he would have done even when asleep. Nevertheless, its his charisma that carried out the Vijay Malik's character with the dignity it deserved. Vijay Deshmukh as the young and honest journalist and Monish Bhel as the opponent to Jai Malik's business were other credible roles. There was not much of women power in the movie, Suchitra Krishnamoorty, Gul Panang and Neetu Chandra just did their roles perfectly and couldnt have been better.

I would credit the writings by Rohit as very powerful ones in the script. Some of the dialogs were so well placed and had right messages going out. It just created that impact the scene wanted to carry and full marks to Rohit and RGV for ensuring this. Not much to talk on the music, it really could have been better.

RGV's choice of the tone and Amit Roy's frames were just perfect to complement it. RGV knows the mood of the movies he makes, if he had the dark tone in Sarkar or the eerie ones in his scary movies, he got the right tone of a studio look in this movie. Great job by Amit Roy too on that. A clean production execution with not much of sets, locations or artists just complimented to the movie's crispness.

Rann is not the movie that you would want to watch to keep your mood on a upbeat. Its probably not that Saturday night fun movie but it sure is the one that you would want to catch up when you have those occasional serious thoughts running in your mind about the society around you.

If not a must watch movie right away, it sure is a perfect one when you want a serious one, with that 'RGV touch'. :)

Shambo Shiva Sambho Film review

SSS (Shambho Siva Sambho ) which got released for Pongal is the remake of last year 's Super Hit movie Naadodigal .It has got a Good opening with a positive Talk all over AP but Websites have not lent out Decent reviews which this Movie deserves .

This time It has also worked well with the Telugu Audiences . Samudrakani has done a good job in Altering the movie to greater extent to suit the Likings of the Audiences in AP .He has also done a important role in the movie & he has no dialogues , he comes through out the 2nd half of the movie (this char is the one who comes just b4 the interval bang helping Sasi Kumar After he rescues his friend & his Lover )

The Biggest Suprise is that Our Director / Actor Sasi Kumar makes a Cool Cameo in the Climax for a Min (last scene at the tea shop ) He speaks good telugu (dubbed his own voice ) , This one had a got great response here when i had seen it a few days back . Coming to the Movie ....

Ravi Teja plays the lead role of Karna & he has done very well in emotional scenes & priyamani plays Annanya Role . The Role which stands out with a stunning performance is the role of Allari Naresh who has done the Role of Bharani (Pandi ) . He manages to shine well in both Comical + Powerful scenes involving Dialogues . Shiva Balaji has also done justice to his character . Abinaya has repeated her Magical performance which she had done in Naadodigal .

There really no sort of domination seen anywhere in the movie & every one perfectly suited their character well . Roja has the Politician role , she plays Ravi Theja's Friend 's mother .Mukesh Rishi ( Comes as Villain for many VijayKanth / Balakrishna Movies has done the dad role of the girl . )

Others related to family members of the lead Actors done come out with decent performance .

The 1st Half was Racy with all the ingredients that audiences look out for a commercial Movie . The second seem to drag a bit due to overdose of emotional content which results in slowing the momentum that was there in the 1st Half .Anyways they had repeated 90 % of tamil version so cant help with this one .

The ending may be new to Telugu audiences as it varies from Routine Movies where both the lead pair Unite , This is a welcome change & most have accepted & encouraged this brave attempt . Usually a stereotypical telugu movie ends with a Climax Fight / Pre - Climax Mass song & here there is nothing sort of this . More of different attempts will be loved if SSS becomes a Hit in BO

Songs have be retained from the Tamil Version & telugu nativity seems to be less with this aspect . Shambho Siva Shambho BGM rocks all though out the Movie .Good work done by Sundar C babu .

The camera work was done by P.G Muttaih who has worked for several tamil flicks has done a good job shooting diff camera angles .

On the Whole SSS is a realistic Attempt Made . Looking out for more of such in telugu cinema if Audiences re supportive .

Rating :2.75 / 5

Verdict : Good Movie & Give it a try .

Sherlock Holmes film review

Alert: The reviewer is a Sherlock Holmes addict - having read and mastered the 56 Short stories and 4 novels. He is also a part of http://221bakerstreet.org/

Sherlock Holmes by the very nature of the character is a treasure trove for a book, but a nightmare for any visual medium. The character is one based on the fact that the devil is in the details - which means that books could hide the details from the reader while the movie cannot. So from that perspective, first off, it is a huge challenge to make a movie and still keep it engrossing. And add the fact that Guy Ritchie wanted to give his own spin to the characters. Suffice to say that all this makes this movie one of the most difficult projects to make.

The plot without too many spoiler is this: Lord Blackwood who is an occult practitioner is put to jail by Sherlock Holmes and Watson. From then on, the movie takes a sinister turn in that Lord Blackwood, post his execution, seems to exist, albeit paranormally. The rest is about how Holmes tries to contain Blackwood and the extent of his occult powers.

As far as the acting goes, Robert Downey Jr. who, based on his current form, cannot do anything wrong, is fantastic in this new version of Sherlock Holmes. The recent trend has been to give generous tinges of gray to all the common characters which is why you see Batman trying to deal more with his inner demons and why SpiderMan had to battle the nano particles which made him more violent and aggressive. On that strain, Holmes is more talkative, (seemingly) has a relationship with Irene Adler and get hit on his snoot by Dr. Watson. Coming to Dr. Watson, this is where Guy Richie has shown his brilliance. Watson in the novels is a trusted aid and lieutenant - but is pretty much a part of the background. Here, Ritchie makes Jude Law give a good interpretation to the character. Watson is the composed, mature friend of Holmes who does not stay back and relax but who is by Holmes side during the action sequences. Apart from these two, there is not much to say about the characterizations. But with a sequel already underway and with Brad Pitt rumored to play Professor Moriarty, let me just say that Ritchie's got his casting and acting departments in iron clad, critic proof vests ;-)

The action sequences and the milieu and setting are quite breathtaking (but if you see this right after seeing Avatar on IMAX 3D, please forget I said this sentence). Also, the crucial denouement sequence, which is the best part of any Sherlock Holmes story has been very well made - in the sense that there was enough shown for you to have guessed it and at the same time, they had not shown it with sufficient emphasis for you to pick what Holmes did pick from that scene. This is the part which made the movie work for me big time.

The other elevating factor in this movie is the music, by Hans Zimmer. In any thriller movie, the BGM plays a critical part in elevating the suspense and tempo and in this, Zimmer has excelled at his craft, which he is quite used to doing.

Guy Ritchie was one big director who did not have a franchise to his credit - and in making Sherlock Holmes has achieved two things: 1. Prove why he needed a franchise movie in his resume - he is quite capable of doing it 2. Make us eagerly await the sequel.

Go for it!!