Enai Noki Paayum Thota

*I was there. Finally. Watching a movie I never planned to watch in the theater. After the debacle that the previous movie was.*

There's a scene in the movie where a gun is pointed at the hero, the trigger is pressed,  but the gun doesn't fire. The bullet never leaves the gun.  In the commotion that ensues, the gun ends up firing for real, the bullet flies, it comes close to taking out the target, even hits the hero,  but leaves without scalping the prey.

*Today was a bad day. I had to get over a lot of crap. Discussions and thoughts that crowded my mind. There was lesser crowd in that bus than in my mind. Thats when I got down and went to the wrong theater. But I used to like that director. VTV, VA.... enna padam machi, apdiye vandhu aranchamathiri... Maybe this will be a turn around for Gautam? Why isnt this auto guy going any faster, I got to get to the right theater on time...*

This movie, is much like that bullet.  A gun, a potent film maker, makes a movie and it never sees the light of day for a long time.  Finally when it does come out, it hits the screen,  almost makes an impact,  but then,  doesn't leave a mark deep enough.

*I almost missed the movie. I missed the first scene.... oh crap, I hate missing the start of the movie. Why am I watching this from the middle?*

Incidentally, that was the first scene I saw. The bullet choosing to miss the hero. Though the same luck repeats itself twice.  Fortune favours the brave and the hero whose voice over clearly states that he is going to "get in there and take the bull by the horn".  Erangi Seyyanum. In beast mode. After all he has to do it for his girl.

*For someone whom most people had written off as a two bit actor son of a director,  the hero...  Dhanush... has come a long way to give an effortless, mature performance. Sema.*

Did I say voice over? What's a Gautam Vasudevan movie where there's no voice over? There's enough of it.  Sometimes well placed and at times, excessive.

*I wonder if he uses these voices to explain what was going through his mind when he wrote... or shot the scene. It's almost an extended narration... It is an extended narration.  It's like reading a book.  In a tone that's far from the fake movie dialogue tones. It's natural. The words people normally use. At times, that reality is also taken far. Like... in this instance*

The first half of the movie, like I have started noticing of late, was amazing. Though this was originally shot a few years back, there was a lot of freshness in the movie. Dialogues were fresh. There was a subtle humor. No comedy track to take the focus off. Though thats an older style in general and though humor gets laced in these days along with the regular flow, this one had less of it. Just enough. The songs were really fresh. BGM was in sync with the mood. The songs were even woven in to be part of the narration. Never taking the focus off the story line. Talking about focus, the cinematography in some places was even unorthodox.

*VTV, VA.... NTEP... and now this. He does redefine romance in movies*

This is not a regular boy meets girl, boy has enemies, boy triumphs story. Though he is supposedly rescuing the girl from the bad guy, this has a different spin. And the romance portrayed has a heavy dose of realism. Much like his earlier movies, the focus is on the emotions that flow between the boy and the girl.

*Emotions, not melodrama. The cuteness factor, the anger, the lust, the differences of opinion... chancea illa... though lesser in this movie than the earlier ones..... its a bit off the usual romance we see in other movies.*

Megha Akash never showed signs that she is a debutant. A thoroughly professional performance, neither undercooked nor over burnt. She might be a find for the longer run, but then again, the number of debutants having long careers, among the leading ladies, can be counted with the fingers in one hand.

Sasi, as the brother and DCP, has been wasted. His cameo could have truly been a cameo if he had been used solidly for 15-20 minutes. However in this case, though he stays on much lesser in terms of screen time, he is in and out over a larger portion of the movie and doesnt make an impact. Neither the actor, nor the role he plays.

*Did I focus too much on the pop corn? What happened in the second half? Was the narrative so slick that I didnt notice? What do I write?*

The second half was patchy at best. The knots had been tied up nicely till the interval. The un-knotting was as if someone pulled the wrong string and the whole thread became a mess.

Storyline: Boy meets girl. Boy rescues girl. Bad guy takes her back. Boy is angry with the girl. Girl gets into a mess. *Boy melts. Romance returns. Rightfully.* Boy's brother tries to help while uncovering an illegal weapons deal under cover. Bad guy who took the girl back is also the weapons dealer. Boy's brother is killed and Boy takes revenge. Boy marries girl.

*Turns out, I had made it to the movie on time. The first scene I saw was the opening scene. So how was the movie? First half nachunu illa? Second half? I draw a blank*

For those who guessed what the *s meant, good on you. For those who didnt, please go see a GVM movie.

Petta engira Vetta

Petta a.k.a Vetta.

Vetta, for the non Tamilian reader, literally means hunt and Petta is a good one at that.

As I sat down to write this review, I went through my notes that I took in the theater and realized that I had put down enough words in there to make up for a entire review. These capture my first impression. I am putting them down here with additional notes.

*Amazing cinematography*
*Wonderful lighting, lot of night shots*

I have nothing more to add here :)

*Nice opening*
*Out and out Rajni opening*

The movie opens well with a touch of suspense in the air. Hooking the watcher in, right from the first shot. Set to the tunes of an old Sivaji song, shrouded in fog, night effect, silence, some dim lighting. Some thugs are getting beaten up. And then......

You have to be a Rajni fan or must have watched some of his movies that came out in the 90s or early 2000s to understand what a Rajni opening means. Watch this one. You will know.

*A role suiting his age*
*A comeback close to the Rajni of the late 90s*

*Beautiful portrayal of lost youth*
*Younger look impressive*

Rajni, of late, has been playing roles suiting his age. And though this is one such role, the director has made sure Rajni comes across as a energetic, albeit, middle aged man. No angry young man story here for sure. You feel like you are watching a younger Rajni, almost. The initial scenes are lighthearted with a sprinkling of some ageless romance from a protagonist who is well past his youth. You can almost see the pangs hiding behind the smiles. His younger look is quite impressive, thanks to some CGI and good makeup. I hope other directors take a cue. Even Sivaji or 2.0 falls in comparison.

*Movie moves with a knot in the background*
*Knot slowly unfolding*

*Something bigger looming*

*Well set up for the second half*

*Heroism in Tamil cinema is the only dampener*

Though there is not much happening in terms of a story in the first half, the movie moves ahead with a knot in the back ground. Bobby Simha's role as the bad guy briefly acts as a red herring. You know something is looming larger in the background as the plot slowly unfolds. The only thing that dampened that suspense is that the hero in Tamil Cinema, Rajni of all, will always overcome any and all challenges. Notwithstanding that, by the end of the first half, the movie very well set for whats to come. And at that stage of the movie, irrespective of what was to come after, I was clear this will be one of this best movies in the recent times and for some time to come.

*Smooth transition in and out of the flashback*

*Smattering of social messages in honor killing, casteism and sand quarrying*

*Reasonable justification for the villain, but no depth or much villainy*

*Second half is a bit of a drag*

*In the name of realism in North India*
*Twist*

Granted, it is bit of a cliche that the second half starts off with the flashback. But the transition in and out of the flashback is clean and smooth. This is where most movies lose the way, sometimes over-stating the background or sometimes under-etching it. This one though, is well balanced. There is a smattering of a social message in the form of battling casteism, honor killing and illegal sand quarrying. But the scenes stating those end faster than you would take to read this line. There is even a good justification for the villain to hate the hero to the core, thanks to his family being routed swiftly by the latter. There is however a slight lag once the flashback is over as Rajni takes a trip up north to track down the villain. Its quickly made up for by Vijay Sethupathi and the ultimate twist at the climax.

*Beautiful casting*

*Simran looks ravishing*

*Simran or Trisha would have been enough*

*Sasi's role not deep enough*

The casting is quite impressive in all. They have some good actors slotted in the right roles. Simran looks ravishing but her role is short lived. Same with Trisha. In retrospect, it might have been a good idea to cut the role played by Simran or Trisha and made the other's part meatier. Sasi's role looks promising but lacks depth. Wasted is the word that comes to my mind. But then what do you expect in a Rajni outing? His screen presence will leave the others behind in the lurch.

*Shades of Jigarthanda or even Kabali*
*Karthik Subburaj and classic cars or vehicles*

Karthik Subburaj's invisible presence though can be felt through and through. Be it the etching of characters or the gangster love or subtle romance or the raw treatment of the story. There are shades of Jigarthanda. Though, not one of his movies, there is also some heavy influence from Kabali. Nevertheless, I wish these two get together again for another movie, if not a sequel. By the way, nothing to complain about, but whats with the director's love for classic cars and vans?

*Political dialogues*

*Muslim, Land, people*

The movie is replete with punches of political dialogues. Perhaps because Rajni wants to throw his hat in the ring. Its either me over analysing it or its a well thought out move that Sasi happens to be playing a muslim. There are dialogues indicating that a sleeping giant has been woken up to save the land and its people. Something that could have been left out?

*Songs below par, BGM is good*
*Santosh Narayanan missed*
*Craziness missing*

The BGM is fantastic. But the songs are way below par. It reeks of Anirudh all over and doesn't do justice to Rajni or to Karthik Subburaj. I missed Santosh Narayanan and his the craziness his tunes carry in them.

The movie, overall, is a wonderful watch. Lightweight, no melodrama, relatively fresh, well shot, and above all, its the super star.

K A B A L I

Before the curtain rose:

The sirens screamed at a feverish pitch. I was puzzled and I listened on. And before I knew it, I was hooked to the song. That was my first brush with what has lately become my obsession, culminating in this review: K A B A L I.

But at the time, little did I know that the song I was listening to, was the perfect prelude for what was to follow. Till that time though, I was oblivious to a lot of things. The next Rajini film or its title didn’t make a difference. The director or music director didn’t evoke an interest. Malaysia and its Tamil populous were all but invisible to me. I just hadn’t bothered.

From there though, madness ensued. My phone ring tone changed. I printed myself a T shirt just for the movie. I sat through a night and booked tickets…. and then, back up tickets. And I have never ever done it for any other movie. If you ask me what got into me, I wont have half a convincing answer. And that fact made me wonder if I was setting myself up for a huge anticlimax.

And in a way, an anticlimax it turned out to be. A day before the movie, I recorded 104 °F of fever! I had a cannula fixed in my hand. Drugs pumped into my veins. And I almost, almost, gave up on the movie.

But destiny would have different thoughts. After all, I didn’t buy IMAX tickets to Kabali at 1:30AM in the night to skip the screening, did I?! So the weather had to clear and I had to get to the movie hall. The one good thing the fever did: It decimated all expectations. I went in there blank. Perhaps partly because the medicines and the fever had me zonked.

After the curtain rose:

I have to say I have never seen such a sedate entrance for the Super Star. No horse drawn chariots, no snakes to charm, no bullock carts riding in from the sunrise or no headers on pumpkins. In fact, the entry was even simpler than what he got in his debut. The only subtle hint of macho was a gentle pull up.

Right after the hero gets introduced, the second hero makes himself heard. The BGM picks up, and Santosh Narayanan says “hi”. More on that, in a bit.

Rajini meanwhile, proves he is old wine in an old bottle. Charming in his natural appearance, in a role befitting his age. His swagger is a bit tired, but swagger nonetheless. I hope this is his second coming in such appearances and a lasting one at that. Needless to say, the story revolves around him, his gang of do-gooders, the rival gang, Tamilians in Malaysia and his family, in that order.

The director has tried to mold two worlds together. One where he aspires to bring out the story of Malaysian Tamils, and one where he has to handle a colossus of an actor and the plethora of expectations that come with it. And he has done a good job by and large. When I walked out of the movie, I had gotten a good dose of the ‘Superstar’ and a good portion of the Malaysian Tamil angle.

In short, Rajini plays a messiah for the Tamils, leads them and fights for their rights. He is briefly undone by the rival gang, his family is separated and is jailed for a long time. He comes back, avenges himself and goes back to fighting the new age problems faced by his kith and kin. In between, he manages to reunite with his family.

The movie has its highs and lows. The plot in itself is solid and Rajini carries it with élan. Unlike a lot of his mass flicks, here he actually has an opportunity to emote. The heroism quotient is kept in check and comes in healthy installments. The movie paints a vague picture of the travails of Malaysian Tamils, but yet acts as an eye opener in that regard.

The narration moves along well, but not without moments of lag. The flash back scenes are a bit of a drag. There are unnecessary elements like the free life salute or unrealistic portrayal of drug addicts. The entire India chapter could have been given a miss. It in fact, dilutes the experience. The portrayal that his wife cannot track a big wig like him does not lend much credence.

The second half reminds us that this is a gangster movie after all. And what is a gangster movie without violence played out on screen? It might have gone a tad overboard but nothing out of place.

Radhika’s Apte’s role as Kabali’s wife is downplayed, yet central to him as well as the story. Her performance is measured and aptly so. John Vijay as Amir, Dhansika as Yogi and Attakathi Dinesh as Jeeva essay decent roles. No other characters stand out much. Nasser and Kishor are wasted.

Santosh Narayanan, as music director, deserves as much credit as Ranjith does as the director if not more. The background score switches beautifully in sync with what is being played out in screen. It accentuates the overall emotion and helps in the packaging. ‘Neruppu da’ is the obvious show stealer. But other tunes like ‘Veera Purandahara’ are not too far behind.

The camera work is simple and elegant. Nothing transforming. But pleasant on the eye.

As for Ranjith’s credit, apart from handling a decent script, he has also made a few brave moves. There is no comedy track. There is not a single duet. There is not much of room given to romance. There is no melodrama. There is very little hero worship. These are usual suspects in any Tamil movie and to keep away from them means a lot of courage. And it has only done good to the film.

So is the movie a classic cult? Unfortunately, No. Does it have the makings? Yes Indeed. What could have elevated this movie to that status? Slicker editing and screen play to begin with. Seemed pretty ordinary and unimaginative. And if they had managed to do away with some of the fluff I mentioned earlier, the movie could have transcended to another level.

Despite that, Kabali lives up to the hype. Rajini enthralls.

PS: It is time Tamil cinema embraced post credit scenes. Given the gun shot before the credits, Imagine a post credit scene with Kabali’s laughter and…. “KABALI DA”!!

More than just OK, Kanmani

I walked in with not much of an expectation. ‘Artificial’, ‘plastic’, ‘shallow’, ‘youthful’ were all words I had heard in the context of this movie. Having sat through Kadal, and being a Maniratnam fan, I knew he could not possibly sink deeper. He did not disappoint.

The movie is breezy for the most part. Gets right down to business within the first few minutes. Guy and girl get together. A wedding and a coffee, and before you know it, the romance is neck deep.  No strings attached, just a live in relationship. An elderly couple inevitably and inadvertently bring out the deep rooted love. Then the wedding bells ring. A touch clichéd and a touch cosmetic at times. But alive.

Dulquer Salmaan might just about be Mani’s next pet actor. Arvind Swami and Madhavan rolled into one? Maniratman does manage to get the best out of an actor, unless you are Gautam Karthik of course. I do hope this is not the best Dulquer can offer though. Hopefully more challenging roles come his way in Tamil cinema and hopefully he doesn’t disappoint. Nithya Menon surprises with her youthful energy and a wide gamut of emotions. Prakash Raj needs no commendation. Leela Samson can’t be forgotten either.

Not much of a plot, but it is handled well. A straight story line with hardly a twist or surprise. You know where the movie is headed and you are watching it just to see how it is all going to play out. And before you know it, the happy ending leaves you light, and fluttery.

AR Rahman and Maniratnam are made for each other. And us. The songs are peppy. One can’t avoid humming some of the tunes. The background score keeps it sprightful and at the same time lends depth whenever needed. PC Sreeram should no doubt be dubbed Photographer-Cinematographer-Sreeram. He doesn’t let us down, though I am left with the thought that his work in this movie is not as trend setting as it turned out to be in Agni Natchathiram.

Having said all of that, I also wonder if this movie really needed a Maniratnam to wield the megaphone. Except for copyright convenience, for this movie is unmistakably a rehash of many of his earlier movies. If the backdrop reminds you of Nayakan or Bombay, the train scenes remind you of Alaipayuthe. If you thought the lead pair might as well have been Karthik and Shakthi from Alaipayuthe, Arjun and Meera from Ayutha Ezhuthu might take exception to it. If you thought the senior couple influenced a change of mind in the lead couple, Arvind Swamy and Kushboo will claim they did nothing short of that in Alaipayuthe. In fact, I even felt Dulquer’s dialogue delivery reminded me of Arvind Swami in Roja and Nithya’s had shades of Shalini.

Rehash or not, and whether this movie needed a genius to direct it or not, this can be the Maniratnam U-turn that tamil cinema wants to see. OK Kanmani, more than just OK. 

Kadal, not so deep!

However wide, deep and vast the title may sound, the movie itself comes across as nothing more than a meandering murky stream to me. 

The beginnings of the stream, the very basis of the story-line, is familiar. Age old, is the struggle between good and evil. But as always, we do expect the same wine to be packaged nicely, as with many other products from Mani sir earlier. Thalapathi and Raavan would belong to that category of epics re-told, though he did flirt a tad bit with both stories. With Kadal, something seems to have gone wrong with the bottling plant, if I may say. Is that an experiment gone wrong?

Now before I give the wrong impression that this movie is not worth the 100 bucks (or 400) you pay for the ticket, let me talk about what I liked. There is a new issue tackled here, albeit briefly. A few scenes depict how a public impression is formed on priests and their purported misdemeanors (though there need not be an inkling of truth in it). This is probably not too far from real life happenings. And I was hoping the movie would take shape around that particular issue, from that point onward. But that was not to be. Did the director shy away from more on this to avoid wider protests? Could be.

Tulasi, is like fresh mint. She has done good justice to her role, though the screen space is much lesser. Maybe being a new-bee helped her fit into that role. There seemed to be nothing pre-set in her emoting. It remains to be seen if she is going to remain as fresh in movies to come.

The casting for the most part fits very nicely. Looking back, I doubt if Arvind Swamy could have chosen a better role for a come back. Arjun fits well in his role just as much. 

Having said that the casting itself was good, if we were to look at how well these actors were used, something seems missing. Arjun could have been utilised much better. His characterization comes is quite shallow, with no sound basis to why he anoints himself as the bad guy or to some of his irregular mannerisms. I was expecting a lot more meat to Arvind Swamy's role on his return to the fishing village, as a tougher man. But it fizzles out to the point that it kind of leaves his return unjustified. The reasons attributed to the enmity between the two comes off as quite weak.

Tulasi, with her child's ways for reasons revealed later, has a reasonable character. Yet, it does seem to be a bit of a cliche that a few reels of her innocence should immediately follow the revelation about why she is the way she is.

And if have not written anything about Gautam yet, it is because I am confused about the actor and his character in the movie too. He exhibits various sides of him, sometimes for no rhyme of reason. Is he the hap-go-lucky person he is made out to be when he is dancing around for the song 'Yele Keecha'? If so how did he become one from being the angry young child? If that is the touch of god, why and when did he turn evil before he walks off to take Arjun as his godfather? And then the turn around again when he meets Tulasi... its all a bit too murky. And as an actor, I can only trust Mani sir's judgement for now. I shall wait for other movies before I say more.

Now, here is the main reason why I dislike the movie. Its way too dark for Mani sir's style. Yes, his movies have shown violence before, or have even shown stark reality in some cases. But it was all tacit or untold or unseen. It was never on screen with a bitter taste as seen in this movie. Many scenes could have been just "cut" - keeping in mind the sensitivity of the wide audiences who look forward to a Maniratnam movie. The language was not too far behind either, with a lot of words, that could have been, quite frankly, 'beep'ed!

When I first listened to the songs from Kadal, I felt ARR was back. Back and happening in the Tamil circuit, which I felt he has neglected for a while. I still stick to the same word about the music. What did surprise me a bit was the usage and the placement of the songs. Its typical of Maniratnam to use and reuse a few songs, in short forms so to say. One stanza here and one stanza there. 'Chithirai Nila' was expected to be that way. But I was perhaps a bit dreamy to expect a different visual treatment for the song. 'Pallankuzhi Patha Puriyala' was glaringly misplaced in its picturisation considering the context of the movie. The lyrics perhaps went unjustified too. 'Makudi' was again misplaced not only in the genre of music vis-a-vis the rest of the songs, but also in placement as a part-title song.

I am not sure if Rajeev Menon was really needed for this movie for the kind of shots I saw. Maybe I should see it again to get the real picture, but I felt there was nothing spectacular about the camera work. Perhaps it was because of the clutter in the background, required to depict a fishing village or a small town? Talking of which, the sets were a lot more realistic for sure. Sometimes even raw.

In toto, lost among the darker scenes and foul language, I am tempted to simply ask "En?" ("Why?") in true Mani style!!

Payanam - a journey worth the distance!

Tamil movie industry must be going through a lull. There is no big-budget production on the screens. The masala heroes must be preparing for yet another potpourri come Tamil new year day. And while the silence lasted, we decided to embark on a short but sweet journey – ‘Payanam’.

Radha Mohan has created a niche for himself. He has endeavored to fill a space that a lot many directors have neglected. A space for simple and clean ‘family entertainers’. And he has done it with a variety of subjects, rather than sticking to one single formula. Take for instance ‘Mozhi’, a story revolving around a speech-impaired (I do not want to use the word ‘dumb’) woman. It’s a love story albeit. But the emotions surrounding the leading lady were so well portrayed and the script was kept so light with tangy humor, so much so, that when you stepped out of the cinema, you hardly notice her handicap. Or try ‘Abhiyum Nanum’. A dad’s story about his daughter, the love for her and him coming to terms with his culturally-alien son-in-law. All neatly wrapped up into a family-pack. So ‘Payanam’ was already a must-watch in my list.

The plot is simple. The story stretches only across 3 days – it’s a flight hijack! And yet, this was not a thriller of any sort. That’s the beauty of this movie. It’s a thriller that’s not really a thriller. It’s a thriller you can actually enjoy. You wont be sitting at the edge of the seat, biting into your nails. No, that was never the intention, I firmly believe. Instead you will be sitting back and taking it all in. There are no songs, no item numbers (thankfully), and no melodrama either. But the drama itself is well played out, the characters well etched and the screenplay quite gripping.

So well, it’s a hijack, right? The scenes have to be set primarily around a flight? In fact, the focus must be inside the flight. With passengers sitting in the same positions. There is only so many angles you can show the flight from. The audience could be bored, pretty soon. Right? No, that conclusion is totally wrong! Every scene was refreshing in its own way. Attention to detail was fantastic (except in one spot where a junior artist perhaps answered a phone call from her boyfriend!). The growing tiredness and frustration (and the beards) was visible among the passengers. Interspersed was humor that suited the situation. There were some collage shots showing parallel action and multiple perspectives. The music, that usually plays a very important role in such movies, held the pieces together astonishingly well. I am not going to talk about the cast much. I will just say, they fit in well!

So what’s the story really? I shall let you watch it to know it J

Straight from the Ghat

Nitya, is a little boy who runs away from a temple, in a bid to avoid a tonsure, as his parents offer his hair in atonement. That is the long-story-short, one line 'abstract' (forgive the pun here) of a short story by RKN, titled... {pause}... 'Nitya'.

The movie was not too different. There was no start to it and neither was there an end. It was just pure and simple, move on. The matter of fact, nonchalant handling came through quite nicely. Humour had been weaved in every so lightly, like a pinch of salt here or there in an otherwise strong melange of emotions or sometimes, the absolute lack of it. A seamless blend, smooth, short and sweet I must say. Simply put, it seemed like a collage of colours, hues and moods. Just like Arun's dabs in the movie.

Prateik Babbar can be labelled as a find. Monica Dogra is quite refreshing. And Aamir? Since I cant pick the apt superlative, he is just as usual - as it has come to be a habit of his in recent times. Yasmin, the character, and the girl who played the role, were quite pleasing.

The camera angles, the handi-cam feel, the close-ups, the portrait shots (yes, I mean it, there were portraits in video!) were all so eye catchy. One couldn't help thinking that perhaps the movie was meant to be a series of photographs strung together to narrate a story that was never to be in the first place. The stillness in the shots were fittingly accompanied by long moments of soulful silence. And then the strings of the guitar would pleasantly make their presence felt.

A few of the shots, just by themselves, told a story. Like the one in the taxi with the fish on one side and the cat on the other side. Sums up the context in which the scene is placed. I shall leave it to you to interpret it though :)

So here I am, straight from the ghat... Dhobi-Ghat that is - a title as abstract as the movie is. And with a review, as open ended as I wanted it to be.