Thillalangadi is about a young man Krishna (Ravi), who is restless and seeks something in life which he himself is not sure of. He gets kicks out of doing things extraordinary. He cannot stay in a job which fetches him a lakh of rupees for more than a month because it gives him the kicks to throw his job away. Normalcy is his pet peeve and he goes to any extent to just enjoy the ‘KICK’; in the process baffles and miffs people around him. His parents Prabhu and Suhasini understand him and leave him to his destiny knowing very well that Krishna will never go astray.

The film opens with a generous footage of Nisha (Tamannah) doing yoga in a sexy avatar in all possible angles in Malaysia. (A surprise for a Jayam Raja film!) Her parents bring forth an alliance for her and she is asked to meet a boy in a train. She agrees with much reluctance and meets the boy Krishna Kumar (Shaam). The story starts unfolding with Nisha narrating how she met Krishna (Ravi) and parted her ways with him.

Nisha’s first meeting with Krishna itself is an excited event wherein she tries to help her friend (MLA Nalini’s daughter) who wishes to elope with her driver Das (Sathyan). Krishna being a friend of Das appears to double time the couple in love only to get them married off. From then on, it is fiery encounters between the lead couple that oscillates between love and hate. When Nisha completes her story, it is Shaam’s turn and he divulges the real reason for his Malaysian visit. The rest of the film is about Nisha and Krishna’s love, misunderstanding and Shaam’s mission with some predictable and some unpredictable events.

Thillalangadi is almost scene by scene replica of the original Kick. Raja’s narration is interesting but is way too long. In fact, the second half is tediously lengthy to the point of exhaustion. The ‘family’ feel which is generally present in Raja’s films is missing in Thillalangadi. That apart, he has dealt with a subject that is a wee bit unusual in his own style. The film, in its first half is ridiculously silly and asinine in some parts but slowly warms up later.

Vadivelu plays a significant role to up the laughter quotient and he is aided by Santhanam, Mansoor Ali Khan, Radha Ravi, John Vijay and others in the rest of the film. Ravi looks dashing; dances well, fights energetically, emotes brilliantly but his voice is a major let down especially when he tries to mouth macho dialogues. Tamannah does what is expected of her. Looks like the lady has relaxed her rules about costumes and her glamorous avatar in the film is bound to be a hit with youngsters. Shaam looks stunning and delivers well too. It is a pity that this actor’s potential has not been completely utilized in Tamil films. The other cast members are adequate.

The locations are good and there is a ‘beauty’ feel to the entire film. Everybody is clothed in vibrant colors, courtesy Nalini Sriram. Her choice and color of costumes are trendy and noticeable. Major support to Thillalangadi comes from the music department where Yuvan Shankar Raja and Thaman come to the fore. All the songs are hummable and the much talked about ‘Sol Pechu Ketkaada Sundari’ is interesting with five Tamannahs and ten Rajas. However, in the second half, Pattu Pattu Pattampoochi (sung by Silambarasan) is a total misfit in terms of mood and is forced. The song follows a heavy mood from the lead pair but the dance sequences are chirpy. And when you thought the film is nearing completion, the Thothu Ponene number comes up reminding clearly of the Telugu connection.

There are many logical loopholes, which can be conveniently forgiven, as this film is not about any serious stuff. Thillalangadi has comedy, action, romance, glamour, sentiment and all the pertinent ingredients in perfect concoction and is a jolly good ride. It has something for everyone!

Verdict – Enjoyable entertainer! – Rating : 3/5

courtesy behindwoods.com

AV revolves around an ancestral house in Ananthapuram, which has remained uninhabited for several years owing to the sudden demise of a couple in an accident. Their son Bala (Nandha), who is running his own leather business in Chennai, comes to the property after 15 years with his wife Revathy (Chaya Singh) and his small boy Ananth (Aryan). Very soon, unexplained incidents happen in the house which makes Revathy, a claustrophobic, wanting to get out of the house. However, Bala does not believe in her and dismisses the events as sheer coincidences. It was their son Ananth, a speech impaired child who discovers the abnormal activities around the house but unable to comprehend and convey.

The factor in which AV stands out is the spirits are well meaning ones and are that of Bala’s parents. They always help the inmates of the house. At a time when films dealing with paranormal activity or supernatural powers are all evil ones and sends Goosebumps or shiver down your spine, AV comes as a fresh whiff of air and within twenty minutes of the film, the audiences are relaxed that they are not going to be subjected to some creepy ride. Nevertheless at this juncture, the director places a mysterious situation involving the hero and his business partner Jeeva who comes to the town to discuss a financial problem with Bala. Revathy comes to know that her husband is in serious mess in his business and that they are stuck at the house unless Bala returns money that he has borrowed from a few people. The answers to questions like whether Bala was able to return the money and if so how, what do the spirits do and who is the actual culprit in his misadventure are found in the rest of AV.

It was initially surprising to see a U certificate for a horror flick. But as the film unfolds, the reasons become lucid. Naga must be credited with giving a clean family flick in his debut vehicle. The moment we realize the spirits are good ones, we start enjoying their antics. The sequences where the spirits take care of cooking to cleaning to healing are enjoyable and women would certainly want to lease such kind of spirits to help them in their daily chores.

The kid Aryan is a revelation, reminds a lot of young version of Sachin Tendulkar. With his unruly curly mane and apt expressions, he captivates the hearts. Chaya Singh appears in Kollywood after Vallamai Thaaraayo and is adequate. However, it was Nanda who misses many a chance to prove his acting prowess. He remains contrived mostly. Kalaivani, as the governess of the house, is decent. Nandha’s friend Jeeva who was seen in K Balachander’s serial Sahana has delivered it right.

Technically, AV cannot boast much because there is not much scope for it and the team has also not attempted for it. Cinematography by Arun Mani Palani is in sync with the theme and there are just two songs and music scored by Ramesh Krishna does not stay in the minds. Most of the film is shot within the house and CG work is just average.

Although AV has a couple of pluses to its credit, it lacks in pace and there is an uneven keel to it. The narration does not engage the audience which is much needed for a film like this. AV does not scare you at all and is right for people wanting a relaxed family fare.

Verdict: No scare, this haunted house!

It is a love story set against the backdrop of India that is on the verge of independence. A young British lady (Amy Jackson) is visiting India. She is from a family that is well connected to the highest echelons of power in the Madras presidency. As it is, tensions are brewing between the British and Indians all over the country. That rubs off on a small washer man community in Madras who stand in the way of the powerful British personnel when they attempt to evict them from their place. It hurts the ego of a highly placed British officer who challenges a young dhobi (Arya) for a one-on-one which would decide the fate of the place. The British lady happens to be a silent spectator to all that transpires between the British and the dhobi community; she notices the young man who has the courage to stand up to a mighty force. Soon, she finds herself attracted to this man who also seems to be reciprocating those feelings. But, the proximity between the two does not escape the eyes of the power hierarchy who look down upon the relation as a disgrace to the family and the empire. With freedom fast approaching and the British getting ready to leave the country, time is running out for the couple who have to make a decision between love and country. What happens to the love story that faces the wrath of mighty empire whose ego has been badly bruised by the freedom struggle? Watch Madharasapattinam to find out.

The storyline and the events might sound a bit familiar to you. Yes, there are points in the movie where one is able to draw parallels to other great movies. The opening portions remind us of Titanic, while the challenge thrown by the British at the dhobi community gives us a Lagaan feel. But, in spite of all this, Madharasapattinam has a unique identity and the reason for that is in the title of the film itself – Madras. That is the single biggest highlight of the movie.

Full marks to the team of Madharasapattinam for recreating Madras, which existed only in photos, history books and minds of people who lived during that era. Though most of us do not have a very clear idea about how Madras would have looked like before 1947, the picturisation is good enough to convince us that this is an authentic representation. First on the order of merit for making this possible is the art department headed by Selva Kumar. We are taken to a Mount Road (not Anna Salai) that is not overflowing with traffic, the old Washermanpet, the haloed building of the Madras Central and the Buckingham Canal which once was the backbone of a very efficient drainage system of the city. We are even shown a Cooum that is not filthy; which is hard to imagine, considering the state of the river these days. All sets are exquisitely constructed and look very original. Hordes of junior artistes have been employed in proper period attire to add to the authentic feel. What is provided by the art department in terms of magnificent sets has been enhanced into a wonderful on screen experience through Nirav Shah’s lens. The cinematographer is in top form capturing Madras in all its glory. The tone adopted to give a period theme is apt.

Other technical aspects of Madharasapattianam also a delight, especially G.V. Prakash’s background music. The small touches that he has provided, especially when the love between the lead couple begins to bloom, are wonderful. The songs too are a treat, especially ‘Vaama Dorayamma’ and ‘Aaruyire’. Though there is a feeling that adding a few western pieces here and there would have made it even more perfect for the movie. Costumes of the entire cast are almost perfect, especially Amy Jackson’s.

Performances are a real delight in Madharasapattinam. The one who walks away with the top honors is Amy Jackson for a beautiful portrayal of a lady torn between her love and the mighty empire. She looks absolutely beautiful, emotes well through her expressive eyes and is able to earn the sympathy of the audiences during tough times. Arya is perfect for the character of the dhobi who is also a wrestler. He is intense, manly, yet soft and romantic when it is required. A convincing performance. The rest of the cast too is spot on in delivering the goods. The British cast looks convincing as the colonial power. VMC Haneefa delights as the dubashi (translator) lending many moments of fun as he plays around with languages that he does not know. Nasser brings power and intensity to the character that he portrays. The lady who portrays the aged Amy Jackson, through whose memory the story is told, also impresses a great deal

While there are positives aplenty for Madharasapattinam, there are one or two aspects that could have been better. The dialogues do not seem to be the kind that would have been spoken before 1947, the lines look very contemporary, especially the Tamil dialogues. One can overlook this in a commercial film. Using the proper 1940s Madras Tamil could have worked either way for the movie. There are quite a few English dialogues (understandably), but they do not look like an inconvenience or act as a barrier between the film and the audiences; the subtitles have been done well.

Overall, Madharasapattinam is a film that takes you back in time and shows you a Madras that exists only in photos and memory. Hats off to the entire team for making this possible and kudos to Vijay for heading this team and pulling off the huge task. Also thanks to AGS Films for taking up such a subject which would have definitely cost a lot. Madharasapattinam is a pretty often seen love story where poor boy meets rich girl, much to the angst of the family. But, it is the backdrop and the treatment that make it a different experience. Watch Madharasapattinam for some great art work, cinematography, performances and to appreciate an effort that is a rare occurrence in Tamil cinema. But, do not look for a documentation of the freedom struggle and other historical milestones. Just enjoy the trip from Chennai to Madharasapattinam

Verdict: Enjoyable trip to Madras Presidency! – RATING : 4/5

CREDITS COURTESY TO BEHINDWOODS.COM

Karunas loses his dad at a very early age and later on his mom too dies in a stampede in the process to acquire free saree. Forced to fend for himself from childhood, Karunas sets his foot on to the big metro city Chennai. He meets Kota Srinivasa Rao through whom he gets small time jobs and starts saving his money diligently. He laments about the fact that the paucity of a few hundreds of rupees has cost the life of his mom and realizes the importance of money and its reach. He strives very hard and desires to scale greater heights and dreams of becoming big like the Ambanis. (There comes the title connect!).

He wants a small shop in the commercial complex that is being built by Kota Srinivasa Rao who refuses citing Karunas’s weak financial status. Bogged down by this, Karunas pleads with him saying that Kota was the one who showed him a way when he first came to Chennai and appeals to help him realize his dreams. Kota also yields with a condition that if Karunas manages the money in a few months time, the shop would be his, otherwise it will not be. Kota warns Karunas that the help that is being extended to him should not be revealed to anyone not even to Kota’s son. Karunas gladly agrees and is delighted that his Ambani dream is after all at an achievable distance.

Meanwhile, fate with its cruel sleight of hands prove spoilsport in Karunas’s life when Kota Srinivasa Rao dies. Karunas is shell shocked and his Ambani dreams are blown apart. Groping in the dark and not knowing how to proceed with things, he approaches Kota’s son and tries to explain the situation but as expected he does not believe Karunas. This leads Karunas to pack his bags along with his wife Navneeth, and assistant Shankar to leave for his native town. What happens afterwards? Whether he was able to realize his dreams or not form the rest of Ambasamudhiram Ambani.

Director Ramanath has chosen the ‘honesty is the best policy’ and ‘hard work always pays rich dividends’ as his central theme and has spun a story around it. An interesting fact about AA is that the film does not show cigarette smoking or drinking or drugs anywhere which comes as a refresher among the current crop of films. Characterization of Karunas, Kota and the assistant boy Shankar is worth mentioning. Entire film rests on Karunas’s shoulders and he has understood the same and delivered the goods. A simple testimony is the scene when he shows myriad emotions at Kota’s death. His helplessness at the seemingly bleak future and the shattered dreams are very well portrayed by this comedian turned character artiste. Performance-wise the assistant boy Shankar steals the show next to Karunas. His talent comes to the fore in the scene when he steals the few currency notes that Karunas has.

Having said that, comedy is a big let down in AA and so is the irritable Kulfi ice episodes and the heroine’s vulgar dance moves. The sequences with Livingstone do not gel well with the film. AA cannot boast itself to be riding high on the technical front as the script too does not warrant it. Karunas’s music and Sabesh Murali’s BGM just pass muster. In the Othakallu song, cameraman shaking the camera to bring some kind of effect misfires drastically and is an eye sore. Although AA moves at a lackadaisical phase, it sure is a lesson for people striving to achieve excellence through hard work. AA is a good moral story apt for a family outing.

Verdict : Shows the right way for youth to success

MovieFilm.In Rating : 3/5
Cast : Karunas, Navneet Kaur, Kota Srinivasa Rao, R. Sundarrajan.
Director : Ramanathan
Music : Karunas
Production : John Prieto

courtesy : original article – behindwoods.com

The only difference this time is the aide of cheesy computer graphics to make the movie look tech savvy; every single object transmogrifies into snake(s). And of course, with the presence of the namesake item dancer, there are enough instances for her fans to rejoice. Those moments come in the form of her item numbers, camouflaged in the name of snake dances. We are not complaining, however.

It’s a rainy night and Nizhalgal Ravi’s wife, who is in labor, is being driven to the hospital through the middle of a jungle. Ravi finds an abandoned temple and stops the car. Divine intervention happens and a snake emerges to ring the temple’s bells to usher in the villagers for help. Thus, with the help of the snake, Mumaith Khan is born with a birth mark of that of a snake.

On the other side of the story, Nalini performs a yaga to obtain a precious stone that is supposedly born out of union between two cobras. Her gang manages to shoot one cobra and seize a stone but the other stone could not be captured since the second cobra escapes unhurt. She unleashes fury by using Mumaith as a medium and wreaks havoc in the lives of the evil men who are after the supposedly powerful stone.

The story is quite rundown and albeit falling in the fantasy genre fails to convince the viewer, or rather makes the viewer forget the fact that the plot is ridden with loopholes and devoid of any clever twists. And the computer graphics do not stun, nor are they very substandard; especially the one in which a road is seen transmogrifying into hundreds of snakes. Few of those scenes and Mumaith Khan are the pluses of the movie that otherwise turns just plain predictable.

So watch it if you must, but for Mumaith alone. She doesn’t let down her fans; there are a couple of her dances. She is at her gyrating best in those songs and does not give her fans the guilt of their lives for having spent money on the tickets to see her in a full-length feature film.

Verdict: Mumaith hisses!

Moviefilm.in Rating : 2/5
Starring: Mumaith Khan
Direction: Kannan
Music: S A Rajkumar
Production: Bharath Cine Media

original article courtesy : BehindWoods.com

Debutant Kathir plays a hopeless and cantankerous guy whose short temper almost costs him his love. Kathir slacks in his studies and ends up being a no-gooder. Arundathi is his childhood sweetheart whose parents refuse to get her married off to Kathir for obvious reasons. Kathir is in a need to prove himself and upon Arundathi’s insistence, goes to Chennai in search of greener pastures. He befriends another girl, secures a big fat loan, gets into a restaurant business (as simple as that indeed!) and makes big money.

But all is not well with Arundathi, who is forcefully married to another man in Kathir’s absence. Arundathi does not take it lightly and hacks her husband to death. This eventually sends her to the prison. Now what will happen of Kathir? Will he wait till she returns?

With a storyline like that, the movie could have fit anywhere between the 70s and the late 80s. But blame our stars; we stand witness to a melodramatic and twisted tale of women falling for men who are supposedly good at heart but still good for nothing other than wooing them. Time and again! And it’s not only a singled out case. We are a jinxed audience and the director probably thinks this is what we deserve.

There is lots of scope for Kathir to improve in terms of performance and everything while Arundathi can shine in the hands of an able director and a good role. The movie, as such, wallows in melodrama so much that you stop caring for its actors; and most of it seems forced as well.

In the otherwise dismal state of affairs, the songs are just above passable in Bharani’s music. Director Senapathy Magan might want to do a reality check as to how life is lived in villages. For one, girls from the villages are not naïve enough to squander their lives for unreasonable and foolish men. It’s mortifying even to think!

Verdict: Amman Koil Kilakaale meets Kilakke Pogum Rail!

MOVIEFILM.IN RATING : 1/5
Starring: Kathir, Arundathi
Direction: Senapathy Magan
Music: Barani
Production: S.A. Chandrashekhar

COURTESY : ORIGINAL ARTICLE BY BEHINDWOODS.COM

Shankar’s mega budget science-fiction movie Endhiran audio release will take place on July 18th. Endhiran stars Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai in the lead roles. Endhiran distribution rights was purchased by Sun Pictures.Oscar award winner A.R Rahman has scored music for the film Endhiran and it has created lot of expectations among fans.Endhiran made at a cost of Rs. 165 crores, the film is expected to be made on the highest ever film budget in Indian cinema, surpassing that of the 2009 Bollywood film Blue.

The prolific Vairamuthu seems to have unleashed his creative juices for Endhiran. He recently revealed to a tabloid that he has penned 3 songs for the movie. With Endhiran he has explored his scientific side in Tamil, he said. The lyrics of the song ‘Vannathupoochi kaalgalaal rusi ariyum, inda kaadal poochi kangalaal rusi ariyum’ stand proof for this fact.

Of the other two songs in the anvil is one that describes how violent a scientist’s love can get. This, we assume, is written on Rajini’s character which is a scientist. Endhiran also has another song by Vairamuthu that delves on the making of the robot. A user manual of sorts. Well, we are all ears.

“Robovukku thaai mozhi kidayaadhu, thandhai mozhidhaan undu…” – This line seems to have impressed Rajini greatly. On hearing the song, Rajini is said to have called the poet to his voice and voiced his admiration. How could the poet think like this? The director also has a part in this, answered the poet modest.

The girl seems to be at extreme discomfiture due to their presence and also seems to fear pretty grave consequences if she were to publicly cry out for help. But, she smartly tries to grab the attention of people around her by dropping off notes that detail her predicament and ask for help. But, as one would expect, the odds of someone noticing these are very slim. And, even if someone happened to notice and read these small notes, the chances that they would take it seriously and arrange for help are even more minimal.

But, why is the girl stuck in such a situation and who are those 3 brothers who keep hounding her all the time. As the movie progresses, we are told the reasons for all this and it is also revealed that there is a fourth brother who has lost his mental bearings. His condition is also connected to the girl’s predicament, in a very unfortunate manner. So, how does the hero get involved in all this and how are issues sorted out? That is what Milaka is all about.

There is no doubt about what the makers of Milaka have envisioned: nothing ground breaking or novel, but a fairly enjoyable commercial ride through Madurai which has its share of uniqueness, clichés and stereotypes in equal measure.

Bollywood cameraman Nataraj makes his debut as hero with Milaka and has done a fairly neat job of being the typical Tamil male lead. Poongodi, the damsel in distress, too is convincing, especially in the initial portions. The rest of the cast remains true to the typical Madurai style and slang, with which we have become very familiar thanks to a whole lot of films that have been made with the same backdrop. However, the surprise element comes in the form of director Singam Puli (Mayavi fame) who handles the comic department in Milaka. His characteristic Madurai accent and seemingly natural flair and timing for comedy have worked well to produce enjoyable lighter moments on screen. He stands to get more such opportunities in future.

On the technical front, Milaka has nothing much to boast off, all departments functioning fairly well according to the requirements of the movie. Sabesh Murali’s music fails to add any strength to Milaka, there is not a single tune that catches the audience’s attention.

Milaka is a film that makes not attempts to hide its intentions to be a full on commercial, loaded with all that is considered to be part of regular Kollywood masala fare. But, it is not only about those stereotypes, there are interesting moments and twists which stop the movie from being another cliché fest. Watch Milaka if you don’t mind the masala which coats the pretty interesting basic plot.

Rating : 2/5 – Less Spice more Masala watch it if you have nothing else to do in life….

original credits to behindwoods.com

Owing to its mammoth budget, Eros International decided to drop the project earlier during the recession period after which SUN pictures took it over. Endhiran is reportedly made at a whopping budget of Rs. 190 crores, the highest ever budget for a motion picture in Indian cinema. Oscar winner A R Rahman scores for the movie, which is co-written by the late writer Sujatha.

SOURCE CREDITS TO BEHINDWOODS.COM

The villagers’ attempt to bring the two together fails miserably and the girl gets married to another hopeless bloke. Now Ravi becomes destitute and seeks penance for having deserted the love of his life.

It’s not only that the director has included many obnoxious scenes in the movie; in the name of twists he has packed it with malicious content. Although there was no justification for those scenes, the fact that he used such scenes makes a huge difference to the movie’s social standing.

You don’t tend to remember any of the performances by the end of the movie, no matter how emotionally dramatic the scenes were. Mainly because Thittakudi has no heart in its right place and comes across as rather hollow.

Director Suntharan probably wanted to give some sort of social message with his movie but the way he scripted the screenplay, the movie sounds more like a wannabe sensationalist. If loose morals that make people lose their minds and do pretty awful things do not count for sensationalism, what else will?

Movie Film Rating : 1/5 – Horribly Portrayed characters with a wierd script….