Category Archives: Drama

Drama, Genre, Other Languages, Rating, Reviews, Worth a Watch

After the Storm Review

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After the Storm Review – After the Storm is a Japanese drama film released in 2016. Ryota, a prize-winning author, and a private detective wastes money and cannot make ends meet to pay for his child support. He gets to spend a night together with his family on a stormy night, the night brings in a change in him.

I got to watch this one in Bangalore International Film Festival.  The movie very beautifully narrates the events that happen in the between the members of the family. The screenplay spends some time to establish the characters, their habits and the problems in life. It gets very intense once it has all of them inside the house during a storm. The movie touches upon many things including the addiction to gambling, self-centered parenting, kids craving for love from the parents. The memories of Ryota’s childhood brings back a new perspective into their life.

Kirin Kiki has performed very well as Ryota’s mom and she steals the show. I had liked her performance in An and I could see the same level of intensity in this role too.  Hiroshe Abe has also performed well. His transformation from a gambling addict has been portrayed well. Amidst of all the chaos, there is still a lot of humor that will make you laugh.

High Points: Very strong plot is a strength backed by the performance of Kirin Kiki and Hiroshe Abe. The night the family spends at home is a high point.

Low Points: The first half seems a little drag as the movie establishes the lead characters.

Overall After the storm is a movie that will touch your heart and bring in new reflections over life. You can watch it for the strong performances of the lead characters and the sweet message it carries.

Worth a Watch

Biopic, Drama, Genre, Hindi Movies, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews

Dangal Review

Dangal Review – Dangal is a Hindi sports biopic released in 2016. The movie is based on the real-life story of wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat on how he had coached his daughters to compete and win in the international arena.

In the past few years, there has been some successful sports biopic released in India.  Dangal not only joins the list but sets a new benchmark. Aamir Khan steals the show by playing the role of the wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat. He breaks all the stereotypes and peer pressure of making a movie that idolizes a hero with mass elements. As the real life hero he plays, he puts his daughters in front in the movie. There is also a scene in which he loses a wrestling match with his daughter. A scene that many superstars would dread to do in the current scenario. Also, his younger self with a fit avatar just appears for a couple of minutes in the entire movie.

The first half of the movie has been created with absolute creativity. Every frame has been crafted beautifully and has a great cinematic value. The opening sequence itself will hook you on to the lead protagonist. The screenplay has been made interesting with a careful mixture of emotions and humor. The use of Aamir’s nephew to move the screenplay through narration adds an interesting dimension to the movie and helps in introducing the main protagonist and his daughters very well.

The second half is like any other sports biopic with more focus on wrestling matches and has been executed very well.

High Points: Aamir’s performance, The opening sequence,  the first half of the movie where the girls get trained, their ways to avoid training going futile, the transformation they go through to fight male wrestlers. Interesting screenplay. Songs and the way they have been picturised. Direction by Nitesh Tiwari. Among everything is how the stereotype of a male-oriented subject has been broken.

Low Points: There are no much low points in the movie, the emotional melodrama in the climax could have been kept low. 

I was bit let down after watching Sultan for the way it had typecasted women to sacrifice life for her man’s dreams. Dangal has completely removed it by breaking the stereotypes. Kudos to Nitesh Tiwari and team for belief in the script and executing with perfection. Probably the best sign off from Disney pictures in India.

Overall Dangal is a movie that will inspire you and nail the importance of sports and women empowerment. Go and watch it in the theaters with your family.

Must Watch

Comedy, Drama, Genre, Rating, Reviews, Tamil Movies, Worth a Watch

Aandavan Kattalai Review

Aandavan Kattalai Review – Aandavan Kattalai is a Tamil satirical film released in 2016. A young man named Gandhi runs away from his village and meets a broker to help him go to London to work.  However, his visa gets rejected. Was Gandhi able to go to London? This forms the rest of the plot.

Director Manikandan once again has portrayed desperation of a common man so beautifully in Aandavan Kattalai. The script is full of satire. It not only makes you laugh but has a very strong statement against middle-men. The characters of Gandhi, his friend Muthu Pandi and news reporter Karmegha Kuzhali has been sketched very well. In particular, the first 40 minutes of the movie belongs to Yogi Babu playing Muthu Pandi role. His witty dialogues are a rib tickler. Post that there is a little bit of dullness in the script which again picks up once Gandhi meets Karmegha Kuzhali. The absence of Yogi Babu is filled by Vinodhini Vaidyanathan playing the role of a Junior lawyer.  The court scenes are hilarious.

The biggest strength of the movie is the script. Manikandan has touched upon many social issues surrounding middle-men. Not just the travel agent he also portrays a house broker who has left the job of a policeman in order to earn more money. Apart from this, he has also touched upon the issues of bachelor’s not getting a house, Srilankan Tamil’s,  loopholes in the court proceedings and so on.

High Points: The script, Yogi Babu’s comedy, Vijay Sethupathi, Rithika and Yogi Babu’s characterization, the social message to avoid middle-men.

Low Points: There are portions in between where the story gets a little bit dull but it picks up quickly.

Overall this comes as a complete package that will make you laugh and also think. A movie that you would enjoy watching with your family.

Worth a Watch

Action, Drama, Genre, Rating, Reviews, Tamil Movies, Uncategorized, Wait for DVD/TV

Rekka Review

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Rekka Review – Rekka is a Tamil action drama released in 2016.  Shiva helps in kidnapping a girl from her wedding against her wish. The groom happens to be a fearsome don and he awaits an opportunity to avenge Shiva.

Rekka is an out and out masala movie with some mindless action scene. If you are in a mood for watching a mindless action movie then Rekka will not disappoint you. But if you are going to the theater to watch a Vijay Sethupathi movie you might get a bit disappointed.

The movie has resemblances of action blockbuster Ghilli in many parts. They even show Ghilli scene playing on TV. This one just assumes unlimited power for the hero. There might be hundreds of men flocking together but not able to lay their hands on the hero when he elopes with the girl.  He just seems to be invincible. When he has such a power one has to wonder why he got into the trouble (as shown in the movie) in the first place. If you are able to forgive such mindless sequences there is a lot to enjoy in the movie.

High Points: Vijay Sethupathi’s presence, Masala elements for entertainment have set in well.

Low Points: But for the hero all other characters are too shallow, mindless action sequences.

Overall this is a perfect script for Vishal but starring Vijay Sethupathi. If you are in a mood for a mindless action movie then Rekka would not disappoint you, if not you can watch this when aired on TV.

Wait for DVD/TV

Action, Crime, Drama, Genre, Rating, Reviews, Tamil Movies, Worth a Watch

Kabali Review

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Kabali Review – Kabali is a Tamil gangster drama released in 2016. Kabali a gangster leading the Tamil group in Malaysia is released from prison after 25 years due to a crime scene where he lost his pregnant wife. As he sets to seek revenge on his enemies he learns his wife might be still alive.

Probably this Rajnikanth movie had a much greater hype than any of his previous movies. I decided not to watch it on the first day for multiple reasons, one with so much of overhype I wasn’t sure if I could write a balanced review. The other reason was Ranjith and Rajini had mentioned this would not be a usual Rajini movie and the most recent posters depicting Rajini in an emotional avatar I did not want to miss out the intensity lost when I watch it as an ardent fan of Thalaivar.

As expected the movie is definitely apart from standard Rajini movies. Still they couldn’t do away with some of the scenes that happen to be typical template of a Rajini starrer. The first 20 minutes of the movie gives what the audience need at the same time helps in moving the plot forward. Rajini’s costume, the style of his walk, the swag has come out very well and there is plenty to cheer about. As the movie progresses the plot gets grim and eventually turns into an emotional drama till getting back to the Gangster life. I enjoyed the gangster part of the flick for many reasons. I felt there was a deep influence of Scarface and it could become a cult classic. I did not like the emotional journey of Kabali and felt it was added just as a filler and did not move the story forward infact the emotional journey made his purpose of revenge more weaker. If you have watched the movie you would understand.

Kudos to Ranjith and team for pulling out a movie which had more chance for Rajini as an actor.  Radhika Apte, Dhansika, Dinesh, Kishore have supported well.

High Points: Rajini’s acting, his Swag, intense drama in the screenplay, Background Score, Flashback portions, Malaysian culture has been depicted well.

Low Points: The emotional Journey of Kabali did not help the plot much, Songs could have been better.

Overall Kabali is charismatic to hold you to your seats and keep you intense till the end. The minor plot holes could be easily forgotten when seeing the entire package. Ghost of Baasha would always haunt Rajini and his directors and we can’t do much about it. Only way to break this is to create movies like Kabali and Endhiran to bring out the actor in Rajinikanth. Go and watch in the theaters.

Worth a Watch

Comedy, Drama, Genre, Malayalam Movies, Rating, Reviews, Worth a Watch

Adi Kapyare Kootamani Review

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Adi Kapyare Kootamani Review – Adi Kapyare Kootamani is a Malayalam comedy movie released in 2015.  A young woman Adhista Lakshmi enters Men’s hostel for sake adventure with the help of a hostel inmate Bhanu. But getting out of the hostel without being caught doesn’t seem easier.

A very simple plot tied in with some of the nostalgic memories of a hostel is the strength of Adi Kapyare Kootamani. Guys who have lived in a hostel would be able to relate to many of the incidents in the movie. In particular, the scenes in which there are watch guards making animal sounds to announce the arrival of the hostel in charge, hiding liquor in the room, doing dance rehearsals, playing volleyball all would remind some evergreen nostalgic memories of a men’s hostel.

Dhyan Srinivasan, Aju Varghese, Namitha Pramod, Vineeth Mohan and Neeraj Madhav essay their roles well. Mukesh is a good pick to play the role of Father Alfred.

High Points: The plot is based on some nostalgic hostel memories everyone could relate to. The sequence of Father Alfred comes in for inspection amidst of many voice signals indicating his arrival is hilarious. The comedy has worked very well.

Low Points: There is a dramatic twist added to the movie in the end which does not seem to fit the script. They could have made an ending without getting a paranormal angle to it. There is no much scenes to establish the character of the lead characters in the movie but for Mukesh. Hence you might take time to connect to the characters.

Overall I found the movie to be very entertaining one. The comedy works well. The screenplay stays to the core plot. If you have spent some part of your life living in a hostel you would relate to this much better.

Worth a Watch

Comedy, Drama, Genre, Rating, Reviews, Tamil Movies, Wait for DVD/TV

Muthina Kathirikai Review

Muthina Kathirikai Review – Muthina Kathirikai is a Tamil comedy film released in 2016. Muthupandi is a 40-year-old bachelor who is aspiring to make it big in politics. He falls in love with a 25-year-old girl. His political rivals plan to spoil both his politics and love interest.

This is an official remake of Malayalam movie Vellimoonga. I loved the Malayalam movie for the humor element it had. Having Sundar C reprising the role of Biju Menon the movie looked interesting as we know Sundar C for comedy timings. However, the expectations fell short as I heard the title of the movie as Muthina Kathirikai. I felt that the makers have missed the core strength of the movie which is more about politics rather than the problem of a 40-year-old man finding a bride. Even the teasers emphasized on the romance portion than the politics. The Malayalam movie had a very apt title Vellimoonga (white owl) which represented the white kathar dress the protagonist wears and nails the theme as political drama in the heart of the audience.

If the audience goes into the movie expecting a romantic comedy they wouldn’t find one. This becomes the biggest weak point of Muthina Kathirikai. The part I liked in the Tamil movie is a sincere attempt to remake the original. However when the movie deviates from it and focusses on the romance portion it completely looks out of place. Also, I felt the cast of VTV Ganesh and his brother could have been done with different actors. They have definitely played their part well but having their names established as good comedians they don’t appear a big threat for Sundar C who could beat him.

High Points: The political drama part has come out well. Sundar C definitely feels comfortable in his zone of comedy. The comedy is definitely enjoyable in many places.

Low Points: Cliched Romance portions, Casting of the opposition leaders, The title and teaser of the movie could have emphasized on the political aspect of the movie.

Overall Muthina Kathirikai is unable to make a delicious dish, however, the dish is also not bad to discard if made at home. You could wait to watch this when played on TV.

Wait for DVD/TV

Drama, Genre, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews, Short Films, Tamil Movies

The Affair – Tamil Short film Review

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The Affair – Tamil Short film Review – The Affair is a Tamil short film released in 2016.  A 52-year-old man is having an affair with a girl half his age and his grown up children comes to know about it. How do they react is the plot of The Affair.

After Unakkae Uyiranen and Haiku Nee director Surrya Narayanan and the team has come up with yet another Tamil short film The Affair. The screenplay is very engaging right from the first frame. The length of the movie is just right to create the impact needed. The plot deals with something that is very intense in human emotions. The treatment of the screenplay keeps it simple and nonchalant which makes it a pleasure to watch.

The casting of the movie is perfect. Livingston and Anupama have performed very well. Anupama has performed so well and conveyed a lot without having to utter a dialog. The background score matches the mood and tempo of the movie well. The use of extreme close-up shots helps in maintaining the intense mood of the movie. Hardly you get to see the environment but for a few shots but still understand where these characters reside. It is done brilliantly.

High Points: The high point of the movie is the exchange of dialogues between the father and the daughter. For me, this shot sums up the plot well. Apart from this, the casting, screenplay, visuals, and background score have been done well.

Low Points: Not much low points to talk about 🙂

Overall The Affair is very soulful at its core and deals with human emotions in a nonchalant way. A tight screenplay and power packed performances make it a must watch. Watch it definitely when this releases for public view. Kudos to the team for pulling out such a soulful movie.

Must Watch

You can watch the full short film here

 

Action, Comedy, Drama, Genre, Malayalam Movies, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews

Action Hero Biju Review

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Action Hero Biju Review – Action Hero Biju is a Malayalam drama film released in 2016. The story revolves around the daily life of a local town sub-inspector in Kerala.

The movies title and trailer are a bit misleading for it to be a typical commercial cop drama. However the tagline “A ride with a police officer” is a more apt title. Nivin Pauly had switched gears after the blockbuster Premam to do a realistic cop drama. The word realistic is key because the movie is very simple and revolves around the day to day life of a cop. After watching the movie for 140 minutes you get a feeling of having been a spectator in a police station. You see the police officer trying to resolve the cases, adamant to not to submit before power, deal with emotional situations with a straight face as it is a routine, enjoy the music played by a convict. The conflicts are not dramatic like any other movie. Barring the last fight sequence, the movie is a sincere attempt to pay tribute to the cops.

The best part of the movie is the screenplay. It is almost like a theater where the next set of characters arrive to perform on the stage once the previous ones are done. Here the police station is like a stage. You see a plethora of characters including a local drug dealer, a stalker, a nuisance creator in public, a separated couple, a human right activist, a spoilt rich man to mention a few. Each of the characters adds an interesting facet to the narration. In many parts, you see parallel tracks going on a different case and each of them gets a logical resolution. The start of the movie creates the necessary suspense needed to glue the audience to the seat.

High Points: A sincere screenplay without any frills, Nivin Pauly’s performance as sub-inspector Biju, character sketches in various cases.

Low Points: I want to leave this blank to laud the effort of an honest film.

Overall Action Hero Biju is a movie for all movie buffs. The makers have proved how you can make an interesting movie without falling into the fray of items forced in for commercial reasons. I would recommend this to be a Must watch for the sincere script.

Must Watch

Drama, Genre, Guest Post, Hindi Movies, Rating, Reviews, Worth a Watch

Guest Post: Sarabjit Review

Guest Post: Sarabjit Review

Guest Post – This review is written by Ritu Verma working as part of SnapperBazaar

When the trailer of Sarbjit was released, people were really excited to know about the life of an unfortunate Punjabi who drunkenly ambled across his field to cross the Indo-Pak border which lead into his dreadful journey of torture and death. While the audience expected to see his ‘Jai Jai Shiv Shankar’ song transform into blood cuddling cries and whines, the movie showcased his sister’s character more often. Even the poster had Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in the lead and the expected main lead, Randeep Hooda, was shown in her shadows.

Sarbjit was ruthlessly beaten and tortured after being caught by the Pakistani police force who suspected him of being an Indian terrorist named Ranjit. He was drowned in water, left in a room full of rats who scrawled all over him, locked in a box and many more unspeakable acts of torture were done to him. While he was suffering in the prison, his sister Dalbir (Aishwarya) and wife Sukh (Richa Chaddha) struggled to get him back to India. Both of their efforts went in vain when officials of both countries did not pay much heed to their demands. The result being, an innocent Indian subjected to numerous mental and physical tortures and finally a merciless death.

Randeep’s performance is the sole thing that might make the movie ‘paisa vasool’. But less spotlight on him and more on Aish has lead into poor collections of the movie. The acting of the all the three leads is appreciable. The sorrow and pain in Sarbjit’s character was beautifully portrayed by Randeep and Aish and Sukh successfully managed to illustrate the pain of hopeful loved ones wishing to see their beloved brother and husband beautifully. The makeup and costumes were also up to the mark. The songs of the movie were soothing and appropriate for the storyline. Overall it is a good watch.

Worth a Watch

Comedy, Drama, Genre, Malayalam Movies, Rating, Reviews, Worth a Watch

Jacobinte Swargarajyam Review

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Jacobinte Swargarajyam Review – Jacobinte Swargarajyam is Malayalam family drama released in 2016. Jacob lives a very happy life with his family in Dubai. But as one of his business partner cheats him he has to flee to Liberia to avoid getting arrested and his son Jerry has to step in to pull the family out of crisis.

The movie is based on a true story. Director Vineeth Sreenivasan has attempted honestly to portray this as a family entertainer on screen. His effort needs to be lauded. The movie begins with sequences that are loaded with too many positives that it starts to become a cloying in some time. However once the characters are faced with the core problem it becomes very engaging.

Off late there are very less number of movies based on core family values are getting released. It was once very popular in the South film industry when likes of director Visu and V.Shekhar were making movies. It is definitely refreshing to see a movie built on family values after a long time. And to everyone’s surprise, it still works well with the audience.

The first half of the movie belongs to Renji Panicker and his character is built very well in front of the audience. Nivin Pauly has a lot of scope in the second half. This movie is in quiet contrast to Premam for Nivin Pauly, where he has to underplay for his character and does not bring out his heroism. Even in the scene where he and his brother pick a fight with the neighbor Nivin stays at the side to watch it. This is so true to the definition of the Jerry’s character being played. Nivin, stay like this forever and don’t fall into the fray of becoming a mass hero who is only destined to bash bad guys. Lakshmi Ramakrishnan has a very powerful role to play in the movie as well. She is the portrayal of woman power in the movie.

High Points: The movie based on a true incident, a plot revolving around core family values, Performance from Renji Panicker.

Low Points: Cloying screenplay at the first 20 minutes or so.

There are lot of positives in Jacob’s kingdom of heaven. Go with your family and you would enjoy this one more.

Worth a Watch

Comedy, Drama, Genre, Rating, Reviews, Tamil Movies, Worth a Watch

Aviyal Review

Aviyal Review – Aviyal is a Tamil anthology film released in 2016. This movie is a bouquet of four Tamil short films directed by different directors.

Anthology films are a boon to the film industry for multiple reasons. It gives opportunities for new talents to work with well-established artists. It also gives opportunities for well-established artists to experiment something new with a lesser risk compared to a full-length feature film. Aviyal is one such movie. Although the plot lines are something we might have seen or heard before, the treatment is fresh. Each of the four stories engages well with the audience. And as a special treat, the last one is directed by Alphonse Putharen starring Nivin Pauly and Bobby Simha.  I couldn’t pinpoint one movie to be better than the other as all the stories were equally good.

Indian government should support such anthology films to help identify and nurture new talents. This also serves as a platform to test some new treatment and genres with the audience, which can go a long way in making the quality of films better and profitable.

High Points: Short and enjoyable tale with a good sense of humor, Good performances from some of the new-comers. The short film by Alphonse Putharen starring Nivin Pauly and Bobby Simha stands out due to the star cast and narrative style.

Low Points: The movie was promoted with Nivin Pauly and Bobby Simha so people coming in for them would be disappointed as they feature only in the last film. The length of the movies could have been maintained at 20 mins to make it more engaging.

Overall Aviyal is tasty with all vegetables cooked well to give some true flavours. It also stays true to its recipe by not including too much masala. Support good cinema and budding talents by watching this one.

Worth a Watch