Category Archives: Tamil Movies

Tamil Movie Reviews

Genre, Horror, Rating, Reviews, Tamil Movies, Worth a Watch

Pisasu Review

Pisasu Review – is a Tamil Horror movie released in 2014. A young musician tries saving a girl who had met with a road accident; she dies in the hospital when trying to tell him something. When he comes home strange things start happening at his home.

Director Mysskin has ventured into a new genre for himself. Pisasu has turned out as a very nice product at the end. The movie has a very convincing plot and very engaging screenplay. It is complete Mysskin show and you would see his trademark shot making as in his other movies. The long and continuous shots, characters spread out on the screen; dark shots with high tension are present in Pisasu as well.

Naga’s performance is very apt for the story. As his face is half covered with his hair there is an air of suspense in his emotions. This has worked well for the story. The climax of the movie has been done well. Certain aspects in the movies are left to the interpretation of the audience and you might feel it as incomplete at times like the visibility of the ghost when it appears and when it does not. There is also subtle humor in the first half of the movie when the three friends go on the search of finding ways to get rid of the ghost. The background score fits well for the screenplay.

High Points: With horror movies picking up in Tamil this cashes in as well, Screenplay is very engaging, performances by the lead actors, the twist in the tale, and horror story with a strong message

Low Points:  The visibility of the ghost has been used liberally and not consistent, thrills and chills are far apart

Overall Pisasu is a horror movie with a message. Its intent is not to scare you but to emotionally move you.

Watchable

Genre, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews, Romance, Tamil Movies, Thriller

I Review

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I Review – I is a Tamil romantic thriller released in 2015. A deformed, ugly looking man kidnaps a top advertising model on her wedding day and keeps her as a hostage in an unknown location. To her surprise he gets her favorite food and favorite clothes. Who is he why has he kidnapped her is the plot of I.

I is a show that is dominated heavily by Vikram’s brilliant performance and Shankar’s imagination. It is not a usual Shankar’s movie you would see. It has a different treatment than rest of his films. The first half in particular is more on the romance side and the second half is a thriller. Vikram has completely transformed himself for the three different phases of the movie. He has given his heart and soul for the movie. Be it the happy go lucky body builder, the remo-ish looking model or the hunch pack character he has fit in the bill of all these with ease and you would enjoy his performance throughout. Amy Jackson looks so beautiful in every frame and of course she has tried acting. The length of the movie is 189 minutes long which is definitely a negative point for the movie. The sequences in China in particular are very dragging and monotonous. Apart from PC Sreeram’s camera capturing the beauty of China there is nothing much to look forward to in this part. Probably this where Shankar might have missed Sujata to a great extent, the duo had created so many entertaining first halves. Around the interval phase the movie picks up momentum and from here on it transforms itself into what we call a Shankar’s movie. You would understand this once you see the movie.

High Points: Vikram’s performance and the struggle he had gone through in shaping himself for the roles is commendable and as he transforms there is a huge applause from the audience, Shankar’s imagination is outstanding the way he has structured the scenes, visuals and emotions are brilliant. He has literally taken a character that everyone would hate for its look and transformed into something the audience would cheer for, Songs are pleasant to watch with Ennodu Nee Irundhaal being the epitome of all of them, Stunt choreography is done very well as with any other Shankar’s movies. A R Rahman’s score fits well for the story.

Low Points: The length of the movie, the drag in the portions shot in China

Overall I may not be a path breaker in Indian Cinema but an effort that would be laudable for the performance, direction and visual effects. If you go with an very open mind you would enjoy it. I is beauty in acting, beauty in direction, beauty in visuals, beauty in music and a beauty in films.

Must Watch –Go for it

 

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

Kaaviya Thalaivan Review

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Kaaviya Thalaivan Review – is a Tamil drama released in 2014. The movie is set in the era of British rule in India during which stage plays were very popular. The plot revolves around two upcoming stage artists Gomathi Nayagam Pillai and Kaliappa.  Although Gomathi Nayagam dedicates himself, works hard to reach to fame Kaliappa seems to get everything easily meaty roles for acting, praise from the master, women he loves. This sparks jealousy in Gomathi Nayagam. What happens is the story of Kaaviya Thalaivan.

First of all, kudos to Vasanthabalan for making this movie. As in any Vasanthabalan’s movie the story is very intense and gets on track right from the first shot. Although the plot of rivalry and jealousy has been used in many movies, the entire thing set in the era of stage plays is brilliant. Lot of research has gone into recreating the elements of a stage play. A R Rahman’s music is soul of the film. Siddharth, Prithviraj and Nasser have performed very well. During the second half of the movie the pace lags a bit and at times makes it feel lengthy. It is a neat idea to bring in the elements of patriotic plays in the movie. However the reason behind Siddharth’s patriotism is not manifested well in the plot. Hence his entire transformation into a patriotic stage actor doesn’t create an impact.

High Points: Stage play drama, Acting of Siddharth and Prithviraj, Strong story line

Low Points: Pace and length of the movie, Siddharth’s affinity towards patriotism, Unless you appreciate the era of stage plays you may not connect with the movie

Overall Kaaviya Thalaivan is a very sincere and laudable attempt in Tamil Cinema. It is no doubt the best of Vasanthabalan movies so far. You can watch it for some brilliant performances and a creative story line.

Watchable

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

Lingaa Review

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Lingaa Review – Lingaa is a Tamil action drama released in 2014. The engineer inspecting Solaiyur dam is mysteriously murdered. Just before he dies he mentions that the village temple should be opened to save the village. The villagers have taken a vow that the temple should only be opened by the family member of Lingeswaran who had constructed the dam 75 years ago. Hence they go in search of the grandson of Lingeswaran. Who is this Lingeswaran and what has he done for the village is the plot of Lingaa.

Lingaa is a much awaited Rajinikanth movie after 4 long years. The expectations skyrocketed before the movie release and people thronged the theaters to catch the glimpse of their favorite hero performing in style. Well the movie is made with the objective to treat Rajinikanth’s fans thoroughly. The movie is fairly successful in its objective. Given that the movie was completed in six months period of time the output is definitely stunning and it should have taken a lot of coordination to get things right.

I watched the movie after the initial three days of comments and reviews. I went to the movie not expecting much from it. The initial forty five minutes of the movie was very dragging and slow, just when my hopes where dying the movie shifts to the past which is all about Lingeswaran. From that point on the movie grew on me and the magic of a Rajini movie came alive. The movie is very racy from this point till the customary climax involving some gravity defying stunts. Rajini movie would be incomplete without such a stunt :).

High points of the movie: Rajini’s presence, gripping story of Lingeswaran, Rajini’s acting as Lingeswaran, Stunt sequences which includes the train fight and the climax fight sequence, music in the second half, Cinematography involving the visuals of the dam

Low points of the movie: The jewelry exhibition sequence, lack of good comedy, substandard dialogues for the sequences in the present era

The climax fight sequence has got some mixed feedback. But given it is a Rajini movie the way they have imagined the climax sequence is pretty good. No other hero could pull it off. And worth noting is that they executed this in a very short period of time. Special kudos to Lee Whitaker for choreographing some fantastic stunt sequences in particular the train fight sequence.

The main story seems to be just of Lingeswaran set in the British ruled India. The modern period is bolt on to enthrall the first weekend crowd.

Overall Lingaa is an out and out Rajini movie and will enthrall all Rajini fans. If you are patient enough during the “Rajini fan only” sequences you would appreciate the main story which definitely has enough content to engage you well.

Watchable – for Lingeswaran

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

Appuchi Gramam Review

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Appuchi Gramam Review – Appuchi Gramam is a Tamil science fiction comedy film released in 2014. Oblivious to the fact of a large meteorite that could potentially destroy a village, people in Appuchi Graamam go about their routine life where village heads fight against each other, young men stalk girls, drunkards flocking the wine shop and misers saving more money and wealth. What happens when they become aware of the fact that their life might end in a day is the plot of Appuchi Gramam.

Director Vi Anand has taken a genre that is not prevalent in Indian cinema for his debut film. This fact needs to be appreciated. All of us would have heard about incidents where people believed that the world is going to end and react to it. Appuchi Gramam is a snapshot of it. The movie is a symbolism of the self-centered and materialistic nature of humanity where there is no care for people. The way in which the movie traverses with its plot is definitely engaging for most parts. The high points of the movie are the following scenes

1. When Subramani is bought back to the village from Police station.
2. When the first meteor strikes the villagers think it is the goddess and start worshipping it.
3. The spat between the two step brothers in the village
4. Meteors striking the village

The major drawback of the movie is the cast. As most of them are new comers their acting is not as convincing in many places. Thanks to some of the veteran actors to make up for the short comings. Some more work on acting and the dialogue department could have worked well. Comedy works for most parts but in few places it drags a bit.

The production quality of the movie is decent enough for a low budget venture. The music and the background score are pleasant. The movie has just enough ingredients to keep you engaged. Also the short length of the movie is another plus point as there is not much in the story.

Overall Appuch Gramam would deserve a watch from you and you would enjoy it sitting on your couch.

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Action, Can Skip it, Comedy, Genre, Rating, Reviews, Tamil Movies

Oru Oorla Rendu Raja Review

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Oru Oorla Rendu Raja Review – Oru Oorla Rendu Raja is a Tamil action comedy released in 2014. Azhagu and Michael are jobless youths who meet doctor Priya on a train journey. Azhagu instantly falls in love with Priya.  When they become aware of the social cause Priya is fighting for and the danger lurking over her life they decide to go to any lengths to save her and help her succeed in her cause. Will they succeed is the plot of the movie.

Oru Oorla Rendu Raja has a social message in its core. It seems to be the trend of voicing against the corporate depleting the environment and causing hazard to lives of people. The social message is the only factor of appeal in the movie. Director R Kannan has relied on some average comedy sequences to move the screenplay in which the entire social message gets weak. The comedy is also very forgettable but for very few punches. Vimal and Soori has repeated their template style of movies. Soori has played a dominant role while Vimal has underplayed his role. He should start trying to come out of his template to explore other areas in acting. Priya Anand has a good role to play in the movie. Sundari Penne song has been shot very well. If the director had given more weightage to the social message he wanted to convey rather than fitting the story to the stars it had the potential to become an interesting watch. Also certain shots and the detailing of the shots are just below average.

Overall the movie has very few pluses in terms of its social message and songs. Apart from that the movie falls into the trap of average comedy sequences which you might get to see in 24 hour comedy channels.

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

Thirudan Police Review

Thirudan Police Review – Thirudan Police is a Tamil action comedy film released in 2014. Vishwa gets his father’s job as a constable after his father’s death during an encounter. He doesn’t have any hard feelings as his father always has been strict with him. But as he learns the kind of difficulties a constable has to go through in his job he develops respect towards his father.

Thirudan Police is the first directorial venture for Caarthick Raju. He has taken up direction after working for creating visual effects for several movies. Given this is a first movie the end product has definitely turned out to be very decent. The first half of the movie is very engaging and revolves around the life in police quarters and the kind of life the lower grade officers go through which includes losing their self-respect on many occasions. All these are conveyed in a humorous tone which proves effective. The scene in which he has to buy fruits from a roadside vendor for free for the assistant commissioner’s family and in the end he fights with his conscience and pays out of his own pocket is a good one. There are many such scenes which make the movie stand apart from the rest. Till the complex knot is built and he realizes the sacrifice of his father the movie is very engaging but post that it slows down a bit. Although the director had a good plot built up he did not want to take the usual route of ending the climax in a dramatic fight rather he had chosen to stay different which may not appeal to many sect of the audience.

Attakathi Dinesh has performed his role well and this is a role that suits him well. Iyshwarya Rajesh does not have much role in the movie.

Overall Thirudan Police is more about police rather than the thief. Apart from minor glitches and the songs for the sake of songs Thirudan Police is definitely deserves a watch when you are at leisure.

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Action, Genre, Rating, Reviews, Tamil Movies, Thriller, Worth a Watch

Kaththi Review

Kaththi Review – Kaththi is a Tamil action thriller released in 2014. Kathiresan escapes from Kolkata Jail and reaches Chennai. Circumstances lead him to rescue his look alike Jeevanandam who is fighting for his village farmers from corporate not taking possession of their lands. He double crosses and let Kolkata police arrest Jeevanandam and he takes his place to make some quick money.

Director A R Murugadoss has delivered a movie with a strong social message like he had done in his blockbuster Ramana. The film’s core part is the social issue of farmers losing land to corporate jungle. However the plot has been tailored for Vijay’s star value to make it look big. In the process the movie builds up Vijay’s star value more than the essence of the message itself. Vijay is in his comfort zone and has played his part well and this one is sure to entice not only Vijay fans but also other movie lovers as well. Vijay’s role as Jeevanandam is done well. He is composed and the scene where he breaks down for his villagers brings out the actor in him. Samantha is just there is in the movie as tick in the box for the leading lady. The first twenty minutes of the movie is made exclusively for Vijay fans and would make you feel bored with songs and not so witty screenplay. Once the story starts dealing with conflict it makes it a very engaging watch. Neil Nitin Mukesh has played the role of the baddie very well. Songs are just about average and are a distraction to the screenplay. Thanks for not including many of them in the second half which doesn’t spoil the pace of the movie. The movie suffers from cliches we had seen in 7am Arivu like repeating the problems and social message too many times. This also makes the movie lengthy and after a while you would feel ok got it… what’s next. If such minor glitches could have been avoided and the first 20 minutes of the movie had been reduced it would have made the script even racier.

Overall Kaththi has all the ingredients of a larger than life masala movie that also tries to highlight on a social issue but gets lost in the star worship. If you are able to ignore the shortcomings there is lot more to look forward in the movie, which definitely makes it watchable.

Watchable

Action, Can Skip it, Drama, Genre, Rating, Reviews, Tamil Movies

Poojai Review

Poojai Review – is a Tamil action drama released in 2014.  Thandavam a finance company head runs a huge network for contract killers. He is growing into a unstoppable force in the city. Vasu a local money lender crosses the way of Thandavam while trying to save a honest cop from his men. The life of Vasu is not the same any more as Thandavam vows to Vasu and his dear ones. Will Vasu be able to save his dear ones is the plot of Poojai.

Director Hari is still within his safe perimeter for the story line. Villain gets up taking bath in a temple pond, hero has to save his family from the villain, everyone in the heroes family rely upon him as the savior and dare devil who can with stand any opposition than any other law and order force. Hari should realize that his perimeter is a small one and there is only so much you could do within it to make a new story. Just by changing the lead actors cannot guarantee you a new film.

For Poojai, I guess Hari had run out of steam very quickly. For me the movie ended much before the interval block. But he had created a entire big family for the hero to move the story past interval block and make it a very tiring long movie. The villain doesn’t look fearsome at all. The reason is that Vishal is able to knock him down anytime he wants. I still didn’t understand why he forgives him every time till the climax.

Vishal is pivotal to the movie and he is comfortable in his home ground. Sathyaraj has performed his role well and the way he walks around in the police costume is very commendable. But he is underutilized in the movie due to the ensemble of star cast. Shruthi Hasan is there just to decorate the screen. She has to improvise on her dialogue delivery.

Yuvanshankar Raja’s music is forgettable. Very few positives in the movie the comedy track by Soori and Paandi combo trying to do a spoof of Koundamni and Senthil is enjoyable in parts. The stunt choreography is definitely good as in other Hari’s movies.
Overall Poojai is a mixture of Saamy, Singam, Arul and few other movies directed by Hari. It has nothing new to offer and the story definitely seem to be decade old.

Can Skip it

Action, Classic, Drama, Epic, Genre, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews, Tamil Movies

Thalapathi Review

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Thalapathi Review – Thalapathi is a Tamil action drama released in 1991. The movie is an adapted version of the mighty king and warrior Karna from the great Indian epic Mahabharata. Surya born as an illegitimate child is abandoned by his Mom and left on a basket in a goods train. He is then raised by lower caste people living by a river side. He grows up to become a loyal friend and henchman for gangster Devaraj. Both of them run parallel government in the city while the lawmen await an opportunity to take them down.

Diwali of 1991 is unforgettable for me. I was down with flu and was sad for not able to go out to watch the much awaited release of Thalapthi which went on to become a cult classic and a blockbuster. The movie’s release expectations soared sky high with Director Maniratnam and Rajinikanth coming together for the first time. Popular actors like Mamooty and Amrish Puri sharing screen space.  The soundtrack of the movie was already a super duper hit with the Ilayaraja’s violin orchestra starting off the ever famous “Raakamma Kaya Thattu” song which later went onto become the 4th most popular songs of all time in a BBC worldwide service poll across the world. The ticket reservations began a week ahead of the release and the tickets for the first time I had seen did not look like a movie ticket but looked like a mini poster with Rajinikanth and Sonu walia’s dancing still. Finally once I got well I couldn’t wait but rushed to the theater to watch movie which was already declared to be a hit with repeat audience thronging the theaters.

Director Maniratnam is a brilliant story teller. He has taken the story of Karna and made it into a cult classic. Although the movie has been told so many times as part of the epic but still Thalapathi was a very compelling watch for the screenplay, the treatment, acting performances, star cast, music, cinematography and direction. Everything was set so perfectly for this movie that made it an evergreen hit. For the first time the Tamil audience saw a very different performance from Rajinikanth. Although the story had much of the commercial elements that you would want in a Rajini movie, this one had everything in a very convincing fashion and the scenes brought out various emotions from Rajini. Be it fighting with rage, shouting out emotionally to his girlfriend, caring for his best friend, melting for his mother’s love Maniratnam got the best out of Rajinikanth after K.Balachander. He rediscovered the actor who was lost in the color of commercial cinema. The dialogues of the movie are of top notch. The sequence where there is meeting between the collector, SP, Devaraj and Surya is impact full with circular tracking shot. The movie released in 70mm which made everything on the screen look magnificent. There is never a dull moment in the movie.

Overall the movie is a feast for all movie lovers and still stands the test of time.

Must Watch – Epic

Action, Genre, Rating, Reviews, Suspense, Tamil Movies, Thriller, Wait for DVD/TV

Aal Review

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Aal Review – Aal is a Tamil action thriller released in 2014. This movie is an adaptation of the Hindi movie Aamir released in 2008. Amir is settled well in his life happily. But one day he finds his family held as a hostage and he would need to follow instructions from some unknown person on phone to save them.

The movie states itself to be an adaptation of the Bollywood movie which is good and if you have seen the original you know what to expect from this movie. However there have been some minor variations in this script. The plot of the movie itself would connect only to a niche audience. If you see from the plot perspective and how the movie is executed it has been done well. Debutant director Aanand Krishna has done a good job with the adaptation. The most striking feature of the movie is the environment in which it is shot. It covers many of the below poverty line locality where the meaning of life is much different than the one you see in the middle class or upper middle class locality. This is very apt to suit the mood of both the movie and the main protagonist who is a middle class person. The movie opens at Elephant Gate (Yaanai Kavuni) in Chennai where a chase sequence is shown. This is done very well. So is the entire Chennai portion of the movie which is covered in similar areas.

Vidharth has done justice to his character. He looks stylish in this movie and as the movie builds up his character transforms into a desperate, confused individual. Songs are few in this movie and good that they haven’t used it during the main portion of the movie which otherwise would have been a major distraction. The love angle to Vidharth doesn’t seem to fit very well and barely has a significant connect to the plot. The dialogues are just about average. For a script of this stature some powerful dialogues could have proved to be a plus point.

Overall Aal is a decent adaptation of its original. But for a few flaws the movie is definitely gripping and the way the environment itself is used as a character in the movie is very good. You can watch this one at home.

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Can Skip it, Comedy, Genre, Horror, Rating, Reviews, Tamil Movies

Aranmanai Review

Aranmanai Review – Aranmanai is a Tamil horror comedy released in 2014. The owners of a old palace get together in the palace after many years to sell the palace. But things go awry when they encounter an evil spirit in the palace that kills people.

Off late the genre of comedy horror is becoming popular in Tamil Cinema. Movies like Yaamirukka Bayamey did well in the box office. However Aranmanai fails to capitalize on this as it is caught somewhere between a comedy and a serious horror drama. It neither gives you the chills and the thrills not it makes you laugh. The overload of cast and characters leave very less scope for many of them. Only the three leading ladies and Sundar C has some role to perform in the movie. The movie employs plots that would have worked well in the 80s and 90s. Also the length of the movie is very long and makes you very tired and exhausted. If the director had cut down the length, few characters and stayed away from the clichés of age old formula the movie might have been a decent one.

Overall it seems to be a mash up of Sundar C and Rama Narayanan’s movie that may not work well for the present time.

Can skip it