Tag Archives: Venkat Prabhu

Masss or Massu engira Masilamani Review

Masss or Massu engira Masilamani Review – Masss is a Tamil supernatural thriller released in 2015. Masss alias Masilamani is a con man. While performing a con operation he and his friend meet with an accident and he starts seeing dead people from then on. He uses this to his benefit to perform more con operations.

It is an out and out Director Venkat Prabhu movie. I say this because post Saroja, Venkat Prabhu has been caught up with very stereotypical predictable, out and out masala movies that bank on the lead protagonist’s star value than any creativity in the story line. I still miss the engaging script, fresh creativity, comical timing he had created in Chennai 600028. Somewhere he has got into the mold of riding on the success of the jokes that had worked then. Excessive usage of same lines and comedy makes it just ordinary sequences. Also he would need to concentrate more on the dialogues. But for a few, most of the dialogues in the movie are very cliched. The only point in time I was very engaged with the script was during the interval block which had been executed well. Post that a lot of loop holes in the plot and continuity becomes a major distraction. A ghost is able to touch and move rods, wood but not able to touch money seems very odd. Many sequences in the movie would remind you of movies like Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Apoorva Sagodharargal. The main theme of the movie where the protagonist is able to see ghosts is very different and interesting but soon it becomes a 80’s revenge saga script spoiling all the uniqueness it tend to exhibit.

High Points – Difference in the theme for Tamil Cinema, Suriya’s presence, Interval block

Low Points – Repetitive sequences, illogical continuity, below average special effects

If you do not worry about logic and just want to pass time then Masss would not bore you. It is a movie that you could watch on TV when you don’t have anything else to do. On a lighter note, believing in ghosts might be far more realistic than believing in Venkat Prabhu’s movies 🙂

Wait for TV/DVD

Biriyani

Biriyani – is a Tamil thriller released in 2013. Sugan and Parasu stop at a road side restaurant to have biriyani. But they seldom realize this would put them into an unimaginable situation for being chased by police for a link to a murder and their family being targeted by goons. How they get involved in this situation and where they able to get out of it is the plot for the movie.

Director Venkat Prabhu known for coming up with some creative situations for Tamil movies has done it once again for biriyani. But it falls short of being as tasty as it claims to be. The screenplay is carved out the same template the director has done in his previous movies. There are – a group of friends, goons involved in heist, good cop and corrupt cops, business man wanting to more power, an item girl trying to woo the guys. A majority of the movie sails on the same lines. There is very little that can differentiate this from others. Karthi and Premji had tried hard to keep the audience engaged and have a hearty laugh… but their success is few and far between. Instead of falling into the trap of his previous plots if the director had spent efforts to perfect the script this biriyani would have been very yummy but it just ends up with more masala and less of taste.

What you would like: The visuals, the main plot, occasional thrills and laughter

What you may not like: Same old treatment of the screenplay, unrealistic and forced in sequences

Overall this dish might be enjoyed if you don’t crave for a biriyani and have it at home.

Watch on TV/DVD