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Petta Review

Petta Review – Petta is a Tamil action drama released in 2019. Kaali an elderly man joins as a temporary hostel warden in an arts college. There seems to be a hidden agenda behind his move which forms the core plot of Petta.

Petta, a fanboy film of Rajnikanth works its magic in bringing back many nostalgic memories of Rajnikanth movies in terms of shots, action blocks and situations. One big thing that it misses out is on the emotional connection to the character played by Rajnikanth on screen. Barring that it is an out and out entertainer. Like as in flashback sequences for Shankar, twists have become the regular feature in director Karthik Subburaj’s films. Personally, for me, the twists haven’t worked while it seems to have worked with many audiences. The twist of the tale in Jigarthanda and Pizza too did not work for me.

Petta’s first half is a wholesome entertainer, it has comedy, love, action sequences, songs, Thalaivar Swag all making it very enjoyable. The second half narrates an entirely a different story on a different canvas, that almost makes the first half irrelevant to the whole plot. The high orchestration builds up music is generously used in the second half BGM that might have worked well for the first day first show crowd but becomes cloying and making the climax appear to be elongated one. As it has been touted to be the second Baasha of sorts, I can’t resist doing a comparison to the old cult classic which again portrayed a dark side of Rajnikanth. But the first half characters lead back into the flashback as well and when the story connects back all of them are still relevant. That made you connect with the purpose of the lead character. That missed in Petta.

Besides the flaws, Petta is still a well made Tamil film that has many brilliant portions that would make you watch it again. First and foremost is the villaneous avatar of Rajnikanth and he plays it with so much ease and brings a terror on the screen as he gets involved in fights. It was refreshing to see Simran on screen after a long time. You just wished she had more screen time. Nawazuddin is the ideal choice for the Villain, the role is tailor made for him and he plays it to perfection. If you remove the fan flair of Petta, there is a raw gangster tale beneath it, that seems to be a very powerful one and left unexploited for the want of a breezy first half.

High Points: Rajni’s presence, the interval block, entertaining first half, the market fight scene, a Flashback sequence, inclusion of Simran

Low Points: Overuse of the build-up BGM, Twist after twist just for the sake of it

Overall, Petta is a true fanboy flick that captures all fanboy moments in a Rajni film. Lack of emotional connection to the main character makes it fall short of being a milestone movie. Yet there is lots to look for in Petta.

Worth a Watch

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

Vikram Vedha Review

Vikram Vedha Review – Vikram Vedha is a Tamil Neo Noir film directed by the duo Pushkar and Gayathri. The film released in 2017. The plot is akin to the folklore tales of Vikram and Vethal where Vikram was a righteous king who set out to the deep dungeons to capture Vethal. Vethal kept telling him tales where the lines of right vs wrong were blurred. In the end, the Vethal asked a riddle as to what is the right thing to do. Once Vikram answered it escaped. The movie starts with the animated version of this and the story has the same theme with a police officer and an encounter specialist Vikram after a deadly gangster Vedha.

Madhavan plays the role of the encounter specialist Vikram and  Vijay Sethupathi plays the role of Vedha. The plot is definitely a very interesting one that can keep you glued to the seats. Vijay Sethupathi has literally rocked the show in his role as Vedha. From a characterization perspective, this is written strongly as well and has a good character arc. Madhavan too has equally performed well in bringing out the demeanor of an encounter specialist.  The movie starts with what appears to be a casual outing for the police team and ends in a deadly encounter mission.  Very nicely done and it sets up the tone of the movie and establishes Madhavan’s character very well. Even before Vedha appears on the screen there are tales about him which establishes him as a deadly demon. And when he appears it stays up to the expectation. When he narrates the first story it is quite gripping and the twist of his escape from the situation is also well planted. The movie had been extraordinary till this point.

Post this there are more occasions he narrates the story to Vikram but quite unsure as to why Vikram listens to it patiently. He is shown to be a cop who doesn’t take even seconds to leave the bad people alive. Why does he have to listen to Vedha is still a question. When Vedha knows he would escape from the situation why does he have to tell a story to Vikram is also not established well. We did not know why Vethal told stories to Vikram as well isn’t it. That’s the only analogy I could draw for this.

Shraddha Srinath and Varalakshmi’s roles help in moving the story forward.

High Points: Vikram and Vethal as a plot device, Vijay Sethupathi and Madhavan’s performance, The initial story narrated by Vedha, The background score, and cinematography.

Low Points: The screenplay has many loop holes in the second half and it is hard to reason out why Vikram’s and Vedha’s behavior changes.

Overall Vikram Vedha is a Flamboyant and stylish encounter that would make you whistle at many moments. If you are able to ignore the loops holes in the screenplay you would enjoy this very much.

Worth a Watch

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

Kavan Review

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Kavan Review – Kavan is a Tamil thriller released in 2017.  Thilak an aspiring Television anchor takes on the task of exposing an unethical practice of the media to sell news.

(Since IPL 10 has started I have used cricketing metaphors :))

Director K V Anand has batted in his home turf. He has also eliminated some of the mistakes in his recent movies. Instead of playing defense there are sixes flying all over the park in the first half. What happens to a match that starts so exciting and a wicket falls? Even some good stroke play gets boring. Kavan’s wicket falls in the interval block. The second half becomes a customary end to the proceedings with some cliched twists.

The first half of the story not only introduces the main characters of the plot but also introduces what happens in the media world to the audience. The tiff between the two lead characters, the social issue all of them adds extra flavour to the whole scene. The only flaw you could point out is some of the elaborate scenes of the reality show and lengthy TR dialogues could have been made crisp. Nevertheless, it is an entertaining first half and sets up your excitement for the second half.  K V Anand also has teased the audience with a dramatic interval block but reverses it to what fits in with the story.

The second half is a let down for me. Although the social issue takes the center stage, the script runs out of ideas for moving the story adding additional knots and removing them very convincingly. Everything looks a bit artificial. In the climax scene, there is no tension at all as you know the hero is going to win as he has the upper hand. If you had empathized on the villain you might have some thrilling moments here.

Coming to the checklist of KV Anand, many of it is fulfilled in this one like a party song, romance on the top of a high mountain peak, KV Anand trolling himself, a social issue. But for one thing having a song after the death of a character.

High Points: Very engaging first half, the core plot of exposing unethical media practices, Vijay Sethupathi and Madonna Sebastian’s screen presence.

Low Points: Lengthy dialogue scenes, Cliched second half.

Overall Kavan would be a treat for masala movie lovers where you want to watch a movie without thinking anything. Hence this gets a Worth a Watch verdict.

Worth a 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

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

Kadhalum Kadanthu Pogum Review

Kadhalum Kadanthu Pogum Review – Kadhalum Kadanthu Pogum is a Tamil comedy-drama released in 2016. The movie is an official remake of the Korean movie My Dear Desperado. Yazhini a woman struggling to find an IT job has a  weird neighbour who is a gangster. The plot of the movie revolves around the two characters and an unexpected relationship that grows in between them.

Reputation from the previous movie and its associated expectation can spoil the fun. Many directors suffer from this and they tend to recreate a similar tale that had worked in the past. However, director Nalan Kumarasamy has moved away from a dark comedy to a breezy comedy-drama.  This is definitely in contrast to his previous outing. If you were to take away the expectation and don’t compare it to Soodhu Kavvum you would appreciate the movie.

There is a good 50 minute spent in building up the lead characters and one would experience a slight sluggishness in the proceedings. However, it eventually picks up and engages with the audience. The big plus for the movie is the contrasting behaviors of the lead pair. This hero doesn’t bend down and pick up the fallen items to help the heroine, he pays the bill in the restaurant but later gets the money for the items she had eaten. Such sequences make the movie stand out from the typical run of the mill romantic drama.

Vijay Sethupathi has performed well as usual. His character does bring in the shades from Naanum Rowdydhan in few instances. Madonna Sebastian is eye candy in the movie and she sure has created an impact in her entry into Kollywood.

High Points: The characterization of the lead pairs, No unnecessary frills attached in the screenplay, The sequence where the gangster ends up for an IT job interview. Vijay Sethupathi’s performance and Madonna Sebastian’s cuteness.

Low Points: Vijay Sethupathi’s character has shades from Naanum Rowdydhaan, Slow screenplay during the build up phase.

Overall Kadhalum Kadanthu Pogum is a feel good drama that might be slow to begin with but eventually would reach your heart.

Worth a Watch

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

Naanum Rowdy Dhaan Review

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Naanum Rowdy Dhaan Review – Naanum Rowdy Dhaan is a Tamil comedy film released in 2015. Pandian, son of a police inspector aspires to be a Rowdy. He falls for a hearing impaired girl Kadambari who seeks vengeance with a real rowdy for killing her mother. Will Pandian be able to help her and become a real rowdy is the story of Naanum Rowdy Dhaan.

“நானும் ரௌடி தான் (Naanum Rowdy Dhaan)” is one of the famous dialogues from Vadivelu which is already established with Tamil movie audience. Director Vignesh Sivan has chosen this as the title for his movie which  is very apt for the character of Pandian.  As you would expect from the movie, the story doesn’t get a bit serious at any point in time. Right from the first shot till the last the entire narration is handled nonchalantly. Parthiban is a big strength for the movie and his performance stands out compared to the others. The second notable performance is the dialogues of RJ Balaji. Apart from this the performance of Vijay Sethupathi and Nayanthara are not up to the mark in comparison to what they are capable of. In particular, I was a bit disappointed by Vijay Sethupathi’s performance. He seems to be disconnected from his character in many places.

George William’s cinematography is a big plus for the movie. He has captured the beauty of Pondicherry very well.  Apart from this everything else in the movie is just above average to keep the audience engaged. Editing and continuity lag in many places cause an unpleasant effect.

High Points: The plot of the movie is entertaining, Cinematography of George, Parthiban’s performance

Low Points: Patchy continuity in many places, average performance of Vijay Sethupathy and Nayantara

Despite the flaws, this is still an engaging entertainer that you can watch without much thinking.

Worth a Watch

 

Comedy, Drama, Genre, Rating, Worth a Watch

Orange Mittai Review

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Orange Mittai Review – Orange Mittai is a Tamil comedy film released in 2015. Satya an EMT (emergency medical technician) receives a call to pick up a person suffering from heart attack. But the journey to the hospital is not an ordinary one.

This is an abstract experimental film that touches upon so many aspects of life and realities of life in many different places. We should appreciate the team for having tried giving a new movie to the audience. It was a pleasure to see a movie without a kutthu song, bar scene, below average slapstick comedy and build up sequences. All these end within an hour and forty minutes.

Vijay Sethupathi has performed very well as an old man. Not many actors would dare to do such a role in the early time of their career. The way he has modulated his voice and establishes his egoistic authority right from the first scene is definitely very powerful. Director Biju Viswanath known for taking up off beat subjects has yet again been successful in that.

The film touches upon many social issues. In particular the distance they travel to get medical facilities is quite astounding. The fact that the ambulance is not able to reach the doorstep of the person is showed in a very humorous way. Life is much beyond the rules that the society lays upon you, it is all about the journey and you are the only one who can control your life is a message that came through to me throughout the movie.

The screenplay has few weak points. First and foremost you may not connect or travel with any of the characters in the movie. It had to be established strongly for a deeper engagement. The first half of the movie seems to have been dragged to make this into a full-length feature film.

The first look poster depicted a larger than life godly costume for the lead characters, which was quite not the way to prepare the audience for this movie.

High Points: Acting performance by Vijay Sethupathi, no unnecessary drama, length of the movie, Experimental movie

Low Points: The movie may not have wide appeal due to its abstractness, Sometimes the events and hints are too subtle to create an impact

Overall Orange Mittai is a good effort in Tamil cinema industry. If you love experimental movies give it a try definitely. This movie would make you reflect back and draw your own interpretations much like seeing an abstract painting.

Worth a Watch

Trailers

Orange Mittai Trailer

Orange Mittai Trailer

Vijay Sethupathi’s next movie directed by Biju Viswanath Orange Mittai Trailer is released. The way the trailer is presented itself gives a taste of what to expect from the movie. This is expected to be a laugh riot on lines of Soodhu Kavvum. Watch the Trailer now.

Presenting a trailer without much glimpses from the movie is definitely innovative. Probably they did not want to give too much away. However the trailer reveals or hints on the following

1. The movie is of comedy genre

2. Vijay Sethupathi is playing the character of an old man

3. Three characters are travelling together in an ambulance

4. The film may not be just slap stick comedy but have mixed bag of comedy and emotions

5. The movie also stars Ramesh Thilak who had worked with Vijay Sethupathi in Soodhu Kavvum.

The trailer has definitely hyped up the expectations. Will have to wait and watch if it is able to stay up to the expectations it has set with the audience.

Comedy, Drama, Genre, Must Watch, Rating, Reviews, Tamil Movies

Pannaiyarum Padminiyum

Pannaiyarum Padminiyum – is a Tamil Comedy Drama released in 2014. A village head man falls in love with the Fiat Premier Padmini car left behind by his friend for few days. The car soon becomes a integral part of the family and the village. The film narrates a deep love between man and machine in a native backdrop.

Naalaya Iyakunar reality show has produced some gem of directors for Tamil Cinema. Director Arun Kumar joins the elite list. He has taken a simple joy of life and created a feel good entertainer. Right from the start of the movie you would find yourself laughing, smiling and connecting to many portions of the movie. Jayakumar and Thulasi are perfect fit for their roles. Vijay Sethupathi and Bala Saravanan have performed their part well. Tale of love between man and car has always been a successful formula like the Herbie series, Padikathavan (1985), Transporter, Ferrari Ki Sawari. Pannaiyarum Padminiyum recreates the magic once again in a different style and in a different backdrop. Watch the movie to feel good and come out with a smile.

Must Watch

 

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

Idharkuthane Aasaipattai Balakumara (Idhaaba)

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Idharkuthane Aasaipattai Balakumara (Idhaaba) – is a Tamil Comedy movie released in 2013.  One day in a wine shop three incidents happen. A Roadside Romeo who has been stalking a girl in the neighborhood is being interrogated and warned by a local goon. A young sales representative stressed out balancing the demands of his boss and his girlfriend’s expectations, is drinking with his friends. Two contract killers stab a man to death. The paths of all these stories cross and what happens is the rest.

The movie starts in a lighter note and travels with the three story lines in parallel and convincingly ends with a much needed social message. Director Gokul has done a good job in engaging the audience to a greater extent compared to his earlier outing with Rowthiram. The screenplay is brilliant and keeps the interest going on. The cast, music and the locations all fit in apt with the story line.

What you would like: Comedy, Social message, Engaging Screenplay

What you would dislike: Too much of wine shop

Overall the movie is definitely a good watch.

Watchable