Maattrraan Movie Review

Maattrraan Tamil Movie Review, Maattrraan Movie Review, Maattrraan Review, Maattrraan Movie Rating, Maattrraan Movie verdict, Maattrraan Movie story, Maattrraan Movie climax, 

 


Cast : Surya, Kajal Aggarwal
Director : K. V. Anand
Producer : Kalpathi S. Aghoram
Banner : AGS Entertainment
Music : Harris Jayaraj
Cinematography : S. Sounder Rajan
Editing : Anthony
Rating : 2.5/5






 Mattrraan only promises the potential of actor Surya, but fails to arouse interest due to its stretched second half and lackluster narration.

When 45 winning Olympians of Ukraine die mysteriously in a plane crash in 1992, several years later, two Indians, the son of a huge milk powder manufacturing company and his girlfriend uncover information with regard to the plane crash. The couple, with the help of a Ukrainian scientist, should bring to light the truth that could possibly save some millions of lives in India.

All films of K.V. Anand to date have addressed some social problem. Likewise, in this film too, he addresses one of the raging problems our country faces today and barely seems to be doing anything about it.

There's absolutely no need to weave a story with conjoined twins, but writer Subha deliberately writes one to make the audience connect emotionally with the film. The relationship between the twins is poignant, funny and most importantly full of energy.

The idea to inspire the audience by including the social responsibility story is worthwhile. However, what doesn't impress is the hackneyed storytelling approach of the film. "Mattrraan" has as an interesting and humorous first half, but unfortunately the second half is a long and boring affair.

Surya is brilliant and carries his two roles that are poles apart with ease and conviction. Sachin Khedekar as a zealous genetic engineer fits the character perfectly and proves he was worth the opportunity offered. Thankfully, there are no comedians or separate comedy track, but that doesn't stop Anand to impress with few laughable moments. The inclusion of comedians would've added few more minutes to the running time and that could've definitely annoyed one and all.

Anand, who is known to make socially responsible films, should realize that the time has come to innovate. Nobody will stop a filmmaker from addressing a social issue, but he or she would be appreciated if it's presented in a story that's engaging.

Technically, the film was way ahead of the league, especially in the visual effects department headed by Srinivas Mohan, who made the conjoined twins look as real as possible. Editing by Anthony is satisfying, while music by Harris with visuals sounds better.

Verdict : One time watch, strictly for Surya

 

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English Vinglish Tamil Movie Review

English Vinglish Tamil Movie Review, English Vinglish Tamil version Movie Review, English Vinglish Tamil Version Review, Sridevi's English Vinglish Tamil Review, Ajith cameo review in English Vinglish, 

Cast : Sridevi, Mehdi Nebbou, Priya Anand, Adil Hussain
Guest Appearance : Ajith Kumar
Director : Gauri Shinde
Producers : Sunil Lulla, R. Balki, Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, R. K. Damani
Banner : Hope Productions, IBC Spotlight
Music : Amit Trivedi
Cinematography : Laxman Utekar
Editing : Hemanti Sarkar
Rating : 4/5








Sridevi may have just won the hearts of millions of middle-class Indian housewives with her flawless performance in English Vinglish. Every minute spent watching the film is worth the time we've all been waiting to see the actress back in action.
Sridevi plays Shashi, a middle-class homemaker with exceptionally good parenting and laddoo-making skills. Her only purpose in life has been taking extremely good care of her family despite being ridiculed by her own children and husband at her poor English-speaking ability.

Along the course, Shashi gets to travel to the US for a family wedding, where persuaded by an advertisement, she signs up for 'Learn English in 4 Weeks' crash course and what follows is best watched on screen.

The character Sridevi plays on screen is very close to the character she's been playing off-screen. She's returned after 15 years doing something that she was portrayed doing in the first half of the film. She was taking care of her own daughters all these years to date where she's certain that they don't need her support.

The language-speaking impediment was merely used as a tool to help the audience connect with the character on a more emotional level.
This is not the story of one Shashi, but thousands like her in this country who are subjected to daily embarrassment and looked at as an experienced hand only in the kitchen.

Debutante director Gauri Shinde deserves what many filmmakers don't even deserve in today's significantly changing Hindi cinema - a standing ovation. The biggest difference between Gauri and other filmmakers is the fact the she didn't expect Sridevi to return as a star, but as an actress she's always known and cheered for.
Sridevi trades her glamorous yesteryear look for a mature, homely Indian look covered in chiffon sari that will make every mother-in-law in this country look at her 'bahu' and say, why can't you be like her. You may discard Sri's character as very Indian, but it isn't because she plays someone who is blessed with the ability to enjoy life's smallest triumphs. This is the same quality that makes everyone root for her at every step.

Shinde-Sridevi tag team may very well be the best we've had in years and one can proudly vouch for that after watching the film.

The relationship between Shashi and Satish, her husband, is handled deftly by Gauri, as she succeeds in portraying a typical 'I'm the king of the family' type of role. The way Satish distances from Shashi without making it look obvious is a brilliantly handled role by Adil Husain.

The depth of their relationship is brought forth when Shashi asks him: "If you can casually hug your friend in a mall, then why I don't get to be hugged even when we are close to each other".

Gauri should also be appreciated for roping in two of the biggest superstars of Indian cinema in a pivotal role, Amitabh Bachchan and Ajith Kumar.
 
Ajith's cameo in the Tamil version certainly draws attention and gives his fans every reason to enjoy the film as much as everybody else. Ajith’s dialogue delivery and last punch line are relevant and significant. It's an impressive three minutes cameo indeed.

The film was loved equally by one and all because even after 15 years, Sridevi has command over her language, be it Tamil, Telugu or Hindi, and she speaks with confidence, while her shaky-shrill voice works suitably in favour of her character.

To sum it up, English Vinglish proves that language is only a mode of communication, but not something that can be used to divide people. As brilliantly shown in one scene which has Shashi venting heatedly in Tamil to Laurent, who replies in French, it isn't about language.
 

Verdict: Must Watch Film, Grand comeback by Sridevi

 

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Thaandavam Movie Review

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Cast : Vikram, Anushka Shetty, Amy Jackson, Lakshmi Rai, Santhanam and Nasser
Director : A.L. Vijay
Producer : Ronnie Screwvala, Siddharth Roy Kapur
Banner : UTV Motion Pictures
Music : G. V. Prakash Kumar
Cinematography : Nirav Shah
Editing : Anthony
Rating : 3 Star for 5


Vikram plays Shivakumar, one of the best RAW agents in India. He is happily married to Meenakshi (Anushka), an ophthalmologist with a mission to enlighten the dark lives of hundreds of blind people through her foundation.

Sarath (Jagapati Babu) is Shiva's best friend and the next best officer in rank who's been working on a case of national security. He gets shot while interrogating a suspect and gets admitted to the hospital.

Shiva takes over the investigation from Sarath and travels to London to dig up valuable information vital to the case. Unfortunately, things don't pan out the way they were supposed to. Shiva is double-crossed and is left with no option but to save himself by staying low.

Meanwhile, Meenakshi comes to London to surprise Shiva on his birthday, but she gets killed in a bomb blast, which also leaves Shiva blind.

As a blind man, Shiva should avenge the death of his wife.

The plot is simple and easy to predict, however Vijay gives it the touch of brilliance and makes it interestingly engrossing. The first 15-20 minutes of the film portray events that are confusing but later what unfolds is exciting to watch on screen. The tension in the film is not spine-chilling, but of a kind never seen before.

In short, "Thaandavam" as a film presents itself as an unusual revenge saga with all elements one would want in a film.

Now, having called the film an unusual revenge saga let me also tell you why it failed to be the best thriller of our time.

To begin with, the film could've been easily cut by at least 10-15 minutes by keeping Amy's role minimal. The story could've been humorously continued with Santhanam, as it was originally portrayed in the film.

Secondly, if one can't understand echolocation then definitely the probability of enjoying the film is bleak. Vijay only spends close to five minutes to explain the concept to the audience verbally, whereas ideally it should've been demonstrated. The lack of understanding of the concept by majority of the audience leads to mockery of the same, which is quite disheartening.

The best moments of the film neither happen in London nor Delhi, but in Shiva's village. The marriage scene is one of the best scenes liked by everyone.

Vikram packs a powerful performance in a role never seen before. His chiselled six packs definitely drew some attention. Amy, Santhanam, Lakshmi and Nasser deliver satisfying performances, while Anushka and Jagapati Babu live up to expectations.


Music by G.V. Prakash, needless to say, was uplifting and energetic. Shot in the picturesque backdrop of London, Nirav Shah's cinematography is classy and welcoming. Vijay's direction has definitely improved since his last film, but one can still feel some vacuum in his overall presentation.

In short, "Thaandavam" is a perfect long revenge saga.

Verdict : An unusual, entertaining revenge story.

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Sattai Movie Review

Sattai Tamil Movie Review, Sattai Movie Review, Sattai Review, Sattai Movie Rating, Sattai Movie verdict, Sattai Movie story, Sattai Movie climax, 

Cast : Ajmal Khan, Swasika, P. Samuthirakani, Thambi Ramaiah

Director : Anbazhagan

Music : D. Imman

Rating : 2.5/5



Sattai is loosely based on Sidney Poitier's 1967 classic "To Sir with Love", where a black teacher embarks on a journey to inspire and reform the lives of white students from the slums. Though not a frame-to-frame copy of To Sir with Love, Sattai deals with a similar subject, very close to the original.
 
In the Tamil version, Samuthirakani reprises Poitier's role with precision and elan. He plays a teacher of a government school and tries to bring about a change in the education system, consisting of students as well as fellow teachers.

Teaching comes with a heavy price and responsibility of not just ensuring cent percent results from students, but inspiring and imbuing reputable values in them such that they transform into responsible citizens of this country.
Samuthirakani plays Dayalan in the film with the shades of Gandhian principles. As a teacher, he's keen on adding difference to the lives of the students, while also successfully educating in a way they don't succumb to boredom.
The problems brought forth by the director are quite similar to what we see in most of the schools in the country. Big or small, size of the school doesn't matter because the problems that they face are common at some level.
                    
However, schools in the slums or villages, in particular, with meager resources have something bigger to worry about than their counterparts in the cities that are fortunately funded by corporate giants or privately-operated entities.
                    
Every aspiring teacher with the goal to see change administered is some way or the other challenged or opposed by a force. This force comes in many forms such as students, parents, principal and school management, and in some worst case scenarios, working colleagues as well.
                    
It reminds one of the role played by Aamir Khan in Taare Zameen Par, who is never encouraged by the management or parents, initially. Likewise, Dayalan is faced with the challenge of getting past a non-cooperative vice principal played by Thambi Ramaiah, to evolve as a winner with his path-breaking teaching methodologies.
                   
M. Anbazhgan as the man wielding the megaphone handles the subject bravely and he deserves to be appreciated for the same. Thankfully, the film doesn't stretch too long and comes to an end at the right juncture.
Samuthirakani, as the director-turned-hero, delivers an awe-inspiring performance. He carries his role with lot of sincerity and the same reflects on screen through his role. Kani's transformation into Dayalan is commendable and reminds one of the true ulterior motives of a teacher, which the actor portrays brilliantly.
Sattai deserves a standing ovation for handling a sensitive subject.

Verdict : A sensitive subject handled well 

 

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3 Movie Review

3 Movie Review, 3 Review, Three Movie Review, Three Review, 3 movie verdict, 3 movie rating, 3 movie story, 3 movie climax, 

Cast : Dhanush, Shruti Haasan, Sundar, Prabhu, Bhanupriya, Rohini, Sivakarthikeyan,..
Director : Aishwarya R. Dhanush
Producer : Kastoori Raja
Music : Anirudh Ravichander
Cinematography : Velraj
Rating : 2.5/5





The film “3″ is the maiden directorial venture of Aishwarya, daughter of Tamil movie icon Rajinikanth. Interestingly the film about three stages in the protagonists’ lives begins with a funeral shot, but the identity of the dead person is not clear initially.

The following scenes gradually reveal that it is misery struck Janani’s (Shruti) husband Ram (Dhanush) who is dead.

The stories continues with Janani’s memories opening up.

Ram, a class 12th student, falls in love with Janani whom he meets on the road. Janani hails from a middle-class family and they are going through a financial crunch, while Ram is the son of a successful businessman.

Janani tries to avoid Ram, given her family background and natural reaction of a teenage girl. Ram, however, follows her undeterred and finally wins her love. This flashback constitutes phase one of the movie.

Janani disregards her parents’ wishes and their dream of settling in the US after her college education to be with Ram. Gradually their parents accept their love and the two get married. Ram’s father buys a posh apartment for the young couple to live in. This is phase two.

After marriage, it is revealed that Ram suffers from bi-polar disorder. Ram’s friend Senthil (Sunder) finds out about his mental illness.

The doctor says that because of his illness Ram could be dangerous at times. So the friend decides to protect Janani from his unexpected emotional upheaval. They hide it from her. Senthil tries hard to cure his friend, while Janani struggles to cope up with Ram’s inexplicable behaviour. This is stage three of their lives.

What transpires later forms the crux of the story.

The first half is full of romance in scenes where Ram follows Janani, their midnight’s adventure romance on terrace, meetings at each other’s home in the absence of parents.

But there are many scenes that don’t go down well. For instance, a school girl going to bed with full makeup is not convincing. There are many such scenes, but they do not reduce the charm of the movie’s first half.

Excellent cinematography, Anirudh’s youthful background scores, Dhanush and Shruti’s chemistry and Aishwarya’s dialogues carry the movie forward.

The drama and emotion that ensues at Janani’s home after her parents oppose her relationship with Ram are beautifully portrayed.

But the movie falls flat in the second half.

It is an unwritten rule in Tamil cinema that if lovers are united before the interval, then in the later part either one of them dies or suffers from some disease. “Vazhve Mayam” and “Varanam Ayiram” are some of the examples.

Aishwarys’s “3″ is no exception. The hero suffers from a disease, but no valid explanation is given for that.

Hiding Ram’s illness from Janani is justified, but one wonders why Senthil didn’t approach Ram’s father who would’ve arranged for his treatment.

Post-interval, the movie never gets a chance to rise.

Dhanush and Shruti have performed well, both in romantic and emotional scenes. But their efforts have gone futile as audiences refuse to tolerate the same drama that they have already seen umpteen times.

Shruti looks beautiful. Dhanush was not playing a mentally disturbed person for the first time in “3″, and his acting has matured a lot.

Rohini has performed well. Sundar’s performance as Dhanush’s friend shows refinement.

More than Anirudh’s massive hit “Why this Kolvaeri”, “Kannazhaga” pleases our ears more.

The picturisation of the song “Kolaveri”, which went viral on the internet when released in November last year, doesn’t match up to its popularity.

Background music sounds good. Velraj’s cinematography has added a glow to the movie.

The director has attempted to show “3″ phases of life. Because of the pitfalls in the third phase, the movie falls apart.

Verdict : Stands between Joyful and serious love story

 

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Aravaan Movie Review

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Cast: Aathi, Pasupathi, Dhanshika
Director: Vasanthabalan
Producer: T. Siva
Banner: Amma Creations
Music: Karthik
Cinematography: Siddharth
Editing: Praveen K. L., N. B. Srikanth
Rating: 2.5/5




Vasantabalan, who made a name for himself by sensitively handling human lives and emiotions in his films, has come out with “Aravaan”, based on a novel by Su. Venkatesan, who won a Sahithya Academy award for the novel. The film was in the making for a long time.

Vasanthabalan has added his own flavour to the story that is set in 18th century Madras Presidency, as Tamil Nadu was then called. The movie is not about kings and kingdoms. It is not even about the British rule which was spreading its roots all over India during that period. “Aravaan” talks about ordinary people and their lives. It revolves around a few villages and communities, including the one which thrives on looting.

The story begins with a set of people led by Komboodhi (Pasupathy) set to steal some jewels from a rich family. The group belongs to Vembur village, known for stealing. During the course of one such heist by his gang, Komboodhi finds Varipuli (Aadhi), a lone robber, whose whereabouts are suspicious. Fascinated by Varipuli’s courage and amazing talents, Komboodhi adds him into his team.

Varipuli claims that he is an orphan and wins over the hearts of the Vembur inhabitants with his brave and good deeds. He once saves the life of Komboodhi, who gets some clue about Varipuli in the process.

Varipuli is hunted by a group of people belonging to a village called Mathur and it is Komboodhi’s turn to save him. Before we get to know if he could save Varipuli from the clutches of death, we get to see a flashback that reveals Varipuli’s past. His original name is Chnna and he is belonged to Chinna Veerampatti village, known for brave young men engaged in guarding the people from all kinds of dangers.

The village is at loggerheads with neighbouring Mathur.

An unfortunate incident in the village pits both villages against each other.

Circumstantial evidence makes Chinna Veerampatti culprits, though they have no connection with the incident. Both villages set for a bloody clash but an intervention by the local king finds a compromise. He says that a young man from Chinna Veerampatti village should be sacrificed in the temple to bring peace.

Chinna, like Aravaan in Mahabharat, is ready to accept the verdict to avoid blood bath. But turn of events saves his life however, people of Mathur are hunting for him with more vengeance. It is here Komboodhi tries to save him.

Kudos to Vasanthabalan for treading on an unusual path. He has got his homework right. The story is substantial and the script ensures smooth flow.

Boht the director and the scriptwriter have given attention to the details to portray the period well. The culture of the people has been shown well with precision. The dialogues are apt.

Vasnathabalan could have done better in the scenes that lead to climax. The way Aadhi escapes from the death looks dramatic rather than realistic. The sex worker angle seems to be imposed.

The length of second half tries our patience. Too many sub plots mar the impact. But the director has managed to ensure that the overall impact is unaffected.

The voice against death sentence echoed in the film seems to be out of place, as the movie doesn’t deal with death sentence but sacrifice (balidaan).

Aadhi enjoys the challenge of featuring in a period film. As the brave Varipuli, he proves his mettle. He has justified the confidence the director has placed on his acting prowess.

Seasoned Pasupathy gets into the skin of the character. His body language, expression, and voice are just amazing.

Others including Dhanshika, Archana Kavi, Singam Puli, Thirumurugan and T.K. Kala among others have added value to the fare.

Cinematographer Siddharth contribute to the overall experience by his angles and colours. But some of the scenes lack authenticity.

Singer-turned-music director Karthik’s background score jells well with the script. The song “Nila” sounds good.

“Aravaan”, the people’s history, is worth a watch despite some shortcomings.

Verdict: Tale of bravery impresses in period drama

 

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Muppozhudhum Un Karpanaigal Movie Review

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Cast: Atharva Murali, Amala Paul, Nasser, Anupama, Jayaprakash, Santhanam
Director: Elred Kumar
Producer: Elred Kumar
Music: G.V. Prakash Kumar
Rating: 2/5






The movie opens with an unbelievable action sequence before going into the mode of a sweet love story. Beginning is good but the film looses its grip as it moves ahead. There are some twists and unexpected turns but they are not good enough to engage the viewers.

After some ups and downs the film sounds predictable and disappoints.

Ram (Atharva) is an IT engineer in Chennai. He spends his weekends with his girlfriend Charu (Amala) in Bangalore. They share a unique bonding. Now, Lata (Amala), the new CEO of Ram’s company, returns from the US. With her marriage set to happen in a couple of weeks, she meets Ram and gets the shock of her life. She claims that she knows him well, but Ram treats her like a stranger.

Lata is confused. She says it was she who stayed with him in Bangalore without revealing that she was the daughter of the CEO.

She had to depart all of a sudden without informing Ram, but she cannot understand why Ram is unable to recognise her.

An accident to the car carrying Ram and Lata solves the mystery. Physiatrist (Jayaprakash) finds out that Ram is affected by ‘motivational delusion’.

He imagines Charu lives with him in Bangalore while there is no such person in reality.

Lata, who is about to get married soon, wants to help Ram. She starts enquiring about his background. She finds out that he had disturbed past after his mother’s death.

Charu coems as a fresh air in his life and he falls madly in love with her. Her sudden departure makes a deep impact on him and he starts living in an imaginary world with Charu.

Lata feels sorry for him but she cannot do anything about it, as she has to return to the US to get married to the person, whom she is engaged to. But a few twists in the tale force her to change her plans.

MUK, produced and directed by Elrid Kumar, has been shot lavishly in exotic locales abroad. Sadly, Kumar, while focusing on such things, seems to have lost the grip on the script, which lacks logic or coherence.

The director has got many things wrong. The depiction of software professionals and romance track lacks credibility. The events move ahead in a hurried manner towards the climax. The suspense is completely missing. The physiological angle has been handled indifferently.

The lead actors have given their best. Atharva Murali has shown a great improvement in his second film. He scores in romantic and serious sequences.

Amala gets a meaty character and does justice to it. She looks fine and emotes well.

Jayaprakash and Nasser do their jobs well. Santhanam fails to impress. Anupama in a small role is quite effective.

Cinematography by Sakthi is good. G.V.Prakash has given some peppy music besides effective background score.

Verdict: Rich in looks poor in content

 

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