Samsaaram Aarogyathinu Haanikaram Malayalam Movie Review

Samsaaram Aarogyathinu Haanikaram Review

Balaji Mohan's 'Samsaram Arogyathinu Haanikaram' tells a tale set on an imaginary hillscape by the name of Thenmala. It's here that Aravind (Dulquer Salman), a door-to-door sales executive meets Anjana (Nazriya Nazim), a young doctor all ready to tie the knot. It isn't the most pleasant of times, what with a mysterious illness called H10N10 wreaking havoc on public lives. Very soon, the entire population is petrified when research proves that the disease spreads through conversation, leading the government to impose a speech ban in the hamlet.

Here is a director who has done the unthinkable by venturing into virgin territory, and the fantasy element that he brings in, is without doubt one that deserves appreciation. And he goes even further and renders his characters voiceless in the latter half, which is indeed the biggest gamble that any film maker has attempted in recent times. 

The stillness and the hush that reigns in the latter half is more of a challenge to the viewer, used to an incessant and deafening verbal onslaught almost all the time. However, it does have something fascinating for the more tolerant ones, and the flair of the film maker becomes all too apparent on more than a few occasions.

But the contradictions that are prevalent throughout make you wonder what the film maker must have originally had in mind, while crafting the film. Like many a viewer out there, I had developed a special liking for what the film was trying to put across in the former half - that a talkative mouth often inadvertently serves as a devil's den. 

And then the experimental bit is thrown at us -as Balaji Mohan presses the Mute button, everything and everyone around springs into actor mode, with a non-intrusive musical score blowing away in the background. And it's here that the first pebble in the rice grinds against your tooth, as the film starts talking the exact opposite of what it has been conveying till then.

Surprisingly, all the major issues on show are solved when silence prevails. For one, there is the money lender who loses his dhoti to his grandson and discovers a lost love for his son, and there is also Anjali who in a lip bound moment unearths the real affection that her step mother holds within. No words are spoken. Contrastingly, when Aravind's best buddy regains his lost voice, the choicest of expletives stream out of his mouth, with his nurse lady love dropping her first aid tray and his heart in the process.

When everyone around has found their voices, Anjana vehemently states that she has had it up to her neck with her possessive, egoistic, chauvinist fiance and shows him the door. Breezing into Aravind's room she confesses that the new light that shines in her world is courtesy the positive bundle that Aravind is. She agrees that he had always been right - that there isn't a problem in this world that cannot be solved through straight, face to face talk.

It is thus that the film goes round and round in circles, refusing to adopt a stand of its own, repeatedly confusing us with its ever changing perspectives. At the end of it all, one is never sure if it's pro-conversation or anti-conversation, since it's neither here nor there. On the other hand, it's all over the place.

It should be mentioned that the several sub-plots that take up a major chunk of the running time are feebly written, and ultimately fail to deliver the goods. The altercation between a drunkards' association and an actor's fan club might have been incorporated to bring in some laughter, but very rarely serve the purpose.

Dulquer fits into the role of Aravind with a remarkable ease and together with Nazriya who looks ethereally beautiful, makes a charming pair. Soundara Pandyan's stunning cinematography and Sean Roldan's musical score (especially in the latter half) deserve a very special mention. 

'Samsaram Arogyathinu Haanikaram' is a classic example of a fine idea having gone up in smoke. This is a film that should have been much better and yet ends up barely more than a live-action cartoon. 

Maan Karate Tamil Movie Review

Maan Karate Review

Following five back-to-back hits, actor Sivakarthikeyan seems to have become the star of escapist cinema in Tamil filmdom.

Thanks to his stardom, several wannabe filmmakers are banking on him to make films that are usually targeted at the masses. This explains why he is not considered an 'actor' anymore but merely an 'entertainer', who would work in a film only with the sole purpose of entertaining his fans.

In "Maan Karate", we see the transformation of Siva from an actor-performer to an entertainer, but at the cost of his potential going down the drain.

On a trip to a remote hill station, off Chandigarh, five friends come in contact with a saint who can foresee future. The saint hands them a newspaper from the future and every news story published in it unfolds in real life. One of the articles from the paper is that of a boxing championship with prize money worth Rs.2 crore, and the article reveals that a boxer called Peter (Sivakarthikeyan) from Royapuram will win the tournament.

To claim the prize money, the friends should befriend Peter, who turns out to be least interested in boxing. It is now the responsibility of the five friends to find reasons that will convince Peter to take boxing lessons and participate in the tournament.

"Maan Karate", which begins as a fantasy story and slowly moves into the commercial space and later gets turned into a sports drama, doesn't do justice to the multiple genres of the narrative. Filled with loopholes, the film's story by filmmaker A.R Murugadoss, known for writing films such as "Ghajini" and "Thuppakki", disrespects boxing and desperately attempts to evoke laughter by creating a caricature version of the sport on screen.

While it is understandable that all this is done for commercial reasons, but true boxing enthusiasts would find this silly attempt discouraging.

The entire boxing episode only attracts criticism. Although there are scenes where you hear the crowd cheering for Peter as he lands a punch on his opponent, but most fights, except for the final one, are extremely boring to watch.

Without even training for a day, Peter manages to find a place in the finals of the tournament. Apparently, it is through a series of accidents such as an accidental knockout punch or the disqualification of one of his opponents, Peter makes it to the last round where he has to lock horns with defending champion, also named Peter.

Here, the filmmaker expects us to cheer for the underdog Peter, who gets beaten to pulp by the champion, in the last fight. But you don't feel like cheering on because by then you have lost interest in the film and the last fight also turns melodramatic with a lot of cheesy lines.

Siva's recent film "Ethir Neechal", which also had a sports angle to the narrative, at least managed to inspire the viewers even with its share of flaws, but "Maan Karate" is the exact opposite.

While the makers present the film as an out-and-out commercial entertainer and that's what it is, you still find "Maan Karate" meaningless because debutant Thirukumaran only tried to do justice to the hero's image by comprising on the plot.

He also takes the audience for granted and gives them a film under the assumption that they will embrace it because it has been written by Murugadoss.

Sivakarthikeyan is at his usual best in his tailor-made role, but he needs to realize that the time has come for him to take up different roles.

We don't see much of a performance from Hansika, who is nicely dolled up to play a role she's been playing ever since she turned heroine in films. While Sathish manages to generate laughter at regular intervals, Soori's cameo turns out be highly irritating.

If you want to see the entertainer Sivakarthikeyan, "Maan Karate" is for you. But if you want to see the actor Sivakarthikeyan, then you're better off away from this film.

Nee Enge En Anbe Tamil Movie Review

Nee Enge En Anbe Review

Sekhar Kammula, known for churning out light-hearted campus love stories, treads a path no other filmmaker would dare to walk on. In this process, he attempts to prove himself in a genre one could never imagine to see him make films in.

Although he struggles to emerge victorious on the chosen path, he makes us take notice his willingness to go against the grain with the Tamil remake of Bollywood film "Kahaani", titled "Ne Enge En Anbe". This is not a solid remake of one of the best thrillers in Indian cinema, yet there are moments that will persuade you to watch it.

You know for a fact that Kammula never tried to capitalize on the success of "Kahaani" because he decided not to include the pregnancy part in his story, but he still manages to surprise viewers with something equally unpredictable (as long as you don't pay attention to details).

There isn't much change in the story and akin to the original, a wife (Tamil Brahmin) lands in Hyderabad in search of her missing husband with whom she hasn't spoken to in over two weeks. She seeks the help of a local policeman, who also happens to be a Tamilian, because she can't speak Telugu.

They start investigating the case, trying to put all possible clues together to see if they can find something solid that will reveal what had happened with her husband. Will they or will they not find her husband?

Kammula was hell bent on convincing us that his version of the film is not a frame-to-frame copy of the original. It isn't for most part of the film, but all those who watched "Kahaani" are likely to be disappointed because the names of most characters are not changed in the remake. The senior police officer is Khan, the terrorist is Milan Damji and the assassin is Bob.

Whenever you hear these names in the remake, you automatically tend to compare these characters with the ones from the original and realize their performances were not satisfying. No matter how hard you try not to compare both the films, you are forced to whenever you hear these names.

Old Hyderabad becomes a crucial character in the story. Kammula does his best to capture the flavour of the local culture when his lens zooms through the small alleys of the city, from the preparations of a Durga Puja to the busy and densely populated markee.

Here's where you respect and appreciate the craftsmanship of the director for making the best use of his setting and making us realize the importance of the location from the story's perspective.

Another reason to commend Kammula is because he ensures that most of the important scenes are shot separately in Tamil. However, he seems to have ignored the fact that it's a Tamil film and has used too many Telugu dialogues, much to the disgust of the audience.

Subtitles were only used for the Hindi dialogues. How can you expect Tamil audiences to understand Telugu dialogues even though the film is shot in Hyderabad? This was one of the biggest turn-offs in the film.

Nayantara as Anamika does her best in the titular role, but she's no match to Vidya Balan. Here's a woman who is struggling to find her husband in a new place with a language barrier, yet we see her with make-up and eyelashes in close up shots. She fails to get into the skin of her character which was very important for the story. Vaibhav and Pasupathy play their parts well but the fake English accent used by the latter could've been avoided.

Keeravani's resonating background score keeps the tension of the story alive throughout. The slow first half is strongly complemented by a solid second half, but will audiences sit through the second half after a dull start?

"Nee Enge En Anbea fails to be a mother of an adaptation.

Damaal Dumeel Tamil Movie Review

Damaal Dumel Review

Close in the footsteps of dark comedies such as "Soodhu Kavvum" and "Moodar Koodam", comes "Damaal Dumeel", which unlike its contemporaries, may not be exceptional but still has what it takes to be applauded for the effort.

The film is based on a series of accidents that pave the way to humour at regular intervals. Each of these accidents is interconnected and the film explains why one accident leads to another and another and so on until there's one last accident in the climax.

The series of accidents start when a box full of money is wrongly delivered to Moneykandan (our hero who is a firm believer of numerology), who has just lost his high-paying IT job, with his sister's wedding in the offing.

Why was the box delivered to Moneykandan in the first place? Actually, the box was supposed to be delivered to someone in flat number F6, but it gets delivered to E6 (after a cricket ball hits the E and it breaks and become an F). That's our first accident. When two men come searching for the box and break into Money's house, it leads to the second accident. The third accident happens when two more men come searching for the first two men. One accident leads to another and it eventually leads to one big accident in the climax.

I haven't seen a better Tamil film in the recent past that managed to use a single point of reference (the accidents) so effectively to narrate a story. Even though it doesn't have an impressive story, it manages to keep us hooked with its quirky narration, at least partly. It is engaging because it's as short (118 mins) as its contemporaries (all recent dark comedies in Tamil were under two hours), and therefore, never leaves room for a dull moment and even when you feel one, it's gone even before you realize it.

There's not a single unwanted scene in the film. We keep hearing and seeing the hero's mobile phone ringing every now and then, but it is not until the climax we appreciate its importance in the story, especially its ringtone which leads to the final accident.

Similarly, we also randomly see children playing cricket in a scene and we realize the significance of this scene when the cricket ball sets in motion the series of accidents. Here's where you want to appreciate director Shree, who, I agree may not have delivered an outstanding film, but has proved the difference young filmmakers like him can bring to the industry.

Law Point Malayalam Movie Review

Law Point Review

Lijin Jose's 'Law Point' should ideally have been titled 'Lie Point'. The film does not, as the title suggests dwell on a law point, and instead is all about two individuals with an incredible capacity to lie through their teeth to have their way in life.

Sathya (Kunchacko Boban) is an advocate by profession, with an already established expertise in supporting the accused in cases of women abuse. Which is why, an exasperated dad (Nedumudi Venu) seeks his help in bailing out his young son who has landed in trouble. Apparently, Maya (Namitha Pramod), the girl he was in love with has attempted suicide on being spurned by him, and now threatens to sue him for abuse, and that too of a minor.

The biggest problem with 'Law Point' is that it takes forever and ever to make a point. Thankfully, the film does not go round and round like some of those yarns that terrify us with their duration, and still when almost an hour passes by without much of a happening, you realize that something is certainly amiss somewhere. 

Perhaps it couldn't get any more silent than this in a film that ironically has no shortage of dialogues. They are rolled out one after the other, and yet it feels as if it's all a still game that is going on. Probably because it has nothing much to say. 

For one, the entirety of the first half is make-believe and as Maya and Sathya head over to Vagamon, and their car falls into a ditch, you almost expect a rain to come down. It doesn't, but instead drives by an elderly couple (KPAC Lalitha and P Balachandran), who invite them over to their farm, that is a living metaphor of paradise itself.

There is only a single knot to be untangled in this film, and it should be anybody's guess that it's hence gonna bank on its last fifteen minutes to make an impact. And then, the twists are unleashed in abundance, and if you do find some time to breathe in between, you might ask yourself as to what all the commotion was all about.

To me, apart from the very little amusing element that the shockers provided, they served very little purpose. I mean, these aren't the kind of revelations that would make you jump up and down in your seats, nor the kind that would make you twitch your head to a side and wonder why you hadn't thought of it before.

Here are two decent performances from the leading cast - a chic looking Kunchacko Boban delivering an almost methodic performance (no surprises there), and an elegantly confident Namitha Pramod doing her bit with a remarkable composure and ease.

After an impressive debut with 'Friday', Lijin moves a couple of notches downward with 'Law Point'. The only point that it doubtless makes is that a couple of odd twists and turns right at the end, do not a good film make.

Mosayile Kuthirameenukal Malayalam Movie Review

Mosayile Kuthirameenukal Review

Ajith Pillai's 'Mosayile Kuthira Meenukal' is a simple, elemental tale of romance and sacrifice set on the dazzling islands of Lakshadweep that talks of the crazy things that people do in love. It shakes off the initial lethargy with finesse, and gains enough dramatic momentum eventually, that lets the viewer settle into a state of detached admiration.

Alex (Asif Ali) has had everything that a young man of his age could dream for, except perhaps a family. Having inherited a fortune from his dad, he indulges in a profligate existence till it lands him in some big trouble. Cooling his heels at the Central Jail, Alex repeatedly tries to squiggle out and is caught every time. Until finally, he drops into a drainage pipe and heads out into the world with an oddly evasive fellow for company. 

This odd fisherman, named Ali (Sunny Wayne) has already set sail for the Lakshadweep islands, and would stop at nothing, till he meets Isa (Swathi Reddy), a marine biologist that he had fallen in love with. Alex is hot on his trail, and becomes almost inexplicably involved in the proceedings. The truth, that is gently unraveled, is a shocker of sorts, and Alex realizes that the swordfishes that ride the highest of waves are not as self-centric as they are often deemed to be.

Essentially 'Mosayile Kuthira Meenukal' remains as much a tale of love, as it is a tale of destiny. The film rapidly picks up in the latter half, and as the romance unfolds itself on the screen, everything else - which includes the peculiar slip-ups in the former half as well - fades into oblivion. Love, and only love prevails.

In an unusually arresting scene, Ali remarks that it's a fortune to be born in a magical land as the one he lives in. As he, along with Isa, watch the sun and the moon play hide and seek on the crimson sky, she unexpectedly pops the question that would at once, make and break his heart. Nature, in its most spectacular of moments, bears witness to his baffling predicament. 

I wouldn't however say I was equally impressed with the way the other love tale turns out to be. Deena (Janani Iyer) has just been placed at the Kalpeni post office, and love doesn't exactly strike when she runs into Alex aboard the ship to Lakshadweep. Their frantic attempts to communicate with each other during the brief breathing sessions amidst all the puking creates a very special bond between the two. In a generous gesture, she offers him a tuft of her hair to smell, so that the sickness would stop once and for all.

It reaches a dead end right there, and though followed by a very short interlude afterwards, love still doesn't seem to be anywhere in the air. When Deena gets all vocal on the need to plant a smile on someone else's face, and a bit too philosophical, you hope that the digression wouldn't last too long. Thankfully it doesn't and the focus shifts back to where it should rightfully be.

Sunny Wayne does not shake any mountains with his portrayal of a man who forsakes everything for the woman he loves. But he is delightfully adequate and makes a charming pair with the striking Swathi Reddy. Asif Ali in his usual bubbly self is a bundle of energy and Janani Iyer looks gorgeous. 

I have probably run short of praise for the exemplary cinematography of Abhinandan Ramanujam who has efficiently managed to make the lovely islands appear as a shimmering blue heaven. Add to it a delightful musical score by Prashant Pillai that seems to have set the right tunes and tones, and you could very well have a fine entertainer in your hands. 

'Mosayile Kuthira Meenukal' is a likeable film in a breezy, low-key sort of way, and its sure to have its share of admirers. Surprisingly fresh, and on rare occasions even a bit insightful, it has its moments that easily and assertively overwrite its flaws

Kotha Janta Telugu Movie Review

Kotha Janta Review

Kotha Janta is the story of a selfish guy, Sirish (Allu Sirish) and girl, Suvarna (Regina) who work in a Telugu TV channel as Program director and Creative director. The channel's MD, Rao Ramesh identify their talent and put them in a team. They become highly successful as expected. It was then a businessman (Posani) gives a lucrative offer to Sirish but only on a condition he should bring Suvarna along with him. Sirish fakes love with her to bring her along. What happens next forms the rest of the story.

Allu Sirish showed no improvement from his first film, Gauravam. He has to go a long way in acting. There are few scenes he just puts on blank expression and rigid body language. Regina on the other side had delivered an excellent performance both in the first half and emotional scenes in the second half. Posani gets a cakewalk character. Saptagiri as usually rocked. Rest of the characters are okay.

The story of the movie offers nothing new but it is interestingly narrated. The first half passes of well, but a lackluster story and forced comedy in second half makes the movie weak. The screenplay is fast and moves on at a good pace hence becoming the saving grace for the movie.

JB came up with a promising album for the film but the placement of songs is not effective. The rerecording is decent. Richard Prasad who stamped his authority in Swamy Ra Ra excelled once again in the film. His work is one of the major highlights of the film. The Production Values of Geeta Arts are too good as usual.

Kotha Janta is all about entertainment. However, the movie fails to create an impact because of a lackluster story and nothing new treatment. Watch it if you have plenty of time to kill and plenty of patience to sustain Allu Sirish.

Prathinidhi Telugu Movie Review

Prathinidhi Review

Manchodu Srinu (Nara Rohit) is a commoner who is vexed with the flawed political system. He decides to repair it and kidnaps the AP Chief Minister with the help of a minister's son. Unlike normal kidnappers, Srinu makes peculiar demands which expose the flaws in the system. He tries to make amends to those flaws with his demands. There occurs a twist towards the end of the film and it has to be watched on screen.

The role is a tailor made character for Nara Rohit like the one in his debut movie, Baanam. He pulled it off well and his dialogue delivery is too good. The only area of concern is his growing body size. Heroine Shubra Aiyappa is a draw back to the film with out any screen presence. Kota Srinivasa Rao,Posani and Jaya Prakash Reddy are good as usual. Sri Vishnu is good as well.

Prashant Mandava has mixed results for his directorial debut. The subject of the film is too good and he handled some part of the film very well and mishandled some parts completely. Cinematography is just about OK. Editor has done an average job. Dialogues and Sai Karthik's BGM deserve special mention.

Finally, Prathinidhi ends up as an average. The film suffers due to the inexperience of a debut director lest it should be a super hit. The movie may sell well in the political heat of the state provided the publicity is good.

Son of God English Movie Review

Son of God Review

Director Christopher Spencer's "Son of God" is a far cry from a faith film as it impassively encapsulates Jesus' life in the backdrop of the Jewish-Roman conflict of that era.

Documented through Jesus disciple John's point of view, where at the very onset of the film, he admits that for the Jewish people, "God was always there in the struggle for the promised land, he was always by our side", the action takes place in Jerusalem, Nazareth and Galilee, where the life story of Jesus unfolds.

A quick summary of events like Jesus' humble birth, his meeting with his first disciple Peter and later rallying others through his teachings, the political undertones between him and the rabble-rousing Barabbas, Jesus attacking the moneylenders and tax-collectors and confronting the crowd when an adulteress is about to be stoned along with the various miracles he performed, are mechanically executed like a tableaux that leads to the finale, the crucifixion, which is powerfully accomplished in detail.

The film ebbs at the ultimate resurrection and finally the camera dramatically zooms into Jesus's eye at the denouement with an assurance, "I will come soon".

The narration alternates somewhat awkwardly, between everyday naturalism and pious theatricality.

Lazily scripted, this is not Spencer's interpretation of Jesus' story as he has blindly followed his source material, the Bible. The film is just a compilation of scenes that highlight Jesus' life journey. The account does not offer in-depth or analytical insights that would lead to any logical take of the events. Instead, it chronicles more like a documentary for a TV channel.

With weak and flavourless dialogues like; "Just give me an hour, and I will give you a whole new life," or "When Jesus spoke, I followed him. Others followed too," that are stoically mouthed, the acting of every character in the film too, is very mechanical and without emotions.

Portuguese model-turned-actor Diogo Morgado plays Jesus with a soft-natured geniality, but lacks the charisma or the zest to portray a strong character like Christ. The only scene that strums a chord at your heart is seeing him suffer while being nailed on the cross.

Roma Downey as Jesus' mother, Mary with her youthful features and no emotional connect between her and her son, seems to be a misfit.

Darwin Shaw as Peter, Amber Roose Revah as Mary Magdalene and Greg Hicks as Pilate had some meaningful scenes and they offer relative justification to the role they play.

Technically, the film's production design is average. The dramatic camerawork of Rob Goldie offers some picture postcard visuals, especially at the Sea of Gallilee and other exotic locales. The music by Hans Zimmer and Lorne Balfe has rich orchestral score and the outfits by costume designer Ros Little adds that zing to capture the era.

Unfortunately, even with an ace technical team, the film is bland and not spirited enough to hold the audience.

Tarzan english movie Review

Tarzan Review

Who isn't familiar with Tarzan, created by Edgar Rice Burroughs? The plot is inconsequential as it is the jungle boy's experience of living with the apes that is the crux of Tarzan's story.

Tarzan who?

Tarzan! The "ape with no fur".

This is how; director Reinhard Klooss introduces little JJ Greystoke, a boy from New York who survives a helicopter crash that leaves him orphaned in the African jungle.

Apparently, JJ's father John Greystoke, the CEO of Greystoke Energies, was exploring the jungles in search of the legendary meteorite that had crashed 70 million years ago. The meteorite is said to be the source of boundless energy. It is at the fag end of this expedition that the helicopter crashed due to some magnetic interference.

After the crash, Kala the silverback gorilla, who had lost her mate and baby the previous night, finds little JJ. She takes him under her tutelage and soon the entire tribe treats him as one of their own.

Years into the wilderness the little boy turns into a feral youth playing with fellow apes, swinging around the jungle with gay abandon.

Tarzan soon realises there is more to life, when one fine day he spots young Jane Porter who is in the jungle to visit her explorer father at the camp that was once the Greystoke compound.

After being chased by an ostrich-like bird and then bitten by a snake, Tarzan saves Jane but she barely remembers the incident.

But then destiny reunites the two of them when years later she returns as an adult determined to save the environment. This time she is accompanied by William Clayton who now runs Greystoke Energies and brings with him a mercenary army to locate and secure the meteorite.

In the meanwhile, romance brews between the two as they spend some adventurous moments in the jungle.

And they have an equal share of obstacles, which Tarzan naturally overcomes.

The voices lent by the star cast suits the characters to the perfect tone. Craig Gardner as the four-year-old JJ along with Anton Zetterholm who lends his voice as the teenage Tarzan, Kellan Lutz as the muscular adult Tarzan, Spencer Locke as Jane, Mark Deklin as John Greystoke, Jaime Ray Newman as Alice and Trevor St John as Clayton -- all do a very good job.

Though the Burroughs' series have always entertained readers, unfortunately this version is bland fare.

The script moves on an even keel with often seen plot points. The tale meanders without any aim or motivation. The story telling is synthetic and the several action sequences are ineffectual.

Also, the character progression of Tarzan from feral to the English speaking lad is so superficial and unbelievable that it takes away the charm from the character.

Visually too, the motion capture technology that is used for animating the film is a bit fuzzy in the 3D version. The lensing is an issue, there are certain frames where the creatures were blown out of proportion making them seem like monsters, especially the crabs and spiders. Also the tentacle monster in the mysterious terrain that Tarzan and Jane saunter into, seemed more like winding twigs than a frightening monster.

Overall, this chattering and blabbering Tarzan, hardly yodels leaving his fans disappointed

Samrat And Co. hindi movie Review

Samrat And Co. Review

So we are to have a string of detective films making their way to celluloid this year including the likes of Bobby Jasoos, Jagga Jasoos, Byomkesh Bakshi and the lesser known Samrat & Co. While the first one Joe B Carvalho of the year turned out to be a damp squib, the second this year in the detective category comes an International TV Series' Sherlock Holmes rip off Samrat & Co. Would the Indian Sherlock Holmes work? We tell you.

Samrat & Co. is about Samrat Tilakdhari (Rajeev Khandelwal) aka STD (yes, that's also supposed to be cool), a smart-ass private investigator who's always on a lookout for cases that challenge his intellect. One fine day, a young, beautiful and rich girl Dimpy Singh (Maddalsa Sharma) approaches Samrat with an obscure case of a withering garden with reasons unknown. While the horticulturists are continuing their futile investigation on what's going wrong, the residents are owing it to some supernatural activity. And now, things seem to be affecting Dimpy's father Mahendra Pratap Singh (Girish Karnad) whose health is deteriorating alarmingly. Dimpy's case fascinates Samrat enough (don't ask why) and along with his friend cum assistant Chadradhar Pandey (Gopal Datt) (death of Dr. Watson seriously!) visit the mansion of Mahendra Pratap Singh in Himachal Pradesh to unravel the mystery.

Rajshri Productions that's synonymous with family drama makes a shift with a murder mystery offering and blame it on producer Kavita Barjatya to bring a shift in a shoddy manner. Director Kaushik Ghatak twists and turns events moving from one thing to another with the idea to make a mind bending murder mystery. However, what he ends up with is a hotchpotch of various plots which are introduced one after another only to connect the dots. 

The production house that's always been known for films with countless actors fails this time to do justice with the starcast too. The title role bearer and once upon a time Television heartthrob Rajeev Khandelwal seems to be struggling in getting his act together for some time. Except for this half decent performance in Table No. 21 the actor doesn't have much to boast of in the recent times. And maybe so, he falters miserably in his portrayal of Sherlock played effortlessly by Benedict Cumberbatch in the international series. He tries emulating Benedict what with all the arrogance and eccentricity but blame it on the tawdry character sketch, the actor falls flat and also annoys after a point as he flaunts and brags about his intelligence and mouths the "Samrat-isms".

Maddalsa Sharma does what's expected of a typical heroine in such films, deck up like a doll in every sequence. So even when the rest of the cast is covered in heaps of clothes owing to the winters, our heroine is cackling her stilettos donning short dresses. 

The side cast including the likes of Smita Jaykar, Girish Karnad, Rajneesh Duggal, Priyanshu Chatterjee, Barkha Bisht, Indraneil Sengupta, Naveen Prabhakar etc. all ham with great gusto throughout the film making for an unbearable watch.

Even the production quality of the film is mediocre. You have sloppy chroma work to create a scenic ambience around the dilapidating mansion and graphic work which even a kid can point out to be unreal.

To sum it up, Rajshri Banner should stick to what best they are known for - family dramas. Their effort to make the shift falls flat on its face. Best avoided. 

Purani Jeans hindi movie Review

Purani Jeans Review

It is a rather tempting thought to write a story on friendship and love. But once you manage to overcome the initial urge to write the story, you could probably put some head into figuring a new aspect to the male bonding and love stories that have so often crowded the theaters on Fridays. I wish the makers of Purani Jeans had used that restraint, sat back and analysed if they indeed had anything interesting to tell. That could have probably saved me the pains of watching a tedious fare so that I could bring to you reasons to avoid it

Correction, you don't really need any more reason apart from the one I already stated to avoid Purani Jeans. But reasons there are a plenty; the biggest of all being a clumsy screenplay. The story does not move anywhere for almost entirety of the film. And the amateurish direction refuses to make things better. 

Purani Jeans is essentially a story about two friends - Sid and Sam. They are best friends since the age of five and together with three others form the 'Kausali Cowboys'. As the name suggests, the story is set in the sleepy town of Kasauli. The group has its pledges that they renew every year, one including that they would marry only virgin girls. (really!) The celebrated friendship is established through montages, shots of which have been taken out of dozen other such films. And then enters the girl in their life. Nayantara is beautiful and both Sid and Sam fall for her. Story takes every possible cliched path there on. So much that you could almost laugh out at your predictions coming true. Yawn!

Like any other badly made film, inept direction means the film fails in every department. Even seasoned cinematographer Sunil Patel and hugely talented Ram Sampath come up with work they could do without adding to their repertoire. The same goes with performances. It remains a mystery why certain directors prefer foreign actress who fail to add any dimension to their character considering they have little knowledge of the Hindi language or Hindi films. Watching the Brazilian Izabelle Liete delivering Hindi lines is pitiful. Tanuj Virwani desperately needs acting classes. New guy Aditya Seal manages to add some freshness but is failed by the script.


I remember a wannabe female director once telling me how hard it becomes for the likes of her to make their debut film because of other female directors coming up with half baked projects. This film, directed by debutant Tanushri Chattrji Bassu, is not going to help the likes of her who are constantly trying to prove to the traditional producers that they are as good, if not better, as their male counterparts. Purani Jeans is too full of directorial goof ups, which is strange for someone who has made over 100 ad-films.

The story of Purani Jeans is at best 'purani' (old) and pretty stale. You could revisit Dil Chahta Hai and Zindagi Milegi Na Dobara if you are in a mood for male bonding films. Else there are definitely better films at the theaters this week. 

Ulsaha Committee Review

Ulsaha Committee malayalam movie Review

'Ulsaha Committee' is a visual onslaught on the audience from the Jayaram - Akku Akbar team that takes it by total shock. Faced with the unenviable choice of burying his head in his palms or throwing it back for a quick snooze, the viewer lets out one yawn after the other until the prospect of a lock jaw petrifies him. 

Apoorvan (Jayaram), as his name suggests has a real rare flair of discovering things, and runs a trial of his inventions on his dear pal Babumon (Kalabhavan Shajon). When things go out of hand, as they often do, their friend Chopra (Baburaj) steps in to their rescue. 

The trio run for their lives when a casual encounter with a young woman lands them in a solar scam! They find refuge in Rose's (Sheela) mansion, and the events that transpire thereafter make up the rest of the film.

Oh! The levels to which they would stoop to generate some laughter is indeed unbelievable. There are double entendres galore, and the efforts to cook up some real humor fall flat on almost all occasions. A giggle or two emerges once in a while, but that's a rarity indeed.

The bottom line is that the film is never too much fun. The dialogue sounds cramped and the script looks like it has been trodden all over by a nutty horse, what with it being crummy on multiple levels. And the length of the film is plain gross; it should clearly have been trimmed by half an hour or so.

The intolerable silliness into which the film ultimately descends has to be seen to be believed. What is ironic is that the film fails for all those reasons that you expect it to fail, and the writing at times repulsive and at times plain bland, does the mishmash real bad.

I remember having read somewhere that Jayaram has plans to turn selective, and after having watched him in 'Ulsaha Committee', I'm all relieved at the news. There isn't a scene in the film, that doesn't make us remind of the actor in a similar scene somewhere else, and it stumps me that the actors never seem to realize it themselves.

There is plenty of buffoonery even otherwise with Kalabhavan Shajon and Baburaj adding to the fray. It's a step backward for both these actors as well, and there would be very few takers for their frenetic antics on screen. 

Isha Talwar has questionable histrionic talents, and 'Ulsaha Committee' makes things worse for her, by casting her in a miniscule role that is plain embarrassing. I wonder if she's gonna add this flick to her filmography since its at best a glorified cameo that she plays in it. My heart goes out to Sheela who is made a part of films as these. Dressed in garish costumes, she makes a very poor reflection of her former self in the film, and plays it out real loud. 

'Ulsaha Committee' is a film that is devoid of energy of any kind. The monotony that sets in makes it a stale attempt at film making that deserves to be flung straight into the garbage can. 

Vai Moodi Pesavum Review

In his second directorial "Vaayai Moodi Pesavum", Balaji Mohan tells us that if you know when to speak and when not to, then most of our problems are easily resolved. He has a brilliant premise to convince us with exactly what he wants to deliver through the film, which undeniably is a smart romantic-comedy (much better than several films in the same genre in the recent past), with spurts of humour and satire at regular intervals to keep us entertained.

It's an almost brilliant film that contradicts itself at several junctures for reasons that are never explained and left to be figured out by the viewer.

When an imaginary disease called 'Dumb Flu' plagues the inhabitants of Panimalai, forcing everybody to stop speaking because it aggravates when you do, the fate of a few characters that have issues with communication is tested.

The first half of the film, which I think was brilliantly executed, harps on the importance of speaking at the right place, at the right time and at every given opportunity. The course of the events during this half has the spotlight on characters that either struggle to express what they want to or on those who won't stop speaking.

It focuses on a writer-turned-housewife who struggles to tell her husband that she wants to write again, a young doctor who can't tell her possessive boyfriend that she doesn't like to be controlled and a school boy who fears telling his parents that he's more passionate about drawing than studies.

Interestingly, all the aforementioned characters belong to the same family. Throughout the first half, efforts are made by the director to push these characters to open up and express what they want to. You appreciate this effort because you connect with these characters that are so real that you might find them in your own life.

It is in the second half that you feel the film contradicts itself. Contrary to the first half, the characters are made to stop talking because of 'Dumb Flu'. There are absolutely no dialogues (but for some voiceovers) and the narrative style is akin to Charlie Chaplin's "Modern Times".

The director, who urges us to speak throughout the first half, suddenly asks us to shut up. The director, who said most of our problems are resolved when we sit and discuss, wants us to shut up. Doesn't that contradict the very essence of the film that was built intelligently in the first half?

Nevertheless, you don't complain about the film because it dares to address several sensitive issues with a pinch of salt. From how Tamil cinema is being constantly attacked by fringe groups to dirty politicians and politics, Balaji slaps everybody in the face and makes them shut up. Of course, all this is done by striking a perfect balance between humour and satire.

Heavily inspired by Woody Allen's style of storytelling, Balaji presents a kind of narrative that Tamil audiences are not used to. Still, they cheer for it because it's creative. He keeps making brief appearances throughout the film in a very funny role of a news reporter, eventually proving how crooked and TRP-oriented the media is in this country.

On the acting front, debutant Dulquer Salmaan is a treat to watch. He earns extra brownie points for dubbing in his own voice and speaking flawless Tamil. Nazriya comfortably slips into the shoes of a character so contrary to the ones she has played in the past. The supporting cast featuring Arjun, Abhinav, Vinu, John and others played their respective roles to perfection.

Sean Roldan keeps the film alive with his music and knows how to use it as a narrative, especially in the second half that hardly has any dialogues. Tighter editing was required in the second half which becomes a little tedious to sit through due to the slow narrative.

To enjoy "Vaayai Moodi Pesavum", just shut up and watch it!

Anaamika Review

Anaamika Review

A horrible bomb blast takes place in Hyderabad's People's Plaza which forces the replacement of the Home Minister. The case remains pending in investigation. And again there is an NRI, Anamika (Nayantara) who flies down to Hyderabad in search of her missing husband. SI Saradhi looks in to the case and as the investigation unfolds the mystery deepens. What is it? How both the cases are related? How they gonna end forms the rest of the story.

Nayantara delivered a solid performance as a woman in distress. Vaibhav did justice to her role. Remaining characters do not have so much weight in the context of the film.

Coming to the technical prowess, Sekhar Kammula eliminated the sympathies to a pregnant woman part and most dealt with Terrorism and the social causes behind it. He made some changes to the film. Some of them have worked and others failed miserably. It is tough to remake a convincing hit film like Kahaani, Kammula at least did not bring disgrace to the original.

Keeravani's back ground score is the life to the film. Cinematography is brilliant and editing should have been better in the first half.

Finally, Anamika is a decent watch for the people who did not watch the Original. If the comparisons come in, Anamika may not score the marks.

Brick Mansions Review

Here's another film after "Transcendence" that is established in a dystopian setting. But unlike "Transcendence", this one is an action film, packed with Parkour thrills, a bit of romance and city politics.

Set in the hard-to-conceive near future - 2018, a news clip bookends the account that summarizes the situation at Brick Mansions, an impoverished ghetto, a land of undesirables that is infested with the underworld activities in the outskirts of Detroit.

The initial high-octane action by an ex-convict Lino (David Belle) wrecking a drug deal that is controlled by a ruthless gangster-cum-drug dealer Tremaine Alexander (RZA) and then using his Parkour skills to escape the thugs chasing him, is the precursor of the events to follow. It is one of the classiest exploits that sets the ball rolling.

The narration of the saga starts off with a bomb along with a timer device being stolen by gangsters. They then hold the city to ransom by threatening to blow it up.

Detective Damien Collier (late Paul Walker) of the Detroit Police Force is sent as an undercover cop to ferret out Tremaine from Brick Mansions. This is a chance he would not want to miss, since Tremaine had gunned down his father years ago. In fact, Damien is cautioned by his grandfather that, "revenge and justice are not the same thing". Nevertheless, Damien is on the mission.

So in a planned scheme, he befriends Lino and together they undertake the mission to defuse the bomb and avoid calamity.

Once the motivations are established, majority of the time is spent with the principle actors running around a giant complex pulping the villains. Everything that follows is fast and furious. The volley of punches, the car chases, the stunts and explosions make up for a bulk of the screen time.

Paul Walker as Collier is earnest in his histrionics. He delivers every line with conviction and also handles the character's intensely physical aspects with ease. He is ably supported by David Belle. In fact, David steals the show with his agile and swift run-jump-punch acrobatic movements. Together, they share an instant and easy-going chemistry although they hardly speak for most of the film.

But it is the rapper-turned-actor RZA as Tremaine who is the surprise package. He supplies the requisite threat with bluntness delivering messages of deficiency and societal disparity and yet transcends the character to a graph that you will not hate.

Catalina Denis as Lola, Lino's ex-girlfriend and Ayisha Issa as the sadistic, leather-and-chain clad Tremaine's side-kick are the competitive female counterparts, who hold their stead.

The razor-sharp editing with quick jagged cuts makes the action look so fluid and continuous that it is a treat to the eye. The camera-work especially the low and top angle shots that are frequently used giving this film an eclectic field.

The script, by writer-producer Luc Besson, is a remake of his 2004 successful French thriller "District B13", which in turn has the main plot of the city being bombed, borrowed from the 1981 released film, "Escape from New York".

Unfortunately this adaptation has glaring blunders. To start with, at the very onset the setting is mentioned as a 20 acre area which makes the district just a small piece of land. Then, the place is sparsely populated and finally there is no mode of telecommunication projected in the film.

Overall, for first time director Camille Delamarre, "Brick Mansions" carries the uncanny stamp of a hastily made mediocre Luc Besson film. However, it is indeed a great tribute to Paul Walker as it is his last film. He died Nov 30, 2013 in a car accident.