Self referencing to past glory days is a tested trope for fan service in big star movies, especially in recent times. But, when a trope is given a too long a rope to span an entire movie, to feel like self reference Pro Max level, the end product is this (இது🤦🏽♂️).
It is, at best, GOOD, if you are a Thala fan(atic) Pro Max, which director Adhik Ravichandran clearly appears to be.
If you are not, as is the case of unlucky majority, this LOUD movie veers wildly between a BAD & UGLY mishmash of a messy drive down memory lane of Thala filmography.
Remix of past hit numbers, presence of not one, but two of evergreen divas of Tamil cinema, Thala seeming to have a ball of a time with a steady stream of super solo-mo shots - nothing seems to come to the aid here as the movie sinks beyond any scope for salvage.
The movie kicks off in the very first minute when a five-month old baby is stolen from a lone and seemingly hapless mother sleeping on a railway platform in the wee hours of the night. Two wealthy brothers who happen to be at the station get embroiled in the search for the missing baby along with the mother as they venture into the wilderness of somewhere in rural India.
What follows is a search that, in its near ninety minute rollercoaster ride, is nerve-racking and deeply unsettling. It is unsettling because we know that such incidents are not uncommon, especially to those who get stuck in the bottom rungs of the socioeconomic pyramid or for the unfortunate few of those from the higher echelons who happen to get caught in such situations. If one happens to inhabit the privileged upper rungs of that pyramid, there is a sanguine hope that one is shielded from such misfortune, especially when one carefully hones the skill of remaining resolutely indifferent to the plight of those unfortunate others. The narrative here smartly short-circuits this false sense of security as the two brothers of privilege are thrown into the thick of things with a desperate mother.
While one of the brothers is eager to lend a helping hand, the other is unwilling to step out of his carefully constructed cocoon and get any grime on his designer-ware in helping a stranger - that too, someone who belongs to a class of expendables who could as well be entirely invisible to his field of vision except for a few moments when they happen to serve some functional utility.
Debutante director Karan Tejpal designs a textured narrative where the surface level layer of being a tense thriller about the search for a missing baby transcends seamlessly into a search to understand one another and in some deeper sense, understand oneself along with the instincts that remain hidden underneath the masks we wear as civilized citizens or the cocooned existence to preserve oneself from those who are not so fortunate.
The lead cast consisting of Abhishek Banerjee, Harish Khanna and Mia Maelzer ace their respective parts with their rich shades of grey, moral ambiguity, vulnerability and transformative arcs.
Karan Tejpal delivers a movie which is a near relentless odyssey that is also several things at the same time - a gripping thriller, crisp drama, redemptive role-reversal, a sharp social commentary on our starkly different worlds inhabited by those on either side of class divide as well as rural-urban divide along with difficult moral dilemmas. That a director could achieve all this in a debut feature without being preachy, judgmental or adding even an ounce of narrative flab while keeping the viewers engrossed with bated breath on what is coming next indicates a rare talent worth cheering.
Inspired by real events, this gritty multi-faceted thriller has won several global accolades before its much delayed debut in India.
A CHILLING, THRILLING & UTTERLY FULFILLING QUEST !
Michael Jordan plays twins (Smoke & Stack) returning to their rural Mississippi home after making a minor fortune in Chicago. They purchase an abandoned factory and convert it into a juke club for their fellow coloured folks. What begins as night of revelry with mind-blowing music and more soon descends into madness as few bloodthirsty vampires come calling to the party as uninsured guests.
Director Ryan Coogler (Creed & Black Panther movies) creates a layered narrative blending visual splendour, delicious groovy blues music, stellar cast, themes of blacks-ploitation, crime and vampire action in this blockbuster entertainer.
A Sri Lankan Tamil family of four flee the financial crisis of the island nation's failing economy looking for greener pastures across the Palk Strait. They manage to slip through the border patrols and reach a Chennai colony to make a living while covering their tracks of being identified as illegal immigrants.
Can they find a safe abode and survive in a colony filled with families who appear strangers to one another despite living in close quarters for several years..?
Movies about refugees generally fall into a tired and often torturous template of heightened melodrama that magnifies the suffering of the lot - both in the homeland that they escape and the new-found homes in the alien shores where they try to fit into.
Debutant director Abhishan Jeevinth steers clear of this traditional narrative structure and presents the plight of this family with a rare and refreshing light touch that radiates a feel-good vibe in almost every frame.
He strikes a brilliant balance between effusive comedy that keeps the flow light and sharply written drama that avoids the pitfalls of being preachy or pandering to popular notions on this emotional issue.
Sasikumar and Simran along with the two debutant actors playing their sons as well as an ensemble cast of noted character artists provide a lived-in feel while composer Sean Roldan peppers the narrative with some warm heartfelt numbers that sound just apt.
Set in the 70s in a quaint and remote village, the story kicks off with Vasudev, the village postman getting abducted by masked men to an unknown location. He is interrogated about his past using a machine that has hypnotizing powers. Apparently, Vasudev has been secretly reading letters addressed to others which has unexpected consequences.
Who are these masked men who seem to have no connection to the village ..? What is their interest in Vasudev..?
Debutant director duo - brothers Sujith and Sandeep - have crafted a unique thriller that builds gradually on its simple setting to culminate in an ending that is unexpected and exceptional.
Not saying much else, lest I might tread into spoiler territory.
As a sequel to a blockbuster, this is definitely grander - perhaps, twice as larger in scale - spanning several locations across multiple continents much like a Bond or Bourne movie, even as it builds on the basic narrative arc set in the politics of God's own country.
One can decipher multiple influences from home and abroad, as in the action set pieces - inspired from the universe of Prashant Neel or Telugu / Tamil flicks with generous dose of blood as well as Hollywood-esque heavy duty armaments with mighty explosions. All these elements are assembled to serve a reasonably coherent narrative arc with occasional goosebumps moments for the fans.
Mohanlal shines through as the titular dark angel as he looms over the entire film casting an oversized shadow on every frame. The rest of the ensemble cast including Manju Warrier, Tovino and others put in their best despite their limited character arcs.
Prithviraj continues to make his mark as a director as he handles the scale hitherto unseen in Malayalam movies. He delivers a pretty good masala flick which does not bore you despite its three hour long runtime.
Alas, bigger is not synonymous to better and the grander scale does not deliver the emotional beats of the first installment. Nevertheless, this is a commendable sequel that sets the tone for a fitting finale to cap the trilogy.
A SPECTACLE MOVIE (best enjoyed on a BIG screen) !
Three estranged brothers reunite with their families after decades in their ancestral home as their mother is drawing her final breaths. Beneath the courteous efforts to forge forgotten connections, unforgotten and unforgiven tensions from the past simmer. Could the siblings succeed in overcoming their differences..? How does the gen-next of the family, in their impressionable years and meeting for the first time connect..?
This is a movie that manages to achieve a difficult balancing act of being subtle and sensitive to the subjects being depicted without being judgmental on any of the characters who are all flawed at some level, as humans tend to be.
Director Sharan Venugopal displays remarkable restraint throughout as he skillfully steers his narrative away from the usual desi pitfalls of getting lewd (exploitative or exposing to titillate) or loud (melodramatic or emotionally manipulative). This is no small achievement in itself and to achieve all this within a crisp running time of less than two hours is a mark of his brilliance.
While the two young leads playing next generation of the family (especially, Garggi Ananthan, playing Athira) are perfectly cast for their respective roles, the seniors - Joju, Suraj & Lopez - are excellent too, carrying all their shades without hitting a wrong note.
The music by Rahul Raj - songs as well as the score - is another highlight.
Overall, it is yet another lovely addition to the ever-growing pantheon of Malayalam cinema that continues to excel in exploring the oft-overlooked dimensions of our collective human coexistence.
A sort of return to form for Director Shankar who stumbled badly and delivered a disaster in Indian sequel which was his previous outing. The story from director Karthik Subbaraj pits an upright and dynamic bureaucrat against a power hungry politician buttressed by a corrupt system.
The writing and execution follows Shankar's familiar template with some contemporary updates. Yet, it largely works and delivers the wares for a commercial potboiler, thanks largely to Ram Charan firing on all cylinders and powering it through a double role. He gets able support from an ensemble cast including SJ Suryah as a menacing antagonist, a goofy Jayaram, Srikanth, Samuthirakani, Anjali, and Kiara Advani besides several others who appear in a blink-n-miss minor roles like Achyuth Kumar, Vennela Kishore, and Brahmanandam.
Shankar has continued to splurge on the making including songs mounted on grandiose scale with eye popping colours that saturate the large screen from edge to edge. Ditto for his mandatory emotional flashback stretch which is at best average and is utterly predictable despite dramatic gravitas of Ram Charan and Anjali trying their best. Nevertheless, the cat and mouse game between the leads has enough drama and punchy twists to sustain momentum and interest.
While Shankar has upped his game from his previous debacle, this is still a far cry from his yesteryear blockbusters which find several echoes through the movie. If you keep your expectations limited, this is a fairly engaging game.
Ajay (Asif Ali), a forest officer, lives with his father Appu Pillai (Vijayaraghavan), a retired army officer, in their family villa deep in the verdant jungles of Wayanad. The movie begins with hints of a missing pistol belonging to Appu Pillai that is required to be surrendered in the police station due to the forthcoming elections. This is intercut with the scene of Ajay getting married to Aparna (Aparna Balamurali) in a simple court marriage where the couple appear to be going through the motions unemotionally.
As the search for the missing gun intensifies, Aparna and us - the viewers - are hooked to the the gently unpeeling layers of this household including details about Ajay's earlier marriage, his deceased wife who succumbed to cancer, their 10-year old son who has been missing for 3 years, as well as the apparent eccentricities of Appu Pillai. What happens to the missing gun and the missing son ? The narrative adopts a gentle and measured pace that nevertheless, keeps us engaged till its culmination in an emotional and gripping finale. Even the dramatic reveals of the climax are delivered with a measured tone which ironically land like a sucker punch.
Director Dinjith Ayyathan along with the cinematographer Bahul Ramesh who has also written the story, screenplay and dialogues have crafted a narrative that builds gradually to a crescendo without resorting to any gimmickry or loud melodrama. It is like watching a blank canvas coming alive at the hands of a brilliant artist who transforms into a masterpiece - one assured brushstroke after another - all the while keeping us guessing till the very end.
The narrative expertly focusses on the nature of memories which are central to our survival and existence as they are the basic building blocks of our life. Our memories are the filter through which we see and understand the world. We perceive and live our everyday experience of reality through what we have remembered thus far. Yet, our memories remain fallible as they are seldom an accurate record of events and also continue to diminish as we age. Nevertheless, we continue our valiant, albeit vain, efforts to clutch at the straws of this fast-fading scaffolding that is central to our constructs of self as well as our social connections.
The writer-director duo weave their storyline to explore these dimensions without missing out on the mystery that captivates our attention as we continuously search for answers. The central cast comprising of Asif Ali, Aparna Balamurali, and Vijayaraghavan ace their respective parts with just the right dose of pathos, mystery, curiosity, madness and vulnerability. The score by Mujeeb Majeed subtly underlines the unfolding drama without drawing too much attention to itself.
The movie serves a perfect cocktail of an intelligent drama dense with emotions and multi-faceted mystery that lingers with you long after the viewing.
Biopics, especially of army veterans, are an unexplored genre in Tamil cinema. Director Rajkumar Periasamy takes this road less traveled as he narrates the story of Major Mukund Varadarajan who was martyred in Kashmir shortly after celebrating his 31st birthday.
The unusual casting of leads - Siva Karthikeyan (SK) and Sai Pallavi - has worked exceptionally well as both provide stellar performances. SK undergoes a spectacular transformation in his muscular physicality as well as a controlled performance that is as distant from his usual casual self as snowy Kashmir is from sunny shores of Kanyakumari. Sai Pallavi is once again phenomenal as the emotional anchor to this film.
Amaran is a fine attempt as it blends the personal life comprising of an affecting love story along with a valorous life of a professional army man with exemplary leadership skills. The director deserves credit for steering clear of the usual pitfalls of loud jingoism and teary melodrama that mire most movies of this genre.
Two love birds on the run from predatory gangsters seek refuge in a rifle club nestled in the verdant Western ghats. The club traces its lineage to Tipu and colonials with its proud members transcending age or gender stereotypes. When the gangsters in pursuit land at the gates of the club, all hell breaks loose.
Director Ashiq Abu orchestrates a mayhem manufactured in malevolent Malyali gunslinger heaven set to a thumping score from Rex Vijayan.
The stellar cast including Dileesh Pothan, Anurag Kashyap, Varni Vishwanath, Vijaya Raghavan, Surabhi Lakshmi, Dharshana Rajendran and many more hit the bulls-eye delivering their roles with comic panache.
Overall, this is a stylish thriller mounted on a wafer thin premise where the count of bullets matter much more than the body count.
The first part of Viduthalai that was released last year was a fascinating exploration of politics and hierarchical structures (class, caste, etc). The story unfolded from the perspective of an impressionable rookie cop Kumaresan played by Soori in a career-defining turn with Vijay Sethupathi playing a cameo as Perumal Vaathiyaar - a charismatic mentor of a ruthless revolutionary force.
The sequel sees a role reversal as it dwells on the life and times of Perumaal Vaathiyaar, his evolution from a humble school teacher, his own schooling on left ideology, labour leader and thereafter to become a revolutionary. The role of Kumaresan is relegated to a cameo and an occasional voice over, except for a few scenes.
Most of the movie which is structured as episodic recounting of the life of Perumaal Vaathiyaar ends up as an unending and verbose monologue of political commentary and ideological propaganda - logical and lofty. Yet, these ideas lack a strong rooting in an engaging story or relatable character arcs and consequently, sink without striking an emotional chord. None of the the events linger long enough to make an impression and as a result, even some of the decently staged action set-pieces fail to make a mark as there is little emotional pay-off.
Vijay Sethupathi is phenomenal and is supported well by the star-studded supporting cast including Soori who continues to breathe Kumaresan, an ever-dependable Manju Warrier, Gautam Menon, Rajiv Menon, Chethan, Ilavarasu, Kishore and Ken Karunaas.
Director Vetrimaaran's sequel is too dense - it delivers a semester load of political, socio-economic discourse and much more in the span of almost three hours of runtime. If only, the strands of the story and characters were explored in as much detail as the ideas that he transmits, this could have been a far superior movie in terms of engaging the audience.
However, while the first part could keep us engrossed as we followed Kumaresan's hesitant footsteps in an unfamiliar and difficult terrain (in literal as well as figurative sense), in the second part, we often miss following the narrative trail as we struggle to keep up with the more certain Perumaal Vaathiyaar who is a veteran of this treacherous terrain.
Nevertheless, this is an important movie from one of our most outspoken auteurs as he amplifies those frequently forgotten voices which are often crushed under the cacophony of the commercial narratives which serve as convenient entertainment of the masses.
I revisited the movie before watching the sequel that has arrived on the silver screen this past week.
After a commercially successful outing with Asuran which also received a fair share of critical acclaim, ace director Vetrimaaran returns with the story of an underdog cop. Kumaresan (Soori), a rookie cop with a strong moral compass is thrust into the thick of things in a battle front drawn between a stubborn State and a relentless revolutionary force. The revolutionaries are keen to obstruct the proposed mining project in a densely forested area as they see it is exploitative to the people as well as nature while the State views the same as a tool for development of the area.
While the template story of development and its aftermath unfolds at the surface level, the primary narrative strand focuses on the story of Kumaresan - how he finds his feet in the rough grind between an indifferent system and a seemingly ruthless revolutionary band.
It does not take long for him to note that if a system could be so cruel and inhumane to its own foot soldiers, there is hardly any hope for the meek, voiceless and underprivileged lot who routinely get crushed under the giant developmental wheels of the System. Nevertheless, he marches on dutifully as a foot soldier even as he finds solace in the affections of a forest dweller who might be connected to the foes.
Soori who has been playing comical roles so far, submits himself completely to his first lead role. He is earnest in every frame as he grapples with each situation with his innate vulnerability. It would not be an understatement to say that this is a reincarnation for him as he lives through every facet of this challenging role. Vijay Sethupathy plays - Perumaal Vaathiyaar - a minor cameo as the mentor of the revolutionary force and is likely to gain more prominence in the sequel. Bhavani Sre, Gautam Vasudev Menon, Rajeev Menon and Chethan are apt in their supporting roles.
DoP Velraj excels in framing the verdant, albeit, very challenging terrain as is evident from the early unbroken long shot of a train accident as well as several others including one of Soori scaling a mountain with a senior colleague. Maestro's songs as well as BGM accentuate and add poignancy to the proceedings.
The narrative paints in broad strokes of black & white, good & bad and bypasses exploring any granularity or grey zones. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that director Vetrimaaran is able to engage and engross the attention of viewers during the entire duration of the movie. What's more...? He whets our appetite for the sequel which could be explosive in its intensity, especially given the incendiary glimpses that punctuate the end of this movie.
A SATISFYING WATCH (that could have easily been so much more) !!
In Iran, women are not allowed as audience in sporting events which is preserved as exclusive domain of men. A group of soccer loving girls, dressed as boys, try to sneak into a football stadium to witness a match of their national team. The movie captures the events that unfold when they are caught by the police.
A sports comedy centered on women in Iran is something that could well be in the realm of the impossible. Yet, noted director Jafar Panahi presents a sharp and layered snapshot of the contemporary Iranian society, condition of their women wallowing under the strict controls placed on them by the theocracy and the multiple - often ridiculous - ironies of such edicts, laced with oodles of humour.
This movie benefits immensely from the fact that it was shot in real settings of the stadium with Iran playing Bahrain in a World Cup qualifier. Consequently, the entire movie has a festive and electric spirit which is matched by the sheer spunk of some of the girls who are diehard fans of the game.
Just like a tense football match between two evenly matched sides, the movie grabs attention from the first minute and does not let go till its very last as Panahi mines comic gold at almost every turn of events and crafts a narrative with a natural, yet unpredictable flow.
It won a silver bear in Berlinale besides many other laurels.
In the seventh installment of the MI series, Tom Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie have crafted a superlative action flick. The movie barrels down its 243 minutes runtime very much like its age-defying superstar who continues to sprint immaculately.
It hits a relentless pace from the word go till its exciting cliff hanger of an ending looking into an exciting abyss and what is waiting to unfold in the sequel to be released next year as we await it with bated breath.
It does everything one could ask for - familiar set of characters from IMF along with some new ones, machiavellian villains seeking world dominance, a foe that is contemporary, globe-trotting narrative propelled by brilliant action sequences including a crazy chase, a healthy sprinkling of humour and a few strands of emotional beats between the key characters, and at the heart of it all, Tom Cruise who is still hitting it out of the park, even after crossing sixty - a perfect recipe for a summer blockbuster.
Maamannan (Vadivel) is a legislator from an oppressed community and has a difficult personal relationship with son Athiveeran (Udhayanidhi) due to a traumatic event in their past. On the professional front, he shares a fraught relationship with Rathnavel (Fahaad Fasil) who is an aspiring leader from a dominant community and also has psycopathic tendencies centred on retaining his position of power over those he sees as below him.
When a series of seemingly minor events spiral out of control unexpectedly, he is confronted with a situation that raises serious questions over his entrenched sense of authority. The entire first half is a fire cracker which culminates in an explosive interval point. The rest of the movie sees how each of these three leads try to handle the consequences and assert their voice and choice over the other side. Alas, the latter half treads a predictable path and does not manage to create an impact comparable to the first. That is all the more unfortunate given the potential of the material as well as the cast and technical crew at hand.
Vadivel towers over everyone in the titular role, delivering a mature and richly layered performance that is worthy of many plaudits. He packs an impactful punch, whether in the intensely emotional moments or in sequences where he showcases restraint with a seething undercurrent of rage against injustice.
2023 seems to be a year of rebirth of popular comics. After Soori's cinematic reincarnation in Vetrimaaran's Viduthalai earlier this year, Mari Selvaraj reimagines Vadivel in his unique style.
In his third film, after Pariyerum Peumal and Karnan, director Mari Selvaraj continues to explore the conflict points between those who have traditionally been in power and those who have been oppressed under them. His movies continue to speak for those who have been deprived of the rights to raise their voice even to acknowledge the atrocities that they are subjected to on a daily basis. Fahad delivers chilling and menacing performance, especially with those powerful eyes which speak volumes. Udhayanidhi turns in a neat performance of simmering rage that is ready to explode. The fact that he manages to hold his own amidst aces like Vadivel, Fahadh and Keerthi is a testament of his evolution from the breezy roles of his OKOK days. Keerthi registers her presence in an otherwise limited role.
The movie is replete with several subtle and not-so-subtle symbolisms that has come to define his filming style, especially the liberal use of animals like dogs, horses and pigs as metaphors to convey his themes, in his usage of monochromes for certain sequences, his inter-cuts in certain others. There are also those stretches which document unspeakable cruelty - mostly, mimicking actual events in the past and present - to men and animals by those in power just to stamp their authority and to trample upon those they consider lowly and meek.
Rahman has delivered a powerful album including couple of energetic anthems, a soulful melody and a wrenching dirge to accentuate key moments in the narrative.
RATING - 3.5/5
A POWERFUL MOVIE - that could've been much much more !!
