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.
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.
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.
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) !!
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 !!
Comparisons to the epic novel by Kalki are futile as movies are by nature a lesser medium than books. Books translate the imagination of the writer into words which is, in turn, translated and plays out in the near infinite canvas of the reader's imagination which is unbound by the limits of physical media and budget that constrain performing arts like cinema, drama, etc.
Comparisons to recent blockbusters like Bahubali, RRR or KGF, while natural, would also not be fair as they were not bearing the burden of responsibility of being the cinematic adaptation of a much loved epic novel that is adored by readers despite several decades.
If that be so, what is PS-1 about..?
Director Mani Ratnam's magnum opus presents the sprawling story as an adventure doused in generous doses of palace intrigue.
Painstakingly mounted across several exotic locations with elegant production design (Thotta Tharani) and gorgeously visualised frames (Ravi Varman), there is a lot to captivate the viewers here.
Among the ensemble cast which bring to life these much loved characters, the leading ladies - Aishwarya and Trisha - stand out and dazzle the screen in every frame they are in. Karthi, Vikram, Jayaram, and Jayam Ravi are also excellent in their respective roles.
Rahman's songs and score add to the narrative like a curious accessory that enhances the attire without seeking excessive attention to itself.
So... Is it perfect and superlative....?
No..
The narrative could feel too rushed and even disjointed, especially to those who are uninitiated to the book. A trilogy might have done more justice to the story and more importantly, the many memorable characters. Hopefully, this would inspire someone worthy to make a grand webseries soon to delve deeper into the material🤞🏽.
The CGI bits are not eye-popping and are at best, decent.
The action set pieces are not as exciting or innovatively staged as one would've expected.
There are also some departures (not all of them work) from the source material which the readers may not approve of.
Nevertheless, at the end of the movie, I felt Mani is largely successful in marshalling his star studded cast and first rate technical team to the service of this book as he transports us into this adventure set a thousand years ago which remains engrossing through its entire runtime.
The sophomore venture from Director Nelson pulls Sivakarthikeyan (SK) out of his usual comfort zone of simple rom-coms and happy-go-lucky comical hero.
SK is an army doctor who is driven purely by practical considerations which border on the extreme and is also apparently bereft of any emotions.
Even as the narrative begins we see his fiancee ditching him for his lack of emotional support. However, when her family is pushed into dire straits when a young kid is kidnapped, SK steps in to help retrieve the kid.
Nelson handles the serious issue of human trafficking within a broader canvas of a black comedy which is original in its flavour and highly effective in execution with lots of laugh out loud moments, even in the most unusual and unexpected places.
It takes a special conviction and talent to have SK as a hero and not allowing him to even crack a smile for almost the entire length of the movie even as the audience are having a laugh riot.
Director Nelson surprises us constantly as he steers clear of conventional genre tropes and delivers a unique flick with his own distinct imprint. He is definitely a talent to look forward to.
An alcoholic professor is forced to teach in a correctional home for young offenders. He is pitted against a dreaded criminal who maintains a strangle hold on the institution and forces the children there to commit violent crimes on his behalf.
After two back to back hits in Maanagaram and Kaithi, director Lokesh Kanagaraj hits a hat trick as he delivers a major star powered action blockbuster. In Master, Lokesh strikes a sweet spot between making his own kind of film and a star vehicle for a larger than life star like Vijay.
In the process, he shatters multiple star movie myths and proves that -
- a star movie can indeed exist without a mandatory hero introduction song or forced duets in exotic locales
- it is indeed possible to write a decent story and place the star at the center of it rather than stringing a series of fanboy servicing moments and call it a BIG movie.
- the antagonist need not be a mere one-note caricature; in fact, if he can be strong(er) and could have a solid backstory, it helps the movie and elevates the hero
- comical moments can be written seamlessly into the narrative and you don't need a separate comedy track with Yogi Babu or Satish or such others
- the hero need not be a macho invincible and could be clueless or could even depend on others to save the day / damsel in distress.
- even a three hour movie could be fairly engaging and not feel too much of a drag.
Lokesh sparkles with his writing in the manner in which he has created a hero who is both fallible and vulnerable, a villain who is forged in a crucible of crime as well as pain and is not a mere pushover, the way he weaves comical elements seamlessly into the narrative, the references to multiple hit movies from the past including Vijay's and his own earlier hits. He has a penchant for writing crackling confrontation scenes suffused with tension as well as effective action set pieces. Anirudh's rocking score and peppy songs amp up the energy of key sequences.
Vijay seems to have mastered the art of looking fresher and younger with each passing movie. He owns the character of JD in all its swag as well as failings and he delivers in aces. Vijay Sethupathi is excellent in radiating effortless evil and menace and mixes it up with his own style of casual and comical banter.
Lokesh has managed to make his signature style mass movie - a paisa-vasool entertainer - and deserves plaudits for succeeding admirably for the most part.
This movie has an intriguing premise that pits a God against a self-proclaimed Godman.
It has its moments which shine brilliantly. But, those are few and far between; for the most part, it fumbles to hold our attention as it wavers wildly between getting too serious or too silly for its own good.
Nayantara continues to dazzle and gets the Amman role just right. RJ Balaji is competent as an actor, but falls short as a director (co-directed with NJ Saravanan).
What could have been a sharp satire slips into something that is just so-so.
This biopic is inspired by the life of Captain Gopinath and recounts the struggles faced by him to realise his dream of making the common man fly at an affordable cost by establishing a low cost airlines.
Director Sudha Kongara is no stranger to the realm of the triumph of underdog. Her impressive debut, Irudhi Suttru which was set in the world of professional women boxers belonged to the same template. Her narrative here is fairly predictable, loaded with genre cliches, "mass" scenes to service the star and packs very little to set it apart except for the character of Bommi (Aparna Balamurali - a revelation) and her dynamic with Maaran (Suriya).
The film benefits greatly from the exceptional performances from the ever reliable Suriya, Aparna Balamurali who holds her own in a spunky role. GV Prakash Kumar has embellished the narrative with a memorable album filled with superbly penned songs set to catchy tunes.
While the predictable narrative with some noticeable lag in the latter portions and the synthetic massy moments apply brakes to the narrative, the movie remains eminently watchable. It is by far, the best Tamil flick to find direct OTT release till date and cruises along like a turbo-prop in delivering a value-for-money viewing experience.
Alas, it could have easily been a Dreamliner and soared much higher.
This Tamil anthology mini web series consists of 4 episodes directed by noted Tamil directors - Vignesh Sivan, Gautam Vasudev Menon, Vetrimaaran and Sudha Kongara.
Each episode narrates a story that revolves around the common theme of violent sins related to honour and identity which is associated with the usual elements of caste, class and gender. There are also subtle connecting threads that run across these episodes.
Expectedly, the material is dark and except for the episode directed by Vignesh Sivan featuring dark sarcastic humour, the mood remains grim, intense and frequently, tense.
The ensemble cast featuring Anjali (looking fresh, in a dual role), Kalki, GVM, Simran, Prakash Raj, Sai Pallavi, Shantanu and Kalidas are impressive and along with the supporting cast provide neat performances.
On the flip side, the stories tend to trod a predictable path and the melodrama is often amped up. Nevertheless, the predictability does not pare down the impact significantly, thanks to the handling and the melodramatic parts too serve a similar purpose.
In all, this is an admirable beginning that augurs well for the Tamil webseries space.
Superstar Rajni - For his undiminished charisma, style quotient and energy through which he fits into the role of a super-cop, when he is almost seventy, including courageously gymming out in all glory. He is a living testimony to the adage that age is just a number and remains the primary reason to watch this otherwise avoidable flick. And.. that is a near impossible feat that he can rightfully claim that only Rajni can accomplish.
Nivetha Thomas - For her commendable performace in a meaty cameo as Rajni's daughter.
Anirudh - For an energetic background score and few good (not great) songs.
NOT-SO-BAD
Yogi Babu - who fares decently with his comic one-liners.
Action set-pieces - While none of it is exceptional, the railway station piece is well choreographed and packs a punch.
Nayantara - She continues to look like a billion bucks and oozes elegance and grace even though she has a nothing role here. While there is a weak pretense to rationalise the semblance of a romance, it is what it is - at best, a weak pretense, if not entirely phony.
BAD
The Villains - Sunil Shetty and co who are bad because they are not bad-enough baddies to challenge the hero in any meaningful way.
A R Murugadoss - Director ARM appears pretty directionless as he puts up a tepid show with weak writing which is all over the place. Looks like the chart-buster "Summa Kizhi" was actually inspired by a reading of this ragtag script. If not for the Superstar who shoulders this pretty sloppy outing and salvages it to watchable category, this would have been declared DOA - dud-on-arrival.
An unexploded bomb from second world war washes ashore near the coast of Mahabalipuram, a historic town in Tamil Nadu. If it detonates, it could cause widespread destruction wiping out everything in a large radius. It slips through the hands of cops who seize it initially and begins a perilous journey from one scrapyard to another where it is seen as just another piece of rusting metal. Meanwhile, the cops and their masters are desperate to retrieve it as its discovery could open a can of worms that they seek to conceal.
Our protagonist Selvam (Dinesh), a truck driver, is unwittingly assigned the task of transporting the bomb along with a load of sundry metal scrap. Selvam has a running feud with the owner of the scrapyard for insulting him as well as his general attitude towards the workers of the yard. He is secretly working on his ambition to own a truck through his savings and quit the job in the scrapyard. Selvam is also in love with Chitra (Anandhi), a trained teacher from his village. However, her family which is steeped in patriarchy is vehemently opposed to their marriage as they are unwilling to accept a match from a lower class. She escapes her family and joins Selvam mid-way through his trip when he is transporting the cargo from Chennai to Pondicherry. Meanwhile, Tanya (Riythvika, in an impressive cameo), an activist cum investigative journalist is struggling to unearth the truth behind the bomb. The rest of the narrative sees the journey of the bomb with Selvam and their path crisscrossing with Chitra, Chitra's family as well as the cops and Tanya who are chasing the bomb for their own respective reasons.
Debutante director Athiran Athirai has cooked up a raw, genre-jumping recipe that blends elements of a tense thriller, road movie, love story, message movie on class/caste struggle garnished with a generous helping of humour. While some of the elements might feel generic and formulaic, it is to the credit of the director that and the sincerity he infuses into the project that most of the elements work to deliver the desired effect.
Dinesh fits the role of the truck driver Selvam effortlessly and handles the whole range of emotions convincingly. Anandhi provides an ideal foil and turns in a neat performance in the role of Chitra, which resonates quite a bit with her role in Pariyerum Perumal. Muneeshkanth is in fine form and spot on with his comic timing in the role of Puncture. Debutante composer Tenma has turned out a stand-out score and an earthy soundtrack which adds to the allure of the movie.
Through his production house - Neelam Productions, Director Pa Ranjith is on a mission to support movies that extol the plight of those at the bottom of the caste/class pyramid. Last year, he had introduced Mari Selvaraj who made a stellar directorial debut through Pariyerum Perumal - the best Tamil movie of 2018. Continuing on his mission, Pa Ranjith acquits himself as a producer who has a keen eye for the craft and has picked another exceptional talent to watch for in Athiyan Athirai.
Athiyan has the rare skill to beautifully blend the multiple ingredients of his narrative recipe without losing focus on the fate of the bomb and those around it. He keeps the tension real and combines it effectively with regular doses of humour as well as the underlying message of all humans being the same irrespective of our apparent differences and how all of us are equally vulnerable when confronted with certain challenges. The fact that the ideology and message delivered through his characters come across as neither preachy nor phony is testimony to his skills in crafting a sincere narrative populated with characters that we could relate to.
While it may not be as hard-hitting as Pariyerum Perumal in its tonality, IUKG is equally effective in its layered narrative with a rich subtext of socio-economic commentary through multiple metaphors including the use of the scrapyard as a backdrop, the bomb washing ashore along the coast of a historic town, the use of colours, the manifestation of the bomb itself which heralds the repetition of history which sees the odds steeped against the oppressed.
A truck load of drugs is seized by a crack team of cops in what appears to be the biggest drug bust ever. The desperate drug gang wants the consignment back at any cost. Thus begins a narrative that is a thrill ride of events unfolding over a night with well placed moles on each side and safety of the cache as well as the lives of some top cops hanging by a slender thread resting on the shoulders of a recently released convict.
Karthi brings a simmering intensity to the part of the protagonist, Dilli - both as a father yearning to see his daughter for the first time after spending a decade in prison as well as the titular macho convict rescuing the cops. Sam CS throttles the proceedings onwards with his pulsating score.
After a stellar debut with Maanagaram, director Lokesh Kanagaraj (LK) delivers an above average action flick that is fairly engaging and entertaining.
Overall, while it may not match Maanagaram in its audacity, Kaithi, despite its flaws, is a neat action entertainer.
It is third time lucky for us, the viewers, in case of this Vijay-Atlee combo.
Director Atlee presents a decent entertainer which mines the charisma of the star to a large extent.
Bigil also benefits from the fact that the entire movie and the semblance of a story is not entirely buried under the build-up for the star.
In Bigil, Atlee places his star Vijay shining bright at the center of the universe with the plot itself and the subplots merrily orbiting him as minor satellites.
Rahman delivers a rousing anthem and a good score. There is nothing - including the music or performances - that could be counted as superlative in any sense. Still, the entire movie works and doesn't feel like a tedium despite having a run-time of almost three hours.
The fact that this movie remains largely coherent on a whole does not make you cringe despite its run-time is no minor blessing.
This is a movie made on a relatively simple premise - the travails of the protagonist and a mouse that haunts his home.
But, director Nelson Venkatesan has woven a nifty narrative around this simple construct that is generously suffused with healthy humour. The movie also has a strong message of harmonious coexistence without being preachy.
SJ Surya is spot on with his part as a soft-spoken vulnerable protagonist in a measured performance that is a far cry from his usual exaggerated antics. He is ably supported by Karunakaran who is sharp with his comic timing and the beautiful Priya Bhavani Shankar who does competent job on her part.
The background score as well as songs from Justin Prabhakaran accentuate the flow of the proceedings. Director Nelson deserves credit for brisk narrative that seamlessly blends with breezy inoffensive comedy and technical finesse. If one could overlook some minor niggles, this sophomore (Oru Naal Koothu was his debut) effort heralds him as a talent to look forward to.
Overall, Monster is the latest addition to that critically endangered genre called wholesome healthy entertainer that could be enjoyed by the entire family.
A momentary misadventure with an ex-flame pushes a recently married couple (Samatha Akkineni and Fahaad Faasil) into a a tizzy as they embark on a journey to bury their past. A frequently rib-tickling riff on "Till Death do us apart".
A mom (Gayathri Shankar) and her young son (a superb Ashwanth) await the return of a father who had fled from home several years ago, in the middle of the night, seeking a new identity. When the moment of reunion arrives, amidst an ensemble of relatives who have come to witness the event as mostly sadistic spectators, only one of them is delighted as expected ("Return of the Prodigal Purushan").
Grand plans of five teens to skip school and make merry in youthful exuberance go awfully awry. While one of them ends up in a hospital in a freak accident, a break-away group of three are buffeted between a whimsical don and even more wacky happenings ("A tale of two TV sets").
A faith healer is confronted by a situation of personal crisis which forces him to explore the strength of his faith that he preaches ("Salvation").
A corpse, a corrupt and lecherous cop, a don, a former porn star, an aspiring actor, several minor characters who leave a mark with their minimal screen presence and just when we think that this couldn't get any more intriguing, the writers conjure up a character which is even more colourful. Super Deluxe presents all this and much more in a resplendent rainbow of fully fleshed out characters - howsoever minor - populating a potpourri of plots.
Thiagarajan Kumararaja (TK), who had made a stunning debut with Aaranya Kaandam (2011) - a cult classic - proves that he was no flash in the pan. This is a massive and ambitious upgrade as he handles a talented cast consisting of multiple stars including Vijay Sethupathi, Samantha Akkineni, Fahaad Faasil, Ramya Krishnan and Bhagavathi Perumal. The acting is consistently superlative across the board with spectacular performances from the leads as well as minor characters. Vijay Sethupathi is reborn and inhabits the character of a transgender while Samantha and Fahaad are utterly convincing as the recently wed couple caught up in relationship issues. Yuvan Shankar Raja provides a sparse, yet spectacular score combined with a healthy dose of Tamil and Hindi songs of yore which coheres well with the situations.
TK shares co-writing credits with three other noted directors - Mysskin, Nalan Kumaraswamy and Neelan K Sekar. While the threesome bring in their own brand of mastery, the same has been carefully choreographed into a magnificent chimera by TK who leaves his own indelible mark as he seamlessly weaves in the multiple subplots and meta moments in life-like splendor. The writing is subtle, layered, richly detailed, consistently funny and smartly propounds its central philosophies without being preachy or moralistic or melodramatic. Check out the surgical strikes of social commentary made by Fahaad Faasil on contemporary issues like nationalism, caste structures and broken state systems. The common thread that runs through all the episodes reflect on how we, as individuals, are trapped in and trampled upon by the superficial structures imposed by a constantly judging society. The key to happiness, therefore, is in being non-judgmental and accepting persons and events for what they are.
This is a heady cocktail from a genius on top of his game. A jugalbandhi of genres - a quintessentially quirky, incorrigibly irreverent, wonderfully weird, spectacularly screwed up and audaciously amoralcomedy of errors.
