NAIYAANDI - TAMIL MOVIE REVIEW

NAIYAANDI

Production: S. Kathiresan
Cast: Dhanush, Nazriya Nazim
Direction: A. Sarkunam
Background score: M Ghibran
Cinematography: Velraj
Dialogues: A. Sarkunam
Editing: Raja Mohammed
Stunt : Dilip Subbarayan
Dance : Bobby Antony, Gayathri Raguram
Singers: Dhanush, Divya Kumar, Gold Devaraj, Leo Desouza, Niwas, Padmalatha, Ranjith, Sundar Narayana Rao, Susana, Swetha Menon
Lyrics : Arivumathi, Devendran, Karthick Metha, Ramaswamy, Viveka

Naiyaandi marks the return of Dhanush to lighthearted cinema after a slew of intense roles in the last few years. He joins hands with Director Sargunam for a comedy entertainer set around  Kumbakonam.

Dhanush plays Chinna Vandu, the youngest of three brothers, who falls in love with Vana Roja (Nazriya) when she comes to visit her grandmother, coinciding with the village carnival. After a few hiccups, their romance becomes mutual.

Chinna Vandu has to then handle his family members particularly his lovesick elder brothers and also a dreaded goon who sets his eagle eyes on Roja.

The initial segments of Naiyaandi are hilarious, with an animated introductory credits sequence establishing how Dhanush's two elder brothers are totally down on luck when it comes to marriage. The interval segment has another enjoyable little animated sequence which sets up the second half for plenty of situational comedy.

But, Naiyaandi turns out to be a really predictable affair for most of its running time, with the second half offering some solace thanks to the hilarious histrionics of Sreeman and Sathyan. Sreeman takes the cake among the performers and all the little efforts that he takes in order to look fit for romance and marriage, are laugh-worthy.

After we are entertained for a sizable portion of the second half, the climax again meanders to cliched territory as we have the villain and his sidekicks locking horns with the hero, in a stylized little 'filmy' stunt sequence before the expected 'happy ending'.

Dhanush isn't required to strain much and he waltzes through his role. His introductory sequence is vibrant and he shares decent vibes with the likes of Soori and Sathish. The expectations from this powerhouse performer are sky high and whether Naiyaandi has lived up to his caliber is highly questionable.

If it was 'brother' in Raja Rani, 'fraud' is the word for young Nazriya in Naiyaandi, and she looks sparkling as ever in a sizable role. She is addressed as 'aayalu' by her near and dear ones in the movie. Soori turns in another typical performance, nicely settling into the 'rural comedian' space.

Vamsi Krishna as the baddie, is as predictable as ever and we are accustomed to such villainy in numerous Tamil movies. Naren does an earnest father's role yet again with ease. Veterans, Pyramid Natrajan and Meera Krishnan, play the parents of the three brothers with good effect.

The technical aspects of Naiyaandi are good with Velraj's visuals being crystal clear even in those night shots across a paddy field dotted with windmills. The songs, shot in exotic Swiss locales are pleasing to the eye, though their placement leaves a lot to be desired. The room in Dhanush's house where all the bells and lamps are stacked up, and one where Dhanush and Nazriya share a few intimate moments is another visual highlight of Naiyaandi.

Ghibran's work on the background music is admirable, with the mounting expectations surrounding his work on Vishwaroopam 2's BGM score. The young composer has tastefully used instruments such as santoor and saxophone and he has done his best for every scene in the movie. The way the old Doordarshan theme has been used, is also very apt and timely.

On final analysis, though Naiyaandi brims with good technical values and a solid star cast, the novelty factor in the movie is minimal. When names such as Dhanush and Sargunam are associated with a movie, expectations are naturally high but Naiyaandi's brand of family entertainment is one that has been seen plenty of times.

Verdict: Naiyaandi provides a few laughs but is nothing that you have not seen before.

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VANAKAM CHENNAI - TAMIL MOVIE REVIEW

VANAKAM CHENNAI 

Production: Udhayanidhi Stalin
Cast: Priya Anand, Rahul Ravindran, Santhanam, Shiva, Urvashi
Direction: Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi
Background score: Anirudh Ravichander
Cinematography: Richard M. Nathan
Dialogues: Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi
Editing: T.S Suresh
Stunt choreography: Dilip Subbarayan
Singers: Andrea, Anirudh, Arjun, ‘Hip Hop Tamizha’ Aadhi, Charles Bosco, Country Chicken, Hard Kaur, Maria Roe Vincent, Papon, Pragathi, Suchithra, Vishal Dadlani
Lyrics : Madhan Karky, Na Muthukumar


What happens when the worlds of a small town boy and an uptown girl collide? A fairytale romance of course, and that’s strictly speaking in cinema parlance. Debutant director Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi plays out this tale with her toppings of sweet and sour in Vanakkam Chennai.

The story of Vanakkam Chennai is largely predictable right down to the fate of the fiancé (a London mapillai in this case, played excitably by Rahul Ravindran). But Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi puts some thought into it and treats it with a sensibility that’s refreshing. Her matter of fact presentation of a young unmarried couple living together is appreciable. Its a debut Kiruthiga can be proud of !

The first half trots along merrily with Ajay (Shiva) and Anjali (Priya Anand) indulging in one-upmanship that stirs up several laughs and saves the audience the trouble of wondering about the story’s progress. But the second half, despite Santhanam’s shenanigans, plays out more like a drama. This in turn stretches the movie to a running time of 2 hours and 31 minutes and much like Rosy Aunty, Vanakkam Chennai too takes its own time to say goodbye.

However the dramatic developments in the second half offers Priya Anand to show that she isn’t just a pretty face with an accent and uses the opportunity to perform earnestly in the emotional scenes. The actress is natural as the London based NRI and makes the most out of a meaty role. Shiva, on the other hand, has moments where he can be himself, like during scenes where he explains his accident with an aeroplane and while he’s pledging his head to the pawn broker Kishen Lal, but he too jumps out of his comfort zone and impressively fills into the shoes of an endearing love struck small town boy.

At the heart of Vanakkam Chennai is Anirudh’s music and his songs are greeted with cheers. If his songs had given the movie a great opening, his background score adds richness to overall movie watching experience. 'Osaka' and 'Penne' especially have been translated beautifully on screen, the former for capturing the picturesque landscapes of the countryside and the latter for dabbling with trippy illusions and make for great viewing on the screen. Richard M Nathan’s camera moves gracefully indoors and outdoors resulting in soothing visuals which are seamlessly pieced together by Editor Suresh. The set design and the art work too are tastefully done.

Vanakkam Chennai features a supporting cast of seasoned performers such as Oorvasi, Mano Bala, Nasser and Renuka along with the likes of Black Pandi, Aarthi, Swaminathan and Rajkumar who all appear in brief roles. Apart from the lead pair, the only character who gets enough screen time is Santhanam and its business as usual for the in-demand comedian and he doesn’t let the house down.

Overall, the film has enough jolly good moments through music, visuals and comedy to make it a worthy watch, leaving you satisfied.

Verdict: Great music, colorful visuals and jolly good moments make Vanakkam Chennai a nice watch !

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IDHARKUTHANE AASAIPATTAI BALAKUMARA - TAMIL MOVIE REVIEW

IDHARKUTHANE AASAIPATTAI BALAKUMARA

Production: V. S. Rajkumar
Cast: Vijay Sethupathi,Ashwin Kakumanu, M.S.Baskar, Nandita, Pasupathy, Rajendiran, Swati Reddy, V.S.Raghavan
Direction: Gokul
Background score: Siddarth Vippin
Cinematography: Mahesh Muthuswamy
Dialogues: Gokul, Karky
Editing: Leo John Paul
Stunt choreography: Anbarivu
Dance choreography: Raju Sundaram
Singers: Dr.Narayanan, Gaana Bala, Hariharan, Naresh Iyer
Lyrics : Karky, Lalithanand


Why should Kumudha be happy? She definitely has to be, not only because she is Sumar Moonji Kumar’s love interest, but also because her happiness makes your throat dry as a result of the amount of laughter it shovels out. After Rowthiram, Director Gokul seems to have struck the right chord, etching out a comedy movie.

Idharkuthane Aasapattai Balakumara (IAB) portrays the love stories of two attention-grabbing characters, whose individualities and backgrounds are at two extremes, but ultimately get to meet each other due to a few mistakes that come out as a cool message to the audience.

First things first, Vijay Sethupathi as Sumar Moonji Kumar has done it yet again, raising his pennant higher, making himself more visible to his fervent fans. The depth in his innocence and the foolhardiness in his love are a couple of things that stand tall in the character he plays, and Vijay Sethupathi has pulled it off in grand style. The actor is a revelation in the climax sequence, showing the other dimension of his acting.

Director Gokul’s introduction of the characters in a single frame with a touch of humour is an interesting point-out that sets up the stage. However, the golden touch of the director comes in the screenplay. Gokul has managed to narrate a single day story in a manner that makes you feel that you are so familiar with the characters in the movie.

Though IAB joins the list of numerous comedy films this year, the treatment and detailing is different if noticed closely. The first half takes its time to settle down with the characters, but at the same time there is slight experimentation with character-comedy and elaborately drawn out gags.

Ashwin Kakamanu, who plays the role of Bala, has had his own scoring areas, and the actor has exploited them well. His cartoon faced reactions to situations that could possibly drive a person mad, might seem a little exaggerated, but the humour it brings is applaudable. The hilarious portrayal of his battle between a difficult girlfriend and a super complicated boss has been handled perfectly and Ashwin appears to have delivered what was fundamentally required.

Swati and Nandita, the love interests of Ashwin and Vijay Sethupathi respectively, look beautiful and precisely like the girls next door. Though the actresses do not have too many opportunities to exhibit their talents, their characters play decisive parts in propelling the story to its finale.

When the performance of the lead characters produce the kick that was intended, the supporting cast have also chipped in intriguing bits that springs you up in regular intervals. The tone, accent and perfection in M.S Bhaskar’s character easily add to the hysteria of the watchers. Pasupathy, Naan Kadavul Rajendran, Soori, Madhumitha, Robo Shankar and Daniel have all played eccentric roles that work as alarm clocks reminding you to laugh every now and then.

Gokul apparently has included a tweaked version of Vijay Sethupathi’s ‘Enachu’ dialogue which Daniel (Romba Sumar Moonji Kumar), repeatedly utters at a particular portion in the film. Although, the dialogue activates the tickle nerves of many, the director has been sensible enough to cut it off at the right time.

Produced by V.S Rajkumar, under the banner Leo Visions and distributed by JSK Film Corporation, the movie bounces out into the middle with a whole hearted motive. Enthrall, Entertain, Enliven.

Idharkuthaane Aasaipattai Balakumara is not an adhesive that keeps you glued on the seat, but is a spring that might make you bounce with laughter. Go for it and make Kumudha happy.

Verdict: Idharkuthaane Aasaipattai Balakumara will make you leave the theatre happy !

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RAJA RANI - TAMIL MOVIE REVIEW

RAJA RANI

Director: Atlee Kumar
Producer: A.R. Murugadoss
Music Director: G V Prakash Kumar
Lyricst: Na.Muthukumar , Gaana Bala , Pa. Vijay
Singers: Gaana BalaG V Prakash KumarAishwaryaShakthi SreeClinton CerejoAlphonseAlkaVandana SrinivasanVijay PrakashSashaShalmali Kholgade
Cast:
Arya as John
Jai as Surya
Nayantara as Regina
Nazriya Nazim as Keerthana
Sathyaraj as Regina's Father
Manobala
Rajendran
Misha Ghoshal
Santhanam as John's Close Friend Sarathy
Sathyan as Surya's Friend
Gaana Bala as Special Appearance

AR Murugadoss' third home production Raja Rani has been released with a lot of expectations as his first two flicks had won the hearts of the audience. In the latest movie, Arya, Nayantara, Jai and Nazriya Nazim are seen in the key roles.

The movie marks the debut of Atlee Kumar, a former associate of successful director Shankar. In his debut movie, the young director has taken inspiration from Blockbuster Kannada movie Milana, which starred Puneet Rajkumar and Parvathi Menon in the lead roles. But he has made necessary changes to make it to look like an original piece for which he has to be patted on back.

Raja Rani is a beautiful romantic love story. The movie revolves around the love stories of the couples who decided to marry against their wishes. In Milana, the love between the couple grows with time, but in the latest flick, it bursts out all of a sudden as the movie starts nearing its climax.

There are two love tracks in the movie. In fact, it is third with John (Arya) and Regina (Nayantara) falling in love by the end of the movie. Raja Rani begins with the marriage of the lead stars. They wed against their will. Their chemistry doesn't work in the beginning and the couple hate each other. But the story takes a twist when Regina suffers a stroke and she reveals her past love story.

In the second half, we are told about Arya's love story. However, how the love blossoms between John and Regina? What are their past stories? What impact will Jai and Nazriya Nazim's roles have on the story? Watch the movie to get answers for all these questions.

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6 CANDLES - TAMIL MOVIE REVIEW

6 CANDLES

Cast: Shaam Ibrahim, Poonam Kaur, Nagineedu, Anil Murali and Narayan
Director: V.Z. Dhorai

  Actor Shaam is due for a massive hit for a long time now. In spite of proving his acting skills in a big way, he could not register a massive commercial hit to his name. This has made him to juggle between Tamil and Telugu film industries. The actor, who was last seen in Agam Puram in Tamil films, is returning to Kollywood with 6 Candles.
 

   Shaam stunned the audience with the first look of 6 candles. People did not recognise him in the posters and it came as a big booster for the movie. He has joined hands with Durai, who started his career by directing Ajith Kumar in Mugavari. His last movie Nepali was an experimental movie, which won critics' appreciation, but commercially it did not do well. He is returning to Kollywood after five years.
Their combo has been making positive noise with the trailer and the posters of 6 Candles. Especially, the trailer of the flick crossed two lakh views in no time on YouTube which clearly tells how people are waiting for the movie. Adding to that, Kannada superstar Sudeep, who saw the movie at a special screening, has praised the movie to heavens. Well, how this combo has worked out? What they have to offer? Find it in the review...

Story 

People might be wondering about what the title - 6 Candles - conveys. The answer is that the hero Shaam loses his son on his sixth birthday. The frustrated father, in order to find his only son, travels every corner of the country. In the process, we are told about child trafficking gangs. In simple words, what the father faces and learns, form the crux of the story.

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YA YAA - TAMIL MOVIE REVIEW

YA YAA 

Production: MS Murugaraj
Cast: Dhanshika, Sandhya, Santhanam, Shiva
Direction: I. Rajasekaran
Background score: Vijay Ebenezer
Cinematography: Vetri
Dialogues: I. Rajasekaran
Editing: T. S. Suresh
Stunt choreography: Thalapathi Dinesh
Dance choreography: Dinesh
Singers: K.G. Ranjith, Karthik, Krish, Malavika, MLR Karthikeyan, Rahul Nambiar, Steeve Vatz, Suchitra
Lyrics : Viveka

Ya Ya is a film directed by newcomer I. Rajasekaran and will mark the third release of the year for RJ turned actor Shiva who has a fourth one coming up next month. The film is expectedly a simple minded comedy about love and friendship.

The story begins on a good note with the introduction of Shiva and Santhanam, one is called Ramarajan and the other Rajkiran, named after the actors since their parents are big fans. The two however roam the streets assuming a different name – Dhoni and Sehwag respectively. While the initial set of scenes hinted that the film could take the Tamizh Padam kind of route by parodying the industry it soon dips its beak into the subject of love, and once Siva turns into a romantic this rom-com finds itself in no-man’s land.

The audiences watch Shiva’s films purely for the comedy and this film could have done with some more gags, especially since it features Santhanam too, but instead it stretches itself into love and betrayal segments that hamper the proceedings. A few more combination sequences between Shiva and Santhanam would have brought out more laughs with their contrasting yet complimenting style of timing and delivery.

As far as performances go, no one is really put to the task in this comedy caper. Shiva is his usual self and so is Santhanam, and both go about their business quite well. In a scene from Sonna Puriyathu Shiva threatens to dance to terrorize his nemesis but in this film the moves come without any warning!

Dhansika plays Sita, Shiva’s love interest, and it’s a simple role for the talented performer where she uses the opportunity to look attractive and shake a leg – something that she’s done very little of in her growing career. ‘Kadhal’ Sandhya makes a chirpy comeback to Tamil cinema as Ramarajan’s ‘mama ponnu’ Kanaka, and she’s effective in her comic portions.

The film also features Powerstar Sreenivasan who spends a lot of time doing impressions of all the top stars, sparing no one. His role is a brief one. Devadarshini plays the film’s cartoonish ‘villain’ as the buck toothed Councillor, and she performs with some effect.

Director Rajasekaran, a former associate of M.Rajesh, adopts the OKOK style of approach where there’s no real meaty story but the delivery being high on entertainment. But while Rajesh succeeds in his efforts by engaging the audience with a high dose of comedy and sparse use of sentiment and little else, this film finds it difficult to get the mix right.

Vijay Ebenezer’s songs make namesake appearances on the screen but Vetri’s camerawork is adept and presents moments that are good on the eye. T.S. Suresh’s editing is crisp and neat.

Verdict: Typical Shiva brand of comedy which has its share of hits and misses.

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MOODAR KOODAM - TAMIL MOVIE REVIEW

MOODAR KOODAM 

Production: White Shadows Productions
Cast: Anupama Kumar, Jayaprakash, Oviya
Direction: Naveen
Background score: Natarajan Sankaran
Cinematography: Tony Chan
Editing: Athiyappan Siva
Singers: KJ Yesudas, Naresh Iyer, Natarajan Sankaran, Naveen, Raginisri, SP Charan, Sricharan, Srinivas, Subiksha Richray
Lyrics : Mahakavi Bharathiyar, Naveen, Subiksha Richray, Vidwan Ve.Lakshman

Released under Director Pandiraj’s Pasanga Productions, Moodar Koodam marks the directorial and acting debut of Pandiraj’s former assistant Naveen. Moodar Koodam is a film with dark humor that attempts to trace the fine line between winners and losers.

The film is essentially about the acquaintance of four random guys who are down on their luck and their attempt to strike gold overnight. The rest of the story builds on a series of unexpected events and parallel topics that factor into their heist.

First of all, kudos to Naveen and Pandiaraj to believe in a project like Moodar Koodam. Dark humor is a genre which should be wholeheartedly welcomed in Tamil in this era of new wave cinema.

As a writer Naveen begins well with the character introductions and designs and for the most part he leaves the audience with a lingering thought in many scenes, attributed by the dialogues that he himself utters. Though designed to play on populism, the dialogues do manage to accomplish what it set out to do, garner claps.

As a director, Naveen is able to extract what he wants for his story barring some of the hostage sequences that feel like stage dramas. The film has its best moments when the action moves outside the house, like the several backstories and the North Chennai episodes. The influence of Tarantino is highly evident in the way he purposefully inserts backstories at calculated moments in the narration - which are presented as short and refreshingly imaginative music videos. The pre-climax and the climax too seem like a ‘tribute’ to Guy Ritchie.

As far as performances go Naveen again leads from the front with his sharp dialogue delivery and screen presence. Sendrayan, playing Sendrayan, being one of the key contributors to comedy in this film is mostly caricatured and is able to pull it off rather successfully, likewise for the experienced burglar ‘Maiyls’. Rajaji as ‘White’ and Kuberan as Kuberan have etched out decent performances, leaving little or no room for error. Jayaprakash is apt as the confused hostage whereas Anupama plays his silly wife. Oviya has little to contribute through performance. The kids in this film definitely deserve a praiseworthy mention, specially the little girl who gives Jayaprakash a tough time on the phone.

Natarajan Sankaran’s music excites you with its adventurous tone. All his songs used during flashbacks gel well with the mood of the movie. Tony Chan’s camera work shines through in a few places like the initial Sendrayan chase sequence.

Negative of Moodar Koodam is that as the story progresses indoors, Naveen loses his grip by having one too many redundant scenes. Impractical characters like the software engineer, Salim Bhai, Auto Kumar and Wakka from North Chennai also doesn’t help the movie maintain its momentum. Doing away with few of these unfunny moments could have greatly trimmed the length of the film which clocks at around 2 hours and 30 minutes. Dark or white, comedy movies are meant to engage and entertain and thats where trimming down the length would have greatly helped Moodar Koodam. Also, while the film had traces of adult humor it would have been bolder if the expletives hadn’t been sacrificed for the sake of the ‘U’ certification.

If few exaggerated sequences were avoided with a tighter writing, Moodar Koodam could have delighted the audience even more, but the movie further consolidates the surge of the new wave in the industry.

Verdict: Moodar Koodam will definitely need your patience, but give it a shot because it is dark, different, serious, silly and an attempt which should be encouraged.

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