Vinnai Thandi Varuvaaya

“Vinnai Thandi Varuvaaya”

“Difference”-one word Gautham Menon seems to be scurrying behind.He has been trying to inject reality into the blood of tamil cinema.But,despite a honest attempt to make a love story sans the commercial elements,this flick just dosen’t click.

"Vinnai Thandi Varuvaaya" presents a simple story-line.Karthik(simbhu),an aspiring director,falls in love with Jessie(Trisha),who lives in the flat above his.They fall in love in due course of time.But,all forces against love known to tamil cinema,including the religion issue,a brawl with the brother,a strict father,etc -are pitted against them.The climax goes on to reveal if they manage to cross all the hurdles and if cupid still remains on their side....

Most frames of the first half were just glorified flirting scenes focussed on the lead pair,with them gallivanting from one restaraunt to another.

You get the feel that you've seen many scenes before,and i can guarantee you,it's not a dejavu. A few of Gautam Menon’s trademarks haven’t been compromised.Dialouges being wishpered amid silence,english words interspersed within tamil dialouges,the walk in New York square....it’s all there.

Humour is one factor that dips below in the graph.With just plain romance,Gautham Menon cannot expect appeasement from all classes of the audience.Even K.S.Ravikumar(cameo) who carries a certain comic trait in him,hasn't been used to fill the comic vault.

Simbhu appears in a “never seen before” way.Kudos to Gautham Menon for cleansing the commercial simbhu and giving him an "above the horizon",dignified look.The ever-stagnant "Hero is God" concept has partially been omitted and that is quite an achievement considering the fact that Simbhu is the lead actor .But,he certainly dosen’t dissapoint those who have gone for the “Simbhu scenes”.Trisha too puts up a laudable show as "the girl next door"...

The climax was thoughtful and one of the few admirable things about the movie.If the same tempo had been maintained throughout ,the climax would have neen even more enjoyable.Word is out that the climax is being changed to satisfy the “Tamil Movie” audience...but if it is “difference” ,Gautham Menon is in pursuit of,he should leave it the way it is.

A.R.Rahman proves his mettle,yet again.From ‘Hosana’ to’ Manipaya’ all songs are a delight to the eardrums...But, the songs have not been used to the fullest extent,with tawdry sets and choreography repetitive to the point of monotony.

The cinematographer(manoj paramahamsa) deserves a pat on the back.The backwaters and the greenery of Kerela have been brilliantly captured.

Final word:sStrictly for "romantic-movie" buffs....

MY NAME IS KHAN

Finally,almost after a decade of film-making,Karan Johar has opted to orient his story-line in a direction away from the 'family sagas'.if 'Paa' was about progeria and 'Taare zameen par', about dyslexia,'My name is Khan' is about Asperger's syndrome.

'My name is Khan' joins the lineage of all the movies narrating the trauma faced by muslims post 9/11.Only,this one is a bit different.

Rizwan Khan(SRK) suffers from Asperger's syndrome.After his mother's demise,he joins his brother(Jimmy Shergill) in US.He meets Mandira(Kajol), a single mother and after a series of incidents and a song,they get married.

After 9/11,begins the era when muslims are hated.Their son Sam gets killed.Mandira regrets marrying a muslim,claiming that if he had remained Sam Rathore instead of Sam Rathore Khan,he would still be breathing.She drives Rizwan away holding him responsible for their son's death.In a fit of rage,she asks him to tell the President of United States that he was a khan and wasn't a terrorist and that their son wasn't one too(god knows why).

And so Rizwan sets of on a trail to meet the president and the story goes on to say how he finally shakes hands with the first citizen and wins Mandira back again.

Sans islam,'My name in Khan' resembles 'Rainman' adulterated with a few desi traits.Shah Rukh Khan manages to put up a good show.in fact,he climbs upto 70% of what Dustin Hoffman was able to do in his Oscar-winning performance as Rayman.

In the first half,Kajol's the bubbly old girl from the 'Kuch kuch hota hai' days.Post her son's death she churns out a serious character having the shades of her character in 'Fanaa'.

The hurricane scenes,characters such as Jenny n Joel and a few other unnecessary scenes truly stand in the way of rave reviews.A few repeating dialouges too, get on your nerves.

The music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy is decent.But,you still get the feel that you've heard it before.It looks like Karan Johar cant’t loosen his grip on foreigners singing accented Indian songs,in his movies.

Final word:watch it for srk n kajol...but you've seen better from karan johar.

Avatar





It was in 'Titanic',that we saw his name appear in the credits,last time.Almost a decade later,James Cameron has resurfaced,bringing to our eyes this mammoth epic.



'Avatar' has all the elements to make it a bookmarked page in the Hollywood dairies.If it was the monumental ship that won him laurels last time,this time it's the Na'vi planet Pandora,intricately designed to perfection.
The flawlessly created lush green forests and it's creatures,the well engineered bodies of the Na'vi tribesmen and their expressive faces,the picturesque landscapes and the rippling watrfalls all prove the fact that Cameron is indeed "the king of the world"(from his oscar acceptance speech).


The movie tells the tale of a human,in his new avatar,injected into the Na'vi tribe to drive them away from the place they inhabit as it posseses resources beyond imagination.But,on seeing the oppressiveness of the humans and the love show-cased by the Navi',he decides to switch sides.The story goes on to say how the hero battles for the na'vi and leads them to victory.


Like all the gigantic movies of the recent times,including '2012' and 'The Day after tomorrow','Avatar' too points downward in the 'story-line graph'.A predictable good vs evil story in which the hero brings about an end to the villain's tyranny is not something unheard of.Some other scenes such as the one in which the dying leader passes over the dropped baton to the offspring are too cliched.
But,the manner in which it is brought about,the scintillating visuals that leave you gaping at the screen that contribute to the triumph of this flick.


The last half is truly spectacular as the dogs of war are let loose between the humans and the Na'vi.The heroic strides,the flights aboard the winged creatures,the hero leading the na'vi from the front are all scenes that personify majesty.Cameron manages to leave the viewers awestruck as every alternate scene contains something to rave about.He has truly extended the boundaries of film-making with this magnum-opus.This will certainly go down the annals an a movie on par with 'lord of the rings' and 'star wars'.
`This movie is one of a kind for another reason.It is the first time that the audience boo down humans and foster the aliens.

Final word:Fasten your seatbelts and get ready to plunge into Pandora.....

3 Idiots

3 Idiots



The last time he wielded the megaphone,he breathed life into into two of Indian cinema's most lovable characters,Munnabhai and Circut.This time,Rajkumar Hirani is back,sculpting Rancho,who persists in our vaults even longer.


'3 Idiots' is a laugh riot from the very first scene.It has it's base on the Chetan Bhagat bestseller 'Five point someone'.But the director has aptly varied the toppings and made a few alterations to deliver this fine offering.My guess is that Hirani ,is his early days,had a conflict with his professors...be it Munna or Rancho,students are portrayed imparting sense into their teachers.

The movie begins with Farhan(Madhavan) trying to get off a plane because he recieves information regarding the where-abouts of his long lost friend,Rancho(Aamir).He joins Raju(Sharman Joshi) as they set on a quest to trace their buddy.Whether they are succesful or not is what the movie goes on to say.

The 3 idiots have dynamism and energy brimming inside them.Aamir strives par excellence to get into the shoes of Rancho,a student with alternate education ideals.One can say he vaugely resembles Ryan(Five point someone).
Sharman Joshi as Raju too,essays his role flawlessly.One of my favourite scenes is the one where Raju is in a dilemma,fighting his senses to choose over career and friendship(you'll know when you watch the film).
Madhavan as Farhan did look,to my eyes,a bit too odd as an engineering student.But still he manages to impart the shades of a geek into his character.

My pick among the cast is Boman Irani playing Sahasrabuddhi,the director of the institute.With lisp in his speech and elevated eyebrows expressing anger,he reminded me of my very own professors who denied me grades.
Kareena Kapoor wears an 'Ugly Betty' kind of look,sans the braces.She delivers a bubbly performance...just the way you imagined it'd be.Javed Jaffri makes a surprising cameo.

The most appreciable factor in the movie is the innovation.Hirani definetely deserves a pat on the back for that.The music department could have done better with 'All izz well' being the only song offering a slight relief to the ears.When the credits go up,you realise that the movie is not just about witty dialouges,uniting lovers or sacrifices for friendship...it depicts how the students face academic pressure and hints the reforms needed in the system.

'3 Idiots' can be summarised in one sentence:Refined humour at it's best,spiced up by neat romance,sprayed with emotions concluding with a delightful surprise...

Final Word:All Izz Well

Paa

Paa

If you are of the opinion that Bollywood is all about unwitty comedy,unwarranted action and stale masala,here's something to turn your thoughts over.When three bright minds coalesce,you get something,it's magnitude being on par with 'Paa'.'Paa' stands out uniquely as a movie which can be viewed by the entire family....one of the very few indian movies to earn that tag in the recent times.

It requires great courage for a director of mordern era to step away from the trodden path of 'Commercial Movies'.Imagine the risk Balki has taken to make a movie that is a mile away from the trodden path.

After 'Cheeni Kum',director Balki proves his mettle yet again.The very concept of casting Amithab as Abishek's son is bound to win him laurels and to clear the airs,'Paa' is not an indian adaptation of 'Benjamin Button'!!!

The story revolves around Auro,a Progeria struck patient.Progeria is a rare disease where there is acclerated ageing in a person.The movie goes on to portray the bond auro shares with his mother,father,grandmother and his friends.

As expected ,Amithab,as Auro, comes out with a mindblowing performance.Auro’s mannerisms,his dialoude delivery,his posture when he walks all re-emphasise the fact that he is the Shehenshah of Bollywood.

You are wrong if you think that Amithab’s performance overshadows the others’s.Vidya Balan as Vidya,Auro’s mother excecutes her job with perfection.She reminds you that it is as much a 'Maa' movie as it is a 'Paa' movie....

Abishek’s performance as the young and dynamic Amol Arte calls for a special mention.. Some of the most splendid scenes are the conversations which Auro has with his father.
Paresh Rawal,an ace comedian,could have been offered more lines as he vanishes and makes rare appearances now and then.Auro’s school friends put up an laudable show too.

As for the defects…the slum redevelopment scenes could hace been trimmed.
You you go ‘aawwwww” over auro’s antics,but it really gets on your nerves when the scene shifts to the slum,all of a sudden.The media fight scenes are totally uncalled for.The climax could have been made less dramatic,but hey…it is as expected....

The music by Ilayaraja is satisfying as it’s tempo is in sync with the movie’s theme.P.C.Sreeram’s cinematography leaves you stunned as you wonder how he’s shown the towering Big B as a 12 year old.The make up artist needs a pat on the back.Until told so,I’m sure you wouldn’t realise that Auro is indeed Amithab Bachan.

'Paa'--A golden feather in Balki's cap!!!!

2012(2009) review

2012....

First of all, it’s a Roland Emmrich film.You walk in expecting a ton of breathtaking visuals.This film certainly dosen't disappoint. Remember the half submerged ‘Statue of Liberty’ from ‘The day after tomorrow’(which is also an Emmrich film)”?Picture a film,with every scene matching upto that magnitude…u get 2012.

If you’ve seen just one banner or poster of this film…you can guess what’s going to happen.The storyline is obvious.The world has an expiry date and that’s on dec 12,2012.When that date arrives,death and destruction are let on the loose.The hero(John Cusack) must ensure that he takes his family to safety and survive the mother of all catastrophes.He joins hands with a Russian whos paid a whooping one billion euros to book a berth for his family on a ship that’s built to survive ‘the Armageddon’.
The story goes on to say if they go on to be among the few survivors of the human race….

In this kind of a movie the characters are like dialogues in ‘Baywatch’. It dosent matter if they are really there.It’s ultimately the visuals you are wating to see. But John Cusack,Amanda Peet,Thandie Newton and Johnny Glover try to make the most of what they are given.

One of the few respectable things about this movie…the reason why you’ve gone to the theater….the one thing roland emmrich’s good at……the graphic visuals.With CGI as his play-toy…he captains his ship into a totally unexplored realm. He manages to extract a ‘WHOA’ from the audience every alternate minute.

There are several loop-holes too….a 2-day old pilot flying a group of people out of this mess…that’s too lame.Some scenes are too predictable..for example, there’s a scene where the hero falls into a crater…..you definitely know it’s just matter of time before you see the hand raising out of the pit again.Also, when the forces of nature are pitted against the entire world, you might wonder how the hero and accomplices survive every hurdle put in front of them….but hey,you’ve got to cut some slack on the director over this matter….he needs the hero at the end….to save he day…

Emmrich tries to insert a few emotional scenes too….the scenes featuring the President of United States….the ‘humanity speech’ in the end…the masses begging for their survival do attept to activate the tear glands…but in vain.

In the end you come out of the theater thinking…”what if what I saw just now is real…and not reel....?”
Go watch this movie in the theater...you are in for a visual treat....take your eyeballs off the actors and actresses...watch what happens around them...you'll enjoy it...