Reviews

At a time when there is a mad rush for commercial capers in Tamil, there are few filmmakers who make movies according to their vision and never compromise and let their identity slip. Selvaraghavan belongs to this elite class.

A filmmaker with great conviction, he has proved in the past that his films are mirror to the happenings in the society and especially interpersonal relationships between individuals.

Selvaraghavan joins hands with his sibling Dhanush for the fourth time and expectations obviously soar high for the fact that all their earlier outings were unique and different from each other.

The inevitable question that pops in our mind is whether 'Mayakkam Enna' lives up to all hype. Yes indeed is the reply, at least to most parts. The film is more about romance, the aspirations of youngsters and et al.

After a fantasy fare in 'Aayirathil Oruvan', Selvaraghavan is back with a movie that speaks loud on emotions. The film chronicles the life of a freelance photographer Karthik, played by Dhanush. The career ambitions and his romance make up the film.

Karthik (Dhanush) is a lensman for whom life lies in his camera. His ambition has no bounds. He wants to excel in his chosen profession and dreams of becoming a wildlife photographer.

A secluded individual (the routine for all lead stars in Selvaraghavan's films), Karthik's only company is Sundar (Sundar) and co. Sundar introduces him to Yamini (Richa Gangopadhyaya), his girl friend.

As it happens, the two with contrasting characters end up quarrelling all time. Sparks fly high only to settle down and romance suddenly blossoms between the two. What happens next is narrated in Selvaraghavan's style.

Three cheers to Dhanush. The actor justifies why he won the National Award. His performance is key to the story. He excels in every frame and with right emotions and expressions, he is right there stamping his authority in the story.

Richa Gangopadhyay is apt choice for the character. She is soft, strong and sweet as Yamini. She doesn't have a blink-and-a-miss role, rather has a meaty role to do. In many a scene, her eyes speak more than anything (Watch out for the emotional encounter between Richa and Dhanush after her miscarriage). No debutante actress in the recent times has left a mark like Richa in 'Mayakkam Enna'.

Sundar, the young lad promises aplenty and is sure to go places. The rest of the cast too ably support Selvaraghavan.

If Selva's dialogues are razor-sharp and go down well with youngsters (so do his lyrics), it' Ramji's cinematography and GV Prakash's musical score that add strength to the script. The lens captures the emotions in fresh hues while Prakash's background score adds pep to the proceedings.

After Ilayaraja, it seems to be Prakash who gives utmost importance to re-recording. Even his silence speaks a lot. The background score of this young talent ably supports Selvaraghavan and Dhanush to convey things on screen in a more efficient and effective way. The interval scene, where myriad emotions between the lead pair are shown at a single stretch, is a fine example to what Prakash has in store.

There are some clichés and minor flaws as the story proceeds to second half. But the fact is 'Mayakkam Enna' does mesmerize you and you will definitely consider watching this film more than once...

The headline says it all. In 'Mankatha', Ajith pulls it off with his impeccable style and excellent performance, which is aptly supported by a racy script and brilliant execution by director Venkat Prabhu and his team.

If cricket was the USP of 'Chennai 28', the director's first film, 'Mankatha' is also based on the sport but with a difference. It is all about betting, money and the men behind it.

Ajith has appropriately chosen to do 'Mankatha' as his 50th film. It is a movie that has everything his fans would want. He shakes his legs vigorously, evokes laughter, does pulsating stunt sequences and utters catchy one-liners (with some of them going mute).

The first-half belongs to Venkat Prabhu where he shows sparks of 'Saroja' and 'Goa', while the latter part is totally dominated by Ajith. As a merciless baddie behind money, Ajith oozes venom in his eyes. His body language and dialogue delivery compliments it very much. Though the movie has over a dozen characters, it's Ajith all the way. With his remarkable screen presence, he is at his coolest best.

Coming to the story, 'Mankatha' revolves around a suspended cop Vinayak Mahadevan (Ajith) in Maharashtra police. He leads a happy life with his lover Sanjana (Trisha), daughter of an influential local goon Arumuga Chettiyar (Jayaprakash).

Vinayak is a man who dares to do anything for money. But a fun-loving person, he lives his life in his own way.

A suicide by a police officer investigating the betting mafia involved in Indian Premier League (IPL) hogs headlines. Assistant Commissioner of Police Prithvi (Arjun) takes charge to end betting scandal in the sport.

Meanwhile, Arumuga Chettiyar comes to know that a sum of Rs 500 crore betting money for the finals of the IPL is coming to Mumbai. He uses his nexus with underworld in Mumbai and tries to route it through his recreation centre.

Sumanth (Vaibhav) is Arumuga Chettiyar's protégé. He hatches a conspiracy to take away the money in the company of a police officer Ganesh (Ashwin). They are joined by Mahanth (Mahanth), who runs a bar in Mumbai and Prem (Premgi Amaran), a fun-loving IIT pass out.

Coming to know of their plans, Vinayak steps in. He promises to help the team members and divide the booty between them. They even succeed in taking away the money and decide to wait for an appropriate time to share the fortune.

In the meantime, a shocked Arumuga Chettiyar begins his hunt for the treasure and every move of him is closely followed by Prithvi. All hell breaks loose from here.

Cheers to Ajith. The man after a long gap gets a role where he can perform with variety (Watch out for the scene where he demands Arjun to finish off Vaibhav). He is at his best and his salt and pepper look is catchy and attractive.

As a suave cop, a dreaded don or a adorable lover, he leaves his charm on screen. His uttering of one-liners to Arjun evokes applause. His imitating Premgi in few scenes brings the roof down in laughter.

Arjun lives up to his Action King tag. He adds variety on screen and is cool and consummate as a police officer.

Trisha appears in a few scenes besides a song and disappears. Andrea as Arjun's wife, Lakahmi Rai as call girl and Anjali in the role of Vaibhav's wife play blink-and-miss roles. Jayaprakash gets to play a decent part in the film. At places he reminds one of Kamal Haasan's role in 'Nayakan'. Vaibhav gets a meaty character and he utilises the opportunity.

Both Ganesh and Mahanth are tailor-made for the roles, while Premgi is at his best in the film. He takes off from where he left in 'Goa'. At ease in coming out with comical one-liners, his admiration for Ajith is visible on screen.

Watch out for good cinematography in such an action-packed film. Sakthi Saravanan has given a fresh colour to it. It's Yuvan Shankar Raja's mass tunes that elevates the mood. Accompanied by Karthik Raja, Bhavadharini and Premgi Amaran, he has shown difference in background score too (especially in the godown-fight scene in the second half)..

While editing by Praveen K L and N B Srikanth makes the film racy (doubly so in the second half), Vasuki Baskar's costumes fit well the 'Thala' and others. Stunts (courtesy Selva) are another highlight of 'Mankatha' Give due credit to Venkat Prabhu, the director who seems to have given a film that sits well on Ajith. He understood Ajith's strength and played it well. Who said he can only direct laughathons? With 'Mankatha', he has graduated to go higher places.

On the whole, it's job well done by Venkat Prabhu, producer Dhayanidhi Alagiri and other members of the team.

Call 'Deiva Thirumagal' an honest attempt once again by director A L Vijay. And, perhaps the need of the hour too. It's far from the madding crowd of commercial masala films.

With no double meaning dialogs or flashy song sequences shot abroad or 'high-voltage' stunt scenes, the film is an emotional journey between a father and daughter and their love towards each other.

The USP of the movie is immaculate performance by Chiyaan Vikram. He plays a dotting father to a five-year-old daughter. But he is not the usual dad - he is an adult with the mental maturity of a five-year-old. The actor in Vikram seems to have taken it in his stride to deliver a power-packed performance.

Matching him by scene-to-scene is young Sara who plays his daughter. The sequences involving Vikram and Sara are the major highlight of 'Deiva Thirumagal'.

Anushka as an advocate and Amala Paul besides a huge star cast that includes Nasser, Santhanam and M S Bhaskar among others have given their best on screen.

Krishna (Vikram), who has the mental maturity of a five-year-old, works in a chocolate factory in Ooty. His wife delivers a baby girl and dies. The girl, Nila (Sara) is brought up in his own way by Krishna.

He showers all his love and care on her. But fate takes a quick turn. Nila's grandfather Rajendran (Sachin Khedkar), a powerful and influential man in society, enters the scene. Fearing that his grand daughter is not safe under a mentally-challenged dad, he takes away the girl from Krishna.

His other daughter Shwetha (Amala Paul) takes care of the child. Krishna runs from pillar to post to get back his daughter. He gets acquainted with advocate Anuradha (Anushka) and Vinod (Santhanam), her junior.

They listen to Krishna's past and promise that they would do their best to get back the custody of Nila. Bashyam (Nasser), a leading advocate, appears for Rajendran. The rest is legal battle and arguments in court and who wins at last.

It is one of the best performances by Chiyaan Vikram. Right from the first scene when he is thrown on street till the last court sequence, he is there playing his part well. Anyone who watches the movie will love Krishna. Such is Vikram's performance as he brings out the innocence of the character well. As a father, friend and guide, he is scintillating.

Sarah is rare find. She is cool in her emotions and performs with ease. It's a different Anushka in 'Deiva Thirumagal'. No glamor but leaves a mark with her decent portrayal.

Amala Paul impresses in few scenes. There is Nasser, playing his part as advocate and Santhanam is good not just in humor but also in emotional scenes.

Nirav Shah's extraordinary visuals and G V Prakash Kumar's music are life and blood to the tale. Na Muthukumar's lyrics add pep to the songs. Vijay has handled things in a mature manner. He is sure to leave an impression.

With engrossing performance by Vikram, backed by strong technical team, the movie is sure to impress you, despite the fact it is predictable in parts.

Headline. Scoop. Byte. Edition. These words are familiar with all journalists. For a layman it's the newspaper that he reads finally counts. A photojournalist-turned-director, K V Anand, with 'Ko', has rendered a movie that is like reading a newspaper fresh and folded very early in the morning from page one till the last.

Journalists are until known to be portrayed in a clichéd manner in Tamil cinema, wearing a pyjama kurtha, spotted with a beard carrying a long shoulder bag. Times have changed and so are the lives and struggles of journalists.

With 'Ko', Anand has turned the arc light on the unsung heroes of modern India, the neo-journalists, their dedication and passion towards the profession.

Anand has proved his mettle coming with intense thrillers with great detailing, thanks to writers Suba in his side as it was evident in 'Kanna Kandein' and 'Ayan'.

'Ko' speaks about power struggle and press freedom, laced with all commercial ingredients in an interesting manner. All credits should go to the script and screenplay. Tautly written, there are hardly any logical loopholes.

Be it a hardworking scribe or a photographer who are chasing sensation news, a power-lust Chief Minister, or an opposition leader, or a youth who wants to change the political system, all characters do have a say in the film. Anand has woven all of them craftily.

The movie revolves around Ashwin (Jeeva), who is a talented photographer in a Tamil daily Dina Anjali. He is the sought-after lensman in his newspaper for his images speak a thousand words and bring awareness.

There are a couple of other journalists in the same media house- Renuka (Karthika), who covers sensational events and entertainment -in-charge Saro (Piya). They develop an affinity for Ashwin.

A battle begins in Tamil Nadu as Assembly elections are announced. It becomes a direct war between Chief Minister Yogeswaran (Prakash Raj) and opposition leader Alavandan (Kota Sreenivasa Rao). As typical politicians, as they are portrayed, they do everything under the sun to come to power.

But Renuka and Ashwin's brilliant investigative reports and photographs, help a third force led by youth Vasanthan (Ajmal) emerge the front-runner. He is a symbol of modern Indian youth who believes in clean politics.

At an election rally of Vasanthan, a bomb goes off killing Saro. Vasanthan goes on to win the polls. Now the onus falls on Ashwin and Renuka to find the real culprits behind the attack. Get ready to watch an unpredictable climax.

Jeeva is impressive and played his part exceedingly well. He looks a typical photojournalist. His body language and dialog delivery are worth a watch. An intense performer, Jeeva pulls it off with ease.

Karthika as Renuka brings out the nuances needed for the role well. She has not exaggerated. She downplays her emotions to gel with the character. Ajmal is a revelation as an aspiring politico Vasanthan. His looks compliment the character.

The veterans Prakash Raj and Kota Sreenivasa Rao have played their part well. They have given right emotions needed for the roles. Piaa in the supporting character is adequate. Watch out for Sona in a cameo. Chinmayi's dubbing for Karthika is apt.

Harris Jayaraj is a major attraction. All his songs pep up the environment. 'Ennamo Yedho...' is pick of the album.

Anand deserves all accolades for rendering a brisk entertainer that is devoid of clichés. Racy all through, it is a movie that is worth a watch, if you are really not bothered about logic at certain places.

Y Not Studios and Cloud Nine Productions together have been welcoming new ideas over the screens. It was much illustrious with their previous production 'Tamizh Padam'. Though, it wasn't an excellent movie to boast off, it had some unique values of breaking the clichés of Tamil Cinema. Yet again, the producers are back with a comedy entertainer with a simple theme with a humorous narration. But the filmmakers Pushkar-Gayathri do strain themselves over presenting visuals in a 'caricatured' and 'unnatural' manner. Gaudy colors and unwanted green tones – it's so tastelessly showy.

The film opens with the prologue of different characters gonna come across each other at a night time. ATM Thieves, bunch of Anglo-Indian guys doping up in graveyard, Red Light area, a psychotic person burning down bikes, a stranger electrified to death while fixing the light on Goddess Amman's gigantic image. And then comes Sundarajan aka Sura (Shiva) heading to Chennai for his flight to Dubai at early morning. Soon as Shiva meets the job agent, he is blown out of waters to hear certain conditions in Dubai. No Alcohols, No Gals and No Pork. For Shiva, it really matters to have at least ¼ Cutting and he embarks a journey with his yet to be brother-in-law Marthandan (SP Charan) for it. Unfortunately, these guys are not lucky enough to get what they want. Rather they are exposed to unexpected twists and turns that keeps them engaged till the dawn.

Don't expect a lot from this film. Make sure you aren't gonna watch the laugh-riot and please say 'No' to logics. For sure, it's not gonna delight the non-alcoholics unless you love creative themes. Well it happens at most cases during mid-night times where Chennaiites rush through the nook and corners of the city. It's a simple them that has been narrated with more characterizations. 'VA' is entertaining at few parts and that's precisely because of Shiva's one-liners. His very introduction watching Balakrishna's Telugu movie in Bus till the climax is hilarious. 'Nee Pakkaradhukku Ghajini Asin Maathiri Irukka' on SP Charan is rib-tickling. Lekha Washington's characterization is okay and the film would have done even without her role. SP Charan's comical looks and his funny character is again a plus. John Vijay's double act is too awkward and he has to avoid the same sort of roles over and again. Arya's cameo as 'Oram Po' auto racer is a surprise. Characters of Anglo-Indian guys and Police are completely unwanted.

Technically, the songs are good with 'Unnai Kan Thedudhe' and 'Thediyae Thediyae' turning to be the cherry-picks. But it's disappointing to see the mediocre picturing of 'Unnai Kan Thedudhe'. Hope GVP saves such songs for some mass heroes. Nirav Shah's cinematography is good, but avoiding overdosed greenish tones would have done justice to the visuals.

As mentioned earlier, 'Va Quarter Cutting' isn't a big comedy fiesta. But it's a film that will keep you engaged if watched with no expectations. Special appreciations for Pushkar-Gayathri for an interesting theme, but they could have made the film yet funnier.

Suddenly urban, uber-cool romantic flicks seem passé in Tamil movies. Almost every second movie made in Tamil has too much of what the industry call 'nativity'. Madurai, the land of dust and blood, and those districts in the south of it, are the happening backdrops. Amidst this, it takes Unnale Unnale to reinforce your belief that Kollywood too can make soft-focus, feel-good yuppie romance kind of movie.

Unnale Unnale is one of the most cute and cuddly kind of city love stories. They say devil is in the detail. But delight too is. Cinematographer turned director Jeeva, who showed his class in movies like 12B and Ullam Ketkume, puts up a mature mind in handling a three-cornered love story. His strength seems to be getting the backdrop right and making it tells the story along with the events.

Unnale Unnale is packaged with care and oozes a trendy chic feel all through. Jeeva has worked on the backdrop assiduously and makes the story appealing and realistic. In his endeavor, music director Harris Jayaraj has chipped in heartily and adds a unique luster. The main cast of debutant Vinay, Tanisha and Sada are in splendid form and give value to their roles. Sada in particular is full of restrained gusto and delivers a knockout punch of sorts.

Jeeva seems to have done pointed research into the world of software yuppies and the things that happen in their unique domain. And since the tapestry is real and cute, the movie unspools without any stutter or struggle. Jeeva maintains this cool hip kind of feel all through (Melbourne with its unique old world feel in a modern setting gives the story an effective backbone), and this consistency is vital to the story's progress. Jeeva also gets the mix of comedy, romance and emotion just about right. So what you have is a complete product that ranks among the top.

Karthik (Vinay) is your typical software pro. Full of zest and playful energy, he is attracted to the opposite sex with inevitability of iron particles moving towards a magnet. There is nothing malicious or lustful behind his flirt. But it is a spontaneous inner process in him. His love life in Chennai had a jolt-filled end as his lover Jhansi (Sada) had walked out on him.

Jhansi, in a sense, is the mirror opposite of Karthik. If he is outgoing, fun-filled extrovert, she is laconic, inward-looking simple girl. The opposites had attracted each other. But as it happens, she is also repelled out for obvious reasons. Karthik takes the split with typical insouciance while Jhansi goes to Australia for higher studies.

Fate puts Karthik also in Melbourne as he is sent there on an official assignment. The playful Karthik runs into a vivacious Deepika (Tanisha) in his flight. She has the same kind of zeal for life as Karthik has. She understands his mind and tries to help Karthik and Jhansi join hands again. But in a quirk of fate, Deepika too is attracted by the vibrancy of Karthik.

It is a Mills and Boonish situation, but with a touch of acceptability. Caught between his old flame, which can be very difficult to handle, and a new one, who is all about lark and fun, Karthik has to decide on which girl to walk the aisle with. The suspense till the end is maintained with felicitous adroitness. This helps you to sit glued to the seat.

Jeeva's script works mainly because, he doesn't push the story. Rather it tells itself organically. The naturalness and plausibility make the story worth following.

Vinay, tall, dark and handsome, suits the character of an impish yuppie to perfection. The queer playfulness that seem affixed to his face comes handy in light-hearted moments. He brings to his character a dew-kissed newness. Though slightly one-dimensional and gawky in dialogue delivery, Vinay, if he makes the right choices, has a good fut