Sunday, February 10, 2008
Monday, January 21, 2008
Producer: A M Rathnam
Director:Linguswamy
Cast: Vikram, Trisha
Music: Harris Jayaraj
Speaking about the film Vikram blurts, “Bheema would be a treat for my fans, an out and out action-packed entertainer. I would rate it as the best films that I have worked so far. The storyline of director Lingusamy is pulsating.”
Continuing to talk about his next release Vikram says, “It is an action film shot in a stylish manner. Underworld is just a part of the story. It is a mix of action, romance and sentiments. Lingusamy deserves unstinted praise for his hard work. It is a different film and I had to do rigorous workouts for over six hours everyday to do justice to the role”.
Lingusamy who is still basking in the glory of his last hit hopes to repeat his success story with this action film as well. This is what the director of the film had to say -“We have shot song sequences in Switzerland, New Zealand and the famous Thirumalai Naicker Mahal in Madurai. The song we shot in Swiss would be a real highlight of the movie. The onscreen chemistry between Vikram and Trisha is worth a mention. With Sivaji releasing in May, plans are on to complete the post-production works of Bheema in the coming days to facilitate a release in June”.
Trisha once again teams up with Vikram for this movie. For this movie, Vikram compliments Trisha with her amazing looks. And lastly the director quips, “The movie would be a treat for action-buffs and surely Vikram fans, who had waited for over a year would be thrilled”.
© Copyright 2007 by MusicIndiaOnLine.com
Double Click on the Video Player to view fullscreen. PART 01 - 04
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PART 01
PART 02
PART 03
PART 04
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Billa Live Movie (Cast: Ajith, Nayantara, Namitha, Prabhu, Rahman, Pandu, Santhanam)
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 Comparisons with the original Billa are inevitable. The 2007 version of Billa, which was made in 1980 with Rajinikanth in the lead role(s), is a faithful adaptation in terms of storyline is concerned. It looks awesome in terms of production values and cinematography. The performances and stylish looks make the movie a winner on its own merit. Remake is always a risky affair. No one tries to remake a failure attempt and hence the success of the original naturally becomes the burden on the remake. Vishnu and Ajith have guts to take such a risk. They have worked hard to recreate the magic of original Billa (remake of Amithabh Bachchan starrer Don) with a different treatment. The storyline is well known. It’s about a hunt of a dreaded international criminal Billa (Ajith) by police. The police officer Jai (Prabhu) somehow manages to corner Billa but he kills him in the process. In a bid to unearth the whole truth of the gang he sends a mole - Billa look alike- and tries to capture the entire group through this mole. Velu, a petty thief, successfully infiltrates into the group and helps the officer to round them up. But the unexpected death of Jai jeopardizes their efforts and puts the innocent Velu in danger. On the side track, you have Sasha (stunningly beautiful and sexy Nayantara), who wants to kill Billa to avenge her brother’s death. Then you have Jagdhish, the super boss of the gang (Raguman), and CJ (glam girl Namitha), the girl friend of Billa, to add shades to the crime thriller. How Velu gets rid of his predicament and how the police eliminate the gang form the rest of the story.
As mentioned earlier, comparisons with the original are but natural. The movie does impress in its stunningly impressive making with awesome cinematography and sleek editing. It outsmarts the original in these areas. No doubt about it. The car chasing is marvelously executed. Even the stunt scenes are far better than the original, thanks to Malaysian stunt master William Wong. Nayantara’s amazing looks are definitely one of the attractive elements of the movie. Ajith hasn’t tried to recreate the magical charm of Rajini. Instead, he has played to his strengths. He, like Vishnu, has given his own version of Billa without disturbing the soul of the original. He looks handsome and brings in some intensity to the character. He does the whole thing in a different style that is appealing to a great extent. His action in stunt scenes stands out. He has shown his histrionic skills in the sequence that leads to the fast beat song ‘Vethalaiya Potendi’. Vishnu’s presentation is stylish and sleek. But the crime thriller lacks credibility in some areas. The proceedings that follow the death of Billa and Velu being chased by both police and the gang have not been conceived well. The way the director deliberately triggers the suspicion in the minds of the audiences on Anil (Aditya) doesn’t appeal. Nayantara’s introduction is quite fascinating. But the hype created about her doesn’t sustain for long. The character hasn’t been developed well. Namitha’s role is too limited to be remembered. Her effort to sizzle in a song is not appealing.
Vishnu’s portrayal of Billa is single dimensional. The original Billa had a sense of humor and an easy way of doing tough things. Much had been told about Nayantara’s sexy appearance and she justifies the hype. She flaunts her well toned body without any discomfort. No heroine in Tamil has sizzled so naturally as Nayantara does in this film. Her handling of glamour could well redefine the meaning of sex appeal in Tamil cinema. She dances well in ‘Vethalaiya pottendi’ number but fails to do so in ‘My name is Billa’. Prabhu as DSP from Tamil Nadu handles his role with ease. Raguman is credible while Aditya’s serious looks add flavor to the proceedings. Yuvan Shankar Raja has done well in background score. The songs sound good but they cannot be termed as outstanding. The item song is alluring. Yuvan’s rendition of M.S. Viswanathan’s tunes for ‘Billa’ and ‘Vethalaiya Pottendi’ are quite average. Nirav Shah’s cinematography is one of the high points of the film. He has captured the beauty of Malaysia besides capturing the action amazingly well. His camera adds meaning and depth to the proceedings. Editing by Sreekar Prasad is sleek and effective. Anu Vardhan, Vishnuardhan’s wife has done wonders in costume designing, particularly to Nayantara and Namitha. As a whole, Vishnu and co has presented a faithful adaptation with a stylish and spectacular presentation. |
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Oram po Live Movie (Cast: Arya, Pooja, Lal, Jagan, Ashwini, Nellai Siva, John Vijay)
Bigilu's intended bride Rani and Chandru are in love. This naturally causes a split in the Bigilu-Chandru friendship. Son of Gun hatches a new plot, gets hold of Bigilu's workshop and Chandru's auto and what happens ultimately forms the climax of the story.
There's a healthy trend in Tamil films where too much emphasis is not laid on sentiment factor in the story. Pushkar-Gayatri's 'Oram Po' belongs to this genre.
Playing auto driver Chandru, Arya's role is quite casual. How he 'covers' biriyani seller Rani…and when she tells him she's pregnant, how he coolly tells her that these things don't work for him…are things that are contrary to a Tamil cinema's hero's reactions. If there had been of the Chennai touch in his lingo and clothes, the Chandru character would have been more effective.
Lall plays the role of Bigilu. Having seen him always as a villain, it was a pleasure to see him in a friendly role. Where women are concerned, he has certain principles like "just eating biriyani and going about one's business." But how he gets mad when his friend plays up with his fiancée, but does visit the jail to bring him out, adds dimension to his character.
But the most striking of all is the lovable opponent – not villain - Son of Gun. His drawling Thoothudi lingo and some of his dialogues like "Let's not commit the sin of parting the dogs," are hands down winners.
This sprightly film on autos does away with the usual main ingredients of a Tamil film like chastity, heroism and villain. Dialogues are a strong point of the film. Words like naai, underwear and mayiru flow through the film but these are mainly to bring out the character of the persons and thanks to the Censor Board for not using its scissors!
Pushkar-Gayatri have also broken the sanctity of love. In the duet songs, the hero teaches the heroine cuss words and about pleasures of the flesh.
To bring the barking of street dogs to a crescendo when Bigilu and Chandru have a spat, when a Simbu look alike comes for the auto race, to use appropriate dialogue delivery and background music like in a Clint Eastwood cowboy film, using the police band set music when there's a police parade on…composer GV Prakash Kumar has used appropriate sounds for the background score. This handling is very easy on the comic aspect of the film. Even though it's difficult to make out the words in the Tasmac song, it is nonetheless rather catchy. The Aandi bit and Ganapathi song in Nandavanam are cool!
One has to mention the careful editing by Antony that does not spoil the mood and Kalyani's dance. From the very first scene, cameraman Nirav Shah's cinematography is impressive as it moves from room to room. But there are also some scenes that makes one wonder if the camera is indeed wielded by him.
The local Tasmac shop, workshop and subtenant quarters are all brought to life by art director Milan.
For this auto ride, one can pay above meter charges to the directors Pushkar and Gayatri!
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Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Kannamoochi Yenada (Prithviraj, Sathyaraj, Sandhya, Radhika)
The filmmaker makes her presence felt in an arena which is dominated by men. Priya is one of the rare species of fledgling directors in Tamil film industry, who had earlier worked with the likes of Mani Rathnam, had registered her mark as a distinctive filmmaker with her debutant venture ‘Kanda Naal Mudhal’, produced by Prakash Raj’s Duet Movies.
Feel good factor is the term you could use to describe ‘Kanda Naal Mutdhal’ and Priya’s latest offering ‘Kannamoochi Yaenada’ too fits the bill perfectly. The additional dimension of course, is the comedy element that runs through the entire movie.
‘Kannamoochi Yaenada’ offers you a non stop comedy with a love story set in the backdrop of a well knit family. The bondage between the family members is in for trouble following the entry of the young man with full of love and a few lies. The whole family endorses the feelings of the girl of their family and loves the boy but the head of the family, a tough Cop, refuses to be impressed.
The game of hide and seek between the Cop and the boy starts. The game is contagious enough to catch up almost everybody. The boy’s uncle, with vested interest, provides some twists and the family is split – literally – over the question of accepting the boy. You get to experience some hilarious moments before everything falls in line.
It is a typical cinematic love at first sight for Prithviraj, a software architect in Singapore, who falls for Sandhya, a psychiatry student. The boy easily breaks the reluctance of the girl and makes her fall in love. The girl convinces her family living in Chennai over phone and gets the boy with her to introduce him to the family.
Everyone accepts the boy except the father of the girl (Sathyaraj), who is the Commissioner of Police. He too is not able to reject him as he respects the feelings of his daughter. So he wants to eliminate the boy by playing some tricks while the mother (Radhika) supports the boy whole heartedly.
Prithviraj lost his parents in his young age and brought up by his uncle (Radha Ravi), an orthodox Brahmin. He is upset over the choice of the girl, who belongs to a different caste. He turns hostile and discards Prithviraj.
The fun filed hide and seek game between Sathyaraj and Prithviraj gets bizarre by the prank played by the uncle. The Cop becomes tough and the boy is ousted. Radhika revolts and gets out of her husband’s hold. Sandhya is disappointed with Prithviaj for his lies. The family falls apart and so does the love.
Then comes a twist in the tale in the form of Sripriya and the rest of the story narrates how the tight spot is solved.
Priya has done a commendable job by presenting a feel good family entertainer with full of comedy without much dependence on gimmicks and clichés. She has conceived some lively scenes to illustrate the tug of war between Sathyaraj and Prithviraj besides presenting funny moments involving the whole family. The scene when Sathyaraj is leaving for Ooty and the scene when the meeting between Sathyaraj and Sripriya takes place stand out.
The way Sathyaraj making truce with Radhika is touchy. The dialogues by A. Sivakumar are sharp and comical. Sripriya’s role is a surprise.
The director could have worked better on characterization. The police commissioner behaving in such a comical manner – especially in the later part of the movie – is quite unacceptable. Though the director hasn’t taken much liberty in the name of comedy, she could have established a credible reason behind Prithviraj’s inability to reveal his position even to his lover. The extreme behavior of the uncle too is not convincing. The way the love blossoms leaves much to be desired.
Since it is obvious that the young lovers would come together following the reunion of Sathyaraj and Radhika, the build up towards the final ‘twist’ is rather irritating. The finale could have been sharp and crispier.
Priya has executed many scenes with aplomb. The way the family receives Prithviraj is deftly portrayed. The turning point post interval too is effectively told. Priya has also conveyed a subtle message that it not only physical violence or explicit insult that could make a woman a subdued person within the family. She has driven home the point that not giving due respect in every respect too is a violence against woman.
Performance wise, Sathyaraj steals the show with his top notch performance. His body language, dialogue delivery, and timing sense are amazing. Prithviraj shows improvement by trying to match the veteran. His charm and enthusiasm do enliven the proceedings.
The effervescent Sandhya resembles Jyothika in her expressions. She looks cute but doesn’t get much scope amidst a horde of stars. Radhika impresses by underplaying her role. Manobala effectively provides comical support. Sripriya handles her role with ease.
Yuvan Shankar Raja has come out with yet another hit musical track. The ‘Kannamoochi’ song stands out and the remix version of ‘Anru Vanthathum’ is enjoyable.
Preetha, the cinematographer, has done a wonderful job. She has spectacularly captured the locales of Singapore and Ooty.
Overall, ‘Kannamoochi Yaenada’ has come out as a family entertainer despite some flaws.
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Friday, November 16, 2007
Polladhavan - Dhanush, Divya, Santhanam, Murali, Daniel Balaji, Bhanupriya
Very rarely we come across realistic portrayals in Tamil cinema. Some filmmakers do deal with various shades of life but more often than not they indulge in diluting the reality in their pursuit to ensure commercial success. Some directors, however, achieved the rare combination of undiluted reality meeting with commercial success. Debutant director Vettrimaran’s ‘Polladhavan’ has all potential to become one such attempt.
The movie opens with a gruesome fight involving Dhanush. The movie revolves around a clash between a person belonging to mafia and an innocent lower middle class boy. The narrative moves on in a non linier manner with the two narrating the story from their respective angles. No, please don’t get it wrong. It is not Akira Kurosawa’s Roshoman like narrative where in you get different perceptions on a single event. In ‘Polladhavan’, the narration is shared by two characters.
Prabhu (Dhanush) who has just now brutally attacked three thugs with a sword comes out of the building and rests his wounded body on his beloved bike. He is now heading towards meeting his praise catch that is Ravi (Danial Balaji), the younger brother of all powerful mafia leader of North Chennai Selvam (Kishor Kumar). He recalls, for a moment, what that bike has brought to him before moving ahead for his hunt.
The flash back shows the happy-go-lucky boy longing for a Pulsar bike. It goes to show the life in a North Chennai street where life is quite difference from that of South Chennai. The boys are playing carom board on the street. Prabhu is sharing the pain of his failure to get what he loves most - a bike and a girl.
The narration shows the status of Prabhu’s family. The father is the breadwinner of the lower middle class family and the boy, a jobless graduate, is roaming around without responsibility. When caught red-handed for stealing pittance from his father for booze with his friends, Dhanush questions his father’s responsibility towards his upbringing.
The father feels humiliated and reacts sharply by arranging 70,000 rupees through his hard earned savings. He gives the money to his son and asks him to do something on his own.The boy immediately gets one of wishes fulfilled. He gets a bike. His family is stunned. But Prabhu is determined to get a job, and fortunately he gets one with the help of his bike. He joins as a loan officer in a bank.
His other passion – to woo a girl (Divya Spandana) he meets in the bus stand for more than two years – too gets fulfilled. Prabhu is the happiest person on the earth. He has got a bike, got a girlfriend, and a decent job.
Everything gets terribly disturbed when everything seems to be well. There is another world beneath the surface. There is a mafia gang that deals with drug trafficking and various other anti social activities. Selvam is the leader of the all powerful gang.
The gang has its own complications. The younger brother Ravi of the leader is not happy with the way he is treated. He is full of jealous and anger on a gangster named ‘Out’ (Bhavan), who is the trusted lieutenant of Selvam. The leader is not supporting his brother doubting his talent. Ravi’s grudge against his brother and out grows stronger day by day.
Prabhu has a tryst with underworld when his bike gets stolen in a spot where a brutal murder takes place. Dhanush is shattered. He wants his bike back at any cost. Unfortunately, he gets to lock horns with the underworld criminals in his pursuit to find his bike. He gets into dangerous zone but his blind passion towards his bike pushes him forward. This put his and his family’s life in danger. His love is in danger. The inner conflict within the underworld makes his condition worse. He is in for trouble. Big trouble indeed.
Does he get back his bike and love? Could he save is family from the brutal gang?
Director Vettrimaran has come out with an engrossing and realistic experience on celluloid. Making films based on the lives of underworld is not new but making it with amazing reality is. Though the movie resembles Selvaraghavan’s ‘Puduppettai’, it maintains its individuality by sticking to a well crafted script and stylish execution.
Director and his team have done their home work neatly. They have captured the dialects, mannerisms, and life style of the underworld mafia group with precision. The film has also unearthed some hitherto unexplored areas like bike theft network. He has also illustrated the functions of a modern banking network well.
The characterization too is worth mentioning. Especially the character of Selvam. The nuances of father-son relationship too have been portrayed well. Well done Vettrimaran!
R. Velraj, the cameraman, deserves special mention. He has worked wonders in capturing the gruesome reality of the underworld. The lighting in various time spaces is wonderful. The picturisation of climax fight is outstanding.
As far as the script is concerned, the compactness is marred by two songs. One is the marriage song and another one is the item song. The love track too is weak.
Portraying an innocent, turning into a warrior is a cakewalk for Dhanush. He has done it in the past and does it here with amazing ease. He has credibly depicted the transformation within the character.Daniel Balaji, Bhavan, and Kishor Kumar have brought the underworld with all its colors and shades with astonishing perfection. They all have lived up to the expectations of the director and have added credibility to the reality f the movie.
Though Divya doesn’t get any scope to act, she looks pretty and adds glamour to the fare. Her pleasant looks serve as balancing factor to the otherwise gruesome movie.
Karunas has rendered a commendable performance as an auto rickshaw driver, who helps Dhanush in his endeavors. His dialogue delivery and expressions are amazing. Santhanam, as usual, plays the friend of the hero and gives comical relief.
Murali and Bhanupriya as Dhanush’s parents have done their parts well. They together flawlessly portray a lower middle class family.
Young music director G.V. Prakash has done wonders. The songs, which are already rocking, are well picturised. The remix version of ‘Engeyum Eppothum’ stands out. One wonders how SPB has maintained the sweetness of his voice for so many years. Yogi B, the sensational Malaysian singer is a revelation. ‘Minnalgaley’ sung by Karthik and Bombay Jayashree is a soothing melody. The background score adds value to the entire proceedings.
The bottomline: ‘Polladavan’ is a clear winner with its reality, style, and performances. Though the violence, in some places, does make it a gruesome experience, the brutality reflected in the narrative has been justified by the script, as it attempts to show the life of ruthless underworld. Here the rules are different and so is the reality. The A certified film is strongly recommended for those who have stomach to digest some hard reality and gore violence. After all, we have seen more violence on some U certified movies as well.
