Raavanan -- Amazing cinematography and a versatile Vikram.

Lots of film coming based on the stories of Indian epics. Two weeks after ‘Rajneeti’ was released, which was based on the epic, ‘Mahabharata’, here comes ‘Raavanan’, a film based on the epic, ‘Ramayana’. Perhaps this is the most anticipated film in recent times. Rightly so given the cast and crew assembled. Produced and directed by Mani Ratnam, ‘Raavanan’ stars Vikram, Aishwarya Rai and Prithviraj in the lead roles. The other cast comprises Prabhu, Karthik and Priyamani. This time retelling us the epic Ramayanam. As with any film of Mani Ratnam, the expectations are pretty high and when he combines with a power house of talent like Vikram the expectations only reach dizzying heights. The film also marks the reunion of Prabhu and Karthik with Mani Ratnam after 'Agni Natchathiram' nearly two decades ago.

The film is basically an attempt to forge the legendary Ramayana into today’s age but then, it is a very poor attempt. At one point, it looks like the makers got confused as to how they must portray the characters and it leaves a question mark on the audience’s face. Right at the start, we get the feeling of reaching half the plot so there is nothing much left to be desired. The movie revolves around the thief and cop chase after Vikram abrupts Ash. The plot takes the leaf out of Ramayana's most memorable chapter. Raavan abducted Sita, wife of Lord Rama, which resulted in a battle that ended with Rama vanquishing the ten-headed demon king. The twist in the plot comes in the form of Ragini questioning her own beliefs. Even though she wants to get rid of her abductor, she also sympathizes with him, developing a bond with Veera(Vikram) without knowing it. The first half of the film moves at snails pace and continues in the same vein till the climax when Dev and Veera face each other. Mani Rathnam's vision goes like this, Raaman can be a bad guy, Raavavan could be a good guy. Nothing really radical here by the way of treatment of narrative.

Mani Rathnam has often said that he lets his technicians do half his work and mind you he works only with the best in the country as in the lights of Santhosh Sivan and A.R Rahman. While the technicians have done a fabulous job, Mani sir hasn't kept his part off the bargain. It is more of a visual treat to the rain drenched forests and water falls of Athirampally and less of a love story. The technical finesse was highly impressive. The cinematography was the best till date in an Indian movie. It was mind blowing. Hats off to the Santhosh Sivan for his 'Cinematic Genius'. The song sequences were forced on the narrative but choreographed really well.

The film excels in the music department too with songs composed by A R Rahman. Vikram delivered one of his best performance and portrayed the character of Veera with consummate ease. With varied expressions, with a change of gait, with studied body language, Vikram portrays the protagonist so impressively that you cannot help admit this is the best he's been, in years. Aishwarya looks beautiful and she played her part well. Prithviraj was disappointing. He tried to outsmart Vikram in many combination scenes but the efforts were futile. Karthik didn't get the chance to show his mettle yet his body language and expressions proved he has got substance, Priyamani was good, Prabhu was effective, others didn't have anything to offer or add value.

Watch it if you are fan of all the big names attached to it. If Mani Sir's entire technical crew and Vikram’s acting skills are the positives for the movie; thin story line, sluggish narration and poor screenplay are the negatives. It is tough to rate this film, and yet to say that this film is going to be a great watch.

My Verdict : 3.2 / 5

SHERLOCK HOLMES -- Is disappointing!!

The film was much worse than I could have imagined. I calculated they wasted over 40 minutes in needless, and ridiculous, fight scenes. They had no bearing on the outcome of the movie. The film copied Indiana Jones in such capacity, I almost had to remind myself what film I was indeed viewing. The dialogues was terrible, often forced and brought the movie down to a snails pace. What exactly did people enjoy about this film? An enormous disappointment, I laughed out loud at all the predictable Guy Ritchie fight scenes and explosions, they were truly pathetic.

I have watched almost all Sherlock Homes movies starring Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Dr Watson, Jeremy Brett series from Granada etc, but this movie is sheer disappointment. I was very disappointed by the shame that movie makes of itself by transforming the noblest of men (Watson and Holmes) into two idiots punching each other. I don't want to give away too much, so I'll end the review with this: If you are a hardcore original Sherlock Holmes story fan, this may not be the movie for you. If not, I think anyone else would love this movie from start to finish.

Verdict : 1/5

KITES --- Coloured with boredom!!!!!

Produced by Rakesh Roshan and directed by Anurag Basu, ‘Kites’ is a mega-budget venture worth Rs.150 crore. Since the day it was announced, it was surrounded by hype, controversy, and rumor. The bigger the budget, the bigger the names, the bigger the hype,the bigger the expectations from the film. Kites has some of the biggest names in the business - Rakesh Roshan, Anurag Basu and Hrithik Roshan, to name a few - and the film, therefore, carries this huge responsibility on its shoulders. It has to soar higher than the hits delivered by this trio. Anything less will just not do! And I must say it failed to deliver. Anurag Basu should idolize Shanker and learn how to spend money on films. Anyone who saw the movie could say without a slight hesitation that 'Kites' was not even worth 50 crs except for those car chases and Mexican Extravaganza.

The film follows a Non- Linear narration. The story starts in a harsh terrain of the Mexican desert where a mortally wounded man Jai is left to die in the heat of the scorching sun. Once a street smart, carefree young guy, he is now a wanted man. Hrithik (Jay) is a money lover. He marries women for money and women marry him for Green Card. He has 11 legally illegal wives. He works as a Dance Teacher and his love for money gets him involved with the leading Business Man's daughter Kangana Ranaut (Jeena).He meets his would be Brother in Law and his fiancé Barbara Mori (Natasha\Linda) and guess what Linda is here one of those 11 wives. From then onwards typical Drama takes over Linda and Jay bond in Romantic Relation whereas the cheated Rich Family chases them.

Kites as a metaphor in the film. Kites are like two lovers who fly against the wind and not with the wind, they come close and separate and how their destinies are not in their hands. Performance wise, Hrithik is fine but he is not able to make a relation with his viewers mainly because both his romances with Barbara and Kangna appear to be flat without any depth. His act doesn’t have any novelty which used to be a key feature of his every new movie. But he simply excels in his last scene crying at the hill top. Barbara Mori is the refreshing factor in the film. She is a direct departure from the stereotypical Bollywood film heroine. She holds her own in each and every scene. Not only is her chemistry with Hrithik Roshan electrifying, she stands shoulder to shoulder with Hrithik in acting merits and screen presence. Barbara’s presence in the film also works with the fact that she is a talent we have not witnessed on screen before.

The one thing i liked most in the movie was the intermission for then was showed the theatrical promo of the forthcoming movie ‘Raavan’. It looks and sounds like a movie that brings together the likes of Mani Ratnam, A R Rahman, Gulzar and Santosh Sivan. My hopes are high but you never know. Promos are mostly deceptive and Bollywood has time and again strengthened my belief...;);). With no other Bollywood release to challenge it and the unprecedented buzz it has gathered, this one just might become the first big hit of 2010.

Verdict : 2/5

Pokkiri Raja --- Entertainment, but in parts.

I went for this movie with sky high expectation and to be frank, it didn't raised up to my level of expectation. This movie created a huge amount of buzz and hype as it features Mammooty and upcoming star Prithviraj. Apart from bringing in a casting coup by uniting Megastar Mammootty and youth icon Prithviraj for the first time in full length roles, this movie by debutant director Vysakh has also taken pains to present Super actress Shriya Saran to Mollywood.

Pokkiri raja is the story of two sons of a honest school teacher. Out of the two brothers, Raja runs away from home due to some circumstances which was a common feature of the Malayalam movie's made in the 80's. The movie has Mammootty as Raja and Prithvi as Soorya, both sons of popular Gandhian and idealistic teacher Madhavan Mash. The eldest son Raja was thrown out of the house by Madhavan Mash, as he was reluctant to stick to his father’s Gandhian ways. He ran away from home to Madurai after a scuffle and becomes the leader of a gang of ruffians in Madurai. Madhavan Mash has much hopes on his younger son Soorya, who was reared with care as to become a model for the youth of the town. But circumstances forced Soorya to just follow his elder brother’s path and to take arms and to become another notable name, booked by the police. Shriya plays Aswathy, the daughter of the city police commissioner who falls in love with Soorya. Then finally the two brothers meet face to face and the rest of the movie shows their tale.

The highlight of the movie is the glossy looks and colorfulness with which it is presented. With many song and dance sequences and funny moments, the movie will not give you much time to ponder over logic, atleast when in the cinema halls. Its high time that Mammootty should realize that he is NOT good in dance and he should stick on to what he does best.The song 'Kettille Kettille' and other so called 'Rap' song must have been picturised better. Remember the Rajamanicyam song.. "Pandi melam pattum koothum...". In that song Mammooty sir's screen presence is utilized to the maximum without the inclusion of dance steps. That's what a good director does. Even Manirathnam sir made Mammooty dance in Thalapathy, but he varied the camera movements and was a bit slower which made that song exceptional.But these kind of dance steps reminds me of Love in Singapore and mayabazaar which must have been avoided.

Coming to the technical aspects of the movie. The technical side of the movie is good, with every department doing their best to maintain the quality of a potential hit. Shaji's camera, and Mahesh Narayanans editing are brilliant even though the makers has failed to keep the interest going for the entire length of two hours. Jassie Gift's songs have good beats but won’t stay in our minds for long. The BGM for Mammootty was quite good. Prithviraj was good and completely outperformed Mammooty in fight sequences. Mammootty's screen presence is utilized to the maximum and he was looking awesome. The story of the film is just a combination of films like July 4, Chattambinaadu and some other malayalam films. The director did a mediocre job. Songs and Dance was not impressive for me. Climax was disappointing. This film is a usual masala entertainer which fans of both actors can celebrate and boast about and may turn out to be a hit.

If you are a die hard fan of Mammootty or Prithviraj, you will surely love this movie, as it offers everything for the fans to cherish. And for others its just another mass masala movie which seems like a combination of Tamil and Telugu films and is another chance for reminiscence. Unlike other Siby- Udayan films, this film doesn't end up as a torture as it offers something for the fans atleast.

My Verdict : 5/10

Thoovanathumbikal -- A poignant masterpiece

Thoovanathumbikal is an example of magical film making at its best. When I say best, I really mean it. Thoovanathumbikal is an unforgettable movie and a poignant movie that is worth having in your film library. Padmarajan sir had a habit. He loves to glue his viewers to the seat and hypnotize them by his unique movies. Films like Aparan, Nammukku Paarkan Munthiri Thoppukal, Kallan pavithran, Ennale etc. He does the same or even much further in Thoovanathumbikal. Malayalam movie viewers still miss him.


Padmarajan sir wrote a novel names "Udakapola" and the central character in this film is a colorless character in that novel. If you read this book and then watch it you can see the perfection of the picturisation. A film about a man who have his own principles in life regarding all his deeds accidentally breaks one and changes brought by it to his life. Mohanlal plays a man who lives in village and having lot of friends in town. He likes a girl and when he tell her about that he got denied. After that he got involved in a relation with a virgin girl whom he never thought would be like that. He decides to marry that girl following some of his principles in life. By that time girl he really loved comes to him and he have to choose between the two. This man don't want to hide anything from his lover and tells her about his old relationship. He cant stop himself seeing that old girl and finally he have to choose the right one. Both faces of the character was safe with Mohanlal. He again displays his genius as the handled the role with consummate ease.


"Enikku aa murivakanaanu moham... Aa changalayude oru kanniyodu mathram urayunna unangaatha oru murivu..." I always loved this dialogue from the movie. It is the beauty of that metaphor that connoisseurs of good cinema talk about. Mohanlal delivers in depth and breadth the emotions and feelings of a protagonist in a Padmarajan style.Clara as a prostitute who knows in what she is going to end up is superb . She shows the deep sorrow of being forced to be a prostitute in a neutral manner. Her dialogues reflects the feelings of a prostitute who knows clearly that a normal life is a dream for them. Jayakrishanan's ideologies are simple but his emotions are complex to understand. Parvathy has acted beautifully in her part so did Ashokan. There is NO other movie in the history of malayalam film history where 'Rain' is picturised more beautifully. The beauty of Rain which ushers whenever Jayakrishnan and Clara meet is both poignant and pure. The background music and the songs still lives in the hearts of people even after 20 years. Its a movie much ahead of time.

This is one of those films that come once in a blue moon. The ones that leave you sitting on your seat staring at the screen when the film is ended and trying to think of a word to describe the excellence of the film. What really makes this film great is the use of no special effects, no stunts, just plain simple amazingly original, witty story writing and outstanding acting by every character in the film including the minor ones.

To Padmarajan Sir, the genius who brought out love and passion so beautifully...!!

GOA is "PURE FUN"

GOA... The name itself is colorful. Venkat Prabhu can truly be proud of himself now. GOA is "PURE FUN". We underestimate what our own filmmakers are capable of, keep criticizing and thereby kill the intention of directors to try something different. Also, rarely does the film's certification matter to any moviegoer before he steps into the cinema hall. If a movie is certified for mature audiences, it is meant to be so. Cinema is inspired by true happenings in life today. It's either told in a sugar-coated fashion or straight in the face. Beginning the review on this note, Goa is different, be it in the story, screenplay or characterization and is for mature audiences. This Venkat Prabhu holiday is going to be loved by his fans and at the same time, will get mixed reviews from critics.

Venkat Prabhu has managed to keep his reputation intact. Venkat Prabhu has established himself as filmmaker who can make meaningful films without any big stars. His "Chennai 6000028" featured a host of newcomers and was a hit. It was followed by another hit "Saroja", a travelogue. This movie revolves around three young men who sets out on a trip to Goa only with a mission to fall in love with a white woman. They also plan to marry 'a foreign women' and settle down abroad. They head for Goa where many foreigners are seen and the rest of the story is all about their experiences there. Three young men from a rustic village going to GOA to satisfy and fulfill their dreams and the happenings around there forms the rest of the story. I must say GOA is a true amalgamation of fun,love and laughter. It is truly a 2.5 hrs fun filled romantic story and a roller-coaster ride that keeps you entertaining. It is a perfectly-planned holiday for all those who seek pure entertainment on the silver screen! Making his third directorial venture, Venkat must have surely enjoyed it like we do while watching it. Goa speaks on relationships and the love life of the protagonists in a lovable and a thoroughly engaging way!

I must say the technical crew of GOA has done exceptionally well. The camera angles were so refreshing that it was able to capture and portray the real GOA. Yuvan Shankar Raja is back. The songs in this movie are really foot tapping as well as enjoyable. The BGM was excellent. Coming to the acting performances, Premji ( Swami) was nothing but spectacular. His mannerisms and gimmicks aroused a lot of laughter among the audience. Jai proved that he has real acting skills he deserves a seat in Tamil film industry. The foreign girl that played opposite to Premji and Vaibhav (Ramarajan) deserves a special mention.


Venkat Prabhu has again created a successful commercial entertainer, but differs from the other directors by experimenting with a simple script, then making it interesting and entertaining by playing around with the screenplay and execution. A thriller with lot of drama and comedy, a must watch movie. If you want to unwind yourself, forget all logic's and enjoy, then the destination is 'GOA'.


My Verdict : 3.9/5

Namukku Paarkan Munthirithoppukal: A timeless classic!

Padmarajan sir is my favorite director of all time and 'Namukku paarkan munthirithoppukal' is my favorite Indian movie till date. Pappetan is surely a legend and he deserves more than respect from us. And no doubt, Mohanlal is my favorite actor in any language. In fact, I have seen this film for more than 20 times and always wonder how pappetan convinced such a character called 'Solomon'. This is the most influential film of its era and and still is called the greatest love story ever told in Malayalam film history.

'Nammuku paarkan Munthirithoppukal' is a sensitive portrayal of a mature love story which is lyrical and poetic as the music of the film. This film is based on a K sudhakaran novel and a great adaptation of the english translation which mean "Vineyards for us to Dwell". It transverses a path that exists but but is not mentioned in the book. That is the beauty of Padmarajan sir's work. The film is a beautiful and well told love story of a guy who falls in love with the newly moved neighbor girl. But the girls situation was worst than he thought when he finds that the man who was told to be her father was her stepfather. This film is noted for its inherent simplicity with a rich and expressive screenplay. The screenplay is the king just like all of pappetan's other concepts and this is the best of his work closely followed by 'Thoovanathumbikal". The entire screenplay is worked around Solomon's songs from the bible and it keeps referring to the vineyards of Solomon. The dialogues are crisp and powerful.

There are few things connoisseurs of good classic cinema will notice in this movie. The film is not about love, it is about the depth of love. The story is the hero and Solomon & Sofia are mere instruments to portray that tale. It's a simple tale but exceptional story telling makes it extra ordinary. The lines from Bible impart a touch of eternity to the selfless love portrayed in the film. Solomon proposes Sofia using lines from The song of songs, Bible. What a poetic way to propose to a girl ? The eternal romanticist Padmarajan professes through this scene a love that is perennial and profound. And the climax scene... Padmarajan's hero, Solomon accepts Sofia, who was raped, and takes her to his vineyards. It must also be noted that she wears white,  It implies a love that is pure, real, unconditional, deep and everlasting. It's no coincidence that she wears white, the symbol of purity. Also, when she gets into the truck, she doesn't even have to bent her legs. Everything is so subtle and implied.

Last but not the least, the movie has an excellent performance by Mohanlal. The background score by Johnson is so touching and surreal. It is one of those films that had always stayed with me in my dreams and fantasies ever since I saw it on my teen age. I am short of words to describe this cinematic awesomeness.

For those of you who grew up on a diet of great movies by Padmarajan sir, Bharatan etc, this is a way to get back. For the present generation of lovers of Malayalam Cinema, its a way to acquaint themselves with the glory days of Malayalam cinema. Hats off Padmarajan sir. I can safely recommend this movie to anyone who believe in good contentful cinema and if you are missing it, your education in films has not begun.