Vazhakku Enn 18/9 review

Director Balaji Sakthivel is known for his hard hitting films with shocking climaxes and this one is no different. He has shown two extremes in the same movie. On one side, we have the street kids who are forced to child labor due to their family conditions. They work in unfavorable conditions and brave all odds just for their survival. Other lowly laborers are also shown doing what they do, just for the sake of their daily survival.

On the other hand, there are the horny school kids high on testosterone and estrogen, resorting to capturing sexual videos and circulating them amongst their peers in the form of MMS forwards.

The corrupt nature of government officials like policemen and politicians has also been bluntly portrayed. The way people with shady backgrounds rise up the social ladder just because of their connections and network, is another striking take home from this movie.

Amid all this, we have a really true love story that braves all the odds and takes up all manner of obstacles and pain just for the sake of the underlying love.

The climax is again shocking and will leave you with a slight tear in your eye. The director has lived up to his reputation as someone who can disturb the everyday cinema goer with his striking portrayal of reality.

The cast is entirely new. Sri and Urmila Mahanta as Velu & Jothi are the crux around whom the story revolves. Such lovely portrayals by these 2 youngsters. The makeover for Urmila towards the climax is pretty chilling. Manisha Yadav looks the part as the naive schoolgirl while Mithun Murali has been given a negative role as the rich spoilt brat who resorts to crude MMSes. Muthuraman as the cop does a total volte-face towards the climax which is shocking and his ultimate fate is fitting. Chinnasamy has a lovely little role as Velu's true buddy. Real natural he is.

The BGM is pretty average and repetitive. Few songs have been gelled into the narrative with good effect. The cinematography has been done using a Canon 5D camera and it gives the movie a very real feel and not the larger than life effect generally associated with cinema.

VERDICT: Another disturbing movie from Balaji Sakthivel. The movie will leave you with a lump in your throat. 

The Vow (2012)

This movie is based on a true life couple. Leo and Paige are happily married after falling in love. After an accident, Paige falls into a coma and later recovers with memory loss. She forgets the fact that Leo is her husband and only remembers her old life with her parents and her relationship with Jeremy, her earlier boyfriend.

Now, Leo has to win her back amid opposition from Paige's father and Paige's own uncertain ways due to her memory loss. His perseverance pays as Paige finally comes back to him after discovering certain important truths. Her memory never comes back though

Channing Tatum is really endearing with his earnest and natural portrayal. The same cannot be said of Rachel McAdams. She is obviously cute and charming but, after her memory loss, she starts getting onto your nerves with her same confused expressions and helpless self-pity.

The process of the guy getting back his wife is not gripping and it loses steam many a time. The chemistry between the lead actors is cracking in certain scenes when they are together as a pair. In that sense, it's an ideal date movie or Valentine movie or whatever.

VERDICT: Drags to the finish line. Could have been more crisp. Can give this a skip.

Panjaa (2011)

A typically gritty Vishnuvardhan movie with lots of violence, style, pulsating BGM and lovely songs. Yuvan Shankar Raja is a major plus in all Vishnu movies and this one is no different. Each song is a winner and they have so much variety. The title track is a real treat in particular. The picturization of the songs also have Vishnu's trademark creative touches.

His movies have always been technically slick and Panjaa shines with its cool cinematography and stylish editing. Pawan Kalyan carries the movie with his effortless style that borders on lazy elegance. His fighting style, bouncing dance moves and his bearded look in this movie are all good to say the least.

The heroine also has a decent role and Sarah Jane does much better than expected. She is a limited actress but, a job decently done. The romance between the lead has been worked out well.

Basically, the plot goes like this. It is set in Kolkata. Jai is the main hitman in Bhagawan's gang. He is totally loyal and is literally the shadow of Bhagawan. Due to the entry of Bhagawan's son Munna who is a real sadistic freak, things go mad and Jai gets into trouble after he kills Munna justifiably.

After this Jai goes into hiding in his lover Sandhya's village. He also solves a problem that Sandhya had gotten herself into. Finally, after a real 'one man army' act in the climax, the expected happens as Jai gets rid of all the gangsters singlehandedly and unites with his lady love.

There are comic reliefs provided by Ali as Chotu and Brahmanandam as the funny cop. Jackie Shroff's imposing presence is a plus for the movie. Anjali Lavania scorches as Jahnavi. Sesh Adivi gives good psychotic touches to his role as Munna. Sampath, Atul Kulkarni have small roles as gangsters in the opposing gang.

VERDICT: An engaging affair with lots of heroism, style and other entertainment elements as well. Sad, it failed at the box-office. 

Business Man (2012)

This is a total anti-hero movie where a young man named Surya comes to Mumbai to shake up the entire city. He wants to revive the mafia in Mumbai, which has been eliminated thanks to the commissioner's efforts. In the process, he earns the wrath of the police and opposing politicians. He soon starts mafia franchises all over the country and is in a position to decide even the ruling party in the national elections. There is a reason as to why he does all these things. Side by side, he is also busy romancing the commissioner's daughter who falls for him despite his dubious modus-operandi.

The reason given by Surya for the mafia to flourish, is pretty shocking. There are so many logical loopholes that conveniently favor the hero. He is all conquering, bashes goons to pulp singlehandedly and opposes an entire police battalion. The police also fear him for some strange reason despite having so many arms and ammunition.

The entire movie happens in a Telugu speaking Mumbai.

If the movie is even half bearable, it is thanks to Mahesh Babu. His dialog delivery, his totally fiery and aggressive body language, his cold looks etc etc make this movie an affair strictly restricted to his legion of fans.  The fact that this is an anti-hero movie where the lead hero doesn't have even a shade of gentlemanly qualities, earns a few more brownie points. The stunt scenes are typically extravagant and 'mass'. That's about it.

The reason for Surya to do what he does is again pretty cliched. It is personal vendetta. The love track is silly and typical of any commercial movie. The songs are mostly lackluster with Thaman shamelessly stealing the whistle tune of 'Fistful of Dollars' in the BGM. Kajal looks scorching hot and sexy. Her friend in the movie is totally irritating with her accent and lame explanations. Nasser is just a shadow of the imposing actor he was in the 90s. Prakash Raj as the villain has done a similar role in countless movies before.

VERDICT: A big disappointment on the whole, and strictly for Mahesh Babu fans. Others may ignore this over-the-top movie. 

This Means War (2012)

2 CIA agents who are best friends as well (FDR and Tuck) , accidentally start dating the same woman (Lauren) and both of them get serious with her. They set certain ground rules at first but it becomes a big battle of one upmanship with each agent trying to outsmart the other with constant surveillance on one another. Their friendship becomes strained as expected with the quest to get the woman starting to get more importance. The woman doesn't know that these two know each other until the very end. Finally, one man has to lose and it becomes a win-win for both. Tuck reunites with his separated wife and kid, while FDR gets Lauren.

There is also a subplot with the 2 agents trying to eliminate an international criminal by the name Heinrich. In the end they succeed at this as well.

The main reason why this movie is watchable is thanks to the 2 heroes. Chris Pine is a handsome charmer while Tom Hardy is good at serious faced humor. Their pranks and constant one-upmanship battles are enjoyable. The heroine doesn't look as ravishing for 2 handsome guys to fall crazily for her. We also have a friend who gives dirty advise to Lauren.

The movie provides some laughs and time-pass fun but, it is nothing special and becomes silly at times too. And why the hell was the movie given this title. It suggests a serious action movie which this isn't by any means.

VERDICT: Strict one-time watch for some time-pass fun. 

Chronicle (2012)

Three high school students Andrew, Matt and Steve suddenly get super powers, telekinetic abilities precisely. They use it for fun and small personal pleasures in the beginning. Soon, things turn darker as Andrew feels too liberated and starts using his powers much to the harm of the people around him.

Things don't end in a rosy manner as it is death and destruction, widespread.

The initial stages when the friends explore their abilities, really give you a liberating experience. When they rock the talent show and when they fly high into the skies, it literally gives you an awe factor. You start imagining if you had such powers.

The special effects, the VFX are something to be seen to be enjoyed. The climax when Andrew and Matt fly and hang in the skies amid the carnage that Andrew has caused, is jaw-dropping.

VERDICT: Among the coolest and most liberalizing movies in recent times.  

Immortals (2011)

We have the Gods & the humans on one side and the Titans & King Hyperion's Heraklion army on the other side. The Gods and The Titans are the immortals while the humans and Hyperion's army are mortals who obviously bleed.

The Gods live in the clouds and intervene only when the humans are really under trouble. The Titans were imprisoned by the Gods beneath Mount Tartarus. The Titans are later unleashed by Hyperion who is after the Epirus bow which will give him immense power.

Theseus is the chosen one to lead the humans. He is a mere peasant. Phaedra is the virgin oracle who gets visions of the future and she guides Theseus in his fight against the Heraklions. These two have intercourse and later have a son named Acamas.

The film ends with Hyperion's army being vanquished by the Gods and Theseus being given a place among the Gods for his sacrifice while killing King Hyperion. Probably a sequel might follow

The film has some glorious VFX, stunning set design and a surreal feel all over, much like Tarsem Singh's earlier '300'. In the action sequences, blood is splashed all over the screen and violence is both stylized and glorified.

The way The Gods have been portrayed is a style delight in itself. The action scenes involving The Gods and The Titans take the cake.

Freida Pinto is uber sexy and has such seducing eyes. Her one naked scene (supposedly a 'butt' double) where she reveals it all, is a glorious treat for all booty lovers. Henry Cavill has a sculpted body and 'Greek God' looks. Apt casting. Mickey Rourke as King Hyperion is menacing and the way he manipulates and terrorizes his army is awesome.

There are some inspiring war dialogs and in general the dialogs have a dramatic appeal.

VERDICT: A true visual delight. Much better than expected.  

Azhagarsamiyin Kudhirai (2011)

Azhagarsamiyin Kudhirai is based on a short story of the same name penned by writer Bhaskar Sakthi.In 2012, the film was honored with two National Film Awards for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment and Best Supporting Actor for Appukutty. Finally I saw this movie. The plot goes like this.

Mallayapuram is a village hit by severe drought due to lack of rainfall . The villagers decide to honor their God, Azhagarsami so that their fortunes change for the better. They start collecting funds for the festival and to repair the wooden horse of the God. But the wooden horse suddenly goes missing much to the shock of the villagers

At this time, a villager (named Azhagarsami) from the neighboring Aagamalai village in Periyakulam loses his horse and this horse comes to Mallayapuram by wandering and the villagers think that this real horse is God’s own horse. Azhagar finds his horse in Mallayapuram but he is hit badly by the villagers and he is refused his own horse. He needs this horse for his livelihood as well as for his marriage.

It is decided that Azhagar will live in Mallayapuram till the festival happens and then he can leave with his horse. The villagers feel that after the arrival of this horse, things have indeed changed for the better and the god-men in the village make a 'killing' thanks to the horse and the blind belief of the villagers.

There are some opposing people who don’t want this festival to happen and they try to harm Azhagar and his horse. There are also a bunch of youngsters in the village who don’t believe in God and are always behind truth and not blind superstitions

But, things change for the good towards the end as the wooden horse is returned to its original place. There is a touching reason for the wooden horse going missing and in the end the festival also happens well. Azhagar manages to get his horse after the wooden horse reappears and his marriage happens as planned

Ilaiyaraja’s BGM is mesmerizing. 'Kuthikkira Kuthikkira' song sung by the maestro himself is another sheer delight. But it is the BGM which proves the man's class. Such variety and such feeling in the music.

Village life has been shown so authentically. Each character in the village has some mischief and uniqueness. This adds to the energy of the movie. The feeling of seeing a 'movie' comes only during the small dramatic episode towards the climax when the horse runs loose and causes some havoc.

Appukutty turns in a powerhouse cameo. All emotions come so easily to him. The fight he has with the villagers during his intro is so raw and real. His bonding with the horse is touching. His humanity even towards a thief is another nice addition to his character sketch.

Both the little romance tracks in the movie are cute and realistic. While Appukutty's marriage is arranged purely on trust, the other love track is between people of opposing castes.

The superstitions followed by the villagers, the culture of god-men and the lackadaisical attitude of policemen have been sarcastically portrayed with good impact

VERDICT: Very realistic portrayal of village life with the 'horse' angle being totally new to Tamil cinema.

Vaagai Sooda Vaa (2011)

Veluthambi is an educated young man who is looking to become a teacher in a government school. Before that he is sent by the Grama Seva to work in a village for some time and educate the kids there. The particular village is one where small children are used as child laborers to lay bricks. The parents of the kids are also not aware of the ulterior motives of the proprietors. It takes Velu to put some sense into them that education is the way forward.

The kids take a lot of coaxing to finally agree to learn. They keep playing funny pranks on the teacher. There is also a young girl, Madhi who falls in love with the teacher seeing his charming and funny ways.

Towards the end, Velu becomes too attached to the village and gives up on his own ambitions and decides to live for the villagers' cause. It reminds us of Swades in a small way.

The movie doesn't preach. It just is a small attempt to aid awareness about child labor and about education being the only way forward. Nicely done.

All the kids in the movie are very natural and so is Iniya who seems to be a natural talent all the way. She is very expressive. Vimal could have done better though. A better hero could probably have lifted this movie to commercial success as well. Thambi Ramaiah and Bhagyaraj show their experience in nice little roles. Kumaravel has a very striking role as the supposed mad man and his makeover is extensive.

The soundtrack of this movie by Ghibran is delightful to say the least. The songs and the BGM are lovely. 'Porane' and 'Sara Sara' will stay with you. The way they have been picturized is an added bonus. The lyrics for the songs are poignant and very meaningful.

The camerawork is grand, the art work is intricate and makes sure that the period setting is authentic. Old songs have been tastefully woven into the narrative.

VERDICT: Honorable attempt that is not too preachy either. Good message and nicely delivered. 

Donnie Brasco (1997)

This movie is based on a true life story

Joseph Pistone is an undercover FBI agent who is assigned to work with the American mafia. His initial contact is Lefty, a guy who gets the short end of the stick despite his 30 years with the mafia. Guys like Sonny Black call the shots inspite of being junior to Lefty. Joe is christened as Donnie Brasco by Lefty and this undercover operation also goes by the same name.

He becomes close to Lefty and increasingly he becomes frustrated with the FBI and his family is also not able to understand his angst. He even starts feeling like a gangster and just when he thinks of shifting loyalties permanently towards Lefty, things come to a stop as the FBI thinks it is the right time to pull the plug on this operation.

What happens to Lefty is left to the viewer’s imagination, even though it is obvious. Joe is meagerly rewarded for his undercover work which helps the FBI arrest a lot of gangsters.

Al Pacino is a master at such gangster roles and his equation with the younger Johnny Depp is the highlight of the movie. Al looks dashing even after so many years and his hairstyle is a rocker. Depp is in a catch 22 situation between the mafia, his family and the FBI. He expresses that frustration and aggression beautifully. The scenes with his family are cases in point. His screen presence is terrific. 

Michael Madsen is another regular at gangster roles and he pulls it off as Sonny Black convincingly. There are other gangsters who go by fancy names like Sonny Red. 

VERDICT: Gripping 'undercover' gangster movie with all the essential ingredients in place.

The Iron Lady (2011)

This is a bio-pic on the life and times of Britain’s first lady prime minister, Margaret Thatcher. The film has a very unique narrative in that it tells the journey of Margaret through her own memories and hallucinations of her dead husband Denis Thatcher. The movie begins with Margaret being an old woman with certain mental health problems like dementia, packing her husband’s things and sending them away.

Her journey from being an ambitious small girl to a young politician to being the leader of the Conservative party to finally being one of the most controversial prime ministers in British history is gripping to say the least. Her autocratic ways make sure her career ends after 11 and half years in office.There is real footage inserted to drive forward Margaret’s political career.

Meryl Streep’s makeover, hair, voice and body language are first class to say the least. Fitting that both the makeup and her acting were rewarded with the Academy Awards. Jim Broadbent as the husband is terrific as well. The chemistry between these 2 actors is what drives the movie forward in addition to Margaret’s interesting political career.

The actors who play the younger Margaret and Denis are apt as well. The movie has a good soundtrack too.

VERDICT: Intriguing movie on a towering personality. Meryl Streep looks and plays the part to perfection. 

Department review

1 / 5

Ram Gopal Varma had proudly proclaimed a few days back that he has made a lot of technical innovations in his latest movie ‘Department’ and that he had used cameras in all odd places like the carom board striker, coffee spoon, car steering etc. Is ‘Department’ just a hollow vessel with only the aforementioned technical gimmicks or is there some stuff as well? Read on to find out.

In a nutshell, this movie is about a separate department within the police force that is given all the powers to fight Mumbai’s two primary gangster units (Sawatya’s and Mohammad Gauri’s). This department is basically an encounter squad and all the stakeholders in this department have gray shades be it Sarjerao Gaikwad, a gangster-turned politician (played by the Big B) or Inspector Mahadev Bhosle, the leader of this department squad (played by Sanjay Dutt). An honest young cop Shivnarayan (Rana) is also part of this squad and he learns the tricks of the department as the movie wears on. Whether the prime gangsters are brought to task and whether Shiv manages to retain his honesty is the remaining part of the movie.

The only entertaining aspect of ‘Department’ is the Big B’s electric screen presence, voice modulation and inimitable style. The screen sparkles whenever he is there. Rana looks the part convincingly as the rugged cop though his emoting skills are better left unanalyzed. There are blatant changes in Sanjay Dutt’s looks during the course of the movie. He is seen with a baseball cap for the majority of the movie while his hair suddenly appears thick in certain scenes and barren in other scenes. Guess, his hair transplant coincided with this movie’s shooting days. Madhu Shalini looks seducing as the female gangster while her muse in the movie, Abhimanyu Singh is a mere caricature compared to his terrific show in Raktha Charitra. Vijay Raaz is a natural in whatever role he does and it’s the same here too as Sawatya. Anjana Sukhani and Lakshmi Manchu have miniscule parts as the wives of the lead cops

There is a very crude item number in the first half inspired by Ilayaraja’s yesteryear chartbuster. The picturization of this song will make even the young male members in the audience squirm in their seats. Such is the level of skin shown in this song.  There are 2 other songs which do nothing to the movie’s flow.

The previously mentioned technical gimmicks with the camera are nothing but indulgences on RGV’s part. It’s just a case of an empty vessel making more noise. The frequent close-ups, jump cuts, pans, tracks, tilts, zooms etc. get to your head pretty soon.

To conclude, Department is a pretty boring movie save for the Big B’s presence

VERDICT: Another hollow offering from Ram Gopal Varma 

Trust (2010)

Annie is a 14 yrs old girl who starts getting into an online relationship with a guy called Charlie. It starts casually and becomes very intense. They meet up and Charlie actually turns out to be a 35 yrs old man. He entices her with sweet words and has sex with Annie who is helpless and thinks that Charlie truly loves her.

Thanks to Brittany, Annie's best friend at school, this episode is soon known to the FBI and to Annie's parents. The ensuing investigation behind this pedophile's identity and the mental turmoil that the family goes through is the crux of this movie.

There are some amazing performances be it from Liana Liberato as Annie, the young girl who blindly trusts the man who had raped her, Clive Owen as the responsible father who feels restless and frustrated at the entire episode and Catherine Keener as the concerned mother who is deeply affected as well.

You feel pretty impacted by the entire episode through which Annie is literally drawn into the pedophile's web. Her continued trust on him, shows the typical immaturity and naive nature of a 14 yrs old girl. Her conversations with the therapist are striking as well.

The last scene when the dad and daughter mend their differences and decide to bury the entire episode, is a true class act and a fitting end to the movie. The identity of the pedophile is also a subtle shocker in the end.

VERDICT: Intense family drama that is serious throughout. 

The Matrix (1999)

The plot is truly complex and it is not possible to type it out. For a nice detailed plot of The Matrix, check the ever-helping Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Matrix

See the movie again and again and you will realize how complex it is. After seeing the movie and reading the plot, I felt my understanding of the movie is very much incomplete.

The film depicts a future in which reality is actually a simulated reality created by sentient machines to control and subdue the human population, while their bodies' heat and electrical activity are used as an energy source.

Upon learning this from Morpheus, computer programmer "Neo" is drawn into a rebellion against the machines, involving other people who have been freed from the "dream world" and into reality.

On a very basic level, it is the fight between 3 sinister agents and members of the Nebuchadnezzar (Morpheus, Trinity, Neo and co.) The agents led by Agent Smith don't want humans to escape The Matrix while Morpheus, Neo and co. wish to free humans from The Matrix.

Morpheus frees certain humans from The Matrix and he recruits them to his crew. The agents intend to destroy Zion in order to prevent humans from escaping the system.

This movie requires a lot of suspension of belief. The concept is such. It is like the big daddy of mind-benders like Inception. The fight sequences and special effects are trend setters that have been aped in numerous other movies.

VERDICT: Just experience sci-fi in all its grandeur and glory. A true mind-bender by the Wachowski brothers 

Not a Love Story (2011)

This movie is based on the true life gruesome murder of Neeraj Grover in 2008. The movie has also been shot in the very same building where the murder occurred.

Anusha comes to Mumbai with dreams of being an actress in Bollywood. She gets the right connections and thanks to Ashish, she gets a film as well. Just to show her gratefulness to Ashish, she lets him have sex with her in an inebriated state.

Robin, Anu's boyfriend makes a surprise visit to her flat in the following morning and he catches her with Ashish in a half-naked fashion.

What follows is a purely passion driven murder as Robin isn't able to control himself hearing what Anu has to say. They then cover-up the murder and manage to dispose off the body. Soon enough, the law catches up with them and the 2 are sent behind bars. What happens to them, how their lawyers try to twist the case etc. is the remaining part of this movie.

The camera angles in this movie are crazy. They are always focused on Mahie Gill's legs, inner thighs, panties or breasts. The movements are really jerky and the tight closeups and extreme closeups are stressful beyond a point. Gill has acted very well as expected. She is expected to be grim and to put on a scared, crying face for most of the movie. The way she has exposed her assets in this movie is to be seen to be believed. She actually looks huge in this movie. The closeups augment her assets. Deepak Dobriyal is aggression personified as the boy friend and he makes a solid impact with his fiery body language.

A popular 'Rangeela' song is heard too often in the movie's soundtrack. Guess RGV was too busy admiring his own work.

VERDICT: Interesting, shocking, disturbing and crazy as well. Watchable. 

Dangerous Ishhq review

1 / 5

Dangerous Ishhq is directed by Vikram Bhatt, a past master at dark horror movies. Produced by Reliance Entertainment and been in the making for more than a year, this movie finally released this week. Is Karisma Kapoor’s big comeback to the silver screen worth a shot?

Sanjana is a hot shot model and she is engaged to a big businessman’s son, Rohan. Just as she is about to embark on a yearlong modeling assignment in Paris, things go haywire as her boyfriend is kidnapped for ransom and Sanjana is also hurt in her head in the process. After this, she starts getting visions of her previous lives and these visions give her clues regarding Rohan’s whereabouts. 

Through this past life regression, she comes to know that it is a case of unrequited love between her and Rohan spread across 4 different timelines and separated by 500 years. Who exactly is the kidnapper, what is the motive behind this kidnapping and whether Sanjana’s love story finally culminates happily in her present birth are the remaining pieces of the puzzle.

The 3d effects are hardly anything to rave about and this just seems to be a gimmick to pull some extra crowd into the theater. The pacing of this movie is too laborious, there are too many timeline shifts and it just remains a stimulating idea on paper to solve a kidnapping through past life regression.

The acting by almost everyone is dramatic and only Jimmy Shergill as the investigating cop brings some sort of intensity to the role.  Karisma Kapoor is heavily made up and though the efforts she has taken to slim down are evident, the role requires nothing special other than looking serious in each timeline. The same with Rajneesh Duggal, the troubled lover in each timeline. There are some more character roles for Ravi Kissen, Divya Dutta and a miniscule part for Gracy Singh as well.

The songs by Himesh Reshammiya are caught in a time warp. None of them gives you any cause for cheer. The production design for the various timelines are authentic and this can be counted among the minimal plus points of the movie.

On the whole, this movie doesn’t have any merits to warrant a theater visit. A curious idea on paper, that’s all it is.

VERDICT: An interesting idea executed laboriously 

Ishaqzaade review

3/5 

After a carefully planned marketing campaign and some beautiful songs that aroused interest in this uniquely titled movie, this Yash Raj venture released today. Directed by Habib Faisal who has been a regular in the Yash Raj stable and produced by Aditya Chopra, Ishaqzaade stars debutante Arjun Kapoor, son of Bonny Kapoor and the one film old Parineeti Chopra, cousin of Priyanka Chopra. Does it make an impact? Read on to find out.  

Ishaqzaade is the rustic love story between Parma (Arjun Kapoor) and Zoya (Parineeti), 2 youngsters from opposite clans of the political scene in Almor, a small town in central India. While Parma is a Hindu belonging to the Chauhan family, Zoya is a Muslim belonging to the Qureshi family. Their journey together starts off with great friction amid campaigning for the local MLA election, becomes romantically intense, has some betrayal thrown in and on the whole it is not a bed of roses by any means. Finally when the young lovers decide to bury their differences after being consumed by their love for each other, they are not let to live in peace. Whether they unite, given the severe culture of hatred between the Hindus and Muslims in their town, is the finale of this movie.

This is one of the rare rustic love stories to come out of Bollywood amid the slew of urban movies coming out every other week. The pace of the movie is pretty steady save few instances in the second half like when a dance number suddenly pops in and during the extended chase sequence in the climax.  

Parineeti Chopra is the lifeline of the movie. She is a natural and emotions just come so easily to her, be it mischief or rage or romance. A real talent to watch out for and a possible replacement for Rani Mukherjee’s brand of boisterous acting. The hulky and hunky Arjun Kapoor makes a very earnest debut. The kind of effort that a city lad like him must have put to get into the skin of such a rural character is admirable. Though he is a bit sluggish in his body language, his dance moves are terrific and his wicked laughs stand out. The chemistry between the lead players is the main reason why this movie leaves a mark on you. 

The ‘Pareshaan’ song in the 1^st half in particular is a dreamy montage song where the lead pair develops their romantic interests. There are also some intense physical moments between the two which have been aesthetically captured. Gauhar Khan also has an impressive role as the dancer who gives some solace to the pair in the raging second half.  

Amit Trivedi’s songs are the next major standout. ‘Pareshaan’ and ‘Ishaqzaade’ will remain with you long after the movie gets over. The BGM score by Ranjit Barot is also in line with the movie’s mood. The cinematographer Hemant Chaturvedi, has captured the raw energy of the rural heartland of our country.   

To conclude, Ishaqzaade will stay with you and make an impact given the magical on-screen chemistry between the lead pair and the unconventional climax that will leave you pondering on the way back home from the theater. The director has woven a message into the climax and though it surely affects you, you do wonder if the movie could have ended in a different way.

VERDICT: An absorbing tale of love in the backdrop of intense communal politics.

Closer (2004)

This movie based on relationships is unlike any other romantic movie that has come out till now. The approach is brutally honest and the way humans are portrayed in this movie is totally realistic with warts all over.

It has been inspired by one of Mozart's operas and the soundtracks of the master are mesmerizing to say the least.

The 2 men in the movie fall for their hormonal cravings and don't hesitate to cheat on their partners. The 2 women in the movie are vulnerable in their own way and they too can't resist the charm of a good man at any point.

Natalie Portman has the best role in the movie as Alice/Jane, the young stripper who is madly in love with Dan, a failed novelist. Alice works as a waitress once she moves in with Dan.

Dan, meanwhile can't resist the charms of Anna, a divorced photographer and he cheats on Alice. Anna on the other hand is married (for the 2nd time) to Larry even as she is madly in love with Dan as well. All the characters are brutally honest when it comes to sex even when they admit it to their respective partners at that particular instant.

Clive Owen as Larry brings in that restless craving that his character has. Jude Law and Julia Roberts are vulnerable and fidgety as they deal with each other and also their respective partners. Natalie shocks during her scenes as the stripper. She has really upped the oomph quotient in this movie. That she looks a million bucks, in her various makeovers, is an understatement. The other actors look attractive as well.

There are some really bold scenes in this movie which are definitely meant for the adults. The chat scene between Larry and Dan posing as Anna, is hilarious as well as raunchy.

On the whole, this one is definitely a unique movie on romance and relationships. Human beings have been portrayed in their most impulsive, lunatic, senseless, vulnerable and instinctive avatars. Ultimately a review can't summarize what exactly this movie offers. It's crazy for sure.

VERDICT: Brutally honest and unpredictable portrayal of romance and relationships

Sudden Impact (1983)

The 4th edition in this franchise and Harry's troubles with his superiors continue as his methods bring results but, with extreme physical destruction and bad PR for the police department. He is ordered to move out of San Francisco but circumstances cause him to move to San Paulo to investigate a murder perpetrated by a lady painter called Jennifer Spencer. She wants to settle scores with a bunch of rogues for raping her and her sister 10 years back.

She goes about killing one by one in a set pattern - with one shot in the genitals. Harry comes to know that Jennifer is the killer but, he helps her complete her revenge mission in the end. His soft corner for her added to her mission and his own belief of justice make him let her go scot-free

This movie is entertaining to say the least. Clint is visibly old but the spunk and fire in his dialogs stay the same. The legendary dialog from the first edition of the movie was sorely missed inspite of a nice situation being setup for that dialog. Sondra Locke is the typical damsel in distress fighting for her mission.

VERDICT: Another entertaining addition to the Dirty Harry franchise

Grandmaster review

Finally, I managed to watch a Malayalam movie, that too in a cinema hall and that too featuring the best Malayalam star, Mohanlal.

Grandmaster is pretty riveting. It is an investigative thriller where a maverick senior cop (Chandrashekhar) goes about digging the truth behind a series of murders that are apparently by a serial killer. The victims have their names in alphabetical order starting from A through to C. The person up next is Deepthi who happens to be the divorced wife of our supercop. He succeeds in stopping this killing and also gets to know the real motive behind these killings. The killer is also not who we are led to believe since the start. 

The final portion of the movie where all the mysteries are solved is pretty interesting and well knit. If only, the English dialogs spoken on screen had been pronounced correct, the scenes could have been more authentic. 

The rock song that comes when the action is really gripping is a big downer. Other than that the BGM score by Deepak Dev is a major plus point for the movie. Of course Lal has arresting screen presence, majesty and grace to pull off this serious cop role with ease. He is the single most compelling reason to watch the movie. His struggles in the action scenes are evident though. 

Then we have the trim and smart Narain, a serious looking Priyamani and an embarrassingly bloated Anoop Menon to complete the cast. Babu Antony's makeover is pretty dirty and badly done. Scenes showing the correlation with the chess board remind us of 'Mankatha'

VERDICT: On the whole, this one is pretty interesting and doesn't have major compromises with respect to the central premise. Watch-worthy for sure.

The Butterfly Effect (2004)

A terrific mind bender that makes a lot of demands on your mental faculties and your concentration levels. There are certain parts of the movie that make you go crazy. You wonder why the director and the writer had to make it all so twisted and complicated. This one is certainly not your regular popcorn fare though there are some entertaining scenes.

Evan Treborn is a guy who gets blackouts at certain points due to extreme stress and then he wakes up not remembering what happened. There are 4 particular episodes of Evan's blackouts which are shown. Each is significant to the movie's flow as later Evan finds a way to revisit these instances and he tries to alter the sequence of events post that particular episode. A journal that Evan maintains, helps him to revisit these 4 episodes. Evan realizes that reading the journal entry leading up to a blackout, he can go back in time to that moment

After each time that Evan revisits the episodes, the events in the present are altered. Evan isn't satisfied by the present day events each time and he tries to go back to the very first episode to change the sequence of events altogether. Evan keeps jumping to these episodes in a random manner which is confusing beyond a point.

In the end, there is another crazy twist thrown into the mix. Later, this dubious link helped me make sense of this movie. http://www.themoviespoiler.com/Spoilers/butterflyeffect.html

The one I saw is the director's cut which apparently has a totally different ending compared to the theatrical version, and I must say that this ending is truly crazy and bewildering.

VERDICT: Appreciable attempt but be ready to get mind-fucked in no small measure. 

Classic: Cinderella Man (2005)

Inspired by the true life story of James Braddock aka The Cinderella Man, this movie is extra-ordinary to say the least. The human emotions, the struggles during the Great Depression, the subsequent rags to riches story and some of the most brutal boxing fights shown on the cinema screen make this Ron Howard movie a once-in-a-lifetime experience

Russell Crowe teams up with Ron Howard for another classic after 'A Beautiful Mind'. That both these movies are inspired by true life heroes, is more than a mere coincidence. He is top class to say the least. His talents need no further explanation. Another milestone for the Australian superstar

There are solid support roles for Renee Zellweger as the wife of James, Paul Giamatti as the manager/ringside coach of James and Paddy Considine as James' friend at the dock

Some of the dialogs induce goose-bumps particularly, the dialog that Mae tells James before the final bout. For more such dialogs check this out http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0352248/quotes

The fights are all real, particularly the Lasky fight and the final Baer fight. Such intensity and such detailing that they suck you into them. The final bout gives you the same feeling as watching a Federer-Nadal grand-slam final.

More than the fights, it's the human interest element that makes this movie a classic, be it the relationship between the father and his 3 young kids or the lovely mature husband-wife relationship or the entire community looking up to the Bulldog of Bergen / The Pride of New Jersey for hope and courage during the Great Depression.

VERDICT: Must watch for any movie buff and more so for sports movie buffs.   

Thadaiyara Thaakka music review

2.5 / 5

Thadaiyara Thaakka (2012)

Cast: Arun Vijay, Mamta Mohandas

Directed by: Magizh Thirumeni

Music by: S. Thaman.

After an extended gap Arun Vijay has a release. Directed by Magizh Thirumeni and co-starring Mamta Mohandas, Thadaiyara Thaakka has a very catchy title. Bollywood heroine Prachi Desai was supposed to be in this movie and her subsequent withdrawal made sure that this movie garnered some eye balls. Now, after a lull, the movie’s audio has released. Let’s analyze if Thaman’s golden run can lift this Arun Vijay movie to the ‘hit’ status. 

Kelamale Kelamale Vazhkirai

Aalap Raju, Rita

A very typical Thaman offering with synthesized vocals and an easy ring to the ears.  He can consider patenting this template as he keeps churning out such songs in almost every film of his. Sounds good and upmarket-ish, but nothing new.

Naan Poondamalli Than

Arun Vijay, L R Eswari, Solar Sai

The much hyped item number featuring the evergreen L.R.Eswari takes off from where Kalasala left off. This short song will be a hit in all probability for the very same reasons that Kalasala struck the bull’s-eye. The trailers have already shown what to expect from this song. It is interesting to see Arun Vijay’s name on the credits. The Déjà vu feeling creeps in but doesn’t matter for this genre of song.

Kalangal Kan Mun Paranthada … THUMBS UP

Chinmayee, Javed Ali

A melodious duet which has a touch of melancholy running through it.  The instrumentals and Chinmayi’s humming in the interludes are top notch. Javed Ali pitches in beautifully towards the end with his rendering of the ‘swaras’. On the whole, Chinmayi lifts this number that has a slight Yuvan touch.

Kelamalae (Unplugged)

Rita, Thaman

An unplugged version of the first song with heavy usage of the synthesizer yet again. Would be interesting to hear Thaman’s voice in its natural mode as he always prefers to mix his voice to give it a heavy echo feel. Both the versions rate equally. Rita deserves a special mention for giving these songs a freshness and charm.

Theme Music

The way the title of the movie is pitched into the instrumentals is impressive. The theme gives a haunting and mystic feel to the listeners thanks to the high pitched female chants. Inspite of all this, somehow the theme sounds disjointed.

VERDICT: A decent effort from Thaman that passes muster. Nothing new or out of the world but, the songs do no harm either.

Training Day (2001)

A rookie cop Jake Hoyt, with about 19 months experience in the police force is assigned to the narcotics department. His training officer is Alonzo Harris, an unconventional cop with his methods bordering on madness. Alonzo is even corrupt without any inhibitions and his methods shock Jake to say the least. In a single day, Jake goes through so many dangerous experiences that put his life at risk. By the end of the day, Jake knows about the true colors of Alonzo in no small measure and decides to put him behind bars. But Alonzo's trouble with the Russians comes back to put an end to him for good, in a bloody climax.

Denzel Washington won the Academy Award for this performance and his acting in the climax and the scenes when he mimics the rooster & the wolf, are terrific. His ruthless ways shine through. Ethan Hawke's voice is his biggest plus in this role which requires him to play second fiddle for most of the movie. Eva Mendes is a mouthful in the few scenes she comes in. A fully nude Eva is a worthy add-on to this tense and taut movie.

Since the entire movie happens within a time span of 24 hours, it is unwavering and very gripping. It travels on a very focused path and takes us on a thrilling journey.

VERDICT: Tense and gripping stuff 

Jannat 2 review

2.5 / 5

Emraan Hashmi is back with his trademark brand of emotionally engaging cinema accompanied by beautiful music and a hot female lead. It has released in 1975 screens making it his biggest release till date. Produced by Vishesh Films and helmed by Kunal Deshmukh, Jannat 2 arrives with fair amount of hype and expectations, thanks to the success of Jannat and Emraan’s star status. Does it fulfill them? Read more to find out.

Sonu Dilli (Emraan Hashmi) is a street-smart youngster who deals in illegal arms. He believes that this is his way of ensuring parity in the society. As expected he falls in love with an independent doctor Jhanvi (Esha Gupta) who is looking for funds to save her hospital. Then we have ACP Pratap Raghuvanshi (Randeep Hooda) who wants to put an end to this illegal arms racket at any cost. He has a personal reason as well that drives him. Just as Sonu wishes to mend his ways and be a straightforward person for the sake of his lady love, Pratap gives him a chance to work as a police informer and to help him in nabbing the bigwigs in the business. Sonu takes it up and what follows next is the crux of Jannat 2. 

The scenes in the second half when Sonu is caught between his boss at the guns factory and ACP Pratap have shades of ‘The Departed’. Since the movie is set in the streets of Delhi, there are overdoses of profanity which incite more than a mere chuckle from the audience & alcohol literally flows on the screen as Pratap is seen in an inebriated state in scene after scene. The ending of the movie is unconventional but somehow the feeling at the end of the movie isn’t wholesome.

Among the cast members, Emraan Hashmi and Randeep Hooda light up the screen with their earnest portrayals. Both of them have matched each other. The actor who plays Dilli’s friend Balli also has a substantial part. The heroine Esha Gupta resembles Angelina Jolie and she is hot to say the least. Her emoting skills just about pass muster. The songs by Pritam are the biggest plus in the movie. They are all melodic and have just about been accommodated in the screenplay. The entire movie is set in Delhi and the frames have that energy and street-smart quality that one associates with the Indian capital.

In spite of some good acting by the 2 male leads and some excellent songs, Jannat 2 falls short of being an emotional potboiler due to the laborious pace and the largely insipid villains who just look menacing.

On the whole, this movie is worth a look for the positives that have been outlined. It won’t bore you as such and even though the movie has all the ingredients of an engaging movie somehow the feeling of having a full course meal is missing.

VERDICT: Falls short of being a wholesome potboiler

Billa 2 music review - FIRST ON THE NET

Movie: Billa 2 (2012)

Cast: Ajith Kumar, Bruna Abdullah, Parvathi Omanakuttan, Vidyut Jammal

Direction: Chakri Toleti

Producers: Sunir Kheterpal, Suresh Balaje, George Pius

Music: Yuvan Shankar Raja.

Label: Sony Music

On Thala Ajith’s birthday, the audio of Billa 2 has released with tremendous buzz and expectations. Sony music has done a great job in marketing the audio release as a huge event with their proactive presence on the social networking space. Now, straight onto the audio review of this Yuvan musical.

Madurai Ponnu

Andrea Jeremiah

A song with Arabic shades and a genre which is pretty familiar to Yuvan. He is a past master at such seductive yet rustic item numbers. ‘Theepidika’ will definitely come to mind. BGM bits from Mankatha surprisingly make an appearance at more than a few instances in this song which is apparently set in the backdrop of a brothel. Can expect to see some gyrating moves on screen thanks to the foot tapping ‘tavil’ beats and the bevy of item dancers, supposedly in this song.

Billa 2 theme … THUMBS UP

Yuvan

The legendary theme of Billa 2007 has been taken and made more intense with usage of heavy instruments. Suits the larger than life screen presence of Thala and the character of David Billa. The theme has a haunting as well as a pulsating quality to it, with the ending whistles taking the cake.  

Yedho Mayakkam … THUMBS UP

Yuvan, Tanvi Shah and Suvi Suresh

A club song that can be predicted to set the dance floors on fire with its naughty and endearing quality, thanks to a super peppy effort by Tanvi Shah and Suvi Suresh. The native ‘nadaswaram’ touches to this song are admirable. It would be interesting to see how Thala grooves to this super youthful song as such songs have been the trademark of the STR-Yuvan combo. Can expect this song to be on the playlist of all city slickers for some time to come. The pick of the album, without a shade of a doubt.

Gang Gang Gang … THUMBS UP

Yuvan and Stefny

The first teaser song that was released to tremendous response and as expected, its full version is terrific as well. The trance, hip-hop and techno touches to this song are typical of Yuvan. The lyrics expectedly reek of heroism and these are already in the hearts of all Thala fans. The tune revolves around the legendary theme music.

Idhayam … THUMBS UP

Shweta Pandit

A mellifluous melody that has a haunting mood to it thanks to the tasteful usage of tabla, flute and veena. This song is sort of a female reprise to ‘Engeyo Paartha’ from ‘Yaaradi Nee Mohini’. Shweta Pandit will probably put up stiff competition to the likes of Shreya Ghoshal. Such is her rendition in this song. Would be interesting to see the romantic side of Ajith in this song.   

Unakkulle Mirugam

Ranjith

This song talks about the animal that resides in each human being and the philosophies of David Billa, the man. The treatment of the song is hardcore ‘Rock’. The theme music makes a guest appearance as part of the instrumentals of this song as well.

VERDICT: The songs have given even more push to the pre-release buzz that has already been hitting the peak. The Thala Yuvan combo continues to rock with another youthful album. Until the next biggie comes around, Billa 2 will stay on top of the charts merrily.

3.5 / 5