Udhayam NH4 music review

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2.75 / 5

Udhayam NH4 is a GV Prakash musical and features Siddharth and Ashrita Shetty in the lead.

Vaa Iravugal - This one is a synth-driven EDM track which is a staple at clubs and dance floors. We have a rap segment, hints of dubstep and a lame kuthu routine in the end. The end result isn’t appealing and the track is average at best. Such club songs aren’t GV’s cup of tea and this is something that Yuvan aces in every album.

Indrodu Thadaigal -The rhythm of this song is similar to DSP’s signature beats and the tune isn’t anything special. One gets a feeling that this one is a really noisy track particularly the passé trumpet segment. Dancers might enjoy this one for its pace.

Maalai Pon Maalai - This breezy melody is bound to garner all the likes, tweets and shares in the online space. It is immediately endearing thanks to its gentle clap-like rhythm, the pleasant vocals of Bela Shinde and the elegant guitar and flute instrumentals. We also get to hear the talented S.P.Charan, making one of his sporadic appearances in the Tamil music scene.

Yaaro Ivan - This superhit track features real-life couple GV (sounding heavily nasal) and Saindhavi perfectly in sync and delivery a harmonious duet. The gentle rhythm of the number, the classy guitar touches and the Raja-esque use of strings, flutes give the song its charm. Note to forget the cool whistle piece which is sure to become a popular ringtone.

Ora Kannala - Gaana Bala belts out Ora Kannala in his typical earthy style. The song is tailor-made for him and the typical native instrumentation is reminiscent of Thenisai Thendral Deva’s countless yesteryear gaana songs. A different attempt considering GV’s repertoire till now.

VERDICT: The two melodies lift the album big time while the gaana is a cheeky little addition.

Django Unchained movie review

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The movie is set at a time in the 19th century when America (particularly the Southern states) is dominated by slavery and when blacks are termed niggers and totally kept aside from mainstream society. Even members of the black race can’t stand the sight of a freeman among their own race.

Django is one such slave who is freed by a dentist turned bounty hunter, Dr. King Schultz, to help him spot and kill the Brittle brothers. Django does so and also earns the liking of the doctor for being a natural and a man with purpose.

Django’s ultimate motto is to free his wife who has been sold as a slave. The Doctor and Django team up for more bounty hunts and they also plan to get back Django’s wife, who they find has been sold to Calvin Candie, a big-shot businessman in Candyland Mississippi.

The movie has panache, showmanship and extravagant violence with blood splattering all over, like other Quentin Tarantino movies and also shows us the kind of brutality that blacks were subjected to, like the Mandingo fighters who are purchased by the whites to fight viciously. In stark contrast, the director also shows Django as a freeman who more than holds his own as a bounty hunter and confidently encounters any racial slurs. In that sense, the director has shown the blacks’ oppression as well as the revolt by one among their own.

The soundtrack of the movie is a major plus and has a cult quality to it. Each scene is lifted by the eclectic soundtrack which is a collector’s item for sure.

Among the performers, Academy Award winning Christoph Waltz is restrained and methodical and uses his aggression only when required. Jamie Foxx has among the best roles in recent times. which is stylish, has a lofty purpose and kicks a lot of ass as well. Leonardo Di Caprio unfurls his range in that classic dinner table scene when he comes to know of the real motives of the doctor and Django. The ace actor really puts on a sinister and fiery face in this segment which is the highlight of the movie. Samuel Jackson as Candie’s loyal black servant who just can’t stand the sight of a free Django is terrific and equally evil in his motives. Kerry Washington as the damsel in distress Broomhilda is put through fair bit of pain in the movie.

Ultimately, the movie despite being 165 mins long is engaging all the way thanks to the Academy Award winning screenplay, which takes its time to buildup and explodes in the end as a literally unchained Django goes on a vengeance against the bad guys. Afterall, watching a man's balls getting shot at, isn't an everyday occurrence rite?

MUST WATCH.