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. 

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 

Billa 2 latest stills - 3

The first look of young David was finally released. Ajtih looks cool in his trademark stubble. The popular film sites have described this still as David landing in the Tamil Nadu coast as a Srilankan refugee. He has something like a can in hand.

By the looks of it, the film will narrate the journey of a Srilankan refugee, David as he traverses his path in the big bad world, starting from India and going all the way up to Georgia and other countries. 

Billa 2 latest stills - 2

Thala locked up in jail and in obvious pain. The focus is on the pain and anguish that he is going through. This might be one of THE crucial moments in David's journey towards being an international don, the one and only Billa

The shooting is complete, that's what the ad proclaims. Waiting for more dates and updates as the release day nears, ever so slowly. 

Billa 2 latest stills - 1

Newer stills are getting released every other day. The excitement levels are on the rise. Thala fans are getting warmed up for the grand treat.

On one side, Thala is seen counting the money in a cold manner. The guy looks MASS, plain and simple. Rugged charm like none other.

On the other side, we have him blood soaked with a gun in hand and in his favorite coat-suited avatar. This still has already made the rounds in a slightly different angle.

On the whole, an exciting new look. Bring it on Thala. Gimme more ... 

Billa 2 new look

Thala's much awaited Billa 2 is getting ready for release for his birthday on May 1. His legions of fans are super excited as always while the general audience also wants more of Thala after the blockbuster success of Mankatha, his 50th film.

The earlier released stills carried the same look and feel of Billa 2007. Ajith looked his suave best in his designer suits and coolers. One still showed a rugged Ajith with a gun and standing along the coastline. Some other stills showing Ajith visiting a brothel were released some days back. In a clean shaven avatar, Thala was plump and a bit jaded.

The latest still shows a rugged Ajith, again with a gun in hand and walking with a helicopter in the backdrop. Looks sexy and classy for sure. But, very predictable.

Whenever an Ajith film is getting released, certain elements are becoming very much constant  - a gun, coat / suit, helicopter, coolers etc etc. Ajith needs to rediscover his cheerful ways. Why so grim, Thala?

Nevertheless, Billa 2 is a sureshot. Can bet the last penny on this movie. Thala's 51st offering. It is a prequel to Billa 2007 and the music by U1, official trailer will be out in the coming days. The expectations will reach feverish pitch, guaranteed.

Audio Launch: March 2nd week

Vettai movie review

The plot is set in Tuticorin and we have 2 brothers who are diametrically opposite to each other. While the elder one Thirumurthy is a timid man who fears everything, the younger one, Gurumurthy is a fearless bloke who doesn't mind getting into a hustle now and then.

Thiru incidentally gets into the police force after his father's death and he is helped by his brother while dealing with the rogues and rowdy elements in town, in the form of Mari and Annachi. The brothers get hitched to a pair of sisters. The elder pair's is an arranged marriage while the younger pair fall in love and get married later.

Thiru gains the respect of his colleagues and family due to his brother's timely 'action' interventions. The villains are baying for his blood and they eventually find out that Thiru is actually a timid guy and they bash him to pulp. Then with his younger brother's encouragement, Thiru turns a new leaf. It is like a rebirth and he goes around town wrecking havoc on the villains in his new 'action' avatar.

After a cliched climax where the brothers' wives are also dragged in, the villains are hunted and the 'vettai' is complete.

Hits

• The movie moves lightheartedly for the majority of the first half and it is enjoyable till then. Maddy and Arya bond well with their comic timing and their contrasts in character. In the second half when Arya and Amala play around with the NRI groom, it is entertaining too, thanks to the NRI guy's artificial accent and antics. 
• Amala Paul is really fresh and has a long career ahead. She carries off any costume gracefully and emotes well too. 
• Sameera goes overboard at times but is decent as the talkative and bold elder sister.
• The camera work by Nirav Shah makes the film look glossy. 
• The scene where Ajith's Mankatha intro scene comes on screen, sends the crowd into frenzy. The mini cameo by Jiiva on screen in the movie Ko is another mini-highlight. 

Misses

• The villains are cliched and are a caricature with their loud voices, stale punch dialogs, long hair, unkempt beard etc etc. For how long will this continue? 
• Whenever the movie becomes serious and action oriented, the audience mocks. Such is the formulaic treatment. The climax in particular is a major drag and is totally stale. The scene where Maddy gets up from the wheel chair seeing his brother getting hit, is hilarious and silly. Unintentionally funny scenes galore. 
• Arya and Maddy hardly look convincing in action and Maddy sucks during his dance in the opening number. 
• The BGM by Yuvan is a major letdown. 

Comments

• Average songs which have been placed just for sake to fill time. Kattipudi is the pick of the lot. 

VERDICT

The light hearted scenes make the movie watchable while there are lot of unintentionally funny scenes as well. Half baked hunt. 

Rajapattai (2011)

A movie that shows the hero, Anal Murugan taking on a politician (Akka ) and a local dada (Vaapa) who are into land grabbing. Dakshinamurthy is the victim and the ashram land that he has for young kids is coveted by the above said land grabbing goons.

Dakshina is treated like a grandfather by the hero who is a gym boy. The hero is also in love with the college girl across the street and the feeling is mutual. The oldie helps the hero with his experience and tricks at love.

With his local friends and some needless getup changes, Anal does the expected and bashes the enemies to pulp and saves the children and their ashram

Misses

• Total nonsense
• The hero's costumes are garish and totally out of sync with his real life age and personality. 
• The fights don't have the desired impact.
• The jokes don't incite much laughter as well. 
• The songs by Yuvan are below average. The BG score isn't much better either
• The villains are all cliched and mere props with no acting wares
• The getup changes by the hero are a needless exercise at ego-boosting. 

Comments

• Some typical heroism scenes highlighting the hero's brain and brawn in the 2nd half are passable.
• The heroine is just a beautiful doll with nothing to do.
• Some scenes showing the old man advising the so called young men, at love are funny and enjoyable. 
• Vikram's daring hairstyles and facial hair style are worth a mention. 

VERDICT

Nonsensical crap totally unexpected from the promising director and the seasoned hero. PLEASE AVOID

Thulluvadho Ilamai (2002)

The Plot
A bunch of school kids in their teenage, go through the hard realities of life like sexual infatuation, drug addiction, parental pressure at home and lack of proper guidance. Each of these kids has some sort of problem from their parents at home.

They flee home at a stage and don't inform anyone at school either. They encounter a lot of difficulties and 2 of these kids even have sex with each other in the heat of the moment without any thoughts about their future.

In the end, they decide to go back home and their school principal advises their parents about how their lack of proper guidance had made their kids flee home and embarrass everyone. The movie ends on a positive note about the need for parents to handle their kids carefully between the crucial years of 15 to 18

Hits

• Yuvan Shankar Raja's cult songs. Each of them is an evergreen hit. But the picturization of a few songs border on vulgarity. Commercial compulsions I guess. 
• Vijayakumar's strong character role. He takes the cake in the climax
• Sherin looks like a billion bucks. She oozes sensuality, sexuality and no wonder her classmate loses his mind seeing her. The long hair, the seducing eyes and her voluptuous structure are a real delight that made her a sensation at the start of the 21st century. 
• Abinay acts well as the student Vishnu. He is a talent gone wasted sadly

Comments

• Dhanush's first movie. He looks insanely thin and doesn't show one shade of the superstar that he is today. His mustache getup is absolutely funny. 
• Ramesh Khanna stands out like a sore thumb in a very young cast. His usual antics are partly impressive 

Misses

• The sexual angst of students at this age is understandable. But, things go overboard at times. Could have been curbed a bit. Soft porn effect so to speak. 

VERDICT

The movie that launched Dhanush and Selvaraghavan. Has a mix of sleaze and message, and of course the heavenly Sherin. 

Mankatha movie review

The Plot
"THALA 50" finally released today. So much frenzy. So much hype. The movie lives up to the hype gloriously and provides the best Thala treat since 2007. The best 50th movie any fan can get from his favorite hero.

The plot is as expected about cricket betting. The 500 crores worth money is expected to come to Golden Theater in Dharavi that is under the control of Chettiyar a big shot who is into many businesses and has many contacts.

4 guys plan to loot this money and settle in life. Ganesh, Mahat, Prem and Sumanth are these 4. Vinayak Mahadevan, a suspended cop also joins in the game and takes over the planning and execution in style. The money is looted but problems start cropping up.

The cops are after the money, Chettiyar's men are after the money and of course the 5 men also have their eyes on the money. Mahat and Prem escape with the money leaving Vinayak and the other 2 fuming and desperate for their share. A mad elimination game begins. What happens next is the movie's thrilling ending that has so much entertainment, fun and one helluva twist in the climax.

                                                                       
Hits

• THALA THALA DAN. What style. What mass. Debonair to the core. His grey hair, the light stubble, the coolers, the smoking style and the casual dressing are a REAL TREAT for Thala veriyans. Just fell in love with him all over again. Couldn't take my eyes off him.


• Venkat Prabhu has outshone all his previous works and really sprung a surprise with his handling of this dark, deadly, action packed and thrilling movie for the men. 


• The interval block is an example of what Thala can do in negative roles. This scene gives a mad adrenaline rush to all fans in the theater. 


• The way the title card screams out THALA 50 with all the different faces of Ajith's film career after Thala's intro fight in police dress, is a goose bumps moment for all Thala veriyans. 


• His look in the climax in another surprise and Thala carries off this look brilliantly too. The climatic twist is another big highlight. 


• The end credits are funny and light hearted. 


• Arjun as the cop Prithviraj is smart, fit as always and very agile in stunts. An apt foil for Thala. 


• The editor Praveen deserves a royal salute. The look of the film is top notch and he has showed Thala like a real rock-star with his stylish cuts and techniques. Cinematographer Sakthi Saravanan must also be lauded for his contribution towards the look of the movie.


• Yuvan and co.'s BG score is terrific and lifts the mood for all the thrilling action scenes and chases.


• The scenes showing Thala planning how to get into gang and the way they pull off the heist is very interesting and pumping. 


• The action sequences have been shot grandly though they are quite long at times.


• Premji lightens the mood in many scenes and his pranks as the IIT genius are funny most of the times. 

Misses

• The song placements particularly 'Vada Bin Lada'


• Some blips in the VFX

Comments

• Too many scenes glorifying Ajith's smoking style and his drinking antics


• Lots of bad words and beeps heard in Ajith's dialogs particularly in the second half when he becomes mad about the missing money. 


• Too many fights that might put off a few in the family. 


• The girls in the movie don't have much work. Trisha is Ajith's pair, Anjali is Vaibhav's wife and Andrea is Arjun's wife. Lakshmi Rai is also part of the heist and she has the best part among all the girls. She is SMOKING HOTT. 


• The remaining boys in the movie are mostly standard in all Venkat movies and they do their part. Ashwin as the cop Ganesh is smart and impressive in particular. 

VERDICT

A royal treat for Ajith fans. THALA MANIA all over again after Billa in 2007. The best 50th movie Thala could have provided to his hard core fanatics. Venkat Prabhu rises to the occasion like a true talent and THALA shows his grey side in all its glory 

Aaranya Kaandam (2011)

Plot
This is another gangster movie based on the theme "The survival of the fittest". A bag of cocaine is the bone of contention among 2 groups of gangsters headed by Singaperumal and Gajendran. The cocaine belongs to Gajendran's gang while Pasupathy of Singaperumal's gang sniffs it and wants to sell it off and settle in life.

Singaperumal is impotent and he has Subbu as his keep. Sappa is a small time guy with an addiction for video games who is with Singa for small time jobs including matters regarding Subbu. Sappa falls for Subbu and she also reciprocates his feelings or that's what we believe till the very end.

Kalaiyan and Kodukkupuli a father-son duo are in the city to recover some money to pay off their debts. Their rooster is their only source of income. They lose their rooster to Singa's sickle and the cocaine bag ends up with this duo incidentally and what follows is a series of kidnappings, lots of bloodshed and murders and finally it is the smartest and the fittest that survive. The brawny macho gangsters are all eliminated and in the end a new gang-leader is born and there is also a major boost to womanhood in the climax.

Hits

• Yuvan boosts the movie in unimaginable ways. His use of violins, strings, piano leave us with goose bumps on many occasions. The jazzy style music heard in Guy Ritchie and Tarantino movies is also heard here. Yuvan continues to dazzle.
• The fight choreography is a straight tribute to Tarantino's style. Blood literally sprays all over the place like in Kill Bill. Marvelous to see and a sight to behold. 
• The cinematography is innovative to say the least. The picture clarity, the angles, the slow motions etc. are all top notch
• The slick editing also adds to the style quotient. This is in fact one of the most stylishly made Indian films
• The dialogues are all spot on and earn claps at many places. Liberal use of expletives add to the rustic effect. The Rajini, Kamal, Vijaykanth, aunty jokes are all spot on.
• Some brilliant acting by the guy who comes as Kalaiyan. Very spontaneous. The kid Kodukkupuli also has a major role and his part is another applause worthy show. His dialogs almost always earned the applause of the crowd. 
• Sampath can give any hero a run for his money. Very suave and debonair as the gangster. Jackie Shroff is imposing and his lazy style suits the character perfectly. The way he grins his teeth bare is superb. Ravikrishna is again aptly cast as the useless Sappa who trusts everyone. Yasmin pulls off a shocker in the end as Subbu. Initially very naive, her's is among the most weighty characters in the movie. 
• All the other small characters like the money minded police, the Gaja brothers, the guy who cracks aunty jokes make a mark easily

VERDICT

Near perfect ... in fact perfect. How humans are also part of the food chain where humans consume other humans is what this movie tells. A brilliant debut by Thiagarjan Kumararaja. He is one for the future. 

Avan Ivan (2011)

The Plot
Walter Vanangamudi and Kumbidren Saamy are step brothers. While Walter wants to be a dance artist, Saamy is happy with doing petty robberies with his small side kick. Walter is slightly effeminate thanks to the influence of 'Highness', the entire family's godfather and a highly respected man in the village. The brothers have their petty rivalries over who is the better thief and their mothers are also constantly at loggerheads over who is the superior son. But they are very close and their bonding is very strong. The brothers also have their love stories going on with 2 timid village girls, a policewoman and a college girl.

The brothers have their stints with the police who are mere buffoons. They also have a minor disagreement with Highness over Saamy's girl, which ends well nevertheless.There is also a villain in the story in the form of a man who deals in illegal cow business. 'Highness' gets mixed up with this man's business and what follows is a brutal last half hour which will surely leave a lump in your throat for the sheer intensity and emotionally draining nature of Bala's film making.

                                                             

Hits

• Vishal has come up with the performance of a life time. His intro scene is among the most daring. His comic sense during the scenes where he woos his girl, the scene where he performs before the entire school and his performance in the final half hour of the movie is surely worthy of many awards. 
• Yuvan is supreme as usual. His title score is mesmerizing. His BGM for the villain is also quite chilling. He has given 2 extra songs both of which are very good. At lots of places, the BGM adds to the emotional value of the film 
• Arya is also impressive with his comic timing and his bonding with Arya is evident. His act is very similar to Suriya's Pithamagan role. 
• Both Arya and Vishal have become experts at the 'kuthu' dance
• G.M.Kumar as Highness makes a huge impact in the second half. His role is among the most daring character roles in Tamil cinema history. 
• Ambika and the lady who comes as the mother of Arya bristle with energy and typical village charm. The young side kick of Arya is another typical village lad.

Misses

• Suriya's absolutely needless cameo and his attempts at self promotion show him in very bad light. He better stay away from such nonsense in the future.
• The obvious similarities to Pithamagan
• The characterization of the police as sheer buffoons
• The 2 lead ladies, though very pretty (particularly Madhu Shalini) are mere show pieces and their love with the lead guys is also very cinematic. 

VERDICT

A typical Bala product. The performances of Vishal, G.M.Kumar and Arya, in that order,being the major resurrection.   

Pudhupettai (2006)

Whats it about:
This movie tracks the life of a gangster Kokki Kumar. How he gets into it, how he slowly picks up the tricks of the trade, how he becomes big, how he gets consumed by his greed and lust for power and how he settles in life finally.
     Kumar leaves home fearing for his life after his mom gets killed by his dad. He accidentally gets mixed up with Anbu's gang. He gets into the drug business initially and slowly becomes a dreaded gangster thanks to his expertise with the sword. He kills Murthy's (another big gangster) brother. He goes to the extent of even killing his father for his mother's sake.
     He has an affair going on with Veni, a prostitute. At the same time he also marries Selvi, his friend's sister in a bizarre wedding. Later he marries Veni too learning about her pregnancy.
    He isn't able to control his urge for power and he kills Anbu and heads the gang in no time. He works for Thamizhselvan, a politician. He helps Thamizhselvan many times and but he is refused an MLA seat. His reaction at this, irks and pisses off many.
   He loses Veni and escapes with his baby. He drops off the baby safely and returns to finish off all his remaining enemies and just when we believe he is about to be hung, he is taken away by the ruling party and he joins the party as a replacement for the very same Murthy that he killed.

                                                                   
Hits

• YUVAN. One of his all time best scores. His BGM is scintillating, mesmerizing and suits the mood of the film perfectly. It enhances the movie. That too, the title credits score is something out of the world. And the songs are all cult classics. No need to elaborate more on these songs :)
• Dhanush scores big time too. Initially as the afraid young kid and later as the ruthless and lusting gangster. All expressions are so easy for this national award winning actor. 
• Sneha as the helpless prostitute gets our sympathies. 
• All the other characters coming as gangsters also look and play the part. 
• The action scene with the sword in the first half is classy. But the same sword fight in the climax becomes too unbelievable. 
• The scenes showing how Kumar gets into the gangster world are so full of impact. 
• The final sequence showing Kumar becoming a politician is a nice spoofy take. 

Misses

• Kumar's transition to a feared gangster becomes too soon and abrupt. 
• Some of Kumar's greed and lust doesn't gel with the movie. His marriage with Selvi is one such ridiculous sequence. 
• Dhanush's pencil thin frame doesn't make him look like a gangster though he more than makes up for it with his perfect lingo, body language and expressions. 

VERDICT

With some more fine tuning, this Selvaraghavan film could have become an unanimous favorite.  

Mounam Pesiyadhe (2002)

What’s it about:

Gautam and Kannan are close friends since a long time. Gautam does not believe in love and he has a very bad opinion about the present state of love and lovers. Gautam is fiercely independent. Kannan is in love with Maha and he is an open flirt with all other girls too, except Sandhya, his ‘mora ponnu’. Kannan is a very obedient father-fearing son.

              Gautam isn’t convinced about Maha’s love with Kannan until the very end when an incident to Kannan shows Gautam the extent to which Maha loves Kannan.

              Gautam thinks that Sandhya is in love with him and he also starts falling in love. But, in a sad turn of events, Sandhya is in fact in love with another guy. Gautam had misunderstood Sandhya’s intentions. Gautam walks away totally shattered and even more skeptical about love.

              In the end, Kannan marries Maha and Gautam walks away all alone, mulling over his loneliness. Then all of a sudden, his longtime fan and a girl who has been loving him unconditionally since his college days, resurfaces and convinces Gautam that she is the girl for him. A fairytale climax that gives a very feel good feeling about love and life.

                                                                    

Hits

• Yuvan’s terrific songs and nice soothing BGM. An all-time favorite score from Yuvan
• Suriya looks macho, tough and at the same time very handsome as Gautam. He does adequately and dances like a dream in this film.
• Nanda as Kannan does very well for his debut. The 2 girls are beautiful and don’t have much to do except a few scenes. Trisha makes her debut and is very cute.
• The humor is all situational and the 3^rd friend Selvam provides some good laughs.
• The dialogues are all brilliant. Gautam’s take on love has been brought out with some very humorous dialogs.
• The realistic feel good nature of the entire film.
• The climax is very intelligently linked with the rest of the film, though it appears very cinematic

VERDICT

A great debut by Ameer and a stark contrast from the rest of his later films. One of the all-time feel good films. 

Vaanam (2011)

Whats it about
This movie comprises 5 short stories with all of them getting connected at a particular point and then meeting their respective endings.
Story 1: Cable Raja is a happy go lucky low class guy who falls in love with a very rich girl, posing as a rich guy. How he is after 40000/- to take his girl to the richest new year party is this story's plot. He has his friend, mama and granny to help him.
Story 2: A Muslim brother is looking for his long lost younger brother in Chennai. He later comes to know that his younger brother is involved in terrorism.
Story 3: A prostitute escapes from her brothel along with her trans-gender makeup assistant and they are off to Chennai to start their own business. But they get caught up with the police for an earlier notoriety.
Story 4: A rock-star is off to Chennai along with his troupe and girl friend for their first rock show. How this selfish guy realizes the value of life and helps others in need is this story's focus point.
Story 5: A mother and her father in law are off to Chennai to trade the mother's kidney and get the money that they owe to a money lender and redeem their son's education and future.
       All the characters meet in the climax at the hospital and they are all trapped by a set of Muslim terrorists. What the 2 lead men do to save the big crowd at the hospital is the culmination of this movie.

                                                                   
Hits

• Yuvan is as usual brilliant. The Vaanam title track appears at so very apt points of the movie and it brings tears in the eyes in the climax. 'Evan di Unna Pethan', 'No Money No Honey', 'Who Am I' have all been picturized well. Sadly 'Cable Raja' just comes in the background during STR''s intro scenes. Yuvan's BGM varies between good and brilliant. 
• Silambarasan makes a huge impact. Initially he is his breezy self but later he realizes life's value and repents for his act of stealing money. Top class emoting from STR
• All the others actors are very much adequate. Bharath is uber cool in his looks. Anushka is absolutely sexy and has a lot of oomph factor, particularly her height and shape. New face Jasmine glows and resembles Katrina Kaif in certain angles and is absolutely chubby, cherubic and cute. She too has got the oomph factor, particularly her bust. Prakash Raj sparkles at places. Saranya and the old man really look and play the part. The trans-gender also impresses. 
• Santhanam and Ganesh take care of the laughs along with STR and there are many nice moments during STR's attempts to get the 40000/- 
• The dialogs are really meaningful at places and make an impression. 
• Great attempt by the director Krish to take a rarely tried out concept 

Misses

• The Muslim terrorist angle is getting too clichéd. Krish should have avoided this in an otherwise fresh movie
• The climax melodrama is needless and sticks out sorely
• The bomb farce in the climax could have been avoided too

VERDICT

A very good movie that could have become a rainbow in the Tamil cine sky, with a more toned down climax. Anyway KUDOS to the entire team for giving us Vaanam. 

Pathinaaru (2011)

Whats it about:
2 lovers in their college life Shiva and Indu, face the usual parental opposition from the girl's side. The girl's mother invites the boy to their house and makes the lovers read a book called "16". The book tells a story of obsessive love from childhood between Gopi and Ilavarasi. Their love ends in failure. This love is also a typical village love story that faces opposition from the girl's family in the form  of a 'mora maaman', preganancy before marriage etc etc.
        Later, it is revealed that the story of "16" is the story of Indu's father. Then there is a small separation between the lovers and they find Ilavarasi in Kodaikanal in an orphanage home named after Gopi. Indu's father Gopalakrishnan aka Gopi also happens to come to the orphanage and melts down in tears seeing Ilavarasi's undiminished love and respect for him.
       A good message that marriage should happen only after settling in life is ingrained in the lovers' minds and they separate to settle properly in life and then marry later.

                                                                        
Hits

• Yuvan's songs are a major highlight. They are already huge hits. 
• The message given in the end is quite sensible
• Madhu Shalini as Indu looks sparkling and is above average in acting too. 

Misses

• Shiva is a total misfit. There is no continuity in his looks and he is not at all serious. 
• The village love track is melodramatic mostly and is not in sync with times and is already seen in many movies before this. 

VERDICT

A better hero and some more seriousness could have done the trick. Also the village flashback could have been bereft of the melodramatic clichés.