City of God - Review

It all begins with a fatal accident and takes us along to the intricate events that lead to the crash. Obviously it involves the lives of a few individuals and it intertwines in a peculiar way. The format made famous by several spectacular films like Amores Perros, Babel and Crash among many others has been repeated by scenarist Babu Janardhanan and director Lijo Jose Pellissery in City of God.

Jyothilal (Prithviraj) is a criminal, who is ready even to risk his life for his boss Sony Vadayattil (Rajeev Pillai), a wealthy businessman. Viji Punnoose (Swetha Menon) is a widow who has to settle some scores with Jyothilal. Sooryaprabha (Rima Kallingal) is an actress with a sad past that continues to haunt her. Marathakam (Parvathy) is a Tamil labourer, who has come to Kochi, from Palani. She has fled from a failed marriage and is in love with a fellow Tamil worker named Swarnavel (Indrajith).

How their lives come across at certain points, is the interesting aspect here. In all fairness, the storyline is by and large, pretty convincing. But the problem is that in the pursuit of adhering to the film’s format, the pace gets affected in a big way. Also, several details that would have made the narrative more engrossing get sidelined.
There are too many events happening and the characters go through curious situations all the time. After a while, the viewer tends to get bored and lose interest as the story is not focused anywhere. Only a few characters make an impact in the viewer’s mind as well.

Babu Janardhanan’s script lacks the depth that has been the strength of the films in the genre. Lijo Jose Pellissery, who showed great promise with his maiden film ‘Nayakan’, comes up with flashes of brilliance but it is not just working perfectly well here. The visuals by Sujith Vasudev and the music by Prasant Pillai are also good in parts.

Prithviraj has to maintain a sober face all along, which he does pretty well. Indrajith is good as the Tamil labourer. Parvathy, who appears in a thoroughly deglamourised look, is just brilliant. Rima Kallingal looks fine but Swetha Menon has a limited role to play. Rohini, Rajeev Pillai, Sudhir Karamana, Jagadeesh and the rest of the cast have done their roles in a decent way.


City of God has dared to tread an unconventional path and the willingness to experiment, which is quite unlike most Malayalam films during these days, is something to be appreciated. But the question is that if the attempt has been a successful one. Sadly, too many plots have ruined the fun here to a great extent and things even get pretentious at times. As the end credits start rolling, one gets the feeling that this film could have been much better. An earnest experiment that fails to get the perfect results, perhaps!

Maappillai - Review

No beating around the bush. Mappillai, as promised, is a mass masala entertainer that makes no bones, no pretences and has a distinctly comic-book feel to it. It is exaggerated and formulaic, but relies squarely on the charm of its leading man to pull off its over-the-top tone.



Saravanan (Dhanush) is introduced as a Mr Nice guy who is upright and god fearing. He meets Gayathri (Hansika) the only daughter of Rajeshwari (Manisha Koirala) a rich arrogant business tycoon. When she comes to know about Gayathri’s affair with Saravanan, she immediately arranges for their marriage as she wants a docile, henpecked husband for her daughter!

But just before the wedding, Rajeshwari is in for a shock as she comes to know that Saravanan has another face and is a terror in his area. How Saravanan marries Gayathri and tries hard to win over Rajeshwari forms the rest of the predictable story. Will he succeed in his attempt and how he goes about it, forms the thrilling moments.

Mappillai benefits enormously from its two core strengths – Dhanush’s scorching screen presence and Manisha Koirala’s performance. Dhanush is consistently watchable and the film is a showcase not so much for his acting, but for his mass image and infectious enthusiasm. Vivek in his lengthy comic role is irritating with his funny accent, make-up and hair-style. The gags are downright silly and he seems to be taking the audience for granted.

Hansika handles her role with confidence, has a smoldering presence, and is never lost even in scenes in which she has nothing to do. Music by Mani Sharma is average with Aaru Padai... and Ready Ready Ya.. being the pick of the lot.

On the whole, Mappillai is a crowd-pleaser that knows exactly who its audience is. For die-hard fans of Dhanush, this old-fashioned entertainer is a treat and delivers enough entertainment for your buck


Rating : 3/5

Urumi - Review

Santosh Sivan’s Urumi is a miniature masterpiece of moods, emotions, anxieties ruled by a thirst for revenge. The film unfolds like a ballad and is a sweet and simple fairy tale. The 170 minutes film works to a large extent to its perfect casting, fantastic performances, soothing score and technical brilliance.
Santosh has made it like how a period drama should be made without too much talk about freedom struggle, no bombastic dialogues or playing to the gallery for heroism. His vision and concept gives this epic the feel of a Brave Heart or Gladiator.

It provides us a new insight into the hearts and minds of ancient heroes and shot in locations that reflect the period as everything looks fresh, green and clean and one can feel even the mist. Another major plus is that there are hardly any CG special effects that one would associate with a period war film.

Shankar Ramakrishnan’s script is simple and straightforward and keeps the narrative absorbing and inspiring. The film starts in the present day with a modern don’t care youth Krishna Das (Prithviraj) and his friend (Prabhu Deva) having a jolly good time. A big corporate offers Krishna Das a bomb for his ancestral property in Kerala.

On his arrival in Kerala to sign the papers, he learns the truth about his land and ancestors, which is told in a flashback. A brave warrior (Arya), wants to kill Vasco da Gama, the Viceroy of Portuguese Empire in India. But he is brutally killed by the invaders and his son Chirakkal Kelu Naynar (Prithviraj) is out to take revenge with a golden Urumi, that he makes with the ornaments of dead women and children who were burnt alive in a ship that was going to Mecca. It was set on fire and sunk under the instructions from Vasco Da Gama.

The film is spread between the second and third visit of Gama to India and chronicles a varied version of how Gama could have met a bloody death in 1524 AD. Kelu is supported by his childhood Muslim buddy Vavvali (Prabhu Deva). In the journey he meets warrior princess Ayesha (Genelia), who has her own axe to grind against the foreign invaders. Will they be able to kill Vasco Da Gama ?

The major highlight of the film is the performances of its lead actors. Prithviraj as Kelu Naynar is dashing. You cannot take your eyes of him, it’s a difficult role and he has come out with flying colours especially in the climax scene. Prabhu Deva is there in as many frames as Prithviraj, and is a real treat to watch. He does comedy and romance with ease and the chat song with Nithya is a scream.

However it goes without saying that this is Genelia’s show. She has shed her bubbly image for an out of the world controlled performance and her Kalaripayattu action scenes are thrilling. Nithya Menen looks pretty and is a scene stealer, while Jagathy is outstanding. Amol Gupte, Alex, Robin and others are lifelike. There is also walk in cameo appearances by Arya, Vidya Balan and Tabu.

Music of Deepak Dev enriches the film with Aaro nee aaro, Chimmi Chimmiand the theme music is haunting. A pat for Shankar Ramakrishnan for his intricately crafted script, super editing by Sreekar Prasad without any gimmicks and eye catching beautiful camera work by Sivan and his assistant Anjuli Shukla.

Santosh Sivan has come out with a story of valour with an admirable degree of craftsmanship and clarity. The producers Santosh, Prithviraj and Shaji Natesan can be proud of this epic.
Urumi is a fairy tale fantasy film that has a heart and technical artistry. Go for it.

SouthShowBiz Rating - 4/5

August 15 - Movie Review

Director Shaji Kailas has taken the character of the likeable cop Perumal from the 1988 film August 1 (directed by Siby Malayil) and has made the thriller, August 15.


While the earlier film (inspired from the 1973 movie The Day of the Jackal) was full of lively and powerful characters, including a tough looking professional killer played by Captain Raju, the new version is a letdown, without a credible storyline or a worthy script.

A feel of the earlier movie is intentionally maintained all along, but it turns out to be a meek looking misadventure.

Chief Minister Vasudevan (Nedumudi Venu) is in a critical condition in the hospital following a stroke and the top brass of the police is shocked to learn that actually he had been poisoned by someone.

The search for the culprit begins soon and the investigation is entrusted with Perumal (Mammootty).

The killer and the main persons who plot against the chief minister are revealed pretty early and then, it is the investigation process that should be a gripping one. Sadly, it doesn’t happen so and the unraveling of the mystery is a boring affair here.

With an old narrative style, the film appears to be a never ending affair for the viewers, though the length is about two and a half hours. S N Swami’s script is too old fashioned and is based on a rather flimsy plot. The visuals by Pradeep Nair are okay.

In a role where his heroism is celebrated in virtually every frame, Mammootty looks handsome and has done the role in a devoted way. But all the efforts are not enough to salvage a poorly written film. Of course, there is enough for the gallery, as he takes on even the fiery criminals all alone, in style with his sunglasses intact and often without a gun!

Meghna Raj and Swetha Menon, the female leads as per the posters, have nothing much to do. Lalu Alex, as a silly ADGP, does manage to tickle the funny bone at times. Now, it is certainly not fair to compare a character in a film with one in the earlier version, but the professional killer played by Siddique is nowhere near the one made famous by Captain Raju.

You’ve to admit it,August 15 which is meant to be a thriller, fails to do so. Even if you are a hardcore fan of Mammootty, it won’t entertain you much.



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Mammootty's Best Actor is a Super Hit

BEST ACTOR - REVIEW

Best Actor is a Super Hit!!

Debutant director Martin Prakkat’s Best Actor is about a school teacher, who wants to become a film actor.
He has to go through hardships and some shameful treatments, just like any other wannabe actor, but things really go out of hand when he joins a goonda gang to earn some ‘original experience’. Well, it is a nice and simple story but the problem here is that it too predictable and lacks the fizz to a great extent.

Mohan (Mammootty) teaches in a school, but dreams about getting into films. He approaches several filmmakers for a role, without any success. His wife Savitri (Sruthi Ramakrishna) and their son, is confident about his credentials and always support him, in his attempts to get a break.

There is an inherent sincerity about the film, which is to be appreciated. Mammootty has given his heart and soul to his character, of a person who is never a conventional ‘macho-hero’. It is amazing that an actor of his experience and stature could handle the role in such an understated manner. But the film takes too much time in its narration and things often get painfully slow at several occasions.

Lal, Nedumudi Venu, Salim Kumar and Vinayakan are part of a criminal gang and the story gets some pace with their entry. The four make the whole atmosphere quite lively with their mannerisms and the peculiar ‘Kochi slang’. They pep up the scenes with some witty one-liners initially, but soon after some of those dialogues get unacceptably vulgar.

The story often moves ahead without a definite direction right from the beginning and the lack of an interesting script is evident mostly. The highly conventional way that the film unfurls also tends to be a letdown. Some of the scenes and even dialogues have been inspired from yesteryear films in the genre.

The visuals are good and the music is just about okay. Sreenivasan has a brief role as a film director and some of the mainstream filmmakers from Malayalam like Lal Jose, Ranjith and Blessy among others also appear in the film which gives some kind of believability to the storyline. The rest of the cast, including Kannada actor Sruthi Ramakrishna, has performed pretty fine

However, Best actor is in full swing and it is sure that it will become a Megahit of Megastar Mammootty.


MammoottySpecial Rating : 4/5 

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Chikku Bukku - Review

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CHIKKU BUKKU - REVIEW


Debutant director Manikandan has remixed his mentor Jeeva’s success formula of filmmaking.


He has taken the basic thread from Bollywood rom-com’s, mixed it with exotic locations, eye catching picture postcard shots, stylishly shot songs, trendy costumes along with beautiful people.


The film opens in Karaikudi of 1985 and then cuts to London of 2010. Arjun (Arya) is a popular DJ who likes chasing skirts and updating his Facebook profile.


He lives with his grandmother, who asks him to go back to his home town in Karaikudi and reclaim his ancestral mansion, which is being dismantled by his relatives who have pledged it to a local moneylender.


Anu (Shriya) is a modern, happy go-lucky girl MBA student who is going back to her family in Madurai. Arjun and Anu meet at Bangalore airport, after their onward flight to Madurai gets cancelled. They pretend to be newly married couple so that they can travel on a cancelled reserved railway ticket to Madurai.


Meanwhile, Arjun stumbles on an old diary written by his father, which has been kept in his bag by his grandmother. The diary reveals his father Sekhar’s (Arya) romantic past in Karaikudi, when he fell madly in love with Meenal (Preetika), daughter of a school principal. Sekhar’s family was opposed to their love as Meenal was from a different caste.


The film then narrates both romances side by side using a very interesting device by casting Arya as father and son. The narrative inevitably flips back and forth between son Arya’s blooming romance with Shriya and father Arya’s deep rooted love for Preetika.


Ten minutes into the film and you know that you are watching a Tamil cocktail of Bollywood’s most successful romance king Imtiaz Ali’s-Jab We Met and Love Aaj Kal! It is watchable in parts, but moves like a slow passenger train. We have some poignant moments interrupted by forced comedy of Santhanam and co thrust into the narration making it irksome. There are some good scenes but unfortunately moments like these are few and far between.


Arya has slowly but surely turning into a dependable star as he is improving with each film particularly on his dialogue delivery and dancing. As both Sekhar and the charming Arjun he is consistently watchable. Shriya looks cute and fits into the role of chatter-box Anu to a T. However, it is debutant Preetika who is the surprise packet and she has a scorching screen presence. She is promising and knows how to use her eyes and body language to her advantage.


The film, despite its slow pace has great chemistry and mad cap moments.


(SIFY)

Review - Raktha Charitra

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Rakta Charitra - Review


After a strong criticism that it was nothing but brutality ripped out, Raktha Charitra – 1 won accolades from the masses, and it turned out to be a cool hit. Now, its sequel, Raktha Charitra-2 unfolds the blood and gore.

Yet, the entertainment comes in a convincing way, with a message overpowering it that behind the manslaughter and vengeful murders, there is bound to be a shocking story of bitter enmity between the two families, set in the backdrop of the dreaded faction cult of Rayalaseema.

The uniqueness of Ram Gopal Varma is that he has brought to play history, fit for a documentary, in a commercial format, certainly a bold attempt which only an RGV could dare. RC-1 dealt with the raise of Pratap Ravi (replica of Paritala Ravi, the slain Penugonda strongman in Anantapur district) as a demigod of the underdog. Paritala Ravi).

The part-2 is introduces a new thread, though it has an unbreakable link with its prequel. Anyways, a mention to second part without dwelling into part one would confuse the readers. The major challenge before RGV is to make the sequel more gripping than its prequel.

Tamil hero Suriya (the replica of Maddelacheruvu Suri, the arch rival of Paritala Ravi in real life) enacts the role of Surya, vengeance personified. He is desperate to settle scores with Pratap Ravi. Failing in one of the attempts on his rival, Suriya surrenders before the court and gets jailed. From the jail, he enacts the cold-blooded murder of Pratap Ravi. More than characters, emotions speak a lot here.

There are many questions to be answered here. Who is Surya? Why does he want to liquidate his rival`s life? In what ways are the families involved in this bloodbath? Truly, RGV has injected the element of human pathos in its strong sense, rather than merely treating the subject from the point of view of entertainment.

This sequel is dominated more by the conspiracy theories which prevailed in the real-life circumstances between the two families. RGV showed a lot of concern for both the families and his urge to make the public know the facts as to what had really transpired between the two parties.

Performances are consistently of a towering quality. Vivek Oberoi finished his role with extraordinary perfection, delivering an equally powerful presence in thesequel. But, definitely, the cynosure is Suriya here. He turned into a powerhouse of aggressive and forceful performances, which the Indian cinema in the recent years has not felt.

Shatrughan Sinha (NTR) is relegated to a jiffy. Sudeep, with a silent package in RC-1 steals the show in the sequel. Priyamani (as Bhawani, Suriya`s wife) performed the role neatly, but rather deglamorised in tune with the demand for reality on the screen. Radhika Apte (playing Pratap Ravi`s wife) glues the audience to their seats when she starts confronting the situation. Subhalekha Sudhakar is a surprise, playing one of the vital roles. All others did deliver the best from their side.

The story is more or less based on the real life incidents between Paritala Ravi and Maddelacheruvu Suri families. As expected, RGV did not miss the infamous Jubilee Hills bomb blast episode, but the climax – the murder of Pratap Ravi - would rather be unconvincing to the hardcore watchers of the Rayalaseema facton cult.

The narration is slow, but the screenplay is gripping and in some scenes, it leaves the audience spellbound. The background score is the lifeline of the film, with the climax song – `Kathulatho Sahavasam`– reverberating in the ears of the audience as they leave the theatres. Cinematography is impressive. The action sequences look real, but blood and gore gross people at times. Being the sage of vengeance with violence, dialogues are laced with the required punches.

(SIFY)

Raktha Charithra - Review


This is perhaps the first time in Bollywood that a single story is broken into two parts (RAKHT CHARITRA and RAKHT CHARITRA 2) by the same director. And both parts have released in quick succession, which is a laudable effort indeed. Ram Gopal Varma's PHOONK 2, which was a sequel in true sense, carried the same story of PHOONK ahead, but there was a decent gap between the two films. On the other hand, GOLMAAL, DHOOM and MUNNABHAI series had completely different stories and there was a sufficient gap between two parts. Barring the main characters, there wasn't anything similar between the installments.

RAKHT CHARITRA 2 marks the entry of Surya in Bollywood. He wasn't part of RAKHT CHARITRA. A humongous name down South, he starred in the Tamil version of GHAJINI in 2005. Aamir Khan starred in its Hindi version in 2008.

Ram Gopal Varma continues the revenge saga in RAKHT CHARITRA 2 that he started in RAKHT CHARITRA. In case you missed the first part, fret not. RAKHT CHARITRA 2 starts off with approximately 25 minutes footage from the first part.

The films trace the life of Pratap Ravi (Vivek Oberoi). While the first part was about his rise, the second part is about how his enemy Surya (Surya) takes revenge. What Pratap did to Surya that makes him want to kill him is what RAKHT CHARITRA 2 is all about. Bhawani (Priyamani) plays Surya's wife. All the other characters are the same as the first part.

RAKHT CHARITRA 2 is not a bad film. It's disappointing because it falls in comparison with the first part. Although there is bloodshed, violence and gruesome murders that take place, RAKHT CHARITRA 2 is definitely not as gory as the previous part. Ramu doesn't carry on the momentum and tautness that he had established in RAKHT CHARITRA. It even lacks the drama which was the highpoint of RAKHT CHARITRA.

(glamsham)

Kanimozhi - Review

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Kanimozhi - Review (Sify)


Kanimozhi has tremendous title value, especially in the current political scenario. The film is basically a love story with an overdose of emotions, and yes, the characters have handled the scenes quite skillfully.

Rajesh (Jai) is an average middle class guy, his mothers pet, darling of his friends and added to that he takes everything in life in a positive manner. He has a fetish for writing diary and most of time; he takes a different route by scribing things that go wrong in his day-to-day life by giving it a happy ending.

He is smitten by a beautiful girl (Shazahn) (whose name he doesn’t know till the end) and starts believing that she likes him the same manner in which he does. After a series of incidents and scenes stitched together, he decides to express his love to her but what happens? This is the twist and what happens to our hero and how takes this forms the story.

Debutant Sripathy Rangasamy directs this wafer-thin-story with an easy hand, allowing the actors enough room to interpret their characters, but it's the writing here that's mundane. Most scenes lack the energy that was required to elevate this film into a different level, that it was intended to be. What you get is a promising but sadly tiresome film that feels too long even though it's less than two hours (115 minutes) in running time.

On the downside, the other-wise interesting premise is presented in an amateurish manner with hardly any cinematic touches. There are more problems in the film's second half but the climax makes up for it as the hero’s positive attitude in life comes across in a cute manner and you leave the theatre with a smile on your face.

Of the cast, Jai who is there is every frame of the film is endearingly likable and has come out with a natural performance, while the same cannot be said about Shazahn. She looks pretty and has been photographed well but could have invested more energy and emotion to her character as she has the same expression throughout.

Swathi of Subramaniapuram fame who comes in just one scene in the climax scores. The supporting cast mostly newcomers has all done their best. Music by Sathish Chakravarthy are just about ok but come as speed breakers.

Few filmmakers stick their necks out to tell difficult and different stories in these days of Made in Madurai films and mindless mass entertainers. For their intentions alone, the makers of Kanimozhi deserve a thumbs-up.

Kanimozhi - Review (OneIndia)

Considering that it was named Kanimozhi, many were under the impression that the film would have some relation to today’s political condition in Tamil Nadu. Fortunately or unfortunately, it does not. On the contrary, it is an age old love story with an overdose of philosophical twists. Both the screenplay and the story of the Tamil flick has failed to impress. But we must say that Sripathy Rangasamy had done a good job considering that this is his debut venture. At least, he has handled the lead characters well giving them individual spaces, albeit very few, to showcase their acting skills, but the actors refuse to make use of it to deliver a very lacklustring performance.

The story centers on a middle class boy Rajesh (played by Jai), who falls in love with a girl (played by Shazahn Padamsee). The strange thing is he never makes an attempt to know the name of his love interest till the end of the film! However, this boy believes that everything in life delivers positive results and hence the girl loves him too. It is when he decides to express his love that everything in his life changes. Will it change for good or for bad is something that you will have to visit theaters to know!

Even in this extremely poor storyline, Jai puts up an average performance as Rajesh. But lead actress Shahzahn Padamsee is an utter disappointment. She manages to look good but puts on only a single expression throughout the movie. The only good part of Kanimozhi is its running time. With less than two hours of screen time, it means less torture for viewers of the Tamil flick.

Nandalala - Review

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Nandalala - Review (MSN)

Mysskin's 'Nandalala', which has finally hit the screens long after it had been completed, has come out as a movie with artistic features without losing the popular elements.

Though the accusations that he has 'adapted' the theme of Japanese film 'Kikujiro' are quite reasonable, there is no denying the fact that Mysskin has proved yet again that he is a good filmmaker. He has the talent to transfer the emotions on screen across to the audiences - which is something unique.

'Nandalala' is all about two people who are in search of their mothers. Destiny puts them together. They travel through several places to reach their respective destinations.

The journey by Bhaskar (Mysskin), who is mentally disturbed, and Akhilesh (Ashwath Ram), a schoolboy, has been told in a gripping manner.

Their journey turns out to be a revealing experience that changes their lives for the better. Both walk around without knowing the harshness and striking realities of the world around them.

Battered and bruised by many, they also meet some good people who help them a lot. The travel reveals the greatness of human life. Many times hostile people turn out to be good after realising the real position of both of them. Their innocence, helplessness and affection change others too. The scene that shows a physically handicapped person moves the audience. Even the climax is quite emotional and heartening.

Cinematographer Mahesh has done a marvellous work. The visuals are quite amazing. The way he has captured the landscape of Tamil Nadu is excellent.

Ashwath Ram, Mysskin and Snigdha have done their parts very well. Their performances lift the film to another level.

Mysskin, who is known for shaping even the small characters well, has done it again. The characters of the tender coconut seller, granny, maid, policeman, lorry driver and ice cream seller are pleasant to watch. The dialogues are realistic and poignant.

On the flipside, the fact that Mysskin has got inspired from 'Kikujiro' does cast a shadow on the merits of the filmmaker.

Though he has deftly adapted the original to fit into the Tamil milieu, the repetition of the characters like the bald two-member biker gang guys, the farmer and the lorry driver from Kikujiro seems to be too much to digest.

Ilaiyaraaja's music is a huge plus point to the movie. His background score adds immense value to it. The sequence when Mysskin meets his mother and the lullaby that Ilaiyaraaja sings in the background would bring tears to anybody's eyes.

Despite lacking originality, 'Nandalala' works in a big way with its stunning visuals, music, script and performances.

Nandalala - Review (Sify)

Dark and disturbing has been the leitmotif of director Mysskin’s cinema. In his latest Nandalala, he hasn’t changed his style or characterization except that he himself plays the protagonist.

Mysskin has come out with another heart wrenching story. He tries to create a hero out of a mentally challenged person and an 8 year old school boy, who he befriends on a road trip as both of them are in search of their respective mothers.


The film works in bits and pieces, as the pace is very slow and not even. The running time is 2 hours and 5 minutes with the first half dragging on for 80 minutes and post interval it is just 45 minutes. In a nutshell the film is a road trip of two unlikely buddies who bond and become inseparable in their quest for motherly love.


The premise for the story is interesting as a lonely boy Akhilesh (Aswath Ram) living with his grand mother, embarks on a journey in search of his mysterious mother armed with her photo and a map .Early in his exploratory trip he comes across a mentally challenged person (Mysskin), who joins him on the trip.


They journey across the state bumping into various kinds of people and situations, which bring out the different facets of human behavior. Along the way, a commercial sex worker (Snigdha) joins them. Finally they realize the ugly truths, which they should never have gone looking for and realistically withdraw into their shell.


The plus point of the film is Ilayaraja’s outstanding melodies and background score, it is soothing and in harmony with the theme of the film. ‘Melle Oorundhu..’ sung by the maestro himself is the pick of the lot. Another major highlight is Mahesh Muthuswamy’s camera, which is eye-catching and makes Pollachi and surrounding locations look better and greener than English country side. Mysskin for a first timer is ok, though he speaks like the way Kuruvi character spoke in Anjathey. The boy Aswath Ram is impressive in his first outing.


Now coming to the big question- Was Mysskin inspired from the Japanese Kitano Takeshi film Kikujiru ? The answer is a loud and clear “Yes”. He has taken the basic framework of the Japanese film reworked it to suit local nativity with loads of human emotions that work with our audiences.


The over the top characters that they meet during their journey like the bald two member biker gang guys, the farmer, the lorry driver were there inKikujiro! There are too many scenes in the first half which are unbelievable like cop not suspecting a boy in school uniform travelling with an insane man. However the scene of Mysskin bashing the beer bottle on the head of the teaser boys in their yellow car is hilarious.


On the whole if you are the art house type who likes films that explores the realms of anguish and despair, Nandalala is worth a look. If you are looking for another Anjathey, you will be disappointed. So make your own choice.

Break Ke Baad - Review

The simplistically conceptualised characters gnaw at your nerves. Aaliya (Deepika Padukone), for example, is ambitious - which in Hindi film language usually translates to a person who doesn’t value relationships. And a person who shrieks a lot. Aaliya does both. At the other end of the spectrum is the boyfriend of 10 years, Abhay (Imran Khan), who is sober, sorted, and wants to subtly tame the shrew. You dislike the central characters instantly - one is too clingy, the other wants to break up without a significant reason. And then there’s the single mother (Sharmila Tagore) and thrice-divorced aunt (Lillette Dubey), on both sides, respectively goading them to end up together or move on, depending on where we are in the story. So Aaliya nurtures the ambition of becoming an actor. She gets through to a prestigious university in Australia. Only thing is, she lies to her mother that she’s going for a mass-communication course for a short period. The boyfriend is outraged (despite it being a short-term course), because he’s wondering how the relationship will fit in her future plans. He applies emotional blackmail, she responds by wanting out. They are now officially broken up. Girl enjoys her time at the university, making new friends, etcetera, until Clingy Boyfriend follows her to woo her back. Tired of the claustrophobic relationship, she wants space. He feels there’s no scope for space in a relationship. There’s also the other angle of Aaliya’s focussed ambition versus Abhay’s conflict of working in his father’s business despite hating it. So far, bearable. But now on, things go downhill. Aaliya and Abhay , now in Australia, live as neighbouring roomies in a sea-facing apartment that’s so cheap, it’s “too good to be true”. Add two side characters (Shahana Goswami, Yudishtir Urs) - the owners of the place - who act as, well, side characters to the Boy and Girl. Meanwhile the film morphs from a rom-com (romantic comedy) to a fairytale where everyone’s dreams come true and there’s that happily ever after. The film’s weak foundation and lack of fun moments make it a cumbersome watch. Aaliya’s ambition and desire to follow her passion has everyone tied up in knots. The boyfriend asks her to make a choice between him and her career, though not in so many words. When she gets a breakthrough opportunity after an audition, her mother walks away in a huff because that would mean Aaliya staying back in Australia for longer than promised. The writers have built up characters that could be described in a couple of words - so lacking are they in depth. The dialogue shows an occasional spark, but is otherwise dull. Deepika Padukone is spunky enough and has come to be identified with roles that defy the archetypal heroine mould. Imran Khan appears in yet another rom-com after his debut film Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na and the recent I Hate Luv Storys. Khan is charming and dignified throughout, but his character - that’s supposed to manipulate the audience into agreeing with him - doesn’t quite work. And the bizarre ending has Khan looking as unconvinced as the audience viewing it. Director Danish Aslam treads carefully (too carefully) to make a film he’s hoping will please all. So there’s the shaadi portions, the boyfriend’s chauvinism covered under the facade of him being lost without goals, the girl finally realising her ‘mistake’ and understanding that relationships are supremely valuable, and so on. But the storytelling merely scratches the surface of the characters’ conflicts, preferring not to delve any further, and unconvincingly served to the audience. Break-ups come in as many varieties as relationships. The concept of breaks-ups and relationships was dealt in a far spiffier manner (within the limitations of the genre) in Love Aaj Kal (also starring Deepika Padukone), where the film starts with a break-up, then proceeds to the couple meeting new people, and so on. At least, it had a graph, and a conflict that the film then proceeded to resolve. Here, you’re not quite sure what the problem is: with the characters and between them as well. (Sify)

Harry Potter : Review

Harry Potter 7: Part 1, a bit dragging
Film: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 1"; Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Ralph Fiennes; Director: David Yates; Rating: **

The generation that has lived in the times of the phenomenon called Harry Potter will recall these times fondly - of times when fans slept through the night outside shops to get their copy of the book. 

Sadly, as any hardcore fan will tell you, none of the movies have come close to match the trigger to imagination of the books. And the latest film, which is the first of the two parts based on the last book of the series, is no different. 

That does not mean that the filmmakers will not attempt to match the money from the book that created the first billionaire author. Proof - "Deathly Hallows" is being released in two parts, with the first dragging quite a bit. 

Yet "Deathly Hallows" stays truest to the book than any other film has so far. 

After Dumbledore's death, Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) takes control of the ministry of magic. Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermonie (Emma Watson) obviously cannot be in school. 

Aided by a loyal group of supporters first, and later on their own, they try to find Voldemort's Horcruxes. Their search leads them to discover the story of the Deathly Hallows and its three sacred objects - the resurrection stone to bring anyone back to life, an unbeatable Elder Want and the infallible invisibility cloak. The fight between Voldemort and Harry now becomes a race to find these. 

The most successful book franchise guarantees the success of the films. However, while the previous versions dared not do more fearing boredom, "Deathly Hallows" boldly goes there and breaks the films into two parts. But despite many commendable scenes and good special effects, without its twin, which will be released only in 2011, it does not hold much power. 

That does not mean that people will not throng theatres to see the film, or will be disappointed by it. For "Deathly Hallows", despite its slow pace, is by far, the scariest film in the series with fear looming large over the film. 

Yet, the 146-minute movie has many funny moments scattered across an otherwise gloomy landscape, like when many of Harry's friends drink a portion to become his duplicates, or when they literally flush themselves through a public toilet to enter the ministry of magic. 

The three main protagonists have grown up now. The introduction of sexual tension between them, as also jealousy, spices up the film. The animation to explain the story of the "Deathly Hallows" is also rivetingly done. 

The beginning of the end of one of the most successful franchises in cinema history, thus, may not be too engrossing in itself. It is definitely a strong build up to the grand finale, where the chosen one, Harry, will finally live up to his destiny. 

That the next part will be in 3D, is merely the icing on the cake.

Guzaarish - Review

’Guzaarish’ celebrates life in all its splendour
Film: "Guzaarish"; Starring: Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai, Aditya Roy Kapoor; Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali; Rating: *****

Breathe a sigh of relief. During a year when cacophonic crassness, labeled as comic entertainment has been sanctioned by critics and the masses, "Guzaarish" comes along to remind us that excellence is alive in our cinema.

Ironically this wonderful work of art, nuanced and magical in its portrayal of an unstoppable spirit's quest to juice life to its fullest, is about dying. If the journey towards death in art can be so mystically explored, then let's embrace mortality as a stepping stone to immortality and a film about dying as a sign of cinema not dying on us. Not yet.

Only those who suffer the numbing pain of isolation would know what it feels like. Dilip Kumar in "Devdas", Guru Dutt in "Pyasa", Meena Kumari in "Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam" and Nutan in "Bandini" communicated to the audience the indescribable pain of solitude.

Ethan, as played by Hrithik Roshan in "Guzaarish", is so bemused by adversity that he can actually look at his own suffering with dispassionate humour.

"Guzaarish" is a joyous, rapturous and ecstatic celebration of life. Those familiar with the art of Sanjay Leela Bhansali know how ably and ecstatically he transports his characters into a universe of seamless drama played at an octave where most cinematic symphonies crack up and topple over into high-pitched extravagance.

Not Bhansali's cinema. Played at the highest possible scale, his drama unfolds in wave after wave of rapturous splendour. His characters occupy a space that defies definition and seduces audiences into celebrating a state of sublimity and splendour. Ethan's inert physicality is alchemized into an ambience of animated joy. His spirit dances and sings at the sheer pleasure of every moment that is given to him to live. He radiates joy. We feel his profound happiness at the gift of life.

No film in living memory has brought out the sheer blessing of being alive with such spirit and glory. While Shah Rukh Khan's "Devdas" in Bhansali's opulent opera was a character broken in spirit, Hrithik's Ethan in "Guzaarish" is irreparably damaged in body. But his spirit soars, his eyes light up like thousands of stars every time Sophie walks in.

That Sophie is played by Aishwarya Rai is a stroke of genius that goes a long way in giving "Guzaarish" its flavour of exceptional elegance. No other director brings out the quiet grace and the understated beauty of this screen diva's personality with as much intelligence and spontaneity as Bhansali. In "Guzaarish", Aishwarya is far more delicate and nuanced in conveying the unspoken pain of a love that has no tomorrow than she was in "Devdas".

Aishwarya imbues her role with a resplendent grace. Love in "Guzaarish" is expressed with subtle smirks, gentle smiles and hints of a smothered passion that could erupt any time, if only destiny didn't choose to be so mean to the spirited.

The scenes between Ethan and Sophie, the backbone of Ethan's spine-challenged life, radiate an inner beauty and wisdom and underline the director's enormous understanding of the self-negation that a love relationship requires.

"Guzaarish" is Bhansali's most tender and evocative film to date. It layers the pain of a dying body with the passion of an unstoppable spirit as manifested in Hrithik's skilled and effortless performance as a quadriplegic who pledges to make every moment of his limited "sau gram zindagi" pleasurable for himself and those around him.

Barring Amitabh Bachchan in "Black" there has never been a better performance in a Bhansali film than Hrithik's in "Guzaarish". He grabs Ethan's role and makes the dying character come alive in delightful waves of provocative histrionics. And if we are talking chemistry between Hrithik and Aishwarya, then let us get one thing clear - this is not "Dhoom". It is something far deeper and satisfying.

The other performance that catches your attention is Aditya Roy Kapoor's. He is natural and vivacious and in-sync with the film's spirit of celebrating life. Monikangna Dutt is a looker. In her limited space, she lends some appeal to the proceedings. Suhel Seth, Shernaaz Patel and Rajit Kapur also make a lingering impact in a film that you carry home with you in an inviolable place in your heart.

A word about Bhansali's music score. The songs communicate the rich tapestried emotions of lives that are determined to smile through an extraordinary tragedy. Every piece of music and song in "Guzaarish" echoes the film's incandescent soul.

The film's technical excellence, particularly Sudeep Chatterjee's cinematography, is not dazzling and flamboyant in the way it was in "Devdas". In "Guzaarish", the appeal is far more delicate and subtle. The deep but sober colours on screen reach out to you to enrich your life in ways that cinema was always meant to, until it was waylaid by the hooligans and imposters posing as filmmakers.

"Guzaarish" is the real thing. A big, beautiful, dazzling emotional movie experience. You would not see a better film this year.