Ramnath

In his sophomore directorial, Ashwath Marimuthu follows up his well written debut film Oh My Kadavule, with another terrifically penned and executed Dragon. The smartness did not just lie in the film, but also in the way it garnered the empty excitement around it. Ashwath Marimuthu, just like his first attempt takes his own sweet time to set things up, rig up the moments to blast out later and his writing surprises us in so many ways. He clearly gets the pulse of using trends, internet people, makes them meaningful and gives it a presence through his writing. The execution does falter at many places in the first half, owing to the surface level flow of scenes, but...with all the needed set-ups.  Dragon does stutter in its initial portions. For a film that's almost an anti-thesis to whatever it used for its projection, the film does make fun of the borderline worst actions of its protagonist. The initial choices made in these portions are a bit questionable for the terri...

True blue genre films are a rare commodity in our industry and big stars headlining such films are once in a blue moon. Vidamuyarchi, adapted from the Hollywood film 'Breakdown' attempts to walk this thin line and partially succeeds in the process. Magizh Thirumeni does a tremendous job in trimming down the fat out of a big star vehicle and in showcasing the star as a vulnerable protagonist rather than the supposed big hero. Ajith is vulnerable, he gets beaten up, he gets tricked, his anger feels quite palpable and it's such a refreshing choice to build the protagonist character in such ways. The idea to treat his character in a much more subtle manner allows for more palpable tension. The tension building in the first half is done well, with a slow burn approach that works in the film's favour. The geography of the film is beautifully handled, with the wide shots of the vast expanse areas, creating a sense of endless mystery. The visual treatment of the fil...

Amidst a barrage of heavy duty, serious films, finding something that keeps us light and enjoyable is few and far between. With the new Nakkalites team's 'Kudumbasthan', the film takes us back to the middle class family dramas, that resonate on a larger level, much like Middle Class Madhavan, Budget Padmanabhan and many other vintage films. Kudumbasthan takes a very realistic topic of middle class lifestyle and deals with all its complexities and conflicts in a rather sugar coated manner. The idea to treat this topic, similar to a satire or on the levels of a comic caper does warrant some lighter moments and the film scores bigger in this front. The pacing with which the screenplay progresses never lets the eyes down or nowhere, with comic situations sprinkled one after another. The laughs do range from knee-slappers to screamers to chuckles but the good part is that the laughs are free flowing. The more we enjoy the humorous parts, the less we get to see the em...

Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi's 'Kadhalikka Neramillai' is a warm breezy film about contemporary relationships, albeit scratching the surface at so many things, comes with a lot of pleasant surprises. The film attempts to discuss the issues in new age independent relationships and that's where it gets the brownie points, but also where the film stumbles. The film is really well shot. There is always a sense of sophistication, be it the colours that scream white, teal, lavender, surprisingly a song named Lavender. The frames are soft and delicate, the conversations are natural and there are new situations around which scenes are built. This is a rare film, where we don't get to see those 'built-up' moments for the soulmates to meet or the universe to make them meet. These moments happen just like any other day, but the scenes play out in a more interesting and fresh manner. There is a nice little play with the professions of the lead characters. Both of ...

With more ideological discussions and debates, Vetrimaaran comes back with the sequel to his 2023 film Viduthalai. Vetrimaaran narrates this story with more and more information and sparks several other thoughts in the society with his unrelenting courage to convey his stories. Viduthalai 2 starts from where its first part had ended, and Kumaresan played by Soori is on a life-changing journey with Perumal Vaathiyar, played to perfection by Vijay Sethupathi. This time, Vetrimaaran focuses on scaling down Vaathiyar's story and his transformation from a teacher to a revolutionist.  While Viduthalai 1 was an underdog story about an honest constable, whose unwavering stand towards honesty gets him into the journey of capturing another person, amidst his obstacles, Viduthalai 2 is more towards the backstories of Vaathiyar and the film answers many of the questions left in its first part. The biggest success of Viduthalai 2 is how it meticulously narrates the lives of many re...

Sukumar has always been a director, who had managed to carve a niche for himself in Telugu commercial cinema by presenting flawed and vulnerable protagonists and complex screenplays. His ability to crack this within commercial boundaries catering to the star made him a special filmmaker. The left-out trope of his flawed protagonist was a 'rags to riches' anti-hero and that's Pushpa. Pushpa 2 starts from where its first part got over, from the ego clash between Pushparaj and Bhanwar Singh played by Allu Arjun and Fahadh Faasil respectively. Pushpa, albeit treading along a familiar path gave us one moment after another, that showed his street-smart nature with tricks up his sleeve for every obstacle. His journey of climbing the ladder up in the red sandalwood syndicate made for a nice commercial biggie and Pushpa did that. By now, Pushpa 2 revels in the magnanimous rise of Pushpa and his ego-tussle with this hot headed police officer, hell-bent on revenge for his ...

Imagine having a fascinatingly novel plot involving the Roman Empire attempting to create rifts amongst a five-clan community in a mountain, with each clan having unique characteristics, professions, costumes- yet a magnanimously mounted epic treads on a familiar tale of re-incarnation, ending up doing justice to none. That is Kanguva.  Expecting larger than life elements and huge spectacle treatment is certainly not a bad thing, but there are certain facets to it, demanding some sort of nuance. Kanguva seems to have misunderstood this aspect in its epic attempt and hammers these sensibilities to all possible corners. From all Siva films, it is safe to say that one doesn't arrive to his films, expecting subtle emotions and underplayed moments and it's not completely wrong. With Kanguva, Dir.Siva attempts to broaden his canvas and experiment with genre-types and in his pursuit to integrate his trademark emotions to this narrative, Kanguva terribly misses out on creat...

  Overview: Biopics are usually a tough genre to either give an opinion or articulate our thoughts owing to the respect both the art and viewers hold for the person and their journey it takes us through. In that sense, Amaran is quite complex, but the opinion on this film is definitely a good thing to discuss about. Performances: The film is driven by strong performances. Sivakarthikeyan is majestic as Major Mukund, depicting all the traits the real character acquired. This physically demanding character not only stands out for the sincere performance the actor delivers on this front,but also those very tiny moments where the actor really shines. Sai Pallavi is the complete heart and soul of this film. She carries the character with great dignity, and the moments where it all demands her emotional acting chunks, she is tremendous.  The whole casting is done to the point. From the soldiers to the parents and even the tiny characters, everyone does a great job. Casting done righ...

  Overview: Eccentric films are always a very crafty and delicate genre to touch upon. If done right, they work extremely well but if not treated well, it becomes sore to watch. The integration of dark humour makes it a walk on a tight rope. Bloody Beggar, unfortunately, ends up missing its mark, even with some very compelling ideas. Performances: Kavin leads this ensemble cast of actors, with his great act as a beggar, innocent yet bizarre. He manages to hook us in the emotional portions, really well and shoulders the film. Redin Kingsley fails to bring some great laughs to the film. The other cast is quite a mixed bag. While some perform well to the character, some end up missing to make a mark. Cinematography and Music: Fresh out of Nelson's creative radar, Bloody Beggar has its trademark still frames, symmetric camera framings and a very yellow-brown colouring to the frames, adding a new flavour and theme to the story, in terms of treatment. The whole palace is shot very well, ...

Black comes out as a very engaging genre film that somehow ends up confusing the proceedings, although it succeeds in sustaining the mystery. Jiiva shoulders the film skilfully, raising above the usual shock or reactions,while PBS gives a decent performance. This minimal casting and the chemistry between the couple helps in maintaining some stakes for the story. The film really is very atmospheric and makes great use of sounds. Sound design is one among the finely executed aspects of the film that compliments the film in a good manner. Visuals aid very well to register the nature of the film, with minimal usage of other lights to set for a very realistic feeling of a confusing row house setting that is used to the fullest in the narrative. The film has a shaky start with a needless song and some broad stoke attempts to convince the audience about the nature of the protagonist. The film spends another 10 solid minutes with a song to show the couple and their closeness for th...

  Overview: Amidst many big hero films that cater to the stars, leaving a lot to desire in terms of story and creative choices, Vettaiyan is a very interesting superstar film that never requires its lead actor to showcase his stardom.  A monumental task of narrating a story with a huge star is nearly achieved in this flick, despite some dilutions. Creative choices and some nuances uplift this film that definitely has a lot going its way despite many shortcomings, which include the film being bogged down at times by its attempt to commercialise the moments. Performances: The ensemble casting here is a mixed bag. Rajinikanth is superb as the subtle Athiyan, even with some moments leaving it to the 'superstar'. Fahadh Faasil is absolutely brilliant as Patrick, who gives this techie character a natural and humane touch that goes far beyond the buttons and gadgets. Amitabh as Sathyadev has a magnanimous presence that compensates for his shallow character development. The other cast...

  Lu bber Pandhu Overview: Sports films are always a tricky genre to handle due to its predictability and capturing its true essence. Integrating emotions and sensitive subjects makes it an even more complex genre to deal with, and that's something Lubber Pandhu pulls off quite convincingly. Good writing can make even a feather a powerful weapon and this film is no such exception. The film deals with its subjects in a very deft manner that it neither overdoes nor underplays it. Performances: The story is filled with several characters etched out very well. Harish Kalyan as Anbu fills the screen with energy and maturity, and does several scenes in a subtle manner. The show stealers are easily Dinesh and Swasika, who get the best part out of everyone. The relationship between them is beautifully established through out the film and the small moments between them gives us some solid scenes of emotions. Dinesh as Gethu holds the perfect meter of being both egoistic as well as crying li...

  Meiyazhagan Overview: A film equivalent to an old album in our house, dusted yet nostalgic and wholesome. Amidst films with serious genres and wider ambitions, Meiyazhagan is a beautifully simple film that has a beating heart at a softer, yet right spot. The film manages to make a talky yet mature journey, out of a very simple thread of story. A film of this treatment, is a rare sight. Performances: The whole narrative is all about its two lead characters, Arvind Swamy and Karthi with few another characters. Karthi lights the screen with his bubbling innocence and brims with an infectious energy, with a tinge of emotional weight to him. The magic is however, with Arvind Swamy, who is easily the best in this film. He, as Arulmozhi Varman, brings a very humane nature to an already grounded character, His facial expressions and body language conveys the emotional weight he carries. The transformation his character undergoes, is very natural and convincing. The other star cast like R...

  RAAYAN OVERVIEW: A film where its directional brilliance masks its flawed writing choices" Raayan stems from a very emotional idea that deals with the ideas of betrayal, trust, family and so on. For a movie with such lofty ambitions, Raayan starts off well but loses it momentum in its latter half.  PERFORMANCES: Dhanush is fantastic as Raayan, with great support from Dushara, Sundeep, Kalidas and Selvaraghavan. While Sj Suryah's character feels underwritten, his performance covers it up. Prakash Raj, with his small role, is intriguing and impactful. TECHNICALITIES: Technically the film is outstanding. The cinematography by Om Prakash is terrific, to say the least. The highly coloured frames with red ,blue and dark shades add a lot more depth to the film. While there were moments the colour grading felt so much that it hid the scenes, it's just flawless in other parts. The action choreography is done really well with a lot more realistic yet superb moves. AR Rahman is the...

  Kalki 2898 AD OVERVIEW: 'A highly ambitious film, that remains as a solid visual spectacle rather than an emotionally relatable epic.' There can be definitely references to Mad Max, Dune and many other dystopian kinda films, but where it all stands out is it's sincere attempt to flesh out a mythological sci-fi film. Kalki is like a film where you find overused tropes around characters but the visual marvel it manages to show infront of us overshadows it. A Mahabharatha with Dystopian storyline is definitely a fresh and epic idea to explore and it is brought well on screen, to a very large extent. There were too many characters and too many cameos where some of them were good while others were for the hype surrounding the film. PERFORMANCES: Except for Amitabh Bachchan, no other character has a well etched character arc, spare it for the sparsely shown Kamal Hassan as Supreme Yaskin, who really manages to create a menacing villain. It's all Kamal Hassan's presence ...

  Indian 2 OVERVIEW: 'A film that borders on being over the top and being bearable, but fails to even do something original and fresh' This film is a bit tricky for me to give my opinion, just because the film felt better for me in its latter half. To hop onto the 'negatives' part, lets give credit where it's due. The initial moments of the film were good with some nice ideas sprinkled and the motive of having social issues, and somewhat hard hitting. The second half definitely got better for me, personally. The progression in the plot with certain moments made some sense in a film that almost made a mess of itself. The aspect of Senapathy's ambiguity in terms of characterisation towards the end was good. To just pounce on the badly written aspects of the film and demean it might be a bad step. I can probably try to be a bit diplomatic. The film doesn't try anything fresh or impactful in the first half. The most disheartening fact was that the film's wor...