Endhiran

Puzzled! Thats my reaction when I came out of the theatre. Does the kind of crowd you watch the movie with creates any difference in your views? I am sure it does! Atleast it did with me. The movie didn't meet my expectations when I came out of the theatre.

I come home, lay on the bed and start thinking about the flick. Hmm, mmhm - Come on its not bad! Hell ya! its good enough. That calls for our next important question - On what grounds?

Number 1 - The grandiose

This is nothing short of anything. Given the budget, I feel the same amount how I perceived the costliest Avatar. I dont find any scene which feel cheap or childish.

Number 2 - Acting ( Read it as Rajni)

How many of us wish to see that old Rajni like in Thalapathi or Netrikan or Johny. Where is the powerful actor has gone ? Where is that explosive performance sans punch dialogues and some stupid stunts? Your answer for all these would be Endhiran. No stupid proving the mettle scene or ton of advice in the opening song to show the "Mass". Just a casual introduction - I started liking the movie. And what an explosive performance from Rajni post interval when he shows the other face! Don't get me wrong, he is as good in the first half as well. Rajni starts his show when he starts laughing when he is designed to kill. Oh man, If anybody can do that in style I am game for it. And the following scenes as well. Specially the "Black Sheep" scene. This is out and out an roller coaster ride for Rajni in acting and he does it with panache.

Number -3 Technical Aspects and Music

Tamil cinema is turning heads toward it. Hard to accept but that's the truth. Though many guys from US have worked, the IDEA comes from here. The climax scenes really give goosebumps when you see those stunts and creativity in a Tamil cinema.Kilimanjaro and Irumbiile were the pick of the album, shot exquisitely. Be it the exotic Machu Picchu or the cool choreography - these two songs are going to rule the roost soon if not already :) ARR outshines himself in BGM when compared to his latest flicks.

Flipside - yawn five minutes, watch five minutes, sleep five minutes, swear on the director for ten more minutes and drop your jaw for the last fifteen minutes. This is what really happens second half. First half was pretty much decent though it had dragging fights and few cliched scenes. Coming to second half what should have been a cool ride with an interesting scenario of a robot loving a human turns to be a boring episode in the movie. There were two stupid scenes which are the leads to two good songs are the real culprits of the flick. One involving the mosquito scene and another being Kalabavan Mani's scene with Rai. Come on, we don't want a situation which demands a song. Throw it somewhere between the flick, we would rather like it. Kilimanjaro and Irumbiile were the pick of the album, shot exquisitely. Be it the exotic Machu Picchu or the cool choreography - these two songs are going to rule the roost soon if not already :) ARR outshines himself in BGM when compared to his latest flicks.

I guess I left a guy who is responsible for all the write up above or scribbling. Shankar he is! I don't like him much personally. I am one of the guy who calls him as "Technical Perarasu" :) I want to change my views I guess hereafter. Endhiran is not a simple flick to make. We can talk over this logic is missing or that. Its boring or whatever crap we wanna say. However, what churned out in the screen is a big dream which a guy had. How slowly it has gotten into shape and how its made is to be appreciated for sure.

Coming to the first few lines of the same write up. I watched with a couple of friends in a utter crap theater without any hope. I guess anybody will feel the same when they watch Inception or what so ever:)

Verdict - Rajni, On his bare bones is a great actor. Here utilized properly. Watch it one more time you will understand!

Vinnai Thandi Varuvaya - Movie Review

With many expectations like Gautam Menon and AR Rehman's new combination and the knack for romance which Gautam has and delivers in each of his flicks, I went to see this. Result: Certainly i am way too satisified with the movie. It exceeded all my expectations and apparently it lived upto its hype.

Story: Karthick(simbhu) falls on love with Jessy (Trisha) when he sees her for the first time. ( A typical GM's love start)Jessy is from an orthodox christian family while Karthick hails from a hindu family who aspires to be a director. As a golden rule in Tamil cinema's love, religion, father and every possible thing which comes to your mind put their love in disguise. And the story unfolds showing whether they have joined hands or left apart with an interesting climax.

Performances: Simbhu has done a very nice underplay here and he shines. I always believe there is no such thing called a "good actor". Its all the director who pulls the talent out of an actor. And Gautam shows he is an expert in this in the form of Karthick's role.Trisha though looks pretty aged, blows us with her performance. She portrays a girl's emotions and the challenges which she undergoes with all finesse. Ganesh who comes as a friend of Karthick gets more applause than anyone when he utters those quirky remarks.

Music: The world knows why Rahman is a genius. But at certain times, the music which has the upper hand sometimes suppresses the beautiful, poetic lyrics by Thamarai. Other than that Rahman tries fusing traditional Indian vocals with an awesome guitar play in Aaromale which is nothing short of a classic. Omana Penne, Manippaya gets better while watching on screen. Hosana is this year's Adiye Kolludhe! Its refreshingly new.

Cinematography and Art: This guy simply blows away. Gautam shows his life he wanted to put on the screen through the lens' of this guy. A cinematographer or art director shouldn't be praised for his individual elements and tricks he employs in the movie. What matters is, even if its simple, how it gels with the flick really matters to me. in that sense Manoj and Raajevan win hands down. The choice of colors they used makes it simple but elegant in the screen.

Editing: Antony should have been generously cut some 15 minutes of scenes in the second half as it spoils the flow of the flick.

On the down side, songs were not in sync with the movie. Only when Aaromale and Mannipaya you feel a certain connectivity with the movie. Other songs though they feel good to hear, however doesn't go with the story. Being a little dragged during second half and songs every 10-15 minutes certainly spoils the movie's flow to an extent.

But of late I didn't witness any honest story straight from the director like this. How frequent we come across a dialogue or a BGM playing in the movie make us getting goosebumps? The climax scene while trisha shaking hands with Simbhu and the Mannipaya playing in the background did bring me goosebumps. And this is why i like movies. When you feel for the character or you think yourself as a certain character, the director wins. And so Gautam Menon. Period.

Forget the minor flaws(which can be corrected by crisp editing) and whining about it.Watch a great, simple and honest love story with hurdles which they overcome being the ones you watched umpteen times in other movies but with a soul to it in VTV and with a different treatment.

Verdict: VTV has a soul!