While I still maintain that Aruvi is a wonderful effort, I felt that it was unfortunate that the spirit of Aruvi was somewhere compromised.
Mud Slinging a specific individual and a specific show, and capitalizing on that concept, is not something that the makers of Aruvi, could be really be proud about.
Denigrating an accomplished film maker, from the same fraternity is in poor taste.
I always thought Mr Sashi Kapoor as one of the most handsome with an endearing smile that could melt the toughest heart.
Remember a few of his interviews in the eighties, very few people could match his candour and self effacing humour.
The first unforgettable moment for me when he got the best actor award for New Delhi times, he choked with emotion and regret that his wife Jennifer Kendall, deserved it more for her performance in 36 chowringhee lane. Probably true, but the overflowing love for his wife made a poignant picture.
The second, is timeless, dialogue, from Deewar,' Mere Pass Ma hai!, '( I have my mother with me). This dialogue has endured and will endure.
Classy Mr Kapoor, we shall forever remember your charming smile. There are no good byes to be said, for you are etched in our hearts
A Must watch for all Ladies
Thematically close to Lens, which got released this year, this could even be termed as a sequel to lens.
Must watch for all the ladies, especially the abundant precautions they may want to take while using Social and Facebook.
The characters are etched neatly and the performances of all three actors are decent.
Happy for Bobby Simha, who get a nice role after three and a half years.
More happier for Prasanna who sizzles as a playboy and a probable Gigolo. His homework is amazing. He has not only worked on toning his upper body but has worked out a lovely quadriceps. he is as subtle as he alone can be, and in some sequences reminds Bhagyaraj in 'Kanni Paruvathile' and also Ajit in 'Valee'. I really hope he gets better roles.
The director's effort to show case Amala paul's "Ithu Thanda iduppu!!!" falls flat.(Clearly Amala Paul has become fat, quite disgusting to see her dance through the eminently forgettable first song) , but Paul, manages to redeem herself with a good performance.
The closing portions are awkward and halting.
Nevertheless, this ADULT MOVIE IS A MUST FOR ALL GIRLS/LADIES above 13.
Schools and Colleges may want to take their students to this movie.
Karthi rocks in this sizzler, which gets dragged down by sentimentality and extraordinary violence.
The Pre-Interval block sets the movie on fire and there are some truly great action blocks until the climactic duel
I recently saw Tom Cruise sprint in Minority report( Thanks to Amazon Prime), Karthi, sprints several times over. He in fact manages to sprint even on the desert sand!!! Well Karthi's stomach is truly caved in. As Karthi runs and his face is simmering with restlessness and angst, we truly feel the adrenalin rush!!!
For the kind of potential and intelligence the director has, he could just have knocked 40 minutes of the mandatory love track, unnecessary songs and poor song placements, and stylised the narrative sans violence, the director would have had a cult classic.
Keep wondering how these movies get UA certification despite explicit violence and gore.
Rathina kumar, a true diamond, pulls the carpet from your feet with some magical creative film making.
A slice to savour, As the boy proposes, the camera moves away from the couple to embrace the canvas of the sky, behind, and to let the sun gleaming down its rays on the couple. Whoa!.
The movie is peppered with some extraordinary moments, with dear Santhosh Narayanan,in freaking good form.
Alas the last thirty minutes a free fall, is distastefully done.
Hoping to see more of Rathina kumar.
And finally I get to catch up with #ArjunReddy on Amazon Prime....!!! Beneath the the raw emotions are rare sights of hidden sensitivity which surface, surge unleash a torrent of emotions that have the propensity to send you cartwheeling and experience 'Melting moments'. Music is soulful and the clever use of it to the experience (Special mention: Using, 'It is a wonderful world' during the death of the grandmother.) Not only do we have to watch out for Sandeep Reddy Vanga but also to the sensational Vijay Devarakonda. I am hoping Vijay will get the best actor for showcasing a complete range of emotions. All the best #VijayDevarakonda. For the discerning film viewer and the Adult: If you have not seen #ArjunReddy, you must catch up with it.
Two Telugu movies in two days, a first for me.
If Indian's film maker's can innovate, it is their ability to come up with a variation of the mandatory love story. 'Mahanubhavudu'. 'Mahanubhavudu' is a rock solid entertainer, squeaky clean, as my friend Sridhar Sattiraju, would have liked to put it. Unadulterated comedy , around Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, rolled into a mandatory love story. The perfect family weekend entertainer. Shrawanand sizzles, re-invoking the magic of K. Bhagyaraj, of 1980s( by imbibing his mannerisms) with deadly effect. The movie is a breeze. If only they had restricted to two songs, I think the movie must have been a killer. Watch it! Feel Good Guaranteed!!!
I suspect that it is waiting to be made in Tamil with Dhanush in the lead
1. Paa, Despite the make up and despite our preconceived notions, Amitabh managed to make the child shatter across all barriers and descend on us to entertain, enthrall and shed a tear.
2. Piku, Bhaskar Da, An unrestrained performance, Amitji, delivered with a gay abandon. The swagger and actor's relish was there for everybody to savour.
3. Cheeni Kum, Koi Kami Nahin thi, there was nothing left wanting. Can any one be so romantic at 64? What a variety of emotions
4. Aks, I think he made the movie just to enjoy acting with Manoj Bajpai. Some of the sequences with Nanditha Das are unforgettable
5. Sarkar, phew. The look, the posture, the body language, the fiery and intense eyes, wow!
6. Khudaar, not the best of performances, but the whole nation was praying for his life. The nation watched in droves and we went delirious with 'Angrezi mein kehje gain ki, I love you
7. Deewar, Hamare Pass Amitabh hai. The epitome of style n substance. This is the movie that defined Amitabh, the force he is. Thanks to my dad, for allowing me to see this film alone at Little Anand as a 11 year old!!
8. Sholay, Could have been dwarfed by either Sanjeev kumar or Amjad Khan, but stood out solidly, in the midst of a great star cast.
9. Zanjeer, saw the birth of an angry young man. We were in the fifth standard and the lunch time discussions were punctuated by discussions of Zanjeer. It was quite an achievement to have watched Zanjeer in the school circles
10. Namak Haraam/Anand/Chupke Chupke, how can the list be complete without a reference to hrishikesh Mukherjee's film's. HM brought the class out of Amitabh
When you see Kuttram Kadithal, you cannot but remember In My Country.
IN My country is A beautiful and important film about South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. It will engage and influence not only South Africans, but people all over the world concerned with the great questions of human reconciliation, forgiveness, and tolerance.
In My Country left me moved and touched. The perpetrator of a crime would go about describing the crime to the person to whom he or she inflicted the crime and then seek forgiveness. Often the perpetrator would get an opportunity to regret and the affected party would forgive and then there would be reconciliation.
Kuttram Kadithal, attempts a variation. The perpetrator does not commit a crime, ends up owning an act of indiscretion. The narrative explores the guilt of the perpetrator and drives home that redemption indeed lies in seeking forgiveness and forgiving, .
While the director sets up the plot with a lot of thought, he is unable to add enough meat to the narrative after the tension is built and is completely lost.
Human act of owning up, a value has to be necessarily associated with conscience and not with any religious beliefs and ideology.
In the true grammar of Tamil Cinema, The Christian, as always has to be Good, the Communist always concerned about the fellow human being, and the Tambrahm has to be the spineless skunk!!!
As hypocritical as it can get, the director takes necessary help from another Tambrahm, Tambrahm poet, Mahakalavi Bharathi, to not only put back the movie on to the track, but use "Chinnachiru Kileye" to magical use leading to climax of forgiveness and redemption.
Moriarty Sizzles, But Where is Sherlock?
Director Myskkin dedicates, Thupparivalan to Sherlock Holmes.
Who has not been inspired by Sherlock? Sherlock and Watson have been recreated in different avtaars, Ganesh and Vasanth, by writer Sujatha, Byommkesh Bakshi and Ajit, in Bengali by Shardindi Bandhyopadhyay, to name a few.
Sherlock has been been created as movies and TV serials over the years. As time has progressed, the narrative has evolved.
Incidentally, I accidentally watched, Satyajit Ray's 'Chiriakhana' last week. Wow, What a treat. Uttam Kumar as Byomkesh Bakhsi went on to win the best actor award and Satyajit the best director, in the year 1967. Available on Amazon Prime. Movie lovers want to catch up this extraordinary work.
We all got to savour, Guy Ritchie's work in recent times, where Sherlock Holmes intellect married the action packed James Bond, in never before seen action blocks. The first installment was a combination of problem solving and adrenalin rush tossed into an intoxicating mix.
With the Myskkin in control and his reputation, and the great feedback about the film, I did go with sky high expectations.
MY greatest disappointment, was with the way Sherlock has been recreated and while artistic liberties can be exercised, the trade offs are hugely disappointing.
Sherlock has always been objective, seldom giving space for emotion and sentimentality. He has no space for women in his life, except for the irrepressible, Irene Adler, a worthy adversary, who outsmarted him(in matters related to the mind). Sherlock is always ahead, two steps, of his opponent. He is the one who gets to take the opponent by surprise.
Missing sorely are his nocturnal visits and errands in disguise. Sherlock was a master in disguises. It is a pity that the movie does not even contain one sequence of disguise. In Chiriakhana, Uttam Kumar's disguise as the Japanese visitor, is a treat.
IN configuring a Sherlock Holmes, who is emotional, sentimental, and who is at the receiving end almost upto the end, it looks this movie is an ode to the Moriarty. Vinay is just brilliant, as he menacingly personifies evil.
Vishal, while physically being able to create Sherlock, is unable to bring in the eccentricity necessary for Sherlock, with his wooden face. The eccentricity manifests in fast paced walks and loud dialogues delivered from the bottom of his abdomen.
Disastrously, the movie starts of with the discovery of a prosthetic tooth. A wonderful opportunity to drive, Sherlock's detective skills is missed. They could have just taken a leaf out 'International' , where the discovery of a prosthetic feat leads to a show down at the Guggenheim museum. They could have suffused with some great piece of detective work with a great action block. Instead the hunt for the missing prosthetic teeth is quite a tragedy.
A U/A certification for the movie, is an absolute dishonest certification which educates the viewer, on how you can kill people in zillion ways.
Fascinating is Myskkin's obsession with Buddha. I can understand a martial art, competition in front of Buddha. I thought Buddha preached non-violence, An action block, with machettes chopping off people with Buddha in the back drop, is fairly a mysterious mind at work.
About fifty people are killed, in diverse ways, either through the principles of physics, chemistry, plain thrust of the pillows, Hara Kiri,(Japanese warrior honour killing) machettes chopping off, slitting of necks, knife inserted in the ears, bullets, arrows, swiss knives inserts, pushed from a high rise building, bodies are cut into parts, puppies are killed, a fantastic array of assorted violence. Long live the Buddha!!!! Normally such great work's violence get released on Gandhi Jayanthi. This time around we have a film of this kind released two weeks in advance.
Going by the positive reception for the film, I really hope the young generation do feel enthused to read Arthur Conan Doyle's work They are a great pleasure. It is an easy read. Students will be able to develop the habit of reading. Sherlock can also be inspiring. One can inculcate an appreciation for a sense of details, the need to be observant, the necessity to improve you competence, the importance of deep dives in multiple disciplines, the focus required to excel, enjoy your work and the great will to solve problems.
Here is hoping that a highly capable director like Myskkin, who is a prolific reader of great works of art, harnesses his concern for the society and anger, into creating truly world class films, which he is eminently capable of.
Small movies, benefit from experimentation.They also bring the joy of film making to the fore.
In defining four central characters in less than thirty seconds, the debutant director underlines, great things that can be expected from him.
In recreating a particular sequence, with the essence of 'Birdman' intact, the music theme(the calibrated drum beat), the camera moving around like a paint brush, with gay abandon and the editor freaking out, the discerning viewer is in for a lot of fun!!!!
But one man who steals the show, with his extraordinary acting performance is Bharathiraja. There is this three minute, possible, single take, where he is in complete control, regaling you with a story that is bound to send you into tears.
Bharathiraja Sir, in the last forty years, you have probably acted in half a dozen films. I think it is an unpardonable crime. You have denied, the Tamil Audiences, the pleasure of seeing you in many more roles.
Then there has to be a mention about Kumaravel, who breezes through with his menace. I guess with the range of Kumaravel's(Remember Ravi Shastri in 'Abiyum Nanum') capabilities, one wonders how we do not see more of Kumaravel.
It is exactly a year ago, that I saw Kutttrame Thandanai. I am happy to see Vidharth persevere with good films like ' Oru Kidavin Karunai manu' and now KB. Good Luck, Vidharth!. For a man who exploded with Mynaa, luck may not be on your side, but perseverance will take you places. Your charm and screen presence is in tact.
The mandatory love track and two misplaced song sequences effectively bring down, what could have been a superlative experience.
An awful days unpleasantness wiped away, without a trace. So much of imagination. I just wonder, the thought, that an actor must think through to bring to life, the multiple facets of a character. Meryl not only bulks up to show her slightly bigger than ever, and there is the gruffish musical voice that 'dances' as she speaks, the gait, and walk, that infuses a streak of masculinity. With the variety of roles she has done, the thoroughness in her preparation and the effortlessness of execution, one is tempted to feel and ask, if she is the greatest actor, the world ever produced?
Thematically, another interesting take on Forgiveness. The Youtube version is with a lot of cuts.
With twists and turns, the story travels at quite some space, halted a bit by two or three poor songs!!!. The last song though was just brilliant.
Interesting to note that in the sixties, people were still were worried about the consequences of their actions!!!! Crime Led to punishment. The sin did weigh at the back of the mind!!!
With Baliah and V.K. Ramaswamy around, the acting quality are of international standards.
K.S. Gopalakrishnan, was famous for his long dialogues. Surprisingly keeps the dialogues short.
Quite engaging. however young people, may not quite be able to sit through.
Thanks, Kamal. Enjoyed the suggestion.
One of the thrilling moments of my life was meeting Ajit, along with my colleagues at grt, late 1998/99, after Amarkalam was released. The prized photograph has somehow gone missing.
Many of the stars gladden your heart immeasurably just by their presence. Ajit's charisma endures.
Travelling to Coimbatore last January, there was a three year old who went into the 'Aluma Doluma' chant all through the seven hour journey. Such was the influence of Vedhalam and Ajit.
Ajit has stayed in my heart not only as a star, but also because he had the guts to take on the political establishment, if memory serves me right refrained from endorsing soft drinks.
But it gives me a heavy heart when he wastes his talent by doing stupid cinema.
'Thala', we would love to see you in some great roles. Meaningless cinema is like a daylight robbery, where crores of rupees are siphoned and invaluable manhours lost. It is as bad as the money made by the soft drink manufacturer's or by the political establishment you do not endorse.
A master class in 'shots'.
So much of imagination and so much of experimentation, takes your breath away!!!
A brilliant first half, let down by an overwhelming urge to preach, in the second half. Curse of Indian Cinema.
Technically we are there. We however still remain a prisoner of our mindsets or may be the box office.
A simple law for any film maker with an urge to preach, he must fall back on the wisdom of Iranian film maker, Farhadi!!!!.
I was always wondering if I would ever get over the high, of, 'Angamally Dairies', this year. Baby driver, a not so compelling title to get fascinated by, comes up with a most fascinating treatment. I do not follow much of western music, but I could not help getting swayed to the foot tapping music. As the movie progresses, the spirit of Tarentino hijacked the film, except that the verbal chatter was replaced by music. You probably have, the first musical heist. The hero is casting coup, and dazzles with the ever charming Spacey, and the irrepressible Jamie Fox. Just wonder, when there can be so much of creative intelligence, exercised, why can the violence not take back seat
If there are a few stars who could steal the thunder from Mr. Amitabh Bachan, Mr. Vinod Khanna, was one of them. Suave would be one word that would best fit the actor/star.
It was such a great pleasure to just gaze at Mr. Khanna
through many of his blockbusters as he breezed through the roles.
One movie I had always wanted to see and I could not watch till date is Shaque.
While I particularly enjoyed his role as the investigating officer in Inkaar, the second movie of Amjad Khan after Sholay, I have no doubts in my mind that Achanak was probably his best role and his best movie till date.
Achanak is a must see timeless classic. Written by K.A. Abbas and directed by Gulzar, in 1973, this 12 reel, thought provoking, edge of the seat narrative, can be as poignant as it can be.
Achanak may also qualify as one of the best movies ever made in India cinema.
For all the happiness, that Mr. Khanna, has brought to all of us, Mr. Khanna will be remembered for a long time.
May his soul rest in peace
Sitting in the first row of imax, seemed to be a blessing in disguise. With Hans zimmer in sublime form, the reverberating music, transported you into the war theatre. The music and the grey English channel just adding to the necessary gloom needed to define the mood. The technical superiority of the film is unquestionable.
Three tales, keeps the narrative, as simple as possible. Two important derivatives, the casualties of war and the heroes, are revisited.
However, one is not sure, if there is anything new. These are themes visited frequently by masters like Kubrick a zillion times, Oliver Stone, again and again, Spielberg and many others. Incendies, probably, discusses war and the casualties, like no other film.
One is not sure, if there can be any heroes in a war.
But what does not add up, is the actual act of evacuating 400,000 people, is not felt. The slice of the effort, that has been scripted and filmed, is symbolic and that does not seem to leverage the possibilities of Cinema.
Dunkirk therefore disappoints
This is the first directorial venture of Dhanush. Dhanush is no accident. Has worked very hard, to come upon his own. He has experimented. He is a world class professional, who has produced world class films and has now is in a major French production. His success is no accident. We are proud of him.
Given the calibre and track record, of Dhanush, you expect, something atleast above average.
Power Pandi is pure trash, neither a Gran Torino nor an avatar(Rajesh Khanna). Neither a bhagbaan nor a thavamai thavamirunthu. Imagine the performances of Raj Kiran, in thavamai thavamirunthu, nandha, pandavar bhoomi or sandai kozhi. Not sure if I will ever be gaga about the character of Raj Kiran in this film. While the director would like to believe he is in search, I thought Raj Kiran was lost and so was Dhanush the director and writer.
Mocking the audience is the greatest sin of an entertainer and Dhanush will have to live with it.
What I do not understand is that when people produce kaka muttai and visaranai, how can they even think of conceiving such pure trash.
I saw KV on Friday. I kind of agreed with Baradwaj Rangan's review almost completely, but was kind of taken aback by a public outcry. I just wanted to recheck if something was seriously wrong with my sensibilities. The director seem to have responded to some of the criticism by chopping about ten minutes of sequences of involving Delhi Ganesh and the interactions with Aditi's parents. While I did love the sequences, I guess may be chopping of did not do too much harm and may be the second half whizzed past.
Not only Mani but also Karthi seems to have taken a beating. I have never watched a movie so seriously.
I am personally relieved and enjoyed every bit of the artistry that has gone into the making. The maturity of the craft is evident in this most poetic love story, a love story that makes all other Mani's love stories juvenile, save perhaps, the love story of Kannathil Muthamittal and may be Ravanan.
Karthi's, partly impetuous, partly obstinate, partly affectionate, partly hot headed, partly dominating, partly flamboyant, partly cowardly, partly indecisive, partly awkward, driven by an adrenaline rush and jingoism, drowned in passion is as fascinating as only he can be. It is Karthi's character that makes KV stand out.
The resultant interactions with a uni-dimensional, mostly affectionate, committed and a strong female can never result in pleasant interactions.
Aditi is a treat and so is her ward robe. Her costumes add so much more elegance and to the feminine grace. She is a class act.
Against a backdrop of vast expanse and a riot of colours( Mani seems to have an uncanny knack of discovering more than seven colours at all points of time!!!!), the story unfolds at a delectable pace, with Rahman's magical music enhancing the experience.
The narrative is all poetry, as we are transported into the beautiful snow filled valley, we get to vicariously enjoy the romance unfold .
In one of the sequences, The yellow airplane flies in the snow filled valleys, dives into freezing lakes, and then takes off to fly above the cumulus clouds and arc off into a sunset with the skies painted in orange. What a joy to behold!!!
When somebody makes a movie with so much of care and taste, the least we can do is NOT to scoff at it.
I am sure KV will grow over time and I intend to have a copy of the DVD as a part of my library.
I saw Angamaly diaries(AD)the second time again last Sunday. Not sure if I have had enough.
The movie demonstrates that a true connoisseur, can truly be inspired by a great work of art and improve upon it by leaps and bounds.
The creativity in adapting it to the local milieu is astonishing and outstanding.
Consider the last sequence in Good Fellas, where Ray Liotta's voice overlay resonates, "Today everything is different, there is no action, ....an average nobody, get to live the rest of my life like a schnook".
In the translated sequence in AD, the protagonist has become a lift operator, filled with boredom, in the middle east, and is nostalgic about the action that would have happened in Angamaly on an average day. And as he is about to finish his duty with the breathtaking Dubai skyline in the background, there is the gorgeous setting sun and as the credit rolls down, the most beautiful call for prayer. A most poetic ending.
Scorsese will be proud of the conception.
I remember Deer Hunter's, a Russian orthodox wedding sequence, running to about 18 minutes(not very sure though, unable to validate), a most remarkable sequence, with two friends completely drunk,after the wedding, running out in the wee hours of the dawn, down the streets and end up lying down in a basket ball ground discussing their dreams.
I am reasonably sure though that AD has adapted this sequence.
The wedding sequence runs for just five minutes, but the music director, Prashant Pillai, uses Chenda to such magical effect, that the it has the audience in raptures and recreates the mood of Deer Hunter sequence more efficiently. And then there is that magical walk by the two friends. A rush of Adrenalin mixed with a soft silken touch of romance and culminates with a warm hug!!!
There is so much to enjoy about AD.
For me the hero of the film is Prashant Pillai, the music director who has freaked out. I have never heard anybody use harmonium so effectively in recent times for the background score. To Prashanth Pillai's credit, his usage of Chenda is venerable. I got intrigued by many of the sounds that has created and was trying to map it to instruments that he could have constructed to produce those sounds.
If you are discerning film goer, and if you have not watched AD, then you are missing out on one of the most important films of our times.
While I think Lens, is an ordinary film, which I probably did not enjoy much, I think it is a very important film.
A movie that every adolescent and lady, from all the strata must watch, to get sensitised to the possible dangers that lurk in every corner and probably every crevice, in a digital world.
The recommendation that every lady must see, is because the damage done to the privacy of a woman can many times be irreversible.
When so much of trash gets passed of as U/A, this movie may be 'recertified' as U/A, so that it is viewed by a larger audience. May not a bad idea for High school students to watch and have a public debate in schools.
A digital world shatters innocence much early on may be in the early teens or before and a lot of porn is anyway available. In societal interest, there is strong case for Lens being 'recertified' as U/A. If 'Pink' was certified as U/A, then there should be no problem in certifying 'Lens' as U/A.
This may be the the first Adult movie for the entire family.
Watch it, you must. Discuss it, we must.
Way back around 1997/98, Shakey Pizzas had an outlet at Montieth Road, diagonally opposite to Ambassador Pallava. Dining with my family, in the lonely restaurant we had a lonely companion in Arun Vijay, who probably was basking in freshly acquired star status after the release of Ganga Gowri. He was drumming up the table to seek some attention. But alas, as a family, we ignored him, And yes, over the years, may be he did not get the recognition he deserved. Twenty years in the industry, he keeps his chin, spirits up, packages him well and produces a winner. Just wanted to let you know, Arun Vijay, not only got your attention now, but have always wondered, why the earnest actor in Pandavar Bhoomi did not get the break he deserved. We look forward to some great roles in the years to come.
Arivazhagan, in Tamil, loosely translates into a A beautiful mind/brain. Arivazhagan Venkatachalam to his credit directed the most artistic "Eeram", a horror thriller for the family audience. We had to wait for seven years for another thriller. While this may not still be in the class of "Eeram', it has all the style, an understated elegance about his narrative, a pace that almost has the audience waltz through the narrative, the dignity of his protagonists and relationships, Intelligence that is conspicuous, and a complete control of his craft. Sir, if you can do away with the perceived mandatory sentimentality as desired by the audience, I think your movies can be several notches above.
While I may not be a great fan of messages, but for a change, I liked the message on Adoption
P.S:
As a professional, I liked the sequences which powerfully illustrate the necessity to research and be prepared for a meeting
The movie is an important film in Indian Film history, in a way probably first of its kind. I enjoyed the 30-40 minutes in the second half where the attack and counter attack is played like a chess games and I did feel the good bumps when the flag was waved towards the end but I also thought a great opportunity was lost, not because the movie was adapted from Crimson Tide and Hunt for the Red October, but because none of the characters were developed properly. The most disappointing aspect was kay kay Menon's character is supposed to be a blend of Gene Hackman and General Patton but Kay Kay Menon's fidgety and nervous that he was reminded of kay Kay Menon in Sarkar. Gene hackMan was a class act and Patton was never tentative in what he decided to do. He never exhibited deviousness and was never in a hurry. The greatest opening dialogue in a war movie, No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country he won it by killing the other dumb bastard for his country. If this dialogue can be messed around by Kay in a monotone bereft of any emotion. All one can say is a golden opportunity was missed. The climax scene where Rana Daggubati swims to launch the torpedo reminds you of a sequence in Poseidon Adventure, where the expectation is set to the viewer that the swimmer who will swim underwater is a record holder of sorts for underwater swimming, which lends a certain reality to the sequence. A fine effort lost its steam and credibility due to the way Rana executes the launch of the torpedo. Any which way, the movie is a great effort and a welcome departure from the usual fare. So much of engineering in one India movie is as rare as it can get!!!
The movie itself may not be badly made. Twenty to thirty minutes less, the movie could have been more sittable.
It is the avowed objective of commercial movie makers to dish violent movies for national holidays especially Gandhi Jayanthi. On one hand our movie viewing is initiated by the national anthem and on the other hand the father of the nation is scoffed in ample proportion. The content takes you back to the dark depressing days of revenge sagas of the 80s. Thanks to Krishnaswamy Kannan, for pointing out that the movie reminded of chanakyan, malayalam film, which was far more slick and enjoyable.
The earnest Hrithik, however astonishes us with his fitness and looks ten year younger. I really hope our film makers come up with something special and leverage his potential.
Can Modi ji work on "deviolencing" in movies?
Can we all work to making more lighter and enjoyable movies?
While there are legions of his fans who will swear by his charms, for me the enduring legacy of MGR will be his 'Thathuva Padalgal'(Philosophical Songs). MGR's sense of music was always nothing short of terrific. He leveraged simple, sweet and lilting music to communicate the highest philosophical concepts in a simple language to reach the masses. With his trademark magical swish of his hands he made a fervent attempt to awake and arise the masses. Am happy to share the link of "Unnai Arinthal" translated as 'Know Thyself'.
Translation of the lyric( Quite a struggle, hope the tamil purist pardon me with this juvenile attempt)
............
Know Thyself!! Know Thyself!!!
Mentally be prepared for Worldly struggles
Weather the highs and los of your life with your self esteem intact
It is the seeds of self respect that elicit wondrous admiration.
In the self awareness and self respect are sown the seeds of leadership
When you walk in august company, you must be thought as the first amongst equals.
And you must be agreed and accepted as a flawless leader
Know Thyself!! know Thyself!!!
Mentally be prepared for Worldly struggles
Weather the highs and los of your life with your self esteem intact
...............
Also happy to share the youtubes links of 'Emarathe Emmarathe"(Do not cheat and Don't Get cheated), and "Thoongathe Thambi Thoongathe"( Do not waste your time lazing around), probably the first MGR Thathuva Padal and Thirudathey Papa(Do not rob, dear child)
Unnai Arindhal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49U8Fz_d0ro
Ematradhey Ematradhey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tb6DuN5LvuQ
Thirudathey papa
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzN8Fs2AYc4
Thoongadhey thambi thoongathey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUEB_61rhZI
#MGR100
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