Vada Chennai

A slice of 'Ceasarisation' that would have done Shakespeare proud

***SPOILER ALERT***

Rajan(Ameer), feeling sorry for being hard, on his cohorts, decides to meet them over a drink and make peace, not knowing that plans are afoot to get done with him. As he arrives and breaks into a genial conversation, with his customary ease, nudging the conspirators to a sense of uneasiness and confusion, making them take turns to the farthest corner of the room to reassess their position and in a state of indecision and as they return to converse with him and then fatefully the weapons stacked up to stab him, fall down from their hidden places, from under the table, the period of indecisiveness gives way to insecurity among the cohorts, leading to a most decisive stab, And as a devastated Rajan, crumbles in a state of shock, the act of cowardice gets exacerbated as the others join in a frenzy of stabbing. And as the camera moves away from the scene of the crime and the victim, but stays,focused on the act of stabbing, Vetrimaran, may have just managed to recreate the 23 stabs that got rid of Caesar.

This slice of 'Caesarisation' is a slice of exhilaration, a reason, why we go to the movies. Shakespeare would have approved of the craft. It is so perfect. (Just imagine, how this sequence would have been if VJS had done this role)

Hail Caesar!, Nay, Hail Vetrimaran!!

Recently, I saw Namak Haram, the credit for the story goes to Gulzar, and I realized, that Rajesh Khanna's  role was that of Moses. 

I guess then there are probably no new stories to be told, only new ways of story telling.

Consider, Pariyerum Perumal, a most magical narration, of a story that has been told an infinite number of times.

I am such a great fan of Vetrimaran's  works, it is only natural that that your expectations are sky high.

And when you can be delighted, to slices like the 'caesarisation', was the rest of the movie in the same league? 

I did not think so. I sincerely hope that the ground work that he has done in this part, justifies in the future episodes to come.

For me most parts of the movie, did not seem fresh, they seem to have been repeated in so many movies that have been seen. North Madras itself, no longer remains something new. 

Vetrimaran is both candid and honest. We have seen Rajan in Pollathavan. Rajan is a beautiful character, 'donated' to Pollathavan, from this script which is been evolving for the last fifteen years. We see Dhanush(Anbu) reflect shades of Pollathavan and Adukalam and his fateful transformation infuses a necessary tragic undercurrent. It remains to be seen, how Dhanush will evolve. While Daniel Balaji's performance was pitch perfect and expect him to be a source of  several surprises in the  subsequent helpings, I was not really sure what exactly differentiated Samudharakani and Kishore, not that I am complaining of their screen presence.

I would consider, 'PettaiKaran' as Vetrimaran's best character. A character that is not only grey but so enigmatic adding so much to the suspense of a story. That is also a reflection of Vetrimaran's capability to think. Now do you have a character with the complexity of 'Pettaikaran' in Vada Chennai?

After having been fed to the likes of  'Pettairkaran', the motives of the antagonists, in Vada Chennai, are so simplistic and predictable, that most of the narrative falls flat. In the Interval block, Vetri falls from his  own phenomenal standards of the splendid Adukalam interval block.

I liked the pleasant romantic track and Dhanush seeking the blessings of his father-in-law to get married is a hoot.

In a recent video interview, while discussing the hospital scene, in Pollathavan, Vetrimaran mention's the detailing in the scene and the audience's appreciation of the detail orientation. Sure, Vetrimaran, has never shied of details. Drama is all about conflict. It is surprising then that the most important conflict in the climactic sections(land acquisition deal) lack any detail orientation.

Personally, I was pretty disappointed with Vada Chennai, but last but not the least, there is a phenomenon in the making and that is Santhosh Narayan. He is pure delight. God Bless him.

Andhadhun

A Benchmark thriller

For some reason, the motives of most crime movies especially in India is retribution. And invariably, retribution dished out as a back story always brings down the pleasure of viewing, steals the excitement and manages to plunge us into a certain degree of gloom. Andhadhun departs from this norm. 

For some strange reason I was kept reminded of Jaane bhi Do Yaaron. Sriram Raghavan, may probably have used the movie as an excuse to just laugh at ourselves, self effacing humour at its best. The sarcasm is underplayed, but wit reigns supreme, again removing a certain darkness associated with the story.

Jaane Bhi Do yaron, observed that malignancy had set into the system in the mid 80s. May be Andha Dhun, confirms that the metastasis has set in completely now. There is no apology about us having become, what we are. A valueless world is a perfectly malleable platform for characters to act as is their wont. In a zany world, Crime is around the corner, just waiting to happen.

The tension is there, the suspense is there and every twist and turn is laced with quotient of laughs. Wickedly clever.

Well I did not mind a certain goodness associated with the protagonist and the poetic justice that prevailed, but I would have preferred the anger and resentment in the last frame could have been substituted by a sequence that represented the spirit of the movie..

I expect the spirit of this benchmark thriller to be emulated by other fellow countrymen.

Let the levity set in.

Ratsasan, Tamil movie

The 'demon' is in the details

A huge fan of 'Mundasupatti' and its director Ramkumar, I had to catch up with Ratsasan. 

Ratsasan could probably qualify as one of the most well researched investigative thrillers in Indian Cinema, stimulating the grey cells and nudging you to the the edge of your seats, at the same time, and keeping you there till the very end. 

The first half is genuinely scary, there is a definite element of tension and it was fascinating to be confronted with a series of crimes without almost any clue.

There is  a conscious plot point which Indianises  this genre of movies. For me this sequence made, the already heavy viewing heavier but it had one unintended bonus. Munish Kanth's cameo

When I saw, Mudasupatti, Munish Kanth reminded me of Kali N Ratnam, essaying the role of an idiot reminding Kali N Ratnam's role in Sabapathy. This time around in a few minutes he gives an astounding performance which pales a  great actor, who essays a similar sequence, in a great movie a few decades ago. This particular sequence is a rare treat and Tamil Cinema will do well to use this great actor in times to come.

Last time in Mudasupatti, Vishnu Vishal looked like a close cousin of Akshay Kumar, radiantly smiling away. Vishnu transforms himself into this intense role, effortlessly, the pleasantness remains a constant companion. His underlying pleasantness, adds so much stability and balance to his  character. His  eyes carry a certain intensity which brings back a few images of his classic Neer Paravai.

The flashback sequence was jarring. It was unnecessarily loud. I could not approve of the specially loud  BGM in those sequences. This segment is not compatible with the rest of the film Could have been made more stylishly and imbued with a poignant touch.

This 2 hour 50 minute movie seems to have been pruned by about 16-18 minutes. It may be a good idea to edit the Vishnu Vishal and Amala Paul Song and few more sequences to make this a 2 hour 25 minute watch. The movie could be perfect.

There are two communities in India who are above the law of the land, the Auto Driver and the censor board. We can't do much about them, Can we?

A subject matter as this, treated authentically, deserves an Adult Certificate. At the beginning of the film the censor board is ridiculed about the process of certification. The Censor Board remains true to the spirit of the scene, a board full of jokers, remaining a mere cosmetic entity that serves no purpose; 

Catch up with this top notch thriller. It is as good as they come anywhere in the world.

Must see for the adult audiences

Pariyerum Perumal

After the disappointing CCV of Thursday ,Paradise had been lost, but by Sunday evening, thanks to Pariyerum Perumal, Paradise was regained.

I could never imagine an opening, the elegy on the death of Karuppi, a mongrel, could set the screen blaze, and pump your adrenalin, a tad, faster than a James Bond film, opening.

Wow, Santhosh Narayan, we are truly blessed.

Between the elegy of the death of Karuppi, and thought provoking poetic ending, is a known tale, retold masterfully by Mari Selvaraj, aided by technical brilliance and top notch performances.

Kathir is terrific as Pariyerum Perumal. His eyes are so sensitive and intense, fluctuating between tenderness, sadness, happiness, hurt, resolve and anger. Not to miss out are his vigour and vitality. That represents an actor with a great range of abilities,

Well, I am not letting out the cat out of the bag, but I was blown over by the Assasin's character and his values. I have always admired Jackal, in the Day of the Jackal, as the greatest professional, once commissioned, never needed any follow ups, There were quite a few things to learn from this assassin, as well. Thanks to the writer and the director, for coming up with this character. 

Go watch, Pariyerum Perumal to experience the magic of film making!!!

After the disappointing CCV of Thursday ,Paradise had been lost, but by Sunday evening, thanks to Pariyerum Perumal, Paradise was regained.

I could never imagine an opening, the elegy on the death of Karuppi, a mongrel, could set the screen blaze, and pump your adrenalin, a tad, faster than a James Bond film, opening.

Wow, Santhosh Narayan, we are truly blessed.

Between the elegy of the death of Karuppi, and thought provoking  poetic ending, is a known tale, retold masterfully by  Mari Selvaraj, aided by technical brilliance and top notch performances.

Kathir is terrific as Pariyerum Perumal. His  eyes are so sensitive and intense, fluctuating between tenderness, sadness, happiness, hurt, resolve and anger. Not to miss out are his vigour and vitality. That represents an actor with a great range of abilities,

Well, I am not letting out the cat out of the bag, but I was blown over by the Assasin's character and his values. I have always admired Jackal, in the Day of the Jackal, as the greatest professional, once commissioned, never needed any follow ups, There were quite a few things to learn from this  assassin, as well. Thanks to the writer and the director, for coming up with this character. 

Go watch, Pariyerum Perumal to experience the magic of film making!!!