Puli Movie Review

*** This is a repost from my review on Bollyspice.com with minor changes***

As a renowned nation for mythology, kingdoms in faraway lands and fables in general, the big screen is seldom kind to the filmmakers who venture down this magical path and stand as pillars in history to rewrite that sentiment. But taking away the money bags, the bottom line shows that we love these stories. They fascinate us to no end. If they are told right… Puli is not competition to rewrite history but another venture to exploit the interest Chimbu Deven tapped into at the start of his career in 2006. How one wishes he didn’t.

You see, Puli is neither mythical nor does it have magical lure. There’s magic. In Natarajan “Natty” Subramanian’s camerawork that make you appreciate his skill of capturing a figment land of Chimbu Deven’s imagination. There is magic in T. Muthuraj’s production design. Makuta VFX listed on the crew was a selling point for me since they have been having praises flooding with each release. You appreciate their efforts and in the same breath wonder why. Why Chimbu Deven could not keep his end of the bargain up. The director who has made a career of refreshingly new stories and screenplays in the South has lost out as Chimbu Deven, the writer made a royal mess of the screenplay. The technical team and the cast could be giving the performance of their lifetime but it wouldn’t make up for the gaping holes and tacky writing. Even if you take the subject audience to be the kiddies, there is a good portion of the pre-interval that is just inappropriate for them as well. Result? Bheja Fry. And that is something that continues throughout the film. Devi Sri Prasad may need to re-jig his music mojo as the album/BGM is passable and that’s a lot less than what you can expect from the usually dependable music director. Yendi Yendi lingers long enough to score a spot on a repeat playlist. Jingaliya and Mannavane will work for a while but are like most drum heavy tracks.

In relation to the actors,“Ilaya Thalabathy” Vijay as he is fondly known should be applauded for the choice of role but all you feel is pity. He tries to make each scene count and fails miserably. The Queen even before Puli, the Sri the Devi the Ji (Thanks to Salman Khan for coining the phrase) has always been exotic but she brings on a new kind of hypnosis and radiates elegance. Kiccha Sudeep transforms every time you see him on screen. His smouldering sinister side just doesn’t get enough meat to nibble, let alone chew. The lovely ladies Shruti Haasan and Hansika Motwani have one portion of the film and 2 songs each with Vijay. They were definitely not expected to act with gusto but beautiful they both are. Nandita Swetha has 2 scenes and 1 line so I don’t know if that counts as a cameo. Thambi Ramaiah, Sathyan, Vidyullekha Raman, Prabhu Ganesan, “Aadukalam” Naren, Vadivukkarasi and lots more are in the cast. Yet there is little for them to do.

If you are looking for the story, you already know it. It’s LOTR, Prince of Egypt, The Hobbit, Gulliver’s Travels and etc. mixed in with a few badly made martial arts films. The repetitive isn’t going to bother you as much as being bored to death. And then being told there is another 2 hours to go.

Chimbu Deven’s Puli has less roar than a day old cub with pneumonia and no cuteness to substitute.

Rating: 1/5 
P.S. There was no mention of logic or Box office capability for this film on purpose.

Oosaravelli Review

Honesty is the best policy and since you, my dear reader, have taken the time to read this review, its time to confess. As much as NTR Junior aka Tarak is amazing an actor, Oosaravelli wasn't the most anticipated film for me. Keeping this hesitance aside, the normal hoopla that entails an NTR Jnr flick is anticipated. But lets dive straight into this one with the clear mind set that this is a masala film with a heavy action quotient [read blood, sweat and gore].

So on the story front it seems quite basic. Tony [Tarak] is gangster that is best described as the title, a chameleon. During his travels to Kashmir, he is taken hostage alongwith a bus full of people by some terrorists and meets Niharika [Tammannaah]. The two are bound together in a room as the remaining survivors and in the last few minutes of their survival, they share their final wishes. Tony expresses his desire for a girlfriend that he never fulfilled and in a split second Niharika kisses him and tells him to think of her as his girlfriend. But just as you'd think there begins a love story as Tony busts the both of them out, Niharika slips aways. For Tony, he  must find her even though he doesn't know the name or address of the girl who just kissed him. For Niharika, life has given her a second chance to live and she isn't going to waste it. Fast forward and shift to Hyderabad, Tony finds Niharika and finds out that she's engaged too. Neither shattered nor perturbed, Tony tries all he can until Niharika's fiance returns from his US trip. But who is Tony really? And is it really love that binds him to Niharika?

First of all, it must be said that Surender Reddy has moulded a story into this action-fest potboiler. So while it seems like a routine love story at first, the plot does thicken. Unfortunately, the film takes its time to bring that to the forefront. Until then, he does try to recreate the mayhem from his last film, Kick, to the point its like you are watching Tarak's version of Kick. Speaking of which, thank god that Tarak accepted this role. Not because its an amazing role but more because he explores his comical side in abundance. Barring a quite masalafied climax, Tarak is simple and totally alive on screen. To understand how such contrasting descriptions work for one actor, you will have to see the film. It might be requested though that Tarak find a new stylist. The clothing may have been next door boyish but that hair is unruly. Tamannaah darling, a special thank you to you. The girl has jumped leaps and bounds in the film. In fact, it is not far fetched to say she drives the second half film and that too, for a good portion of it. The ease in which she essays her expression can fool you to thinking she did not need to memorise the lines and meant each one. So she is a little annoying in the first half, she makes up for it big time in the second and thats what leaves a lasting impression. Payal Ghosh is back on the big screen after Prayanam and although the premise of her character is sketchy, she does an okay job. Prakashraj's has openly admitted the bad guy roles are his bread and butter but it would be so much better if he had a challenge because the man just cakewalks throughout. Shayaji Shinde could have been so much more to the film but is barely there, although lovable in the few scenes he has. Vidyut Jamwal is disappointingly absent thus makes an faint,almost non-existent impression. Raghu Babu, Jayaprakash and clan give the giggles initially but wear thin as the film progresses. Shaam is stuck in a circle and really needs to come out. The rest are strictly ok.

Coming back to Surender Reddy, its nice see that he kept his revenge story under wraps but where he and writer Vakkantham Vamsi keeps you interested in the second half, the constant gags of the first half can only cover the fact there is not story  for a while, not hid it. Music by DSP is a highlight as the composer is back to his peppy self with trusty aides Adnan Sami, Mukesh and Suchitra making a repeat attendance like on most his soundtracks. Neha Bhasin and Vijay Prakash's rendition of Niharika is extra sensual while DSP own track Brathakali is little different in tune and tempo. Rasool Ellore camerawork is fine but Goutham Raju's editing could have been that extra crisper but when its a Tarak flick, blood and gore are part and parcel so the action is bound to be lengthy.

Yet, the downside is just as obvious as the fake blood on Tarak's face in the trailer clips. Sometimes you wonder if Tarak's directors want to show him as an action star or a bloodied up star. The amount blood and killing that is depcted in several of his films can be a little putting off. Oosaravelli is no different in that way. But even as people/fans accept this to a degree, it is hard to swallow action sequences which entail the lead sitting tied up to a chair and fighting his baddies. I mean, come on! Laws of gravity or even Physics anyone! Ok so the action is OTT. Points are given to the moving the focus point at the right time but disapproval sets in again when actors like Shayaji Shinde are not used properly. The concept of the father still being around for the son even after death in a ghost form is shown in one scene then completely forgotten about after that. It would have been better to not have that at all. Logic doesn't take a back seat as much in this film with certain point connecting correctly but timeframes don't match on some major ones as well. But considering the premise behind the latter portion, I guess this isn't one of the pressing issues of the film.

Yet as you walk out of Oosaravelli, you don't think you have completely wasted your money so thats a plus.

Rating: 2.5/5

Dhada Review

Its not always easy to keep up with the hype of an action film. For Naga Chaitanya, Josh had its action sequences and so did 100% Love but the main feature wasn't the action in the film. Ajay Bhuyan's Dhada was supposed to be Chaitu's foray as an action hero with a string of love in the story. But having the elements worthy of a commercial flick like music by DSP, current favourite Kajal Agarwal as the ladylove and locations in Thailand, Milan and Europe isn't enough to make it a successful one. Read on.

There really isn't much to either of the stories [yes, there are two]. On one side you have adrenaline junkie-ish Chaitu who has a run in with Rahul Dev's brother and thus becoming the reason for Rahul losing the 100 girls he sold to black market kingpin Kelly Dorji. On the other the hand there is Kajal who lives by her business minded father Mukesh Rishi rules and finds solace only in her mother's last home video before her mother commited suicide. In between the thrashing of the bad guys from one track, Chaitu spends most of his time impressing Kajal or using Brahmanandam for a bakra to get to Kajal or getting sentimental with his brother Sriram [Srikanth for the tamil audience] and sister-inlaw/mother Samiksha. In short, do the baddies/Kajal get Chaitu or not forms the crux.

A done to dust action film in terms of story can still work if the screenplay and the performance permit. But in the case of Dhada both are a severe let down. Now I dont mind that Chaitu has decided to do something different with the love angle taking a back seat but this is not the film of choice. He does score brownies on making an effort to improve his skills including dancing [one that he has been ripped to shreds for] but sorry Chaitu, you cant save this one. As a majority, it is hard to find leading ladies that have much to do in action films that dont revolve around them. But even with a particular portion about her, Kajal Agarwal fails to do anything. Yes, for the purpose of being a "pensive and melancholy" character, her character is restricted in emotion. But she doesn't invoke any and falls apart like nobody's business. Looking pretty and having 3-4 faces, none of which depict the intensity needed, just doesn't cut it. Rahul Dev tries really, really hard to be sinister but is given some ridiculous lines that just mar his performance. For a deadly gangster, Kelly Dorji doesn't even make you blink as a reaction, let alone fearful of a seemingly dangerously brutal individual. On a side note, both of these actors need to find better dubbing artists pronto! Sriram tries his best to add life to his character but it doesn't help when its a badly written role and is hardly impactive. Samiksha looks pretty. Mukesh Rishi is wasted beyond comprehension and funny men Brahmanandam and Ali need new material.

Ok so the performances were a washout. But visually, Dhada is great. Cinematography by Gnana Sekhar V.S. depicts Thailand, Milan and Europe in awesome light. Music by Devi Sri Prasad is good but nowhere near as good as you would expect from the likes of the composer that brought Arya 2 and Jalsa. Hello Hello Laila is hummable but Ey Pilla has too strong of a resemblance to Na Pere Meenakumari from Mallana [En Peru Meenakumari from Kandhaswamy for the Tamil folk]. Editing by Dharmendra cant be blamed for not snipping enough since the material isn't the best to begin with. For that, the man in the criminal corner is Ajay Bhuyan. The thought may have been a good idea at the time but the director not only struggles to present it, his script lacks cohesiveness entirely. We must be honest that originality isn't something that is often seen in TFI, but making the proceedings enjoyable can cover that major flaw. But Dhada loses out to that too. 

So is there are anything good about this film? Yes. The end credits.

Rating: 1/5

Venghai Review

Its not wise to expect science fiction from a children's book writer so while I was hesitant about what Hari had to offer with Venghai, I put my masala cap on to go with the flow. Plus I was enjoying a few songs from the soundtrack and considering Dhanush is always dependable on a good performance even in masala flicks, I thought why not. Suffice to say I wasn't entirely disappointed. Well, almost.

So with Hari making an open statement that his films are all about having huge families with a village backdrop and showing the human side to the ruffians with sickles, Venghai beings with the intro of the cast, backdrop and most importantly, the three pivotal characters, Veerapandi [Raj Kiran], his son Selvam [Dhanush] and Rajalingam [Prakashraj]. With Veerapandi being the do-gooder of the town and Rajalingam his nemesis whom is struggling to get out from under his thumb although he is the town MLA, Selvam becomes the target in a behind the scene revenge plot. But when Rajalingam is publicly humiliated by Veerapandi, the gloves are off and the war public. His target shifts from son Selvam to Veerapandi himself. How father and son escape from Rajalingam's ploy forms the crux. Oh and Tamannaah adds in the love angle with a bit of a flashback as well.

Seriously speaking, there isn't much point in thinking with this film. It is a typical Hari film from start to finish. Not many changes and a serious case of old wine in new bottle. The sentiments, the flashback, the rivalry, even to the extent of how the rivals challenge each other has been seen before. So while I'm all for the masala format, sometimes churning out the same stories with different faces doesn't work, Hari. Yet I can't say I didn't enjoy it and the main reason is the performance. Especially that of Dhanush and Prakashraj, who are as always top notch. Although some may feel Dhanush doesn't emote extensively, I felt given the circumstances and the character's backdrop, Dhanush goes for a more subdued version of a ruffian with brains. All in all, Dhanush cakewalks through the film and really goes the distance to perform within his boundaries. Tamannaah looks like a village belle and although fine in the first half, becomes repetitive and irritating towards the end. However, her character does go through some random and haphazard emotional changes so this may not be her fault entirely. Raj Kiran is dignified as the father while Urvasi is a little over the top. Prakashraj is really scoring brownie points with the funnies he pulls out even while he is the bad guy and I for one, am loving it. Kanja Karuppu needs new writers for his comedy if he thinks crass jokes with blatant physical humour will get him far. Double meaning dialogues are bad enough but this was a pathetic excuse for comedy. Livingston was ok while Charlie touched the heart [p.s. welcome back Charlie :)]. Y.G.Mahendran is wasted after an outstanding performance in Yuddham Sei.

On the technical front, Vetri's camerawork is fine and editing by V.T. Vijayan could have been a little crisper. But in Vijayan's defence, Hari's screenplay and story didn't offer much in the first place. Devi Sri Prasad's music isn't at its best although Kalangaathale and Enna Solla Pore are definitely enjoyable. Pudikalai has his usual mass touch to it and will surely make it to a few iTunes lists. Action sequences for the film start off interesting however lose momentum quite quickly to become overdone and long-winded. Which leave us to the real culprit, the writing.

Is there a point in questioning the skill or sentiments of a director who makes statement like the one mentioned? Not really. So while the ill-sketched characters, long winded dialogues, repetitive screenplay and general done to dust feel of the story is most apparent, the director made the right choice in actors for the pivotal characters. The three men work their characters to best they can. Certain dialogues do have merit but they are few and far apart. Now, while I do not agree that a director should stick to one way of filmmaking, if he is good at a particular style or his signature works for him, there is little reason for him to change beyond his own desire to. As an audience member for Hari's latest film, I simply request he become more innovative in rehashing his own films.

Rating: 2/5 -Keeping your thinking cap off and far, far away. You might just like it.

Ready Review

** This review is a reprint from the Bollyspice's Ready Review**

Remakes are part and parcel of the Indian Film industry. But when one story travels from state to state and is remade in 4 languages, the question arises as to what is so special about this film? Not to mention there has to be something extra special for movie buffs to watch the same story again and again. For the film Ready, its blockbuster journey began in Telugu then went on to be a smash hit Kannada and then within one year it was remade in Tamil, seeing huge success there as well. Now it is Hindi's turn and at the helm Annes Bazmee plus the extra bonus it stars Salman Khan. However, taking a film to Hindi from the South has proved to be a hard task for some directors. Yet it's not a first for Salman Khan or Anees Bazmee, both as actor-director combo and otherwise. So the question is, was Anees Bazmee able to continue the track record and successfully adapt it to the Hindi audience and their liking?

Let's start by introducing Prem Kapoor (Salman Khan) A self confessed "bholi shakal kameena", he is the lovable brat of the Kapoor family living the high life. Like any other family, they want their "laadla" to be settled but he has a specific kind of girl he wants. Here we meet Sanjana (Asin), who is running away from her own marriage nightmares. In series of coincidental events, Sanjana overhears Prem's plan to ditch a girl his parents'have chosen. She decides to masquerade under the name Pooja and enters Prem's house to hide from the goons chasing her, at least till she finds a way to escape from them permanently. So while Sanjana successfully convinces everyone, Prem is not impressed. He plots to get rid of her but when he finds out who she is and why, he helps her instead. Having developed a soft corner for her already, the new-found friendship develops into deeper feelings but before either can say anything, Sanjana's past comes back to haunt her. A past that saw no ordinary goons but it is actually her own family, her uncles to be specific that are forcing her into a marriage all for the sake of money. It's now up to Prem, with the help of their charter accountant Balli (Paresh Rawal), to not only get his girl without the bloodshed Sanjana's uncles are accustomed to but also teach them a lesson or two along the way.

To be quite honest, if you're expecting logic, intense story-telling and powerful performances or anything similar, this isn't the film for you. Its loud, it's out there and it has Salman Khan in it. Now he wasn't the person you would expect in a role that was originally, and in the subsequent remakes, tailored to be a college going youth but that's not to say it doesn't work for him. Thankfully, they have taken the college backdrop out of it and just kept the fun. In fact, the role has been re-written to suit not only Salman but his style of comedy that was present in Wanted and Dabanng. The actor aims for your heart and worms his way in whether you like it or not. Both him and Paresh Rawal are sure to have you in fits of giggles from start to finish even though Paresh enters after the interval. At the same time, this isn't Paresh's awesome best that we are used but that doesn't take away from his awesome work. Yet while Salman, and Paresh too, seems to be visibly having fun bringing the house down, leading lady unfortunately, Asin doesn't make much of a mark. Given that she has major part in driving the story, it's a poor show from Asin who looks out of place at times and hams badly with some questionable styling and make-up. The entire ensemble playing the Kapoor family which includes Mahesh Manjrekar, Anuradha Patel, Manoj Joshi and Manoj Pahwa are mad fun to watch as they bounce off each other in the later portion. Akhilendra Mishra is a little too loud but is meant to be at the same time. Sharat Saxena is in the same category but scores better as he's a few decibels lower. Sudesh Lehiri is just about ok. Sunil Patel and Thomas Xavier for cinematography make their presence felt with some decent camerawork while Pritam comes up with foot tapping tracks with Character Dheela not showing any signs of dropping from the charts any time soon. Special mentions are in order for Devi Sri Prasad who makes an awesome debut in Hindi with Dhinka Chika. But the film does have set backs.

Editor Ritesh Soni could have used his scissors more liberally to keep the screenplay a little tauter. But in his defence, the writing has a few speed breakers in it for sure with locations not matching to the screenplay. Plus the lack of chemistry between Asin and Salman doesn't help the love angle of the story. So where Anees scores major points on his signature fun factors, he loses out when he gets tries melodrama, especially in the climax. Yet with that said, the film does make it up majorly because of Salman and his one liners care of Farhad and Sajid.

So while Ready isn't rocket science, its Salman's masala magic science. Take off your thinking cap and you’ re sure to be entertained thoroughly.

Rating:  

100% Love Review

Throughout the years, whether you're a girl or a boy, there are certain phrases that you are bound to here. "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus", "Its easy to go the moon than to figure out a girl's heart" and "Boys are the most confused creatures" in the world to name just a few. Now these are said with good humour and are clearly not the norm but when it comes to love, everybody has an opinion about it. Sukumar is the kind of director that likes to take a different angle on everything and has done the same with his latest 100% Love. With Devi Sri Prasad on music, Naga Chaitanya and Tamannaah play the lead in this Geetha Arts production. So let's jump and check it out.

Meet Balu Mahendra [Naga Chaitanya]. State level tenth standard first rank holder, state level Intern first rank holder, MCET first rank holder and according to him, he is a genius and a brand name. The only thing bigger than his record is his ego. Enter Mahalakshmi [Tamannaah], his maradalu [marriagable cousin] from his home town in the village. A country belle smitten about her Balu Bava, she comes to the city to complete her higher education and stays with Balu and his family. While the family already adores Mahalakshmi, its going to take more than looking cute for her to get on her Balu Bava's good side. For his part, Balu with his head is firmly in the sky, doesn't look at anything beyond her second class ranking and dismisses her promptly. She decides to stick to her studying but becomes frantic in her exam and breaks down crying. Mahalakshmi runs out of the exam and says to her Balu's father, her uncle[Naresh] that she is going to fail and she wants to just go back to her hometown when surprisingly, Balu steps in. Ignorant to her and her emotions as Balu may have been, he decides to help her out of pity. And so with his guidance, her own effort and a bit praying by the whole family to Ganesha, Mahalakshmi sits for the exams. But much to Balu's absolute disbelief, she doesn't just pass. She takes over his coveted first rank. Balu becomes furious at the humiliation while everyone else is applauding her. But he isn't one to let the humiliation last long so he puts in the extra hours to study and in the process, purposefully distracts Mahalakshmi from her own without her realising. Yet just before he can bask in his glory, Mahalakshmi realises his plan and starts her own cat and mouse game to even the grounds. D-day arrives after the exams and both get the shock of their life as their class mate Ajith[Anand] came first. For Balu, his ego maybe hurt with Mahalakshmi getting the first rank the last time but there is no way another student can take it. So the both of them set their rivalry aside and work up a plan to distract Ajith. But he's not the only one that gets distracted as the two spend more and more time together studying albeit with a few encounters on the personal side. Everything seems to go smoothly and as according to plan, Balu gets first rank. Celebrations are in order and the family members, who are by now aware of the private canoodling, plan for an engagement announcement on the day of the party when Balu gets a bout of jealousy as Mahalakshmi casually praises Ajith who missed out only by a few marks. Words become insults and with their guests and parents as witness, Balu and Mahalakshmi have a massive fight and the pair part ways. Yet only 3 years on, circumstances bring them back together. Has time healed all wounds? Have Balu and Maahalakshmi changed themselves? To find out, you will have to watch the moview.

First thing's first. Naga Chaitanya, who is only three films old and has thus far made some interesting choices with his films, is absolutely adorable as Balu. Personally, I could even say this is by far the most perfectly suited rôle for him. The arrogance, the dismissal, the attitude, the frustration. At every point, Balu has the face of Naga Chaitanya and that is all you see. Some may feel he is a little stiff at certain points but given that everyone has quirks and habits, this only adds to his appeal and I myself have come across real people that have rarely faced failure and get a big head over it. Tamannaah plays the bubbly Mahalakshmi with ease but tends to go OTT with more emotive scenes. She also has tendency of reminding you of an early career stage Kareena Kapoor. However, she looks amazing and has great chemistry with all on screen, including and most importantly, Naga Chaitanya. Anand as Ajith has very little to do even though he is quite important to the story. K.R.Vijaya is elegance on screen and delivers whats needed for her Mahalakshmi Bhama rôle. Naresh has very few scenes in the film but plays it with heart. Vijayakumar is apt in his special appearance. Big special mention to the kiddies in the crew. Each one adorable as hell but unfortunately names aren't available of these little champions. Dharmavarapu Subramaniam, 'Thagubothu' Ramesh, 'Chitram' Sreenu and M S Narayana add to the comedy cocktailfun while the rest are passable.

That leads us to the scene stealer. Sukumar is at it again with his "different" angle on love. Personally, I felt that life has become one big competition to see who's better and with the alarming rate divorces get sanctioned, there is more truth to Sukumar little message than most would believe. But leaving the realistic things aside, his trademark storytelling is evident. Keeping the fun in check and building the drama in proportion, he showcases his talent in abundance. Adding to his awesome screenplay is the superb dialogue. Yes there are some commercialised moments but in all, there were very few in the cinema hall that didn't enjoy such great lines. Music by Devi Sri Prasad almost always has automatic feet-on-the-dancefloor effect and he is back to his old tricks with 100% Love. A Squared. That Is Mahalakshmi and Kallu Kallu Plusu bring out the fun, crazy and melodious side where Diyalo Diyala is a classic item number that is always present on a DSP soundtrack. But the album entirely leaves a major impact. Cinematography by Venkat Prasad is top notch as is editing by Srinivasa Karthik. Both are a huge asset to the film. Leaving us with the negatives of the film remaining.

So what can be wrong with one the most enjoyable flicks in recent times? Not much. Depth in characters could have been extended to avoid a two-character-driven-story feel yet at the same time, the situations become as they are because of the lead characters. The disappearance of Swapna at the climax wedding was overseen but came to the fore when Ajith was shown leaving. A few snips here and there could have done some good but barring that, you will be hard fetched to find anything majorly wrong as the film does entertain and leave you with a satisfied feeling about the money you spent on the tickets. Even if you go looking, it is you that needs to judge if the film reminds you of them or not. 

To me, 100% Love is 50% Fun, 50% Masti and 100% Bindaas. A total time pass film that will have you singing the words and tapping your toes as you get the giggles from the story.

Rating:4/5

Manmadhan Ambu Review

When it comes to Kamal Haasan, even if it’s your routine masala flick, he infuses something different into it. And when he joins hands with K.S.Ravikumar, their films are sure to create a laugh riot. Add to the mix one of my favourites Madhavan, Miss Talk-of-the-town Trisha, and some rocking music by Devi Sriprasad and the fun is sure to be unlimited. I did have some apprehension think that it was a love story between Kamal Haasan and Trisha but the way Kamal and K.S.Ravikumar have depicted a concept of how honest people are in their relationship as the basis to Manmadhan Ambu cleared it all. So h  ere we go.

Scene: Airport. Actress Nisha aka Ambujakshi [Trisha] has planned a holiday on a cruise with her recently divorced friend Deepa [Sangeetha] and her two kids. Even with the picturesque views of Europe in front of her, Ambu's mind is preoccupied with the past. Flashback to Kodaikanal. Ambu is shooting a song with actor Suriya when her fiancé business tycoon Madhanagopal [Madhavan] comes on set with his parents [Usha Uthup and Kitty]. All is fine till Madhan mistakes a conference call between Suriya, his daughter [!!] and Ambu to be the two actors canoodling over the phone in broad daylight. Not wanting to make a scene, Madhan and Ambu go for a car ride where Madhan gives her a piece of his mind and before they realise, their argument consumes them so much that they have an accident with an oncoming vehicle. The two come out of it without any major damage but the same can’t be said for their relationship. Cut back to the present and we find out Madhan will not let go of Ambu all that easily. He enlists the assistance of Indian Army Officer Major Mannar to spy on Ambu while she is on her cruise. In return Madhan will pay for the treatment for Major's friend Rajan [Ramesh Arvind] who's in hospital with cancer. Seemingly a simple task, Major proceeds as directed and finds no secret lover or any other faults for that matter, with Ambu and reports this to Madhan. But instead of coming through with his side of the deal, Madhan backtracks, creating grief for Major as Rajan needs to be operated on urgently. Stepping aside from his honest and upright nature, Major tells a lie to save his friend. But as you all know, lies never come alone. What you witness from here is how that one lie will land Major in more trouble that he bargains for and to a truth that will change his life.

 

I know that Kamal Haasan needs no introduction and his acting skills are undeniable. But what I love about the way Kamal plays Major Mannar is that barring his intro scene, you won’t find him being over the top at all. Yes, it’s a comical situation with some odd turns but nothing that seems completely far-fetched like the climatic chase in Avvai Shanmughi or Panchathathiram. He is simple and honest without major dramatics. Dear Madhavan, welcome back to Tamil cinema. Oh how I have missed you! I have always had a firm belief that Madhavan has a flare for comedy that he has not exposed completely. The man is simply superb as the possessive fiancé [I personally think he deserves the "Best Drunken Act" Award and tweeted it to him too]. Trisha is by no means lagging behind the two in the film. I personally love the fact she dubbed for herself in the film and think why didn't producers/directors ask her to do it for her earlier projects. In fact, the sync sound worked enormously well with the entire cast. But, back to Trisha. She beautifully executes her love, frustration and turmoil and holds her ground next to the legendary actor. However, she has strong competition in the form of Sangeetha. Man, oh man do I love this woman. She has proved time and again that she is more than capable but I love her in this comedy avatar as Deepa, the stylish, rough-around-the-edges, street smart friend of Ambu. Kunjan and Manju Pillai as Mr and Mrs Kurup are hilarious as were the two little kiddies in the film. The usual suspects of Ramesh Arvind, Urvashi, and Sreeman do their bit as expected.

 

I have mentioned before that comedy is a serious business. Kamal Haasan has proven his comedic timing several times but this time he has tried his hand at 5 hats, Story-Screenplay-Dialogue-Lyric Writer and Actor. His trademark of comedy with a thought behind it to think about is evident. Even though the initial promos were confusing with Man Madhan Ambu shaped differently, the two reasons for it show that this is not just a normal love story, which it clearly isn’t. I love the way he has infuses emotion into a scene with his dialogue without making a caricature out it. And supporting him in a major way is K.S.Ravikumar. Making sure that the writing doesn’t get lost on celluloid, he makes the proceedings intriguing and easy to watch. But that doesn’t mean the film doesn’t have its sad moments. Watch the way he depicts the scenes between Kamal and Trisha where they talk about his wife. Manush Nandan has done a great job with his cinematography, showing Europe in spectacular form and it’s sure to boost the tourist counts. Editing by Shaan Mohammed is clean and crisp.

When it comes to Devi Sriprasad I am always a little two minded. Don’t get me wrong, I love his work so there is always excitement when he has projects like these. But there have a few occasions when his songs seem the same, quite the opposite of his re-recording. However, my love for his work doesn’t get compromised this time around as DSP has scores majorly on both counts, with Kamal Haasan writing the lyrics for all the songs barring Oyyale which is written by Viveka. [Side note: The difference is quite evident]. Neela Vaanam, Thakida Thatham and the poem [yes it was still in the film] by Trisha and Kamal Haasan are the pick of the lot. A special must be made to the costumes of all the artists as each look amazing and natural to the character they played.

Amongst all the good stuff what can I say about the downfalls? Yes they are there. Kamal Haasan isn’t perfect as a writer as I wish he had given the actress who plays his wife and Oviya [Madhan marriageable cousin, Sunandha] a little more screen time and depth, respectively. It does get a little predictable but when the pluses outweigh the minuses, it is really easy to overlook these factors.  

At the end of it all, you will look into yourself and think how honest you are to your relationships while you tap your feet to the title track Manmadhan Ambu.

Rating: 4/5


Thanks to my twitter friend Vivek Ranjit's review, just found out that Gouthami is the mastermind behind the costumes. Cool!