7aam Arivu Review

Before we begin this review, lets take a look at one aspect of this film. The concept of Bodhidharma, a Buddhist monk dated in existence in the 5th/6th century does have some inconsistency. Some scholars note he was a Prince from the Pallava dynasty while others say he was from a Brahmin family with only a possibility of a royal bloodline. But there are two things they all confirm. One, he was one of the forefathers of martial arts and meditation. And two, he was a Tamil man from Kanchipuram Tamil Nadu. Now the scholars that quote details of his origination aren't exactly available so much like the origination of Zen, there is little factual evidence to prove this barring the temples and scriptures that are present even today. 7aam Arivu is based on these and the best way to watch the film is with the notion this is supposed to be an entertaining film, not a documentary on actual facts and events. So here we go.

The film begins with in 6th century Tamil Nadu and narrates the legend of Bodhidharma as a form of setting the back story straight. History lesson over, we fast forward to today and a plan against India devised by China is being actioned with our bad guy, a Chinese agent named Dong Lee [John Tri Nguyen]. His target? A geneticist [not a scientist] named Subha Srinivasan [Shruti Haasan]. How her research on genetic engineering and genetic memory ties the descendant of the 6th century patriarch, a circus artist named Aravind into Dong Lee's line of fire forms the crux of this conspiracy-sci-fi-action caper. There is little bit of love, history and loads martial arts along the way so its does behave like a masalafied version but the premise is something you wouldn't have seen before.

Due credit must be given to A.R.Murugadoss as a writer as he has gone to great lengths to research and insert the ideas of genetic memory stimulation, Tamil history and high level conspiracy for the common man to understand. Murugadoss' choice of Surya in the lead role works for the film as the actor dazzles once again. Even though Bodhidharman makes a bigger impression, the playful Aravind is good as well and the extent the actor has gone to for the characters is plain for all to see. Shruti Haasan is marking her debut in Tamil with this film and makes an honest effort to play it well. While there are a few things she needs to improve, as a newcomer she does well in a meaty role and isn't playing a ditsy college goer. In fact, there are moments where she is the brains of the outfit and Suriya the brawn, a nice change from the usual. John Tri Nguyen has played the bad guy before but he fits the bill with his sinister hypnotism act well and his background in martial arts is also evident. Its been a while since the bad guy had equal or even more screen time. Abhinaya is hardly there, Illavarasu has two scenes and Pakru plus the circus gang get lost when the story shifts gears.

Technically enriching, Ezhaam Arivu boasts of a particularly credible crew. Ravi K Chandran behind the camera works magic right from the first shot. He depicts the surroundings with style but nothing too OTT. Anthony at the editing board makes the film flow neatly. Special mentions need to be made for the action director, Peter Hein and art director, Rajeevan. Both have put in a lot of effort and it is evident on screen. The SFX plays a big part in the film to depict the fictional past and the action packed present. As a team, each member has taken forward their craft and as captain of the ship, A.R.Murugadoss gets the best out of them.

Yet Ezhaam Arivu is not without its shortfalls. As much as Subha and her research are given importance, the is no reason or purpose for Aravind to be in the circus. Nor is there enough screen time to show his antics. While the light moments cause a few giggles, the first half spends a lot of time on a 2 dimensional love story that really doesn't have enough merit to it, regardless of the effort put in by the actors. The holes in the conspiracy are gaping wide and the 1980's dialogue mouthed by the Chinese characters don't help. An odd fact since its the same Murugadoss who wrote the dialogue that makes sparks fly when speaking about Tamil culture.  It is nice to see he has tried to bring to attention the pressing issue of knowing your heritage and the culture behind it in amongst the story. [This is something which this writer believes is relevant to  all cultures, not just Tamils, but that is a separate issue.] However, it deviates from the entertainment factor which the director himself has requested for. Maybe the patriotism side of the viewer is the target but the emotion is not always consistent enough to pull it through. The pre-climax drama also seems way too far-fetched to be believable and the decision to do the experiment is definitely dipped in masala mayhem sauce. Cinematic liberties are part and parcel for filmmaking but this isn't something you would expect after the history lesson you get in the beginning. And finally, the music. Harris Jeyaraj is indeed extremely talented, but the fact that more than one song seems like a spin-off of a track from his own discography is not a nice feeling. The positioning of the songs should have been rethought since they act as additional speed breakers for a slow first half.

So the final verdict on what has to be one of the most anticipated and biggest films in Surya's career is watch it for John, the SFX and Suriya. Try not to think about the logic behind it all.

Rating: 3/5

Force Review

**This is a repost of the review on Bollyspice**

Tried and tested formulas can weaken any film. Regardless of star power, chart busting music or excellent performance. But with the right people on board, and an innovative way to tell a story, your average film can become almost epic. However, Force doesn’t fit into this category. Even while we have John Abraham, Genelia D’Souza and debutant Vidyut Jamwal stepping into the roles of ACP Yashvardhan, Maya and Vishnu, originally played by Surya Sivakumar, Jyothika and Jeevan in the Tamil smash hit Kaakha Kaakha, all is not well. Nishikanth Kamat is no doubt an amazing director and each actor in their own right is talented. However, when put together with Vipul Shah backing the film in production, the sparks that normally you would expect to fly fail to make attendance.

Ok so we take a step back and understandably, the story of the remake from the South was not unique to even for the original Tamil, or subsequent language audience. A sharp and intelligent cop ACP Yashvardhan played by John Abraham taking down a drug ring including drug lord Reddy Anna (Mukesh Rishi), in turn becoming the revenge target for his brother Vishnu played by newbie Vidyut Jamwal. And everyone knows, the burnt bad guy shaking up your work life is never enough. This is where Genelia comes into play. In between the narcotics cases that threaten his fair city, Yash reluctantly brings social activist Maya into his life, making her danger’s sweet and easy target. How things pan out form the crux.

The film’s action and testosterone exchange between John and Vidyut is high in volume as an attempt to keep audience on the edge of their seat. Unfortunately for us high in volume does not mean high in spark. On one side, the screenplay is percieved to depict a slick, urban cop story. And on the other, the masaledaar treatment (plus a fair few strategic brand placements) is interjected. Individually speaking, each actor has done their part. John’s beefed up exterior does add to the character and its brute strength. Yet, even as he tries hard to fit the bill but simple things like his dimpled smile take away from the stern and seriousness of the role, causing him to lose the essence of a strict cop. Genelia D’Souza dons a young, bubbly yet responsible version of Maya but she plays it very well as she is on familiar ground with a good of chunk of her roles in the south having similar traits. A quick mention must be made about the chemistry between the two though which fluctuates from hardly there to cute. A bit of a sad point since it is integral to the love angle. But by far newcomer Vidyut takes the whole cake, kit and caboodle. The actor has amazing screen presence and is the perfect bad guy of the new generation. Mukesh Rishi is ok as drug lord Reddy. Monish Belh is sufficient as is Sandya Mridal. The cast of John’s remaining comrades Mahesh and Kamlesh, pitch in their two cents.

From behind the camera, Ayananka Bose brings to life every scene with Aarif Shaikh keeping the proceedings crisp. The scenery is almost picture perfect. However, beautiful locales aren’t the only thing we see on screen. Watching a film like Force isn’t for the faint hearted and that is evident in Allan Amin’s action sequences. Its possible, the trend of masala films making a comeback may be behind the depiction and screenplay for this Nishikanth Kamat directed venture. It would be unfair to say it doesn’t entertain but the high voltage action doesnt sit the way one would like it to for a masala film. On the other hand, the intro fight scene for Vidyut does make you sit up and take notice. The same can be said for the music of the film. Harris Jeyaraj makes a return after Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein, another remake from the south and has brought a track from the original Tamil film, ‘Khwabon Khwabon’. But the pick of the lot would have to be Main Chali with Kaise Kahoon coming close behind.

So is Force as forceful as you would expect it to be? Yes. But brute force doesn’t always work.

Our Rating:

Engeyum Kadhal Review

Love stories are perhaps one of the most retold stories in cinematic history. Within TFI, there is a love angle in pretty every story you come across. What's the few that escape this, have a mini-story in the flashback at least. For director Prabhudheva [he's changed his spelling], he has already swooned the Telugu audience with Nuvvanthanante Nenuvoddhantana but he has yet to show his charm to the Tamil audience after making a smashing entry with Pokkirri and Villu. Engeyum Kadhal brings together Hansika Motwani and "Jayam" Ravi Mohan in lead roles supported by Suman and Raju Sundaram with Harris Jeyaraj for music, Anthony for editing and Nirav Shah for cinematography. So what's it about? Read on.

The movie opens with the city of love, Paris. At every corner, at every street, Love is everywhere. No conditions, no restrictions. Just love. While the world sees Paris this way, Kamal [Ravi Mohan] sees it as his getaway place. After slaughtering it out for 11 months of the year in India, Paris is his destination for fun, frolic and female companions. The last thing he has on his mind is love. Enter Kayalvizhi [Hansika Motwani]. A firm believer in love, she sees love in every avenue she turns. Including in the cases that come to her private investigator father Rajasekhar [Suman]. So what happens when the believer falls for a non-believer? What lengths would you go to get the one you love to believe? Set in picturesque Paris entirely, Engeyum Kadhal is about how love is literally everywhere, you just need to open your eyes to it.

Honesty is the best policy so in all honesty, this is a very simple story driven by the lead pair "Jayam" Ravi Mohan and Hansika Motwani's performance and chemistry. And for what its worth, the two do quite well. After seeing him in varying roles yet still with a boy-next-door feel, Ravi has come out of this shell and becomes the total charmer Kamal is. Suave and stylish, he looks a million bucks and fits the bill perfectly. Hansika's filmography has some big films in Telugu but this is only her second one in Tamil. Yet, it would be safe to say the actress is going to be the cutie in town as she pouts, giggles, cries and schemes adorably and given she has a "Chinna Khushboo" tag floating, you can appreciate the boys are going to like her but considering when the serious emotions come out, she makes an honest attempt the girls will warm up to her as well. However, she really needs a different dubbing artist than Savitha. Raju Sundaram is back after a long time as an actor and tickles the funny bone with his antics. It would have been nice to give him some more scenes with Ravi but the actor in Raju works with what he has well. Suman as the caring yet friendly father is not there for very long but he cakewalks through his role. Manoj Pawar and newbie KJR are passable. A big hug and special mention to the dancers in Nangai. As short the roles may have been their lip-syncing and expression was just awesome.

With all that said, the main atraction of the film is Paris. Or should I say Nirav Shah's view of Paris. He has shown time and again how he spins his web of magic on seemingly plain locations. But with the city of love in his camera, the man steps up and dazzles Paris like none before. Simply exquisite. Editing by Anthony is his usual best while newcomer R.K. Naguraj's art work well with the film. Nalini Sriram gets a special mention just for the styling of the lead pair which looks great but suited the characters to the T. Background and music by Harris Jeyaraj is as exquisite as the camerawork with my personal favs from the OST being Nenjil Nenjil, Nangai and Engeyum Kadhal. But now to our main man, Prabhudheva. The actor-choreographer-director [he has sung/rapped but we'll leave that for now] is showing maturity in his work whilst still maintain his classic signature. A jovial man in real life, the ease at which he inserts humour into the screenplay is typical of him alone. The simple yet stylish presentation conveys more than most long-winded dialogues. 

Yet Engeyum Kadhal does have its downside. The story by AC Mugil and Ravi Chakkravarthy lacks detail in the most vital points and thus taking away from the connection with the audience. Its not enough to make people laugh when the focus is also on the romance between the leads. While the chemistry is refreshing and new, due to the fallbacks in the writing department, including dialogues by Ravi Chakkravarthy, G. Jayakannan and Premsai, it does falter a bit and lose intensity. 

Rating: 3.5/5. Feel the love and it will entertain. See the logic and it might not.

Ko Review

They say that if there is a desire that doesn't get fulfilled, most people will try to incorporate it into their life as a hobby at least. For K.V.Anand, an established cinematographer and now successful film director, apparently his desire was always to be a still photo journalist. Already having seen success with his innovative portrait of smuggling in Ayan, the director lives out his dream job through his lead actor Jiiva in his latest offering Ko. Taking the controversies of cast changes and rumors in his stride, Anand returns with Harris Jeyaraj for music and duo Subha [D. Suresh and A.N. Balakrishnan] for story and dialogue but brings a new team of actors and technicians with the talented Jiiva, Karthika who makes her debut and surprise packets Piaa Bajpai and Ajmal Ameer in lead roles while newcomer Richard Nathan takes over cinematography. So without further delay, lets dive in.

The film opens with Ashwin [Jiiva], a still photo journalist for a daily newspaper Dhina Anjal, photographing a group of men robbing a bank as they leave. With some fancy foot work on his bike, he grabs everyone on his camera but not before the leader of the group notices him. All attempts to catch Ashwin fail until he stumbles into Renuka [Karthika] who mistakes him for a thief and stops him in his tracks, inadvertently helping the criminals get away. Confusions clarified, life comes back to normal with Ashwin finding out that Renuka is the new investigative reporter on the team and the police catching four of the five culprits, leaving the leader still at large. After breaking the ice with Ashwin and Saro[Piaa Bajpai], Renuka becomes close with both of them. However, when affections rise for Ashwin, Saro stops her and makes her existing feelings known. Not one to create trouble for her friend, Renuka hides behind her work as their editor assigns her to cover the upcoming elections with Ashwin. For his part, Ashwin begins to feel the same but is confused by her actions so he puts it all aside and stands by her with camera in hand. The two through their investigation shed light to the controversies of the ruling party Chief Minister Yogi [Prakashraj] and opposing party candidate Aalavandhan[Kota Srinivasa Rao]. Its here that Ashwin, Renuka and Saro are introduced to a new candidate group lead by Vasanthan [Ajmal Ameer]. Backed by a group of youngsters, each holding a PUC and goals to be the change they so desperately want in society, Vasanthan and his team battles to find support for their group "Sirugugal" and with Ashwin's help, the wind finally blows their way. But when it comes to politics, the rivalry is both common and brutal. Just when the Sirugugal group finds itself a fighting chance, tragedy strikes in the form of a bomb blast, leaving several members of the party dead. Questions rise as Ashwin and Renuka try to figure out who did it. In the midst of this and in a doubtful state, Vasanthan too questions himself after seeing the gory side of politics whether he should continue. But while the tumultuous turn of events has left everyone shocked, shattering truths come out of Ashwin and Renuka's investigation that will make them both question who really are their allies. To find out the real faces behind the mask, you will need to watch the film.

I usually start off my analysis with the male lead of the film but for a change and because Ko is that kind of film, the first person I must mention is K.V.Anand. You have seen so many stories of an honest reporter shedding light to the atrocities of society. But you will not come across a narrative so closely depicted to reality. Possibly using events that happened during his days as freelance photo journalist, the director doesn't just give his lead character a camera to take random shots; he shows the audience the life of a still photographer working in a daily newspaper. No demigod status, no righteous attitude, just a normal man staying true to his work and maintaining a heart as well. His trademark style is present here as well and what’s more the detail injected into the story makes his story all the more believable. Duo Subha have a knack for creating subtle suspense and with Anand's know how, they strike a connective cord with the audience without becoming too abstract. Richard Nathan, please take the stand for your ovation. His camerawork shows passion, innocence, integrity, and violence with amazing detail like none before. A true highlight of the film that is sure to set a new standard. Peter Hein's action sequences are sure to grab more than just the average action junkie's attention. Harris Jeyaraj's track record speaks for itself so it is hard to select the pick of the lot from any soundtrack of his. With Amali Thumali displaying exquisite locales with the fun vocals of Hariharan and Swetha Mohan/Chinmayi, Venpaniye showcasing the talent of success singer duo Sriram Parthasarathy and Bombay Jayashree and a star studded guest list in the video of the stylish Aga Naga, the only way to determine which the bigger tick is by bringing in the choreography and cinematography to decide which is better. On the background score front, Harris works it in by heightening the emphasis of an already racy screenplay. 

Where do you begin with someone like Jiiva. Personally, I feel his bankability rises with each film. The same actor who played characters like Raam and E, shows his versatility again as he is street-smart, sophisticated and fun Ashwin in every frame. Completely in sync with nuances of a photo journalist, he breaths life into the role. For leading lady Karthika, this is her third film that is the actress's debut after Telugu and Malayalam. Making it even more special and possibly more challenging is that its Tamil, a language her mother Radha reigned supreme before settling to family life. Elegant and cute, she has pitched in her two cents worth but unfortunate for her, Piaa Bajpai steals the scene in first half at every given chance. As the stylish, vivacious yet lovable Saro, she is a amazingly infectious and adorable. The role seems tailor made and she scores on all counts. The next scene stealer would have to be Ajmal Ameer. From Anjaathey to Thiru Thiru Thuru Thuru, the actor takes strides in his acting every time and Ko is no exception. Another character that seems tailor made, he performs with utmost ease and sincerity. Both Prakashraj and Kota Srinivasa Rao, are not new to the corrupt politician role so its cakewalk for them. Bose Venkat is adequate. The remaining cast includes some known names but not enough screen time to remember them by.


With so many things working for a film, there is always flip side but logic is  something that always does get lost in cinematic liberties and Anthony's editing is crisp and neat for the most part so it would be unfair to take away from this adrenaline rushed entertainer on both counts. 


Rating: 3.75/5 - It may not be a Kana Kanden or Ayan, but Ko gives one KO punch.

Orange Review

When someone utter the words "I will love you for the rest of my life", I'm one of the girls that tends to go "Aww"[Although if its a random, then its more WTF?!?] But is it possible for someone to be in love and stay in love with one person for their whole life? Less of a question and more as the life of a person who thinks the answer is no, is the basis to Bommarillu Bhaskar's Orange. 

Open scene: Ram[Ram Charan] screams "Its over, we have to break up.You're a psycho! I don't love you!!", naturally we want to know who he's talking about. Next he is shown defiguring a picture of Janu [Genelia]. Cue Flashbacks as to why. Ram is Mr. Honest. When he wants to learn flying, he goes sky diving. When he wants to learn photography, he takes still pictures of wildlife. When he wants to learning painting, he does grafitti. His reasoning behind his choices is that these hold truth in them. Essentially this is what sets him a part from others. Even in love, he is not the type to say he will love you forever as his firm belief is its impossible. Everyone changes, love changes them and love itself changes. Enter Janu. Love at first sight is a common factor in all love stories so no guesses here. As girl in love with love,Janu doesn't take very long to fall for Ram. But just as she thinks she found the man she is going to spend the rest of her life with, he drops the bomb. He loves her, no doubt but he will only love her for a little while. What proceeds is how Ram makes Janu, and in turn the audience, understand his belief and what happens to Ram when Janu actually does. 

First of all, let me just say Ram Charan is definitely someone that is worth keeping an eye on. Some may expect him to be a certain way given his heritage but I feel his selection in scripts is proof that he isn't going to follow the norm. Not even a shadow of his other characters can be seen yet an uber cool confidence he's shown earlier is evident.Coming to our leading ladies, Genelia intro scene seems a little eccentric but considering I've seen [and been in] that situation and in all honesty, it is after all, LOVE. Excitement is always present. She may have done the bubbly cute character before but her transition from a confused romantic fool to a confident believer in love is definitely commendable. Shazahn Padamsee is gorgeous but how one wishes that she wasn't so awkward with the dialogue. Her fresh look just doesn't cut it for the emotional scenes. Brahmanandam is always dependable for the giggles and is adorable as Puppy. Avasarala Srinivas is hardly apart of the film which is disappointing since he was awesome in Ashta Chamma. It was only a cameo but how I sorely miss seeing Prakashraj flaunt his comedic timing from Samudram, Premaku Velayera and Mozhi. As the polic inspector, you dont know his name but he is a treat. Another cameo is made by the producer Nagbabu. While his just seems like a passerby cameo, his relevance is explained. Somebody please tell me the name of the kid that plays a young Ram. I found him so adorable with his "I love you, Teacher". 

Visually, Orange is great. D. Rajasekhar and Kiran Reddy handle the cinematography superbly. Some would say that any place looks better to an outsider and Sydney is no different. Whether its the Opera house or the wildlife park, the places that I've been to many times are shown in a different light. Although I did have a giggle to myself when I saw Yarra trains during the last fight sequence considering thats named after a river in Melbourne, but thats just minor detail. However, I'm not that partial to the fact the film is not perfect. Editing by Marthand K. Venkatesh could have been more crisp as it tends to drag and repetitive effect does arise. The music and background score by Harris Jeyaraj is great but not quite to the mark that he had set in past works and has a déjà vu effect. And now to Bhaskar. A director I am fond of as I loved the maturity he has shown on screen. Without making anyone a bad person, he creates a situation that most people can relate to. Given that it doesn't take a lot for people become hesitant, the reasoning behind Ram's ideology is passable. But I felt that more depth is needed since the incidents make it seem like one person is a relationship will always dominate while the other gives in. At the same time, this is a fictional story based on social characteristics so as long as the audience takes it as a film, there shouldn't be a problem. 

So what is the final say on Orange or 'O' Range? Time pass guru. 

Rating: 3/5