Teenmaar Review

What is it about Teenmaar that makes it interesting? Beyond the obvious Pawan Kalyan and Trisha combo that hasn't been seen before, I guess it would be that the two are coming together with Jayant C Paranji for a remake of a film like Love Aaj Kal. An added bonus would have to be Tirivikram penning the screenplay and dialogue and Mani Sharma's hit music. But does a film that was a box office hit in Hindi despite the negative comments on the theme stand a chance as a remake, that too in Telugu where family sentiments dominate films in a larger ratio, a factor present in the negative comments for the original. Is a hit combo enough to pull the family oriented crowd? Is Teenmaar another successful remake for Jayant after Shankar Dada MBBS, a remake of Munnabhai MBBS? And can I really stay away from the original while reviewing Teenmaar? Read on to find out.

Michael Velaiyudham [Pawan Kalyan] is a chef in Cape Town that dreams of working as a banker on Wall Street. Fun and free spirited, life runs smoothly till he meets Meera Shastry [Trisha Krishnan]. A firm believer in enjoying life and with marriage far from her radar, the two hit it off fairly quickly. But with ambitions varying and reasons mounting on how they are doomed to end, Michael and Meera decide to part ways. For Senapati [Paresh Rawal], the issues that Michael and Meera use as reason seem odd after witnessing a love story like his friend Arjun Palvai [Pawan again] and Vasumathi [Kriti Kharbanda] in Varanasi almost 3 decades ago. The ultra-modern love story in front of him seems more out of convenience than love. Michael begs to differ yet forms an unusual friendship with Senapathi as they delve into the tail of Arjun's first love. Slowly but surely the tale takes a toll on Michael and his life. Even as Michael moves on with Michelle [Dana] and Meera with Sudhir[Sonu Sood], both are only a phone call away from each other. When they meet again, they relive the good times, if only as friends. But it becomes obvious things have changed. Yet it takes more than just fun memories and separation for a dillusioned Michael and a confused Meera to understand. When and how forms the crux.

Can I just say Pawan Kalyan is probably the last person that I thought of for this remake and now is the only person that could have pulled these characters off with more flare and charisma than Saif Ali Khan. I say this because I actually liked Saif in LAK and was worried Pawan might come off a little well, old. But trust Pawan to litereally smash any apprehension you have as he plays two distinctly different characters so well and with abundance that each will make you laugh, cry, swoon and get annoyed at on cue. The quiet yet strong emotions of Arjun as pines for Vasumathi remind you of his Tholiprema days and are an eagerly welcomed memory. Michael on the other has to be one of his most charming characters I've seen, a title I personally hold Sanjay Sahu from Jalsa at right now. With these two characters dominating the screen; Trisha Krishnan and Kriti Kharbanda have their work cut out for them to maintain some connection with the audience. Yet out of the females, Kriti Kharbanda leave a bigger impact with Trisha falling behind a bit this time. Although the character of Meera is one I can’t relate to and find confusing towards the end, Trisha’s portrayal was just about ok to a little bland for such a chirpy character. Whats more is much like her character, her stylist seemed a little confused as well. But then again, this is mostly due to high expectations on the actress who has done some amazing work in the recent past. Kriti is back in a full-fledged rôle after Ala Modalaindi and although limited with her lines, she does really well with her expressions and suits the rôle almost to a T, barring a dilemma with make up. Paresh Rawal will always be one helluva an actor with a distinct voice so while his rôle isn't outstanding, he cakewalks through it and makes an impression. Sonu Sood is a little eye candy on the side that you feel sorry for towards the end but like Paresh, he doesn't get much to do. It would have been nice to get a different dubbing artist for these two actors though. Dana is super sexy but that's about it.

Now to the technical side of things.First up has to be the cinematography. After a long break cinematographer Jayanan Vincent returned with Om Sakthi last year and despite the film not doing so well, garned much recognition. With Teenmaar, you witness some of the great work again with Capetown and Varanasi shown in new light. The dialogue definitely has the typical Trivikram touch, working wonders in so many places yet some may find it to be a little squirmish attempt on occasion for the normally family friendly writer. Jayant was smart to change a few scenes to suit the south audience but he is isn't consistent. One of my fav scenes that shows off the duo's capacity if the scene about kissing with Michael asking the question and Arjun answering. Editing by MR Varma only enhances this scene further. Mani Sharma music worked well with the film with Sri Ganga and Chiguru Boniya the pick of the lot with Aale Bhale being infectious.

Yet the remake does have its downfalls. While Jayant's adaptation proved a clearer picture, the director does the same mistake as LAK with a patchy screenplay. Add to that, MR Varma's insufficient use of his scissors and you will find yourself a little confused and bored where the dialogue doesn't save you. However, like the inconsistency, this too is not frequent. It also would have been better if the characters Michelle and Sudhir weren't so 2 dimensional. Yes, they are only there for a short period but the screenplay doesn't allow you to feel for them making the emotional connection a little weak. Another setback is the re-recording is rather poor and sticks out like a sore thumb, taking away from the scenes.

Rating: 3.5/5- All said and done, Pawan makes up for most of the setbacks and is thoroughly enjoyable to watch.

Mappillai Review

Yesteryear classic have been a source of reference for film-buffs. The good are compared to the current while the bad are used as examples of what not to do. The trends though now are newbie directors starting their career with a rehash of the classics and trying to create the magic for the new century generation. While critics ransack the films and fans of the original slaughter the performances, the new audience is depended on to drive the film. For Suraaj, Mappillai is his return to a hit combo of Dhanush, himself and Mani Sharma after Padikkathavan. For Dhanush, its the one remake of his father-in-law Rajnikanth’s film that he himself wanted to do. A film that did wonders to the original cast and crew’s career, will it work for today’s generation? Read on.

Saravanan [Dhanush] is a role model youngster that’s used as an example in the colony he resides in. Whether its life or discipline, Saravanan is the one that parents go to for advice. But for a group of loafers headed by Child Chinna [Vivek] who’s day job is an amateur fan club for actress Namitha, this proves detrimental to their lazy ways. So with Saravanan agreeing to help as guidance counseller as compensation, Chinna tries  a shortcut to becoming rich by impressing a rich girl with intention of marrying her for money. Enter Gayathri [Hansika Motwani], daughter of Multi-millionaire businesswoman Rajeshwari [Manisha Koirala]. After a few unsuccessful attempts at getting her, Gayathri develops a soft corner for Saravanan instead which he initially rejects but then succumbs to later. But not before her mother finds out. Now for Rajeshwari, it is the female that should rule the roost so the timid, religious yet “cultured” Saravanan may be poor in financial terms but he is perfect for her daughter in demure nature and gives her the leverage that she wants over him. Wedding preparations get under way and everything seems fine until one of the guests drops a bombshell on Rajeshwari. The simple sweet Saravanan she selected is in fact a hot headed ruffian who has been banished from his home town for the constant fights he has. Determined to not be upstaged and that to by what she calls a "low class male", Rajeshwari quickly tries to change the groom in time for the wedding she planned but Saravanan is not going to make it easy for his proud mother in law. So while he does end up marrying Gayathri, what pursues is a game of tit for tat as this mother-in-law and son-in-law battle it out to see who will win their challenge.

On the onset the director makes no bones about how he has planned his film. No intricate storyline or screenplay, just mad masala magic with punch dialogues, ridiculous fights and humour in a large dose. For Dhanush, this is another Padikkaathavan and he cakewalks through the film. His comic timing becomes more apparent with each film and it’s pleasing to see him flaunt it. Considering the content of the hyped up mass hero story, it definitely is refreshing to see an actor go for a bit of self-mockery in the midst to heighten the proceedings. Hansika Motwani debuts in Tamil and is the typical beautiful girl who doesn't do very much. In her defence, the role is very limited but her lip syncing and general over-reaction does not help her at all and she becomes irritating and worse, easily forgettable. Manisha Koirala is not new to Tamil so she needs no introduction. However, for such an outstanding actress, this film is a far cry from her Bombay days. Even Mudhalvan had a little more spectrum for someone of her caliber but with that aside, Manisha puts in her two bits and makes the most of it especially in her scenes in the village and her confrontations with Dhanush. Vivek tries his best to play on his ever youthful entourage and the comedy duo that sparked a new hit jodi with Dhanush but with Manobala in the mix as well. Ashish Vidhyarthi, Pattimandram Raja, Sri Ranjani and Sathyan Sivakumar are apart of the cast and respectfully do their 3-4 scenes and move on.

While it would be unfair to not state the positives on the technical side, this is one film that blurs the lines of my infamous structure so please bare with me. On the technical front, camerawork by S.R.Satishkumar does his best to dazzle the locale and with general visualisation while T.Kishore needs to be a bit more liberal in his editing. Several time, scenes dragged out for a lot longer than needed. Mani Sharma may be a talented music director that has many amazing tracks to his name but when he reuses his own tracks from various Telugu films to form one OST, it lacks the passion and creativity. Aaru Padai is mostly hummable. Suraaj’s dialogue usually is dependable to evoke humour and he does in parts but whatever good he does in his dialogue gets overshadowed by his poor form in story and screenplay writing. But given that the director isn’t the type of director that boasts of intellectual kind of filmmaking in his filmography and has made no qualms about his intention, can you still say Mappillai works? Unfortunately, the answer is more no than yes as the big loopholes and general lack of movement simply bores. I haven’t seen the original with Rajnikanth in a long time so rest assured this isn’t from a comparative point of view. Even so, director Suraaj has missed the mark this time as the waifer thin storyline lacks the punch needed to keep the audience engaged and the spark that his previous films had regardless of their tried and tested content goes missing in Mappillai. 

Rating: 2.5/5. Its all about the masala and the money it makes. Each of his films has shown this and it would be silly to expect anything less. But it could have been so much better.

Khaleja Review

I’ll be honest.The "Maheessshhhh" dialogue from Ashta Chamma is pretty much my reaction to every pic of Khaleja I have seen. But then again, beyond that sweety smile, intense eyes and total yumminess that is Mahesh Babu, I got bored with his last movie, Athidi. Yes, I have a problem with Amrita Rao but it was beyond the pairing [As an actress, she's better than a fair few]. Something in the story just didn't sit right. Thankfully, Trivikram’s film have always held my interest and considering the Trivikram-Mahesh combo returns after the critically acclaimed Athadu and also counts as a return for Mahesh too, expectations were moderately high. Moderately high, u may ask? Well, let’s just say Puli taught me a lesson on expectations but that’s another topic.Since action is always an important factor, as well as music; Khaleja is no different on the outer scale. An action-based commercial pot-boiler [seeing a lot of those lately], it has Mahesh’s trusty hit-makers Mani Sharma for music and Raju Sundaram for choreography.

In our opening scene we are introduced to the cremation grounds of Pali, a rural village in Andhra Pradesh, struck by a strange disease with an alarming mortality rate. Its residents believe their beloved village is cursed. No reasons, no apparent causes yet the number of deaths only increased by the day. The village head/oracle [Rao Ramesh] foresees a saviour that will rid them of their dilemma and sends out Siddhappa [Shafi] with instruction to find him and bring him back.

On the other side of the country, we meet Raju [Mahesh Babu], a taxi driver that has had a few run-ins with lady bad-luck. Not the mythical type but a real life lady whose name is Subbashini alias Subbu [Anushka Shetty]. Every time he meets her, his taxi takes a turn for the worst. If that wasn’t bad enough, he even ends up in hospital. On what seemed like a normal drop off, one of his passengers forgets his wallet and he goes to return it to him. But lady bad-luck strikes again, as his geologist passenger gets killed and his assistant lands smack on his taxi. After the other encounters his manager [Dharamavarupu] has no way of paying for it, and tells him he has only one way to resolve this. The assistant had life insurance so Raju will have to take the life insurance cheque to the family in Rajasthan and get some in return for the damages. What was to be an easy trip to Rajasthan turns into another dangerous encounter but this time with Subbu and Raju as the target. Injured, he seeks assistance from a stranger. But to the stranger, Siddhappa, Raju is the saviour the oracle foretold. What does Subbu have to do with this? Is Raju really a saviour? Can he save the village? Or is there a less divine being involved in this?

You will never have seen Mahesh in any flick like this before. He’s chatty, witty, funny and downright “local” with a Godavari 

accent. Unlike his brooding intense characters of the recent past, with Trivikram’s unique style of dialogue, the actor shows a fun-side as we laugh at his misfortunes. A complete entertainer, the normally soft spoken actor will have you in splits. Trivikram must be commended for the confrontation between Mahesh and Rao Ramesh in front of the villagers and later between Mahesh and Raghu Babu when the latter is kidnapped by the former. The director’s touch is evident in every scene and the cinematography and music enhance it. Anushka is pure eye candy with nothing much to do but she looks a million bucks and has a cool chemistry with Mahesh. Considering her Arundhati and Vedam have put her in another league from the current glam queens, it is a little disappointing. Prakashraj as businessman G.K. has down played his role well. Barring the climax, he seems a little too quiet from what we are used to. Shafi, Subbaraju and Rao Ramesh have always been reliable for their histrionics, deliver once again. Although Rao has done the oracle at in Magadheera, he’s more controlled this time. With Mahesh himself rocking the floor with comedy, Ali and Sunil are just extras. Mani Sharma has always been in Mahesh’s good books and he delivers once again, with Piliche and Makathika the picks of the lot.

No matter how much I enjoyed seeing Mahesh on screen, the pitfalls are definitely there. First, the length. I could count at least 3 occasions where the action sequence could have put me to sleep, especially the introduction scene for Mahesh, which honestly, had no connection to the story. Visually captivating, yes, but way too long. Second, the depth of the characters is simply not there. Face value may work on passerby characters but not main ones like Prakashraj. This is essential for the validity of the screenplay. Innovative as the screenplay may be, it’s obvious that Trivikram is riding on the star factor to drive the story home.

Pluses and minuses apart, Mahesh... I mean, Khaleja entertains so long as you put your brain away for the serious bits. A definite watch for some action, comedy and Mahesh. Rating: 3.5/5

P.S. Did anyone notice that besides the bathroom scene in this movie, Mahesh never shows his stomach??