Dheiva Thiru Magal Review

Sometimes the fact a film is based on another, or "inspired" doesn't make a difference to the outcome whether good or bad. This maybe due to the adaptation or acting. In one way, Nayagan, a "Godfather" based film is one such film where the outcome was amazingly good. With Dheiva Thiru Magal, there is no denying the film is based on I am Sam, a film that saw Sean Penn and Michelle Pfeiffer in lead roles. However, the request of this writer is when you read this and watch the film, do not draw comparison. So with that lets jump in.

The movie begins at night on the highway to Chennai. A figure [Vikram] emerges from the car that slows down to a stop. But as the car drives off, he panics. As he screams Nila, Nila and collapses on the ground, the car drives off. The dawn sees the figure wandering the streets lost. While its obvious to those he meets that he is not of the same mental capacity as them, none want to help. All that is known is his name is Krishna and he wants Nila. At this point enters Anuradha [Anushka], a lawyer looking for a chance to prove her skill and aspires to become an assistant to leading lawyer, Bashyam [Nasseer]. Along with her associate Vinod [Santhanam], the two unknowingly stumble across this lost soul but like the others, run away without helping. But when Krishna gets hurt becuase of them, Anuradha feels responsible. She begins to learn who the mentally challenged Krishna is and about Nila [Sarah], his daughter who has been taken away. Determined to set right her wrong and reunite the father and daughter, Anuradha will face more challenges than she expects. Not only in the form of going head to head against Nila's grandfather, Rajendran [Sachin Khedekar], a business magnet that runs several school throughout the state but also in the courtroom, against her idol, Bashyam himself. Will she be able to keep her promise? Will the bond between this father and daughter be strong enough against the law?

Rarely do you see an actor that goes so far with his acting that you lose all capability to describe what the experience is like. Kamal Haasan is one actor that is hard to pin to words and now, it would seem Vikram is not far behind. As an actor, he has poured his heart, soul and voice into this character. Rarely a moment he seems over the top, he blends in perfectly. But even he has major competition in the form of the little starlet of the film, Sarah. To say this girl is cute is an understatement. But what is more endearing about Sarah is she is natural with her part, without a word out of sync or an emotion out of place. For a child that doesn't know Tamil, this is surely a big challenge but she just takes it into her stride. Anushka has stepped away from her usual glamdoll role and is elegant yet funny as Anuradha. Her quirkiness during the initial court scenes and subtle emotions with her onscreen father Y.G. Mahendran score her extra brownie points. Amala Paul plays an important role and does it well but does not have the same screen time. Sachin Khedekar is stern and powerful while Nasseer adds another face to his showcase with the sly and proud Bashyam. Santhanam does make an entry as the main funny man but soon becomes loyal friend. M.S.Bhaskar and his false teeth are much like him although he has a slight negative shade that can be seen as a reflection of society and their perception. Karthik Kumar, Surekha Vani and Pandi have small roles but are ok in.

On the technical front, one cannot complain about Nirav Shah's work since he has a consistency that is evident in Dheiva Thirumagal as well. Each shot is specially crafted to enhance the locales and Antony's editing makes the sequences smooth and crisp. G.V.Prakash has a special touch to his musical scores for films with Vijay and continues this with Vizhigalil, Vennilave and Aariro tingling the ears ever so sweetly. But behind them lies director Vijay. More than looking at what he has said with Deiva Thiru Magal, he makes you look at how he has said it. The act of having someone with the mental capacity of a 6 year old isn't easy. The key is making the audience understand Vikram's character is not stupid. Only that he takes time to understand simple tasks but they are understood with clarity if explained properly.  In the hands of a lesser actor or writer, this could have gone hideously south. Yet even with Vijay pulling the right heart strings with Vikram and Sara's performance, this isn't a perfectly crafted film.

Yes it is a well adapted film and the cast are a major plus point to the film but the slow motions and soft voiceovers can get a bit much. The proceedings take their time to get stuck into things and often drag out even then. Also, the factor of hiding a plaintiff because of his condition even though they believe he is capable, seems like the logic factor isn't one to take seriously. The Anushka-Vikram love track that was alluded to may have been beautiful to look at but really wasn't developed enough to warrant and disappears just as quickly. Especially since as you walk out of the theatre hall, possibly throwing a few wet tissues, the performance and chemistry between this father-daughter is what remains and is supposed to.

 

Rating: 3.5/5  

Vaanam Review

How does one take a film like Vaanam? Granted the original has been out for quite some time and had a shock value to it that Vaanam doesn't but does a remake of a good film amount to an automatic success story if the director is the same. Not always. The critically acclaimed film Vedam, written and directed by Krish in Telugu, was prominent not just its content but the fact it boasts of a star cast of Allu Arjun, Manchu Manoj Babu, Anushka Shetty, Manoj Bajpai, Saranya and Nagayya. Considering multi-starrers are only now making a comeback in TFI, the cast alone got people’s attention as each played a special part in a 5 story screenplay. After the film’s release, detractors were apparent but the general consensus was of positive reviews for the film. For its remake, Vaanam, the cast changes slightly with Simbhu in Arjun’s role, Bharath in Manoj’s and Prakashraj in Manoy Bajpai’s role while Anushka and Saranya return to reprise their roles from the original. However, I was fearful that when the makers of the film “adapted” the story to the Tamil audience, the 'heart' that I fell in love with for the original film would get lost. Director Krish has gone on record to say only slight changes have been made since this was a universal story about the human spirit, he was confident it would work. Read on to find out if it did.

Bharath[Bharath] is a guitarist and front man for a band based in Bangalore. Doubling up as his friends as well, he and his band members aspire to make it big and land their first gig in front of a large audience in Chennai. But thanks to Bharath's carelessness they miss their flight. Cut acress to Tutincorin, Ramayya and his daughter in law Lakshmi[Saranya] are silk weavers from a poor family background in a rural area. Since both are uneducated, they take out loans from the local loan sharks in an attempt to get Lakshmi’s son Paandi a proper education but are unable to pay it off the interest. Pressure is further mounted on them by the loan shark who takes Paandi custody until they pay it off. From here we move to Sulurpet. An area close to the Andhra Pradesh - Tamil Nadu border where Saroja [Anushka Shetty] is a prostitute that gets paid big money but hardly sees any of it. Fed up with her mistress' cruel ways, she plans with her man friday in Chennai to get away and start her own brothel but has to wait for him to call once everything is set. In Coimbatore, Rahim [Prakashraj] receives a call from his family doctor to say his wife Zara [Sonia Aggarwal] is  pregnant again. Excited about the news, he also finds out that his missing brother has been seen in Chennai. As he and his wife board the bus, the painful past which holds the reasons for his sorrow filled happiness unfold as they go in search of his brother. And lastly, we then shift to Raja alias Cable Raja [Simbhu], a cable tv contractor living in the Chennai slums, he dreams of big cars, bigger houses and even bigger bank balances. Money on the mind and no way to earn it he manages to convince his multi-millionaire heiress girlfriend Priya[Jasmine] who is unaware of his financial status, that he is well off also. However, convincing Priya is only half the well crossed. The next and final one is to convince the parents and that too, at an expensive New Year party he needs to buy the tickets for. 

We begin with the introduction of these 5 separate stories. Each is different in location and in lifestyle. But each finds their way to the streets of Chennai insearch of something.While it would seem each none of these individuals will ever meet, destiny has something else in mind. Their individuals searches will see them scratch and fight for what they want and need. Yet, it is also their individual searches that will see them face to face with a common enemy. As reality hits them these commoners, lessons will be learnt, lives will be lost and the human spirit will be tested.

As mentioned, I loved the original film Vedam so I had to try hard to keep the screenplay and performances out of my head. But comparisons aside, Krish has done well with his choice of cast. Simbhu has a very hard image to crack and is showing honest attempts at trying to break away from it. For the actor-director, his portrayal of Cable Raja is both fun and earnest with the actor excelling in the penultimate 20 minutes as he cruises through anxiety, shock, remorse and courage. It would have helped if the comedy sequences between him and Santhanam was downplayed to the same degree but he does induce more than a few laughs at his mock T.Rajendhar act. Speaking of which, Santhanam is his usual best and may have another hit Jodi with Simbhu on his hands. However, the actor does need to work on his emotional skills. Anushka Shetty reprises her role so there isn’t anything new about it but she plays it convincingly. The last time I saw Bharath play his role so effortlessly was in Pattiyal and he plays the rock star role like a rock star whether it be mannerisms or swag. Vega Tamotia has a significant yet small role of Bharath’s girlfriend and back bone that she does with ease as well as looks apt for. Prakashraj steps away from his bad guy persona and plays a victim of malicious behaviour with his usual élan. Sonia Aggarwal’s role restricts the actress in her come back vehicle and is quite small for someone that has had a fair few prominent film in her filmography. Saranya Ponvannan and the actor who plays her father in law fit the bill perfectly. Radha Ravi is brief while VTV Ganesh evokes much humour. 

When it comes to a multi-story screenplay, it takes one slip with up by the director and you will confuse the audience. Thankfully, Krish has moved from his Gamyam days and shows maturity as he gives each story the same amount of time and importance. Kudos to him and writer Gnanagiri for maintaining the emotion whilst adapting. At the same time the changes that were made in the screenplay came as a surprise and that too a welcomed one in the case of Rahim's story. I did note though that the general feel of the film became less intense than that of the original. However, this doesn't hinder the pace or structure. Editing by Anthony is clean and crisp while Nirav Shah and Gnanasekaran's camerawork remains honest without overriding the screenplay. Music by Yuvan Shankar Raja is always something to look forward to. But this time I would say Yuvan has missed the mark a little. Vaanam and Who am I are the saving grace in a bass beat dominated soundtrack that is strictly ok while M.M. Keeravani's track for Anushka Egari Pothe is dubbed. 

Lets be honest, whether you look at Vedam or Vaanam, it’s not perfect. The character development for Priya [Jasmine] and Zara could have been worked out better since they lacked importance in the original as well. However, in the case of Jasmine, she was a severe let down in the acting department and her dubbing artist did not help her at all. Add to this having an actor like Jayaprakash play the role of the terrorist feels like such a waste considering his potential. Also, as crisp as the editing was, there were a few shots that could have been trimmed back a little more. At times the dialogue seemed like just a translation from Telugu than an adaptation but these moments are few so it can be excused. 

Rating: 3/5. All in all, Krish has recreated the film with the heart that I fell for. Even if it did make me laugh a little louder, it also made me feel the same as before.

Siruthai Review

Remakes are somewhat taking over Tamil Cinema again and this Pongal/Sankranthi we have two releasing at the same time. The one in question is of one of my favourite S.S.Rajamouli flicks called Vikramarkudu. As Siruthai, we have a team consisting of Vidyasagar making a come back after a small break, director Siva who directed Souryam and Sankham in Telugu making his debut in Tamil and the Paiyya jodi, Karthi Sivakumar and Tamanna Bhatia in lead roles. To add a bit of masala in the mix, Karthi will be joined by Santhanam for the first time. But do they succeed in recreating the magic created by S.S.Rajamouli, M.M.Keeravani, Raviteja and Anushka that took the Telugu audience by storm? Read on to find out.

The story is pretty simple. Rocket Raja [Karthi] and his friend Kattu Poochi [Santhanam] are your average petty thieves. Picking pockets, cutting handbag straps, shaving people bald and conning wherever they can just for the sake of it. Squabbles with kids and their mothers aside, life is merry with beer aplenty and not a care in the world. Along the way, Raja encounters Swetha [Tamanna]. A rich girl from Andhra, who misunderstands circumstances and believes the stories that Raja spins. So as Cupid throws a few arrows, Swetha thinks Raja is a software engineer and Raja in turn decides on one last heist before saying goodbye to his theiving ways for good. However, what was supposed to the easiest heist of a box with more jewelry than they could imagine from a Rajasthani woman turns into a nightmare as a cop named Bharath [Rajiv Kankala] intercepts the two in a share squabble unaware they stole the box. But the biggest shocker come when they open it. Instead of jewelry, they find  a 3 year old little girl named Divya[Rakshana] sleeping inside. If that wasn't bad enough, she wakes from her slumber, looks at Raja and calls him Appa[father]. Shocker number 3 comes in the form of a photo of the girls father who looks exactly like Raja. No choice of ditching and no chance of finding the father, he slowly forms a liking to the lil' one but is then thrust into a wild chase for their lives as a bunch of goons attack the Raja and Divya. Before Raja can react, he finds himself standing face to face with the man from the photo. Who is Rathnavel Pandian [Karthi again]? Why are the goons trying to kill him? How does Bharath tie into all this? Well you know the drill. Check it out to find out.

First off, by now you should know I love Karthi but this was one film, I was so worried he made the wrong choice when I heard they were remaking Vikramarkudu. Its one of those films that you cant change the characterisation and is also very hard to adapt. The film's USP is the flamboyance of Rocket Raja and the roar of Rathnavel Pandian and when the original role is done by Raviteja, you are in for some trouble. As Film critic Sri on twitter said, he is like TFI's Jim Carey. His style of acting is hard to trump or imitate. But Karthi has proved me wrong again. Considering how deftly he has handle complex character emotions in NMA, Paruthiveeran and action in Paiyya, I probably should have known better. The actor is a complete delectable delight to watch. As Rocket Raja, he tickles the funny bone so easily and with Rathnavel Pandian, you can almost feel the fire in his eyes. Some may say he is repetitive with his comedy but his quirky style of casual comedy goes up a notch and work BIG time. He may not be perfect with the dancing aspect of things but makes it up with oodles of confidence and attitude. Santhanam as his co conspirator is in top form but it would be best he refrains from using double entendres as he is awesome without them. Either way, his style of comedy and his combo with Karthi is a major plus point to the film. Tamanna Bhatia is very pretty girl and looks really good in her glamouros avatar but she hams alot. In fact, you wonder if this is the same girl that blew your mind in Ayan and Kallori, both varying genres and characters but equally appealing. Comparisons to Anushka would be futile since when Anushka did it in Telugu she was but one film old. Yet Tamanna does follow her skin show act without making that much of an impact. The on screen chemistry of Karthi and Tamanna is just passable which is disappointing. Rajiv Kankala was in the original and reprises the same role but doesn't skip a beat and invokes just as much life into his character in Tamil. Avinash as the village terror, Babuji is loud yet colourful in the comedy pieces. However, Supreet is the only one that maintains a menacing villain fascade as the rest become characatures of comedy villains, easily forgettable loud ruffians or blink and you'll miss type Juniors. Manobala and Mayilsamy are worth a mention as the formery lanky actor utilises every chance he gets and the latter gives a new angle to toilet humor. Little Rakshana does her little bit to be cute.

Camerawork by S.Velraj and art by Rajeevan is apt for the city and the slum as they brings to life the little village of Devipatnam without moving away from the plight of the villagers and also transports you to world of theives with their loot, keeping it light and fun as well. If the imagery set the mood, the dialogue drives the story home. Penned by Siva himself, the seriousness gets a little predictable but he scores brownies for comical antics of the conning duo. On the directional front, Siva sets off sparks every now and then with some brilliant adaptation but loses it a little with a dragging effect. He cleverly starts the film with a screen card stating the film is set in Andhra but will have characters speaking in Tamil to maintain the essence of the village but some may complain about the amount of new faces that are actually from the Telugu industry. Overall they perform well and fill in the gaps as required.

However, Siruthai is far from perfect. If the gore factor maybe an issue for some, the length of it is bound to make you yawn. Editing could have been little more crisp [name unknown]. Siva made a few adjustments in the screenplay that is welcomed with open arms but its the same Siva that has allowed the action sequence to be so lengthy. To an extent he has a hand in Tamanna's lack of impact too. If her hamming was one probably the lack of depth in her character adds to it. Granted its a very commercial heroine character but in could have been filled out a bit. Another major disappointment is Vidaysagar's music. The once reigning commercial film music director that has some awesome tracks to his name, seems very lost off late. Rocket Raja and Raakkamma are strictly ok. Chellam was picturised well but loses out to easily forgettable lyrics. Choreographers please take note, if your lead actors hasn't got a malleable body type, simplifying steps isn't the only solution. In some ways, Karthi's physic is apt for his character but in others, the moves make it seem like he needs a trainer.

All in all, Siruthai is your typical commercial masala film thats made watchable by Karthi.

Rating:3/5

Boss Engira Bhaskaran Review

They say comedy is a serious business. Not everyone can capture what is funny on paper, on celluloid. For director Rajesh M, he does it with such ease; you find it difficult to believe it’s only his second feature film. With great performances from his lead cast, he returns after the huge success of Siva Manasula Shakthi (SMS), with another comedy caper that is sure to follow suit.

Meet Bhaskaran aka Boss (Arya). A busy bee with nothing to do. Carefree and callous, he has failed his English exam that many times, he will soon be doing the exam with his much younger sister. Now meet Nallathambi (Santhanam). A barber shop owner who’s making ends meet. As a dutiful friend, wherever necessary, he helps his best friend out with ideas and whatnot (read: money). This doesn’t always work out for him. As you may have guessed, enter Chandrika (Nayanthara). Boss falls for Chandrika while he's waiting for a bus to attend his exam. As he tries to impress her and fumbles, he reaches the exam hall only to find out she is the exam hall teacher. But wait, why was he running after someone with a sickle in the opening scene? Isn’t it supposed to proceed with how Boss gets his girl and becomes the son/brother/son-in-law that everyone wants him to be? 

If you follow me on twitter, you will know that I was keeling over in pain from laughter while watching this movie. Yes, it’s a "leave your brain at home" type of movie but so what? It’s entertaining to say the least and Rajesh has made it abundantly clear that is aim. The best part for me was the old Arya from the days of Arindhum Ariyaamalum is back. And how! From a serious, heart-wrenching role in Madrasapattinam, the actor has done a 180 degree turn, showcasing a natural performance in comedy. As Boss, he is just your average lovable loafer. Although accused of being a dead-pan with his facial expressions on occasion, Arya has shown improvement from his previous comedy caper Oram Po. With Santhanam in the mix, the two just have a ball. The chemistry between them is superb and sure to be seen again. Already known for his amazing timing and quick wit, Santhanam returns with Rajesh and delivers yet again, a rip-roaring performance. With them, another person that I wish to see again is Subbu Panchu who plays Arya's older brother. Having seen him tear-jerker Tele-serials as an arch-nemesis for the protagonist, I honestly could not recognise him on the silver screen. In a small, yet vital role that’s definitely a pleasant surprise, he leaves his mark and brings the house down.

With the boys hogging the limelight, Nayanthara does tend to get lost in the mix. But as the demure yet confident teacher in training, Nayanthara looks and acts the part effectively. Often criticised for her costumes, Nalini Sriram has finally got it right with her costume design to suit Nayanthara’s physique and character. Adding to the already good looking on screen couple, their chemistry is effortless. While Arya is the verbous bumbling idiot, Nayanthara composed and calm, comes back with a "Pardon?" The expression on Arya's face is priceless.

Although the performances are what you look out for in the film, it would be wrongful to not mention the re-recording and dialogue. If one openly makes you giggle, the other makes you gaffaw with what it alludes to. Look out for the references to past Tamil flicks. Some may find it offensive, but I simply could not stop laughing. Rajesh has made the dialogues easy for the common man to identify with what's being said. Admittedly in a humorous manner, but the emotions and projection are quite natural.

Once again it is time to pull out the short straws. And for this, I am a little disappointed. As mentioned, no path-breaking cinema is expected but when the viewer can guess the next “twist”, you better have a backup plan. Having a guest appearance is fine but this one was just stupid. The re-recording was typical Yuvan, yet he still had me questioning his state of mind. Undoubtedly it is him on the soundtrack too but he is just not up to par. For such a fun film, I was expecting a lot more.

For the non-Tamil viewer, if possible, watch it with someone that can explain Tamil slang properly as you don’t want to be lost in translation. A total Paisa-vasool kinda film after a long time...