American Sniper - Hits the TARGET but misses the BULLS EYE!

American Sniper - Hits the TARGET but misses the BULLS EYE!

Cast: Bradley Cooper - Chris Kyle, Kyle Gallner - Goat-Winston, Cole Konis - Young Chris Kyle, Ben Reed - Wayne Kyle, Elise Roberts - Debbie Kyle, Luke Sunshine - Young Jeff Kyle, Troy Vincent - Pastor & many others.....

& the crew: Direction - Clint Eastwood, D.O.P - Tom Stern, Editing - Joel Cox & Gary Roach, Art - Harry E. Otto & Dean Wolcott

Producers - Bradley Cooper, Clint Eastwood, Jason Hall, Sheroum Kim, Andrew Lazar, Robert Lorenz, & Pete Morgan

Jessica Meier - associate producer

Tim Moore & Bruce Berman - executive producers

Zakaria Alaoui - line producer: Morocco

Clint Eastwood the iconic star as dirty Harry (Inspector Callahan) at the age 84 directing a film like this is by itself is a feat! Probably very few directors can match this man's zeal and passion for directing a number of good & not so good films year after year. 

Truly a remarkable achievement indeed! Truly one of Hollywood's 'Never can Forget Legend". From his first film 'Play Misty for me' (1971) on to the current 'American Sniper' (2014) he has directed almost 3 dozen films! WOW factor 10/10! In most of these films he has played the lead role too! From his first film 'Play Misty for me' (1971) on to the current 'American Sniper' (2014) he has directed almost 3 dozen films! WOW factor 10/10! In most of these films he has played the lead role too!

Premise

The film is all about Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It's based on a true character Chris Kyle who was nothing more than a Texan man who wanted to become a cowboy, but in his thirties he found out that maybe his life needed something different, something where he could express his real talent, something that could help America in its fight against terrorism. So he joins the SEALs in order to become a sniper. After marrying, Kyle and the other members of the team are called for their first tour of Iraq. Kyle's struggle isn't with his missions, but about his relationship with the reality of the war and, once returned at home, how he manages to handle it with his urban life, his wife, kids and a kid brother who idolizes him as a larger than life hero. 

Director Clint Eastwood's adaptation from a book by the late Chris Kyle, "American Sniper," has Bradley Cooper starring as Chris Kyle, the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history. But there was a larger story behind this true American hero than his skill with a rifle. U.S. Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle is sent to Iraq with only one mission: to protect his brothers-in-arms. His deadly and accurate marksmanship saves countless lives on the battlefield. The stories of his courageous exploits spreads all over America earning him the nickname "Legend." However, his reputation is also growing behind enemy lines, putting a price on his head and making him a prime target of insurgents. Despite the danger while at war, his relationship with his family at home takes a beating. Chris completes four harrowing tours of duty in Iraq, becoming emblematic of the SEAL creed to "leave no man behind." But upon returning home, Chris finds he is unable to leave behind the trauma of war.

Poignant moments: Clint Eastwood shows his experience and class in many scenes. Let me quote a few though not in order of preference 1. The scene when Chris Kyle approaches his wife and children with a drawn gun - Suspenseful 2. The muslim kid and the Bazooka moment & the killing of the boy and the mother - lasting impact 3. The Sniper finds his mark and kills his rival - Great camera work 4. The sand storm once again good camera and CG work 5. The camaraderie between the seal team 6. Chris Kyle's patriotism justifying all the unjust acts of his and the American Government 7. Chris Kyle's kid brother who fails to live up to his idol and brothers status as the legend 8. Chris Kyle's dad is a devout Christian and disciplinarian and Chris blindly follows his father's beliefs more out of respect and to be accepted but fails to realise that this own beliefs are rather superficial. 9. Chris is a simpleton conditioned and trained by the American army to be a killing machine 10. Chris Kyle's wife's constant struggle to come to terms with PTSD 11.The average Americans ignorance and belief that all Muslims are evil and are terrorists plotting against their country 12. Lastly Clint Eastwood strong and unflinching patriotism for his country U.S.of A. which somehow is poorly presented in our country.

& the climax - Surprises you !

Acting: It's Bradley Cooper show all the way though ably supported by all the other actors

D.O.P - Great work. The raw footage is a treat to cinema lovers.

EDIT - Again competent and hardly any lag.

BG SCORE - Goes well with the premise

Downside: I quote a viewer's review which says it all -

“First, let me say that Eastwood's direction, Cooper's acting and the screenplay are all competent. Were this film a wholly fictional account of a warrior with special skills put in the service of his comrades it would be quite serviceable, though no more than that.

However, here was an opportunity to show the complexities of a man hailed as an American hero; and by complexities, I mean the thoroughly odious aspects of Chris Kyle's character. The man enjoyed killing people, regarding his targets as savages, and he bragged about killing looters in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina - even if he didn't, because we don't know for certain, what kind of man declares proudly his murderous inclinations? In short, he was far from a good man. Dismally, you would never know this from the simple-minded depiction of him as an all American Hero in Eastwood's film.

Likewise, there is not a shred of awareness in the film that the US involvement in Iraq might have been illegal and was certainly catastrophic for the Iraqis. The film's approach is to display every Iraqi man, woman and even child as intent on murdering "good" American troops and therefore deserving of their fate, both at the end of Kyle's rifle and under the boot of American troops generally.

I don't know what Eastwood was thinking when he made this film. Perhaps he saw an easy way to make money by appealing to the misplaced patriotism of some Americans. What I do know is that this is a disgusting film.” – Qrobur – U.K

Though I have answered most of his apprehensions in my review he is well justified in some of his points which is why the film though good is not great!

Likewise there were quite a few who loved the film: 

"Amongst all the praise and criticism of the film, one thing that is certain - Bradley Cooper succeeds in bringing Chris Kyle's patriotism and private battles to the screen. A career defining performance."

"Politics, commentators and nationalism aside, American Sniper is a damn good film."


"Bravely refusing any form of hagiography, Eastwood triumphs with a measured, morally complex, and utterly gripping snapshot of what war can do to the men who fight it."

Bottom line - A lesson in the art of filmmaking! Seen from the eyes of the protagonist! 

Finally a Quote - 'Good stories can be made into a bad film: Bad stories can be made into a great film - It's all in the hands of the director - either way the producers pays the bill!"

My Rating: 3.5/5 - .5 for the rather lop sided view of the middle eastern conflict & American propaganda Total 3/5

Until Next Time,

Director Haricharan

28/2/2015

KAKKI SATTAI - BRAND SIVA KARTHIKEYAN -Nothing More!

Kakki Sattai - Brand Siva Karthikeyan -Nothing More!

Cast: Siva Karthikeyan, Sri Divya, Prabhu

& Crew: Director: R.S.Durai Senthilkumar, Cinematography: M.Sukumar, Music Director: Anirudh Ravichander, Editing: Noor Azwan

Written By: Pattukkottai Prabakar, R. S. Durai Senthilkumar

Producers: Dhanush and P.Madhan

Production Company: Wunderbar Films

Distribution Company: Escape Artists Motion Pictures

As far as I am personally concerned this film is another rehash from the Kollywood Masala factory! There is nothing in this film which excited me content wise but the brilliant brand building exercise by the hero Siva Karthikeyan and the producer Dhanush along with the hip hop music director Anirudh was a real eye opener as far as I am concerned! This guy Siva Karthikeyan is an average actor who keeps churning out the same moves time and again but this time around on realising that his fans were lapping it up decided to don the proverbial Kakki Sattai (Police uniform) like all his successful predecessors from Kamal, Rajini, Thala Ajith, Vikram, Vijay, Suryaa to Karthi to name a few! SK's role is clearly cut out here and in the magic cauldron of Kollywood cinema the following key ingredients were added 1. A love story (Sri Divya) 2. Hero as an upright police constable aspiring to become the police commissioner 3. Father an upright police officer who lays down his life to save innocent lives 4. Widowed mother and sister sentiment 5. Villain (Vijay Raaj) the evil mastermind 6. Plot - the poor hapless aam aadmi's organs being harvested and sold to the rich white folk  7. The mundane corrupt cum pimping politician (Mano Bala) & the corrupt police Commissioner 8.The corrupt surgeon (straight out of the film 'Coma') 9. A few idiotic comedy lines sprinkled to create a few laughs 10. A few frustrated officers (Prabhu and a few) unable to fight the system reconcile to their fate until brand SK motivates them to perform unbelievable acts of valour. and finally the grand punch lines delivered now and then by SK mimicking his real life idols Rajini, Thala Ajith etc and voila! we have a marketable film simply lapped up by the thousands of SK fans and quite a few of the fringe fans of Rajini, Thala Ajith & Dhanush, Need I say more. Put all the above ingredients together and one can quite easily visualize the taste of the final dish served from the cauldron. These larger than life Tamil hero's are worshipped as gods! As long as that happens our film viewing destinies are done and dusted & sealed! 

Premise - A crude Tamil version of the hollywood blockbuster Coma! Sensitised for the local screaming and screeching young Tamil fans of Siva Karthikeyan. Dhanush the producer has picked an average actor and has built a brand with the help of his ally and close friend Anirudh the music director. In all probabilities this particular brand Siva Karthikeyan will be used and reused by Dhanush until he is a wash out and no longer useful to Dhanush & Co. But by this time the viewers would have contributed their hard earned money to help fill the trio's combined coffers. Dhanush the producer is truly a street smart producer. He has offered a lollipop of a film quoted with artificial sweeteners but who the hell cares! Tamil cinema has plunged to a very low level and will continue to do so owing to the fans who will accept anything their hero has to offer even if the fare offered is bland, insipid, idiotic or a even a poor copy! Keep it coming! they shout and scream their voices hoarse little realising that even Punjabi and lesser known language films are fast catching up and overtaking Tamil films but we in Kollywood are blissfully unaware of it: after all 200 odd Tamil films are being produced every year and 90 percent keep losing money which could have been put to better use! Again who bloody cares! At least the die hard fans don't! Hero! Hero! Hero! they chant as if they are Roman gladiators fighting for their lives!

&the climax - Justifying a police officer's penchant for being a rebel and orchestrating eye for an eye medical encounter killing is the height of absurdity and nonsense and a complete joke in my opinion!

BRAND BUILDING QUOTES WHICH AMUSED ME BUT WORKS GREAT WITH SK’S FANS!

Director Durai Senthil Kumar says actor Siva karthikeyan, who is usually seen in romantic and comic roles, has worked really hard to play a policeman in forthcoming Tamil action movie “Kaaki Sattai”. “Siva was initially sceptical if he could pull it off. He took up the role because he had always wished to be a policeman in real life too. His father was a policeman, so there was a stronger reason for him to play the role. He worked very hard for the role,” Senthil Kumar .  WOW!

“He focused on getting every minute detail right while playing the policeman’s role. Right from the walk to making eye contact, Siva put in a lot of effort. The role also made him emotional because it reminded him of his father and hence, this film is close to his heart,” he said. WOW! WOW!

“Kaaki Sattai”, which also features Sri Divya, Prabhu, Satish, Vijay Raaz, Manobala and Nagineedu, releases in cinemas Friday. Senthil clarifies that “Kaaki Sattai” is not a serious film. “To appeal to the masses, we've packed it with comedy and romance too. Audiences will get to see Siva doing some action for the first time. We've portrayed the action very realistically and Siva worked in tandem with the stunt choreographer to get everything right,” he said, “Siva karthikeyan lost about 7 kg for this role”. Siva insisted that he’d lose some weight to play the role to a T. I was floored by his dedication and since I've already worked with him once, he was willing to go to any extent for the role,” he added WOW! WOW! WOW! BRAND SIVA KARTHIKEYAN SOLD!

Acting: Siva Karthikeyan, Siva Karthikeyan, & Siva Karthikeyan who keeps doing the same thing over and over again.

Sri Divya – Who is she???? Oh! The heroine…Yeah! Sort of..

Vijay Raaj – Stands out! In fact he would have been a better hero than…Sorry! Dhanush was proved right!

Prabhu – Nice to see him do a decent role in quite a while!

Imman Annachi – Still in the SUN TV mode!

Manobala – The eternal ‘Kollywood’ Politician cum Pimp!

& the rest simply ran…..

D.O.P – Keeping with the premise, Lighting decent with acceptable camera work, the traffic shot of Siva Karthikeyan running avoiding the vehicles etc stood out.

Music – 1.Romantic no 1 Jumping jack and arse twisting no & 1 Kuthu song

Choreography – Poor guy Siva Karthikeyan simply cannot conjure different moves. Keeps playing with his shirt collar most times!

Editing – Decent.

Bottomline: 

A gift from Dhanush to Siva Karthikeyan's fans!

Quote: "When u watch A classic it give u great pleasure! When u watch a DUD it gives u a terrible headache!" 

My Rating - 2/5

Until Next Time

Director Haricharan

27/1/2015

Birdman - Fails to soar or score!

Birdman - Fails to soar or score!

Cast - Michael Keaton as Riggan Thomson (Birdman), Edward Norton as Mike Shiner, an acclaimed Broadway actor

Emma Stone as Sam Thomson, Riggan's daughter and assistant.Naomi Watts as Lesley, an actress and Mike's former girlfriend, Zach Galifianakis as Jake, Riggan's lawyer and friend, Andrea Riseborough as Laura, an actress and Riggan's girlfriend, Amy Ryan as Sylvia Thomson, Riggan's ex-wife, Sam's mother, Lindsay Duncan as Tabitha Dickinson, a top theatre critic, Merritt Wever as Annie, the stage manager

Jeremy Shamos as Ralph, Frank Ridley as Mr. Roth, Katherine O'Sullivan as Costume Assistant, Damian Young as Gabriel

& Crew - Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu, Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki, Screenplay: Alexander Dinelaris, Nicolás Giacobone, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Armando Bo

Premise - Former cinema superhero Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) is mounting an ambitious Broadway production that he hopes will breathe new life into his stagnant career. It's risky, but he hopes that his creative gamble will prove that he's a real artist and not just a washed-up movie star. As opening night approaches, a castmate is injured, forcing Riggan to hire an actor (Edward Norton) who is guaranteed to shake things up. Meanwhile, Riggan must deal with his girlfriend, daughter and ex-wife. - Courtesy IMDB.

At times critics tend to find hidden complexities and nuances in a film which i am sure even the director never thought of or vaguely conceived. At other times most critics unable to understand the very premise of a film and probably not wanting to air their ignorance praise the film sky high! One such film at least in my opinion is this! Reading the rave reviews the viewers make a beeline to the theaters and not able to understand the film come out totally confused but here again not wanting to air their ignorance praise the film to all around them! This starts a rave ooh! aah! chain on Twitter, Facebook etc and finally not to be left out the film receives an award from the high and mighty of the industry and finally bags the Oscars! Honestly in my opinion I simply fail to understand the purpose of making a film like the 'BIRDMAN'. 

The film is all about (Micheal keaton) an yesteryear actor who used to play the part of a popular superhero the birdman. Finally he quits when he realises that he has immense acting potential and talent and becomes a broadway theatre artiste with the help of his friend and producer to showcase his acting talent to the whole wide world. The film is based on a surreal premise. It tells a story of the hero's eternal conflict between real and the unreal. The complexities of being a Broadway actor, his trials and tribulations. His relationship with his ex wife, daughter and his fellow actors. His constant quest to get the headlines, his disconnect with today's social networking like Facebook, twitter, etc. His love life with a sprinkle of todays burning topics like gays and lesbians etc. It is a constant fight between the hero and his alter (conscience/mind voice). It makes you wonder whether the hero and/or the director are suffering from delusions, schizophrenia or both! 

Let me quote a few famous lines which received the ooh's!, the aah's! and the aah! aah's! and impressed the critics and the viewers alike-

"I'm nothing. I'm not even here."

Mike: Do you see that lady who looks like she licked a homeless mans ass?

Lesley: He tried to fuck me in front of the entire audience.

Jake: Get that smile off your face, you're freaking me out.

Mike:Leslie, play with my balls.

Sam: What's so funny?

Riggan: I can't smell it.

Riggan: Look, you're beautiful and you're talented. And I'm lucky to have you.

Lesley: When I dreamed of Broadway, I never pictured the elk antlers.

Riggan: I'm nothing. I'm not even here.

Riggan: Listen to me. I'm trying to do something important.

Sam:This is not important.

Riggan: It's important to me! Alright? Maybe not to you, or your cynical friends whose only ambition is to go viral. But to me... To me... this is - God. This is my career, this is my chance to do some work that actually means something.

Sam: Means something to who? You had a career before the third comic book movie, before people began to forget who was inside the bird costume. You're doing a play based on a book that was written 60 years ago, for a thousand rich old white people whose only real concern is gonna be where they go to have their cake and coffee when it's over. And let's face it, Dad, it's not for the sake of art. It's because you want to feel relevant again. Well, there's a whole world out there where people fight to be relevant every day. And you act like it doesn't even exist! Things are happening in a place that you willfully ignore, a place that has already forgotten you. I mean, who are you? You hate bloggers. You make fun of Twitter. You don't even have a Facebook page. You're the one who doesn't exist. You're doing this because you're scared to death, like the rest of us, that you don't matter. And you know what? You're right. You don't. It's not important. You're not important. Get used to it.

Sam: Dad..

Mike: Does she speak?

Sam: She does. Yeah, she can sit, stay, and roll over if you have any treats.

Jake: Oh my gosh! How do you know Mike Shiner?

Lesley:We share a vagina.

Riggan: People, they love blood. They love action. Not this talky, depressing, philosophical bullshit.

Riggan: Shave off that pathetic goatee. Get some surgery. Sixty's the new thirty, motherfucker!

Mike: Popularity is the slutty little cousin of prestige.

Lesley:I wish I had more self-respect.

Laura:You're an actress.

Honestly I found nothing extraordinary in this film except for the camera work without which it would have been so boring i would probably have gone to sleep somewhere down the line while watching this film. Regarding the actors - Yeah! they did a pretty decent job. So! Should they get a standing ovation. Go and ask the director! I don't think even in his wildest of dreams he ever thought that his film would bag an award leave alone an OSCAR! 

If you like the quotes go watch the film!

Bottomline - zzzzzzz ! Good Night!

Finally a Quote - "One should first learn to stand before attempting to fly!"

My Rating - 2 plus .5 for cinematography Total 2.5/5

Until Next Time,

Director Haricharan

25/2/2015

Aanegan - Tamil cinema going, going, gone.....

ANEGAN - Tamil cinema going,going,gone........

Cast - Dhanush , Amyra Dastur, Aishwarya Devan, Ashish Vidyarthi, Mukesh Tiwari, Thalaivasal Vijay, Jagan and many more

& Crew - S/SP/Dir - K.V.Anand, D.O.P - Om Prakash, Music - Harris Jayaraj, Edit - Anthony

Producers - Kalpathi S Agoram, Kalpathi S Ganesh, Kalpathi S Suresh

What's wrong with Tamil cinema and it's so called big names! Why do they keep dishing out one crap after another calling them films. Is their imagination simply drying out or is it sheer arrogance on their part which keeps them repeating the same mistakes time and again?? Honestly these days every Friday is Friday the 13th a horror release saga for Tamil cinema and its millions of viewers. Anegan is no better. Once again director K.V.Anand churns out a stupid premise based on reincarnation and actor Danush and co simply follow like lambs to the slaughter. Does Danush even read Tamil scripts these days? If he had read this one in detail then this film would have been a shelved project. Even while watching the rushes Danush should have stormed out in sheer disgust of ever agreeing to do such a film. What a come down for this talented actor from Shamitabh. Just look at this premise - The story is all about reincarnation. Narrator of the 3 sequels is Madhu (Amyra)who features with Danush in all 3 sequels.

Sequel 1 Samudra - Murugan (Danush) Love saga- Set in Burma 1942. Players in the present - Ashwin (Danush) and Madhu. The usual romantic interlude set in exotic postcard locations. The poor Tamil fisher boy (Maryan) falling for powerful and rich Burma chief of police etc. The only thing different from normal Tamil films is a chase within the crowded refugee ship headed by the COP to catch the hero and the heroine. In this part Jagan as Danush's pal and his lady love play a part which really does nothing of value. This sequel is so predictable and ends in  "damp" squib.  

Sequel 2 Place Chennai 1987- Kali (Danush) & Kalyani (Amyra) Here once again a rowdy Kali  falls for Kalyani a middle class brahmin girl. I have lost count of the number of times this has happened in Tamil cinema -The brahmin fixation syndrome. In this sequel extensive usage of madras 'bashai' (lingo) , usual quota of adiyal violence (kuthu, kolai etc) and the now popular 'Danga Maari Oodhari" are the major highlights.

Sequel 3 - Ashwin (Dhanush) & Madhu (Amyra) - Place - Chennai- Present. Apart from Interludes of the present in between during the 2 previous sequels Ashwin who is a hardware engineer who has recently joined a computer gaming company headed by Karthick (yesteryear actor) and Madhu who mistakes him to be from not 1 but 2 previous births and falls for him prepares you for the idiotic, illogical path the director is planning to take u thro the next 2 hr and 40 mins. We also have share of psychological drama, therapy sessions and hallucination creating drugs etc! Believe the director has freaked out to such an extent that you feel resigned to this total torture of a film.

& the climax One should see the visuals of this unbelievable climax to even believe that a such absurd and hilarious climax could even be conceived even in a children's film leave alone a adult adult film! This film is a poor rehash of so many films that half way through i even lost count of the number. It lacks logic, authenticity, or any kind of credibility which is associated in making of a film.

Danush - What a come down from Shamitabh - I am talking only about his performance and nothing else. Danush looks more like a disinterested and jaded viewer rather than than the lead actor in this film.

Amyra Dastur - She is the fair skinned lass an import from the North of India. She does her bit! What more can u do with a role like this expect to make the best use of it.

Karthick - An English speaking Thambi Ramaiah!

Ashish Vidyarthi - For a change a good cop with a villainous looking scar on his cheek! Lot of English dialogues! 

Rest also ran

D.O.P - Visuals very pleasing to the eye but so are the visuals in Discovery  & National Geographic channels.

Music - One song hit we can simply leave the rest.

Bottomline - After 4 layers of reincarnation the director K.V.Anand was still searching for the birth of a premise for this film!

A quote - " A film so bad that i eagerly waited for the intermission; Post interval I simply wanted the advertisements to go on and on ......... "

My Rating - 1/5 +.5 for the tenacity of the viewers to watch such films. Total -2/5 

Until Next Time

Director Haricharan

13/2/2015

Hail! Actor Vijay - A die hard fan's real hero!

Vijay today has proved that he is truly a fan's larger than life hero! Let me narrate a very interesting anecdote that happened a few days back. I frequent the Woodlands at the Narada Gana Sabha. N.G.S’s Woodlands can be more or less referred to as a ‘walk in restaurant'. For quite a few celebrities both from the world of music as well as the tinsel world after the woodlands drive in’s closure this has served as  a haven to relax in the evening over a dosa or a piping hot cuppa filter coffee. The steps of N.G.S has served as an alternate ’marina’ to the stand up comedian and artist Bosskey and his team. Every evening for the last 4 decades or so Bosskey and co sitting on the steps of N.G.S have entertained all those who visit the N.G.S and woodlands and have had them in splits of laughter!

Ever since my memory can recall so has server PANDI by waiting tables at the Woodlands and has been of service to not only so many music & drama lovers but even to celebrities over the years but most of all is a die hard Vijay fan. He had been expressing his one big desire in his life to all and sundry over all these years. This was simply to have a photograph taken with his matinee idol Vijay! Easier said than done! Yours truly the true Samaritan that I am decided to give it a try! So a few days back I called up Vijay's manager Ramu and put forward Pandi's request and after a few more frenzied calls and deliberations with the actor’s manager. Vijay made Pandi’s greatest dream come true! The rest is history!   Pandi achieved his greatest dream in life and is over the moon! And here’s why! 

                                       

I was really touched by Vijay’s gesture to oblige a fan’s request! Vijay has truly risen in my esteem and I tip my hat to this actor and a gentleman to have gone out of his way to please an ardent fan of his without batting an eyelid! Hail! Actor Vijay!

Until Next Time,

Director Haricharan

11/2/2015

YENNAI ARINTHAAL - (YA = (VAV+KK+VA))

(YA = (VAV+KK+VA))

Cast: - Ajith Kumar – Satya Dev, Arun Vijay – Victor, Trisha Krishnan – Hemanika, Anushka Shetty – Thenmozhi, Vivek – Revolver Richard & many others

& Crew: - Direction- Gautham Vasudev Menon, Writing Credits – Thiagarajan Kumararaja & Sridhar Rajan, D.O.P – Dan Macarthur, Music – Harris Jayaraj, Edit – Anthony, Art – Rajeevan

Producers: Aishwarya & A.M.Rathnam

VETTAI ADU VILLAYADU – Raghavan (Kamal Hassan), a top cop from the Tamil Nadu Police Department is faced with a series of rapes and brutal murders including those of his boss's family. The culprits are found soon enough but prove extremely evasive while they continue their murderous legacy undeterred.

KAKKHA KAKKHA - After a police team kills his brother, a drug-dealing gangster vows to kill the entire team and their respective families.

VARRANAM AAYARAM - ………… The romance is swiftly followed by an extended period of professional and personal uncertainty, in which the son turns back to father figures to help him get back on his feet and seek out his true calling. Well made, though overlong film, reportedly autobiographical about the director's own relationship with his father.

YENNAI ARINTHAAL – Is a rehash of the 3 films and nothing more. It is the sheer screen presence of Ajith which keeps the first half going. I wonder why a director with a good track record remakes his own films in parts. Is this because of his insecurity or pressure to handle a big star like Ajith or does he presume that the viewers are such idiots to lap up anything a successful director has on offer! Why don’t big stars like Ajith, Vijay, Suryaa and the likes ever employ a team of writers/viewers/critics to wet their scripts! The premise of this film is so loose and full of holes that it simply has no credible screen play at all. In fact after a while you simply get resigned to the fact that you will have to necessarily sit through 3 hours of torture only to watch Ajith under the direction of Gautham Vasudeva Menon. Let’s now look at the premise – Sathyadev (Ajith) is a D.S.P who works undercover eliminating all the rowdy elements in the city single handed. A ‘desi’ version of Dirty Harry (Clint Eastwood). Sathyadev in the first half falls for Anushka who he is supposed to protect from organ harvesting. Why do the goons led by Arun Vijay select Anushka returning from the U.S. for harvesting her heart? The director has an overly simple and illogical answer – Anushka’s height and weight! Absolutely ridiculous! Anyways Anushka as usual falls for the handsome though aging Ajith. Here again the director has to support Ajith by inserting a dialogue through the mind voice of Anushka as she is sitting next to him on the flight “Lucky you! Sitting next to such a handsome hulk” looking all coy and shy etc… Come on Gautham grow up and face today’s real world. Will a young girl instantly fall for an aging guy like Ajith (even if he is good looking) and stalk him till kingdom come! After she literally forces Ajith to fall for her the director this time around takes you on a nonsensical flash back mode. Here it is Ajith’s turn to stalk Hemanika (Trisha) a divorcee with a kid (girl). Why does Gautham have this continuing fetish to compel divorcees to fall in love? Another favorite play of Gautham is the father sentiment! Here Nasser plays the dad’s role who continues to be the guiding to Sathyadev even after his demise!  Trisha’s destitute kid here again the director torments the poor kid as she is initially pushed to accept Ajith as her new father (no compelling reason given by the director) and subsequently forces to accept Anushka as her mother too! This is absolutely absurd and defies any kind of emotional logic. The little girl in question does not seem to age at all in spite of advancing years while Ajith ages with all his salt and pepper look etc. Arun Vijay is part of the flashback as Ajith spends time in jail as an undercover cop and betrays him to clean society of all evil doers and organ peddlers. Subsequently Arun Vijay teams up with his wife to wreak revenge on Sathyadev and those who love him dearly forms the rest of the story. The dialogues simply lacked the punch!

& the climax ends in the usual good vanquishing evil with the BG of good the bad and the ugly playing in the background. Ashish Vidyarthi plays a miniscule part in this insipid and bland climax!

Ajith – the main stay in this whole film mesmerizes you with his sheer screen presence, charming demeanor and smile. Though unfortunately the director has simply failed to use this actor to his potential and in fact at the very end of the film Ajith bores you with repetitive acts and disjointed delivery of dialogues! The director simply fails to up his performance!

Trisha – WOW! Simply stands out! Her grace, elegance, her carry simply makes you fall in love with her performance. She utters only a few words but her expressions and eyes speak for her! Her dress sense is worth a mention! Here again the director should never have cast her as danseuse instead a yoga instructor might have enhanced her performance and looks even more!

Anushka – Looks jaded and worn out! The less said the better.

Arun Vijay – Has essayed his part quite well but I though his histrionics in certain parts could have been controlled. I hope this hard working actor gets a good break after this film. He deserves it!

Vivek – The comedian in his comeback role is absolutely confused about his role in this film. Whether to be serious or light hearted. Till the very end he remains in this crossroad of uncertainty!

The rest also ran!

D.O.P – Good work! I somehow felt that the director’s premise and shoddy screen play undermined the camera work.

Music- Harris Jayaraj – Is the most annoying factor in this film. I think his finger simply got stuck to the keyboard while composing the BG score for this film.

Edit – The work is adequate. Needs a 45 minute cut!

Stunts – The usual!

Bottom line: - A mismatched rehash which simply fails on all fronts! In one word – A boring film!

Finally a Quote: - “The pressure of handling big stars can weigh very heavily even on a time tested director and bring him down with a painful thud.”

P.S. By the way! Where were the 2 script writers hiding! Probably still working on the script!

 My Rating: 2/5

Until Next Time,

Director Haricharan

6/2/2015