Kollywood's satellite 'link' under threat?

Kollywood's satellite 'link' under threat?

Excerpts from an article in Chennai chronicle - 20/7/2015

A Catch - 22 situation is developing in Kollywood, where the lack of willingness of TV channels to pay for distribution rights up-front, is choking the funds available for producing the movies...........

................ satellite rights normally gets sold on the same day that a new film gets announced, and that fetches 30 percent of the budget invested by the producer.

.................. more than 100 films that released recently including, VAI RAJA VAI, TAMIZHIKKU EN ONRAI AZHUTTHAVUM, INDRU NETTRU NAALAI, BAAHUBALI AND MAARI as well as some upcoming movies like MAYA, YATCHAN & VSOP are stuck because of satellite rights not being sold ............ 

Bottomline - 'Kollywood' 'link' with the viewers facing a disconnect??

Solution: 'To circumvent the problem Tamil Film Producers Council (TFPC) is going to implement a new regulation ........producers to give promotional materials only to the TV channel that buys the satellite rights......"

Rider: ......... with the exception of 'JAYA MAX'& Doordarshan. 

HOW VERY FAIR!  
but off course, U are welcome to come to ur own conclusions!

Until next time,
Director Haricharan
20/7/2015

MAARI vs MGR

MAARI versus MGR

Cast - Dhanush - Maari, Kajal Aggarwal - Sridevi, Vijay Yesudas - Arjun Kumar, Robo Shankar - Kaali Venkat & others.

& Crew - S/SP/Dir - Balaji Mohan 

Producers - Radhika Sarath Kumar, Sarath Kumar & Listin Stephen

The first thing that came to my mind after watching this film - Will the director and hero ever allow a real character like 'Maari' to walk in and propose to their own daughter, sister or from that matter any of their kith and kin! This film is a real eye opener as all the values that dictated the success of MGR 'Puratchi Talaivar' has been totally demolished and reversed in 'MAARI'!

Let me state a few examples- 

MAARI is a rowdy beats, humiliates men, women and even children but is portrayed as the real hero of the masses.

MGR on the other hand believed in honesty, goodness, noble deeds, truth and always portrayed himself as a law abiding , model citizen.

MAARI has all the vices like smoking and drinking and treats women like some kind of a lower being.

MGR  never used vices  to glorify his character; and never ever humiliated anyone especially women.

MAARI never believes even in 1 day of hard work; simply lazes around, drinks and smokes all the time and unleashes unabated violence, beats up all and sundry at will; even resorts to murder! whereas MGR never believed in violence, blood and gore and used violence only to vanquish evil. 

MGR Father and mother were held in high esteem whereas Maari treats his mother rather shabbily!

MGR's leading ladies fell in love with him for his virtues whereas in MAARI his leading lady Kajal Agarwal falls for him because he is a contemptuous and repulsive rowdy!

MGR never flaunted his wealth by wearing gold chains etc whereas MAARI has more jewellery around his neck than a woman.

MGR never resorted to extortion of money whereas MAARI collects protection money from even the poor and needy!

MGR delivered dialogues like:

Manohar - ‘Naan Bayangaramanavan' 

MGR - ‘ Naan Bayapadathavan’

MGR to Sarojadevi -‘Thalaivan engira peril makkaloda adimai ma naan’

Nam Naadu – Thalaivar to Rangarao - 'Ennoda mudhal enna theriyuma? Ennoda naanayam, makkal en mela vachirukire nambikkai. Adhukku enikkum mosam varadhu'

Whereas Maari delivers dialogues like 'Sethikiduven' and ' Oru Kalapadamaana nallavana irrukirathavida oru suthamana kettavana irrukalaam'

I can go on and on but I am compelled to write a few words about the premise of this film not with any interest or choice but more as a habit and a chore :

MAARI (Dhanush) is a pettai rowdy who is always followed by his two cronies (comic quotients of the film). His main occupation extortion of protection money from all and sundry mostly from the needy and poor shopkeepers. His favourite pastime 'pigeon' racing (can u beat that) apart from smoking, drinking, teasing old, young, women and even children. He has a local god father (sandal wood smuggler)  for whom he is even willing to kill! Veerappan never dies~! Does he? Maari meets Kajal Aggarwal the usual north Indian import fair skinned, well proportioned lass who wants to set up a boutique in a slum area controlled by Maari! Isn't this laughable! Yes! How did the director ever come up with this nonsensical brain wave. Was it to make a further fool of the discerning viewer. Yesudas (Junior) is the corrupt inspector who wants to by hook or crook take over the 'petttai' and extortion business from Maari.

& the climax is so predictable with the hero bashing up everyone around him with the exception of the viewers who thankfully can walk out of the theatre unscathed physically but scarred mentally after watching a low grade film like this. 

Acting: Please ......... Let us not talk about it!

Camera: .......................... !

Music: Please ......... Leave me alone......!

Edit: The whole film!

Bottom line: Puratchi Thalaivar MGR would have wept with pain and anguish if he had watched this film! A condemnable action on the part of the producers and censor board to have produced and passed this film so low in morality and values which will put satan to shame!

Finally a quote : "The hero and director should to a certain extent practice what they preach" 

PS - A number of viewers and hard core Dhanush fans may end up taking this film lightly and value it purely based on  it's entertainment value alone and probably even laugh it off; but believe me when I say that quite a few of the viewers may end up becoming a 'MAARI' for real! Furthermore if female viewers fans subscribe to this lowly portrayal of women then they will only have themselves to blame for their position in this already male dominated society!

I have decided not to rate this film! I personally do not subscribe to such films; entertainment or otherwise!

Until Next Time,

Director Haricharan

19/7/2015

Chennai

BAAHUBALI - One 'E' alone does not make an 'EPIC'

BAAHUBALI- IF ONLY 'U' & "I" HAD 250 CRORES........ .

Bottom line: We would probably never have even attempted to produce or direct a film like this one; and that my readers is nothing but the truth & the whole truth! This film is all pomp and show with very little or no content. 

Cast - Prabhas - Mahendra Baahubali, Rana Dagubatti - Palavaathevan, Tamannaah - Avantikaa, Anushka - Devasena, Nassar - Pingala Devan, Ramya Krishnan - Sivagami, Sathyaraj - Kattappa and many others

& Crew - Story - V.Vijayendra Prasad, Direction S.S.Rajamouli, SP- SS Rajamouli, Rahul Koda, Madan Karky & Vijayendra Prasad, D.O.P - K.K.Senthil Kumar, Music - M.M.Keeravani, Edit - Kotagiri Venkateshwara Rao

Produced By - Arka Media Works

There are some truly devoted and fanatical Tamil film viewers who will on reading my review posse these questions:

Question1 - Look! Let's encourage this attempt by a director who is trying to compete with Hollywood. If they can do it so can we!

Ans: Then I suggest that you buy only Indian made cars like an Ambassador, a Fiat or a Nano after all they are an inspiration and are trying hard to compete with the Merc's, BMW'S , the Audi's, the Honda's and Toyota's! Why therefore encourage these foreign brands. Or probably keep on buying them till they reach the level of quality of the foreign cars.

Question 2 - The director has produced a fantasy film. So please give him some slack.

Ans: Fantasy! yes! But the content should not be a fantasy too!

The Mahabharata and Ramayana are two great epics. Why? Because the rock solid content in them make the epics believable fantasies!

Question 3 - The visuals and action scenes in this film are awesome!

Ans: The visuals and action sequences even in Avatar, Gravity, Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter and even older films like Benhur and Cleopatra were even better. Why even Tamil films like Sampoorna Ramayanam, Lava Kusa, Chandraleka and Maya Bazaar were equally good - And the cost of tickets to watch these films was around the same or even less.

Question 4- We have a limited budget.

Ans - Yes! So! Why splurge money; work within your means and outsmart hollywood films using your brains to envisage good content to beat hollywoods CG and gimmicks. 

KAKKA MUTTAI, PAPANASAM, QUEEN AND PK are standing examples.

Lets leave it at that and review this film 'Baahubali'. Let me not try to elaborate on the premise; because it's the usual revenge saga rehashed for the nth time. Father and senior Prabhas (Arjuna) is the half brother of senior Rana Daggupatti (Duryodhana). Rana's father Nassar with a deformed hand (based on the character the blind king Dhritarashtra) plots to kill Prabhas to 

crown his son the king. The queen (Ramya Krishnan) is the ruler and favours Prabhas. Sathyaraj is a loyal servant and soldier sworn to protect the villainous king and kingdom but his loyalty stands exposed & divided between the treacherous king Rana and the deposed and enslaved queen Anushka. The supposedly dead son Junior Prabahas (based on the character Abhimanyu) of the slain senior Prabhas (double role) comes back as Bahubaali to free his mother Devasana and reek revenge on those responsible for killing his father.

This film is all about visuals, CG, costumes and action scenes. 

Visuals - The set erected to depict the palace looks grand; but once again having watched better sets on hollywood films makes this one look pale in comparison. The CG works in parts and proves to be definitely better than 'Irandaam Ulagam' and 'Kochadiyaan" but there again having watched films like Chronicles of Narnia, Harry potter, Gladiator, three hundred and the likes this film is found wanting. The visuals and scenery looks once again good in parts but again disappoints on the whole. The water falls, the forrest visuals etc are pleasing but sadly reminds you of the treatment adapted by director Mani Ratnam in Ravanan. The scene depicting the disrobing of Tamannah (Draupadi) by Prabhas the hero instead of (Dushsasana in Mahabharata) may be a novelty to some but in my opinion the director has only envisaged the scene to arouse some kind of sexual erotism  among youngsters by exposing her body to the extent possible.  The action scenes are mostly borrowed inspirations from films like Three hundred, gladiator, Chronicles of Narnia, Ben Hur etc. The arrows, spears and maces are inspired from the arsenals of the Kaurava and Pandya epic battle of Kurukshetra. These fight scenes may be lapped up by certain segment of viewers of Tamil cinema who will go Gaga over it. But for those exposed to hollywood type of computer graphics and gimmicks will be highly amused at this novice of an attempt. The dialogues in this film which are delivered in serious, menacing tones brought out total laughter at times and jeers at other times from the viewers. The foreign language conceived by the director once again supposed to be menacing simply makes you guffaw with laughter at the ludicrousness of the whole concept. The double act by Prabhas adds nothing but confusion to the already lack of content.

& the climax after almost 3 hours the film never explains or unravels the plot and the ending only serves to explain the essence of the premise of the sequel to follow....

Acting: Rana Dagubatti has emoted better than Prabhas if that's any consolation. Tamanah walks and acts like a replica Xena the warrior princes. The face savers were Sathyaraj, Ramya Krishnan and Anushka. Poor Nassar! Why can't people see the potential in him ever. 

Music: Adequate. At times the BG was off key with the premise.

Editing: 30 min cut a must.

Finally a quote - One 'E' truly does not make an "Epic"!

My Rating - 2/5 Minus .25 for lack of content - Total 1.75/5

Until Next Time

Director Haricharan

11/07/2015

PAPANASAM - The 'VINTAGE KAMAL' is BACK!

Papanasam - The 'vintage' Kamal is back~ 

Cast - Kamal is Suyambulingam, Gautami as Rani, Nivedita Thomas as Selvi, Esther Anil as PulliMeena, Kalabhavan Mani - Contable Perumal, Asha Sarath as IG Geetha Prabhakar, Ananth Mahadevan as Prabhakar, Delhi Ganesh as Rani's Father, Arul Doss as Inspector Ramesh Babu and many others

&Crew - Dir/Story/S.P - Jeethu Joseph, D.O.P - Sujith Vassudev, Music- M.Ghibran, Edit- Ayoob Khan, Dialogue - Jeyamohan

Producers - Wide Angle Creations & Raj Kumar Theatres

Anyone would go miles to watch a vintage Kamal in action! Truly an awe inspiring performance done with such ease and aplomb which only an actor of Kamal's calibre can do! and he is truly second to none in the field of acting. All our 'so' called big time hero's have a lot to learn from this man and will still have miles to go to catch up with this actor.

The film revolves round an illiterate self made cable operator Suyambu lingam (I somehow get the feeling that this name was conceived by Kamal - to symbolise Vishnu (Swayambu) and Shiva (Lingam)) who simply dotes his family of four his wife Gauthami as Rani, daughters Nivedita as Selvi and Esther as Pullimeena other than himself. He is an ardent film buff and an encyclopaedia of sorts. He remembers every scene in detail from the films he has watched. He is a normal down to earth villager but is extremely street smart. His families peace and calm is shattered by the entry of a young boy the son of a high ranking female officer (Inspector General of police) in the life of his eldest daughter Rani who unknowingly falls prey to his lecherous desires and blackmail. 

The first half starts rather slowly and in my opinion the director rather overdoes the part of establishing the characters a tad bit. In fact a couple of scenes featuring Kamal - Gautami & Kamal and his family appear like a scene from a TV serial. A 15 min cut in the first half would have served the film better. Whereas the same 15 mins could have been added in the second half which would have enhanced the value the film in my opinion. I will explain why and how in just a bit. Coming back to the plot the film picks up pace in the second half ; the screen play, the inter locking, tying up and characterisation of the scenes, acting, cinematography editing and BG totally transforms the film into a totally watchable thriller. 

The lady police officer Geetha Prabhakar's portrayal is mostly believable. Why mostly? The way the lady officer finally deduces the way the crime was committed and explains it in such detail and clarity makes it slightly flawed. Instead the director should have left a few unsolved blanks in her assumptions which could have been later filled in by certain incidents in real time (here another 10 mins of exciting footage could have been added) or by the viewers. Second the police constable Perumal (Kalabhavan Mani) under the lady officers instructions brutally tortures Kamal and beats his family to a bloody pulp. Finally in not getting a confession she loses her cool and explodes in anger. Her husband Prabhakar (Ananth Padmanaban) takes her in to calm her down. In private she breaks down. At this point one single dialogue could have been added while expressing to her husband her reasons for breaking down that would not only have clearly explained the inner conflict of the lady officer but also her feeling for Kamal's family as a mother - ' Look! I am torn between the truth of finding the truth as a mother but at the same time saddened to use such terrible methods of torture to bring out the truth on this family, especially on the children as she (Gautami) is also a mother!". Other than these two points of contention there is very little to complain about this film!

& the climax - This is when and where a vintage Kamal takes total control of the proceedings by a mind blowing performance which no one in today's Tamil cinema can emulate! He is ably supported by Ananth Mahadevan and Asha Sharath.

Acting - Kamal at his best, Asha Sharath as the IPS officer, Ananth Padmanabhan,Kalabhavan Shajon as the police constable,Niveada Thomas and Esther Anil - very good, Gautami as the wife -good, and finally the rest of the cast have ably supported the premise very well !

Director - Has remade the film well; but I thought the media reaction to the torture was rather archaic. Today's media is  very much more proactive. The film - Truly a Malayalam director's forte - An investigative thriller - One such example  'Oru CBI diary Kurripu"

D.O.P - To the tee. Has ably supported the director. Good framing & lighting especially the 'Papanasam' locations ( though I got the feeling that they were shot in Kerala). Even the shots in the rain and the night scenes were well pictured. 

Some shots I thought looked overdone after doing the DI.

Edit - Very good! Especially the last scene when Kamal walks out of the police station. A cut of 15 mins in the first half would have served the film better.

Music - BG score good. Songs So! So!

Bottomline - Director's call; Kamal's show!

Finally a quote - "The PLOT should thrill; not the blood and gore!"

MY RATING - 3.75 minus .25 for being a remake employing seasoned actors - Total 3.5/5

Until Next Time,

Director Haricharan

3/7/2015