Thala Thala Thaan - Othukaren ;-)

Even after a super flop like Asal, that was a thorough comedy, Ajith can hold audiences captive. At the age of 40, he can look yummy, floor women with that smile and turn a lovable, droolworthy villain. Yes, I gushingly admit – “Thala Thala thaan!” (This may be a good ending line to this post, but I couldn’t wait that long!)

Mankatha, as you know, is all about a bad bad world. Yet you support the most villainous guy of ‘em all. I love movies that make me do that.

The sequences are carefully assembled, each one individually coated with masala, yet coming together in perfect sync – like a plateful of piping hot bajjis. Venkat Prabhu packs this 3 hour movie with non-stop entertainment. (Sivaji was also a similar attempt, but the bajjis failed to harmonize.)  

Let me give you a Bullet (;-) ) point review (in case I become too lazy to write in huge paras by the end of this):

1.      

            1.  .The movie is soaked in crime and murder, yet doesn’t take itself too seriously (which is good). There is ample comedy; even Ajith contributes to it during a drunken evening with Premji – one of the best parts of the movie. Even the serious stuff doesn’t put you in a dark mood – it is actually funny when Mahat is killed, thanks to Premji. The part where Thala envisions the murders has a touch of humour (though it is long winded).

      2.    The action sequences keep you hooked for their entirety. The bike that Ajith rides is “WoW! (I’m in a bike-crazy phase). Premji’s computer wizardry holds your interest too.

3.      3.     Arjun is an awesome addition. His charisma and casually stylish performance is as good as Ajith’s. Needless to say, Action King and Ultimate Star offered double delight.

4.       4. About the gang of guys – the young bad cop, Ashwini Kakumanu (I got it right!) is cute J. Premji’s hairstyle (curly hell) can be forgiven only because he is supposed to be an IIT grad (isn’t he too old for that?). Among the heroines, Trisha gets decent screen space considering Mankatha is an out-and-out guy movie. Lakshmi Rai looks pretty, has got nice height, but her weight (around the waistline) is a bit too much.

5.       The songs are nice – to me, they’re more fun to watch than listen. The Ajit-Trisha song, though visually unique, feels a tad too long.

Mankatha entertained me like no Shankar film has done in recent years (In fact, while watching Enthiran, I wanted to walk out halfway). The Movie of the Year and a sumptuous entertainment feast. What are you waiting for? Go watch it!

Dear Audrey,

You’re one of my favourite actresses. And all it took was two movies. You bowled me over with your portrayal of a young princess in Roman Holiday (1953). Be it regality and elegance or the innocence and charm of a girl who wanted to escape her boring aristocratic life, escaping to the streets of Rome, falling in love and having to let go of it all in a day. It won you the Academy Award! And became the most coveted DVD in my house, after my father bought it and gave it off twice to his friends, after which we went searching for it again. On a recent visit home, I noticed that it was missing again.

Then I spotted Breakfast at Tiffany’s in Odyssey and promptly picked it up, thanking my friend for suggesting that we go there. Again you cast an enchanting web, being funny, yet vulnerable and fleeting.
And of course, made a famous fashion statement. I had even taken a picture of myself seated next to a wax replica of you, straight out of the movie, at Madame Tussaud’s.

I’d like to make a confession. I am deeply envious of your slender figure, the perplexingly (I have to say that!) small waist and elfin charm. You can see how much you’ve influenced me! All of this made me look
you up on Wikipedia.

Then I got to know that cancer had claimed your life.

That made me really sad. You had learned of your condition very late and had lived barely four months after that. I’ve seen cancer up close. People in my family have been cancer victims – my Granny, who, like you, lived for only a little over four months after diagnosis and an aunt, who fought it bravely for 1 ½ years before succumbing to it. All this time, I tried to keep my hopes up and feed encouragement to my family.

Cancer is one of the cruelest things that can happen to man. I fail to comprehend why a bunch of vicious cells would spoil someone’s happiness, making life a struggle, and the treatment may create more suffering than the condition itself. Why can’t people make themselves more aware of the early signs and make an effort to lead a healthy life, so that the repercussions aren’t so severe? As I found, even the smallest ignorant habits (such as skipping your breakfast) may cause major health risks. It’s sad to see that the world appears to be going in that direction of ignorance today. It’s time to turn things around!

Together lets pray for a healthier world, Audrey; for a younger generation that is aware of risks and the negatives of junk food and improper eating habits. Thank you for listening to me.

Your enchanted fan,

Niranjani

Escaaaaape… and wait, there’s more

What is Vivek’s favourite theatre? Escape! (considering that he made the expression popular :-P)

Ok, since I started this post with a PJ, I presume it can only get better (since PJs put some others in a bad mood but me in a good mood). 

I recently watched No One Killed Jessica at Escape – my first visit. The theatre’s name was “Weave”. Small place, but fun – a reason why I liked it better than the super crowded Satyam screens. I think there are about 7 other theatres at Escape – each centered on a theme, with names like Kites, Blush, Streak, etc.

I think the ad agency got totally carried away with this naming-shaming (that was intended) routine, because the loo was called “Flush” (excuse me!!). “Flush” it proudly announced in big fat letters, where everyone could see, near the loo corridor. At least they could’ve called it “London” with an underground style signboard – that would’ve been stylish, but sadly, not in keeping with the theme.

The loos were spacious, but had low-ceilings – kind of lending a village pannaiyar veedu loo feel. To top it off, part of the interiors were muddy brown. Ok, I guess that’s too much feedback.

A primary difference between Satyam and Escape was that samosas are 65 bucks (yes, didn’t you hear about how expensive those fattening things can get?) and the caramel popcorn 85 bucks (a whole
20 bucks more than that at Satyam). Coming to the décor – it looks good, but the place is too small to awe me.

Now, a word about No One Killed Jessica – the movie was really good. Vidya Balan, especially was fantastic in a character rarely portrayed in Hindi movies. NOKJ was also mercifully short, so that we had some time to roam around vettily.

After the movie, we headed to Pizza Hut at the food court. Now I really have to crib a little ‘coz it is pathetic when they give my pasta in a plastic container with an aluminium foil lid – I am not at all happy with that when I pay 150 bucks for my pasta!

Then we checked out a few shops that had sales – Vero Moda, Marks and Spencer & other such places, but thankfully, we bought nothing.

We decided to end the evening by visiting Gloria Jean’s coffee (I’d read a glowing review in Metro Plus). The place always used to be crowded. But we were in for a terrible experience. This place is more expensive than most other coffee shops around, but the coffee my friend ordered was horrid – I don’t know how she managed to drink it. My Iced White Chocolate drink wasn’t great either – to make that worse, it came generously topped with crushed ice that stayed there like a big blob till the last sip.

Lessons learnt at the end of the day – Bad ones: blowing money on food is sometimes only marginally better than spending it on clothes you won’t wear and AVOID Gloria Jean’s Coffee. Good ones: Caramel popcorn is still yummy and you don’t mind the price as much as you do for GJ coffee, watch Saat Khoon Maaf and Dil to Bachcha Hai Ji (after watching the trailers  :-) ).

A bit of gloating :P

I watched eight movies in the theatre this year. More than I recollect watching during the past couple of years.
I know that hardly matches the number of movies many watch in the theatres. But for me it's quite a decent log. And I watch movies only if the reviews are very positive (with the exception of Enthiran and Asal).

So, here's the list:
 
Asal - Loved it, because I could write a hilarious blog on hairy Ajit and the rest of the funny stuff.

Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya - Became besotted, because I am an illogical, hopeless romantic.

Inception - Entertainment, fascinating theories, stunningly crafted scenes and Leo Di Caprio rolled into one.

Madrasapattinam - The South Indian period love story. Drool-worthy Arya, a great mix of elements in the story - not new but very entertaining, terrific situational comedy. Paisa vasool!

Inidhu Inidhu - Realised that I had actually matured and was a bit old at heart for it, but it was a good college movie, nevertheless.

Boss Engira Baskaran - Fantastic comedy for family audiences - after a seemingly long time in Tamil cinema.

Enthiran - Paisa bhool gaya  Movie bhool gaya :P.

Harry Potter 7, Part 1 - A must-watch movie (otherwise maana prachanai). Pretty good movie, but I missed Hogwarts.

The end of the year is approaching. I hope to catch at least one more movie in a theatre!

Azhagu Amy fell in love with Azhukku Arya… and Titanic happened

Madrasapattinam is a very nice movie, but I didn’t think I would be able to write a review, till I got those adjectives for Arya and Amy Jackson – yeah, Arya rolls around in mud, wrestling and looks real dirty (but cute, underneath that dirt). I felt those adjectives deserved a review beneath them (self-praise).

It is a love story in the background of the independence movement. It has also strongly drawn from Titanic – rather, bits have been copied (shamelessly – though I don’t like to use that harsh word on a director who has delivered an immensely watchable movie). And the rain song seems to be the director's (again shamelessly copied) tribute to Lagaan.

The director has made the love story predominant; resisting the urge to go on too much about the freedom struggle (it has been given more importance only where it really blends with the love story).

Even though Arya gets harsh treatment at the hands of Amy’s fiancé in the beginning, the seriousness isn’t dragged on. After he’s released, he drinks “kallu” with his buddies to forget his woes, then he learns that Amy managed to save him from worse punishment; he and his friends then decide to go thank her, not worrying about whether they’ll get caught or beaten up, they don’t think twice about entering the governor’s (Amy’s father’s) house, simply trying to stay unnoticed by wearing British clothes or dancing with ladies (there’s a tear-inducing comic scene in which Arya edges out an Englishman and dances with his girl, who has been resting her head, eyes closed, on the man’s chest and doesn’t realize it’s someone else. And a super-hilarious scene before that, in which they learn the words “thank you” and keep mugging it. On the way, their cycles hit a bump on the road, and for a second their mugging is interrupted – they forget the words; then they start mugging “Ning you. Ning you.” Even small touches such as the laundry guy who’s always dressed in British clothes, and forever dozing, tickle you.) The first half has great humorous touches. But some scenes later on are unintentionally funny, like the one in which Arya and Amy are hiding in the clock tower and Amy is inspired to sing a romantic verse.

VMC Haneefa, as Amy’s translator, has been given adequate scope for performance and has turned out to be a real treat for the audience. He is especially funny in the way he eagerly poses for photos and is teased by Amy, who moves the camera this way and that, because he too, keeps turning in the direction of the camera. It’s unfortunate that the talented artiste has passed away, and this is his last film.

Moving on to the other aspects of the movie – Arya and Amy make an adorable pair. Arya, as we know, is one hot creature with mesmerizing eyes and a hot bod – even though he gets all dirty in the mud in this movie, you just want to clean him up and continue sighing (I’ll forever remember the character “Kutty” he played in a Arindhum Ariyaamalum – the first impact he made on me still lasts). And he is simply adorable when he attempts to speak English. Amy Jackson is likable and slips into the role with ease. But the fact that she’s a foreigner limits her opportunities in K-town.

There is some truly edge-of-the-seat action… Arya taking on Amy’s fiancé in a gusthi fight over the dhobis’ land that the Englishman threatens to take away – the fight really had me sitting upright, at the edge of my seat, heart in my mouth. And another fight scene in the Central station clock tower was good too, with the fiancé crashing out of the clock face and flying down. Truly well executed fights – dishum dishum with verve – unlike the superhuman Vijay fights with flying people and him sending electric pulses up villains’ arms (in films like Ghilli).

The ending is a bit predictable (there are other cinematic touches as well - but pardonable); and it is pretty disappointing to discover that Arya has passed away (due to old age) as you imagined and is not there when Amy visits Duraiamma Trust (after building hope in me, who likes to expect the unexpected, even if takes away some pathos, that’ll fit better, according to K-town rules); but later it is revealed, predictably, that he is dead, and yeah, as expected, Amy dies at his grave – yawn.

To sum it up - the director has dished out a clever combination of a love story, humour, a bit of great action; giving higher emphasis to the freedom struggle only where it fits in, and otherwise restricting it in the background. Clearly he conceptualized Madrasapattinam as a love story and has done justice. It is one of the better Tamil films this year, and worth the price of your ticket.