Film / Documentary - Recently watched & worthy of some discussion

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adhu kooda paravaala similar profession... saanai pudikkiravanai kootti vandhu car'kku paint adikka vekkiraangalae... adhukku enna solringa?

Actually I wanted to post as 'veLLai adikkiRavan oil painting paNNinA'...but considering the current standards of TF (per jAmbavAns, 'vazhakku eN' is the best thing to happen in TF since decades ), reduced the expectations to car painting

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Watched 'antha nAL' (NT / Pandari bai) last night. Nice film. This is possibly the first case of me watching a movie on an urgent basis simply to read a post in the hub

(Refer Plum's post in the NT thread )

[preethamm]

Vikram - The Big Budget Survivor
Celebrities have always inspired people and Chiyaan Vikram is one of those charismatic personalities who is that heartthrob of millions of people across the world because of his charming personality. There is more money put on Chiyaan Vikram than any other Kollywood star at the moment. Nearly Rs 125 to Rs 135 Crore is riding on Vikram who is acting in two biggies at the moment- AL Vijay’s Thaandavam and Shankar’s I. Vikram is playing solo hero in both these films. Thaandavam is an action thriller directed by AL Vijay and has Vikram, Santhanam, Jagapati Babu, Anushka,Amy Jackson, and Lakshmi Rai . It is produced by UTV Motion Pictures with music by GV Prakash and has been extensively shot in London by ace cinematographer Nirav Shah. The internal valuation UTV would have put on Thaandavam would be around Rs 50 to Rs 55 Crore. Vikram is again playing solo hero in showman of south cinema Shankar’s I. Remember Shankar always make big-budget fantasy movies, with A team of technicians. I has Vikram, Amy Jackson, yet to be cast Bollyhood heroine, Malayalam actor Suresh Gopi, Ramkumar Ganesan and Santhanam in the cast. The film has music by Oscar winner AR Rahman and camera is by the wizard PC Sreeram. It is going to be shot extensively in never before seen locations in China and is produced by the leading producer Aascar Ravichandran. Aascar Ravi has earmarked a budget of Rs 75 to Rs 85 Crores on the film. Vikram’s last release Rajapattai may have failed at the box-office, but it has not affected his ratings in any way. His previous release Deivathirumagal got him awards and box-office success. Now Thaandavam is being marketed directly by UTV, which has a huge distribution network in TN. Thaanndavam Telugu dubbing (Sivathaandavam) has gone for a good price and Kerala and Karnataka deal is almost sealed. Aascar Ravichandran always markets the films he produces and with I he is going national. Aascar Films will directly release I in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi markets in the summer of 2013. Vikram is today one of the highest paid actors in the industry. He is rumoured to have been paid Rs 13 Cr for Thaandavam while he has signed for I at a new record Rs 15 Cr! The buzz on Thaandavam scheduled to release in September is positive. All that Vikram needs is a good script the rest he has in abundance- star power and an actor of substance. Vikram is definitely on a roll.

[HonestRaj]

I assume it's the guy who acts as school mate of Dhanush in 3. If so, he is definitely not any kind of cinema material. Should stop with TV anchoring.

+ ___ [fill this with 1 to .... whatever count needed for a absolute majority]

[groucho070]

Aval AppadithAn....

Half of it. Very uneven. Kamal feels he is in a new wave French philim. Sripriya gets even for not getting Sujatha's role in KB films. Rajini knows he is not in a Mahendran film. Some parts very brilliant, some very dull. Wife got bored so I guess I need to continue when she's not around. By the way, in light of the Kisu Kisu thread, I feel this is perhaps the rawest Rajini gets in playing himself, no?

[Mahen]

oh la la..what a *hitty movie..antha hero bleedy nansens..

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MB-MBBS (i.e., the original & firsttu).

Fantastic!

Especially cirkkit!

[MADDY]

kizhakke pogum rail - some scenes......laugh riot, my wife was laughing out so much that my 1yr old son too joined in .........bharathiraja movies just do not age.....

looking back, Mani's movies stand out like gems even now - infact, the only tamil mainstream director who consistently maintains a good standard throughout the movie is mani........others ellam strictly brilliance-followedby-ordinary dhaan......

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annakkiLi, first time

Easily puts most grAmaththu movies after that into shame (including many BR ones )!

Though the later part feels a little lengthy (with some thoyvu), overall it's reasonably paced.

Especially the first one hour is quite crisp - simply flies

Sujatha Strongly nominate for the pre-80's heroine runner-up (i.e. second to Savithri).

IR (aRimukam'nu title) - sollavE vENam - BGM too is kalakkal!
(The 'Ayiram malarkaLE' guitar comes briefly as BGM for one meen pidi scene...)

Devaraj-Mohan, pidinga oru - illa reNdu - poongoththu!

[Plum]

Happened to wake up at 4AM unexpectedly and settled for Indru Nee Naalai Naan, Directed by "Major", as he credits himself in the titles. Remember vividly from Doordarshan days - what I remember is some decent songs, some funny business between Sivagumar and Latchumi, and vaguely understandable adultery. Remember LOL mostly - even at that age, Sivakumar's LOL potential was well recognised and appreciated. Man's a (unintentional) LOL legend.

Watching it again, there's a decent semblance of a knot and potential in the theme and screenplay(by "Major" himself). Theme and the screenplay is quite bold. Right from the moment Sivagumaar(in an awful performance) sizes up Lakshmi, ostensibly as a prospective bride for his foster brother Jaishankar to the frustrated momens of Lakshmi neglected by husband Jai for long stretches of the movie(Jai in a subtle performance hints at impotence brilliantly, and even the screenplay-dialogues catch this aspect very very well without being explicit), and the eventual bursting of the dam of feelings between Lakshmi and Sivagumaar on a cliched rainy night post Jai's death.

The film is bold even for now wherein we would refuse to acknowledge the dynamics of the aNNi-kozhundhan relationship as dictated by the circumstances of this story.
Lakshmi, tailormade for the role, is very good and Jaishankar, in an insignificant role, does exactly what the role requires in a subtle performance that is sure to miss appreciation for the weight it adds to the story.
But Sivagumaar, central to the movie, destroys it all with a laughable performance right down to the climax, which is chillingly individualistic without bowing to the stndard issue "living for the children", which is what I expected even in this viewing, having forgotten the individualistic decision of Lakshmi, betrayed by fate all her life, takes, steadfastly refusing to embrace the noble, idealistic, "bringing up sivagumaar's children with Sulakshana" kind of climax a standard issue tamil film even of these times is expected to give.

Coupled with all these dynamics, and the dynamic of Jai being busy with all his party activities, the partymen-Jai relationship and screenplay contrivances all point to a Kerala influence.

I remember the titles said "kadhai - T A Balan". Sounds like a Malayalam original to me.

I am sure the Malayalam original with any competent Mallu lead actor would be a brilliant mine of subtext.

Lastly, the reason I sat through this till 7AM - ofcourse, Raja dispenses this unworthy vehicle with backbone-enabling songs and BGM, firmly keeping the film from collapsing right until the climax when Sivagumaar finally collapses the film after 3 hrs of single handed effort, with his "innaikkkkuuaaau neeeeeee naaaaaaalaikku naan".

The songs are situational and sit well on the movie - mottu vitta mullai chedi captures several dynamics from Sulakshana's freshly blossomed pregnancy celebration, Lakshmi fighting her feelings of happines for friend sulakshana and Sivagumaar(whom she had mistaken for her bridegroom in her pelli choopulu earlier), Jai very subtly excusing himself from the scene when Lakshmi, in the second stanza talks about her vaaliba vayasu feelings remaining unrequited.

Thaazhamboove kannurangu is a racy thaalattu(ivlo forceA paadina kozhandhai epdi thoongum) but the kozhandhai in question faces a life full of such forceful events destined to end in tragedy so perhaps it is apt.

Kaangeyam kaalaigale is suitably rumbunctious.

And then of course, the coup de grace of the movie - Pon Vaanam Panneer thoovudhu, the one reason why I kept awake till the end of the movie.

adhu sari, why this big a write up for this movie? I am just feeling generous and more importantly, speculating that there is a malayalam original. Can anyone point out? Would make a good movie with a better perfomer in place of Sivakumar, and a better director than "major" - Mammootty and Sethumadhavan perhaps?