Aaranya Kaandam (2010) User Reviews (25)

A Path Breaking film in Tamil Cinema

[bhara93 · 8/10 · 11 June 2011]

I usually don't write reviews, because I feel, the reviews of a film I have watched which are already available are true and I couldn't write better.

But this time, I've decided to step it up and write a review because I feel, this movie deserves one and the reviews out there are good but very few indeed.

So, Aaranya Kaandam written and directed by first timer Thiagarajan Kumararaja and produced by S.P.Charan's Capital Film Works is an experimental gangster flick to say the least. But that's just the style of the film but to state the goodness of the film, I think it should be among the top films of the year because it keeps you entertained till the very end. For those who have been following this film from the time it won the grand Jury award at the South Asian Film Festival, you would know the difficulties this film had undergone pre-release. Frankly speaking, I was not surprised to see the vacant seats in the theater because this film is clearly for mature audience and lover of pure- cinema and not for the masses.

To start with the plot, it is a simple story about a gangster head Singaperrumal, played with class by yest year heartthrob, Jackie Shroff on a conflict which arises with his senior henchman, Pasupathy,once again played superbly by Sampath Raj on a dealing of cocaine and several other parallel tracks and motives. As the trailer correctly stated, it is about the decisions each of the six protagonists make and how it affects the plot.

There is no single-hero in this film, but if I were to select a hero, I would definitely give it to the superb script by the director. The director has avoided all clichés and given us a somewhat unpredictable film. The dialogue especially is very simplistic, at the same time realistic and humorous at times. The climax is hard hitting and definitely not expected.

I am not sure if You can call this film as a noir, but the lighting and camera suggests so. Commendable camera work by P.S.Vinod and editing by Praveen and Srikanth keeps the film's raciness and edginess to it.

One of the biggest advantages of the film is the music by the always dependable Yuvan Shankar Raja which has a Kill-Bill feel to it. Avoiding Ear impairing background and giving us a more mature score, Yuvan has not disappointed us and coping up for the lack of songs(i dint want them though).

This film has Tarantino written all over it. With the quirkiness, Dark tone and the parallel story lines, this film takes its time to unfold which is sort of an advantage and disadvantage at the same time. I had a lot of expectations for this film and I wasn't disappointed. Though it gets predictable at times, for the most part its ahead of you.

In the acting department, everyone has an important role to play and everyone has done a neat job with special mention to the son played by the Master Vasanth who has done his role without any hesitation.

In the words of my idol, I'm going with 3 and a half out of five for Aaranya Kaandam. It is only for the mature audiences and it puts Tamil Cinema back on track at the global stage.

Aaranya kaandam is superbly insane .U should Miss it at your own peril !!!!!

[ashsurawin · 8/10 · 5 August 2011]

"Aaranya Kaandam" is a story about drug trafficking and unfolds over a duration of 24 hours. The movie is based on the significant moments in the lives of the seven leading characters. It is supposedly the first new-noir film in Tamil cinema. This was one of the most awaited movies for me and it was released after almost a year of tribulations with the censor board. It won the Grand Jury award in South Asian International Film Festival last year.

The film is about narcotics and a convoluted rivalry between Singaperumal (Jackie Shroff), Gajendran (Rambo Rajkumar) and Pasupathi (Sampath Raj) attempts to grab it. The Director, Thiagarajan Kumararaja, builds up a nice tempo and takes his own time to build and establish each character.

Jackie Shroff in the character of dreadful Singam Perumal has performed outstandingly. His performance was close to perfection in many scenes, every scene of his brimming with reality.Ravi Krishna has been given a complete image makeover when compared to his earlier ventures. He has improved his acting skills a lot and portrayed emotions well on screen. Ravikrishna as Sappa ( a metaphor of fun, impotence, illiteracy…etc) will be remembered as one of the most interesting roles in his career. Sampath Raj did well and his body language, dialogue delivery boosts the mood of the film. In his intro-scene, his voice was so manly that it gave me goosebumps. He was at his best, performing with perfection throughout. Yasmeen Ponnappa is tailor-made for the character of Subbu (Subbulakshmi). Somasundaram, Rambo Rajkumar, Ajay Raj are adequate. Another character worthy of mention is the boy Kodukapuli ("Veyil" Vasanth) who deserves appreciation for his acting. His (kodukapuli) chemistry with Somasundaram (kaalayan) was highly impressive. Vinod's camera has captured the darker sides of city life well and his sense of lighting has worked wonders in bringing the right mood. Yuvan Shankar Raja has given us fantastic re-recording and background score which gave the right feel. He deserves all the praises he's been getting since the release of the film. The use of old songs in the background for some scenes that depict the mood in the scene is smart (don't know whether it was director's idea or Yuvan's) .Editing by the duo Praveen K. L. and N. B. Srikanth are crisp.

It is certainly not a movie for children or family audiences, for its highly stylised violence (Quentin Tarantino-ish) and abusive language. Thiagarajan Kumararaja has made a mighty impressive debut with a tight screenplay and superb dialogue writing. Even though many critics felt the film to be slow, I felt editing even a single scene would have dramatically brought down the effect on the audiences. Even though there were a large number of foul mouthed dialogues, they blended well with the screenplay. Others were voluntarily beeped by the team. The casting was simply perfect and acting was impeccable.

"Aaranya Kaandam" was a classy gangster tale and the way it has been conceptualized, executed definitely needs recognition. Hope Aaranya Kaandam becomes a trend setter for the new movies to come. Thiagarajan Kumararaja is a rare find and kudos to SP Charan and Capital film works for bringing him in to the realm of Tamil Cinema. Producer SPB Charan's bravery should be appreciated for producing such films (Previous CHENNAI-600028). He struggled a lot for releasing the film. #Alwaysrespect .But the sad part of Tamil cinema is that brilliant efforts like this are hardly noticed as it does not have the required masala ingredients packaged in it.

What a movie ......... Miss at your own risk! - and i mean it

[faizermohomed5 · 9/10 · 19 October 2013]

I stopped short of giving this movie a 10/10 rating solely because of it's somewhat glorified portrayal of violence, other than that this is one heck of a movie which should have ideally been a milestone in modern Tamil cinema but fell short of achieving that landmark solely because it didn't have 1. Big stars in the movie 2. Big production house 3. Promotions (This movie virtually had no promotions at all) 4. Big technical Crew (Apart from Yuvan Shankar Raja of course)

Here by BIG i imply established popular personnel. This movie had excellent technical values compared to the garbage dished out in the name of commercial cinema every other day and you have to see the movie for yourself to believe what a movie you have missed. The techniques used by the director to portray certain intense situations, the way the characterization is done, the way the movie is kept moving at a break-neck speed, The way the director makes us anticipate even clichéd scenes by smart editing techniques and many more should be watched by yourself to believe it and appraise the excellence! People should endorse such HONEST and INTELLIGENT attempts so that others too would come out and try new things or at least director Thiagarajan Kumararaja would come up with a new project (as of now he is not committed to any new project even after crafting a masterpiece like Aaranya Kaandam!).

A Slick Gangster flick! Highly Recommended

[dominicyuvan · 10/10 · 13 June 2011]

So what is Aaranya Kandam about, Experimental film? Tamil cinema's first Neo-noir film ? A Gangster flick? A Dark comedy? It's all of the above. The movie is the first Neo-noir in Tamil cinema. Well, Kumararaja can be called the Guy Ritchie of Tamil Cinema or the Tarantino of Tamil cinema. Aranya Kandam is gangster flick that takes its own time to unfold supported by technical elements in the film. However, all of the movies elements are overpowered by performances, everyone in the frame have lived their roles. The movie stars Jackie Shroff as Singaperumal,Ravi Krishna as Sappai,Sampath Raj as Pasupathy,Yasmin Ponnappa as Subbu,Somasundaram as Kaalayan, Master Vasanth as Kodukapuli,Rambo Rajkumar as Gajendran. With so many characters you may wonder, who is the protagonist? Well, the question has no answers.

Performances carry the film be it Jackie sharoff as the venomous impotent Singam perumal or the naive Ravi Krishna (one of his better performances) or Kodukapuli's father Somasundaram all have done a commendable job. Especially Somasundaram is able to tickle ribs even at nail biting situations with his performance and dialogue delivery. Sampath as always fits in the role of an ambitious gangster effortlessly. Then there is Yasmin Ponnappa, the dumb-blonde like in the movie with her sheepish grin is also brilliant. It almost a pitch perfect cast and Thiagarajan Kumararaja has done well with dialogues, which are clever and has a sense of humor. As the plot unfolds it's a cat and mouse story, where all that the characters are looking for are Freedom,money,power and cocaine.

Rajini pudikuma? illa Kamal pudikuma? – SP Charan the producer has tweeted that Kamalhassan loves the movie. That is enough reason for movie buffs to go watch the film. Thiagarajan Kumararaja has taken the harder route of opting out of songs in a 2 hour movie. However, the background score is enjoyable, though the sounds are influenced by various world movies Yuvan Shankar Raja produces a truly enjoyable score in the movie. The cinematography is good, with many unusual placements of camera angle and low-key lighting. If you are a Rajini fan then you will like the movie, if you are a Kamal fan you will love the movie.

Overall, Aaranya Kandam is whole new experience in Tamil cinema with a good plot and a twist in the movie. The movie is overpowered by performances from all characters in the movie supported by enjoyable music and cinematography.

An everlasting classic!

[venkat_ar · 10/10 · 2 July 2011]

AARANYA KAANDAM - To begin with, its still incredible that the director of the movie, Thiagarajan Kumararaja is a debutant. Is he God? The movie begins silently with a moral by Chanakya after the opening credits move on without any kind of graphic or noisy score as it usually happens in most Indian movies. Minutes of silence is broken by a lone dialog by a girl. What happens later in the movie is epic.Cruelty,malice,fear,intellect,bravery,anger,love,innocence and finally money;everything lays the base for the movie. Such a tightly engrossing movie and dialogs seem so realistic.We have only seen movies where the actor\actress speaks dialogs that makes sense only on the point of the movie and dialogs which never ever occur to the human mind on a split second thought in normal life.But the dialogs here are so slick and classy(even though if they are adult or vulgar) and seem so realistic.There are no loose ends in movie.Every scene,everyone and each and every object is connected.Now thats what we call 'Flawless' screenplay.Principal photography,backdrop,editing and lighting - Kumararaja brings a new angle to these to portray the gangster parts of Chennai.Small lanes,mills,aging gang-lords,mafia style vehicles take us along with the movie.Certain scenes in slow motion were picturised along with heat of the situation and it was so breathtaking and awesome(the director must be fan of Tarantino or Guy Ritchie I guess).

Background score was amazing and it fit perfectly to the occasion.Be it the scene where Pasputhy escapes from the police or the scene where little Kudakapulli readies his dad for the rooster fight, Yuvan has experimented and brought out his best.The pace of the movie never seemed like dropping as in every scene and shot I could have the thumping feel that someone would might get killed.And when things seem to be set and move on farther, some unexpected twist occurs.

The entire cast deserves an applause as its hard to pin point a specific character.Special mention to Sampath Raj who really had shown viewers how a mass character must action.Also to the small boy Vasanth who has immensely showcased his acting skills with wit and humour and delivers dialogs with ease.Especially his closing dialog to Pasupathy which filled the theater with so much applause.

The movie has brought a new trend to Tamil cinema and all thanks to the producers SPB and SP Charan for promoting such a brave effort. Pure world-class cinema for good movie lovers.People might mention that the movie is adult and filled with blood and violence, but the director has proved his point and made a place in many people's mind.Undoubtedly,one of the best Tamil movies ever made. Can recommend as an Oscar entry for Best Foreign Language movie of the year.So take a bow Bollywood.We can make movies with an entire fresh cast and make the whole world look at us.Not to mention the young Bollywood showoffs(wrongly misjudged as the future of Indian cinema) who advertise their face on all news for a single worthless high budget movie.Thamizh Vaazhga!!!

Tamil version of World Class film making..

[gpmforever · 10/10 · 17 July 2011]

I have seen many gangster movies in Tamil and other languages. Some of the good movies i watched so far is Nayagan, Pudhupettai,God father series, City of God.

But this movie is something different from others. How it differs? By making? or by acting? or By Screen play. No.. No... No.. It differ by its nature of theme. It deals different kind of persons attitude in this film. Director hardly worked for the very good outcome of the product.Each and every character in the film lives its own. They are real.. Still Such a kind of peoples lives with us.

I don't want explain much about this movie. Go and Watch.. or Buy the DVD. Feel the Every character described in this movie...

My Rating 10/10

AARANYA KAANDAM: Must be 'subsconsiously' (Anima) 'perceived (persona)' by all directors

[fredberglyle · 9/10 · 5 February 2014]

The director said in an interview that he is a huge fan of Godfather movie. He succeeded in making a gangster movie of such class in Tamil movie industry. A noir film in Tamil language and its first of its kind. The movie has a screenplay neatly written of sheer class added dialogs with profane languages as in real underworld. It has no songs but the bgm fits like a glove to the pace of the movie. You listen to lot of 80's sensual/party Tamil songs playing as FM Radio in the background added a page to the novelty in script/screenplay.

I'd give a full 10/10 for the movie except for few spoofs like a scene in which a bike's head lamps and mirrors unbroken after the rider gets hit. Also, I find some of the Tarantino's flavor in this movie with scenes like the don asking one of his trusted men to babysit (date) his girlfriend (as in Pulp Fiction)and another scene in which many characters sit around a table discussing about celebrities (from Reservoir dogs first scene). The whole ambiance reminded me of Pulp Fiction, yet I love this movie because am a Tamilian.

The bottom lines : (1) Get the unrated version and Do watch it (Cuz , the rated version edits all the good scenes) (2) MOVIE NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN/SENSITIVE Audience.

A chapter in the jungles of North Madras

[acl-ashok · 9/10 · 12 June 2011]

Not great stars, no big names..and bad marketing too; Yet a simplistic trailer, profound enough to attract anyone to watch the film....How else could the show have been full?

Aaranya Kaandam refers to the 14 most testing years of Rama in the forests, in exile, in despair for love and in grave danger too. The forest turns into the battleground, here North Madras-known for it's dark nature and it's abusive form of Tamil.

Singamperumal (Jackie Shroff), supreme controller of drug trade through Chennai, has his own share of competitors in the form of Gajendran and his aide Gajapati, who could turn as mad as elephants, that could crumble anything across. Pasupathi (Sampath), on Singam's side, aspires to stand on his own, thus incurring the wrath of Singamperumal.

Meanwhile the old mafia has an other side, the despair of not satisfying his 'wife' Subbu (Yasmin Ponnappa), who had been tricked and brought there under the promise of making her a star. Just as the trailer precisely describes-"Raavanan kulathila oru Vibheeshanan'a madhiri", there is Chappa (Ravi Krishna) , an innocent deer in the midst of lions. He has a soft corner towards Subbu and she woos Chappa in a motive to escape from the lion's clutches.

At the same time, a yesteryear zamindaar, who had lost all his wealth foolishly arrives at Chennai with his acid-tongued ten year old, Kodukkapuli. They are in an emergency to find money, fearing the loaners might put his wife into a brothel on non-payment of credit. This is where they come across a huge bundle of cocaine smuggled in a hotel which is supposed to reach Singamperumal, which they take in a bid to amass wealth. And there starts the butterly effect...a war between Singamperumal, Pasupathi and the Gajas meanwhile Chappa plans to escape with his newfound love. All these lead to a spellbinding climax, deciding the fate of the three stories.

Performances from all quarters have been fabulous, notaby from Sampath, the Zameendaar and the girl, Subbu playing a powerful role impresses big-time. As she majestically walks at the climax accomplishing what she wished, one would feel like clapping, the climax has that surprise ingredient!

Yuvan Shankar Raja is yet again fantastic. The trick of ensuring a marvelous BGM seems to have been transmitted via blood into him. Very experimental score, very much that when you would be expecting blaring rock guitars in a chase, he surprises us with soft violins. Essentially, the mood is conveyed. The cinematography is sufficient and otherwise not much to pat on the technical side.

Kumararajan Thyagaraja..??..er sorry! Thiagarajan Kumararaja(thanks to Wiki)....Oh your the director right? It is your film?? Oh it is your first film?? That would be the array of questions If i got a chance to meet the Dir. Very impressive screen writing; and puts in emotions of various dimensions into the script. Comedy isn't forced, and no duets crap.

The biggest victory of the film is in etching the characters-not polarized to extreme goodness as a Rama nor to extreme evil as a Raavana, all have their lighter and darker sides, and that is what reality is all about. Though the film has its shares of flaws in the form of a slightly slow screenplay and the very fact that the film is experimental in every aspect, we can refresh ourselves for something new rather than re-tuning time and again to the paisa vasool formula.

Three stories, 24 hours and a Chennai we haven't seen...

Simply Superb

[aakash_vasudevan · 9/10 · 22 June 2011]

Tamil Gangster flicks usually fail miserably on so many levels. But this one is nothing short of a masterpiece.

The movie has every trait of a great entertainer: excellent story, fantastic narrative style, superb acting, clever and witty dialogues, unexpected twists, super-ironic BGM, and most of all, believable. Also, very few directors try to portray reality and human emotions per Se. Some fail miserably. But, Thiagarajan Kumararaja does an outstanding job.

While this movie was incredibly entertaining for those two hours, it never occurred to me until I reached home, that the director had intended this movie to stand for something much deeper than just a cool gangster flick. The movie simply conveys that there are no good or bad people. We are all driven purely by emotions such as fear, lust, anger, pride,.. As a hint to what's coming, the movie starts off with this beautiful phase:

Edhu Dharmam? Edhu thevaiyo adhuve Dharmam.

There are some reviews out there that say that this movie is not for the common mass. I totally disagree. The theme might be a bit mature, some abusive languages (which I am sure most of us are somewhat used to) but nothing really explicit is shown. I certainly recommend this movie for anyone above 18 and that's just for the language.

Notice that I have not mentioned anything about the story. Knowing even a portion of the story takes away half the fun. Go there with absolutely no idea about the movie and I assure you, you will be dumbfounded. And most of all, don't be late!

Bottom line: Can't wait for the director's next movie!

Aaranya Kaandam (2011)

[omfgitsrohit · 7/10 · 14 June 2011]

A bizarre trailer, a debut director, award-winner of an international film festival, a battle with the censor board and a college dropout- these elements being attached to the film made me hope for nothing short of great. If a person believed so much in his craft, he was probably an anarchist who followed his own set of rules and that kind of a person obviously wouldn't be restricted by the boundaries of Tamil Cinema.

Aaranya Kaandam's director Thiagarajan Kumararaja uses his technical crew in all possible ways. Being the competent crew that they are, they comply. The film is so unconventional that despite the excellent work of the cinematographer (Vinod), editors (Praveen K L and N B Srikanth) and the music director (Yuvan Shankar Raja), none of their individual contributions stand out. It was teamwork and you praise the man who has directed them into completion. Thiagarajan has a clear-cut vision- the characters, their quirks, their looks and their distinct speech styles. Lacing terror with scornful humour, Aaranya Kaandam leaves its viewers with mixed emotions. The gang wars that are shot in stop-motion have classical music playing in the background giving them the poetic touch intended and bring out the beauty of the scenes, even though they're blood lusted. The low-key lighting and the dubious backdrop make Aaranya Kandam the morbid labyrinth it wants to be.

Full review- http://www.nowrunning.com/movie/6425/tamil/aaranya- kandam/3150/review.htm

Worth watching! One of the best Tamil movies.

[rajanna · 9/10 · 19 July 2011]

Firstly, a few words of appreciation. I have never seen a movie like this in Tamil. It was a joy to watch.

Going into the movie, its a gangster story. I mean, err.. story of many gangsters. The plot is very simple. A member of the gang goes over the head gangster and tries to strike a deal for some stuff, which belongs to another gang. What happens over a day is the story.

The most awesome aspect of the movie was the screenplay. The Quentin Tarantino, Guy Ritchie touch. A pleasure to watch. It starts from the first scene where Singaperumal (Jackie Shroff) tries to hump his mistress Subbu (Yasmin Ponnappa) and fails. The dialogue at the end of the scene "if you are not able to, why do you hit me?" made me sit upright. Boldness and no-nonsense dialogue's prevail all over the screenplay.

Music - Yuvan has transformed himself. The maturity with which the music flows is astounding. Every scene and every character can be related to a particular bit of music. Yuvan has handled a variety of genre's in the BGM. For a movie without a single song, the only opportunity for the music guy is the BGM. Yuvan has added weight to the movie. That simple. Especially, the bit of music that plays when Pasupathy (Sampath) walks over to hand the heroin to the rival gang member gives a beautiful Spanish tango effect. The bit that plays when the kid runs to hide the heroin reminded of the BGM of "City of God (Cicade de deus)." Kudos, Yuvan. Your father will be proud to call you, his son!

Direction, Screenplay, and Dialogue - Thiagarajan Kumararaja. Until I watched this movie, I always wanted to meet one Tamil movie director, and that was Maniratnam. This man has moved beyond in my "Men who I want to meet" list and is at the top position. From where did you come from, Man? I am extremely impressed with the meticulous effort that has been put into the making of this movie. Details. Every bit is detailed. In a scene, you find Jackie Shroff learning English in the background. The next scene, he meets the Jamindar and he goes "Small world." He also does that in the climax, when Subbu picks up the call, the call gets disconnected. Jackie asks subbu what happened. He is in the bathroom. Subbu tells him that the call got disconnected and then places the phone on the bed and turns. Jackie from inside shouts "Beautiful." Subbu walks two steps and then again "Wonderful." Subbu takes another two steps and he goes again "Marvellous." What nice work! This man has worked so hard, that even a simple scene looks so beautiful.

Dialogues - A movie can win by dialogues. I watched the movie again to enjoy the dialogues and screenplay. Killers!

Characters and performances -

Jackie Shroff - Majestic as Singaperumal. Stripped for the camera. The beautiful expression which he gives (EEEEEEE) to all his aides and Subbu just made us ROFL. I do not know who picked Jackie for this role. But whoever did that, my sincere thanks to that person. Amazing.

Sampath - Pasupathy. Another awesome performance from this man.

Guru Somasundaram - Jamindhar Kaalaiyan. Whoa. The most impressive performance in the movie. His native dialogue delivery and acting has made this man stand out. If you ask me, he is my most favorite actor at present. The innocence of a village man who comes to make a living in the city, is beautifully portrayed by this awesome actor.

Notable performances include others - Master vasanth, Rambo Rajkumar as Gajendran, Ravikrishna as Sappai, Yasmin Ponnappa as Subbu (Pretty woman, especially when she says the final dialogue!) and Ajay raj as a gangster.

Cinematography - by PL Vinod. Awesomely done. Variety of camera angles. Beautifully lit characters. As a photographer, I thoroughly enjoyed the visualizations. Pretty good.

Drawbacks - The police comes in at the start of the movie only to vanish. There are gruesome murders and killings all along the movie. The police just seems to be on an "away status." Frankly, that was the only drawback, I could find.

Overall - Must watch. Must buy a DVD print (Company released). Must also download a subtitled version from the internet and share it with friends abroad. Must also watch it periodically to relish the fact that good movies too are made in Tamil. This is the only movie which was applauded by the audience in the theater. Not once, but both the times. Escape and Mayajaal. All my friends who came along, were very impressed. I am sad to see that the movie is slowly being taken out from the theaters to accommodate new releases. I wish it's re-released and gets the revenue, it deserves.

Worth As WASTE....

[syman79 · 3/10 · 29 August 2011]

I checked all reviews here. I surprised who wrote all these flattering to this movie. It is a stupid movie.Copying Ram Gopal Varma shots never make a movie better. Camera exercise and bloody language spoiled a good thread. Please don't praise this movie as a Neo-noir. This worthless movie tries a weak climax which we already seen in several times. This type fight visualize in Malayalam movie "In Harihar Nagar" years ago.Very stupid performance delivered by Jackie Shroff. Try at your own risk, this terrible one. Why they people did this type of movie ? Spoiled lot of money for this rubbish movie. May be it is a vulgar remake of some foreign films. Please erase this foreign waste from Tamil Movie History.

A classical Gangster Film

[avinashphoneix · 8/10 · 1 February 2015]

Thiagarajan Kumararaja has given us a gangster movie which stands out with its realistic portrayal and no-nonsense treatment. Good performances, effective duologue's, slick editing and amazing camera- work help the movie stand out from the crowd. AK as film in its making and treatment is styled very similar to internationally known directors in this genre like Tarantino and Inarritu.

It is tough to believe that 'Aaranya Kaandam' is the debut effort of the director, who had earlier written the duologue's for another Chennai-based film 'Oram Po'. The finesse he displays in his writing and his directorial touches give ample evidence of his capabilities. 'Aaranya Kaandam' definitely marks the beginning of a new chapter in Tamil cinema.

The Biggest Achievement of Tamil Cinema and Indian Cinema in Neo-Noir-Crime-Thriller Genre. Equally Classy as those Famous British Crime-Dramas.

[SAMTHEBESTEST · 8/10 · 4 June 2021]

Aaranya Kaandam (2011) : Brief Review -

The Biggest Achievement of Tamil Cinema and Indian Cinema in Neo-Noir-Crime-Thriller Genre. Equally Classy as those Famous British Crime-Dramas. This crime thriller genre was mixed into anthology by British Cinema and all those known films from 90s and 2000s decade enjoy cult following. Many Filmmakers from different film industries in India have tried to adapt the those Classics but could only manage to make sort of watchable films. I remember watching 'Ludo' recently, which recieved overwhelming praise but actually the film was nothing great. It's just that the mass audience in India haven't seen classy crime dramas made in foreign cinema so even mediocre stuff sounds great to them. I experienced the same with extremely popular 'Vada Channai' but i don't understand so special about that film. Maybe the same reason again. So, basically my point was these overrated films have recieved immense praise undeserving and then we have film like 'Aaranya Kaandam' which isn't even watched by sensible audience, forget mass audience. What the heck is wrong with our audience? It's not just about this film but there are so many low budget films which are far better than those so called big budget classics. Watch Aaranya Kaandam and you'll forget all the crime anthologies/noirs made in India, i guarantee that. It is such a brilliant piece of filmmaking. What an intelligent crafting and top quality execution it has. All the actors have done their best, the theme dark and interesting, the screenplay is engaging, cinematography and editing is top class and there are few unpredictable turnarounds too. What else do want from one film in 115 minutes? Kudos to Thiagarajan Kumararaja for proving that even Indian cinema can make high quality crime thrillers like British Cinema. Don't Miss It!

RATING - 8/10*

By - #samthebestest.

Bold and good gangster movie

[haripriya · 9/10 · 2 April 2019]

This movie was in watch list for many moons.

A must watch Tamil movie for world movie lovers. It starts slower and catches fire. Not big fight scenes, no songs, No fancy items and that makes it real. All actors are done well, camera work is good. In some area BGM is too good, but in some areas it should be better.

I give 9 of 10 for the slow starting and OK kind of BGM, need some patients. But definitely A mile stone in Tamil movie.

Quentin Tarantino delivered in Tamil

[venkat-s · 10/10 · 24 December 2017]

This is an amazing movie. The film is true to its gangster theme and has some very violent dialogues and scenes. But the director has portrayed the gangster culture in undiluted form. I highly recommend this film to a mature audience who love pure cinema

100% Made for Mind-blowing Movie Lovers

[dayalikesu · 10/10 · 18 January 2018]

Actors act Amazingly Dialog delivers Delightfully Music moved Massively Story splits Perfectly Editing cuts Essentially Screenplay shows Spectacularly Direction dictates Differently

World class gangster film. A must watch movie.

[dineshkmurthy · 10/10 · 28 October 2017]

Hats off to the debutante director Thiagarajan Kumararaja. No doubt Aaranya kaandam is one of the best movies in Indian history. Yuvan.. You are amazing, man!! What a bgm!!. Each and every character in this movie was outstanding. I don't find any cons in this film. A complete entertainer.

Awesome

[akshatpandey66 · 9/10 · 3 July 2021]

What a classic. Just plain brilliant. One of the best Tamil movies out there.

Aaranya Kaandam Re-Revised (V/UA) TAMIL ---------- my Rating : ★★½ COMPLICATED THRILLER

[yunusitboss · 5/10 · 28 January 2013]

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Aaranya Kaandam Re-Revised (V/UA) TAMIL ---------- my Rating : ★★½ COMPLICATED THRILLER

STRENGTH : - * Climax : was brisk and very fair ... * Screenplay : was very racy but has no script .... * Background Score : was good in some scenes ..... * Casting and Performances : fantastic .... * Piracy control : well maintained ...no DVDs yet came from the production ... * Dialogues : were very natural... i saw the CENSORED one ...

WEAKNESSES : - * Story : it is a complicated movie ... it is hard to understand for all audiences

FINAL VERDICT : - * Overall ... If u have more patience then watch it clearly .......

A drama that unfolds between two rival mafia gang on a single day when a bag of cocaine gets stolen by two innocent people.

A classic...!

[sribornagain-394-460163 · 9/10 · 13 June 2012]

S.P.B.Charan's Capital Film Works is known for its variety as well as novelty in movies they have produced thus far . They have once again come out with yet another movie in "Aranya Kandam" which more than lives up to the production house's reputation. Touted to be the first neo-noir genre of movie in Tamil , "Aranya Kandam " is a blast for movie lovers.

Thiagarajan Kumararaja has done an excellent job in his debut feature . Both the writing & execution are flawless to say the least. It's been a way long time since one had come out of the theater with a feeling of "Wow..!" in Tamil. Kumararaja might well be the next big thing for Tamil cinema in particular ,Indian cinema in general.

The manner in which the story unfold in a leisurely pace with each & every character introducing themselves without any contrivable situations put forth specifically for introduction. Slowly the movie gets into you ensuring that concentration is focused on nothing but the happenings on screen for the next 2 hours. Just 15 minutes into the movie it picks up pace & is able to maintain the momentum until the grand finale.

The seamless lucidity of the screenplay make one wonder at the hard work & acumen of the writer. Seamless confluence of thrill , action , comedy , treachery as it happens in real life is well captured in the screenplay. Though movie is full of action ,gore ,blood & violence one doesn't get repulsed by it instead left marveling at the poetic portrayal of the same.

Casting as well as the acting is top class. Jackie Shroff & Sampath are apt in their casting & they have a field day in their respective roles. Special mention should be made of Somasundaram , who revels in his role of a gullible village pumpkin . His voice modulation , dialog delivery as well as his histrionic ability leaves one marveling at the talent. Ravi Krishna does justice to his role while Yasmin Ponnappa is a revelation in her first movie. Master Vasanth is casual & adorable.

Technically the movie is world class. P.S.Vinod , the cinematographer is one another reason why the movie is brilliant. His camera work enhances the final outcome. It has replicated the words on paper into a sparkling motion picture where each & every frame celebrates the art , that is cinema.

Praveen- Srikanth's editing makes the movie viewing experience like reading a novel . The pauses , punctuations , full stops , similes ... are spread across the movie where ever it is needed. This further enriches the style & grace of the movie.

Yuvan Shankar Raja is yet another cornerstone of the movie. His Background score is dazzling elevating the mood of the movie. The impact is doubled by his fabulous score. Use of new sounds in many places further adds up to the novelty & freshness of the movie.

On the whole , "Aranya Kandam" is a must watch irrespective of whether one knows the language or not for this movie is racy yet arty, gory yet classy.

Bottomline : A classic...!

Impressive ode to Guy Ritchie

[devinderbonding · 9/10 · 15 May 2021]

Finally found an English subtitled version on YouTube and thoroughly enjoyed it. This neo noir ode to Guy Ritchie is thoroughly enjoyable, so glad I watched it.

Hats off to the director.

[cr-yogeeswar · 9/10 · 6 February 2014]

This is one of those tamil movies which goes out of the box, i.e., from comedy and romance. The director took a brave move here, and so do the producer. Even the film has explicit language and a bit of blood shed (which often don't workout in tollywood), its reasonable.You cant expect gangsters to be gentlemen and a door next door guy. The story is simple, yet the "Tarantinoish" direction has stirred a magic, its keeps you on the toes. The film is nothing short of romance and comedy, though it has thriller and gangster content in it. Yuvan Shankar Raja has done some mind blowing job as usual. A big applause for the whole team. The story was simple "A gangwar between two gangs stirred up by a Cocoaine deal". The narration was so good that you wont a simplest clue that two hours has already passed by.

Avoid the morals...Enjoy it

[amuthanmannar · 9/10 · 24 February 2017]

This is a epic movie in entire Indian cinema history..Thiagarajan will be the next Tarantino in India.This is a next pulp fiction of our epic cinema history..Best gangster movie ever made.All characters did their performance very well. Finally forget the morals and enjoy it from corner of the sheet

Aaranya Kaandam

[santhosh-10290 · 1/10 · 17 March 2019]

Boring movie. The movie had no interesting scenes. Fight scenes and BGM in the movie were excellent. But the whole movie was so slow.and boring. The movie had a bad story. The movie was not at all interesting. The movie had many vulgar scenes and dialogues which made the movie bad. The movie lagged a lot.