s-15144-48886

Ponniyin Selvan is here and I must say I loved every bit of it. As a guy who read all the 5 parts of the novel, I pretty much loved the film and how it was made. First I will say which aspects didn't work out with me then only I could praise the film. First of all, the action sequences were executed and edited in a bad way. Although not an action oriented epic like Bahubali they could have at least made the fight sequences good to watch. The only good action sequence are Vikram's introduction sequence. It was the only good one I would say. The VFX was a little generic and bad at some places. A. R Rahman's songs weren't memorable except Ponni Nadhi and Chola Chola. Other songs were boring and easily forgettable. Now for the good things. Before I go into anything I must praise Costume designer Eka Lakhani, Art director Thota Tharani and Cinematographer Ravi Varman for their brilliant work in this film. Ravi Varman's visuals is just mind blowing. Coming to the performances, Vikram is just brilliant as Adithya in the minimal screen time he has got. He just acts with his eyes. Karthi is brilliant and for me, him as Vallavaraiyan Vanthiyathevan was my favourite performance from all the performances. Trisha is great as Kundavai and Aishwarya Rai as Nandini is just awesome and mind blowing. She is like eternal beauty in this film. I liked her in every frame she came in. And finally Jayam Ravi as Ponniyin Selvan is formidable in this role. Jayam has done great in all of his frames which he came. I think it is his best performance of his career. A. R Rahman's score is another best thing about this film. Although he somewhat failed in songs, it is score which he gets right. Finally we come to the visionary Mani Ratnam. He has remained mostly faithful to the novel and that is what makes me happy. I hope the second part is great as this and good enough.

So I happened to watch this film in theatres and was very hyped for it for multiple reasons. But I was surely dissapointed by the final product which just turned out to be an average flick. So this film has multiple layers but none of them are able to blend properly while some feel forced. The screenplay by Murali Gopy is average at best and nothing else. First half is engaging and you won't feel much lag mainly due to some great performances. Second Half starts with a lagging monologue from Prithviraj but later the film gains pace after sometime. Talking about film's performances, Siddique, Saiju Kurup and Srikant Murali are the standout performers. Prithviraj is great especially in the emotional sequences but some places I felt his dialogue delivery was not convincing. Indrajith was OK in this movie and had nothing much to do. Vijay Babu was just being Vijay Babu. He showcased a good performance in first half but in the second half it felt like artificial acting. Hannah Reji Koshy and Isha Talwar have nothing to do in the movie. The film faults mainly at writing department. I liked the backstory and the emotional depth could be felt but the present timeline could have been much better. The characters were not written and explored properly except Siddique's, Saiju Kurup's and Prithviraj's characters. The film's best momment is it's climax and that's it. The Music by Murali Gopy is forgettable and the Title track is just bad and boring. Cinematography and production values are rich. The direction by Rathish Ambat can be complimented but still the writing let's all of it down. The movie can be seen for it's performances, first half, emotional depth, Climax and the visuals. Its watchable, at least.

Brahmastra is a Visual spectacle in its own right. Directed by Ayan Mukherjee, the film has a lot of things to say wow and some places to say meh.

Firstly I would say the dialogues are childish and so bad at sometimes. It is sometimes very exposition heavy, It sounded really generic for me. The performances is mixed. While I think Amitabh Bachchan is great and is in fine form he is handed with exposition heavy dialogues. Mouni Roy is menacing and has given a memorable performance. While Ranbir is just doing his usual stuff and is doing nothing new. He falters in the dialogue delivery. Same said for Alia as she is just the mere love interest. Their chemistry is bad and I would say the movie's biggest negative is its romantic track. You feel nothing for the characters. It just slows down the entire movie. While I would say Nagarjuna and Shahrukh Khan did a fantabulous job as they created a hell of an impact in just a short screen time. The action set pieces and visual effects is great as hell and you would have a hell of a theatre experience. Especially the Vanarastra and Nandiastra action sequences, the car chase sequence and the climatic battle. It is just a treat to watch on the big screen. The music is really great with stand-outs like deva deva and rasiya. While Kesariya is good but it is just misplaced in the movie and Dance ka bhoot being a good introduction to the happy-go-lucky character. The BGM is awesome and elevates the action sequences. I would say, if the writing would have been better then the movie would have been some what an Indian Avengers. This one is a must-watch theatre experience. I hope the film becomes a blockbuster and more to be made like this. I am waiting for the next installment Dev and I hope Ayan, the next time makes a superior movie. I conclude my review by praying that the Vanarastra and Nandiastra spin-off happens.

One of the most anticipated collaborations is finally here! A collaboration of a star like Kamal Haasan and a visionary director like Lokesh. Vikram is here and my god it is worth your money. This is a reminder that Lokesh is one of the best Indian directors. I would love to say why this film is great and why some things were somewhat meh. Actually pretty less meh.

The things I thought was very tiresome.

You have to probably do some homework(not school homework) before stepping into this film as it has many callbacks to Kamal's and Lokesh's filmography. This isn't a bad thing but I just mentioned it as it is tiresome for some casual moviegoers to do homework for a film.

The Best things.

Anirudh's music is the best thing about the movie. His music especially Once upon a time and the Title track is really captivating. Pathala Pathala works as the best kuthu number. The Pablo Escobar song is my favourite among all. The cinematography by the national award winning- Girish Gangadharan is top notch. Some shots during the set pieces are breathtaking. Anbariv's stunts are great and maybe the best work done by them. The performances are great. Kamal Haasan is great as usual but it is during the action set pieces that he unleashes the beast inside him and makes us root and cheer for the character. VJS has an interesting character as it is written a little bad but he adds some nuances to his character in each frame that makes an ordinary sequence featuring the character interesting which makes his character a terrifying villain but least terrifying than that of Master. Fahad Faasil is the hero in the first half and the sharpness and agile body language of Amar is well portrayed. He speaks with his eyes as he does most of the time he matches up to a legend like Kamal Haasan. Eyes that speaks most which tells that he is one of the best actors in India and needs an award right now. Surya is just raw and great in his special appearance. I would just pray Agent Tina gets a spinoff show or movie. The last but not least it is a pakka Lokesh padam. He is the best. His world building is top notch and how he manages to trick us with some incoherent sequences in the first half and revealing that the incoherence also had some purpose later on. It is called clever filmmaking. It is worth the watch for Lokesh's filmmaking alone.

If you love Lokesh's type of filmmaking and Kamal Haasan, Vikram is a must watch for every aspects or should I say everything.

CBI series for me is something different. Oru CBI Diarykurup set the benchmark for investigative thrillers. Jagratha failed to get much attention like its predecessor but it was a really good film and was successful in the box office. Sethurama Iyer CBI was also a really good film. After Sethurama Iyer CBI, Nerariyan CBI came which disappointed me. But CBI 5 really exceeded my expectation because I went with no expectation. I will be saying about the good and bad of the movie in a non-spoiler way.

The Bad

Some subplots was started but was left unanswered which left me scratching my head. Also the motive of the killer is a little generic and dumb. The first half is very lagging and nothing is thrilling in it. But after the first half, it goes smooth and great. This is the only movie in the series which has less or no action sequences, which is not a bad thing but I just mentioned it. The pattern of the killing and how they presented it is very poor and disappointing. Soubin, Asha Sharath, Ansiba and Anoop Menon were miscasts.

The Good

Technically this film is really good. The remixed background score of Iyer by Jakes Bejoy reminded me of the original score from the original one. The cinematography is great. Screenplay wise, this one has an average one but is better than Nerariyan CBI. The second half is really good and gives us some thrills. Some of the performances are really good. Mammootty gives the same vibe of Iyer from the predecessors and also gives a restrained performance. They have tried to do something different with the character of Iyer and have succeeded with it. Loved the scene in which Jagathy was there. It was a pivotal moment in which Jagathy appeared and had a good role. Jagathy did his best and was good. Mukesh and Sai Kumar had a limited appearance but they did a good job. Sai Kumar brings some nostalgic memories. Others did an average job. The climax twist was really unexpected, interesting and good.

So I recommend all of you to watch it but it isn't very good but you can get entertained and the fans and haters of Nerariyan will love this film and should see it but those who are fans of the first three, it is up to you to decide.

So I just finished watching Sunny. An experimental movie, the movie was released on 23rd September. I will say the good and bad aspects of the movie so that you can decide if you want to watch it or not.

Underwhelming Aspects 1. Slow Narrative: The movie is just 1 hour 30 minutes I guess but the movie was moving like a snail. Very slow, that you will think it is 2 hour 50 minutes long. It was like that to give a realistic feel and you need patience to watch this. If they made it a little more fast it would have been good.

The Good 1. Average but Experimental screenplay: The screenplay is average but as it is experimental it manages to somehow engage. The movie is about just one man and the challenges he faces. The screenplay is good because it is a bit of relatable.

2. The concept: The concept of only one man is good as it is really experimental and good. The concept of the man talking to the people through phone whom we haven't seen was also good.

3. Direction: terrific direction which makes the average screenplay engaging.

4. Technical aspects: Cinematography was very good. The music was also good as it manages to blend into the film.

5. Jayasurya: The only actor appearing onscreen in this movie is Jayasurya and it is his show. We can call it 'ONE MAN ARMY'. What a performance. Awesome means Awesome. The actors and actresses who lend their voice as talking to Sunny were good and Jayasurya talking to them and his facial expressions are worth watching.

The movie is worth watching.

So this anthology is very decent although there was many hype surrounding it. I will be telling my review from worst to best. No spoilers.

9. Thunintha Pin (Veera - Courage)= Directed by Sarjun K. M= Not very good, This one has a really unconvincing acting from Atharvaa and Kishore. The screenplay is not good, also the making is not very good. The narrative lags a bit. The only good is the technical aspects of the movie.

8. Peace (Shaantha - Peace)= Directed by Karthik Subbaraj= Acting and technical aspects are good nothing else. The long shot is also good. Karthik Subbaraj fails in capturing the emotion Peace.

7. Payasam (Bibhatsa - Disgust)= Directed by Vasanth= Its bad thing is the screenplay as it is a bit boring. Aditi Balan was wasted in her role. The good thing is Delhi Ganesh, Technical aspects and its hilarious climax.

6. Guitar Kambi Mele Nindru (Shringaara - Romance)= Directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon= Amongst some really serious movies, This romantic movie is good for its technical aspects and acting. G. V. M tried to recreate the magic of Vaaranam Aayiram, But failed. Its just decent.

5. Summer of '92 (Haasya - Laughter)= Directed by Priyadarshan= Priyadarshan is known for his comedies, The only bad thing in the movie is it is funny at places. It is not fully hilarious, but it is not a very bad thing. The overall acting is good. Yogi Babu is funny, but he was only a little in the movie, but no problem. Its ending will leave you in splits laughing.

4. Rowthiram (Raudra - Anger)= Directed by Aravind Swami= Aravind Swami makes a great directorial debut. The technical aspects are good. The making and screenplay is also good. Its a worth watch for its twist at the climax.

3. Edhiri (Karuna - Compassion)= Directed by Bejoy Nambiar= Its a Bejoy Nambiar type movie. A real slow paced thriller this movie is. Technical aspects are good. Screenplay is also decent. The acting makes this movie awesome. Vijay Sethupathi and Prakash Raj are very good, But Revathi steals the show.

2. Project Agni (Adbhutha - Wonder)= Directed by Karthick Naren= Karthick Naren excels both in directing and writing. Acting and Technical Aspects are also very good. It may not appeal to some people, but it is very different from other short movies. In short, Highly Recommended.

1. Inmai (Bhayaanaka - Fear)= Directed by Rathindran R. Prasad= My most favourite of all short movies. Siddharth excels in his role and Parvathy is just good. Technical aspects, Screenplay and the twist ending is a plus point in the movie. Rathindran R. Prasad's debut is worth watching.

Overall, a very decent anthology movie. Some may like it but some may not.