ALEX PANDIYAN Review

ALEX PANDIYAN Review

Rating: 2.5/5

 Karthi's last movie Saguni had failed to impress the audience. Now, the actor has teamed up with Suraj, who has the history of making mass-masala films and delivering hits. The director, in an interview recently, has claimed that his latest film Alex Pandian with the Paruthiveeran star is a perfect Pongal treat for Tamil audience since it's an action-comedy film.

 Expectations

 Tamil movie audience in recent years have been expecting good storyline and do not entertain mindless scenes, comedies and regular masala tales anymore. They look for believable factors and do not appreciate the same old routine sequences or glorifying the heroism of a lead star unnecessarily. Well, the latest film, with its trailers and posters, appeared like a regular mass film but generated huge hype because of high-octane action sequences. Is their enough entertaining elements in Alex Pandian that would meet audience expectations? Read on to know... 

Story

 It has a stunning beginning with a much-talked train chase sequence. A group of thugs chase Anushka Shetty, and Karthi comes to rescue her and bashes them up. The first 10 minutes is thrilling and the action sequence have been brilliantly shot, despite the fact that the audience can easily make out that the scenes have been choreographed on a still train at parts. Immediately after the sequence, we are introduced to comedian Santhanam's family, which consists of his mother and three younger sisters. Alex Pandian settles down at his house in spite of stern opposition from Santhanam. The hero flirts with all his three sisters played by Nikita Thukral, Sanusha and Akanksha Puri. The first half is full of comedy and a few fights. The second half shows the true identity of Karthi and Anushka Shetty, the daughter of a Chief Minister. Alex has kidnapped Anushka and the orders are passed by Alvin Martin (Milind Soman) and Dr GKM (Sumanth). The baddies wants to sign a deal with the state government. As the Chief Minister refuses to sign, they give a contract to Karthi to abduct Anushka. What happens next should be seen on-screen.

Thuppakki Stills

Thuppakki Review 2

THUPPAKKI MOVIE REVIEW 




Starring: Vijay, Kajal Aggarwal, Jayaram, Vidyut Jamwal, Sathyan Direction: A. R. MurugadossMusic: Harris JayarajProduction: Kalaipuli S. Dhanu

Thuppakki released today amidst gargantuan hype and high fan frenzy. The expectation is high from this Vijay – Murugadoss association which has an acclaimed crew comprising cameraman Santosh Sivan, editor Sreekar Prasad and music director Harris Jayaraj. Have the team succeeded in giving the perfect festival entertainer?
Thuppakki is basically about Jagdish (Vijay), an army captain, who returns to Mumbai for a 40 days’ vacation. He has a loving family, comprising two sisters and his parents, who wish to get him married to an appropriate girl. Along with his romantic escapades, he also has a greater task at hand as he has to eradicate sleeper cells that are out to bomb and terrorize Mumbai across 12 prominent localities. Banking on the ever-dependable Vijay,  this extravagant and stylish entertainer is all about how Jagdish takes on this terror network.
The film gets off to a slow start after Vijay’s mass intro with the ‘Kutti Puli’ number. The romantic episodes with Kajal Aggarwal are bearable thanks to some high-voltage songs by Harris Jayaraj (Alaikaa Laikka and the wildly popular Google Google stand out) and Jayaram’s (playing Jagdish’s senior in the Army) funny interventions.
Kajal is the typical commercial cinema heroine who makes glamorous appearances in the songs and is also there for some comic relief. The tomboyish voice that has dubbed for her, enhances her character. Her stylish costumes and youthful beauty are a nice distraction from the main action packed plot. Jayaram’s legendary comic timing is intact while Sathyan has a commendable and sizable presence in the movie as Jagdish’s police friend. His proficiency in the English and Hindi speaking portions is a pleasant surprise. Vidyut Jamwal looks a million bucks with his long locks, stubble and macho physique. He is a nice matchup for the invincible hero.
Coming back to our main man Vijay, he looks ever youthful and the V shape that he so painstakingly maintains looks even more tight and muscular in Thuppakki. His prowess at dance and fights is well-known and Murugadoss has packaged and presented the movie perfectly in sync with Vijay’s skills at commercial cinema. While on the one hand, Jagdish is a brainy guy who uses the Rubik’s cube and his apple laptop to decode maps, on the other hand, his brawny side is also prominent thanks to his blazer, glares and a stylish gait. The pre-interval scenes with the twelve sleeper cells and the fight scenes with a sniffer dog in tow in the second half are a royal treat for Vijay fanatics. The star’s comfort level with Hindi and English makes his character as an urban Mumbai Thamizhan appear more genuine and real.
Harris Jayaraj’s songs are a raging hit already and this is a nice score on the whole from Harris.  The music that repeats while Vidyut makes an appearance on screen is pulsating.
Santosh Sivan’s camerawork is flawless and has captured the raw energy and crowds of Mumbai very well. The VFX for the blast scene at the start could have been better. Sreekar Prasad’s editing is seamless and makes sure that the movie is not boring one bit. Even though the locations in the ‘Vennilave’ song are a treat, the song overall seems redundant and could have been avoided.
Vijay’s costumer and stylist deserve a big round of applause for making the star dazzle in a suave manner with stylish and trendy clothes. His Tees are truly rocking thanks to his toned arms and dashboard abs.
On the downside, the last encounter between Vijay and Vidyut could have been better given the nice manner in which the movie was laid out for the finale. But, this is just a minor blip in an otherwise wholesome commercial treat. The manner in which Vijay manages to keep his mission wrapped in secrecy from his higher authorities in the Army is another question mark.
To wrap it up, Thuppakki should turn out to be a hugely profitable venture for the makers and a rewarding experience for the audience. The last dialog, about Army men living in tough conditions for 11 months based on the memories of their short vacation, makes Thuppakki’s intentions of being an ode to the Army, a commendable one.

Thuppakki Review 1

Directed by A R Murugadoss, Cinematography by Santosh Sivan, Music by Harris Jayaraj, Editing by A Sreekar Prasad

 

Starring Vijay, Kajal Agarwal, Jayaram, Sathyan, Vidyut Jamwal

 

huppakki is an upcoming actiion film written and directed by AR Murugadoss and produced by Kalipuli S Thanu under the banner V. Creations. Vijay, Kajal Agarwal, Akshara Gowda , Jayaram, Sathyan and Gautham Kurup are starring in Thuppakki. The film is set to be released on 13th of November, 2012.

Manthrikan

'Manthrikan' is a flick that is all flat and generic that must have appeared not-so-good at the time of its conception. On screen, it looks and sounds even worse. 

There is a blood thirsty spirit (Muktha George) on the loose at the Shenoy Mandir. The poor thing had spent years inside a weird looking pot and out in the open is on the lookout for a drink. The Shenoys run scared for their lives and invites sorcerer Mukundan Unni (Jayaram) over to teach the ghost a lesson or two.

And the lesson is taught of course, not to the ghost, but to the hapless viewers and it goes thus. Never venture out for a film that suspiciously looks like it might be a hazy job. This is a film that disappoints you on multiple levels - as a comedy, thriller or a horror flick, it offers you nothing new.

Manthrikan Pictures   66 Pictures

The suspense as such is minimum, and your only interest lies in why Rukku aka Muktha ended up being the vengeful being that she is today. You do know that she has been terribly wronged; how else would you account for her maniacal laughter that keeps echoing all around?

What surprises me is not that the story itself looks cooked up to the hilt, with not a trace of believability to be found anywhere around. What is indeed astonishing is that it has been stretched to about two and a half hours, which makes it seem like you have been caught in a no-time zone, where time stands still.

There is a sub plot that involves the three Nettikkadan brothers (Jayan, Mahesh and Kottayam Nazeer) and they make it seem for a while that these three men have something real important to do in the film. Turns out to be a misconception though, since they soon vanish into thin air. Magic, perhaps!

There aren't any shocking twists here either that would make you jump up in your seats. Everything is downright obvious and when you have a leading lady who has been struck by amnesia, you realize how sorry the entire picture is. Which is why if you ask me if this would qualify as a watchable flick for people who have just about started watching horror comedy flicks, I would admit that I am not entirely sure.

The technical aspects remain quite comparable with the general downbeat mood of the film, and there aren't any wonders on display. Terribly disappointing is the musical score by the incredibly talented S Balakrishnan, whose songs for the film fail to leave a mark.

What is Jayaram doing here in this terrible muddle of a film? I haven't got a clue. Ramesh Pisharody and Kalabhavan Shajon try to be at their witty best, while Poonam Bajwa gets to wear dhotis. Muktha George grunts and growls, but I need to admit that she does it well. 

For the first time in my life, I fervently wished I had learned some magic. Magic, that could swiftly ship me away from the torturous times that this film was putting me through, late in the night as half the world lay peacefully asleep in their beds. 

Run Baby Run stills

Run Baby Run stills