srkathithan Reviews

Indian 2 (2024)

A Disappointing Sequel That Fails to Capture the Magic of the Original

[5/10 · 16 July 2024]

The long-awaited sequel to Shankar's classic vigilante film, Indian, arrives with a resounding thud. Indian 2 is a disappointment that struggles to recapture the essence of its predecessor .

The film picks up seamlessly from the events of the first movie, with Senapathy resurfacing as the figurehead for a social media-driven youth movement called the Barking Dogs. This premise holds promise, as it aims to continue Senapathy's crusade against corruption. However, the narrative quickly becomes derivative and repetitive, failing to offer the fresh perspective and complexity that made the original so compelling.

The fight against corruption, while a relevant theme, lacks the depth and nuance seen in Shankar's previous work. The supporting cast, including Siddharth and Priya Bhavani Shankar, deliver serviceable performances, but their characters feel one-dimensional and underdeveloped. Even the inclusion of SJ Suryah, an otherwise talented actor, is ultimately underwhelming.

One of the most glaring issues is the film's inability to match the emotional connection and impact of the original. Where Indian resonated with audiences through its powerful storytelling, Indian 2 struggles to create a similar level of investment.

Visually, the film maintains Shankar's signature style, offering grand, sweeping shots that showcase his prowess as a visual storyteller. However, even the cinematography and production values, while impressive, fail to elevate the overall experience.

The film's attempt to adapt to the sensibilities of a younger, "Generation Z" audience. This shift, while understandable, has resulted in a movie that feels increasingly disconnected from the core essence of the original. The loud, comical portrayal of the uber-rich antagonists, as well as the diluted focus on the corruption narrative, are clear examples of this misstep.

In the end, Indian 2 is a forgettable entry in Shankar's filmography, For die-hard fans of Kamal Haasan, Indian 2 may still be worth a watch, but for those seeking the same level of impact as the first film, this sequel is likely to be a letdown.

Jailer (I) (2023)

A bull's eye sambavam, an out and out redemption and unfurling new heights.

[10/10 · 12 August 2023]

#Jailer - Pakka Pan South Indian Movie 🍿

It is good to see Rajinikanth in a solid role after a long time. His characterisation is well designed by Nelson. His performance in the movie is a testament to his legendary status in the industry, proving that age is no barrier to his brilliance. With every dialogue delivery, every expression, he reaffirms his position as a true icon. Rajinikanth's presence elevates the film to another level, reminding us why he's adored by millions worldwide. His charisma and energy on screen are nothing short of awe-inspiring, creating an unforgettable experience for the audience.

The film's star-studded ensemble, including Malayalam superstar Mohanlal, Kannada superstar Shivrajkumar, and Bollywood actor Jackie Shroff, adds an extra layer of grandeur to an already exceptional production. Screen presence of Mohanlal and Shivraj Kumar at initial level was not just ok type but Nelson kept them under shadow as the climax was jaw dropping.

And then there's Vinayakan, whose portrayal of the villain deserves a standing ovation. His mesmerizing performance adds an intense and riveting dimension to the movie. With every menacing glance and chilling dialogue delivery, Vinayakan has outdone his abilities to great heights.

The music of "Jailer" complements the relentless action perfectly. The beats and melodies sync seamlessly with the adrenaline-pumping sequences, enhancing the overall impact. Kudos to the director for maintaining a cohesive flow despite the shifts in tone and genre.

It's a great comeback for the Superstar and for Nelson as Director after a dismal performance with Beast.

Maaveeran (2023)

An Inspiring Tale of Courage and Heroism

[8/10 · 22 July 2023]

Maaveeran is a captivating film that combines action, drama, and a powerful narrative.

The director Madon Ashwin has done a wonderful job. There's a reason behind the story and that makes it acceptable. Since it is a fantasy movie, there is a limit to questioning the practicality.

The screenplay keeps you engaged throughout the movie, especially the first half you will never get bored.

Yogi Babu is the main highlight for making you laugh. The comedy does not feel like it was fit in to make a comedy.

Sivakarthikeyan is unbelievable in his role juggling between a possessed man who never want to be the chosen one. The small drawback is the climax plot making the villain look silly and foolish!!

Every character had its development, so it feels acceptable.

Pathu Thala (2023)

Hattrick Hit for Simbu!!!

[9/10 · 20 May 2023]

A bit of prolonged narrative, yet the screenplay assembles every string right into one place and delivers satisfiable amount of exciting & entertaining sequences throughout the runtime, and the entire setup for the main plot is wonderfully done..

STR's character establishment and buildups by other actors throughout the first half stimulates the thrilling factor for audience!! His on-screen presence is magnetic, and his performance elevates the overall film. The storyline, combined with the captivating visuals, keeps the audience hooked from start to finish.

This film exceeded expectations at so many levels (except for the last 2 mins of how the story ends)- story, plot twists, music (just got goosebumps with the bgm, it was so good), cinematography, casting and each of the actors trying to deliver their best performance.

Ponniyin Selvan: Part Two (2023)

Disappointed in the Magnus Movie

[5/10 · 14 May 2023]

PS 1 travels around the character building of each character. It was like the construction of the basement so that when we watch PS 2 it would have a concrete impact in the minds of the audience.

As a whole PS: 1 and 2 talks about the hatred, lost love, greed, vengeance, the dark political game which we quite frequently observe in our present lives.

Deviation from the book is fine. I can attribute it to the Director's creative choice but what baffled me the most is the Director's choice of some scenes was illogical, takes away from the characters he built and sometimes just cring.

The love story of Vandhiyathevan and Kundhavai finds a place in PS2, and Kalki also does not value this story much. I felt that Manirathinam should have retained the Death Scene of Periya Pazhvettaiaraiyar and his final confession to Azhvarkadiyan. This was visualized by Kalki. This would give more meaning to Vandhiyathevan and Periya Pazhuvettaiaraiyar's roles towards the end.

If Pandiya's knew Aishwarya was the illegitimate daughter of Pandiya King and respected her and followed her every command, why did they abandon her suddenly at the end? It almost felt like she was being played till she got rid of Vikram. This just takes away from the character that was built for her...the shrewd woman who is well versed in political strategy.

Madhurantagan, his character was such a joke in this movie. How did he find those sadhu people? They shouldn't be fighting wars or interfering in poltical affairs. During the scene where his alliance was discussing something with the pallava king, Madhurantagan rebels and says I'm not doing this rubbish and just walks off unscathed??? What the hell was that scene.. this isn't elementary school to just switch sides without suffering consequences.

Overall, while there were certainly some enjoyable elements to "Ponniyin Selvan Part 2", I found it difficult to fully engage with the characters and their journeys due to the film's deviations from the book. As such, I would recommend this movie with some reservations, especially for fans of the original story who may be disappointed by the changes made in the adaptation.

Vadhandhi: The Fable of Velonie (2022– )

A gripping crime thriller

[9/10 · 13 December 2022]

After "Suzhal" once again Amazon came up with a well made crime investigation series . More than a crime investigation, it well showcased how the rumors works among the public and how media encourages it. The series kept everyone hooked with its storyline giving different theories at different point of time. The director has done complete justice to the tight script in how it has been conceived and translated on screen. The constant use of perspective shift very effectively keeps the viewers guessing and second guessing the characters' ulterior motive all through and still throws a sucker punch at the end that leaves one reeling.

SJ Suryah owns his role as SI Vivek and has come up with a measured and nuanced portrayal of the character. Laila too plays her role in a subtle manner, and so are the supporting characters Nassar, Vivek Prasanna to name a few. However, the stars of the show are SJ Suryah and Sanjana, who plays the charming Velonie. She takes to her role like fish to water and it seems like it was tailor-made for her.

Some parts seem streched especially at the fag end which could've been avoided. For instance, Ramar (Vivek Prasanna), tells Vivek during the course of the investigation that Velonie's beauty went to waste since she died so young. Even as Vivek gives him a nasty glare, the audience gets the message.

And this includes the media houses and editor Sethuraman (Hareesh Peradi) who decide to sensationalise the news and cash in on the gossip and her looks. There is a force-fitted scene where a bunch of IT employees discussing Velonie and her character.

On whole, Vadhandhi a gripping crime thriller that keeps you hooked until the last minute.

Jana Gana Mana (2022)

Powerful script make movies powerful

[10/10 · 13 November 2022]

A story like this would never have had the kind of impact that it does, had it not been for the performances. The ensemble cast of the film is fantastic. It is led from the front by a towering Prithviraj who powers his way through the entire second half and the court case as if it was one long monologue and that is exactly what it is. While the court case is one of the most outlandish depictions of a court case ever put to film in India, it never for a second feels that way as Prithviraj completely envelops our senses and makes us take note of every word that he mouths. He complements that with equally poignant and powerful expressions and the compounded effect of that is a rendition that is as inspiring as it is haunting.

Suraj Venjaramoodu as ACP Sajjan Kumar is sensational. I wasn't expecting his character to go the way it does, and it came as an absolute shock for me. Even with the character going in a totally different direction, Suraj maintains unprecedented hold on the audience. I say this because I wanted to hate his character in the end, but I just couldn't as his rendition of the character was so authoritative. The director does provide his character with some redemption in the end but that was not enough to undo all that he had done. Having said that, there was still something very likable about the man and that was also one of the biggest pulls for the character.

The way the movie moved through the two protagonists through the two halves was very cleverly done so that the paradigm shift really allows the audience to see the broader picture. The movie is made in a way so that its messages can be reached everywhere and also makes sure to teach them to be able to question things. For a movie that is gonna be labelled as something that doesn't consider the audience intelligent enough to comprehend everything unless spelt out, it makes the exact case of why the audience around the world isn't really collectively intelligent and even those who ask for the intelligent narration won't be able to deny those facts.

Vendhu Thanindhathu Kaadu (2022)

An as usual Gangster

[7/10 · 13 November 2022]

Vendhu Thanindhathu Kaadu is written by the eminent writer Jeyamohan and yes you can see the novel like indulgence in the screenplay writing. There are many moments that are arduous to watch. The movie takes its own sweet time to unravel, though we are quite aware how things would unfold. Storywise VTK is nothing new, It's jumpy at many places and the climax clearly looks to have deviated from its original plan and falters badly. Siddhartha Nuni's cinematography is fine. ARR's background score is brilliant and the songs are above average. Dialogues are good and editing could have been sharp. Direction by GVM is uptight.

Thiruchitrambalam (2022)

Light Hearted Film

[8/10 · 13 November 2022]

The story of natural neighbour person, natural friend as lover in neighbour of same apartment. A different love story of latest hifi love and village concept of love story, excellent father and son sentiment concept, a good comedy sensation by Bharathiraja and Dhanush, excellent songs by Poetu Dhanush and music by Anirudh.

Raashi Khanna and Priya Bhavani make little to no impact in bit-part roles but they were specifically designed to be such by the director. The chemistry between Dhanush and Nithya Menen is so palpable that they can carry the entire narrative of the film on their capable shoulders. Despite a cliched, formulaic storyline with no real surprises, their witty banter, constant bickering, and how they cheerfully navigate the hurdles that life throws in their way become all too relatable and consistently entertaining.

Must watch for every loving couple out there trying to discover the cornerstone of their love life.

Naane Varuvean (2022)

Compact Revenge Thriller

[7/10 · 13 November 2022]

A compact revenge thriller, the compactness of which works for and against the film. While the length ensures that there is no boredom, this also robs the film of any depth and drama. And without this depth, the final punch feels weak. This is a welcome genre film featuring a star hero and the first half is a pleasant surprise. The sparseness of the moodily lit frames, the handful of supporting characters and Yuvan Shankar Raja's eerie score, ensure that there is a constant sense of dread. And when things start getting serious, the filmmaking reaches a crescendo, and by the time we get to the interval, the director brings us to the edge of our seats.

But just when we expect the second half to deliver us such moments, especially with the promised return of Kathir, the film begins to lose intensity.

On the whole, Selvaraghavan delivers a fine thriller with Naane Varuvean which throws enough surprises in the first half but has a predictable second that lacks depth.

Delhi Crime (2019– )

Season 2

[10/10 · 13 November 2022]

Delhi Crime season 2 is not as impactful as its first season, but is solid and intense enough and has gripping content to keep us invested. Its a decent crime thriller but is mainly driven by moral dilemmas of the characters. It addresses the structural social problems, conflict between professional and domestic life, the role of class divide in the increase in rate of crime, how such incidents are affecting the poor or underprivileged, attitude towards minority tribes etc.

From the very first episode when I heard about the crime, i wanted to stop watching it because of how heinous and even difficult to hear the crime was. I always have a sense of disgust towards any type of crime but this was like epitome of all the crimes i have seen in my past. I am dumbstruck to know that even these type of things happen in our society. I might stop watching crime shows after this but this show was well written, acted, showed us all kinds of detailings of the crime. Takes a lot of guts to showcase such inhumane and barbarism existing in our society.

Sita Ramam (2022)

Come fall in Love with Love

[10/10 · 13 November 2022]

It makes you fall in love with love. The innocence and purity of love which is missing in now a days romance movies is brought back. You feel joyous, elated, sad and at times you are blushing as well while watching it. Imagine that pure and sweet feeling of love that makes you feel your heart is full to overflowing with the effervescent emotions it evokes. The movie is about that love. It also shows that when you have your heart and soul filled with that love and those memories, your life still goes on as that is what your love wants for you. How ever far they are, Raam and Seetha will always unite as only they can complete each other. Rather than becoming decrepit, she celebrates her love along with fulfilling her goals and duties.

The theme involves POK, Kashmir, Ind Vs Pak hatred, Hindu-Muslim sentiments and all possible controversial things. But everyone will get the feel good factor only from all these controversial things.

There is good amount of sentiment and romance throughout the movie. In fact my eyes got moist towards the end of the movie. I felt so tightened in my chest in this movie after "96".

Special mention of the colour palette of the movie as well - from the outfits to the props around, everything matched perfectly with each and every surrounding and looked soo good!! A huge fan of the music as well. I just wish I would have been able to check this movie out in the theatres.

Ponniyin Selvan: Part I (2022)

Ponniyan Selvan - Beyond one's imagination

[10/10 · 13 November 2022]

Beyond one's imagination is the least one expects from filmmakers like Mani Ratnam and it's perhaps this weight that has pressed down on a few scenes that did not do more than just efficiently translate text to screen. In a sense, you find yourself going back to an adjective you never imagined using while writing about a Mani Ratnam film. "Straightforward" is the word and you don't quite understand why the brilliance of the reimagined sequences didn't extend to the rest of the film.

The film is structured in a way that much of the plot happens in the first half, which is very hard to understand. By the time we get the story, the film comes to an interval bang. With so much focus on many characters and their background, we don't get any high moments.

The second half of the film shifts drama to Sri Lanka where Ponniyan Selvan is residing. The visuals in the second half are excellent. The action sequence on a boat is the main highlight. The film comes to its groove in this part. But then it ends quickly with a twist, which in no way matches to 'Kattappa' twist.

Casting are very apt. Except for Rahman and Prabhu, everyone has done their roles well, with Karthi and Aishwarya Rai leading the pack. Trisha holds her ground against Rai pretty well. Parthiban outshines Sarathkumar is what I thought. Vikram in his wild approach to his character is in full form but it is the script that takes some bizarre decisions around him. First, it gives him minimal screen time, and second, it makes him indulge in flashbacks by making him explain them to oblivion.

The film's biggest strength is the production design and cinematography. The locations are another highlight. These are made for big screen experience. But the narrative is not strong enough to enjoy them. Cinematography is also very good, especially the scenes with Aishwarya Rai and the chase scene of Karthi inside Tanjore fort deserves special mention.

Music , of course, ARR does it again, his music takes us on a wonderful journey along Ponni Nadhi, Tanjavur, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bali, underpinning myriad of emotions from love, courage, victory to heartbreak! It was soulful, exhilarating, teasing, haunting, triumphant, melancholic and quite simply blissful! Ponni Nadhi song stands out in the track list.

Featuring great performances from everyone, including those who get just a scene or two, Mani Ratnam's Ponniyin Selvan 1, builds the world, introduces us to its residents and then leaves us with a clear separation between book and movie. It also helps that there's little room for traditional mass moments or extensive action scenes just for the sake of it. More than a movie, it leaves you with the feeling that you've been on an adventure.

Ponniyin Selvan is an iconic book and one that has enthralled readers in the South for years, the adaptation does manage to explain why showing the basics, but the big show lacks the thunder it must have. Part 2 has a lot to answer and if the approach stays like the first, hopes are dim.

Waiting for part 2 :-)