I have decided to list down what I liked/ did not like, after watching the movie today in Kamala Theater in Chennai, rather than follow any other structured way of writing this piece.
Positives -
- The OUTSTANDING segment between Suriya and Sameera Reddy. So what if it is "filmy," I loved it. The scene in the train is beautiful, Sameera is charming and the scene outside Sameera's apartment when Surya offers to move out has got to be my favorite.
- Authentic art direction and choreography - The Simran - Old surya segment has outstanding art direction. "Mundinam" is a joy to watch due to the props and sets. Gautam has handled this song very intelligently to give the authentic 70s feel. Again, the choreography in "Yethi yethi" is SO SO SO similar to Anjali's "something" or Agni natchatram's "Raja". (As acknowledged by Gautam Menon in one interview. I am not bad afterall!) The song is complete in being a tribute to those times with its rain dance segment - the signature of the 80s songs. Very enjoyable indeed - both these songs.
- The dad-son chemistry - Ok, it is slightly idealistic and full of "nuni-naakku-english" but it is pretty much from the heart and I could see the genuineness in it. It connected with me. The image of a young kid surya looking at his dad when their family poses for a snap is a brilliant director's touch to summarize the hero worship integral to any dad - son relationship. Right through the movie - I loved the chemistry as much as the intent to pay an honest tribute to dads.
- The young kid rescue mission and the re-recording in that segment. Very racy, supported by good music. The Kaakka kaakka chase scenes were truly memorable - and having set such a standard, Gautam does not disappoint in this segment.
- Finally - SURYA. Period. Watch the movie for him.
- The length of the movie. Alright, the movie is intended to be on its own terms. But it does sag and has some unneccessary segments that could have been chopped off. The journalist rescue mission, the gaana song are the most obvious waste of time segments in the movie. No value added by these portions.
- Surya - Divya portions. The scenes with this pair pale in comparison to those between Surya - Simran and Surya - Sameera. The "anal mele" song disappointed me, I expected more given the placement of the song when the audience are bound to get uneasy on their seats. It did not justify being present in the movie at all.
- The finish. It doesn't pack the punch I kind of expected. Simran's gospel speech in the end is average at best. I expected a more poignant ending.
16 comments:
oustanding movie Period.
enjoyed every bit of it. As said, the sameera-surya segment is my favorite.
SURYA rocks for sure !!
surprising you listed the Divya -Surya as a negative .? I thought it was very very well made actually.The maturness of the entire way in which Divya approaches Surya and says she understands that he is not gonna forget Meghna's memories but she stil l likes him.Her "you look like a million bucks" line and such cheesy lines actually endeared me more.
Having said that you have got the positives right.And no review/blogs seem to make mention of the fact that,this is a perfectly perfectly made movie with perfect casting,direction,music,camera etc.It is so hard to find something technically wrong with the movie.
with all respect to Gautham Menon and his feelings for his father,
'caricature'
thts the first word that propped up in my mind at the end of the movie. sorry, i was disappointed.
using props to bring the feel of 70s is jus not enough for me.cos i have seen tht effort from other directors, Gautam has to bring something new!
and the use of English lines! :( it got grating beyond a point.really.
u said it urself abt two unwanted songs.picturization of others too decreased my liking for them.
Surya's effort in the movie is my only take back!the way he pulled off scenes after Sameera passing away, the segment till the chase begins. he stands out!
i did like the surya-sameera segment,but even tht got tiring after a bit.
lots of wasted time too...
verdict: not best of effrots from GVM
@Sumant - Agree with you on the maturity in that segment. But can never agree that "You look like a million bucks" is natural. That was seriously pushing the limits.
@Makki - I did not understand what you meant by "Caricature". And, why should a movie have "NEW" things? Why cant it be natural albeit with things we have seen before?
But agree with you on the english lines. K max they got after a while.
Wiki - caricature
"A caricature is either a portrait that exaggerates or distorts the essence of a person or thing to create an easily identifiable visual likeness, or in literature, a description of a person using exaggeration of some characteristics and oversimplification of others."
idaan meaning. thats how the dad bit was done all over the movie. i think the dad-son bonding was brought out better in Kireedom and Thavamaai Thavamirundu. Maybe Surya should not have taken the dad role... but he did well in both roles. Surya is a big plus in the movie.but i am disappointed with GM
@Makki - probably true, now that you clearly told us that the dad is in context for your caricature statement.
And the wiki meaning might be useful for a lot of us too... Thanks!
As they say, wiki is hardly a reference standard.
i liked the movie in parts. but i preferred the second half to the first half. romance enakku avLova pudikkala. i felt it ws too dreamy for a film which i guess was meant to be realistic, considering its the life story of a man.
i liked gautam's understanding of women. in all his films, the women come on to the men. :D sameera walks towards him. divya(ramya) says, " i want you to kiss me. i want to kiss you". jyothika in kaaka kaaka says, "i want to make love to you." minnale la vaseegara..about what the girl wants to do with the guy. that is sooper. :D
i liked the child rescue scene. really nice. army scene was also damn good.
nice film with nice moments. overall, there were a lot of places i didnt like. and sila mani rathnamish dialogues konjam bore adichaachu...that kind of romance.
"ava kooda irundha 90 days oru iLayaraja paatu maadiri irundhudhu." "i'll sweep you off your feet wherever you go. unna thedi varuven." corner eyeball, eyebrow twitch..half grin..charming..charming..mudiyala pa charming. tamizh cinema la love pannanam na either kai la blade a vechundu kizhichikkanam. illai na surprise kudukkanam, mani rathnam dialogue adikkanam, adichu palla pekkara charming a irukkanam. mathavanukku ellam love ellam kdayaadhu. reject material. apdi irukku..lol.
andha romance bore adicaachu..so i didnt enjoy the first half that much. ofcourse, had i watched it 3 years back or 3 years from now, i would be "new" to the romance portrayed on screen that i would enjoy it. :D
i guess its that aluthupora phase of college life. :D
@Prasanna
Even though one wont say "ava kooda irundha 90 days oru iLayaraja paatu maadiri irundhudhu" to their friends, I am sure it will bring a smile to some faces. Gautam is not necessarily a creator of realistic cinema. He makes movies close to reality and knows to sugar coat scenes to make them appeal to audience. Works fine with me :) Infact Mani sir also follows the same funda to some extent atleast, especially in his love scenes.
yeah definitely. i was not being neutral or fair while watching the film. i watched it with my presently formed yardsticks and certainly didnt do justice to my 10dollars. thats a unhealthy way of watching a film, but annikku irundha mindstate ku i couldn't help it. :D
i think surya has exploited the script. many of my juniors kept saying, "i am not gay. but surya rocks." hahahaha
and let me randomly digress. if you can, download the film, "The Road Home" and watch it. its a chinese film..international acclaim. its one of the most innocent emotional films ive seen. just just beautiful. please do catch it as soon as possible. u will be floored.
J - Agree with almost everything you wrote. The best part for me was the drugs and the "go find myself" phase after that. Totally Loved Surya - young and old. Kuthu Ramya should have stayed with Kuthu. Simran was a disappointing mom - not just acting but in portrayal - moms are always strong characters despite the hero worship dads present to boys.
Having said all that I came out satisfied with the movie overall but was disappointed in comparison to kaaka kaaka (which will remain the best well-rounded action movie for me).
Good review! - Shoby
@bp, sure will try to catch the Chinese movie. Check out the Majidi movie I blogged about - am pretty sure you would have watched it years back, considering your interest levels.
@Shoby - good to see you here after a while. The drugs phase was quite ok I thought and not as bad as the reviews are panning it to be. Agree with you.
Ha ha ... read this review after wathing the movie ! True, you have listed the positives well . Though there are a few cliche's that could have been avoided, I frankly believe that this movie is a class apart from other recent movies... Romantic locations, just the hero n heroine plus great camera .. gimme this any day and I will say it's Goutham behind it.
A sensible movie (mebbe a lil dragging), but still worth every penny.
And goyaala, missed to mention the six pack scenes ! Decided to hit the gym very next day .. but he he,the rain has played spoilsport !
Approm, the drug addict scene .. I had mixed feelings about it ..could it have been avoided? Not sure ..
@VasVard - can you also give me a more decipherable identity? :)
And I am glad that Surya inspires people to gym!!!
@All,
I watched the movie again today and enjoyed it totally - especially now that the movie's second half has been trimmed.
Absolutely lovable first half. Good scene by scene. Sameera Reddy. God bless you.
I strongly second blessing Sameera Reddy.
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