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Reviews
Madrasapattinam (2010)
Madarasapattanam-Come,Cherish the Vintage Madras
Period films have been sporadic in Tamil cinema for the past two decades and not many directors are daring enough to give a fling at such genres. But the young director Vijay breaks the mould and comes up with an artistic portrayal of pre-independence Madras. In fact, he succeeds in his attempt with utmost ease.
The plot of "Madarasapattanam" is quite simple. It deals with the romance between a brawny Madarasi wrestler and an aristocratic English belle at a time when the Freedom Movement was at its pinnacle. Arya, as the young wrestler (Parithi) is impeccable. His penchant for offbeat roles is evident from his choice of movies. Amy Jackson, as the royal damsel (Amy) allures you with her innocent and snowy charm. The way she has acclimatized to the Indian pattern of film making is quite amazing. Kochi Haneefa, who plays Amy's interpreter, manages to tickle you in his typical style. All the actors including Nasser (Parithi's father), M.S.Bhaskar, RJ Balaji (tourist guide), Jeeva (of Lollu Sabha fame), Kumaravel (taxi-driver) and the actors who play Parithi's friends make their presence felt.
The narration smoothly swaps between the modern day Chennai and the 1940's Madras. Thanks to some crisp editing by Antony. Cinematographer Nirav Shah guides us through a virtual tour through the streets of vintage Madras. It is fascinating to see the Madras of the yore adorned by trams, bullock-carts, the crystal-clear Cooum, the dhobi ghats of Washermanpet, and a busy Buckingham Canal! Art Director Selva has to be commended for recreating the yesteryear Spencer's and the Central Station. But at times the back-drops seem to be like wallpapers, which could have been avoided. G.V.Prakash Kumar seems to have inherited a lot from his uncle (A.R.Rahman) which is very much evident in his "Pookal Pookum" number. And his background score blends well with the period flavour of the movie. Vijay's dialogues are note-worthy.
Traces of "Lagaan" and "Titanic" can be felt here and there. Especially, the wrestling match between Parithi and the Englishman, and the aged Amy searching her love with the necklace ('thaali') reminds you of the yesteryear classics. Nevertheless, Vijay manages to trigger the spirit of Madras by showcasing the rich cultural and historical heritage of our city in this poignant love story. He leaves us yearning for the glorious Madras of the past.
A must-watch for all Chennaiites. Come, and cherish the vintage Madras.- Deepak Kumaar Manoharan.
Enthiran (2010)
Endhiran- Come, Experience the "Rajnitronics"
Before we embark ourself into this review, we need to define the "Law of 'Rajni'vity".The Law of Rajnivity states that, when a movie with Rajnikanth as protagonist hits the theatres: 1) People get into a festive mood. 2) Rajni-mania grips the world. 3) Ticket-registers ring incessantly. 4) Entertainment is guaranteed. And Shankar's "Enthiran – The Robot" is no exception to the above axiom. But there are more things to Enthiran which not only guarantee entertainment, but also take us into a surreal world of 'Rajnitronics' and leave us bewitched.
The plot of Enthiran, scripted by late Sujatha and Shankar begins with Dr.Vaseegaran (Rajnikanth) who invents a Humanoid Robot (again Rajnikanth), which resembles him in appearance, voice and gait. He names it Chitti on his mother's request. Vaseegaran makes sure Chitti is highly proficient in all forms of art and well-versed in all languages, so that he can make Chitti serve the Indian Army. Meanwhile, Chitti who is unfamiliar with the outside world creates minor havocs with his innocent pranks. But the biggest challenge for Vaseegaran and Chitti is to pass the AIRD review headed by Vaseegaran's mentor Prof. Bora (Danny Denzongpa), who is envious about his pupil's rise to fame and wants to curb his progress at any cost. Vaseegaran tries to embed human feelings into Chitti. While things start to fall into place at the right time, his efforts backfire. Chitti falls in love with Vaseegaran's love interest Sana (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan). Infuriated by Chitti's misdeeds, Vaseegaran dismantles Chitti and dumps him into the garbage. Bora finds Chitti, reassembles him, and embeds a destructive "Red-Chip" into him. The deadly Chitti takes Sana as hostage and makes the AIRD building his fortress. A great "WAR" ensues. How Vaseegaran with the help of the Police and Army pacifies Chitti forms the rest of the plot.
Rajnikanth pulls off his dual role with utmost ease. His age-defying looks, on-screen charisma and scintillating style as Vaseegaran leaves the audience rendered speechless. Rajni instantly finds a place in your heart as Chitti. His robotic gimmicks, witty retorts and incisive one-liners leave you yearning for more and more of him. But what steals the show is his portrayal as the eccentric, wily and destructive Chitti. The transformation from a naive and obedient robot to a villainous and destructive robot has been exhibited well by the 'Superstar'. It reminds you of the vintage Rajnikanth of the 80s. A true legend he is. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan looks ravishing as the Superstar's lady love Sana. She comes up with a neat performance. Santhanam and Karunas, as Vaseegaran's assistants manage to tickle you with their funny encounters with Chitti. And Danny Denzongpa as the envious scientist fits into the role to a 'T'.
Director Shankar's penchant for grandeur, extravagance and flamboyant special effects has been evident in his previous ventures. But the mammoth scale CG and sets of Enthiran are truly beyond our levels of imagination. Hats off Shankar. Shankar has to be commended for devising a taut screenplay. Most part of the movie runs at a speed of 1 Tera Hertz, which apparently is the speed of Chitti! But a couple of song sequences are abrupt and look totally out of place. The astonishing special effects by Stan Winston Studios, and the gravity defying stunts by Peter Hein-Yuen Woo Ping duo prove to be a benchmark for Indian Cinema. Rathnavelu's photography blends well with the special effects. The scenes of the robot rampaging through Chennai's fly-overs have been captured fabulously by his lens. Sabu Cyril's lavish sets, picturization of songs, and the exotic locales are other USPs for the movie. Dialogues by Sujatha, Shankar and Karki are witty, sharp, and poignant. Sujatha's touch can be felt throughout the movie. The scenes where Chitti quotes from 'Thol Kappiyam', talks about human aspects such as betrayal, greed, and sacrifice, and his definition of 'God' are really moving. A lot has already been talked about A.R. Rahman's songs for Enthiran which are topping the charts till date. But Rahman's background score accompanied by some adept sound engineering by Resul Pookutty is another milestone for Indian Cinema. The Oscar duo's Symphony during the final moments of the movie and which continues into the credits is something which will be talked about for years to come.
Tamil audience have always dreamt of watching a Tamil speaking Super-hero who can fly, walk on walls, run faster than a train and take up different forms, and Shankar fulfils their dreams with the help of none other than the much revered Superstar Rajnikanth. Shankar exploits each and every facet of the legendary actor including his humor-sense, style, gimmicks and panache to give us some world-class entertainment. Producer Kalanithi Maran has to be appreciated for funding this magnificent venture which marks the entry of Tamil Cinema into the world stage. 'Enthiran' is a life-time experience. If you miss it, you are missing something in life! - Deepak Kumaar Manoharan