Lucas S

House Mates is a refreshing Kollywood film with no commercial distractions—free from item numbers, smoking, drinking, violence, foul language, adult content, or double-entendre dialogues. It offers a fresh attempt in Tamil cinema with a unique storyline under the sci-fi genre.

Coolie is a testament to Lokesh Kanagaraj’s mastery of intense thrillers. In my view, a great screenplay should never allow the audience to predict the next move. Coolie’s plot certainly promises to deliver on that front. As a Christian, I’ve always been familiar with Lazarus of Bethany from the Bible, but it was only after watching Coolie that I learned about the intriguing “Lazarus syndrome.” Adding to my nostalgia, it was pure joy to see two of my all-time favorites—Rajinikanth and Upendra—sharing the same frame. Since Rajinikanth is already a septuagenarian, a flashback set 10 to 15 years in the past would feel more fitting than going 30 years back, which would require noticeable de-aging technology. When it comes to Rajinikanth, it’s incredibly rare for someone to remain at the very top of their field for 50 years. He stands as one of the few exceptional examples of such enduring greatness.

Rewinding Time with Kalloori: I first watched Kalloori in 2007, around the time it was released—right in the middle of my own college journey (2007–2010). Now, 15 years after our farewell, I rewatched it… and it hit differently. Every scene pulled me back into my college days—like a time machine powered by memories. It was heart-touching, nostalgic, and emotional. What felt like fiction back then now feels more personal and real. The climax, with Shankar’s touch referencing the 2000 Dharmapuri bus burning, reminded me of how director Balaji Shakthivel used cinema not just for storytelling but for highlighting national interest and social awareness. Some films don’t age—they evolve with us. And when you revisit them, they bring back who you once were.

In the movie Vettaiyan, various societal issues are addressed, such as the Indian education system, the disparity in education opportunities based on financial status despite everyone taking the same exam, the challenges of entrance exams, online classes, the limited number of doctor quotas each year, and the intense desire among the underprivileged to become doctors. The film also explores the immense pressure students face, the BUDS law, and the idea of targeting major criminals to prevent widespread crime rather than tackling minor offenses one by one. The movie effectively contrasts the common public’s view of encounters with a more scholarly perspective on justice, making it a challenging narrative to work with. Balancing these social issues with a star-studded cast, including the larger-than-life image of Rajinikanth, is no small feat. The director skillfully uses 50% of the film’s space to convey this powerful story while maintaining the heroism expected from a Rajinikanth film. Rajinikanth’s character is named after King Athiyaman Anji, and the film is rich with references to Thirukkural. The film begins in Kanyakumari, highlighting the Thiruvalluvar statue and quoting Avvaiyar's famous saying about the importance of education, even if it means begging to attain it. Anirudh’s background score complements the film perfectly, and the strong chemistry between Rajinikanth and Amitabh Bachchan enhances the experience. The film also emphasizes the importance of allowing sufficient time for investigations when incidents occur in society, rather than hastily pressing for answers. It echoes the sentiment that "an eye for an eye will make the world blind," and underscores that encounters are not a solution. The balance between the need for timely justice—because justice delayed is justice denied—and the danger of rushing it—because justice hurried is justice buried—is explored thoughtfully. Overall, Vettaiyan is an engaging movie with a strong social message. Watching Rajinikanth on screen is always a pleasurable experience.

Indian 2 highlights the pain of a patriotic commoner towards dirty politics, corruption, and issues of national interest. It delves into the reaction of the present generation and provides an in-depth look at the martial art of Varma, with references to sage Agastya. Shankar's creativity and imagination shine through, especially in comparison to the existing conditions portrayed in "Indian 1". Kamal Hassan delivers an extraordinary performance with multiple getups, stunts, and a memorable scene sequence in zero gravity. The film features nice visual effects and a noteworthy musical score, although it doesn't quite match the legendary musical note of the first part. Overall, "Indian 2" is a socio-message-oriented, sensible movie rather than pure entertainment, and it doesn't conclude the story, leaving room for a potential "Indian 3" with a war mode theme.

Irugapatru (Hold Tight) is tailored for couples. Apart from depicting conjugal love and related themes, the standout feature of the film is its absence of foul language, double entendre dialogues, violence, adult content, and item numbers. It's remarkable to discover a movie of this nature in 2023." A pat on the back to the director, Yuvaraj Dhayalan.

Jailer is all about a revenge story, and the best part is that it gives equal importance to everyone, including the antagonist and stars from other industries. The look of the superstar in the flashback was good. To sum up, this is an enjoyable entertainment movie with a good twist and an unpredictable screenplay. He doesn't need a tank or any other property to create mass. Once again, he proved that his screen presence is fair enough to create mass appeal with his signature flipping style. As usual, he has extended the market for the cinema industry with all his new movies. This time, for the first time in Bangladesh. - LRE

If someone invented a new medicine, after testing on animals, they need an innocent for further testing & if someone want to finish the pending crime cases, they need an innocent. Who is that innocent? Even today, you can find that something/someone is weaker or minority, they can be abused, ruled or dominated by the stronger or majority without any mercy or love. Jai Bhim (film) is all about police brutality, custodial torture and custodial death and racial discrimination on the innocent minorities. Why it so difficult for us to treat a fellow human being equally without any partiality? Whenever you ill treat or disrespect someone just because of their socio status, race, language, caste or creed, remember the below Thirukkural: "When a man is about to rush upon those who are weaker than himself, let him remember how he has stood (trembling) before those who are stronger than himself" (Thirukkural 250). In stark contrast to Karl Marx, Ambedkar and Periyar's concept of equality, which refers only to humans, the Thirukkural concept of equality deals exclusively with both humans and animals. If anyone oppressed because of caste and creed, it is possible to overcome via MORAL education.