Rajakumaran Athithan

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.

Sarpatta Parambarai (Sarpatta Clan) is a very honest, raw, rustic and real outtake of the once thriving boxing culture of North Madras (note: its still 'Madras' and not Chennai) and how the state politics and the internal political egos plays roles amongst the main characters. First of all, there was no gender discrimination. Be it male or female character, they had equal screen presence and impact on the storyline.I was particularly spell bound by Pasupathi's performance as a coach AKA mentor and Mariyamma w/o Kabilan. It is only fair to address this relation as Kabilan h/o Mariyamma and that's the impact she has in this movie. I think, Its probably the only sports movie which talks about sensitive issues like casteism though subtly unlike the director's earlier outings with strong supportive characters. Loved the way how Pa Ranjith mindfully interwoven the state political affairs during the dark days of democracy in the name of Emergency. Kabilan VS Dancing rose was edge of the seat moment . Better than the climax fight . When everyone is expecting performance from the top actors. Here comes the unexpected twist, dancing rose stoles with his performance. Dancing rose you beauty ❤️ Film's runtime is 2:53 mins, but certainly not boring at any point!

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

Maaveeran Movie Review - An Inspiring Tale of Courage and Heroism 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.

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.

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.

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.

Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story is a tale of money, ambition, power, and greed. Based on journalist Sucheta Dalal and Debashish Basu’s book “The Scam: Who Won, Who Lost,Who Got Away” rings true even in the contemporary era. Questioning, criticising our economic system, banks’ functioning, role of CBI and how its image changes from that of law-bearer to the one pulling strings in the political corridors. Pratik Gandhi (Harshad Mehta) is very convincing as the Big Bull of Dalal Street. This movie offers a crystal-clear insight into how Mehta used the system’s loopholes and his political connections to commit the mammoth fraud, that shook the very foundation of the Indian financial systems. The very fact that the series revolves around the adrenaline-pumping world of stock market gives you goosebumps at regular intervals. The exciting theme music by Achint Thakkar and exceptional camera work by Pratham Mehta add to the thrills. At 10 episodes of 50 minutes each, there’s enough time for the show to stretch out and introduce incidental characters and subplots. And though the series is engrossing, it doesn’t aptly capture how the stock market scam devastated the lives of thousands of innocent investors. Harshad Mehta is a prime example of the fact that reputation can take years to build, but can come crashing down in a matter of minutes. Fav line of the Series - “Trust is always high in demand and short in supply.”

In his Brave & Bold attempt, Director TJ Gnanavel 's Jai Bhim flawlessly speaks about custodial violence, police cover-up, systemic corruption at a huge level, that is so hard to logically digest or reason out the whole truth and finally there would be no end to the entire picture. The blame game is never ending. I can add to this saying that Jai Bhim is actually truly-brutally honest, clear-cut reality filled with heart-wrenching scenes, that is sure to leave you feeling that there is more bad in this world than good. The film is really intense and heart stirring n also keeps up the thrill. The perfect melange of a powerful and well scripted story with touching characterisation. It's makes us feel what each of the characters are feeling on screen. And above all, films are a medium to connect with the people and only a very few does that these days , well this one is one among the few! It puts forth very strong message in the most realistic way possible with out much artificial flavours. Praise to Surya indeed for picking and creating such a magnificent, practical content. Lastly , a great salute to the real life hero Chandru (lawyer) who has handled this case and brought justice to the irular tribals in the late 90s.

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 😍