The Road Home (1999) - Classic Collections

Few movies remains in your heart for decades. The Road home is a kind of movie. It's is a simple movie and gote world wide appreciation for its intense and soulful simplicity and the relationship between the lead actors in the movie is pure like a born baby's smile. Its a simple love story between a villager and the School teacher.

Zhang Yimou was the director and he conceived the emotions on screen with ease. Cinematography was beautiful and mesmerizing. Many Indian movies copied scenes from this movie and the few tamil films are Poo, Vagai Sooda Vaa, April Madathil etc. I Watched this movie on year 2006 (Several times later) and it still remains in my heart warming collections.

Dont miss it!!!!

English - A Shyamprasad Movie

English - A Autumn in London

The title itself very poetic, and it had a engaging cast of Yyoungsters Nivin Pauly, Remya Nambeesan, Performers like Jayasuriya, Nadhiya and Veterans like Mukesh. I had a great respect for Shyam prasad's movies and this English is his latest flick.

Coming to story its life of four different personalities and their surroundings living in London. The movie unfolds intense emotions of a non committed youngster (Nivin), a newly married girl landing in London with lot of dreams (Remya), a House wife (Nadhiya Modu) with two kids and her hubby having a secret relationship with another guy, a responsible father (Mukesh) struggling with his day today responsibilities and having tough time managing his care free teen daughter and his bed ridden mother, a illegal immigrant (Jayasuriya) struggling for money and left his passionate kathakalli just for money and not able to cope up with the western environment.

There is no joint between the main four characters but it had a "soulful joint of emotions driven towards their life, the pain of being in alien country, responsibility and fear of bringing up the kids, living with lots of pain and frustrations just for money was well conveyed by the director".

Coming to performances Mukesh steals the show late coming Nadhiya and Jayasuriya. Nivin and Remya had nothing great in this movie but they are well conceived with their roles.

But the problem with the movie is little dragging in parts, may be the editors mistake and screenplay is too predictable. Lots of Hindi movies like Mr. & Mrs. Iyer, Monsoon Wedding, English Vinglish, Namesake  discussed and portrayed human emotions very well. So you can't say this movie is boring, but may not up to a mark of Shyamprasad's previous movies.

Cinematography and Music is just average and well goes with the movie.

Being a very big creator our expectations are also very high and at the end when we come out of the hall you don't feel disappointed but may be a limited meal instead of Full!!!

Pulival may not create magic of Chappakurish!!!

I don't have good impression on remaking a movie.Remaking a successful movie maybe a safer bet, but diluting the original content is like killing a persons creativity to the core.  There are many movies remade in Tamil with lot of dilution from the original content, compromising in the screenplay for appeal with the local audience, adding new songs unnecessarily as a commercial compromise, poor selection of actors etc.

Recent examples are Nanban remake of 3 idiots, Settai remake of Delhi Belly, Chennayil Oru Naal remake of Traffic, Chikku bukku remake of Love aaj kal (poor adoption not exactly remake). Remaking a commercial pot boiler can be accepted up to a level, that also up to a extent of not hurting the original movie.

Now adding in to this row is Pulival a remake of Chappkurish. Chappkurish is a cult movie or a new gen movie with lot of spoiler alerts and it the content is suitable for mature audiences. In that Fahad Fazil played a role of creamy layer guy with loads of money, romancing around his own colleague in his office and trying to get match of a rich girl. The character resemble most of current gen youth who are all in the upper middle class and in upper class and character had a loads of grey shades.

On the other hand Vineeth Srinivasan the other guy who is poor, running for a better life and to get his love life successful with all frustrations around. He accidentally got Fahad's phone which had a very private video of Fahad and Remya Nambeesan. After this point chase begins between the lead characters with lots of twists and turns in the screenplay making the viewer stunning towards the screen till the end.



Even Chappakurish had a critic of copying some asian movie. Not sure about that. Fahad and Vineeth are the perfect match for this movie with Remya supports the movie with her acting and even convincable in a bold scene with Fahad. In tamil the movie is to be remade with Prassana replacing Fahad and Vemal replacing Vineeth. Hope its totally not going to work, since the both actors dont have much image as bad boys or even they cannot carry this content with maturity.

Fahad also called Imran hasmi of Malyalam cinema and Prassana dont have any word of mouth, even Vemal running with lot of failures now and he made a wrong choice of movie with this!!!. Also they are adding Comedy track and pretty sure they will saturate the content for the audience of tamil cinema and they will release with a U or U/A certificate and not with A certified.

Producer Stephen also producer of Chappkurish trying to bag some money out of tamil cinema industry with the good name he recently got through his traffic remake. Any way its not going to work for tamil audience. Lets wait and see, how the things works!!!!

Pudhiya Thirupangal - A Vidyasagar Musical

Vidyasagar - The Musician who is always calm and created heart throbbing melodies in Tamil and Malayalam Cinema. He created a grand opening for the small and medium budget movies.

 The hot stars now like Ajith, Vijay, and Vikram veterans like Arjun and directors like Dharani, Karu Palaniappan, Selva, Jegan, Cheran, P.Vasu has climbed sucecss ladder using Vidyasagar's songs. Even our Super star Rajinikanth's come back movie "Chandramukhi" and Kamlahassan's trend setting Anbae Sivam was scored by Vidya Sagar .

He is not a emperor, not a trend setter but you cannot avoid him because he is like a breeze which you always need. For the few years he didn't scored any movies in Tamil, but he is not out of form. I admired his songs from late 90's to the end of 2010. No one can forget his score for the Tamil movies like "Karna, Dhool, Dhill, Gilli, Privom Sandhiopom, Poovellam Un Vasam, Villan, Parthiban Kanavu, Chandramukhi" etc and Malyallam movies like " Azhaiya Ravanan, Ordinary, Niram, Devadhoothan, Meesa Madhavan, Neelathamara" etc.

His melodies are his strength and his tracks always have a simple and charming note. After long years he came back with the Tamil movie Puthiya Thirupangal directed by a women Saradha Ramanathan and starring Nandha, Andrea in the lead roles.

The tracks are soft, brilliant and simple. Expecting this movie will be his comeback score. The track "Iru Idhayam" sung by Karthick was outstanding in the album. Expecting a lot from him in the upcoming years. Hats off Vidyasagar Sir!!!!

Thanga Meengal Songs - Soulful and Divine

There is many things to talk about Director Ram, his first movie "Katradhu Tamil" . His first movie is very much close to heart and for Tamil cinema its a rare and real  gem. After struggling four years he completed his next movie Thanga Meengal and hope it will release soon.

The problem with these kind of directors is overcoming their financial pain and their uncompromising nature. This society didn't recognise these kind of Creatorrs and they have to be celebrated rather than throw ed in the dust bin.

The contradictory link is the movie Thanga Meengal  was produced by Gautham Vasudeva Menon, whom i don't like much because of his movie lacks in nativity and it creates the people a false impression that they have to live like that to lead a better life.

Music Composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja,  the little maestro once again proves he can give soulful music, that can make the listener wander in some fairy land. I love the songs, especially the song "Anandha Yazhai Meetukindrai.."  sung by Sriram Parthasarathy is outstanding and hope Yuvan score his magic in the BGM of the movie also.

Katradhu Tamil songs are benchmark to tamil cinema and they are still in track list being close to 5 years. Will wait for the Movie, hope Ram justify him in his upcoming ventures also. All the best Ram.

Hotel California

Watched this movie in one of the poor screening Sri Vishaka Theater, Trivandrum. Watching the movie in this theater is the real pain and in current trend Theater ambiance plays a vital role. Ticket fare is cheap (Rs.50/-) and the parking for the Car is free!.

Coming to the movie i can classify this movie as Black Adult humour. This time Anoop Menon comes with a script portraying different characters meeting at Cochin with lot of adult humour, characterization which are non linear added with some slapstick humour.

The movie works mostly becausee of the screenplay, dialogues, humour blended through out the movie. But fails to attract intellectually as well as with poor directional values.

Lead actors jayasuriya as a pimp, anoop menon as the super star of molly wood, honey rose, aparna nair did their roles convincingly.

The lively note is the characters in the movie are to the current trend urban fellows and their " baseless desires, running behind false society values, living together, getting kid without influence of male, sperm donation, using of gadgets, unemployment of the below middle class segement are blended comically and the black humour works out ".

This movie will be a time pass entertainer with lot of laughs but nothing beyond it. Expected more from Anoop Menon. Will wait for his next venture.

Akam - A Slice of feel of Clockwork Orange

Akam -  Fahad Fazil's experimental try is convincing and work most of the parts as the thriller. I didn't read the original novel "Yakshi" by the veteran Malayatoor Ramakrishnan.

The movie is not surely for masses, but the movie is a watch for its experimentation and the intensity developed while watching the movie.

The movie is depressive, creates a aloof feel, sick your mind up to a certain level but flourishes at last with its novel attempt.

Cinematographer Christopher John Smith is outstanding on his work especially the movie has " moments of illusion and haunting angels for your mind" and it had a hidden message of a persons " loneliness and depression"

Director Shalini Usha Nair is appealing on her attempt, even though she didn't made it as a bench mark cinema. The Success of the thriller lies when the director fits the viewer to the role of Sreenivasan (Fahad fazil) and moves the story further.

Fahad's make up is not great but in the same time not feeling sick. He carried the role very well and Anu mol is haunting and seducing by her beauty. Felt few scenes she is not that comfortable in carrying her role, may be the role itself have more mystery and pain.

Overall I like the movie for its experimental attempt and the theme which is global.

Movie which was screened in International film festivals in the year of 2011 and released only now (April 2013). Reasons for the delay is unknown and releasing this season may be Fahad is more hot in his market than any before :).