The much-awaited sequel to Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan: I was released on April 28, and we finally have a complete view into how Kalki’s literary magnum opus has been adapted to the theatrical film format. Making the film version of Ponniyin Selvan, a five-part novel that first ran as a weekly serial for almost four years in the... Continue Reading →
Ponniyin Selvan 2 – My Flash Review!
Before reading this, it may be a good idea to re-visit my review of PS-1 (Read here) which will negate the need to repeat some of the common points regarding the format chosen for an epic like Ponniyin Selvan. After the sequel of Bahubali, this must be the most awaited sequel in this part of... Continue Reading →
Holi Hai…. in Tamil Films!
The iconic ‘Rang barse bheege chunarwali rang barse’ song from the Amitabh Bachchan starrer Silsila is usually on top of any playlist during Holi celebrations. Then there’s the ‘Holi ke din’ song from Sholay, which also rings loud on “Holi-Day”. And one cannot forget Gabbar Singh’s legendary “Holi kab hai?” line from the same film. Holi has been... Continue Reading →
My pick of the Top 10 films of 2022!
Another Friday. Another big-ticket Hindi film release. Another flop at the Box Office. This has been the recurring theme in Bollywood this year. The latest one to suffer this ignominy is Cirkus directed by none other than Rohit Shetty - a filmmaker with many 100 crore grossers under his belt and one who is touted... Continue Reading →
Love Today – My Flash Review!
While the opening credits roll, we are taken inside a smart phone production line where we get to see visuals of phones getting assembled completely on a “hands-free” basis except at the final packaging stage where we see workers doing the packing. This irony is stark for a product that is destined to be at... Continue Reading →
Venthu Thanindathu Kaadu – My Flash Review!
Francis Ford Coppola’s Godfather might have inspired quite a few films in the gangster genre all over the world but in South Indian cinema, it is Mani Ratnam’s Nayagan that has inspired filmmakers to try that genre. Promising filmmakers in the post-Nayagan era have made at least one film based on the Mumbai Don story,... Continue Reading →
Ponniyin Selvan and its aftermath!
This piece was originally written for the news portal “The News Minute” and was carried on 7th Oct, 2022. The link to the piece is here: https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/mani-ratnam-s-ponniyin-selvan-and-its-four-types-audience-168671 It has been a week since Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan-I hit theatres across the globe, and the chatter around the film on social media remains unabated. By and large, the... Continue Reading →
Ponniyin Selvan -1 – My Flash Review!
A friend who knew I was watching Ponniyin Selvan today, called me to check on the film and this is how the conversation went: Friend: Before asking you for your views, tell me if you have read the book? Me: Well, I purchased the book 2 months back and started reading as if I was... Continue Reading →
30 Years of Roja and Rahman!
This piece was originally written for the news portal “The News Minute” and was carried on 15th Aug 2022. The link to the piece is here: https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/30-years-roja-movie-gave-us-musical-marvel-ar-rahman-166867 Mani Ratnam’s super hit film Roja was released on August 15, 30 years ago. When we saw the film, we understood why the makers opted for a Saturday... Continue Reading →
Vikram – My (late) Flash Review!
I had missed watching Vikram when it was released in theatres and so caught up with it this weekend when it dropped on Disney-Hotstar! The best part of the film is, it unabashedly sticks to just action as a genre and doesn’t even attempt to go anywhere else. But is that enough to keep you... Continue Reading →
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