On Netflix, there are 2 films with almost the same title that are being streamed presently. One is Maharaj – a Hindi film and the other is Maharaja, a Tamil film. This review is about the Tamil film with Vijay Sethupathi in the lead in what happens to be his 50th film. He makes a... Continue Reading →
Irugapatru – My Flash Review!
Family dramas and Romcoms as genres are a rarity in Tamil cinema these days. Consumed by the “Star” and ‘Mass” fixation, films of big stars and wannabe stars have all been treading the same beaten path of extreme violence, adrenaline-pumping action sequences, revenge sagas, murder mysteries and excessive noise. Irugapatru meaning “Hold tight” in Tamil... Continue Reading →
Jailer – My Flash Review!
Any Rajinikanth movie comes with loads of expectations and associated hype and Jailer is no exception. The film, coming at the back of a few average outings like 2.0, Durbar and Annatthe for the actor and an underwhelming Beast for Director Nelson obviously arrived with additional pressure for these two. First up, I must say... Continue Reading →
Maniyin Ponniyin Selvan: Cracking the Story telling Code for an epic:
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 →
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