I started watching the Tamil film Maara (streaming now on Amazon Prime) with much trepidation as I was told that it was a re-make of the Malayalam film – Charlie. With Charlie I couldn’t go beyond 15-20 minutes. But, I did watch Maara fully and here I am with this flash review. In terms of... Continue Reading →
Paava Kadhaigal – My Flash Review
Paava Kadhaigal (Stories of Sins) is the latest addition to the anthology genre in Tamil and is streaming now on Netflix. It has 4 shorts helmed by some of the big names in Tamil cinema and hence holds a lot of promise. The individual episodes directed respectively by Sudha Kongara, Vignesh Shivan, Gautham Menon and... Continue Reading →
Mookuthi Amman – My Flash Review
First up, Mookuthi Amman is a comedy caper. Its an all out satire that takes on the “Commerce” of religion, in this case one particular religion. This theme is not very unique to Indian cinema. Before we accuse the film of being heavily inspired, the makers themselves put out a bunch of films like Oh... Continue Reading →
Soorarai Pottru – My Flash Review
Soorarai Pottru is a story of an underdog who dreams big, goes through a lot of struggles on the way and finally manages to win at the end. This “one liner” may be similar to many of the mass hero films we have seen in the past, the only difference being, this is loosely, in... Continue Reading →
Putham Puthu Kaalai – My Flash Review
Putham Puthu Kaalai is an anthology of five short films helmed by some of the biggest names in Tamil filmdom who have used the rather quiet time during the lock down to good effect. The five stories are linked through few common threads – Lockdown, Estranged relationships, Strolley bags and of course new beginnings as... Continue Reading →
35 Years of Muthal Mariyathai!
This piece was written for the News site - The News Minute and was carried on 15th Aug, 2020. It can be read here: https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/35-years-muthal-mariyathai-why-sivaji-film-bharathiraja-classic-130796 In a scene in the film Muthal Mariyathai, the lead character Malaichami, an aged village chieftain, catches up with Kuyilu, a very young girl who has just recently shifted to the... Continue Reading →
Revisiting Maniratnam’s Anjali after 30 years
(This piece was written for the news portal The News Minute and and was published first on 12th of July, 2020 and here’s the link for the same: https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/mani-ratnam-s-anjali-30-years-old-and-still-has-power-move-you-128460) Anjali, in my book, may not feature among the top three best films from director Mani Ratnam’s oeuvre. It might not be among the top grossers... Continue Reading →
K.D. (a) Karuppu Durai – My (late) Flash review
K.D. (a) Karuppu Durai is a 2019 Tamil film which I caught on Netflix just today. The film opens inside a small house in a village called Kallupatti in Virudhunagar with a voiceover of an old man. The lines are cheeky and within those few minutes you realise that you are up for some thing... Continue Reading →
A battle of choices – OTT VS Theatres!
(This article was written for the news website thenewsminute.com and was first published on the 28th May, 2020 and can be read here: https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/adapt-or-perish-why-theatres-must-not-stall-film-releases-online-platforms-125439) On Friday, Ponmagal Vandhal, a Tamil film with Jyotika in the lead and accomplished actors like Parthiban and Bhagyaraj in the cast, will be premiering on Amazon Prime Video. And soon Gulabo Sitabo, a... Continue Reading →
Ponmagal Vandhal – My Review!
Film makers in Tamil, routinely pick up their titles from hit Tamil songs of yore, mainly to keep the title poetic and to touch a familiar nerve with the audience. Relevance of the title to the story is seldom a consideration. J.J.Fredrick, the debutant director of Ponmagal Vandhal makes an exception. The title chosen for... Continue Reading →
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