Kappal Review – Kappal is a Tamil romantic slapstick comedy released in 2014. Vasu and his friends make a promise to each other that they would not get married as it would distance them. But Vasu is interested in girls and he elopes to Chennai and falls in love with Deepika. When his friends come to know about it they try to separate them.
The movie’s expectation soared high with Shankar pitching in the last moment to pick up the production. The genre of the movie did not work for me at all. It is a romantic slap stick comedy which I am not a major fan of. It might work for folks who like movies of this genre. The plot is a very decent one and is different from many other movies. Usually friends help the lovers get together but in this they are the ones who oppose it. The production value of the movie is quite good. The songs shot also have a very fresh perspective. The comedy portion works in parts. For me the weak point was in the performance by Vaibhav and Sonam they had expressions between A and B. This kind of made it very monotonous. There is not character arc for the lead characters that take them through a transformation. They tend to remain the same till the end.
There are quite a heavy comedy department including Karunakaran, VTV Ganesh and their friends. They have tried hard to make people laugh which has worked in parts. As I had mentioned the comedy is for a segment of people and may not entice everyone. The length of the movie is also too long for the content it had.
High Points: Comedy, Freshness in the song sequences, Production quality, Plot
Low Points: Grossness in comedy, Romantic slap stick genre which did not work for me, Characterization and performance of the lead pair, length of the movie.
Journey on this Kappal (Ship) left me feeling tired by the end of it.
Meaghamann Review – Meaghamann is a Tamil action thriller released in 2014. Arul and Karthik are undercover cops working for two major drug lords in the Mumbai and Goa area. They want to bring the ghost drug lord Jothi out and arrest him but it is not easy as Jothi leaves no trace even for his gang to find him
Director Magizh Thirumeni has given an action thriller in Meaghamann (Captain of the ship). The script is an out and out action movie that revolves around the gangsters and drug lords in the backdrop of Goa. There are moments in the movie which are very brilliantly constructed. In particular the scene in which Arya plays card game in the cold storage along with the gang without being aware of the lurking danger is brilliantly done. Asutosh Rana’s characterization is done well. However the director has not been able to successfully maintain the thrills throughout the movie. The movie has too many characters which might make it complicated for the common audience to follow it. The script is gripping overall, but takes a dip with the love interest angle for Arya which seems to be force fitted into the movie. Another point which is missing is the ability for the audience to connect with the purpose of the protagonist. The buildup phase although builds the audiences up for the thrills but fails in establishing the emotional connect. Hence the climax lacks the vigor it had to be established with.
High Points: Action sequences, Performance of Asutosh Rana
Low Points: Too many characters, Love interest for the protagonist, Lack of emotional connect
Overall Meaghamann is a decent gangster movie which could have been done much better. Still there are elements in it which will keep you interested in this captain.
When watching a movie how well you connect with the characters. While we have discussed many factors in screen writing and characterization in the previous Friday Fundas we would look at acting performance by the actor itself. Even though the characterization and environment are perfect if an actor does not act convincingly audience would find it to be clichéd and not connect with it. There are many theories on acting. In this week’s Friday Fundas we would see once such theory which is popular in acting technique known as Method Acting.
Method acting in short relates to a group of techniques using which the actors get into the shoes of the characters they play by establishing an emotional connect with them. These techniques are based on the teachings and concepts of Constanin Stanilavski. His ideas had been adapted by many prominent teachers like Lee Strasberg, Robert Lewis, Sandord Meisner and Stella Adler.
Lee Starsberg’s method acting involved in the use of sensory and affective memory of the actor to bring out the character. He used techniques which involved the actors in imagining a similar emotional situation in their personal life and then enacting it on the screen. Starsberg used the question “What would motivate me, the actor, to behave in a way the character does?”
Sanford Meisner used a different technique in which he devised a technique called as Meisner technique. In this he advocates the actors to immerse themselves in the moment. He found just relying on their personal experiences is very limiting and only allows them to only focus on themselves but not on other characters on the set. His technique helped in overcoming this aspect. He used to run exercises that would enhance the interpersonal connect of the answers in a scene.
Robert Lewis believed the acting cannot be just bought out by focusing on the emotional act but it also involved in training the voice that would suit to the situation. If these are trained separately the output may not be effective.
Stella Adler was an actress herself and she had some of the actors who went onto become some of the greatest actors including Marlon Brando, Robert De Niro and Warren Beaty. She trained directly under Stanilavski which helped her in perfecting the technique a lot better. In her Method acting technique she used the personal memories of the actors as did Starsberg. But along with this she let them practice on creating an “as if” imagination. The actors had to imagine as if they were really in the given situation. This helped them in bringing out the emotions very effectively.
Some of the famous actors who practiced this technique are Christian Bale, Jack Nicholson, Marilyn Monroe, Danny Day Lewis, Al Pacino, Heath Ledger and many more. Not only Hollywood actors but also many of the Indian acting stalwarts like Kamal Haasan, Mammootty, Dilip Kumar and Naseeruddin Shah practice this technique. Now you would be able to appreciate the efforts Heath Ledger has put in for the Joker character much more.
An actor needs to do a lot of homework to get the act right if not the audience would not connect with the character and with the movie.
Aambala Review – Aambala is a Tamil action movie released in 2015. Saravanan runs an organization responsible for gathering people for political meetings, party gatherings. He falls in love with Maya. He soon learns about his father and he has to go in search of him and his younger brother to reunite them back with his mother. The search lands him in a situation he hasn’t imagined.
Aambala is a run of the mill masala movie that has been done with only commercial intent in mind. Vishal fans would have moments to enjoy in the movie. Every scene from the movie is a minimum guarantee scene that would not bore the audience. There is a large ensemble of cast which will keep the screen occupied throughout. Right from the first scene you would feel the screen is crowded.
The plot of the movie is very age old and even the treatment is not anything new. The team has stuck to elements that would make the movie work. They have relied on the comedy elements to carry the movie forward. This is the only saving grace for the movie. But for this there is nothing new that you could expect here. As there are so many characters in the movie the villain himself does not have much screen time and looks weak in the plot.
Vishal is in his home turf and does the role with ease. Hansika is a mere eye candy. Music of Hip Hop Tamizha is different and fresh. The comedy elements are highlight of a Sundar C flick and it works in this with Santhanam and Sathish filling in for that role.
If you are a fan of run of the mill masala movies then give this is a shot or else you can skip this.
I had written review about a short film Unakae Uyiraanaen a few weeks back. It was directed by my friend Surrya M. Narayanan. I am happy to see that he has come out with his next short film Haiku Nee.
The screening of the movie is in AVM Studios, Chennai on 14th February 2015. You can catch the short film when it is screened.
All the best to Surrya and his team for the success of Haiku Nee.
Pisasu Review – is a Tamil Horror movie released in 2014. A young musician tries saving a girl who had met with a road accident; she dies in the hospital when trying to tell him something. When he comes home strange things start happening at his home.
Director Mysskin has ventured into a new genre for himself. Pisasu has turned out as a very nice product at the end. The movie has a very convincing plot and very engaging screenplay. It is complete Mysskin show and you would see his trademark shot making as in his other movies. The long and continuous shots, characters spread out on the screen; dark shots with high tension are present in Pisasu as well.
Naga’s performance is very apt for the story. As his face is half covered with his hair there is an air of suspense in his emotions. This has worked well for the story. The climax of the movie has been done well. Certain aspects in the movies are left to the interpretation of the audience and you might feel it as incomplete at times like the visibility of the ghost when it appears and when it does not. There is also subtle humor in the first half of the movie when the three friends go on the search of finding ways to get rid of the ghost. The background score fits well for the screenplay.
High Points:With horror movies picking up in Tamil this cashes in as well, Screenplay is very engaging, performances by the lead actors, the twist in the tale, and horror story with a strong message
Low Points: The visibility of the ghost has been used liberally and not consistent, thrills and chills are far apart
Overall Pisasu is a horror movie with a message. Its intent is not to scare you but to emotionally move you.
I Review – I is a Tamil romantic thriller released in 2015. A deformed, ugly looking man kidnaps a top advertising model on her wedding day and keeps her as a hostage in an unknown location. To her surprise he gets her favorite food and favorite clothes. Who is he why has he kidnapped her is the plot of I.
I is a show that is dominated heavily by Vikram’s brilliant performance and Shankar’s imagination. It is not a usual Shankar’s movie you would see. It has a different treatment than rest of his films. The first half in particular is more on the romance side and the second half is a thriller. Vikram has completely transformed himself for the three different phases of the movie. He has given his heart and soul for the movie. Be it the happy go lucky body builder, the remo-ish looking model or the hunch pack character he has fit in the bill of all these with ease and you would enjoy his performance throughout. Amy Jackson looks so beautiful in every frame and of course she has tried acting. The length of the movie is 189 minutes long which is definitely a negative point for the movie. The sequences in China in particular are very dragging and monotonous. Apart from PC Sreeram’s camera capturing the beauty of China there is nothing much to look forward to in this part. Probably this where Shankar might have missed Sujata to a great extent, the duo had created so many entertaining first halves. Around the interval phase the movie picks up momentum and from here on it transforms itself into what we call a Shankar’s movie. You would understand this once you see the movie.
High Points: Vikram’s performance and the struggle he had gone through in shaping himself for the roles is commendable and as he transforms there is a huge applause from the audience, Shankar’s imagination is outstanding the way he has structured the scenes, visuals and emotions are brilliant. He has literally taken a character that everyone would hate for its look and transformed into something the audience would cheer for, Songs are pleasant to watch with Ennodu Nee Irundhaal being the epitome of all of them, Stunt choreography is done very well as with any other Shankar’s movies. A R Rahman’s score fits well for the story.
Low Points: The length of the movie, the drag in the portions shot in China
Overall I may not be a path breaker in Indian Cinema but an effort that would be laudable for the performance, direction and visual effects. If you go with an very open mind you would enjoy it. I is beauty in acting, beauty in direction, beauty in visuals, beauty in music and a beauty in films.
Taken 3 Review – Taken 3 is an American action thriller released in 2015. This is the last of the Taken series featuring an ex CIA agent Bryan Mills played by Liam Neeson. Bryan Mills wife is murdered under mysterious circumstances at his home. Police suspect Bryan for the murder. He has to go all out to find the true killer of his wife and bring him to justice.
Bryan Mills wooed us in the previous Taken series with his specialized skills that he had learnt from his past job. In both the previous occasions he had a strong motive to save his family members his daughter and his wife. I believe the makers wanted to have one last go with this character that had captured the hearts of the audience. However they have failed to establish a strong motive to drive Bryan Mills in that. Even though the motive is not so strong Liam Neeson as Bryan Mills tries everything he would do if he had one to run from the police, track down the villains in uncanny ways, beat the bad guys. The action part of the movie definitely has been done well but in the larger scheme of things if you think as to why all of this is happening you would struggle getting convinced about this one.
High Points: Liam Neeson, few punch dialogues like the one he says “Don’t try anything funny they would kill you… even if they don’t I will…” are enjoyable. Action sequences
Low Points: As his wife is already dead the movie ends up being an average murder mystery and fugitive story, the location was missing in this one the first one had Paris, the next one had Istanbul but nothing special here.
Overall if you have loved the Taken franchise you would not get bored with this one. But still on a comparative scale you would end up wanting the previous ones. You would enjoy it more sitting on your couch with a cup of coffee or popcorn.
Note: This article is inspired from various search terms that has lead users to my Lingaa Movie Review. If you are looking review on Lingaa movie click here. The facts presented here on Mullai Periyar Dam are based on Wikipedia article. The facts on correlation to Lingaa are purely based on my views and may not be accurate.
In the past week I had been noticing the search terms that had been leading users to my blog. The search terms indicate that many of movie enthusiasts are looking to learn the actual story that had inspired Lingaa. Many of them believe that there was a person by name Lingeswaran who had constructed the dam for people during British rule and they are in search of information to learn more about it.
This article is an attempt to provide some facts on which Lingaa story is based on. First of all the story of Lingeswaran is loosely based on a real person who had constructed a Dam amidst of all odds. The dam which he built in real was Mullai Periyar Dam in Idukki district of Kerala. And the person who built was a British engineer John Pennycuick. Yes you are reading it right; the dam was built by a British engineer. To celebrate his contributions Madurai PWD has a statue for John Pennycuick in their premises.
Why was his contribution so great? Let us look into the real story
John Pennycuick statue in Madurai PWD premises
The Real Story:
Periyar river was originally flowing westward originating from the Western Ghats and flowing towards Arabian Sea. A large volume of water was getting wasted as it did not flow through many lands. Right from the late 18th century there had been discussion to turn this water eastward towards Madurai to augment the small Vaigai river that would provide enough water to do irrigation. But the efforts were given up as the project was deemed to be infeasible both technically and financially. It was only during 1887 the construction of the Mullai Periyar dam began under the leadership of John Pennyquick. But frequent floods had created many obstacles from the dam being constructed and the British government stopped funding the project stating the in feasibility.
John Pennycuick was not ready to give up. He went to Britain sold his wife’s jewelry and family property to raise the money needed for the construction of the dam. The Dam was finally completed in the year 1895 and still keeps the region surrounding it green for many generations. Pennycuick said “I am going to be only once in this earthly world, hence I need to do some good deeds here. This deed should not be prorogue nor ignored since I am not going to be here again”.
Similarities and Disimilarities with Lingaa
As you can see Lingaa’s story resembles Pennycuick’s in many ways. In fact the dialogue of Lingeswaran about living in this earth for once so resembles the quote of Pennycuick. Raja Lingeswaran sells all his property to complete the construction of the Dam as did Pennycuick. Both of them had to do this as the British government had stopped funding the project. The difference was Pennycuick was actually a Britisher and there were no drama of a villain in real life. The villain was nature itself then. In the movie Rajini had to fight against some gruesome villains to complete the Dam construction.
Where was Lingaa shot
Solaiyur is a fictional village in the movie and there is no such dam that exists. Lingaa was shot in and around Sagara Taluk in Karnataka. This is the region where Jog falls is located. The dam seen in the movie is the Linganamakki dam which is built across Sharavati River.
If you read Indian history you would realize the importance of a Dam in the development of India. Particularly in a country where there are non-perennial rivers and perennial rivers that cause a huge amount of flood there by causing more damage. Dams are great savior for our development and progress not only in the area of agriculture but also power, infrastructure development and many more. At the time of Visveswaraya who had constructed the KRS Dam the civil engineering discipline in India was at its peak and inspired many to take it up.
Hats off to the Lingaa team for narrating such a story through cinema.
PK Review – PK is a Hindi satire movie released in 2014 . An alien lands on earth to learns the ways of the humans, however he looses his remote transmitter to get back to the ship. He is now forced live with human race, learn their ways to life to find his remote back.
Aamir and Rajkumar Hirani coming together has raised the expectations sore high for the movie. After their blockbuster 3 Idiots, PK had become the most awaited movie of the year. Well the movie does have all the necessary elements to woo you and you would definitely feel good that you have watched PK.
PK’s plot would sound similar to OMG however the treatment here is subtle and has much more fun fare to entice the holiday crowd. The impact liners is a highlight of Rajkumar Hirani’s script like Jadu ki Jhappi in Munna Bhai MBBS, Get well soon in Lage Raho Munna Bhai and All is well in 3 Idiots. PK also has an impact liner which is “Wrong Number”. Although the concept of Wrong Number is interesting and very powerful if you think of it, still it may not connect instantly with the audience as Get well soon or All is well.
The sensitivity of the plot might have imposed many restrictions in building up the screenplay. I believe Rajkumar Hirani has done a good job despite of the challenges. However in few areas the struggle to walk the fine line is visible. The way the character of Aamir Khan transition from an alien landing on the earth to study the humans to a situation where he has to question the ways of the Godmen is done very well. This would be the highlight of the movie.
High Points: Characterization of PK, Positive outlook of Rajkumar Hirani movies, Intelligent screenplay, the whole wrong number episode.
Low Points: Climax sequence not as impact full as the build-up, Similarities in plot with OMG, No change in costume for Sushant Singh Rajput 🙂
Overall if you do not go with a checklist to compare it with 3 Idiots or OMG then you would love watching PK. The movie has a satirist take on Godmen. If you do not connect to it, then you would find the movie kiddish and boring. If you like satires then you would love PK every bit. So go for PK with an open mind and enjoy it on the big screen.
