2012 has come to an end.Just two more days to go,which means,hereafter there wont be any releases this year.Just wanted to write a blog post on movies released in 2012.
Nanban :
.jpg)
This year started with an ultra-cool movie 'Nanban' - remake of the Hindi classic 3 Idiots.I watched first day night show in 'Chitlapakkam' Varadaraja theater.I love movies based on friendship.Vijay's friends is one of my favorite movies.Without friends,life is nothing :-).
When the cast and crew was announced,lot of people complained that Vijay is worst choice for this movie and he will spoil the classic.Even a section of Vijay fans were not convinced.I strongly believed Vijay is the right choice for the character played by Aamir Khan and Jeeva is the perfect choice for Sarman Joshi's role.I even told this to some of my friends.I had a valid reason to justify Vijay's casting.
The hero's role is somewhat preachy.It is like motivating his friends.If a debutant or an upcoming artiste gives lectures,none will listen to it.And you need an acceptable face to give lectures also.I felt only Ajith or Vijay will be accepted by the audience.But here the hero is a college student,so he has to look physically young too.Thala cannot reduce so much of wait and look so young.But Vijay is slim,so without any doubt people will easily accept him.And the audience were convinced after the movie released.And now don't think am a Vijay fan,am a die-hard Ajith fan.Though I was satisfied with the outcome of the movie,certain aspects of Nanban really disappointed me.Vijay imitated Aamir Khan's mannerisms and expressions(not at all needed, Vijay's casual acting is his biggest plus),Sathyaraj's dialogue delivery was horrible.Shankar should have taken care of these,barring these negatives Nanban is a must watch.
Kadhalil Sodhappuvadhu Yeppadi :
A perfect February month movie.I watched it twice in theaters.Earlier,it was released as a short film,but then it was made as a full length cinema.Some people said this is a movie for only youngsters and college students. Well this is a movie for everyone who is young at heart.I have seen lot of such lovers-fights and the director has shown it beautifully on screen.Suresh-Surekha(heroine's parents) love-story is the highlight of the movie.The way Suresh realizes his responsibility and Surekha trusts him completely will give you a good feel for sure.If you have not watched this movie,give a try.This is a must watch movie.
Kahani :
One of the best thrillers in bollywood.In an age where the Khans are selling craps and showing 100 crore profits,here is a movie, without any big hero,which completely depended on its script.Since Vidya Balan became popular in dirty picture,her name was good enough to market the movie.A pregnant woman comes to India,in search of her husband.She is surprised to find another person who resembles her husband and he happens to be a most wanted criminal.Whether she finds her husband or not?Does the criminal gets caught by the police?This is the story.Very simple storyline and the movie has an interesting screenplay.Instead of concentrating on huge sets,the director has given more importance to the script,which is a rarity nowadays. Camerawork was awesome.The cameraman has shown the Kolkata city realistically.
Kalakalappu :
The movie was laugh riot.From the beginning till the end the movie made me laugh.Vimal,Siva,Santhanam, Ilavarasu and Manobala and everyone else were outstanding.Even the dog(google),made its presence felt. Sundar C should understand he is good in directing comedy movies and his serious movies becomes a comedy when he acts as a hero.
Naan E :
A bilingual movie which had Sudip,Nani and Samantha in the lead roles and it was directed by Mr.S S Rajamouli.Its an usual revenge story told in an unusually different way.Here the hero(Nani) after his death,is reborn as a housefly and tortures the Villain Sudip.Sudip's acting was unimaginably brilliant.He had to imagine that a housefly is troubling him and act accordingly,which is a not at all easy.The technical work deserves a special mention.It was all done by Indian animators.Neither the director nor the animators crossed their limits.Great job and hats-off to Nani's cast and crew.One special information,dialogues were penned by one of my favorite writer Mr.Crazy Mohan :-).
Attakathi :
This movie had mixed reviews.A section of people claims this is a very good attempt by the director and another section claims this is one worst movie.But I felt this movie as a good time pass.Written and directed by Pa.Ranjith,the movie has a novel touch in it.Making and the performance of the artistes was too good.Yet again,the hero's character is a reflection of reality.I have seen lot of guys who closely resembled the hero's character.After a long time,this movie had 2 good gana songs(aadi pona aavani and nadukadalula kappala). The director could have come up with a better storyline and gripping screenplay,that's the only negative and otherwise I enjoyed this movie :D.
Sundarapandiyan :
This is the best mass movie this year.This is on the lines of Nadodigal.Again this movie is based on friendship. Sasikumar's character was too good.He has a very good screen-presence.Songs were also enjoyable and Lakshmi Menon has acted well too.Very good entertainer.
Saattai :
One of the least noticed movies this year,which was actually good.Director Anbazhagan has given a real picture of Tamil Nadu government schools and the attitude of teachers.He also criticizes the private schools in a one scene.And the way the adolescent age problems are shown,is commendable.Samudhrakani was brilliant as 'Dhaya sir' and Imman's music is a huge plus for this movie.Adi Rangi rangi and Shreya Ghoshal's Sahayane are the pick of the album.Only negative for this movie is,its too preachy,but still its a must watch.
English Vinglish :
A perfect re-entry for yesteryear dream girl Sridevi.After a long gap,she has acted in a full length feature film and that too in a heroine-oriented subject.Her acting was too natural.Her English class scenes were the highlight of the movie.Every character made its presence felt,I personally enjoyed the Pakistan taxi-driver Salman Khan.A cameo by 'Thala' Ajith(Amitabh ji played this role in the Hindi version) was a real gift for Thala fans.His dialogues about English and purpose of visit received thunderous response in theaters.After a very long time,I enjoyed this feel-good family movie.Z Tamil channel is going to telecast this movie on Jan5th.Don't miss it.
P.S. : I watched a first day show this movie too,as it is a Thala movie for fanatics like me :P.
Pizza :
A rare movie in Tamil cinema.The best part of this movie is,you can't categorize it to one particular genre.You can't say its an entertainer or a thriller or a horror movie.The movie was made on a shoe-string budget,but the settings looked realistic.Vijay Sethupathy carried the movie pretty well.Movies like this are a welcome change for Tamil cinema.
Thuppakki :
This is an engaging action movie.Perfect entertainer for a Diwali.It was good to see Vijay acting in a neat action movie.There were some protests against this movie by the Muslim organizations,which was not acceptable.I wrote an exclusive blog post about the Thuppakki controversy here.Kajal Agarwal and Jayaram's characters had no significance at all and the songs were not appealing(except 'Google Google').But the director made an engaging screenplay,which overshadowed these small negatives.Thuppakki was good enough to watch more than once in theaters.
Neerparavai :
Best movie of the year.Seenu Ramasamy has made an art-film in an enjoyable manner.Songs and background score deserves a special mention.The director should be appreciated for making a movie based on the lifestyle of fishermen.Instead of making it too preachy,director has taken a beautiful lovestory as base. For detailed review,check this link.
Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom :
Yet another movie to show the maturity of Tamil cinema.This is how movies should be made.There were no unnecessary songs,fight,comedy track etc.The story revolves around 4 friends,Prem,Bagsu,Bajji and Saras. Screenplay was so good that the movie was not boring at any point.Everyone has acted well and my favorite character is that of Bagsu :D.He was a scream guys.If you have not watched this movie,please watch it.Its hilarious.
Neethane En PonVasantham :
This movie was teared into pieces by 'so called intellectuals' like RJ Balaji.The movie was good enough for a one time watch in theaters.People should learn what to expect from the movie based on trailers and stills.On seeing the stills and trailers,we should have expected a slow feel-good love story.Those who were shouting in theaters didn't have any patience at all.It has happened to so many movies.Pokkisham was one such movie. And we have social networking sites like facebook,twitter and orkut etc.Even without watching people starts sharing crap about movies.Everyone has a following in facebook and most of these followers, tend to get carried away by the comments of the person whom they follow.Opinion and expectation differs from person to person,so never criticize a movie without watching it.And most of these facebook users has the habit of sharing one line reviews in their profile and am no exception.I have shared my opinion about lot of movies in my facebook wall.But,there is a difference between sharing our review after watching a movie and watching a movie only for the sake of reviewing.The problem is with the latter.When you watch a movie with a premeditated mind,you will never enjoy the experience.
Coming to the movie,Jeeva and Samantha has acted very well,Samantha was awesome in school scenes.Ilayaraja's music and background music had its class.Rightly,The Hindu reviewed,NEPV is an ode to Ilayaraja.If you have some patience,you can enjoy this movie.NEPV may be your love story.Once again Gautham Menon has proved that he is a master of romantic movies.
I have mentioned about the movies which impressed me.There were also movies which I expected to be good and got disappointed too.They are Aravaan,Thandavam,Kazhugu,Mugamoodi.
Movies like Saguni,Billa2,Maatraan,Kazhugu,3(Moonu),Mugamoodi were boring and had nothing interesting.They were bad.Among these movies,I felt Saguni and 3 as worst movies.
Most of them said Vazhakku En 18/9 was a must watch movie.Unfortunately,due to time constraints I missed it in theaters and I couldn't watch it again(watching movies online is a very difficult task for me).
That's it.2012 had its own share good and bad movies.If you observe carefully,you can find that,movies with different content, received good response from the audience and they were box office hits too,but not all the movies.Serious movies like Neerparavai,Vazhakku En 18/9 etc., were just average in box office.This is a trend which I observed - movies with different theme,if has humor and entertainment content,becomes box office hits and serious movies find it very difficult to survivie in box office.
As a cinema fan,I expect more no.of quality movies in 2013.Already Kamal's Viswaroopam has created huge expectations and its audio is smash hit.And also Power Star's Kanna Laddu Thinna Aasaya is all set to break the collections of Avatar :P.Looking forward to it.
Wish you all a Happy and Prosperous New Year :-)
Nanban :
.jpg)
This year started with an ultra-cool movie 'Nanban' - remake of the Hindi classic 3 Idiots.I watched first day night show in 'Chitlapakkam' Varadaraja theater.I love movies based on friendship.Vijay's friends is one of my favorite movies.Without friends,life is nothing :-).
When the cast and crew was announced,lot of people complained that Vijay is worst choice for this movie and he will spoil the classic.Even a section of Vijay fans were not convinced.I strongly believed Vijay is the right choice for the character played by Aamir Khan and Jeeva is the perfect choice for Sarman Joshi's role.I even told this to some of my friends.I had a valid reason to justify Vijay's casting.
The hero's role is somewhat preachy.It is like motivating his friends.If a debutant or an upcoming artiste gives lectures,none will listen to it.And you need an acceptable face to give lectures also.I felt only Ajith or Vijay will be accepted by the audience.But here the hero is a college student,so he has to look physically young too.Thala cannot reduce so much of wait and look so young.But Vijay is slim,so without any doubt people will easily accept him.And the audience were convinced after the movie released.And now don't think am a Vijay fan,am a die-hard Ajith fan.Though I was satisfied with the outcome of the movie,certain aspects of Nanban really disappointed me.Vijay imitated Aamir Khan's mannerisms and expressions(not at all needed, Vijay's casual acting is his biggest plus),Sathyaraj's dialogue delivery was horrible.Shankar should have taken care of these,barring these negatives Nanban is a must watch.
Kadhalil Sodhappuvadhu Yeppadi :
A perfect February month movie.I watched it twice in theaters.Earlier,it was released as a short film,but then it was made as a full length cinema.Some people said this is a movie for only youngsters and college students. Well this is a movie for everyone who is young at heart.I have seen lot of such lovers-fights and the director has shown it beautifully on screen.Suresh-Surekha(heroine's parents) love-story is the highlight of the movie.The way Suresh realizes his responsibility and Surekha trusts him completely will give you a good feel for sure.If you have not watched this movie,give a try.This is a must watch movie.
Kahani :
One of the best thrillers in bollywood.In an age where the Khans are selling craps and showing 100 crore profits,here is a movie, without any big hero,which completely depended on its script.Since Vidya Balan became popular in dirty picture,her name was good enough to market the movie.A pregnant woman comes to India,in search of her husband.She is surprised to find another person who resembles her husband and he happens to be a most wanted criminal.Whether she finds her husband or not?Does the criminal gets caught by the police?This is the story.Very simple storyline and the movie has an interesting screenplay.Instead of concentrating on huge sets,the director has given more importance to the script,which is a rarity nowadays. Camerawork was awesome.The cameraman has shown the Kolkata city realistically.
Kalakalappu :
The movie was laugh riot.From the beginning till the end the movie made me laugh.Vimal,Siva,Santhanam, Ilavarasu and Manobala and everyone else were outstanding.Even the dog(google),made its presence felt. Sundar C should understand he is good in directing comedy movies and his serious movies becomes a comedy when he acts as a hero.
Naan E :
A bilingual movie which had Sudip,Nani and Samantha in the lead roles and it was directed by Mr.S S Rajamouli.Its an usual revenge story told in an unusually different way.Here the hero(Nani) after his death,is reborn as a housefly and tortures the Villain Sudip.Sudip's acting was unimaginably brilliant.He had to imagine that a housefly is troubling him and act accordingly,which is a not at all easy.The technical work deserves a special mention.It was all done by Indian animators.Neither the director nor the animators crossed their limits.Great job and hats-off to Nani's cast and crew.One special information,dialogues were penned by one of my favorite writer Mr.Crazy Mohan :-).
Attakathi :
This movie had mixed reviews.A section of people claims this is a very good attempt by the director and another section claims this is one worst movie.But I felt this movie as a good time pass.Written and directed by Pa.Ranjith,the movie has a novel touch in it.Making and the performance of the artistes was too good.Yet again,the hero's character is a reflection of reality.I have seen lot of guys who closely resembled the hero's character.After a long time,this movie had 2 good gana songs(aadi pona aavani and nadukadalula kappala). The director could have come up with a better storyline and gripping screenplay,that's the only negative and otherwise I enjoyed this movie :D.
Sundarapandiyan :
This is the best mass movie this year.This is on the lines of Nadodigal.Again this movie is based on friendship. Sasikumar's character was too good.He has a very good screen-presence.Songs were also enjoyable and Lakshmi Menon has acted well too.Very good entertainer.
Saattai :
One of the least noticed movies this year,which was actually good.Director Anbazhagan has given a real picture of Tamil Nadu government schools and the attitude of teachers.He also criticizes the private schools in a one scene.And the way the adolescent age problems are shown,is commendable.Samudhrakani was brilliant as 'Dhaya sir' and Imman's music is a huge plus for this movie.Adi Rangi rangi and Shreya Ghoshal's Sahayane are the pick of the album.Only negative for this movie is,its too preachy,but still its a must watch.
English Vinglish :
A perfect re-entry for yesteryear dream girl Sridevi.After a long gap,she has acted in a full length feature film and that too in a heroine-oriented subject.Her acting was too natural.Her English class scenes were the highlight of the movie.Every character made its presence felt,I personally enjoyed the Pakistan taxi-driver Salman Khan.A cameo by 'Thala' Ajith(Amitabh ji played this role in the Hindi version) was a real gift for Thala fans.His dialogues about English and purpose of visit received thunderous response in theaters.After a very long time,I enjoyed this feel-good family movie.Z Tamil channel is going to telecast this movie on Jan5th.Don't miss it.
P.S. : I watched a first day show this movie too,as it is a Thala movie for fanatics like me :P.
Pizza :
A rare movie in Tamil cinema.The best part of this movie is,you can't categorize it to one particular genre.You can't say its an entertainer or a thriller or a horror movie.The movie was made on a shoe-string budget,but the settings looked realistic.Vijay Sethupathy carried the movie pretty well.Movies like this are a welcome change for Tamil cinema.
Thuppakki :
This is an engaging action movie.Perfect entertainer for a Diwali.It was good to see Vijay acting in a neat action movie.There were some protests against this movie by the Muslim organizations,which was not acceptable.I wrote an exclusive blog post about the Thuppakki controversy here.Kajal Agarwal and Jayaram's characters had no significance at all and the songs were not appealing(except 'Google Google').But the director made an engaging screenplay,which overshadowed these small negatives.Thuppakki was good enough to watch more than once in theaters.
Neerparavai :
Best movie of the year.Seenu Ramasamy has made an art-film in an enjoyable manner.Songs and background score deserves a special mention.The director should be appreciated for making a movie based on the lifestyle of fishermen.Instead of making it too preachy,director has taken a beautiful lovestory as base. For detailed review,check this link.
Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom :
Yet another movie to show the maturity of Tamil cinema.This is how movies should be made.There were no unnecessary songs,fight,comedy track etc.The story revolves around 4 friends,Prem,Bagsu,Bajji and Saras. Screenplay was so good that the movie was not boring at any point.Everyone has acted well and my favorite character is that of Bagsu :D.He was a scream guys.If you have not watched this movie,please watch it.Its hilarious.
Neethane En PonVasantham :
This movie was teared into pieces by 'so called intellectuals' like RJ Balaji.The movie was good enough for a one time watch in theaters.People should learn what to expect from the movie based on trailers and stills.On seeing the stills and trailers,we should have expected a slow feel-good love story.Those who were shouting in theaters didn't have any patience at all.It has happened to so many movies.Pokkisham was one such movie. And we have social networking sites like facebook,twitter and orkut etc.Even without watching people starts sharing crap about movies.Everyone has a following in facebook and most of these followers, tend to get carried away by the comments of the person whom they follow.Opinion and expectation differs from person to person,so never criticize a movie without watching it.And most of these facebook users has the habit of sharing one line reviews in their profile and am no exception.I have shared my opinion about lot of movies in my facebook wall.But,there is a difference between sharing our review after watching a movie and watching a movie only for the sake of reviewing.The problem is with the latter.When you watch a movie with a premeditated mind,you will never enjoy the experience.
Coming to the movie,Jeeva and Samantha has acted very well,Samantha was awesome in school scenes.Ilayaraja's music and background music had its class.Rightly,The Hindu reviewed,NEPV is an ode to Ilayaraja.If you have some patience,you can enjoy this movie.NEPV may be your love story.Once again Gautham Menon has proved that he is a master of romantic movies.
I have mentioned about the movies which impressed me.There were also movies which I expected to be good and got disappointed too.They are Aravaan,Thandavam,Kazhugu,Mugamoodi.
Movies like Saguni,Billa2,Maatraan,Kazhugu,3(Moonu),Mugamoodi were boring and had nothing interesting.They were bad.Among these movies,I felt Saguni and 3 as worst movies.
Most of them said Vazhakku En 18/9 was a must watch movie.Unfortunately,due to time constraints I missed it in theaters and I couldn't watch it again(watching movies online is a very difficult task for me).
That's it.2012 had its own share good and bad movies.If you observe carefully,you can find that,movies with different content, received good response from the audience and they were box office hits too,but not all the movies.Serious movies like Neerparavai,Vazhakku En 18/9 etc., were just average in box office.This is a trend which I observed - movies with different theme,if has humor and entertainment content,becomes box office hits and serious movies find it very difficult to survivie in box office.
As a cinema fan,I expect more no.of quality movies in 2013.Already Kamal's Viswaroopam has created huge expectations and its audio is smash hit.And also Power Star's Kanna Laddu Thinna Aasaya is all set to break the collections of Avatar :P.Looking forward to it.
Wish you all a Happy and Prosperous New Year :-)
6 comments:
Kumki enga da
@Anonymous - I didn't watch Kumki
Good one..If I need to write, it has to b so many parts..
@Aravind - thanks for commenting machi..you are an experienced man and obviously,you have to write many parts :P
gud reviews....
This looks really good, thanks for the suggestions. I'm going to create a link to the blog I just started, Divas Have Curves.
Packers and Movers Chitlapakkam 9380223600 Chennai
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