Engeyum Eppodhum - Cute always

We would have heard about different road accidents or perhaps even seen some huge accidents but none would have put us as one of the victims of the accident. That is what the movie is all about. I do not see any message or awareness being promoted in this movie as I read tweets and wall posts from other film viewers who think the movie is telling some message about driving lessons. Yes, to answer the next question, I am completely against the climax message carry over in the movie or the end credits. The way I have seen the movie or rather I understand the movie is to think ourselves as one of the victims of the accident and carry a heavy heart when you leave after the movie.

That's how the movie starts basically with a collision of two buses and the story takes a rewind of 4 hours describing the passengers who were travelling in these two buses and giving the narration of a few lead characters with a flash back. Not just that, the director also makes us feel for the other characters in the movie by showing just glimpses of their whereabouts. I liked this special touch from the director instead of using a physically challenged person or a cute lovely girl dying in the end. So, the narration that happens with the passengers of these buses takes us till the death, sorry the accident.

The director has typically shown a normal life story throughout the movie not exaggerating any scene or situation. Un-crowded bus from the usual movies, change in the share autos (one who has travelled in share autos will know the difference that I am talking about), using the A/C bus, Trailer bus. These things though many wouldn't worry or concentrate much, this doesn't give the audience any stereotype feel when watching the movie. Likewise goes with the other flashback in the movie that talks about the love affair of Jai and Anjali. The worker changing the uniform and more importantly coming to the shift in casual dress of the colour of their lover's costume and getting changed, the auto driver asking Jai 'Is this the first time you are coming in auto'.

Screenplay is simple amazing in this journey. What's the interesting factor is, when the director takes us to a flashback of one pair, he doesn't continue till the end instead, he abruptly stops with a flash and return to the live journey and moves to the other bus to come in a different route. This is actually a clever screenplay that will leave the audience to be keen on what has happened to them and why are they in this bus.

Also the way the director has narrated the flashback scenes makes me to write the caption for my review as 'Cute'. The instances in Ananya and Sharvanand pair are really cute with Ananya behaving. A new girl from village comes to Chennai, not trusting anyone but being supported by a totally unknown stranger and her suspicious character are just cute. If for Ananya, so for Jai in the flashback of Jai and Anjali. I just wanted to stress a few lines and if you have not seen the movie, I bet you will get reminded of these lines while watching the movie. ESPIRIT hospital, Bru coffee, drinking coffee in bulk, these are just awesome.

Often, these days, the directors have improved a lot when it comes to casting the characters. I haven't seen a single misplaced cast in the movie or probably they must be negligible. A Dubai return eager to see his daughter who even has got her voice asking to pick the phone as a ringtone is top notch. Casting of other characters apart from the lead (doesn't mean they are not apt) is ultra.

SPOILER ALERT

Acting becomes so easy when you have a strong screenplay that keeps going with a pace and momentum. Jai and Anjali have especially done their job perfect. Jai's character and his acting will leave everyone enjoyable in the movie and carry a heavy heart in the end. Anjali as a different forecast lover has done very well in the movie. The new comer Sharavanand is also blended nicely to the character who reveals his name at the end. Ananya facial expression is enough to make her look cute and needless to say anything extra.

I never knew 'Govinda Govinda' belongs to this movie. I was excited to see the song in the movie and so as 'Maasama maasama' song. Other songs could have made a bit peppier to make them remember or murmer. CG sequences during the collision are something nice or more like Final destination sort of revealing what exactly an accident means.

First movie for the director, he should be thanking the producers to believe his script as this script if told in the form of storytelling would probably make the producers yawn. All we expect is 'a long way to go and give us more feel good entertainers'.

Verdict - Please do not miss this journey!

Mankatha - Ulle Veliye!!!

Something on a personal front, I am missing those days in Chennai, particularly these first day first show or rather first day early morning shows that too for a Ajith movie. Sleepless night spending time on all the social networking site, hearing all the rumors of relatives/friends abroad commenting the first word of mouth, neutral fan/ajith fan/ vijay fan review from abroad and getting up early in the morning and watching the 5 AM show in a pakka mass theatre! Priceless - but just for that moment! What happens after that show gets over? Game ON!

Certainly, the expectations are high for various reasons! Obviously the 50th game for Ajith, which he has landed with an OKish director this time bearing in mind what Vijay did for his 50. Strangely, the songs turned out to be good this time, which I felt after a long time, say Kireedom. The trailer - just increased the expectations to reach sky high! Before the game actually begun, there were games started well in advance for the release of the movie where the movie was tossed to different hands.

Venkat Prabhu known for his clever steals from Hollywood movies and he has already let the audience to determine what movie is Mankatha ripped, by the promos and the trailer. But, at least, I can say this is not a RIP OFF of any Hollywood movie thought it had glimpses of Italian Job. So, I basically wanted to put this review in terms of what I felt are IN and what I felt were OUT.

Don't shout at me for it. I very much understand 'Strictly no logic' for a commercial movie but having a heist plan and going with a logicless screenplay seriously is annoying. The Heist plan is absolutely yuck and just for bike stunts which we all know Ajith can do wonders, you cannot have a pretty logic less stupid plan using a magnet to lift a giant carrier when the driver is JUST speaking or showing his papers! And another logic less factor that irked me was the police character involved in the heist. Having been caught red handed that he is involved and he still manages to get help from the police department! Where are you with movie boss??

Songs, they just proved the typical formula in Tamil Cinema. But having had a good response for the audio release, I must say except for the opening Song 'Vilayadu Mankatha', the other songs weren't picturized well and particularly, the placement of the songs are speed breakers. You don't have smoking facility inside the theatre premises these days Venkat Prabhu and please bear in mind when you place the songs in your next movie at least. Moving further, did you ever see the song 'Bin Laden' and where you convinced with the singer-actor synchronization? Or did you at least feel if it's a mandatory factor at that place? And the much hyped Open the bottle is a bizarre! We all know Ajith cannot dance and you are not making any Guinness record here Mr Venkat Prabhu. Lastly, my favorite Ballelakka has landed to the ugliest characters (except Rai) in the movie!

Trisha, Andrea, Anjali, Lakshmi Rai...hang on! I am not typing the heroine names in Tamil Cinema, as a matter of fact, these bunch of ladies are part of the movie and trust they come not more than 10 minutes in the movie. There were 4 item girls in the song 'Open the bottle' and I don't see any difference from the screen share between these 4 and the other 4. Well of course, the item numbers rocked. You could have at least saved our souls with the help of Lakshmi Rai but you had to get convinced for the censors by doing a smudge effect for close up shots. Poor we are man!

You had 50 bunches of characters in Chennai 28. You had 40+ in Saroja by roping in all the television serial actors. You had 30+ in Goa. See, you can't just keep having the same bunch of folks in all your movies and that especially, when you think they don't fit the bill. Prem Ji was seriously annoying but I can admit the IIT factor and 'Kirukkan' look alike match. But man, we are seriously tired of his Ilayaraja numbers and pathetic punches. I am sure most of us will agree here with the cast you believed in the boy called Mahat! Only one question that I can ask you, 'Where on earth you found him'? He doesn't know to act. He doesn't know to smile. He doesn't know to romance. He doesn't know to dance. We wonder what made you to choose him other than the money factor (if at all). Even if someone can tolerate these, when someone ask ' Mahat, be ready' for which replies 'Naan porandhulendhe reddy dhaan da'. UFFF this is atrocious.The problem is when you have too many characters, this gives you less scope for the main characters to contribute or even if they have done that, it will go unnoticed. Ganesh as the police SI is a good choice though and he has lived up to the expectations. I can probably detail on the lead characters in the para to come.

So having said all these, we have Ajith Kumar! He has done in Vaali. He contributed in Varalaaru. I should thank you for utilizing the skills of the actor which he is good at. But still, with due respect to the character played by him and the performance of Ajith, I still feel, there is more which you can extract from him and there are some which you can avoid him doing that. Throughout the movie, the saracacism shown by Ajith Kumar is bloody brilliant! But when the same sarcacism comes in the form of comedy, this is where the actor is a letdown. For instance, sarcacism between Ajith and Arjun was top notch whereas it was a big let down in the car scene between Ajith and Premji. Certain things which you could have avoided are the wicked smile, the chess scenes could have been made shorter in length. Arjun, on the other hand, I felt is an extended guest role kind. But yes, he has done it pretty neat with what was asked from him. As I mentioned earlier, though he had done his job, with the amount of characters in the movie and their background not explained properly, it will leave the contribution made by the main characters unnoticed.

Music as such also has been the same as the title of my review. It was OK in parts and noisy in some scenes. There are a few interesting things tried for the stunt sequences which I felt didn't go well. But he managed with the title roller being a catchy one. Same holds good for the cinematography as well.

All these above talks indirectly the direction and I guess I must thank him for not giving an absolute shit but at the same time, he needs to get out from the stereotype casting and improve on the loop holes to increase the pace of the movie.

Verdict - One Man Show