Singam 2

The original Singam was a treat to watch. An emotional yet strong police officer story with all the commercial ingredients to make it a perfect Tamil entertainer. Singam 2 is not quite there. Too many characters, bad music and not so great villains make this movie longer and boring.

Singam 2 shows a quick recap of Singam before leading into its theme, just to let you know that they are following the original track that was laid (which also means that we have to provide screen space for all the characters from the old film - what a pity). Tamil cinema still hasn't reached a stage where they can do something like a James Bond franchise with unrelated movies and yet do fantastic at the box office. I am sure we have the capability but many directors still are hung up on song and dance.

So what's new! An item number with Angadi Theru Anjali, local and international baddies, Hansika, and Santhanam.

Singam 2 is all about Suriya. If at any point you removed all the surrounding characters (esp family, love, and comedy), the movie would still make sense. And if the director had made any attempt to remove a few of those characters, the movie would have been slightly better too.

Hansika as an infatuated school-girl adds just color to the Tuticorin backdrop. Santhanam's sequences are not very enjoyable but his mockery of scenes and dialogues from the first movie are definitely a treat. Three villains and one of them calling himself the King of the Indian Ocean (absolutely ridiculous), I definitely think that Prakash Raj did a much better job in the first movie. Rahman does a good job in playing his part as one of the bad guys.

The movie takes us to all sorts of places. Starting from Tuticorin to Chennai, Kerala and then South Africa as well. Scenes are quick and short but predictable and weak.

Don't even get me started about the music. In this one, DSP fails to make your feet tap. After the first song, you are convinced that the first movie's soundtrack was worth every minute of your ear.

I find it very difficult to continue this review because of the confusion the screenplay creates by having so many scenes. In the end, all I can remember is Suriya finding a way to ensure that every bad guy is out of business. Beyond that everything about Singam 2 is waste of time. Having said that, a theme to just oust baddies is quite horrible because that's been the premise of Tamil Cinema for generations. So director Hari doesn't churn out anything interesting.

Going at this rate, actors like Suriya, Vijay and Vikram will become a forgotten trio if they don't invest their time and talent in working on meaningful scripts.

7-Aum Arivu

What was Murugadoss thinking when he decided to make this film? I still havent figured out that. Sometimes I think that he was partly inspired by Michael Moore.

7AA is a commercial documentary. The first 20 mins of the film is a technologically advanced version of the usual videos that films division used to show in cinema halls years back. Remember the video about Nehru; this was no different. This is where Bodhi Dharma is introduced. ARM goes on to tell us that whatever we saw in Crouching Tiger and other films - I mean flying swords, people and stuff that we saw in Shaolin soccer; is closely related to what Bodhi Dharma taught the Chinese.

The present day Chinese Military begin Operation Red whose only objective is to kill a girl in Chennai.

Suriya plays a circus performer in this film. I still can't figure out why he agreed to do that part because it didnt go well with the script of the film. I wonder if it was done to help the script where Shruti is looking to experiment with a monkey or ride an elephant (this scene is horrible), it still doesnt convince at all. We definitely know that a connection needs to be established between Bodhi Dharma and Suriya but not through a circus.

Coming to the main plot - The Chinese want to kill Shruti Hassan because they think she has done some research that would make India, some kind of a superpower. What I dont get from all this is the depth. Its never there at all. If it were such a research, then how come the Indian scientists are not bothered? And there are a bunch of people fighting about Tamil and English. Gimme a break director!!! There is a lot of cross-border tension between India and China, but China sending someone to India to kill Shruti is like watching a cartoon. The chinese villain using hynotic techniques to use people to his advantage is quite weird and at times very irritating as well.

Shruti Hassan has a very long way to go. I doubt if she will be very successful in the movies. She is awesome on the screen but dialogue delivery needs a lot of work. It feels like watching some US return tamilian on screen. We cannot put the heavy weight on her shoulder that she is Kamal's daughter. She is super talented but I am not sure if this film has done the magic for her.

I cant speak much about the new chinese villain who we have seen in many other hollywood movies. I dont remember doing anything other than staring.

The movie tells us that our traditions and superstitions have scientific reasons behind and we should understand the science and not blindly believe everything. And some of the examples are very effective. What I cant get to grips is when Shruti starts a scientific experiment on Suriya for 12 days; the villain manages to kill the experiment on the penultimate day and miraculously Suriya is still in great form. Suddenly, there is a superhero who has broken the scientific laws. Did I watch a Science Fiction?

What can I say about the songs. Same Harris style. He reminds you that every new song will remind you of his previous compositions. The SPB song in this movie reminded me of the 'Kanne Kalaimaane' sung by Yesudas but a few beats faster in the former. Most other songs are typical and sometimes the beat feels like a lift-off from ARR too.

The movie definitely lacks a good script and depth. Sometimes it looks as if the scenes were just put in place to make some logical sequence. I am supportive of the fact that ARM took up a different subject and exlpored a lot, but converting that into a bio-war is again like venturing into the lines of Dasavatharam. All of a sudden, the film starts wrapping up. The last 30 mins has all the prime content and I wonder why it was only for 30 mins. Romantic sequences were just time wasting tactics getting nowhere and only becoming script spoilers.

One piece of information I got from this movie is that the Chinese definitely have a great idea to eliminate the stray dogs in India but we never want them to help us do that.

Ayan

Ayan - What does Ayan mean? Well, it means a lot in different languages. I am not going to delve into that.

Ayan - Suriya's latest movie after V.1000 is a super entertainer for the masses. Suriya has been telling everyone that he couldn't give a fun-filled movie because he devoted more time with character based roles in movies such as V.1000 and Kaakha Kaakha. For the long wait, Ayan surpasses all expectations.

Suriya plays the role of an educated street smart under-the-table-business associate. A computer science graduate who uses more of his brain than muscle to get rid of people who come in his way. In a lot of places, he would remind you of what Clooney did in Ocean's or Leonardo did in Catch Me. I mean, its a lot of fun to watch. Nevertheless, tamil cinema cannot do well without fights. So, there is scope for that too. One fight that was shot in Congo is bleddy amazing. Its like the one that Daniel Craig does in Quantum. Extremely fast, through small buildings, windows, terraces, winding streets. Kudos to the guys who planned the cameras. It was PERFECT.

Ayan introduces you to another world that's flourishing big time in India. A world of dvd's, cocaine, gold biscuits, diamonds - everything unaccounted. Talking of diamonds - I like the way they explain the diamonds business in Africa.

The villain gets introduced in less than 10 minutes from the beginning. So no great shakes. We always know that if something goes wrong, its always because of him. Villain is a Bollywood import and he does quite a shitty job. Very bad voice syncs.

Prabu is Suriya's boss and he controls a lot of this business. Its interesting to see how these guys get the smuggle the stuff from the airport to India and back to other countries. While we know that a lot of this could be true, its quite shocking to see what happens.

Jagan - the guy who hosts America's Funniest Videos on Star Vijay is Suriya's pal in the movie. Tamannah is his sister. NOW THATS A VERY BAD MATCH UP for a family. Black Coffee and Milk. Jagan as Chitti has a very interesting role. He has done a fantastic job. I am guessing that this is a great break for him and the future holds a lot for him.

Tamannah - this hard working Punjabi kudi rocks! In this movie, its not just love and songs for the actor. Love happens in like 5 mins. They meet and the next scene they are already in love. Costume selection would score a 4 on 5. She is surely getting better in every movie of hers.

There is no separate comedy track. Suriya, Jagan, Tamannah, Karunas, Renuka (Suriya's mom) - everyone does comedy to their own capacity. When prime characters perform comedy, it gels into the movie and it also lightens the audience's view about a particular character.

Songs and the picturisation are a treat. Hariharan's voice in Pala Pala is so FRESH. Like always, Harris' music reminds you of all his previous creations. Grinding the same dough. I am guessing that Harris is fond of a few raagas and he composes only on those. One of the songs, i think Nenje Nenje, was shot in Walvis Bay, Namibia, where the sea and sand dunes are next to each other. Beautiful Place.

Story, Script, Screenplay - would give a min of 3 on 5. Very skillful. Even though we have heard of so many con-job movies in the past, this one is quite entertaining. There is more focus on smart smuggling rather than using plain ammunition with mobs. Creativity is fabulous - KV Anand and his team will be appreciated for this. In a lot of instances, they quickly show the way things unfold from the past. That's very thoughtful and neatly done.

Overall: Great entertainer from Suriya, after a long time.

Vaaranam Aayiram - life must go on

Varanam Ayiram Suzha valam seithu; naranan nambi nadakkinran enrethir
Purana porkudam vaitthup puram engum; toranam nattak kanak kanden thozhi nan

Life is a box of chocolates - happiness, love, affection, success, good friends, etc would add sugar to your life and make you cheerful. But, life is not just a box of chocolates - fear, failure, diffidence, sorrow, separation, etc would add the salt and bring those tears. Come what may, LIFE MUST GO ON. For every individual has his share of ups and downs in his life. He needs to see what he can do for the future that awaits him.



Gautham Vasudev Menon's Vaaranam Aayiram sends home this simple message with a plethora of emotions that any individual can relate with. The movie literally takes you through high and low tides - you walk out with mixed feelings but generally good.

The story is about a son who, after the demise of his father, reminisces the time of his life when his dad was around. Right from birth till the stage he is currently in, he tries to bring back all the incidents; sees how his dad has been a great motivator and a role model who influences his life in every small way possible.

Not every actor gets to play a role, which is almost something like a 'once in a lifetime' opportunity. Suriya is the crux of this movie. The movie revolves around him and his relationship with his dad (another Suriya). I could clearly see that Suriya is getting better at every film as an actor. People say that he is following the foot-steps of Kamal Hassan. Quite true. As an actor, Suriya is giving everything he can to bring completeness to the director's vision. Suriya's escapades with love reminds you of Madhavan in Minnale. Suriya's deep low voice and reactions, background vocals in some situations give you a feeling of the Suriya we saw in Kaakha Kaakha.

Simran - oh, what a comeback! She initially plays the lovely lady who steals the heart of the Dad Suriya. Her predominant role is a mom character who tries to be a good support for her family and ailing husband.

Sameera Reddy - she is definitely going to go places in the industry. What an amazing character - full of life. I think she deserves a big applause for having done a wonderful job in the movie. She takes the movie to a different high and the 20-30 minutes of Sameera and Suriya on the screen keeps you in the best of spirits.

Divya Spandana - she comes into Suriya's life during the second half of the movie. Although she doesnt have a bubbly role, she gives meaning to her character by doing absolute justice. Too bad, she doesn't have the best songs in the movie.

Harris Jeyaraj's music and background score is amazing. All songs are topping every chart in South India. A good part of the movie is based on music, since son Suriya plays the guitar. Right from wooing his girlfriend by strumming the guitar to entertaining his mom and dad with his music, there is music everywhere. "Adiyae Kolluthae" is a total highlight. Shot completely in Berkeley, this song is an energy booster.

The movie has an overdose of English. Too many "Daddy"; "I love you dad"; "I love you mom"; "I miss you dad" phrases and then conversations between the family dominated by english words in between. I wonder why Gautham imposed this on a simple middle class family? Did he plan to appeal to the current generation of youth?

Cinematography handled by Rathnavelu is above all. Starting from the 80s themes, the train journey of Suriya and Sameera, and the shots of Golden Gat Bridge where Sameera proposes to Suriya - all that is mindblowing.

Overall: Another great movie by Gautham