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DEIVA THIRUMAGAL MOVIE REVIEW Review by : Behindwoods Review Board Starring: Vikram, Anushka, Amala Paul, Santhanam, Direction: AL Vijay Music: G V Prakash Kumar Production: UTV Motion Pictures “Simpler a thing is, nobler it is”, said the legendary Sathyajith Ray. He would have reiterated his stance now had he watched Krishna (Vikram) in Deiva Thirumagal. What would you call someone who is an embodiment of all things good, simple and virtuous but appears in the eyes of blemished materialistic world as aberrated? A Deiva Thirumagan, indeed! DT is a poetical tale of love and affection between a dad and his 5 year old daughter who is the raison d’être of his life. He may be a mentally challenged person to the world but he is after all her dad. Director Vijay’s caliber as an effective raconteur keeps escalating in every film of his and DT is the latest example. His matured handling of the script and his characters are just testimony to this. It is endearing to watch this tale unravel itself in a very charming and touching fashion. There are no villains in DT but all the characters are driven by the goodness exuded by its lead Vikram. One of the first frames, where Krishna helps the pickpocket guy sums up his characterization. The subsequent shots of him abiding the traffic signal, wanting to stick to truth only and helping a hatchling to its nest lucidly spells forth his character. In a way, it is Vikram all the way… What can you say about this actor whose sincerity and talents that are not already known? It is not Vikram you see but it is Krishna and a dad wanting to be with his daughter suffering the pangs of separation. He has done the tightrope walking of playing a mentally challenged person to the hilt. A little sway on any one side would have worked detrimental to him as an actor and the film. The seasoned actor that he is has given a brilliant performance. Anushka looks ravishing and as a struggling lawyer gets her act right wanting to bring justice to her client. Santhanam’s comedy gels along with the story line and brings in enjoyable lighter moments. Nasser as the intelligent and cunning senior advocate Bhashyam is apt and delivers a veteran’s performance. However it is baby Sara who steals the show next only to Vikram in her angelic looks and performance. There is a serene look about her which helps the role majorly and her understanding of her dad and playing to his inadequacies warrant accolades. Amala Paul has a small role and delivers it right. The supporting casts of Y Gee Mahendra, Sachin Khedekar, Karthik Kumar, Krishna Kumar, Surekha, M R Kishore and Priya have also essayed their roles quite effectively. . Setting the right kind of mood through his camera work has been cinematographer Nirav Shah’s forte which he has adhered to in DT. Nirav has had a field day in Vizhigalil Oru Vaanavil number which is aesthetics at its best. Anushka’s expressions in this sequence and the oblivious Vikram behind her on the bike are a revelation. The sleek and discreet editing helps the proceeding in a big way. G V Prakash’s scores are already chartbusters and each track adds significant value to the film. Ore oru oorukkula number is sure to be children’s favorite Dialogues like “Vakil kitayum doctor kittayum poi pesa koodathu, aana vakillum doctorum poi pesalam” and ‘Saamikku amma kedayaada’ are noteworthy. There are quite a scenes that tug at your heart’s strings and almost all of them happen between the dad and the daughter, the cream being the one between them in the court room towards the end and that on the first day of Sara’s school where the duo communicate with each other in sign language. On the flip side a few scenes involving M S Bhaskar and the helper don’t add value to the progress of the film. However considering the overwhelming positive feeling that the film evokes in its entirety, these foibles can be forgiven. After a long while, DT gives the satisfaction of watching a film without cringing in your seats or worrying how it would appeal to the young population. In short Deiva Thirumagal is a well nuanced film that will appeal to everyone who has their heart and feelings in the right place. Verdict: An emotional tale between a father and a daughter well told

VENGHAI MOVIE REVIEW Review by : Behindwoods Review Board Starring: Dhanush, Tamannah, Raj Kiran, Prakash Raj, Ganja Karuppu Direction: Hari Music: Devi Sri Prasad Production: Vijaya Production Director Hari’s forte lies in subjects that deal with familial relationships, their ramifications, their highs and lows which he usually narrates with a village backdrop. The family values and sentiments are the fulcrums around which Hari hinges his tale in an interesting manner. In Vijaya Productions Venghai, the director teams up with Dhanush for the first time to tell his story that is said to be a symbol of valor. Venghai is all about the conflict between its three protagonists, Dhanush, his dad Raj Kiran and Prakash Raj and the pendulum this time seems to sway more towards the action side than the sentiment region justifying the tagline of the film. Although Hari’s films follow a standard template which the movie going audience is well aware of, there would always be interesting knots in the narration that keep the viewer’s interest alive, but in Venghai, these features are very few and the predictability factor takes the pizzaz out from the happenings on screen. The lengthiness of the film and the logorrhea of the characters are a few factors that work against Venghai. The screen play and the narration travel on an expected course making the fare an unexciting one. Flashes of interest invoking anecdotes do appear like the hiding of counterfeit currency in Raj Kiran’s house and Dhanush’s attempt to thwart the same but they are very few in numbers. Love in Venghai has been handled well by Hari and the manner in which Dhanush falls in love with Tamannah and their subsequent interactions and the emotions that they go through are very natural and realistic and nowhere do they go overboard. Most of the sequences involving the confrontation between the three leads give a déjà vu feel from many of Hari’s earlier films and other films too, the key one being the realization of Raj Kiran as Dhanush’s dad by the baddies and their subsequent withdrawal from killing Dhanush, a la Sandakozhi. The momentum of the film is not uniform with frequent crests and troughs with more of the latter. After a point, the aruvals, the Tata Sumos and the fast moving convoy of vehicles become very tedious. Dhanush as the affectionate and understanding son presents his role convincingly but there is not enough fodder to satiate his acting prowess. Tamannah appears in homely costumes even in song sequences and comes across as a very somber and matured girl. For Prakash Raj who has done such innumerable roles in his career, his character portrayal in Venghai is just a cakewalk. Rajkiran as the man who commands respect in the village sails through his role. Orvashi and Sudha Chandran (after a long hiatus) deliver a neat performance. However in the name of comedy, it is Kanja Karuppu who gives the audience arduous times and his high decibeled voice certainly annoys. His tangential comedy tracks and antics also don’t add value to the film. Despite the songs not being forced in to the narration, but for Kaalankaarthale, others don’t make an impact. And Devi Prasad’s RR is an aural sore, to say the least. Other technical contribution just pass muster and are ordinary. To sum it all, Venghai is another Hari film with his usual ingredients but sans his usual spirit and this film might work for people who seek action entertainers set in villages. Verdict: Another Hari film that engages mildly

THENEER VIDUTHI MOVIE REVIEW Review by : Behindwoods Review Board Starring: Aadith, Reshmi, Kodumudi, Swetha Direction: SS Kumaran Music: SS Kumaran Production: Anusha Devi Film direction still remains the most sought after field in celluloid and after impressing the audience with his mellifluous tunes in Poo and Kalavani, music director S S Kumaran also turns into direction in Peacock Pictures Theneer Viduthi with a bucolic backdrop to narrate his tale. For his debut directorial project S S Kumaran has resorted to the usual route of romance with a few commercial elements thrown in. Although the title Theneer Viduthi is suggestive of a premise centering on tea stall and its happenings, albeit acting as a minor catalyst to the lead pair’s love, the tea stall does not have any significance in the film. Aadith and Kodumudi are brothers who are pandal contractors in a village and Aadith falls in love with Reshmi, the daughter of a sub-registrar who is the chief adversary of their love. Did the lead pair unite in marriage or did they go their individual ways is what Theneer Viduthi all about. When love and romance are the common grounds that our film makers are known to battle in, what makes some projects stand out among the heap is the presentation and packaging. And unfortunately S S Kumaran has not got the grasp of this assignment resulting in a very bland Theneer Viduthi. On the performance side too, Theneer Viduthi does not offer anything new and the artists have a long way to go in the emoting department. As the plot travels on a very flat, expected terrain, it becomes very difficult to get involved with the proceedings on screen increasing the ennui quotient. Even the apparently serious sequences of the conflict between the father and daughter do not add any value to the film or the story. In the name of comedy, the antics of Kodumudi and Aadith are annoying and irksome and make a negative impact on the audience. The first half drags and the second half is even worse. Be it the comedy or the climax or the romance- there is no plausibility at all in the happenings. On the technical side, cinematography by Manavalan is just ordinary and so are the background tracks. A couple of songs scored by Kumaran himself just pass muster. The consoling factors in this otherwise bland fare are the soothing lush locations and the picturizaton of few songs. It would have been positive for the film if S S Kumaran had paid the same diligence that he paid to the songs to the main story as well. In short Theneer Viduthi fails to impress. Verdict: No flavor or taste in this tea

NOOTRENBADU MOVIE REVIEW
Review by : Behindwoods Review Board

Starring: Siddharth, Nitya Menon, Priya Anand,
Direction: Jayendra
Music: Sharreth
Production: Kiran Reddy,Swaroop Reddy,C Srikanth

‘I have no regrets about the past nor do I worry about tomorrow. I believe in living my life to the fullest’. Ajay’s mantra sends forth enlightenment indeed. Ad filmmaker Jayendra embarks on his directorial venture with eminent writers Subha involved in screenwriting. Produced by Sathyam Cinemas in collaboration with Aghal Films, the film marks the comeback of Siddarth into Tamil film territory after 7 long years.

Ajay (Siddarth) takes a dip at shores of Ganges in Kasi and the very next shot we find him in search of a house for rent in Chennai. His high-spirited and good-hearted nature easily make everyone fond of him and so does Vidhya (Nithya Menon), a photo-journalist. Saying ‘Cheers’ to every moment, Ajay keeps the magic of happiness going on, but is haunted by his past memories of a beautiful wife Renuka (Priya Anand).

Jayendra wields complete control over technical departments, especially on cinematography, costumes and set works. The strikingly spectacular backdrops and colorful costumes add more splendors to the screens. Incidentally, it’s an unforeseen experience for the audiences, as Tamil cinema had rarely seen such colorful visuals throughout the film. Dialogues are yet another spotlighting element for we find most of the lines simple and short, yet gain our attention vividly. A fair illustration is the dialogues between Siddarth and little boy Mano in Kasi, where he says, ‘Naan Mano va Vaalanummnu Aasa Padurein’, which ultimately gives a brief description about his characterization.

Chocolate boy Siddarth showcases matured level of performance effortlessly.. Be the romantic portions with Priya Anand or as a panic-stricken victim, we find him best in any situation. His rational thought during the climax is inspiring and ends the film on positive note. Priya Anand’s glamorous appeal enchants us, but her performance remains mediocre. Nithya Menon excels in living up to the expectations. The sequences of cinema hall, enacting before mirror are some of her best strokes. But again, it’s too silly to find a girl running behind a guy for no reason. However her gestures are justified later, which indeed is a timeworn concept. Mouli with his witty-liners keeps us laughing during first half.

Background score by Sharreth is literally loud and harsh as he repeatedly uses the percussion and Kerala’s traditional instrument Chenda Melam. Mild instrumentals or even silence at places would have enhanced the visuals to a certain degree. Never witnessed Kasi as beautiful as this and credit goes to cinematographer Balasubramaniem and so are the exotic locales of San Francisco and Chennai. Since Jayendra has been a part of ad filmmaking business, he seems to have purposely stressed more on lighting. Almost every indoor shot has a sun ray passing in, which seems to be a little unrealistic. Title song ‘Poi Sollum Pothu’ canned by Phantom Flex Camera (usually used for stunt sequences) is a good attempt while picturing of ‘Sandhikaadha’ and ‘Nee Korinaal’ is fabulous.

Jayendra gets going with creative ideas that surely deserve appreciations, a sample being the usage of ‘Pudhu Vellai Malai’ song from Roja as the background score sparkling up the entire situation. Jayendra’s writing is filed with innovative ingredients that is going to garner lot of fans. But it would be the same unique narration that might not have takers among a huger section of the audience. Since the major twist in the tale occurs only after intermission, the proceeding does tend to make the viewers restless. At the end, one gets a feeling that the screenplay, especially in second half might be the weakest link.

Verdict: Great visuals, wonderful colors, weak screenplay.