Kadal Movie Review

Kadal Tamil Movie Reviews

Movie Review : Kadal
Rating : 2.5 / 5 
Banner : Madras Talkies 
Cast : Gautham Karthik, Arvind Swamy, Arjun, Thulasi Nair,Lakshmi Manchu, Ponvannan, Kalairani, Singampuli and Others
Cinematographer : Rajeev Menon
Music : A R Rahman
Producer: Mani Ratnam, Manohar Prasad
Director: Mani Ratnam 
Released Date: February 01, 2013

Story:
Thomas (Gautham) is a reckless boy who has no discipline and the reason for that is his childhood filled with troubles. But life changes for him with the arrival of Father Sam (Arvind Swamy) a Christian priest who gives him a sense of direction. There is Berchmans (Arjun) who is a notorious guy and he has a past issue with Sam. With his plan, he gets Sam into an issue and puts him in jail. Meanwhile, Thomas comes across Priya (Thulasi) and starts liking her but Sam’s absence again stir his instincts and he joins Berchmans gang. What happens after that forms the rest of the story.

Presentation:
The director has come up with a very different storyline and while the presentation was grand, the narrative was a letdown.  The dialogues were alright. The script was weak and the screenplay was adequate. The background score was not that great and only two songs were worth listening.  Cinematography was top notch.  Editing should have been crisp. Costumes were suiting the moods while the art department was royal. Gautham Karthik did a good job given his debut and he was neat. Thulasi Nair is weak in looks but good in expressions. Arvind Swamy looks handsome as ever and he was impressive. Arjun was the best among the lot and portrayed the negative shades in a good way. Lakshmi Manchu made her presence felt. The others didn’t have much to offer.

Conclusion:
The film is made by Mani Ratnam and it also has the son of Navarasa Nayagan Karthik and the beautiful Radha so the expectations are high. The first half goes about with the layering of the characters and how they relate to each other and the interval bang was not that great. The second half shifts track and focuses on the romance angle with a slightly weak emotional impact. Overall, the film had something to look for but it was not really having that special signature style of Mani in it. At the box office, it would be a difficult one to get success.

Bharatstudent verdict: Cannot be called as one of Mani Ratnam’s best

18 Vayasu Movie Review

Movie Review : 18 Vayasu
Rating : 1.5 / 5
Banner : Nic Arts
Cast : Johnny, Gayathri, Yuvarani, Rohini, Sathyendran, JS, Sevazhai, Gnanavel, Suri and Others
Music : Charles Bosco, Dinesh Kanagaratnam
Cinematographer : Shakthi
Producer: S S Chakravarthy
Director: R. Panneerselvam
Released Date: August 29, 2012      








Story: A silly tale, the story begins with Karthi (johnny) who is a mentally deranged youngster as he sees his father committing suicide. Apparently, his mother ill-treats him and she also has an affair with someone else which disturbs him a lot. So, whenever he comes under anxiety or pressure, Johnny begins to behave like the animal he sees first. Meanwhile, he comes across an orphan Gayathri and falls in love with her. She also likes him and they decide to get married. But Johnny ends up killing his mother and this shocks the orphan girl. What happens after that forms the rest of the story.

Presentation: The director has come up with a stale storyline and while the presentation was below standard, the narrative was poor.  The dialogues were boring, the script was not upto the mark and the screenplay was amateur. Background score was okay and songs were not worth listening. Cinematography was the saving grace to an extent. Editing was raw. Costumes were suiting the moods while the art department was regular. Johnny has given sincere efforts in doing justice to his role. Gayathri is not a looker but she has given confident performance. Rohini was elegant. Sathyendran was standard. Yuvarani was alright. Sevazhai was okay.

Conclusion: The concept of mentally disturbed youth falling in love with an orphan looks promising but such thmese need to be dealt with deft screenplay and strong narratives. While the film takes off on a good note, it begins to lose steam within fifteen minutes. The second half didn’t have much to relish and this leaves the audience with a bitter taste. Overall, this movie may not be able to achieve success and might sink at the box office.

IdleStars verdict: Can be ignored                 

Udumban Tamil Movie Review

Movie Review : Udumban
Rating : 2.5 / 5
Banner : Modern Cinema
Cast : Dilip Roger, Sana, Geethika, Radhika, Natchatira, Sunil and Others
Music : S Balan
Cinematographer : Kichas
Producer: Jegannadhan
Director: Ramji Balan
Released Date: February 17, 2012        


 Story: A message oriented tale, the story begins with Udumban (rogger) who is not much educated and as he grows up, he becomes a thief. On the other hand, his brother Kaalai (sunil) is a notorious thug and is feared by all in the town. Udumban is constantly troubled by the local inspector for ‘Mamool’. The story takes a turn when Udumban decides to rob at a high ranking cop’s home and overhears at their home about how private educational institutions are looting their money. Realization dawns on Udumban and he decides to open a school. However, he gets arrested after opening the school and Kaalai takes over. What happens after that forms the rest of the story.

   Presentation: The director has come up with a message oriented storyline and while the presentation was natural, the narrative was not that strong. The dialogues were sensible and simple with a wit of their own. The script was average but screenplay could have been better. Background score was energetic but not all songs were that special. Cinematography was upto the mark. Editing was adequate. Costumes were rustic while the art department was colorful and natural. Dileep Roger looked rugged and natural and carried his role well. Geetika and Sana were there to fill the glamour quotient. Sunil was nice. The others didn’t have much to offer.


    Conclusion: The film marks the debut of the noted biker Dilip as the hero and though it came with a concept on the education system and its privatization, there were few places which struck the message strongly. While the first half goes about with some promising sequences, the second half doesn’t get to have the same momentum. Overall, this is a film which has a message oriented theme and it might appeal to a few but scoring success at the box office may not be that easy.

IdleStars verdict: Good thought, weak execution