Naan Review (Tamil)

Movie : Naan
Cast : Vijay Antony, Rupa Manjari
Music : Vijay Antony
Direction : Jeeva Shankar

Rating : 3.5 / 5 

Vijay Antony, the man who is famous for his mass numbers and riveting melodies as a music director has ventured into the acting field with Naan.. Naan is also Vijay Antony’s 25th film as a music director and his first production venture too.. Touted to be a suspense thriller, Naan was released on August 15th, Independence Day..

Jeeva Shankar who was an assistant of the late cinematographer Jeeva, directs and also cranks the camera for Naan..

Naan is the story of a man who follows a fake identity and the consequences he faces thereafter..

Vijay Antony, Sidharth, Rupa Manjari and Anuya are the notable faces in Naan, with Anuya’s role just an extended cameo..

Naan is a tense thriller right from the first frame.. Even though it slows down a bit in the middle, it picks up pace and comes to a cracker of a climax..

Performance-wise Vijay Antony is mediocre and does not impress much.. However, his yearn to act is noticeable in the pre-interval scene and one would wish for betterment in his future experiments.. Sidharth, the hero who was previously seen in Anandha Thaandavam looks ravishing and emotes well too.. He keeps the screen alive even though for just a short period.. Rupa Manjari and the other characters pass muster and are satisfying in their roles..

Camera by Jeeva Shankar himself is commendable especially the shots taken in the Makayala number..

Makayala has hit trends everywhere while Thapellam Thappe Illai is a good rap number.. BGM in the movie is the element which keeps the movie thrilling enough..

There are many unanswered questions in Naan, for example Anuya’s character, but since the director holds up the ‘Thodarum’ card at the end, one hopes he has his answers in the sequel, if there is one..

Verdict : Well crafted crime thriller that just falls short of perfect!

Siddarth Srinivas

You can reach me on Twitter : @siddarthsrini

FIRST PUBLISHED ON YESEXACTLY.NET

Ek Tha Tiger Review (Hindi)

Movie : Ek Tha Tiger
Cast : Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif
Music : Sajid Wajid, Sohail Sen
Direction : Kabir Khan

Rating : 3 / 5

Salman Khan movies and Eid go hand in hand.. The King of the Bollywood Box Office, with an elite record of joining the 100cr club every time he arrives, Bhai’s films keep people waiting with bated breath, every time.. And Ek Tha Tiger is no exception..

Taking charge in 3800 screens worldwide, Ek Tha Tiger came amidst the huge hype and hoopla created mainly due to extensive publicity and the beholding reach of the music, especially the song Mashallah..

Ek Tha Tiger is the romantic action episode between a RAW agent Tiger and Zoya, a student at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland..

The film boasts of an ensemble cast consisting of Ranvir Shorey and Girish Karnad along with Salman and Katrina..

Ek Tha Tiger starts of in Iraq where Tiger is introduced fighting off the baddies in a Bourne-ish action sequence jumping and flying hitherto-titherto.. The very act of Bhai shooting down the hooligans while sliding down the stairs on an overturned table is a treat to watch.. The other instances in the first half lead to the Tiger-Zoya meetings, the lame Zee-Doordashan joke and much more of a half-baked love track.. At the interval block, there is a small twist to tale..

Back after the break, the movie picks up its pace.. The stunt sequences in Cuba are superbly choreographed and are the key elements of the movie.. Even though the presence of a body double for Bhai is clearly visible, the stunts are commendable and propel the movie forward.. Katrina is hawt throughout and kicks ass in the stunt scenes, especially the pre-climax one..

Even though Ek Tha Tiger creates waves because of Salman Khan, his performance in the movie is less than expected.. In a movie like this, where the actions scenes are the trump cards, one expects to see the main actor flex his muscles and do the job.. Such is inevident in ETT..

The strength of Ek Tha Tiger lies in the female lead, Katrina Kaif.. Scoring full monty in the stunts, she keeps the screen alive every time she appears.. Girish Karnad and Ranvir Shorey appear in supporting roles with the latter showing less expressions than a log..

Cinematography by Aseem Mishra is praiseworthy where he succeeds in covering the rich locales in a charming way.. Camera cuts in the opening action sequence deserve a special mention.. Editing by RS.Bhagat is crisp..

On the music front, composers Sohail Sen and Sajid-Wajid have tasted success.. All the songs are great to hear (some after watching the movie) and the visuals have been aptly picturised with bleaming colors.. Mashallah at the end of the movie is a true winner.. BGM by Julius Packiam is good enough to keep the Bhai fans whooing!

Visual effects in the movie arent satisfying where the body double is just replaced with Salman Khan’s face, the transitions clearly visible..

All said and done, Ek Tha Tiger falls flat by means of logic.. One cannot stand the scenes such as the stopping of a train with a mere jacket and jumping into a plane via a bike.. When the stunts have to be jaw-dropping, logic plays a huge role..

Ek tha Tiger is jackpot for Bhai fans.. As an entertainer, it scores well too.. A little bit of tweaking on the storyline, and we could have had a perfect action entertainer.. Nevertheless, its still a good package from Kabir Khan and his team..

Verdict : Flush your brains down the closet and go catch this Tiger!

Siddarth Srinivas

You can reach me on Twitter : @siddarthsrini

FIRST PUBLISHED ON YESEXACTLY.NET

Thaandavam Music Review

Movie : Thaandavam

Cast : Vikram, Anushka, Amy Jackson and others

Music : GV.Prakash Kumar

Direction : AL Vijay

Rating 3.5 / 5

Thaandavam is the next biggie in highly coveted line-up of UTV Motion Pictures’ Tamil Wing.. Boasting of a huge starcast consisting of Vikram, Jagapathi Babu, Anushka, Amy Jackson and others at the helm of Director AL Vijay who brought out a winner last year with Deivathirumagal, this movie creates a huge buzz..

Music for Thaandavam is by the young musician GV.Prakash, who is also hitting the track record of his 25th film.. The album comes with 8 tracks in different genres.. All the songs are penned by Na.Muthukumar..

Yaaradi Mohini, the first song in the album is a fast number crooned by Rahul Nambiar.. The song is lively and truly a good start to the album.. The rap in the middle doesn’t create any excitement though..

Haricharan and newbie Vandana Srinivasan come together for Oru Paadhi Kanavu which is a delightful melody on the lines of Akkam Pakkam.. This track is honey to the ears..

Will You Be There is the next track which has both English and Tamil lyrics.. Alyssa and Nithya Maria are bingo on the vocals and this number will surely climb the charts in the weeks to come..

Adhigaalai Pookal is a one-minute song sung by GV.Prakash himself.. One wouldn’t have minded if this was longer..

Saindhavi strikes gold in Uyirin Uyire which is a soothing melody, great to hear.. With a carnatic touch aided by a brilliant chorus from Sathya Prakash, the song impresses in every aspect.. Lyrics too, are beautiful and will strike a chord with the listeners.. Pick of the album, what say?

Anicham Poovazhagi is the traditional marriage song crooned by GV.Prakash, Chinnaponnu and Velmurugan.. Although an average track, Chinnaponnu manages to hold it up on her shoulders and take it along..

A Poem for You is another small theme based on the tune of Adhikaalai Pookal.. Convincing notes a  flute’s tune complete the bit..

The song that featured in the trailer, Shiva Thaandavam is the final song in the album.. Made with traditional instruments like the kanjeera, mridangam etc, along with SPB’s powerful vocals, the song showcases the dances of Lord Shiva.. It might be used for the tense scenes in the movie..

GV.Prakash has shown great diversity in Thaandavam.. The tracks stand up and speak for themselves.. With well-written lyrics by Na.Muthukumar and great support from the vocalists, he has come out with a winner of an album.. If the visuals can provide half of what we have here, we have a hit in store!

Pick of the album : Uyirin Uyire

Verdict : A complete album after a long time, every song worth a listen..

Siddarth Srinivas

You can reach me on Twitter : @siddarthsrini

FIRST PUBLISHED ON YESEXACTLY.NET

Maattrraan Music Review

Movie : Maattrraan

Cast : Suriya, Kajal Agarwal

Music : Harris Jayaraj

Direction : KV.Anand

Rating : 2.5 / 5

Maattrraan marks the fourth venture of talented director KV.Anand in the Tamil Film Industry.. Joining hands with Suriya for the second time after Ayan, this movie has kept expectations high from the word go.. The two teasers which were released before the audio launch garnered a huge response keeping everyone jitt-fitted for the release of the movie..

After successful outings in Nanban and Oru Kal Oru Kannadi, Harris Jayaraj returns with 5 tracks in this music album..

Rettai Kadhire is the first song in the album, sung beautifully by Krish, Balaji, Mili and Sharmila.. The song is the intro set to the conjoined twins and talks about the life they lead together.. Lyrics by Na.Muthukumar are apt to describe the two Suriyas.. One song which will be great to watch onscreen..

Naani Koni is the next song which is crooned by Vijay Prakash, Karthik and Shreya Ghoshal.. With Viveka’s lyrics, this song is a foot-tapping number and has the potential to climb up the charts..

Franco, Aalaap Raju and Charulatha Mani team up for Theeye Theeye which is a club tune in the album.. The song is peppy but not as catchy as the other two numbers..

Harris Jayaraj – Karthik combo are a much sought one and Yaaro Yaaro is their slot in Maattrraan.. The song which has lyrics by Thamarai, is a slow number which seems like a situational song.. A good song, but one cannot picture it in a script like this..

Kaal Mulaitha Poove is Harris’ experimental song here.. Making use of Russian instruments and blends, he brings in a different track not adhering to his older tunes.. However, the song fails to grab the listener’s attention and falls flat on its face..  Madhan Karky is the saving grace here with his lyrics..

KV.Anand – Harris – Suriya combo worked wonders last time around with Ayan.. This time, the magic seems to be missing round the corner as they fail to deliver a content album.. Harris Jayaraj’s tunes are repetitive and one can easily find a striking similarity between these tunes and his previous compositions.. If the visuals are commendable, these songs will stand up tall.. Until then, just let them linger around in your playlist..

Pick of the album : Rettai Kadhire

Verdict : Harris Jayaraj repeats his magic tunes again!

Siddarth Srinivas

You can reach me on Twitter : @siddarthsrini

FIRST PUBLISHED ON YESEXACTLY.NET