But events start taking unexpected turns by the moment. An accident, a few gunshots, a heart stopping incident, a few goons, a missed purse and  a girl (Saroja) all alone in the middle of nowhere leave them bewildered. It is only slowly revealed that what they have seen are the moving parts of an immaculately planned conspiracy. As the threads are unraveled, henchmen, policemen, a high flying businessman and many others are  at different ends of the conspiracy.    
 
Basically planned as a thriller, we feel it would not be appropriate to reveal anything else about the movie as it would take the zing out of the experience of watching it. The prerequisite for any thriller is the pace in the script and Venkat Prabhu seems to have faltered a bit in this regard.  Some scenes in the first half could have been shorter and crisper. However, he has done really well in all other departments. His evolution as a film maker is evident in the way most of the scenes have been picturised, the scale is definitely bigger this time round. There are places in the movie  where one can clearly feel and see a Hollywood influence. The dialogues are youthful and well conceived. The high point of the movie is when the threads of the conspiracy are fully revealed, the audience will surely be taken by surprise, however intuitive they may be. 

Talking about the cast, it is indeed pleasant to see much of the Chennai 28 cast back again on screen; the director shows his acumen here.  All of them have done fairly well, but the one who scores highly is Premgi Amaren once again. He returns to his best after his debut, seemingly enjoying the experience of working under his elder brother; but there is a lingering doubt as to whether his comic capers in the midst of racy thriller will be  liked by the audience. SPB Charan is the new addition. Apart from the Chennai 28 cast, the movie also has experienced hands in Prakash Raj and Jeyaram who add a touch of class to the proceedings. Debutant Vega, Nikitha and Kajal Aggarwal have done their parts well without delivering anything special. 
 
Technically, Saroja is a movie that gives a lot of scope for the cinematographer, most of the story being at night, and has been used well. The  background score too is befitting of a thriller. The songs have been tailor made for the youth and are bound to be enjoyed. But the movie on the whole
belongs to the director who has taken a one line plot and maintained the element of suspense till the very end, a very challenging thing to do for a director in only his second movie. He has managed to cleverly craft the characters such that we don’t get the slightest inkling of what is afoot.

Saroja is certainly different from the run of the mill movies and the attempt should be appreciated. At the box office, the thriller tag and the deftly held suspense will prove to be its strength and the lack of pace (at places) and the elements of comedy (perhaps) may go against it. Venkat Prabhu proves that he is not a flash in the pan, the young director is here to stay.
 

Saroja Movie Gallery

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The film is promised to be a slick action thriller; a cop story with no violence.

Vishal, born in a middle class family, becomes an assistant commissioner of police. Even after becoming a cop, he continues to do household chores including washing clothes and going to market to buy fruits and vegetables. His friends are the children living in his apartment building. Pairing with Vishal is Nayanthara, who plays a TV reporter. The film has Upendra, the Kannada superstar, playing a mercenary killer with an international network. Kota Srinivasa Rao dons the role of a politician.

Rajasekhar, a one-time associate of director Suresh Krissna, says Vishal is a no-nonsense angry young cop who has his own ideals and he fights to uphold them. What is special about the film is the absence of violence which is usually central to any action thriller.

“Sathyam” is Vishal’s “stylish” film made for whole families, Rajasekhar stresses.

This is the first time Vishal shares screen space with Nayanathara. This is also the first time Vishal is featured in the role of a police officer.

A highlight of the film is a fight scene filmed in an ice factory set erected at an industrial unit in Ennore. The scene shows Vishal fighting the enemies standing on 200 ice bars. . It took ten days to complete the shooting of this scene.

According to the director, the film has some scintillating songs set to the music of Harris Jayraj.

The film is produced by Vishal’s family production house, GK Films.

Although Aayudham Seivom only has the ingredients of a commercial potboiler – fights, an item number, a little more than below-average script, and a comedy track – what makes it stand a little apart is the basic idea of its plot. Not to mention, the essence is lost in the packaging – after all Sundar C has a fan following and has to maintain the decorum meant for his movies.

Sundar C plays the hit man who makes a living out of hooliganism and other petty crimes. He can be hired for any such deeds other than assassination because he considers killing as an act even beneath his standards. While he is hired to steal the documents that have crucial evidence relating to Collector Suganya and her family’s death from the old and good-hearted lawyer Vijayakumar, the old man is accidentally killed and in his death-bed wishes Sundar C to ‘live long’.

Sundar C, disturbed by this, is meanwhile directed by a court, for another offence, to perform social service in a Gandhi Museum in Madurai. He wins the curator Nasser’s heart by employing novel methods to increase the visitors to the museum – like announcing prizes such as a handshake with Malavika. After his brief stint at the museum, he embarks on a journey to probe and discover who is guilty of Suganya’s death and with the help of Gandhian principles brings the culprit before the eyes of law.

The role seems to be tailor-stitched to perfection for Sundar C. He performs stunts like an insurmountable hero and runs around trees with his lead pair Anjali on the other hand. Above all, he sets Manivannan right of his monstrosity with the help of a few patriotism-evoking dialogues on TV.

Kattrathu Tamil Anjali has long shed her widely accepted ‘homely’ image and the makeover has deprived her of her usual drapes leaving her with scanty outfits, in exotic locales. Vivek’s comedy fuels the otherwise dragging screenplay in many places and announces Vivek’s regaining glory. Manivannan, Vijaykumar, Napoleon, and Suganya are a few noteworthy members among the cast. Vindhya swings of the Tamil version of ‘Khaike Paan Banaaraswala’ while Malavika restricts herself to a few scenes devoid any gyration.

‘Innum Oru Vaanam’ sung by Girish and Chinmayi is the pick of Srikanth Deva’s music and K.S Selvaraj’s camera has done wonders to the song.

Arivarasu is asked to solve the mystery behind the murder of important scientists and entrepreneurs who have created a path-breaking invention to help India and the kidnapping of a senior police officer, who is his brother-in-law Manoj (Biju Menon).

Instead of being another Rambo, Arivarasu uses his brain. He traipses around Canada where he is assisted by Lara, a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer (Seril Brindo), rescues Manoj and extricates the nation’s future from the baddies headed by Chandru (Rahul Dev).

Vijaykanth acts his age and puts in a spirited performance. The action is slickly choreographed by “Rocky” Rajesh.

In a word, “Arasangam” is a treat for diehard Vijaykanth fans thanks to a passably decent screenplay.

Arasangam Movie Gallery

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Director Dharani’s earlier project Ghilli with Vijay and Trisha was a blockbuster victory that had set some kind of fast paced mood, tempo and expectations about this duo in the minds of their fans. They entered the theatre this evening eagerly to catch this maiden production venture of Udhaynidhi Stalin’s Red Giants Movies - produced Kuruvi.

The secrecy shrouding the story of the film had also helped in escalating its anticipations to a barometric high. Scaling high-rise buildings, bowing down to bullets elegantly, Kuruvi opens with Vijay in his best nonchalant style, sending his fans into raptures. If the same care and
hard work that had gone into rendering a weighty build up for Vijay had also been employed in the story department, it would have been a Ghilli-like encore for this team. As it happens, Kuruvi flies short of Ghilli.

Vetrivel (Vijay) alias KURUVI is a happy young dude. He is a cool guy and takes on life as it comes. He never dreams about his future and so accepts it as it is. Vetrivel lives on the banks of Cooum, which is near to a metro rail service. The filming of the banks of Cooum is done very well. Vetrivel lives in an old house along with his mother and her two sisters. The further narration explains that the three women are wives of Vetrivel’s father. His father’s character is played as Singamthu (Manivannan) who works as a collie in a mine in Cuddapah district. One unfortunate day Singamuthu disappears mysteriously from the work place.

Suddenly all the hell breaks on Vetrivel as one of the credits who gave some loan to his father warns to occupy the house of Vetrivel does not clear the debt. So due to the financial crisis in the house Vetrivel is forced to board to Malaysia as a Kuruvi.

Vetrivel soon succeeds in recovering some money from the villain Kocha (Suman) who was in debt to the hero’s father. Kocha betrayed Vetrivel‘s father for recovering a diamond from the mine and so Vetrivel succeeds in fetching back the debt money from Kocha.

But Kuruvi in an attempt to recover the money steals a precious diamond from Kocha. Meanwhile, Kocha’s sister Devi (Trisha) falls in love with Kuruvi and then elopes with him to Chennai to avoid a marriage with one of her brother’s followers.

The rest of the film runs behind how Kuruvi goes to Cuddapah and happens to discover the camp of slaves run by the villains at the mine.

If you go to see Kuruvi with lowered expectations, you may end up liking it. But those who are looking for big build-up sequences and large Ghilli-like payoffs - stay away.

Kuruvi Photo Gallery:

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Trisha Photo Gallery:

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Paal Theru, a narrow street in Chennai’s Triplicane area is where Karuppiah Mansion is located. Two unemployed youths, Raasu (Santhanam) and Mokkai Saami (Kanja Karuppu) live there. Their room-mates include Wellesley Prabhu (Ilavarasu) who has an obsession for royal palaces, an old retired civil servant (V.S.Raghavan) and an atheist librarian Rudhram (Rajesh). Others living in the mansion are a science professor (Madan Bop) who never accepts what others say, a miserly engineer Rafique (Thalaivasal Vijay) and a low-profile artist (Sasi). Madasamy (M.S. Bhaskar) is the quirky mansion manager. Giri (Cochin Hanifa) runs a tea-stall.

Raasu and Mokkai remain jobless despite serious efforts and they are totally dependent on the others living in the mansion for their sustenance. They become the butt of ridicule and subjected to humiliation. In this circumstance, Raasu meets a girl named Mahishasura Mardhini (Madhumitha) on the road and falls for her. But she turns her back to him. What is most humiliating is that Raasu and Mokkai Saami are thrown out of the mansion for not having paid the rent for months together. Life becomes more and more difficult for them. Vexed with their wretched condition, they abuse God in protest and call the Almighty to come down to earth and answer their questions to which they have no answers in real life. The Almighty (Prakashraj) does oblige them. He descends from heaven and lives with them to solve their problems. Going by the name of Arnold in white attire, he carries a wonder gadget called G-Box (Galaxy Box) with which He rules the universe. Raasu and Mokkai no longer starve for food and they get full meals, thanks to Arnold. They are also taken around the world. Not content with what Arnold does for them, the two steal the G-Box from Arnold to become Gods themselves. The story then takes surprise turns and twists.

It is Prakashraj around whom the story revolves. He carries the film on his shoulders. His nuances are excellent in the roles of God with divine attributes and a hapless man who is rendered powerless with his G-Box stolen by the two benefactors. Acting comes to him naturally and he uses his talent to the hilt.

Santhanam and Ganja Karuppu are basically comedians and in this film they are introduced as protagonists exuding pathos mixed with humour. They give a stirring performance in their new and difficult roles.

Madhumitha and Jyothirmayi are just cameos.

Vidyasagar’s score has a soulful cover with melody. The strains of the song “Aavaram Poovukkum..” are soothing.

The Karuppiah Mansion in Paal Theru is brought alive by Soundarrajan’s camera.

The sets are eye-catching.

The film is a good entertainer and what is important is that it is also purposeful.

Arai Enn 305il Kadavul Photo Gallery:

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But our hero kills the officer, goes to jail to come out and turns into a vigilante who is on a killing spree targeting men who harass women at workplace! And after each murder, there is a (weird)voice on the clinical details of how the death happened with graphics!

A computer engineer is killed followed by a professor and a doctor. DCP Gautham (Prem) is on the trial, though the killer leaves a note about the time and hints about his next target. The film is full of blood and gore and we wonder how it escaped the censors even with an A certificate? Some of scenes that you puts you off are the scene in which Meera dies and the pervert police officer undressing at regular intervals!

Bharath who’s usually quite earnest, seems totally uninspired and is out of place as a guy determined to clean up the world! And in all honesty you can’t really blame him as
the script lets him down. His three different get-up’s is nothing to write about as the make-up of a Nepali looks silly. Meera as the leading lady is plain dull and she looks
like Bharath’s elder sister. There is no on-screen chemistry between the lead pair especially in that romantic song. Govind Namdeo is wasted while others are adequate.
Television artist Prem impresses as ACP Gautham.

Nobody in this world sets out to make a bad film and the intention is always noble, but the execution is where they often fail. Still, when you see a film like Nepali, you can’t just stop wondering what Bharath was thinking, when he accepted to do this film?

There’s practically no originality as the director seems to be heavily influenced by the Quentin Tarantino style films with non-linear storyline with shades of Manmadhan
and Ghajini. Srikanth Deva’s background score is a pain and the graphics look tacky.

On a positive side, the climax scene is good and cinematographer Madhi has captured the mood and atmosphere of the film giving it a slick look.

The over-bearing Subramaniam fixes Santhosh’s wedding though our hero’s only desire in life is that he wants to decide his own future and the girl he marries! A frustrated Santhosh bumps into Hasini (Genelia) a vibrant, hyperactive, innocent girl, daughter of a middle class employee of a temple (Sayaji Shinde). They soon fall in love and when Santhosh’s dad comes to know about it, he asks him to bring Hasini to their house and stay for a week.

Hasini comes to live in Santhosh’s house and wins over each and every family member but in a turn of events she leaves his home and how the lovers unite in the end forms the rest of the story. Right away you sympathize with Santhosh the complex relationship that he shares with his father. The love between the lead pair is weaved in a cute manner.

The real magic of this film lies in the performance of Genelia as Hasini. Uninhibited and spontaneous, she is the soul of the film and its biggest strength. We just can’t think that any actress could play Hasini better than Genelia which made the makers cast her in the same role that she did in the original.

Despite the risk of being overshadowed by Genelia, Jayam Ravi has done his best and his hard work shows in screen especially his dance. His mature performance in the climax confrontation scenes with Prakash Raj, where he breaks down and spills all the frustrations that he was carrying over years is touching. Infusing his character with energy and spunk, he delivers the goods. Prakash Raj is simply outstanding and does a neat job

Devi Sri Prasad’s music is another highlight of the film, though all the tunes have been faithfully copied from the Telugu original. Atata atata atata… a melodious romantic number written by Na Muthukumar and sung by Siddharth of Boys fame, who also did the lead role in the Telugu original is the pick of the lot.

Santhosh Subramaniam brings the fun back into movies. It is a triumph of honest screenplay and the film will stay in our hearts for a long, long time. Go for it.

Vijay, who is actually an orphan, decides to give up his lover and he makes the girl accept the arrangement by emotionally blackmailing her (the dialogues by the girl in this situation are sharp). The marriage takes place but there is a twist in the tale, which puts the family apart. The intrusion of the villain, with whom the brothers have locked horns, makes things worse. Lots of pathetic developments mixed with sentiments lead to the climax.

Director R. Nithya Kumar throws up a few surprises in the narration to make the proceedings interesting. He opens the narrative by portraying a family with an eccentric younger brother. Then the plot changes track with the arrival of a dreaded dada. Then comes the love track between Vijay and Vedha (Sheela), which is followed by an unexpected twist before the intermission point. The twist is followed by more twists and shocks. The second half turns quite serious with lots of sudden and shocking developments.

The director has executed the emotional scenes well. The focus of the film, however, gets deviated with too many tracks and twists. The dialogues are sharp in many places.

Arun Vijay has proved his worth as an action hero. The young man with a well-built body excels in action scenes. He is also impressive in romantic and emotional scenes. He has shown his histrionic skills by his powerful portrayal in the climax and the sequences leading to climax.

Sheela looks cute and acts with some maturity. She also tries - with some success indeed – to ooze sex appeal in the song ‘O Rasikkum Seemaney’. The girl looks an improved actor when compared to her previous ventures.

Seetha gets to don the role of the single mother, which has become mandatory in the recent films. Today’s filmmakers depend on the experience of the erstwhile heroines to provide powerful performance in sentimental roles. Seetha has ably provided what is expected from her.

Jerovadhan as the younger brother is credible as an eccentric character. Karunas - Mayil Sami comedy track is just about okay. Villain Sathayaprakash with his strange pronunciation leaves a mark. Bose Venkat as an encounter specialist is impressive.

‘Vedha’ could have been a far better film had the director focused the subject sharply.

With Nayantara giving him the right company, the lanky actor has proved that he is just the perfect material who can do even matured roles with same ease and elan.

After an action-packed ‘Polladhavan’, he has come up with romance-filled ‘Yaradi Nee Mohini’, a remake of his brother Selvaraghavan’s recent Telugu hit ‘Adavari Matalaku Ardhalu Verulay’.

Thanks to debutant director Jawahar managing to retain the basic essence of the original, which sways our hearts instantly and a better performance by Dhanush, the movie strike chord instantly.

It is a typical ‘Mills and Boons’ type of romance. A young boy comes across beautiful girl and love blossoms. She leaves an impact in his life.

An unemployed youth Vasu (Dhanush), is dependent on his father (Raghuvaran) for his daily expenses. Often chided by his father for his callous attitude, he starts to search for a job desperately.

One day he sees Keerthi (Nayanthara), falls in love and follows her to a software company, where she works in. So he works hard to get a job in that office. And he does so with Keerti’s help. Vasu is smitten by Keerthi but when he confesses his love for her she tells him she is engaged to her cousin (Karthik) who happens to be Vasu’s close friend.

Sequence of events forces Vasu to visit his friend’s village where Keerthi and his friends get ready for their wedding. Their parents live in a huge joint family which is headed by a conservative and strict patriarch (K Vishwanath). Keerthi does not realise her feelings for Vasu.

But in course of time, she starts to develop and affinity towards Vasu. Whom will she marry forms the climax.

A right mix of action, humour, drama, sentiments and family emotions, ‘Yaradi Nee Mohini’ provides a fresh feel to the audience, who had witnessed a slew of action-packed commercial masala entertainers in the recent past. The canvas is huge in the second half with a large number of family members, but each member have a role to play.

Yuvan Shankar’s brisk musical score and the dazzling performance by Dhanush, Nayantara, K, K Vishwanath are the other major highlights of the movie.

However the real scene-stealer is Raghuvaran. As a strict father, his natural and subtle emotions evoke applause.

Jawahar has treaded a safe path by simply recreating the original and retaining the emotions to the maximum.