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Reviews
Keeping Mum (2005)
Little Wallop packs quite a wallop!!! :)
"Keeping Mum" is such a loaded title. Within 10 minutes into the film I already guessed a key ingredient of the plot, but that did not diminish my enjoyment. I absolutely loved it and have no problems recommending it to my friends. After a surfeit of slapstick humour, KM is so refreshing. It tickles the funny bone and there is double entendre galore, so it keeps you on your toes all the time. Ah, that British sense of humour which I so miss....
I honestly believe that the top billing of the film should go to Maggie Smith, and not to Rowan Atkinson. Dame Maggie, as usual, stole the scenes whenever she appeared. Whether dishing out advice on sex to Father Walter Goodfellow (a pun, p'haps?) or helping young Goodfellow at school, Dame Maggie just enthralls us with her screen presence, with enunciation of every syllable. As Sister Mary Clarence (Whoopi Goldberg) said of her in Sister Act, "What an indomitable woman." Rowan Atkinson was, in all honesty, excellent. I was so used to his Mr. Bean persona that I forgot how his voice sounded like. His characterisation of the parish priest of Little Wallop was just wonderful. There were a few romps in the film but the one scene that took my breath away with its sheer simplicity and romance was when he kisses his wife gently on her shoulder, making her realise that he had "come back" to her after all.
I think that all the actors, even Mrs. Nosey Parker, a rather doddering busybody were excellent.
Two thumbs up.
Chalte Chalte (2003)
Rehashed
I was very disappointed with this film. Besides playing every Bollywood cliché to the hilt, this film was nothing more than a rehash of the Manirathnam quiet hit "Saathiya".
Basic story - boy falls in love with girl, get married despite misgivings/objections from parents/coming from different backgrounds blah blah blah and then realising that life is not a bed of roses. Cracks appear, they get separated, but love conquers. They live happily ever after. Not really but I did not dwell on the open ending of the film - the whole film did not have an impact me.
SRK denied that the film was a lift off Saathiya but the basic premise was the same - only thing is Manirathnam handled it much better and with greater sensitivity.
Plus point is the music. I loved it.
The SRK stalwarts were there - Rani Mukherjee, Johnny Lever, Satish Shah, Lillete Dubey. What a waste of JL, I cringed every time there was a scene with him.
The 1976 Chalte Chalte was a classic. What a pity that in future when people mention CC, it's SRK's film that is being referred to.
Vasoolraja M.B.B.S (2004)
Rib-tickling fun
Vasoolraja MBBS is a remake of the Hindi mega hit Munnabhai MBBS. People who have seen Munnabhai MBBS have made an unfavourable comparison, preferring the Hindi version to the Tamil version - even Tamil moviegoers. Well, I am an exception - probably the only exception. I saw VR first, then MB but I preferred VR and watched it again just to confirm my preference. I did not change my mind.
Rajaraman is the son of Nagesh and Rohini Hattangadi (reprising her role from the Hindi version). After an argument with his father, Raja runs off to Madras where he becomes a debt collector (hence the nickname "Vasool" meaning collect), thug and gangster. His father however thinks that his son is a doctor and Raja is forced to pretend as a doctor every time the father comes to the city.
Nagesh meets Prakashraj, a doctor and arranges to meet Sneha, Prakashraj's daughter, also a doctor. However, his maid informs Prakashraj of the true identity of Raja and humiliates him and his parents and kicks them out.
Raja then swears that he will enrol into a medical college, marry Sneha and humiliate Prakashraj. How he does it is the story.
I found the whole movie hilarious. Crazy Mohan's dialogues had me in stitches. It was a Kamal Hassan movie so I am not complaining that Prabu had a secondary role - it does not matter anyway since Prabhu always acts as a brilliant foil to the main stars.
Kamal Hassan did not do anything different in the film, but the dialogues and the twists in the story kept me enthralled.
Prakashraj delivered the goods although I preferred Boman Irani. The "laughter therapy" that caught India by storm was pilloried to the fullest here. Sneha was funny, naughty, sad and went through a gamut of emotions that did not need much work. Karunas had too few scenes but made us laugh whenever he appeared. He tells Raja: " Why are we standing here on the top of this high tower? You know I am scared of height. I get scared even looking at Amitabh Bachchan" (Who is well-known for his height).
The music is excellent and the theme song will make you hum along.
Overall, I would watch this film again and again, whenever I need a good laugh.
Bewitched (2005)
Great disappointment, watch it on DVD
I was a child of the 60s. The Avengers, Bewitched, Batman, Mission Impossible were part of my TV diets. So I was delighted when I saw that there was a remake of Bewitched. I ignored my early nasty experiences...The Avengers film was a shambled mess, Tom Cruise completely and utterly destroyed MI and made it into a megalomaniac worship of himself - only Batman kept me interested. Having said that though, I did not know what to expect of Bewitched - as long as it was entertaining, I won't complain.
So would I recommend it? No. The storyline is flimsy - and Ephron's previous romcoms have never been as flimsy as this. There were few gags but they were too few. I was never a hard fan of Kidman's and personally she did not make any impact on me. Will Farrell overacted, Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine were under-utilised and I got really really fed-up.
They could have come up with a better storyline. What a waste.
Thiruvilayadal (1965)
A mythological film compiling tales of Lord Shiva
This excellent film had a list of Tamil film's Who's Who in its cast and ensemble. It was a rip-roaring success, not just for the acting but also for the historical fact that it was made in colour. The music and the songs are a bonus. Overall this film is a classic and must be retained so that future generations would not forget the magic that is the Tamil language and get entertained as well as learn the lessons through a motley of stories evolving Lord Shiva.
The incomparable Chevalier Sivaji Ganesan is Shiva, Savithri is Parvati and they are ably assisted by actors and actresses of calibre, including K.B. Sundrambal as the Tamil poetess and sage Avaiyaar, Nagesh as Dharumi, Balaiya, Muthuraman, Devika, Manorama TR Mahalingam and even the director AP Nagarajan himself makes a cameo as the famous poet and bard, Natkiran.
Thiruvilayadal, literally meaning the Holy Games, is a collection of stories of Lord Shiva's antics who appeared on earth in various guises to test his devotees. The tests may be varied but the lessons learnt are valuable. For e.g, in confrontation with Lord Shiva, Natkiran stands by his opinion even though he knew that the person disputing him is the Lord himself, i.e. hold to your principles if you believe them to be true, no matter who disputes them.
The dialogue between Sivaji and Nagesh as Lord Shiva and Dharumi respectively remains till today a legendary exchange in masterful Tamil.
Thiruvilayadal is a gem.
Chandramukhi (2005)
Rajni's film .... or Jyo's?
Rajni fans should be ecstatic. After the debacle of Baba, this film should bring him back to the pinnacle of his profession. Personally, I found it refreshing. Chandramukhi is a good entertaining film, although stolen from a Malayalam movie. ;) Having seen this, I want to now see the Malayalam original, directed by Fazil and starring Mohanlal and Shobana. Jyothika plays Shobana's version in the Tamil film and would she win a national award like Shobana did?
Rajni takes the mantle of Dr.Saravanan, a psychiatrist who returns to India from the US. I liked the beginning sequences - the titling apparently done by Soundarya Rajnikanth's "Ochre Animations" grab you right away. There had to be a fight/action Matrix-like sequence even before Rajni meets the other protagonists of the film, but hey, the masses have to be satisfied, right?? Another scene that touched me was the way Rajni paid homage to Chevalier Shivaji - that was a great touch to show that the real superstar may be gone but never forgotten in the field and world that he ruled and commanded.
The actual story starts when Senthil(Prabhu) and Ganga (Jyothika) moved into a house haunted by the malicious spirit of Chandramukhi, a danseuse in olden times in the court of the evil King Vettaiyan. Vettaiyan lusted after Chandramukhi who was in love with a fellow dancer (Vineeth). Angered by their public affection, Vettaiyan beheads Vineeth's character and burns Chandramukhi on the spot. The palatial mansion becomes haunted by her vengeful ghost. Saravanan, Senthil's foster brother, is then roped in to help solve the mystery.
I have to be frank and admit that I enjoyed the film even with its sometimes masala, illogical moments. I enjoy any ghost film without the gore and this was a new film for Rajni. To me however, the person who stood out was Jyothika. Her transition from a bubbly, happy Ganga to a malevolent, angry Chandramukhi leaves you speechless, and makes the hairs stand. As for Rajni, I was astounded when he became the evil king Vettaiyan. This was the old Rajni from KB's school - the villain who sends chills with a sneer, a smile and a glance. I loved, just loved the last 30 minutes of the film.
Prabhu was peripheral. Vadivelu was annoying, the comedy was a waste of time. Nasser was also wasted. I hate to see good actors like Nasser do unnecessary roles - anyone could have done it. Nayantara was another peripheral. I did not understand what Sheela was doing there. Vijayakumar did not make any impact at all. I was happy to see K.R. Vijaya again and she really should have been given a meatier role.
Music wise, it is all right. Not as good as Muthu and not as fantastic as Annamalai.
I think Chandramukhi is worth watching a few times just for the last part. But honestly, Rajni should follow Amitabh's footsteps and take Grand Old Man roles in a dignified manner. Cavorting with 20 year olds are becoming ridiculous.