Mister Madras

Cast : Prabhudheva, Hansika, Revathi Director : Kalyaan S The quirky promos and a promising trailer gave me a shot of expectations for the Prabhudheva starrer Gulaebaghavali . After all, it’s not every Friday we get a film on a treasure hunting adventure. The first ten minutes too was something that upped the antics, with the flashback of a poor kanakupillai who manages to steal a box full of diamonds from his white boss. But then, the credits rolled and as the film played, I sunk into my seat further, hoping for a miracle to happen which never happened. We all know that Prabhudheva can dance, but this film proves once again that he’s the best in the business and also leaves you to ponder on why he didn’t do this on screen for so many years. It’s definitely a treat to the eyes. In this film, he is paired with Hansika who he introduced in his directorial Engeyum Kadhal and was last seen in his productional venture Bogan . The actress, who needs a good film, ends...

Cast : Suriya, Keerthy Suresh, Ramya Krishnan, Senthil Director : Vignesh Shivn You’ve got to hand it to Vignesh Shivn for one reason – give him the most serious actor and he’ll make him someone who can get anyone to smile. Post a number of serious films such as the Singam series, Suriya is back to his days of Sanjay Ramasamy. The man has aged like wine and it’s obvious that he has loosened up a lot. I have fortunately not watched the Akshay starrer Special 26 and had zero expectations. But then came the promo and teaser of Thaanaa Serndha Koottam  (the a distant remake of the Hindi film) which showed it to be a heist film and that’s where the disappointment begins as TSK isn’t a heist film at all. Set in the late 80s, TSK has unemployment as the theme but instead of taking the route of Sathya or  Varumayin Niram Sivappu , the film concentrates on a bunch of people who are unemployed. Suriya looks tailor-made for his role of Naachinaarkiniyan. As...

Cast : Vikram, Tamannaah, RK Suresh, Soori Director : Vijay Chandar The year was 2002 and I still remember the smile of satisfaction I had while walking out of the theatres, holding my parents’ hands. Vikram’s  Gemini  had come out and it was easily one of the most enjoyable films of that decade. Of course, the actor has come a long way since then and has done similar roles in films such as  Bheema  and  Rajapattai . But the promo material of Sketch gave me the same vibes as Gemini. It must have been the North Madras backdrop, the loose-fitting checked shirts, the unique hand signs Vikram posed with… Unfortunately, the similarities all end there. Director Vijay Chandar, who gave us  Vaalu  in 2015, is back, and again, he attempts to nail a commercial entertainer. Sketch is yet another film about a group of friends, gangsters who control the city, corrupt politicians, and of course, a run-of-the-mill love story. Jeeva aka Sketch (Vikram) is a rough man who can take down...

The year 2017 saw an immense rise in the number of newbies, both in the acting front as well as behind the scenes as directors. This translated to a good number of gems that left audience lost for choices. Here is a list of films that I loved the most in 2017 and incidentally, most of the films are by debutant filmmakers while the rest of them are also by those who’re barely a few films hold. What a great time to be a lover of Tamil cinema! PS:   Kindly note that these films are in the order in which they released. Kuttram 23 Who would’ve thought 2017 would start with a medico thriller that’s not preachy but entertaining with ample scope given to action, romance and family drama? Not to mention Arun Vijay’s chiselled looks that perfectly fitted his cop avatar – something he looked suave in after his portrayal of Victor in Yennai Arindhaal.  Maanagaram Action thrillers aren’t a joke. Imagine doing one with newbies. Now add the fact that none of the cas...