Maryan Movie Review

Starring : Dhanush, Parvathy Menon, Appu kutty, Jagan, Uma Riyaz
Direction : Bharath Bala
Music : AR Rahman
Production : Aascar Ravichandran

To start with ‘Maryan’ has some promising name in the cards. Dhanush , a National award winner, Bharat Bala- a former National award jury and a popular Ad film maker,Parvathy Menon- a sensible actress who opts for performance oriented roles, last but not lest the legendary AR Rahman’s songs. Whether all these technically brilliant names created the much needed magic?, read no to know…

The film starts with Maryan’s (Dhanush) telephone call from Africa to Panimalar (Parvathy). The first half of the film told as a flashback on the relationship between Maryan and Panimalar. Bharat Bala has beautifully sketched his characters which is one of the major strengths of Maryan. Especially the film captures the life of fisherman folks which so much reality and the natural film making gives the earthy feel to the movie.

Dhanush has one again come up with a splendid performance as Maryan. Maryan is a subtle,ferocious young man and he will go extreme to support his loved ones. There so many awe moments in the film, especially the scene where Dhanush slaps Parvathy during his closed ones death receives a thundering applause. Dhanush’s phone call to Parvathy from the African terrorist camp is another scene which shows Dhanush is a tremendous actor at any day.The way Dhanush cries,laughs, suffer are close to sheer perfection and one must say that Maryan is one his best roles in recent times.

Coming to the heroine , Parvathy’s character is not a ordinary glam doll role, if Maryan’s energy during his struggle in Africa is Panimalar then Parvathy’s character should create huge impact among the viewers and Parvathy did a fabulous job. The chemistry between Dhanush and Parvathy is so real and the magic is literally evident on screen.Parvathy once again proved that she is one actress who can deliver excellent performance in any kind of role.The other small characters like Appu Kutty,Uma Riyaz,Jagan,Imman found a place in our heart which is a victory for both the director and all these actors.

Marc Koninckx ‘s cinematography is crystal clear. The cinematographer has used different colour tones for the scenes in India and Africa. Even some of angles are too good, especially the African portions are simply superb. Editing by Vivek Harshan is adequate.

Coming to the music, after Mani Ratnam’s films Bharat Bala has used AR Rahman’s songs as a part of BGM and also an element in moving the screenplay of the movie. We all know the entire album is chart buster but in the film ‘Nenjey Ezhu’ stands tall so as Innum Konjam Neram. Nenjey Ezhu lifts the scene with electrifying energy and it is so inspiring.

Bharat Bala is a wonderful gift to Tamil cinema, his characterizations are well detailed and real as possible in a cinema format. Another interesting thing is that there is a novel, dramatic and musical touch to his scene conceiving which is a rarity is Tamil cinema. A best example is where Dhanush remembering Parvathy and her dream presence is something novel and the climax ‘sea’ logic during fight sequence is brilliant.

On the negative side though the director sketched all other characters in a detailed fashion, the African Terrorists were not sketched well. They were merely shown as a villain, instead it would be nice if they are portrayed with a solid reason on why they were very cruel. May be the director would have narrated the story in Maryan’s point of view and Maryan don’t know much about their demands or need.

On the whole Maryan is a feel good movie with a novel touch is present throughout . Watch it for the excellent acting, good music and a neat narration.

Verdict : Maryan – a heart stealer all the way!

Vikram I First Look Coming Soon

Get ready to experience the most fascinating event of Indian Cinema in 2013. Well, this isn’t something about the awards ceremony or any film release, but the launch of first look poster.

It is all about Shankar’s I that stars Chiyaan Vikram and Amy Jackson in lead roles. The film is produced by Aascar Ravichandran of Aascar Films International. Director Shankar is spending huge time on getting the first look posters revealing the image of Vikram and Amy in a stunning manner.

It’s a do-or-die film for Vikram as almost all his previous films have turned out to be a box office disaster in box office that includes ‘Thaandavam’. Earlier, it was mentioned that the film is completely based on the world of advertisement with a twist in the second half. AR Rahman is scoring music for this film.

Ambikapathy Movie Review

Cast: Dhanush, Sonam Kapoor, Abhay Deol, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub and Swara Bhaskar

Director: Anand L Rai

Music : AR Rahman

Producer : Eros International

What’s a love story without some fun, heartaches and reality checks? Most love stories of our times pass through these three phases, and by then, either the girl or the boy realises they’re not meant to be together, and move on with their lives. However, in some rare cases, we see a love story enter the fourth phase – when you realise that love doesn’t age, but people do in a relationship.

Anand L Rai’s Ambikapathy, the Tamil dubbed version of Raanjhanaa, is a simple love story of a small-town boy and a girl, who in the process of figuring out the thin line between love and friendship, uncover stronger feelings for each other. We’ve had oodles of love stories focusing on the communal divide between the lovers, but Ambikapathy is largely about the divide in the ideologies of the youth of modern India. It’s the story of small town values versus urban philosophies.

What happens when a girl with city-intellect is pitted against the conventional yet archaic values of a small-town boy in the name of love? This is what precisely Rai depicts in this breezy entertainer packed with pain, laughter and little melodrama.

Ambikapathy scores an ace in two departments – casting and music. There would have been a third one if the second half was shorter and less melancholic. Spearheaded by Dhanush, who was irreplaceable in his role, and a brilliant supporting cast of Swara and Ayub, the film helps Sonam unleash her acting prowess.

Rahman’s music, needless to say, becomes an integral part of the film’s composition and helps us connect with the soul of the film.

Just like his previous film Tanu Weds Manu, Rai’s second directorial venture celebrates life in the alleys of Benaras, on the banks of the Ganga, giving us a slice-of-life of small town adventures. Some of the best moments come from the scenes between Dhanush, Ayub and Swara. The camaraderie between them may pop up question in many as to how could two guys use a girl for their whims and fancies, but if you look at it from a small-town’s point of view, it’s one of the best friendship moments ever captured onscreen.

You could easily write-off Rai’s protagonist, who like a love-struck puppy, stalks Sonam Kapoor, but it doesn’t rule out the probability that most small-town love stories are akin to what was portrayed to us. If you haven’t known a friend who cut his wrist or ever attempted suicide over love, then it’s unlikely that you will understand what lies beneath the layers of the emotion.

For people who attach only a love story tag to Ambikapathy, there is so much you didn’t understand in the film or could’ve gotten bored with because of the disengaging second half. Love is merely used as a tool to help us understand the complexity of modern-day relationships (including father-daughter or father-son) and politics.

There are two heroes in the film – Dhanush and AR Rahman, and both wear the south Indian label like a medal of honour and never allow it come in between their work. With his flawless performance as a Benarasi Brahmin boy, Dhanush kicks all the south Indian cliches out of the window, while Rahman helps us connect with the film more on an emotional level.

Verdict : Movie for Lovers Only