A Certificate for Item Songs

Nowadays it is very rare to see a Indian cinema without item number even in South Indian film industry is addicted to it but the recent censor board rule comes as a huge surprise to them. Censor board have announced that the film will be certified with “A” if it has item number , if the film gets A certificate then one cannot telecast it on satellite channels and also they can’t get the 30% tax exemption. So the film makers are in thought of chopping the item numbers in their film to get U certficate and tax exemption

Anjelina Jolie in Thalaiva ?

Vijay, who was recently looking out for an international singer for his prestigious peace album, The Google song, seems to have bitten by a Hollywood bug. We hear that the Thupakkistar, for his delayed project Thalaiva, wants a Hollywood actress to do a cameo in his forthcoming film and Angelina Jolie is on his wish list.

Sources say that a scene in Thalaiva demands an international star and Angelina Jolie and Megan Fox are being considered for it. Confirming the news, director A.L. Vijay says that they are in the hunt for the Hollywood face and Jennifer Lopez, shakira , along with the couple, Angelina and Brad Pitt are also in the race.

Explaining further, the filmmaker claims that in Thalaiva there is a scene where chief guests have to choose best dancers of a reality show in the climax and the sequence requires international celebs. All the hollywood actors will come for in climax scene. Movie will be release in English version too.

The movie bosses are planning to shoot it in London . The movie also features Jackie Chan, John Cena, Santhanam and others in the cast this is the first high budget movie in Tamil Industry history.

Mirchi Shiva comedy is ready

The director of Sonna Puriyadhu, Krishnan Jayaraj, has confirmed the completion of the film and has revealed that the film is ready for release in February. The film will mark Mirchi Shiva’s first release of the year as he has a few more films lined up to hit the screens later in 2013.

Vasundhara Kashyap will be playing Shiva’s love interest and Yatish Mahadev is in charge of the music department. The director announced that he is excited about his debut project and will commence the promo activities soon.

David Movie Review

Starring : Vikram, Jiiva, Tabu, Nassar, Lara Dutta, Isha Sharvani

Direction : Bejoy Nambiar

Music : Prasanth Pillai,Anirudh Ravixhander,Remo Fernandes

Production : Getaway films,Reliance entertainment

In the classic fable, these two unlike animals race each other to the finishing line. Now, the hare is ambitious and swift but also overconfident. The tortoise is slow but just as determined to win.

Bejoy Nambiar’s gorgeously packaged, well-acted but underwhelming David is like a split personality, racing on three different tracks exhibiting the skills and shortcomings of both these fellas.

On one hand, it is incredibly grand in its ideas and challenges the traditional structure of storytelling. On the other its uneven, often dragging pace and frantically shifting moods, unable to hold fort.

In terms of filmmaking, David is an uncompromised experiment and steers clear of comfort zones crediting its viewers’ capability to join dots without excessive spoon-feeding, a practice that eludes mainstream Hindi cinema.

The three stories, which extend through different time frames (1975, 1999, and 2010) and locations (London , Mumbai , Goa) take place simultaneously and though not directly connected bear thematic resemblance wherein all three Davids are battling an individual Goliath and share a unique but varying degree of relationship with their father.

David in 1970s London (Neil Nitin Mukesh Neil looks sufficiently turbulent and plays it subdued) is coming to terms with his highly dysfunctional surrogate family, unpleasant revelations about his past and a romantic upheaval (featuring a lovely but emotionally ineffective Monica Dogra) against the backdrop of Muslim mafia and Indian intelligence agents.

Shot entirely in black and white, it’s easily the most accomplished chapter among all three.

Hedonistic lifestyles, flower power in the passing, passionate encounters, faith-dictated zealousness, gruesome torture and gritty shootout sequences — this chunk of the story packs in a lot with its retro styling, assertive visuals and calm menace.

David in late 1990s Mumbai (Vinay Virmani conveys a convincing blend of innocence and exasperation) is a struggling musician and part-time tutor living with his father (Nassar, so effective in that one disturbing shaving scene), a devout Christian and two sisters (Sheetal Menon , Shweta Pandit do well in brief parts).

Their lives change for the worse after his dad is attacked by a bunch of Hindu fundamentalists (Rohini Hattangadi breathes venom through her eyes) who accuse him of promoting religious conversion.

Strong content notwithstanding, the Mumbai segment could do with better writing and consistency.

Considering its premise is religion-based acrimony and subjugation of minorities to achieve political mileage, the conversation is rather sloppy and lackluster. Also, I found the sub-plot featuring Lara Dutta quite unnecessary.

Nambiar, however, doesn’t mince words when it comes to likening religion-driven political parties to underwear in a scene preceding which David engages in a slo-mo brawl with a bunch of hoodlums amidst intense rainfall.

Incidentally, it pours frequently in this segment. That’s a lot of monsoon for February/March even in Mumbai. But climatic license is a hardly a crime if it generates such potent, classy frames.

But it’s fisherman David (Vikram. He’s mighty good. Can’t say the same about his segment) in Goa, circa 2010 who puts a spoke in the wheel of this otherwise high-adrenalin action-drama with his weird, politically incorrect humour and supernatural interludes.

So you have a perennially wasted lout punching random women in the face, picking fights in local bars and dangling between the counsel of his dad (a dorky Saurabh Shukla) and dost (Tabu by the virtue of being Tabu sparkles in a wishy-washy cameo)over pursuing a romance with his best friend’s (a pleasant Nishan) to-be-bride (Isha Sharvani , pristine and radiant as usual).

And pray, what’s with Satku Santa? These portions of David are so strange; they’re, well, ridiculous. Ever wondered what the stoner sequel to Kabhi Haan Kabhie Naa could be like? Look no further.

For all its eccentric offerings and lopsided hilarity (you do laugh a couple of times but it’s a sound of incredulity not tickle), none of it works and its sudden appearance especially after witnessing a cold-blooded execution in black and white is as awkward as Vikram’s Hindi.

This bouncing back and forth between characters and scenarios is always a risky deal and tests an individual’s capacity to refocus and reconnect. All the more when it mixes somber with slapstick. Ever been the unfortunate person sitting next to the one who has the remote control and keeps switching channels erratically? Yes, *that*!

Another side-effect of this disjointed plot technique is most characters never get enough space or time to truly blossom (There’s an interesting film somewhere in the underdeveloped plot of Iqbal Ghani’s real son.)

Nambiar realises the disadvantages of unorthodox narrative only too well. And so David relies on creating lingering moments instead –raw, stylish, stark or luminous almost like a spiffy music video accompanied by terrific sound and one of the best soundtracks of the year.

Like a neat wrestling sequence with Mast Kalander blasting in the background or the beautiful boat song on a serene night.

But a two and a half hour something overcrowded music video is taking it too far, isn’t it? A shorter, snappier David with a little less rambling and randomness may have led to a better payoff.

Still, there’s no denying Nambiar’s promise as an adventurous, aesthetically-sound filmmaker but his weak spot remains the same. His eye for dynamic visuals is yet to find its match in stories that speak.

Settai Movie Official Trailer

Everybody needs a hit: Shruti Haasan

Shruti Haasan, who is neck deep in work right now, says she couldn’t have had a better start to 2013, “I am busy with three Telugu films, two Hindi films and a Tamil movie. I have a busy and exciting year ahead,” says Shruti, who is currently shooting for Yevadu with Ram Charan. In fact, the actress celebrated her birthday on Monday with the cast and crew of the movie on the sets.

The actress also confirms that she has signed a Harish Shankar movie opposite NTR Jr. The two were supposed to work together earlier, but due of date issues, Shruti had to opt out. “Now, I will finally be working with NTR Jr and I’m excited about teaming up with Harish Shankar again after Gabbar Singh,” she says.

Shruti is also pinning her hopes on her Hindi film, Ramaiya Vasta Vaiya, to make a Bollywood comeback of sorts after a long hiatus. And this one has a good dose of Southern flavour too. “Prabhu Dheva has already made his mark in Bollywood as a director and since I know him well, it is so comfortable to be working with him in this remake of Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana.We have however, made a lot of changes in the Hindi version. I am playing a village girl in this film,” adds Shruti, who is essaying Trisha’s role in the film. The actress also has another Bollywood movie in her kitty — a Nikhil Advani film set against the backdrop of terrorism, starring Arjun Rampal.

“I am working on a Tamil movie too. I love this…being busy and working everyday,” she says. Tell her that after a series of flops, her fortunes changed with one hit and Shruti says, “Yes, everybody needs a hit, but at the same time people have to like my work too. I’m more thankful for the fact that people appreciated my work in every film and I work hard to earn that.”

With her filmi graph going strong, Shruti is keen on focusing on her singing career now. “Music has always been my love and I will be singing a lot more in Tollywood films, apart from writing lyrics too,” reveals the actress, who is busy shuttling between Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai these days. “I live in Mumbai with my mom and sister. And of course, I always consider Chennai as home. But for the last few years, I’ve been practically living in Hyderabad,” says Shruti.

Kadal Movie Review

Cast: Gautham Karthik, Thulasi Nair, Arjun, Arvind Swamy, Lakshmi Manchu

Direction: Mani Ratnam

Production: Mani Ratnam, Manohar Prasad

Music: A. R. Rahman

Produced by Gemini Film Circuit and Madras Talkies, written by Jeyamohan and Mani Ratnam, directed by Mani Ratnam and starring Arjun, Arvind Swamy, Gautham Karthik, Thulasi Nair,Lakshmi Manchu and Ponvannan, Kadal is a story about sin and redemption, about faith and humanity and revolves around the life of Christian Fishermen, set against the backdrop of a sea side town near Tuticorin. Though the basic plot is about good and evil, Mani Ratnam clearly is not interested in narrating this in a simple manner. He tries to dig into many layers and sub texts, and though he partially succeeds in his endeavor, he is completely let down by the screenplay in the second half and the one dimensional characters.

Sam Fernandez (Arvind Swamy) and Bergmans (Arjun) are part of a Christian Seminary, undergoing training for priesthood. Sam is sincere and dedicated while Bergman believes in having a bit of fun. An incident that occurs in the early part of the film makes Sam and Bergmans to choose different paths of life. Meanwhile, in a sea side town, a young boy Thomas (Gautham Karthik) loses his mother and grows up as an orphan in a harsh, uncaring and violent environment. Sam comes to this town as the priest and takes special interest in this boy. Years later, Thomas and Bergmans’ daughter Bea (Beatrice played by Thulasi Nair) meet and destiny entangles all the four that changes their lives forever. The opening sequences are extremely promising and very engaging. They set the tone of the film and clearly lay out what to expect from the film. The titles against the backdrop of black and white images with a grey background tell us something about the characters. The ocean which looks beautiful and peaceful from outside, yet could be dangerous in unleashing destruction and violence (hence the name Kadal), provides a fitting backdrop to the story. Mani tries to capture biblical themes as a part of his characters/screenplay and questions his audience. When a crime is committed, who should be held responsible? Should it be only the person who committed the illegal act and that person’s accomplices? If punishment is involved, should it be restricted to the perpetrator? Or is it appropriate to apply a principle of collective responsibility and punish a group of people who have some connection to the perpetrator?

And in the first half, all these work together beautifully. Spoilers Ahead in this paragraph. Be it the scene where Sam asks Thomas to record his voice and Thomas records the choice of swear words eventually breaking down asking for his mother, or the scene when Thomas after meeting Bea for the first time requests Sam to have him baptized (indicating that he is born again), or the scene when the wounded Arjun smokes a cigarette and his hand stroking Lakshmi Manchu’s head (which makes sense later), Jeyamohan and Mani create a riveting first half. The conceit in the interval point is predictable but yet engaging.

And then the slide begins. What a letdown. There are absolutely no peaks in the second half and the characters become caricatures. Even some relatively good scenes like Bea and Thomas helping in the delivery of a baby or the scene where Sam is working on the sculpture of Jesus (Mani hinting that becoming Jesus is a work in progress) does not have the necessary impact as one loses interest and stops caring for the characters. In the climax fight that takes place in a boat in the middle of a storm, I felt it would be better if the boat capsizes and all of them drown.

Arvind Swamy is adequate as Sam. Arjun is brilliant in the portions when he is subdued, but whenever he has to play it over the top, he hams it. But both these guys raise much above the one-dimensional roles that is written for them. New comer Gautham Karthik impresses but Thulasi is just about passable. Like any other Mani Ratnam film, the technical departments excel in their work. Photography by Rajiv Menon is absolutely top notch. In Conversations with Mani Ratnam, the director had mentioned that the cinematography in Bombay (by Rajiv Menon again) was perhaps the best amongst his films. But Menon’s work here, in my opinion is even better. Sreekar Prasad’s editing and Shashidhar Adappa’s art direction is fantastic. Music by A.R.Rahman is adequate. Jeyamohan’s dialogues are brilliant in some places but the local dialect makes it a bot difficult to follow. But I must say this helps in creating the accurate environment for the film.

Despite the failure of Raavan, Mani must be commended that he has chosen not to take the easy route. Kadal is unconventional and while the filmmaker’s intention to take the road less travelled is commendable, the product is not. Go with absolutely low expectations and the chances are you will still be disappointed.