Weekend Recco- Pizza(Tamil,2012)

A poster of the film

(This week,we are recommending KarthikSubburaj directed‘Pizza’,produced byC.V.Kumar )

Title-Pizza

Language-Tamil

Year-2012

Director-KarthikSubburaj

Banner-ThiruKumaran Entertainment/C.V.Kumar

                     Debutant director Karthik’s Pizza was a pleasant surprise for me.The movie which had no big star cast nor any big names attached to it was also one of the biggest hits of 2012 in the TN boxoffice.Pizza is a delicious thriller which tells the unusual happenings in the life of a tamil pizza delivery boy.The near perfect scripting and the brilliant performance by Vijay Sethupathy(as the Pizza delivery boy)makes this movie a must watch one.

Michael(Vijay Sethupathy)is a pizza delivery boy who is in a live-in relationship with Anu(RemyaNambeeshan).Anu is a budding writer who is working on her debut novel which is a horror thriller.Michealdoesn’t believe in ghosts or spirits.One fine day,he is assigned to go for a home delivery in a haunted mansion somewhere in the suburbs of Chennai.The supernatural incidents which occur in the mansion and the brilliant climactic twist in the tale is what makes this Pizza a delicious dish.

What I liked the most about this film-

11.    Brilliant script and direction-Pizza was always going to be a very risky film.First and foremost it had no big star cast and the ‘horror’ genre was something which hadn’t found much success in tamil in the recent past. Pulled off this difficult job easily with his sheer genius.

22.   The Re-recording,Cinematography and Editing-Pizza would’nt have been what it was today if it was not for the superlative background score by SanthoshNarayanan.It is sure to  send a chill down your spine!GopiAmarnath’s cinematography and Leo John Paul’s editing were also top notch.

 3.   The brilliant acting by Vijay Sethupathyand RemyaNambeeshan- For a major portion of the movie,the only person whom we see on screen is Vijay,theprotagonist.He was just brilliant through out the film.His performance in the ‘haunted mansion scenes’ deserves special mention.Remya also emoted well.

What I didn’t like-

1.The length of the super natural scenes in the haunted mansion-The ‘horror’ scenes in the first half seemed a bit stretched.However the director had ensured that those scenes never becomes dull or predictable.

2.The first fifteen minutes of the film was a bit boring.

Verdict-4.5/5.On the whole,Pizza is a delicious treat.Watch it at the earliest!

-nikhimenon

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Molly Aunty Rocks(Malayalam,2012)- short review

DVD cover of the movie

                         Ranjith Shankar's third movie 'Molly Aunty Rocks' with talented actress Revathy playing the title role was one movie which I had missed when it got released in September,last year.The reviews were mostly positive and hence I had high expectations when I picked up the DVD of this movie.But the movie turned out to be a pretty average one for me.MAR tries too hard to be a satire but is let down by it's mediocre script.It's the kind of movie which would have been a really enjoyable fare had it been penned by a better writer.
                                   'MAR' is the story of Mrs.Molly,a middle aged U.S. returned bank employee,played by Revathy.She has been in the U.S. for almost twenty years and has just re-joined her job,only to return back to U.S. after taking voluntary retirement from the service.However things go awry for Molly as she lands herself in an Income tax case and the more she tries to get out of it,the more she is sucked into the system and the more messier the things turn out for her.Prithviraj plays the role of Pranav Roy,the egoistic I.R.S. officer with whom Molly has a show down.There are some un inspiring characters like the priest (played by television actor Sharreth,a gross miscast),Shivaji Guruvayoor's bank manager,to name a few(However it  cannot be denied that K.P.A.C. Lalitha's mom-in law,Krishnakumar's Dentist,Mamookkoya's lawyer and Shaju's Paraman are some what interesting ones and there is also Lalu Alex repeating his 'loving husband' act for the n 'th time!).
                           The high points of the movie are definitely the live wire performance by Revathy and her tussle with the young,arrogant officer Pranav(Prithviraj in a glorified cameo).Infact the interesting moments of the movie happens once the character of Pranav Roy makes his entry,close to the end of the first half.But the biggest flaw of the movie is that there is nothing much happening in the first half of the film,the movie goes on and on aimlessly and the satirical tone which the movie attempts doesn't work at all.Taking potshots at the craze for television serials,showing a middle aged lady going for a morning walk or climbing a gate won't evoke laughter anymore,director saab!The mediocre songs and the bland dialogues(in the first half) makes matters worse.The climactic twist is also a bit un convincing.

Verdict- On the whole,Molly Aunty Rocks is a pretty average fare and can be watched once for it's noble intentions.Rating-2.75/5

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Weekend Recco: Eega/Naan EE(Telugu-Tamil,2012)

A poster of the film

                      (This week,we are recommending S.S. Rajamouli’s Eega,produced by P.V.P.Cinemas)

Title-Eega/Naan EE

Language-Telugu/Tamil

Year-2012

Director-S.S.Rajamouli

Banner-P.V.P Cinemas

                                    It’s not easy to pull off a feature film with a fly as it’s protagonist.In Eega,S.S. Rajamouli not only attempted this bizarre concept but also came out with flying colours.Made as a tamil-telugu bi-lingual’Eega’(Naan EE in tamil) was also one of the biggest hits in South India,last year(the movie also had it’s dubbed version in Hindi(Makkhi) and Malayalam(Eecha)).It was the kind of stuff which would have easily walked away with atleast half a dozen Academy Awards had it been made in Hollywood!

                                  The story line is pretty simple-Nani is the typical happy go lucky guy who is madly in love with Bindhu(Samantha).However before Bindhu could reciprocate her feelings to him,he is brutally killed by Multi-millionaire Sudeep who also has an eye on her.Nani gets reborn as a fly and takes revenge on Sudheep.How the fly manages to kill the villain is what Eega is all about.With a wafer thin story like this which relies heavily on VFX and CGI,Eega had every possibility to become an epic disaster.But thanks to the genius of S.S. Rajamouli,Eega  is an enjoyable entertainer which is totally worth your time and money.The animation by Makuta Visual effects is of international standards and has contributed heavily to the success of this film.  

What I liked the most about this film-

1.Just about everything!- Well,for the sake of it,will mention a few high points of the movie here- Kicha Sudeep’s brilliant perfo as the baddie,Team Makuta’s topnotch animation and VFX work,the pretty heroine Samantha Ruth Prabhu(who has also acted decently)and above all, the one man who made it all possible-S.S.Rajamouli.With Eega, Rajamouli once again proves that he is the best when it comes to fantasy!

2.If it wasn’t for it’s brilliant writing,Eega could have easily relegated itself to a ‘VFX extravaganza’ alone(remember Walt Disney’s ambitious telugu film,the Siddharth-Shruthi Haasan starrer’Anaganaga O Dheerudu’, which became a dud eventually?).The underlying romantic track between Nani and Bindhu has been etched out really well which also is the soul of the film.

What I didn’t like about the film-

Absolutely nothing! 

Verdict-4.75/5.Every once in a while, comes an Indian film which really makes us proud and even changes our changes our perception of Indian Cinema.Eega is one of those movies.Don’t miss this masterpiece!

-nikhimenon.2013.

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