Spoilers ahead…
Gautham Menon’s Achcham Yenbadhu Madamaiyada is a mind-scrambling mix of genres – part romance, part road movie, part action thriller, part what-if-Michael-Corleone-came-to-Kollywood? The film begins with the admission that it is inspired by a moment from The Godfather – it turns out to be the moment at the hospital where Michael becomes a man. That film depicted the moment as an inexorable primal pull. You think you are so much better, but this is who you really are – it’s in your blood! AYM’s version of the moment feels like a different kind of destiny. You think you are so much better, but at the end of the day, you’re still a Tamil film hero, and you still have to be ‘mass’.
Is Menon genuinely trying to subvert our expectations from the star-driven masala movie as well as our expectations from his very specific brand of romance? Or is he just cooking up an alphabet soup to satisfy the A, B and C centres? The question is more interesting than this underwhelming film.
Silambarasan is in good form as… well, the film is coy about revealing his name, so let’s just call him AYM (Anonymous Young Male). He falls for his sister’s friend Leela (Manjima Mohan, whose casualness in front of the camera is a treat to behold), and we get the micro-moments that make up a Gautham Menon romance. Like that wonderful bit where Leela says goodbye to AYM and they look away awkwardly, not wanting to end the conversation, yet not knowing what more they can say. Or the part, during a song, where AYM and Leela are sitting on the porch, and she begins to sing, and the camera drifts lazily towards her and then drifts lazily back, as though his astral body summoned up the guts to approach her in a way his physical self couldn’t. Or the moment, in Kanyakumari, where they wake up early to watch the sunrise, and we catch her yawning as the sky catches fire.
Around interval point, the film takes a sharp detour into action, and brings back memories of Udhayam NH4. That film, too, was about a couple on the run, with a psycho cop on their trail (Baba Sehgal does the honours here), but it was so much more atmospheric, there was so much more at stake. Menon seems to be on a memory trip himself, given the Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya hat-tips and the many Mani Ratnam nods. A Mouna Raagam mention. The heroine’s reveal at the end of a “hero” song (Showkali), like the way Shobana was revealed at the end of Rakkamma in Thalapathy. A shot at the Uyire fort. Or even the pop version of the Godfather hospital moment, which was seen in the strobe-lit climax of Agni Natchatiram.
But Agni… was a lark. Achcham… wants to be deep. AYM’s transformation from ordinary guy into hardened action hero is delineated through an endless series of lines that sound like a schoolkid trying to be Socrates. Sample: Life-la naama plan pannaa maadhiriye ellaam nadakkaadhu. Plan pannadha vida bayangaramaa nadakkum.
Menon’s films are always talk-heavy, but the voiceovers usually depict an inner life that we cannot sense from the scenes. They deepen the drama. Here, what we hear is what we see. Or have just seen. Or will end up seeing. The big why behind the happenings in the film are packed into a huge monologue (and it’s not that big of a why in any case). After a point I just wanted AYM to stop talking. Even in the romantic portions, the lines aren’t cutie-pie enough to make us smile, and they aren’t sharp enough to make us bleed. You hear it, but you don’t feel it – except for an exchange in a taxi. Otherwise, all we see is a generic romance (“Kaadhal nambala thaakkanum…”) followed by a generic stretch of action (“Ovvoruthanayum poda poren… They won’t know what f***ing hit them”). With a twist at the end that’s so preposterous, I laughed out loud. In a Vijay/Ajith movie, we wouldn’t bat an eyelid. Here, we’re groping the floor for the eyeballs that have popped out of their sockets.
Kaakha Kaakha had a lot of this flavour too – a slice of romance, followed by a slice of action, slathered with low-fat existentialism. But we were deeply invested in the couple, and we bayed for revenge. Here, the characters are barely defined. It’s a running joke that we don’t know AYM’s name, but he needn’t have had one. The screenplay could have just called them Boy and Girl, and the film would have been no different. Even the things that have been worked out differently (on paper) sound better than they play out – like the emotions after the death of a friend hitting hard long after the fact, or AR Rahman’s superb Thalli pogaathey being used as a stunning counterpoint to the mayhem on screen, or, in fact, the decision to use all the songs in the first half. By the time we discover AYM’s name, it doesn’t feel like we’re finally in on the joke. It feels like the joke is on us.
KEY:
- Achcham Yenbadhu Madamaiyada = fear is foolishness
- Udhayam NH4 = see here
- Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya = see here
- Life-la naama plan pannaa maadhiriye ellaam nadakkaadhu. Plan pannadha vida bayangaramaa nadakkum = The things that happen in life are more fantastic than the plans we make.
- Kaadhal nambala thaakkanum = Love should hit us like a thunderbolt…
- Ovvoruthanayum poda poren = I’m going to get every last one of them.
An edited version of this piece can be found here. Copyright ©2016 The Hindu. This article may not be reproduced in its entirety without permission. A link to this URL, instead, would be appreciated.
Baradwaj Rangan 
igsram233
November 11, 2016
Is it that bad BR????
LikeLike
brangan
November 11, 2016
It’s not bad. As in, it’s not a crap film. But it just doesn’t come together. But people in the office said Twitter buzz was very good, so maybe I am in the minority with this one.
LikeLiked by 1 person
David Jebaraj
November 11, 2016
Fully echo your views.. It seems GVM creativity juice had fully drained.. except few romantic portions in first half, nothing much to rave in this movie… I was surprised that this movie didn’t remind Paiyaa more than Udhayam NH4 BR?
LikeLike
gayathiri
November 11, 2016
//By the time we discover AYM’s name, it doesn’t feel like we’re finally in on the joke. It feels like the joke is on us.//
Hahahahahaha I always read your reviews for the last punch line! This was too good! Sir, how do you review a film so well? Films might have failed us, but your review doesn’t!
And having said that, please write about how to review a film!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
sid
November 11, 2016
well.. to an extent he was successful in satisfying the a,b,c centres in yennai arindhaal… haven’t seen this one but hope it satisfies the hype and doesn’t become another nepv 😊
and it might be a good comeback film for simbu.. fingers crossed
LikeLike
Honest Raj (formerly 'V'enkatesh)
November 11, 2016
Loved your review!
they wake up early to watch the sunrise, and we catch her yawning as the sky catches fire.
Like this? 🙂
Given GVM’s tendency to name his films based on song titles, Avalum Naanum would’ve been a better choice!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Vignesh Raghav
November 11, 2016
@brangan i think you are part of the MIINNOORITY. The love portions did make me smile atleast for some extent. In your words it does not dive deep enough yes, but it does not skim on the surface as well. And for the action parts it does not let you guess what is happening next and i think that itself is a success for a thriller. Well this might be my own view, but again I found the crowd with which I was watching enjoyed the movie as well.
This might not be Yennai Arindhal or VTV or Kaakha Kaakha but this isn’t bad as well. It let me enjoy the film rather than scrutinize it in the hall.
LikeLiked by 2 people
thulasidasan17
November 11, 2016
The theatre went berserk and laughed as Thalli Pogathey burst onto the screen as the couple clashes with the front rim of the lorry.
Suprisingly though, I didn’t. I was getting an impression that this isn’t GVM being amateurish but GVM surging with confidence with every frame. If you have followed his filmography, watching the first half and second half (well, to an extent), one gets the impression that GVM is actually calling the shots here.
GVM wants you laugh at the absurdity of Silambarasan’s screen name; GVM wants you to contemplate the juxtapositioning of Thalli Pogathey to the accident on the screen.
Such being said, I have to agree – these ideas worked better on the paper. We barely cared for the revenge nor the couple. GVM also cheated us of multiple deaths of major character in the film. Such a great idea, wasn’t it?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Fazil
November 11, 2016
Just got back from a screening and I have to say for once I agree with you on most parts here. While the film wasn’t bad it wasn’t the best either. Also am I the only one thinking that while Manjima was a treat to watch and most of the happenings were a result of her family’s circumstances, he should have given her much better closure than he did. I get he tried to package everything into the somewhat long runtime but her character had dreams she wanted to achieve too and I felt she was just passed off as just another “tamil cinema heroine” in the end without much focus being given to what her character wanted in life (becoming a script writer). While it did have its flaws for a Friday night rambling this is what upset me the most about the film.
LikeLike
Vimmuuu
November 12, 2016
oh cmon… this wasnt a GVM movie… the GVM i know wouldnt have brought up that ughhh twist at the end…. i mean, what the hell was that !!!…while watching the twist, i thought the movie would stop there abruptly and out of nowhere our AYM hero gets up and ridicules the first script of the Mythri-Leela duo !!! (something on the lines of Isai when that movie went berserk similarly) Well, how I wish the movie ended that way !!!
LikeLike
adi
November 12, 2016
Doesn’t his films come across as pretentious? The conversations amongst friends… AYM boring his friends about his neck being on fire(?).. His speech on the doorstep with two ailing ppl inside and bad guys on their trail.. oh the twist
GVM has a good eye for things but somehow there is something artificial about his movies. Maybe the voiceovers contribute to it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Subhash
November 12, 2016
If any one did feel that a filmmaker like Gautham Menon should have directed Rajinikanth, please watch this film. Because, it is as hero-centric (and too far fetched at times) as a Rajinikanth’s film minus all the self-assured coolth and charisma the actor brings. Not because Simbu is cast, but because Menon is lost. I didn’t give away anything. Did I, Rangan?
LikeLike
adithyarsiva
November 12, 2016
Being a huge GVM fan, I was able to accept a couple of minor flaws which affected the movie until, say, the 110 minute mark. The intertwining of the accident and the thalli pogathey song was done masterfully. And the scene before the interval. Sort of makes you feel like “What the hell is going on?” But I couldn’t fathom the twist at the end. He had built up the suspense so well until that point and it seemed to me like he just wanted to end the movie as soon as possible and put in a twist so that the girl’s family’s back-story could be revealed in one long stretch. By that time, it’s just too much for us to accept, even though the backstory of the girl is pretty good. Totally agree with you on “If it was an Ajith or Vijay movie, we could’ve let it pass”.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Caesium
November 12, 2016
I thought the movie was bloody brilliant.. I can’t think of too many directors who can write and present as well as GVM..
LikeLiked by 2 people
Priyanthan
November 12, 2016
+1
LikeLike
Guna
November 12, 2016
Hi whoever it is, just don’t critic as you were supposed to do. every film is different from others. dont compare it with Hollywood movies. if you want to, ask me which films copied from which Hollywood movies. first review or critic the Remontic film. This is a class movie. just enjoy the experience
LikeLike
Gokul
November 12, 2016
I guess u r d worst reviewer of all the time….. while everyone enjoyed the movie in theater it’s you guys who makes fool of A centre audience…. its nt a simple thing to get 3.75/5 in all d review pages…. so stop bitching fake news about d movie
LikeLike
Nirinsanity
November 12, 2016
Totally agree with every bit of your review. The film was a huge disappointment, in my opinion. The first half was just refreshingly brilliant. I loved every bit of it. The performance of every cast member, the music, the technical aspect, every bit of it was just plain beautiful. A genuine romance film. But only the first half. I desperately wish GVM had taken the entire film in the same single genre. This mixing of genres was a very bad idea. And once we entered the second half, there were too many loopholes and parts that had little to zero logic. It honestly didn’t feel like a GVM film in some places. I was so overwhelmed with disappointment. But I guess, overall, I’d give the film a 7/10, and that’s only because of the amazingly beautiful first half.
LikeLiked by 1 person
brangan
November 13, 2016
To those who loved the first half: Even there, I felt a generic-ness I haven’t felt in other GVM romances, in which the characters were painted in very specific shades. Like Trisha in YA. Such a miniscule role. Yet so beautifully shaded that she lingers as a presences throughout the film. So too Jyotika in KK. They may be idealised women (someone brought this up in an earlier thread, can’t remember which one now), but even within the category of “a GVM heroine,” they are distinctively drawn, and distinct from each other in certain respects.
Here, Leela was so generic. I enjoyed a few micro-moments here and there, because GVMis a good director and he always does this, but the writing around her was so flat.She wants to become a screnwriter, and…? It was such a generic boy-girl romance. Watchable, certainly. But after 30 minutes, I was wanted some other shades.
And she ends up a… damsel in distress. So generic, it all was.
Reg the songs, they too were generic, and far too frequent. If you have tons of stuff happening and you want to take a break for a song — a pit stop, if you will — that’s one thing. But here, nothing is happening and you have five songs, all in the “I love you mode.”
Yes, Thalli pogaathey was staged differently, but I liked the concept more than the execution. The concept is great — encapsulating the film’s tonal shift within a song and giving us both flavours/genres of the film. But it looked really odd to me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
MANK
November 13, 2016
Brangan, i am tired of this final act twist. or what i call the pokkiri twist, ever since Puri Jagan introduced this in Mahesh Babu’s Pokkiri – and he did it really well there- , every tamil and telugu film since then has done this to death. i least expected this from GVM. he did a version of this in the beginning of YA , but that was okay, that wasnt the whole film there.
If it wasnt for that twist, this would have been a pretty solid film for me. yes nothing new and pretty generic, but the usual GVM craftsmanship shines through in every scene. the first half really flows . you are right about the heroines character lacking shades, but hell the performance of Manjima is so infectiously spontaneous, i wasnt bothered by that too much.
And did you notice the OK kanmani influences, the hero and heroine taking a trip together and staying in the same room and their playful banter that follows about that. Another influence seems to be Manjima’s earlier film Oru vadakkan selfi, where it was a playful romantic comedy in the first half that turns in to a road movie\ thriller in the second half
I wonder whether the long time it took to get the film made and his difference with Simbu during the making of this film compromised his original vision. it felt like he just wanted to end the film somehow and get it done and over with.
LikeLike
lowlylaureate
November 13, 2016
Hi Guys,
Ahem, the FRS of AYM by GVM is here, music by ARR and starring STR.
LikeLiked by 1 person
sravishanker1401gmailcom
November 13, 2016
BR : “and the camera drifts lazily towards her and then drifts lazily back, as though his astral body summoned up the guts to approach her in a way his physical self couldn’t”
Vow !
So articulate about a movie which you didnt quite like.
Pleasure reading the review
LikeLike
kart03ik
November 13, 2016
GVM is a filmmaker who I find extremely annoying. His films are too talky and there is an overkill with his voiceovers. You don’t need to constantly keep telling the audience what they can already see and infer for themselves. Reminds me of the bad woody allen movies and harsha bhogle’s commentary. I guess his dialogues might look great on paper but there is a lot which is lost in translation and ends up sounding flat on screen. He doesn’t experiment too much with genres and sticks to his comfort zone which is getting boring .His stories in essence are the same with only the leads changing . An overrated filmmaker unlike a Selvaraghavan or Veterinarian who constantly keep pushing boundaries.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Rohit Sathish Nair
November 13, 2016
Have only watched Vaaranam Aayiram of GVM’s, and there I found the voiceovers to be kinda faulty. Why do you have to tell your father (or his soul) things about you that he has already seen or heard?
Rangan sir didn’t really mention that in his review
LikeLiked by 1 person
Adhiti
November 13, 2016
I really liked your review of the film Mr. Rangan. I feel that Mr. Menon has set such a high standard, and everyone expects him to meet that standard.
“AR Rahman’s superb Thalli pogaathey being used as a stunning counterpoint to the mayhem on screen”.
The positioning of the song “Thalli pogathey” was quite different. If you can help, I would like to know the significance of that song at that point, and what it is supposed to signify.
LikeLike
Raju
November 14, 2016
I actually really enjoyed everything up till the twist at the end. The continuous adrenaline rush and jarring tonal change in the second half actually worked in the film’s favour for me. I wanted to know why they were in this situation throughout. The nonchalant violence and the relatively high body count really helped me feel alert. But all of that was immediately thrown away for a truly WTF twist. The pay off simply wasn’t good enough.
At least in nonsensical masala entertainers, they prime you with the bullshit-factor from the very beginning whereas here we have a film which is very GVM up until that final “twist”, if you could call it that.
On another note, I really felt Thalli Pogathey was done right. Loved the intercutting of the accident with the foreign visuals.
The sound design played a big role in the entertainment factor. Each punch Simbu threw had a weight to it, especially given his new podgy/chubby appearance. The first hospital encounter with the cleaver-wielding attacker was a true spectacle; edited perfectly with good sound mixing to mimic the adrenaline rush. Great action choreography for the most part.
A decent, inoffensive flick. It’s got all the GVM tropes but somehow you forgive it because of the self-awareness of it all with the constant jabs to Goutham’s previous body of work.
LikeLiked by 1 person
MANK
November 14, 2016
I guess, this sort of explains the terrible ending
http://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/gautham-menon-prefers-to-start-filming-with-incomplete-scripts/article9338692.ece?ref=sliderNews
LikeLike
Nivaz
November 14, 2016
The first half doesn’t carry anything new, these love portions were same as what we have seen in earlier Gautham films, as simbu said “Athulayavathu ponnu maadila irunthuchu, ithula namma veetkulaye iruku” that’s the only difference. For me Simbu just recreated what he has done in VTV in the first half still the intense sequences were nicely done. but Manjima was the real wonder, she did her part so well.
The whole road trip with a girl is a fresh thought and yes, it is fascinating. I am ok with the second half too coz the sequences were tripped one after another, there were no time to breathe or sigh you just have to react to survive somehow. Like everyone else I was completely surprised with the climax, it should have ended darker but GVM tried the so called ‘mass ‘elements and the way it unfolds was also not convincing logically, physically and not even mentally. This is the same mistake he has done in YA, not sure whether he got pissed off coz of stupid masala movies making huge money and why not mine and why don’t I try it. I am not sure what’s in his head. Music was good, imagine a movie with 5 songs in the first half itself, nobody can sit during songs but here people stayed all coz of Rahman’s lovely tunes and brilliant visuals.
Most importantly, the whole reason behind villain trying to kill the whole family was the stupidest thing ever I have ever seen. I was wondering on which part of the movie he dedicates or inspired from godfather and thanks Rangan for pointing that out
LikeLike
ramvaradan
November 15, 2016
With GVM, infact I feel he never had any creative juice to begin with .. he is just too boring, and steals a lot of scenes, subplots, and writings from other movies -aka- hollywood. For instance : Vettaiyadu Vilayadu had many lifts from movies such as : Silence of Lambs, Mystic River etc,. Every good movie of his seems to be inspired from someone else….. Kakka Kakka had scenes lifted as well, I recall one from 7 (seven), Yennai Arindhal was too mundane. I liked the “Varanam Aayiram” … althought it’s reminiscent of something that I cannot put finger on. And, I recall one horrible remake of “Derailed”,
LikeLike
Mervin LR
November 15, 2016
Agreed. The movie is a convincing attempt to surpass the Godfather-esque feel but ended up being more of a comical parody of it. Too trite to take them seriously, decent couple of hours wasted.
LikeLike
Ragenikanth
November 15, 2016
the climax twist will put karthik subbaj to shame
LikeLike
Santosh Kumar T K
November 16, 2016
BR, when was the last time/review when the man himself descended on this blog to comment on your/someone’s take? 🙂
his interviews are so satisfying to watch. the man speaks in the same manner, hit, flop, or sunshine! never gets ruffled, his tonal graph is consistent and flat (in a good way). gives the interviewers what they want; will talk stars, projects, numbers, those juicy bits that interviewers/readers crave. all this while giving a peep into the person himself. i mean he can’t be all that different in real life. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
rekha
November 16, 2016
An excerpt from a review of telugu version:
Songs scored by AR Rahman are fabulous. Background music is terrific. The picturization of songs is apt. The way director picturised the duet (shot in abroad) of Vellipomake by juxtaposing with the most crucial episode of the film is an experiment and it worked well. However, the director has placed all the songs in the first half. Cinematography by Dan Macarthur is excellent and it gives a mood to the film. Director Gautham Menon has choreographed all the songs and they are pretty creative (for example, shokilla song is more like a montage song than a club song). Dialogues by Kona Venkat are good. Editing by Anthony is fine. Production values of the film are decent.
😂
LikeLiked by 4 people
harish ram
November 16, 2016
of all the experiment gone at vain in this film, the name was the biggest. This surely is the weakest film in GVM oeuvre. And I don’t understand how people liked the first half? It was sooo bland. At least few portions in the 2nd half had the gritty feel that was engaging if not boring.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Honest Raj (formerly 'V'enkatesh)
November 16, 2016
rekha: Idlebrain? 😛
LikeLike
Pranav Sarma
November 16, 2016
SPOILERS AHEAD
Hey BR! I was wondering why you didnt mention Dan macarthur’s work (cinematography). I felt he was simply brilliant. His picturisations were a treat to watch. The shot when STR gets to see his bike arrive in his place with the golden sun on the background and with those orange and green leaves gently caressing over it made me as excited as STR was shown the next second. Those shakes in the camera which resembled the movement of a pendulum made it look metaphoric to depict the wavering mind of a young adult (choreographer satish’s age was written 23 in his death poster). STR in the film has no idea about his ambitions, how would life would turn out or more, be prepared for those. He is a stranger to those type and his mind may attune into any extreme.
Yes I do indeed feel like you do on how some scenes were played out without making us feel to its max especially in the second half. The only stretch in the second half where I felt I was attuned to the feelings of the characters were during the scenes in the hospital where we both diont know whats going on. I LOL-ed when STR asks a nurse- “is this even a hospital?!”. The second half had more purpose(in paper though) and crucial scenes like the one where STR decides to head back and face the heat and also the one in the train had so much of mood(courtesy dan and a brilliant score by ARR) but no real feel. That’s why many say the film is perfect, because they tend to relate the mood and they way the story is narrated with the feel (I think). Note that the hero also had a subtle penchant for life thrilling moments- moments which he thinks he has the capacity to survive and tell it to his children. He felt he had sudden responsibility for safe guarding the girl of his dreams just because he felt he has gotten a responsibility after proposing his love. He had nothing else important to do (“onnume paakala aanal sethalum parava ila!). Mind it I’m 20 and I have no idea about my engineering future and I would have done the same too if I were in his shoes. I kinda know how this gen young adults feel hehe.
The love scenes in the first half were not at all love scenes!! GVM last year said that the hero and heroine would not have time to love in the first half and he is trying to show a different picture where this is between love and attraction(modern day word for this is “friendzone”) and I feel it was aptly done. They were just chilling with each other where STR was eying on her while she remained cool. She first felt love for him during that superb shot where STR washes his face with a bottle and the evening sun peeking behind his nose where she gives that lovely laugh. I could swear that she started to love him completely in that hotel room even if it wasn’t mentioned in the film. Manjima and str where simply brilliant but I couldn’t fully feel for what situation they are reacting for in the tense moments and give them a warm hug for it. AYM is one of those strange movies I have seen which had lot of mood and interest but no feel for the characters. The first 2 always went hand in hand for all other films I have seen.
I quite didn’t find the ending preposterous even though it felt like one. He envied baba sehgals power of being a police and finally found his ambition too while plotting to kill him. He was practical if you ask me. He got his revenge- slaying all the people responsible for his friend’s death, getting his life ambition and made his enemies feel powerless when they are getting butchered by him. This is seriously a practical and an ultimate form of revenge for a young man like him. But look how it played out on-screen.
Not saying that this film is bad, it’s a stylishly made craper which lacked a nameplate to care for. Had it had a subtle matter called “TRUE FEEL” and some bit more character writing this would have been an action masterpiece. But this won’t affect the mainstream audience much and the film would be remembered for long for how a good time it gave them. The film will grow into them slowly and make them watch multiple times in the future for sure.
Waiting to read if you have something to say for me about my views BR!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Arjun Dev M
November 17, 2016
Am I the only one here who found the guy who played Simbu’s friend extremely annoying? That guy could be a really swell person in real life but I felt relieved when the s.o.b. died on screen. Compare that to the guy who played his father – he was there hardly in a couple of scenes, but he moved me to tears.
Also, I completely agree to B.R. sir, it is “an underwhelming mish-mash of genres” -the movie is actually a collection of well-done set pieces that don’t stick together. I feel the real villain here is the writing. Goutham Menon goes back to the same few tropes that he has when he has to come up with a script – a writer draws from his/her life experiences and it seems that goutham menon has been insulated from the world for a while now possibly due to his becoming a celebrity. Goutham Menon is not the only writer facing this problem – in the west writers are mindful of this problem and they do various things to keep being relevant – like travelling to places were people don’t recognise them, using every opportunity to interact with the public etc.
Goutham Menon is one of the few directors in India with an aesthetic sense, technical expertise and emotional depth – not many people can portray falling in love as beautifully – whether it be the mature love in vettaiyaadu villaiyaadu or the kind of young innocent love as in acham yenbathu madamaiyada. So, I hope he would stop wasting his talent(s) on his own repetitive tropes and start directing good stuff written by other better writers Though it must be said that even an underwhelming Goutham Menon film is miles ahead of most of the drivel that’s released in our country.
LikeLiked by 3 people
brangan
November 17, 2016
Arjun Dev M: Though it must be said that even an underwhelming Goutham Menon film is miles ahead of most of the drivel that’s released in our country.
Oh that goes without saying. There’s at least a basic competence across the various departments of filmmaking, and even when the parts don’t work for you, there’s always a good bit of staging or something interesting in the performances.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Arjun Dev M
November 17, 2016
Thanks for the reply Sir. 🙂
LikeLike
Anuja Chandramouli
November 17, 2016
Is if just me or has GVM become really weak in the dialogue department? I thought the dialogues in Kaaka Kaaka were simply brilliant but ever since, they have been a disappointment. The lines are cheesy, merely stating the obvious/ wannabe profound, or downright stilted. And those voiceovers! They are becoming harder and harder to sit through.
I loved STR in the film, but if he had said ‘ I feel like a man’ one more time I would have yelled ‘Shut up!’
LikeLike
Rohit Sathish Nair
November 18, 2016
What about the growing feeling in many that GVM’s films are turning less original and more recycled, if not yet acts of full-blown masturbation? GVM’s claim that ‘even a blind man van recognise his stamp’ isn’t getting to be a great one
I found it interesting comparing this film with Vaaranam Aayiram, Both films have a half-slacker, half-responsible-guy who isn’t in a hurry to get a job. Both have a sister’s friend-cum-neighbour who gradually becomes a lover, and again it’s a random(or not-so-random) trip to places that eventually gives them their turning-into-a-man, life-changing experience.
Even his sudden wish to join the Army, with a giant leap of faith (perhaps considering the events related to his friend’s son, and that bomb blast) seemed somewhat convincing.
It is slightly strange that VA, despite some jarring parts, came together as a whole, whereas this film, with supposedly better-made constituents (read ‘better fight sequences’), failed.
I remember Rangan sir mentioning in the Steve Lopez review that one of the marks of an auteur is the recurrence of certain themes, motifs and events. It seems GVM here has them on an infinity loop
LikeLiked by 1 person
sravishanker1401gmailcom
November 18, 2016
BR : That para where you dwell on Manjima Mohan’s casualness is a treat to read. I wonder what happenned to another bundle of talent, Meera Jasmine, who could act casual and emote too.
LikeLike
Ravi P
November 19, 2016
GVM’s thoughts on Brangan’s review:
LikeLike
Ravi P
November 19, 2016
watch from 6:15 mark for the interview sent above to see GVM’s thoughts on brangan’s review
LikeLiked by 2 people
tonks
November 19, 2016
On a related note, in this interview :
http://www.idreampost.com/inside-the-dreams-of-gautham-menon-love-life-and-films/
“(laughs) Baradwaj Rangan, who panned the film, said it right. (Is he just cooking up an alphabet soup to satisfy the A, B and C centres?) And I thought why not! And I also got reviews saying that because he’s named Rajinikanth, nobody is bothered about the backstory because Rajinikanth can do anything. People just forget lots of things. You can call it whatever – easy filmmaking, stupid or anything, I just wanted to do it once in my career. I’m over that itch right now.”
LikeLiked by 1 person
Karthik
November 19, 2016
If not for the songs this one would have become another Nadunisi Naigal with less psychotic people. There is no such thing called A,B & C centers those times are passe and a movie does well anywhere even if it is “mildly” entertaining.
LikeLike
sravishanker1401gmailcom
November 19, 2016
@Rohit Sathish Nair : “It seems GVM here has them on an infinity loop”
Too Good !!
LikeLike
Kannan Sarathy-Sp
November 20, 2016
Déjà vu – something I have been experiencing in GVM sir’s last couple of films. The monologues in the first half of the film kept reminding me of VTV and latter half for Yennai Arinthal. I guess sketching out the plot clearly and revolving the elements ( romance, monologues…) we generally associate with his films might work better than having these elements dictating the story line. Not sure if I am eligible to comment on his work given that he is a great director, just a random thought that popped up in my mind.
Amazing review sir, I could relate to it completely.
LikeLike
Suresh
November 23, 2016
And then when Simbhu fixes the TV in the Rasali song, the movie being showed there is Kadal. One more reference to manirathnam.
LikeLike
Uncouth Village Youth
November 24, 2016
A few quick observations on the movie :
a) How the mighty have fallen. GVM still retains the polished feel of his films. But now, officially he is the Harris Jeyaraj among the directors.The whole film has a déjà vu feel to it. The story goes completely off the rails post the road trip – it enters Perarasu/Hari/Vishal/Vijay territory . It employs every action movie trope you can imagine. There were peals of laughter in the theater once the action part started – yep it was that bad. I also find it funny, how almost all his heroes suddenly become studious and come out with flying colors – sort of like Rajini deciding to become rich, over a song.
b) Simbu is horrifyingly(for us) and terrifyingly(for his career) starting to look a lot like his father. The stunted dialogue delivery becomes really irritating after a point. At times, I felt, he was just going through the motions – he didn’t make me root for him in the movie like say Gilli . I think he has given up his Superstar ambitions too – even his moniker was missing during the credits.
c) The women in the movie are old -Simbu’s sister, Manjima .I simply don’t know why GVM missed this crucial part – after all he made me like Sameera, Ramya, Samantha. I simply could not connect with Manjima as a GVM heroine – somebody shouted kelavi in the theater I watched. In fact, she looked younger after the chase begins – with minimal make up.
d) Seriously , the PD should sue GVM for showing them with such stupidity. Lost the number of plot holes after a point. You have to completely leave your brain at home – I do enjoy brainless action movies, but something just didn’t click this time.
A few moments were really well made – the auto scene (which GVM claimed had actually happened to him during NEP promos), the sunrise scene where she yawns, the hand cricket in the yard (similar to VIP), but overall, pretty disappointing stuff, considering it comes from someone I like. I think GVM should let go off his cop-love obsession, and try something new. May be a comedy next time around.
LikeLiked by 2 people
blurb
January 1, 2017
I just saw this movie, and I was awestruck.
So needless to say, I found the review a bit harsh.
Certain moments were extraordinary.
There’s one, right after they think they’ve made the final escape and are on the train. They both are exhausted and asleep. And suddenly Simbu has this semi-dream state of the last time he saw Baba Sehgal, and disturbed by it, begins to open his eyes. At that moment, Baba Sehgal enters their coach with a gun pointed at them.
I’ve had this experience of waking up just at the nick of time numerous times. Especially during exams (needless to say, several decades ago). You set an alarm for 3 AM. While asleep, you just keep thinking about the exam and what you’ve studied. And you suddenly open your eyes and it’s 2:58 AM.
I have never quite seen this captured in a movie ever.
Simply marvelous.
LikeLiked by 1 person
bala
January 2, 2017
I know it is too late to comment on this blog. But “naan idha sollale na thappaayirum”. I don’t think the Godfather-moment that inspired this movie is the hospital scene, like mentioned by BR. I think it is the scene where Tom Hagen advices Sonny not to retaliate for attack on Veto, because, there is a cop accompanying the villain (whoever micheal kills in part one), and nobody can shoot a cop and walk easily.. “Even the old man’s political protection will run for cover”.. In this movie, he leaves the bald cop because he is a cop, and becomes a cop so that he can kill a cop..
LikeLike
bala
January 2, 2017
This is the scene i was referring to in my previous comment.
LikeLike
Jordan
January 2, 2017
I just saw the movie too, and I felt it had some nice “moments”, like the taxi scene where she proposes (I really liked their chemistry; GVM made us believe that they loved each other) but I agree that everything didn’t come together nicely. Baba Sehgal was plain annoying after a point along with the voiceover of Simbu musing about life or “feeling like a man”. The last part was like a Hari movie, really.
LikeLike
sridharraman
March 25, 2017
Finally got to see this movie, and found it quite atrocious! The voiceovers were annoying, the writing of scenes and dialogues were quite bad. The amount of explanation spent on each scene gives one the sense of GVM thinking of himself much higher than what he actually is.
E.g. the supposedly great “line” from Sukanya to Simbu, it didn’t warrant multiple mentions. It felt like GVM was so amazed at his writing skills that he had to praise himself through his own writing!
And the whole violence-moment-man-situation was repeated/re-shown at least 3-4 times in the movie. First as a teaser, then a voice-over, then the actual scene, then the summary of that scene. Terrible film-making!
If it wasn’t Simbu, then it was his friend “commentating” on the proceedings. I think there is a huge gap between the movie that is in GVM’s head and his capabilities.
I found it similar in Yennai Arindhaal as well. He has this idea/concept of, say, e.g., the daughter kidnapped by Arun Vijay. But the execution and film-making is so simplistic that it lacks skill. The daughter is walking with six police around her and … the villain just overpowers them and takes her. I mean, compare this with something that Mysskin would have conjured such scenes.
Okay, let me end this rant. There are just too many things to go on!
LikeLike
Dhanda Soru
September 18, 2017
After watching this movie, I was reminded of a question that BR constantly asks film folk from Kodambakkam: Why don’t we have more people who specialize exclusively in writing? I ask this because Menon himself said in an interview that he’s more of a director than a writer. And also because the writing in this film oscillates between generic and godawful.
The first half was inoffensive but generic. I didn’t for a second care for the romance between AYM and Leela. The placement of Thalli Pogathey was conceptually brilliant, but it hardly packed a punch (and how could it, given the generic romance?)
But oh boy, the second half……where do I start? AYM duly turns into a badass because……Tamil cinema. And that twist. THAT. FUCKING. TWIST. The second half felt like the cinematic equivalent of an ill-prepared student who writes the most random of shit in his board exams, hoping that the sheer volume of drivel would intimidate the examiner into giving him full marks.
Such a shame, this could’ve been an engaging romance cum thriller. But all it ends up being is a bizarre hodgepodge.
LikeLike