REVIEW: DEIVA THIRUMAGAL

First things first, Vikram and Sarah’s performances are two of the greatest performances I’ve seen recently in Tamil cinema. Vikram effortlessly portrays (for the lack of a better term) a mentally challenged person. Mind you he is walking a very tight rope here. His performance could’ve easily been overdone and made into an annoying one, but Vikram manages to keep it just on the balance. Baby Sarah . . . what can I say? She is absolutely mind blowing. She instantaneously strikes a chord with you and it’s a pleasure to watch her on screen. Having said that, is the movie good? YES and NO.

This movie is about a mentally challenged father and his daughter. How they are separated and their struggle to get back together forms the crux of the film. For me, DT looked like two different movies. The track between the father and daughter looks cute and great while the courtroom scenes and the struggle to get back together are amateur and lacks everything that you could think of!

The film opens up well and the initial sequences involving Anushka and Santhanam are funny. The flash back is quite clearly the best part of the movie and has some amazing scenes. Although the writing is not particularly brilliant here either, the performances of vikram and Sarah elevate the proceedings altogether to a different height. The movie is super cute and interesting till the two get separated. This is where the movie derails completely.

The second half of the film focuses mainly on the courtroom battle. These sequences completely lack any sort of punch. All these scenes fall flat on its face. Remember the courtroom scenes of A few good men? That is exactly how this should’ve been. Even less impactful courtroom scenes like the ones from veer zaara or the Mammooty and Amala starrer would’ve helped this movie so much. The movie never really picks up till the finale in the court. But that is too little too late.

In the rest of the cast, Amala Paul is strictly OK. Anushka looks gorgeous and has done a very good job. I just wish she had better dialogues to speak rather than the embarrassing lines she had to deliver. Santhanam does what he does best. His sequences are funny and it works especially because he doesn’t have a separate track.

In all, Deiva Thirumagal is super cute when it is simple and turns annoying when it tries to be super cute. This movie has a heart and some amazing performances. I just wish the great performances were backed by a good script, Alas, it wasn’t. An average flick.

My Rating: 5.5/10

-V

P.S: Every time Anushka said VINO (santhanam’s name in the film is vinod) my heart skipped a beat. Fell in love with her all over again.

REVIEW: ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBARA

ZNMD is clearly one of the most fun filled movies that I’ve seen recently. The title clearly gives away the message of the film but do not worry my friends, none of the lead characters suffer from any of the clichéd diseases that one would usually suffer in movies that spread out this message. It’s a progressive film that is engaging, funny and even exciting!

This is the story of three long time friends (Hrithik, Abhay and Farhan), who decide to go on a bachelor trip to Spain before the marriage of Abhay Deol and engage in adventure sports that each one chooses. All three have their own sad part in their lives and this movie is about how they overcome their fears and sadness and how they learn to live their life to the fullest.

Hrithik plays the role of a rich stock broker with absolute ease. Farhan Akhtar in a never seen avatar – a goofy, fun filled flirt, is an absolute revelation. Abhay suits the character perfectly and essentially plays the guy who desperately wants this trip to work. Katrina Kaif plays . . . scratch that, is a gorgeous lady who teaches the importance of enjoying every minute to the guys. The fiancée of Abhay, Kalki is somewhat more of a caricature than a realistic character.

Scuba diving, sky diving, tomatina festival and so on, the writing and direction takes you to so many beautiful locations and fun filled adventures that you will get ready to pack your bags at the end of the movie. Not just adventures, every little thing these people do makes an impact on their lives as they all carry a baggage of some sort. There are pretty awesome scenes sprinkled throughout the movie such as Hrithik’s reaction to scuba diving, Farhan getting a new phone for Hrithik, Abhay’s proposal and so on. There’ll always be a smile in your face throughout the film thanks to gems like those. The major reason why the film works is the chemistry between the three main leads. Never once that you’ll doubt the friendship of these three.

On the flip side, the movie is a bit long and drags in some portions. The movie could’ve been way better if it was a bit shorter. Although the movie avoids clichés, there were a few which the writer couldn’t avoid. I’m not going to nitpick each and every little thing because these are minor glitches on what otherwise is a fun flick.

ZNMD is clearly a very mature and refined attempt that isn’t for everyone. I loved the movie and wouldn’t mind watching it again. Zoya Akhtar is a gifted director and if her streak continues, we might be lucky enough to see some different, matured cinema from her which Indian movies lack quite often. Watch the movie and pack your bags for a holiday with your best buddies.

MY RATING: 8/10

- V

P.S: Why copy the last sequence from Hitch? Ran out of ideas like they did for the posters???

REVIEW: HARRY POTTER 7 PART 2

After 10 yrs and 7 billion $ under the belt, the Harry Potter series has finally reached its epic conclusion. Let me start this by saying that I’ve never read even a single line from any of the potter books. I thought the first few potter films were a bit too kiddish for me (that’s how it was meant to be. I get IT), as the series progressed, the movies became more dark and interesting. Is the final film worthy enough to be the final part of such a successful series? YES.

HP7.2 picks up right where the previous installment ended with Harry and his friends mourning the death of Dobby and searching for the rest of the horcruxes of Voldemort. At a lightening pace, the film keeps throwing action set pieces and peels layer after layer of the plot. Before you know it, we are at the battle of Hogwarts, which is clearly one of the best action sequences of the series and is very imaginatively shot. I’m not going to get too much into the plot as either you already know it or I don’t want to spoil it for you. All that you need to know is Harry potter and Lord Voldemort are about to face each other mano-e-mano to end their rivalry.

Performance wise, all of the actors have matured with each passing movie and are at their best in this one. Even the ones who have been sidelined in the previous installments shine here. The main three leads show amazing development in their character arc and are now braver than ever. Neville Longbottom gets couple of the best scenes in the movie and the actor is having the time of his life. The same can be said about the rest of the performances and they all pitch in perfectly.

Technically, the movie is very sound. It has a great score, cinematography, VFX and everything that an epic needs. The writing is absolutely fast here and has gems of scenes placed throughout the movie. Watch out the scene when Harry and snape meet for the first time in this film or when Longbottom does his greatest contribution yet and so on. All of these scenes had me cheering out loud. Its pretty clear that if I hadn’t been involved in the characters I would’ve never cheered. That is the success of the movie. One complaint I did have was that it felt as if I had walked 30 mins after the movie had started but considering everything that had to be shown, I don’t blame anyone for this little problem (There’s no question of lack of character development here as they’ve been with us already for 7 movies and its not as if they have added new characters. We know these people already!!).

All said, HP 7.2 is a perfect and fitting end to one of the most followed series worldwide. It has enough action, drama and even crowd pleasing scenes. It is a terrific achievement for everyone involved to maintain the consistency for the entire series. The movies kept getting better and it finishes off on a great manner. Harry Potter 7.2 is a great send off.

My rating: 8/10

- V

P.S: I would really like to see Emma Watson in a lot of movies. She is absolutely gorgeous.

P.S2: With all the magic, I still don’t understand why they need the Hogwarts express. Cant they just walk right to the school from platform 9 ¾ ???