Cinema Chaat

Theeya Velai Seiyyanum Kumaru

Heather Wilson — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 10:39:59 +0000

I’m really not a Hansika fan and tend to avoid her in movies as much as possible, but with nothing else releasing here this weekend I decided to risk it and headed out to watch the latest Sundar C. romantic comedy Theeya Velai Seiyyanum Kumaru. Rather surprisingly I enjoyed it! Haniska wasn’t too annoying mainly […]

Ammoru

Temple Connolly — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 14:03:32 +0000

Ammoru is a 1995 film combining mythology and religion with a family drama. Directed by Kodi Ramakrishna, strong performances, a well plotted story and well modulated pace ensure this never gets dull. I like the socio-fantasy and mythological genres and Ammoru has plenty of the elements I find interesting and entertaining. An entire village is […]

Cameraman Gangatho Rambabu

Heather Wilson — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 02:02:05 +0000

Cameraman Gangatho Rambabu sees Puri Jagannadh teaming up again with Powerstar Pawan Kalyan for a tale about one man’s crusade against corrupt politicians with a little help from sidekick Cameraman Ganga. I first saw CGR in the cinema without subtitles, but since the audience seemed to be appreciative of the dialogue I thought it might […]

Theeviravaathi: The Terrorist

Temple Connolly — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 13:46:12 +0000

Santosh Sivan’s 1998 film is a lyrical study of one person’s journey towards being a suicide bomber. It’s a surprisingly moving film as it takes a very personal and internalised view of ‘the terrorist’. Malli (Ayesha Dharker) is a member of an unnamed rebel army. She has a reputation for being focussed and ruthless, and […]

Iddarammayilatho

Heather Wilson — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 07:41:33 +0000

I haven’t been too impressed with the last few Puri Jagannadh films I’ve seen, but I was hopeful that this latest offering starring my favourite hero might offer something a little different. But although the film is visually very pretty and both Bunny and Amala Paul do their best with their respective characters, the story […]

Bombay Talkies (2013)

Temple Connolly — Sun, 26 May 2013 12:19:45 +0000

Apologies – this post is brimful of spoilers. Mind you, no one who edited the trailer or the geeks writing for Wiki or reviewers for some major papers seems to give a toss about giving away details. Bombay Talkies sounded like an odd but potentially brilliant project. Four directors, four stories with the only connection […]

Okkadu

Temple Connolly — Sun, 19 May 2013 05:57:23 +0000

Gunasekhar’s 2003 film Okkadu is a beautifully balanced masala film, full of action and drama with a splash of romance and a dash of humour. Set mostly in Hyderabad’s old city, there is a strong sense of place and community and some lovely visuals. Despite being almost 3 hours long, the pace is just right […]

Go Goa Gone

Temple Connolly — Sat, 11 May 2013 11:33:55 +0000

I like a good caper, I like zombie movies and I don’t mind copious swearing. So Go Goa Gone should have been tailor made for me. Sadly, after a promising start – featuring Chiru in Golimar! I cheered! – the film fell away into rote dialogues and predictable predicaments. Raj and DK had a great […]

Thuppakki (2012)

Heather Wilson — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 11:56:28 +0000

After the disappointment of 7 Aum Arivu, thankfully A. R. Murugadoss takes a step back in the right direction with Thuppakki. With a story based on terrorist sleeper cells in Mumbai, the action is well written and cleverly plotted to build suspense and there are a number of surprising twists towards the end. The resolution […]

Gouravam

Temple Connolly — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 10:50:21 +0000

Radha Mohan’s Gouravam is a thoughtful film. Revolving around the mysterious disappearance of the hero’s friend, it is unfortunately undermined by some clumsy plotting and suspension of logic by key characters at pivotal times. But it is visually lovely and a different kind of heroic journey than I expect from mainstream Telugu cinema so I […]