Power dhaan da.

In 2011, Tamil Cinema found an actor who set a standard for himself, by vehemently creating a satirical image for himself that the very effort he put in for it brought him a 'tremendous' fanfare. And thus, expectations are/were high as self-titled 'Power Star' Srinivasan teamed up with the man reigning over the Tamil comedy scene, Santhanam to bring out Kanna Laddu Thinna Aasayaa, starring Vishakha Singh, Sethu, VTV Ganesh and several others.

KLTA is a modern adaptation of K.Bhagyaraj's 1981 Indru Poi Naalai Vaa. Three friends fall for the same woman, and it leads them to follow the formula 'Every man for himself'. Who succeeds in the comic battle for love forms the rest of the story.

Comedy is the word. Santhanam, who has both produced and scripted this film, carries it on his shoulders, and overshadows newcomer Sethu and the Power Star. Sethu, has a long, long way to go in the industry. Vishakha, whose last Tamil release was the forgettable Pidichirukku five Pongals back, manages to impress the audience with her acting. VTV Ganesh, Kovai Sarala, Devadarshini and Sivashankar Master all add to the comedy quotient in their supporting role.

It is relieving to know that the Power Star has finally found his place as a comedian in the industry. His ability to make anything look and sound funny, and the way that he has carried his character through the film - one highly inspired by his real-life personality (and playfully also made fun of in the film, at a large scale) deserves appreciation.

M.Rajesh's opening voiceover comes as a warm surprise to everyone, and the movie, in itself, reminds you a lot of his style of film-making and screenplay : A movie that doesn't carry much of a story, and is totally dependent on the fun factor, complete with the use of old Tamil songs to support the comic sense of the scene. STR, in his cameo, plays an important role in film. The editing and camerawork are neat, and S.Thaman's work in this film is just apt.

So. This film is, the family entertainer for this Pongal. But unfortunately, this movie doesn't live up to the hype it created. Though a rib-tickler, it is not exactly the Santhanam-class that has left the viewers in splits. But what will make you watch this film, is one man - Power Star Srinivasan, for the weird form of grotesque entertainment this man provides, is simply not available in any other regional film industry anywhere. Anywhere.

Aditya Baskaran

Not Again.

The amount of promotion this movie got, made people look up to its release, as Alex Pandian hits screens this Pongal, starring Karthi, Anushka, Santhanam, Milind Soman and several others.

So, what's new about this film? Absolutely nothing. The film opens with a hurt heroine being chased by a gazillion gundas, and the hero, as usual beating all of them up, but this time - on top of a moving train. Next, the comedian walks into his place to find the hero as his sudden "guest", and what continues is a whole half of pointless attempts at comedy and violence until the heroine makes an appearance again at the interval, after which it is revealed that Alex Pandian is a small-time crook who had kidnapped the heroine for the villains, and now after a change of heart, was opposing them. How he got to her, and whether he succeeds in saving her is what the movie is all about.

The movie has a tiring number of villains - 5, to be precise. The movie's pace is lethargic - the first half is filled with Karthi and Santhanam, who though share a wonderful chemistry, do not keep us engaged. Suraaj, known for the comedy quotient in his film, saw a decline with Mappilai, which has continued into this film as well. The second half, finally brings about the crux of the story, and the beating up of another million gundas and the villains.The haphazard and almost ridiculous placement of songs worsen the movie's pace. The acting department, though upto mark, sees a wide number of good artistes wasted on minor roles. Santhanam, who is now Kollywood's most-wanted USP, livens this movie up a bit, but even his performance, sadly, is not all wonderful. The cinematography, by Saravanan, brings to us some interesting angles. Music, nothing fresh.

Suraaj, who brings to screens, masala-action films, which though completely illogical, tend to keep audiences entertained, struck gold with Thalai Nagaram and Marudhamalai. Things began to dampen from Padikkadhavan, and Alex Pandian has turned out to be a disappointment as well. Tamil cinema has seen a thousand such films, and while some have managed to make it big at the box office, a slow, mediocre screenplay has let this film down.

This movie is only for die-hard fans of Karthi, and those masala-movie buffs.

Aditya Baskaran