Ye Papa!

With an interesting trailer, loads of promotion, promising debutante Atlee gives us Raja Rani, starring Arya, Jai, Nayanthara, Nazriya, Santhanam, Sathyaraj and several others.

John and Regina get married against each others' will, and go through a marital life of spite and hatred. A chain of events lead the two to learn more about each other's life, love and loss. Whether they decide to repair their marriage and lead a successful life, or break and walk away from each other forms the rest of the story.

This film brings to screen artistes who we haven't seen in quite sometime - Jai, seen last in Engeyum Eppothum and  Nayanthara, since Boss (A) Baskaran. Arya, whose last outings (Settai, Vettai, Avan Ivan) have involved multiple-protagonists (Chikku Bukku, being a forgettable exception), finally lands a role that might provide him some shine. Jai, whose role is very similar to that from his previous film, does justice to it, and so do Nayanthara, and Nazriya whose cute charm makes her character portrayal extremely natural. While Santhanam, Sathyan and Naan Kadavul Rajendran impress in both humor and performance, it is Sathyaraj who is the grand winner. The veteran has never looked so cool before on-screen and he pulls off his role as a uber-cool dad quite effortlessly.

But behind all such characters, lies the smart mind of a creator. Atlee gives us a film that is not new to us. The theme of the film is reminds us of the yesteryear Mouna Raagam, but it is the treatment; the heart-wrenching drama, the humor, and the liveliness of the script that keeps audiences piqued till the very end. George.C.Williams' cinematography and Ruben's editing are commendable, though the film's pace begins to lag in the second half. G.V.Prakash's background score sets the atmosphere throughout the film, and while composing yet another forgettable album, his feature with Gaana Bala, "Hey Baby", is quite enjoyable.

"There is love/life after love failure". This is the message that the film tries to get across. Raja Rani, is a thorough entertainer, with all the spices requires for commercial success. Definitely worth a watch.

Aditya Baskaran

Intelligent, but fools.

A rather interesting trailer piqued audiences towards a film comprising of vivid colours and unfamiliar faces. Moodar Koodam, produced by Pasanga Productions, stars Naveen, Sentrayan, Rajaj, Kuberan, Jayprakash, Oviya and several others.

Four extremely different men, brought together by a common factor - desolation, which leads them to believe that they have nothing to lose, decide to rob a wealthy house. What unfolds from this decision, how the events of the day reflect off each personality's history, and whether or not they succeed in this mission forms the rest of the story.

Moodar Koodam, is yet another caper comedy, in the lines of the recent Neram and Soodhu Kavvum. The very title credits seem to exhume shades of Guy Ritchie, and the film in itself stands out as a production highly inspired by world cinema, drawing various commendable styles into it. The film, being a dark comedy, stays true to its core till the end, though the overall attempt manages to evoke only a few, yet worthy laughs.

The main cast, mostly newcomers, have delivered their best to portray their characters to the fullest, though they still have a long way to go. With a taut storyline, packed in with neat dialogues that range from Communist wisdom to hard-hitting abusive fact-punch statements, the film has definitely come out as a refreshing attempt. Tony Chan's cinematography, coupled with good art direction and intriguing costumes, elevates the visual experience to a whole new level.

But. But. The screenplay acts as a complete dampener, moving the film at a snail's pace, with Athiyappan Shiva's editing providing no help. Music by Natarajan Shankaran is a pendulum of sorts, for the film provides intelligent BGMs and songs at one point, and turns completely unimpressive at another. The addition of more and more characters, whose purposes seem to come together at the climax, acts more as a drag rather than keeping audiences engaged.

Nervtheless, Moodar Koodam is a worthy watch, and a commendable effort. Debuatante Naveen joins the list of directors who are contributing to the "New Wave" of Tamil Cinema, though we audiences seem to have had enough of capers already.

Aditya Baskaran